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PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
the ship had a full cargo of spermaceti oil, which would be 
worth in the United States about 100,000 dollars, and could not 
be sold on this coast without making great sacrifices. Thirdly, 
I was desirous of getting rid of Stavers: he was a man of great 
cunning, and considerable observation, and, however desirous I 
might be of concealing my intentions, I was apprehensive that 
some circumstances might lead him to conjecture rightly as to 
my future views; and, to put it entirely out of his power to ob¬ 
tain and give such information as was calculated to benefit the 
enemy, or frustrate my plans, I thought it advisable (as I always 
intended sending him to America for trial) to dispatch him in the 
Georgiana* Fourthly, repeated applications had been made to 
me, by the officers, to overlook the offence of lieutenant W.; and 
his activity and bravery on board the Greenwich, during her ac¬ 
tion with the Seringapatam, gave me a secret inclination to do so, 
without violating my word, or incurring the imputation of incon¬ 
sistency. To reinstate him on board the Essex was entirely out 
of the question ; but I saw no obstacle to giving him command 
of the Georgiana to take to America ; an arrangement which 
gave general satisfaction to every person, as I at-the same time 
liberated him from arrest, and withdrew the charges I had in¬ 
tended to present against him. Fifthly, the period was fast ap¬ 
proaching when the times of many of my crew were to expire. 
I was desirous of sounding them as to their views on the occa¬ 
sion, and, with this object, I permitted the crew of the Georgiana 
to be made up of those whose period of enlistment would expire 
next month ; and I had the great satisfaction to observe but little 
desire on the part of any to return before the Essex. A crew, 
however, was made up for her, but composed by no means of the 
best of my men. Every arrangement being made, the Georgiana 
left us on the 25th July, giving us a salute and three cheers at 
her departure. We had an opportunity, by this vessel, of writing 
to our friends, and enjoyed in pleasing anticipation the effect that 
the news of our great success would produce in the United 
States. 
We had now got drifted as far to the westward as longi¬ 
tude 9 lo 15 ' w.; our latitude, at noon of the 25th, was 1° 8 ' 25" 
