236 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
on which considerable quantities of grass and barnacles had collec¬ 
ted, and supplied ourselves abundantly with such refreshments as 
the island afforded, we, on the morning of the 20th August, got 
under way ; but, prior to my leaving the place, I buried a letter 
for lieut. Downes, in a bottle at the head of Mr. Cowan**s grave, 
and a duplicate of the same at the foot of a finger-post, erected by 
me, for the purpose of pointing out to such as may hereafter visit 
the island the grave of Mr. Cowan ; and, with a design of mis¬ 
leading the enemy, I left in a bottle suspended at the finger-post, 
the following note : 
The United States frigate Essex arrived here on the 21st Ju¬ 
ly, 1813, her crew much afflicted with the scurvy and ship-fever, 
which attacked them suddenly, out of which she lost the 1st lieut. 
surgeon, sailing-master, two midshipmen, gunner, carpenter, and 
36 seamen and marines. 
She captured in this sea the following British ships, to wit: 
Montezuma, Policy, Atlantic, Catharine, Rose, Hector, Chariton, 
Georgiana, Greenwich, Scringapatam, and New Zealander ; but, 
for want of officers and men to man them, the four last were burnt ; 
the Rose and Charlton were given up to the prisoners. 
The Essex leaves this in a leaky state, her foremast very rot¬ 
ten in the partners, and her mainmast sprung. Her crew have, 
however, received great benefit from the tortoises and other re¬ 
freshments which the island affords. Should any American ves¬ 
sel, or indeed a vessel of any nation, put in here, and meet with 
this note, they would be doing an act of great humanity to transmit 
a copy of it to America, in order that our friends may know of our 
distressed and hopeless situation, and be prepared for worse ti- 
dings, if they should ever again hear from us. 
The British prisoners have been landed at Tumbez, sent to 
St. Helena and Rio de Janeiro. * 
The following is a list of the names of those who died as above 
mentioned, to wit. 
(Then followed a list of 43 names.) 
While we lay at the bay in James’ Island (which I called Cow¬ 
an’s Bay), we put our goats on shore to graze, keeping a person 
to attend them through the day and give them water ; and as they 
