254 
PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
there we had a dag-staff erected, and suitable signals established, 
to which point the attention of every one was now turned ; and on 
the meridian of the 30th, a signal was made for a ship in the south 
bay, and shortly after another was hoisted for a boat standing in for 
the harbour. A fresh breeze springing up, she soon rounded the 
S.E. point of Narborough, and from her general appearance all be¬ 
lieved it to be the Essex Junior, which opinion was soon confirm¬ 
ed by the arrival of lieut. Downes, who had left the ship early in 
the morning, while she was becalmed. His arrival was welcomed 
by our seamen with three cheers; and at 3 P. M. the Essex Jun¬ 
ior anchored near us. By this ship I received several letters from 
our consul-general at Valparaiso, as well as other friends there ; 
also letters from our consul at Buenos Ayres, and newspapers, 
which,though of old dates, contained news of the greatest interest 
to us. 
We obtained intelligence by. them of the re-election of Mr. 
Madison to the presidency, and various changes in the different 
executive departments of the government, also the most satisfac¬ 
tory accounts of the successes of our navy, in every instance where 
our ships had encountered an enemy of equal force; and my let¬ 
ters from our consul at Buenos Ayres informed me, that on the 5th 
July the British frigate Phoebe, of 36 guns, and the Raccoon and 
Cherub sloops of war, of 24 guns each, accompanied by a store- 
ship of 20 guns, had sailed from Rio de Janeiro for the Pacific 
ocean, in pursuit of the Essex. I also obtained intelligence that 
several British merchant ships were soon expected at Valparaiso 
from England, with valuable cargoes; and Mr. Downes informed 
me, that he had left one there richly laden, and on the point of sail¬ 
ing for India. 
Lieut. Downes had moored the Montezuma, Hector, and Ca¬ 
tharine at Valparaiso, but had dispatched the Policy for America, 
as there was no prospect of selling the ship or her cargo to any ad¬ 
vantage at Valparaiso, as an open declaration of war had taken 
place between Chili and Peru, and an entire stop put to the com¬ 
merce between the two governments, which had hitherto contin¬ 
ued uninterrupted, notwithstanding their hostilities to each other.. 
