PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
149 
meet them on nearly equal terms. I proceeded, now, in company 
with the remainder of my prizes, to the island of Nooaheevah, or 
Madison's island, lying in the Washington group, discovered by a 
captain Ingraham of Boston: here I caulked and completely over¬ 
hauled my ship, made for her a new set of water casks, her old 
ones being entirely decayed, and took on board from my prizes, 
provisions and stores for upwards of four months, and sailed for 
the coast of Chiii on the 12th December, 1813. Previous to sail¬ 
ing, 1 secured the Seringapatam, Greenwich, and Sir Andrew Ham¬ 
mond, under the guns of a battery, which I had erected for their 
protection; (after taking possession of this fine island for the Uni¬ 
ted States, and establishing the most friendly intercourse with the 
natives,) I left them under charge of lieutenant Gamble of the 
marines, with twenty-one men, with orders to repair to Valparaiso 
after a certain period. 
I arrived on the coast of Chili on the 12th January 1814; 
looked into Conception and Valparaiso, found at both places only 
three English vessels, and learned that the squadron which sailed 
from Rio de Janeiro for that sea had not been heard of since their 
departure, and were supposed to be lost in endeavouring to dou¬ 
ble Cape Horn. 
I had completely broken up the British navigation in the Pa¬ 
cific; the vessels which had not been captured by me, were laid 
up and dare not venture out. I had afforded the most ample pro¬ 
tection to our own vessels, which were, on my arrival, very nu¬ 
merous and unprotected.—The valuable whale fishery there, is 
entirely destroyed, and the actual injury we have done them may 
he estimated at two and a half millions of dollars, independent of 
the expenses of the vessels in search of me. They have furnish¬ 
ed me amply with sails, cordage, cables, anchors, provisions, me¬ 
dicines, and stores of every description—and the slops on board 
them have furnished clothing for the seamen. We had, in fact, 
lived on the enemy since I had been in that sea; every prize hav¬ 
ing proved a well found store ship for me. I had not yet been 
under the necessity of drawing bills on the department for any 
object, and had been enabled to make considerable advances to 
my officers and crew on account of pay. 
