PORTER’S JOURNAL. 
^•arit her a passport to secure her from recapture. The ship was 
small and we knew we had much to suffer, yet we hoped soon to 
reach our country in safety, that we might again have it in our 
power to serve it. This arrangement was attended with no addi¬ 
tional expense, as she was abundantly supplied with provisions 
and stores for the voyage. 
In justice to commodore Hillyar, I must observe, that (al¬ 
though I can never be reconciled to the manner of his attack on 
the Essex, or to his conduct before the action,) he has, since our 
capture, shown the greatest humanity to my wounded, (whom he 
permitted me to land on condition that the United States should 
bear their expenses,) and has endeavoured as much as lay in his 
power, to alleviate the distresses of war, by the most generous 
and delicate deportment towards myself, my officers, and crew; 
he gave orders that the property of every person should be re¬ 
spected—his orders, however, were not so strictly attended to as 
might have been expected; besides being deprived oi books, 
charts, &c. &c. both myself and officers lost many articles? of our 
clothing, some to a considerable amount. I should not have con¬ 
sidered this last circumstance of sufficient importance to notice, 
did it not mark a striking difference between the navy of Great 
Britain, and that of the United States, highly creditable to the 
latter. 
By the arrival of the Tagus a few days after my capture, I 
was informed that besides the ships which had arrived in the Pa¬ 
cific in pursuit of me, and those still expected, others were sent 
to cruize for me in the China seas, off New Zealand, Timor and 
New Holland, and that another frigate was sent to the river La Plata. 
To possess the Essex it has cost the British government 
near six millions of dollars, and yet, sir, her capture was owing 
entirely to accident; and if we consider the expedition with which 
naval contests are now decided, the action is a dishonour to them. 
Had they brought their ships boldly into action with a force so 
very superior, and having the choice of position, they should ei¬ 
ther have captured or destroyed us in one-fourth of the time 
they were about it. 
During the action, our consul general, Mr. Poinsett, called 
#11 the governor of Valparaiso, and requested that the batteries 
