The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1814-07-16
OFFICIAL.
WASHINGTON, July Is.
Cofay ofa letter from, Capt. Porter, to fAe Sc
cret0ru of lke Nr1,n

cretary ofthr Navy.
Essex Junior, July Sd, 1914, at Sea.
SIR have done myself the honor to adj
dress you, repeatedly, since left the Della
ware; but have scarcely hope that one of
my letters has reached you !; therefore consi-
Ger 1t necessary to give YOU brief history of
my proceedings since that period.
sailed from the Delaware on the 9th of
October, 1912, and repaired with all dill
genCe, (agreeably to instructions from Com
Inodore BainbriiSc,} TO Port Praya, Fernando
de Noronho, & Cape FTio & arrived at each
place on the day appointc;, to meet him. On
my passage from Port Praya to Fernando dc
Noronho, captured his Britannia majesty s
packet Nocton; and aftertaking out about IL, =
O0OG sterling in specie, sent her under COM
Inand ofLt Finch, FOR America. / cruized
OH Rio de Janciro, and about Cape Frio, until
the 18th January, 1913, hearing frequently of
the Commodore, by vessels from Bahia.
here captured but one schooner, with hides and
tallow ; / sent her into Rio. The Montague,
the admiraPs ship, being in pursuit of me, my
provisions now getting short, and finding it
necessary to lock cut for supply, to enable
me 10 meet the Commodore by the lst. of A
pril. oft ~. Helena, proceeded to the island
OF st. Catharines, (the last place Of Rendez-
yous on the coas, CT Brazil as the most like
ly to supply ny waits, and, ut the same time,
afford rue that secrecy necessary to enable me
to clude the British SHIPS OF war ON the coast
and expected there. | could here procure on
~ wood, c-atcr and rum, and few bags of
Hour; and hearing of the Commodorcs acti-
on with the Java, the capture Of the Hornet
BY the Montague, and of considerable aug
mentation OF the British force on the coast, &
OF several be :. in pursuit of me, l found it
necessary To get to sea as soon as possible.
now, aSrecably TO the Commodore's plan,
stretched to the southwark, securing the coast
as far as Rio de la Platr l heard that Bue-
nos Ayres was in state of starvation, and
Could not supply our wants and that the 60
rernmcnt of Monteviedo was very inimical to
US. The CommGdore's instructions now left
it completely discretionary With me what
course to pursue, & determined On following
that which had not only met his appreciation,
out the appreciation oft then Secretary of
the Navy. 1 accordingly shaped my course
for the Pacific and after suffering greatly
from short allowance OF provisions, and hea-
w gales off Cape Horn, (for which nv ship
and men were lily provided arrived at Val
paraiso on the 14th March, 1915 There took
IN as much jerked beef and ether provisions,
as my ship would conveniently stow, and ran
down the coast of Chill and Peru; in this
track fell III with Peruvian corsair, which
had on board twenty -four Americans as pri-
soners, the crews of two whale ships, which
she had taken on the coast Of Chill. The
captain informed me that, as the allies of G.
Britain, they would capture all they should
meet with, in expectation of a war between
Spain and the United States. consequently
threw all his guns and ammunition into the
sea, liberated the Americans, wrote a res
pectful letter to the Vice Roy, explaining the
cause of my proceedings, which delivered to
her captain. ] then proceeded for Lima, and
re-captured one of the vessels as she was en-
tering the port. From thence proceeded to
the Galapagos islands, where ! cruized from
the l7th April, until the Sd October, 1873;
during which time j touched only once on the
coast of America, which was for the purpose
of procuring supply of fresh water, as none
Is to be found among those islands, which
are perhaps the most barren and desolate Of
any known.
While among this group I captured the fol-
lowing British ships, employed chiefly in the
spermaceti whale fishery, viz
Letters Of 1Hargue.