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LOpy tof a letter from captain Porter, to the
secretary of the navy
Essex Junior, July 3d 1814, ar sea.
Sir hate done myself the honor to ad”
dress you; repeatedly, since left the Del-
aware ; but have scarcely a hope that one
of my letters has reached you, therfore,
consider it necessary to ‘give you a brie
history of my proceedings’ Gihice that period”
I sailed from the Délaware ou the 27th
of October, ‘1812, and repaired’ with all dil-
i ence (agreeably to the instuctionss ef
Cofiae Bainbridge) to Port Praya, Fernando
de Noronbo, and Cape Frio; and artived al
eac place on the day ‘appointed to meet
him. On my passage from Port Praya to
Fernando de Noronho, I captured: his ‘Bid-
tanic majesty’s packet Nocton ; andi after.
taking out about 11,000. sterling n specie
sent her under comm offieut ¥ ich for
about Cape Frio, until the 12th of January |
1813, hearing frequently o the commodore,
by vessels from Bahia, 1 her captured but
ne schoon. vy with hidgs and tallow 3 I sent
hier into Rio. The montague, the admival’s
ship, being in pur suit of me; my Pproy isions
now setting short, and’ finding it necessary
to look out for a supply; $ enable me to
meet the commodore off 3 Helena, I pro-
last place of rendezvous
Brazil,) as the most likely to supply my
wants, and at the same tun afford me that
secrecy necessary to oe me to elude the
British ships of war on the coast, and ex”
I here co8ld only procure
a few bags of
pected there.
wood, water and rum, an
flour ; and heaving of the sommodore’s ac-
tion with the Java, the capture of the Hor-
net by the Mor tague, A a considerable
augmentation of the British force on the
coast, and several being inpursuit of me, I
found it necessary to get to s¢a as soon as
possible. I now agreed ably to the commo-
doore’s plan, stretched to the southward,
geouring the coast as far as Rio de la Plata.
I heard that Buenos Ayres was in a state of
starvation, and could not Supply our wants ,
and that the government of Monteviedo was
inimical tous. The commodore’s instruc,
tions now left it completely with me whag
course to pursue, and I had determined on
following that which had not only met his
approbation, but the approbation of the
‘hen secretary of the navy. 1 accordingly
<haped my course for the Pacific ;and after
I cruised off, Riode Janerio, and,
SATURDAY; JULY 30, 1814.
A lr rn 4 SA
suffering greatly from short allowance. of
provision s, and heavy, gales off Cape Horn,
(for. which my ship and men were ill ‘pro-
The* yided) { arrived at Valparaiso on the 14th
of March, 1613. 1 here took in as much
jerked beef, and other provisions as my ship
would conveniently SLOW, and ran down the.
coast of Chiliand Peru; in this tract Tafel
ih ‘with a Peruvian corsair, which had on
board twenty four Americans as prisoners,
the crews of two whale ships, which she had
taken on the coast of Chili. The captain
informed me that, as the allies of Great Bri-
tain, they would capture all the vessels
they should meet with, in expectation
ofa war between Spain and the United
States. I consequently threw all his gun
and ammunition into the sea, liberating the
Americans, wrote a respectiul letter to the
viceroy, explaining the cause of my proce-
dings, which 1 delivered 10 Jer captain. 1
then proceeded from Lima, “nd recaptured
one of the ve .sscfs as she was cutering the
port. i ‘roti thence 1 procteded to the Gai”
japagos Isiands, where { cruised vom tne
17th of April until the 3d of October, 1813;
‘during Which time 1 touched bly © once on
the coast of America, which was fer the
Purpose C of procuring a supply of fresh wa
ter, as.none is to be found amovg those is-
lands, which are perhaps, the most barren
and desola.€ of any Known. LE
While among this group I captured the
following British ships, employed chiefly in
the spermeciti whale fishery, viz ;
LETTERS OF MARQUE. = ©
tons. men..guns, pierced
REIL S Grae a WT
Montezuma - - 270 21 go
} Boligyy: mila) 26. 10 18
Georgiana, J 280 6 13.
bi Greenwich, - oR + ; 20
. Atlantic, = -w=+ 8550) 24 © 8 20
FRosel bie <i 330. 8.20
I Hoc i 7 11° %90
Catharine = - = 27 8 18
Seringapatam =. = 357. 31 26
Charlton, =- « = 274 21 18
New Zealander, « 25 93 18
... Sir A Hammond -4301 .31 12 18
ceeded to the Island of St. “Cathar ines, the ..%.
the coast of .
a 3465 30 2, 107
As some of those ships were cap tured by
boats and others by prises, my officers and
men had several opportunities of shew ing
their gallantry.
The Rose and Charlton were give up to
the prisoners ; the Hector, Catharine and ra mv off
make considerable advances to my ofhcers
: ineffectually, to bring the Phocbe al
one to
Montezuma, I sent to Valparaiso, where
they were laid up ; the Policy Georgiana, .
and New Zealander, I sent for America.
the Greenwich I kept as a storeship, to con
tain the stores of other prises, necessary for
us; and the Atlantic, now called the Essex
Junior, I equipped with twenty guns, and
gave command of her to Lieut. Downes.
Lieut. Downes had convoyed the prizes
to Valparaiso, and on his return, brough
me letters informing me, that a squadron
under the command of com. Hillyar, con.
sisting of the frigate Phaebe of 36 guns, the
Racoon and Cherub sloops of™ war, and a
storeship of 20 guns had sailed on the 6th
of July for this sea. The Racoon and Che-
rub had been seeking me for some time on
the coast of Brazil, and on their return from
their cruize, joined the squadron sent in
No, XXIV
search of me to the Pacific. My ship as it something more splendid hethrs errs
my be suppos d, afier haying been near a that sea. 1 thought it not improbable that
year at sea, required repairs to put her in a com. Hillyar. might have kept his arrival
state to meet them; which I determined secret, and believing that he would seek
to do, and bring them to action, if I could me at V alparaiso, as the most likely place
meet them on nearly equal terms. 1 pro- to find me, I therefore determined to cruise
ceeded now in company with the remaitder about that place, and should. I fail of meet-
of my prizes to the island of Nooheevah or ing him, hoped to be compensated by the
Madisons island, lying in the Washington capture of some merchant ships, said to be
groupe, discovered by a captain Ingraham _expected from England.
of Boston ; here I caulked and completely The Pheoebe, agreeable to my expecia-
overhauled my ship, made for her a new tions, came to seek me at Valparaiso, where
set of water casks, her old ones being entire- I was anchored with the Essex, my armed
ly decayed, and took on board from my pri- prize the Essex Junior, under the command
ses, provisions and stores for upwards of “of lieutenant Downs, on the look out off the
four months, and sailed for the coast of Chi- harbor ; but, contrary tothe course I thought
li on the 12th of December, 1813. Previ- be would pursue, commodore Hillyar
ous to sailing; I secured the Seringapatam, ‘bronght with him the Cherub sloop of war,
Greenwich, and Sir Andrew Hammond, un- mounting 28 guns, eighteen: 32 pound car-
der the guns of a battery, which 1 erected f:X ronades, eight 24’s and two long 9’son
their pr otéetion ; 5 (after taking this fine 18” : the quarter deck and. forecastle, and a coms
land for the Ome States and establishing plement of 180 men. The force of the
the anost friendly intefcourcsé with thena” - Pheobe. is as follows: thirty long 18 poun-
tives.) 1 left them under the charge of lieut. ders, , sixteen: 32 pound car ronades, ong
Gawble of the Marines, with twenty one howitzer, and 6 three pounders in her tops,
men, with orders to repair to Yaipergize af- in all 53 guns, and a compiement, of 320
ter a certain period. * © men; making a forcecf 81 guns and 500
I arrived on the coast of Chili on the 12th men ; in addition to which, they took on
January, 1814 ; looked into Conception and board the crew of an English letter of mar-
Valparaiso, found at both places only three que laying i in poait. Both ships had Plehad
English vessels, and learned that the squad” crews and were sen 1nto the Pacifig,
ron which sailed from Rio de Janerio for
in com-
pany: with the Racoon of 22 guns and 2
tha seca had not been heard ‘of since their store ship of 20 guns, for the express pur-
‘captui ¢, and were supposed to be lost i in ‘ei- pose of seeking the Essex, and were Pe
“deavoring to double Cape Horn. pared with flags bearing the motto, ¢ Gorl
I had completely, broken up the British and country ; Biitish sailors’ ‘best Hights
navigation in the Pacific; the vessels which Traitors offend both.” This was intended
ndec
“had not been captured by me, were laid up as a reply tomy motto, « Free Trade and
and dave not venture out. I had affor ded Sailors’ Rights, under the erroneous impi :
‘the most ample protection to our OWN VES- sion that mPerew. was Ciely Bx a =
‘vessels, which were, on my arrival, very orto counteract its effect on a bay
umerous and unprotected. The valuable crews. The force of the Essex wa »
thale fishery is entirely destroyed, and the guys, forty 32 pound carronades an ei
attual injury we have done them, may be Jong 12’s, and her crew, which had Ho
estimated at two and a half millions of dol- much reduced by prizes, amounted only t
laps, independent of the expences of the 255 men. yi
The Essex Juai
: LSSEel or, which w
vessels in search of me. Ea as
They have fur- intended chiefly as a store, ship, mounted 20°
nisbed me amply with sails, cordage, cables guns, ten 18 pound carronades; and ten
anchors, provisions, an d medicines, and ghort 6° sy with only 60 men on board. I
n
stores of every description—and the sloops jeply to their motto, I wrote at m
’ y mizen,
on board them have furnished clothing for « God our Country and Libe T
the seamen. We had in fact lived onthe offend them.” ftys hyrants
he ¥
prize having proved a well found store ship AS fe pen mbes
for me. 1 had not yet been under the ne- hiockadin g me, herd they gid Ne EE
cessity of drawing bills on the department gy weeks, during which tips Fenteny Wi
for any object, and had been enabled to ¢, provok 5. challenge, ard Coro
enemy since I had been in that sea; ; every
and crew on account of
pay: action, first with both my ships, and afier-
wards with my single shi i
the sea, my crew had continued remarkably ooo I Es og Yaa ou See
healthy ; I had but one case of the scurvy, Yel lies under ¥9%)
and ascertained that I had greatly the ad-
and had lost only the following men by
death, viz: vantage in point of sailing, and once suc-
For the unexampled time we had kept
‘ceeded in clesing within gun shot of the
Phoebe, and commencing a fire on her;
when she ran dowa for the Cherub, which
was 2-1-2 miles to leeward. This excited
some surprise and expressions of indigna-
tion, as previous to my getting under way
she hove to off the port, hoisted her motto
flag aiid fired 2 gun to windward, Com-
modore Hillyar seemed determined to avoid
John S. Cowan, lieut.
Robert Miller, surgeon,
Levi Holmes, o. seaman,
Edward Sweeny, do.
Samuel Groce,
James Spafford, guuner’s mate,
seaman,
Benjamin Geers,
John Rodgers,
} qr. gunners,
Andrew Mahan, corporal of marines, a contest with me on" nearly equal te yh
tras;
Lewis Price, private marine.
rhe & P and from his extreme prudence in keep-
ad done all the injury that could be ing both his ships ever after constanily with-
done the British commerce in the Pacific, in hail of each other, there were no hopes
and still hoped to signalize my cruise by of apy advantages 10 my country from,a
v