While among this group, I captured the following British ships, employed chiefly in the spermaceti whale fishery, viz: — LETTERS OF MARQUE. Tons. Men. Guns. Pierced for, Montezuma, Policy, Georgiana Greenwich, Atlantic, 24: Eose, Hector, Catherine, Seringapatam, Charlton, New Zealander, Sir A. Hammond, 301 As some of those ships were captured by boats, and others by prizes, my officers and men had several opportunities of showing their gallantry. The Eose and Charlton were given up to the prisoners; the Hector, Catherine, and Montezuma, I sent to Valparaiso, where they were laid up; the Policy, Georgiana, and New Zealander, I sent to America; the Greenwich I kept as a storeship, to contain the stores of my other prizes, necessary for us; and the Atlantic, now called the Essex- Junior, I equipped with 20 guns, and gave command of her to Lieut.
Dowries. Lieut, Downes had convoyed the prizes to Valparaiso, and on his return brought me letters informing me that a squadron under the command of Com. James Hillyar, consisting of the frigate Phoebe, of 36 guns, the Racoon and Cherub, sloops-of-war, and a storeship of 20 guns, had sailed on the Gth of July for this sea. The Racoon and Cherub had been seeking me for some time on the coast of Brazil, and on their return from their cruise, joined the squadron sent in search of me to the Pacific. My ship, as it may be supposed, after being near a year at sea, required some repairs to put her in a state to meet them; which I determined to do, and to bring them to action, if I could meet them on nearly equal terms.
I proceeded now, in company with the remainder of my prizes, to the island of Nooaheevah, or Madison Island, lying in the Washington group, discovered by Capt. Ingraham, of Boston; here I calked and completely overhauled 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 Chili on the 12th December, 1813. Previous to sailing, I secured the Seringapatam, Greenwich, and Sir Andrew Hammond under the gnns of a battery, which 1 erected for their protection. After taking possession of this fine island for the United States, and establishing the most friendly intercourse with the natives, I left them under the charge of Lieut.
Gamble of the marines, with twent}Tone 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 endeavoring to double Cape Horn. I had completely broken up the British navigation in the Pacific; the vessels which had not been captured by me, were laid up and dared not venture out. I had afforded the most ample protection to our own vessels, which were on my arrival, very numerous and unprotected.
The valuable whale fishery there is entirely destro}Ted, and the actual injury we have done them may be estimated at two and a half millions of dollars, independent of the expenses of the vessels in search of me. They have furnished me amply with sales, cordage, cables, anchors, provisions, medicines, and stores of every description; and the slops on board them have furnished clothing for the seamen. We have in fact lived on the enemy since I have been in that sea, every prize having proved a well found storeship 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.
For the unexampled time we had kept the sea, my crew had been remarkably healthy; I had but one ease of the scurvy; and had lost only the following men by death, viz. John S. Cowan, lieutenant; Egbert Miller, surgeon; Levi Holmes, Edward Sweeney, ord. seamen; Samuel Groce, seaman; James Spaftbrd, gunner's mate; Benjamin Geers, John Eodgers, quarter-gunners; Andrew Mahan, corporal of marines; Lewis Price, private marine. I had done all the injury that could be done the British commerce in the Pacific, and still hoped to signalize my cruise by something more splendid before leaving that sea. I thought it not improbable that Com. Hillyar might have kept his arrival secret, and believing that he would seek me at Valparaiso, as the most likely place to find me, 1 therefore determined to cruise about that place, and should 1 fail of meeting him, hoped to be compensated by the capture of seme merchant ships, said to be expected from England.