aside village, it would be hard to find.
Hardly had the ships cast anchor, when the governor came off in a boat
to pay a formal visit. Though clothed in rags, he had all the dignity
of a Spanish hidalgo, and strutted about the quarter-deck with most
laughable self-importance. Notwithstanding his high official station,
this worthy permitted himself to be propitiated with a present of one
hundred dollars; and he left the ship, promising all sorts of aid to
the Americans. Nothing came of it all, however; and Porter failed to
dispose of any of his prizes. While the "Essex" with her train of
captives lay in the harbor at Tumbez, the "Georgianna" came into port,
and was greeted with three cheers by the men of the frigate. Lieut.
Downes reported that he had captured three British ships, carrying in
all twenty-seven guns and seventy-five men. One of the prizes had been
released on parole, and the other two were then with the "Georgianna."
This addition to the number of vessels in the train of the "Essex" was
somewhat of an annoyance to Capt. Porter, who saw clearly that so
great a number of prizes would seriously interfere with his future
movements against the enemy. He accordingly remained at Tumbez only
long enough to convert the "Atlantic" into an armed cruiser under the
name of the "Essex Junior," and then set sail, in the hopes of finding
some port wherein he could sell his embarrassing prizes. His
prisoners, save about seventy-five who enrolled themselves under the
American flag, were paroled, and left at Tumbez; and again the little
squadron put to sea. The "Essex Junior" was ordered to take the
"Hector," "Catherine," "Policy," and "Montezuma" to Valparaiso, and
there dispose of them, after which she was to meet the "Essex" at the
Marquesas Islands. On her way to the rendezvous, the "Essex" stopped
again at the Galapagos Islands, where she was lucky enough to find the
British whaler "Seringapatam," known as the finest ship of the British
whaling fleet. By her capture, the American whalers were rid of a
dangerous enemy; for, though totally without authority from the
British Crown, the captain of the "Seringapatam" had been waging a
predatory warfare against such luckless Americans as fell in his path.
Porter now armed this new prize with twenty-two guns, and considered
her a valuable addition to his offensive force. She took the place of
the "Georgianna," which vessel Porter sent back to the United States
loaded with oil.