Wednesday, 4.—­At daylight we cast off the Agnes’ long-boat, leaving her to prosecute her voyage up the Calabar to her own ship, while we stood to the eastward.

Thursday, 5.—­Unsettled weather.  In the afternoon we anchored off the mouth of the Camaroon river, where Lieutenant Badgeley and Mr. Wood went, in separate boats, to examine the river, for slave-vessels.

Saturday, 7.—­Soon after daylight this morning our boats returned, reporting that there was a Brazilian brig, at anchor, some distance up the Camaroon river, waiting for a cargo of slaves; and a Brazilian schooner at the Island of Bimbia, near the entrance of the river, on the same service.  At noon we got under weigh, and stood to the southward.

Wednesday, 11.—­Lat. 2 deg. 4’.  N. Wind from S.S.W. to W.S.W.  Tacked and sounded occasionally, working up to Prince’s Island, and also in chase of a brigantine.

Thursday, 12.—­At 10 in the forenoon we tacked to the southward in hopes of falling in with the brigantine, which we supposed had stood toward the land in the night, and at noon our expectations were realized:  we also saw her in a more favourable point for pursuit, she being a little under our lee.  Finding that she could not escape us, she put a good face on the matter, and continued to stand towards us.  Between one and two o’clock we sent a boat’s-crew on board to examine her.  She proved to be the Emprendadora, a Spanish brigantine from the Havannah, well armed, mounting one long eighteen-pounder on a swivel, and four 12 lb. carronades, and having thirty-two persons on board.  Her outfit and general appearance were extremely suspicious, for she had not only a slave-deck, with irons, &c., but also two slaves, secreted in the forehold, from whom we learnt that they had been stolen from Po-Po, near Wydah.  She had also a quantity of merchandise on board, without having any Custom-house certificate of clearance from the Havannah, or indeed any other account of it, which circumstances led us to believe that it had been plundered from some American vessel.  It was evident that she had been along the Gold Coast, and round the Bights of Benin and Biafra.  The Captain stated that he was going to Prince’s Island to procure anchors, having only one remaining, and that one, with but a single fluke to it.  We afterwards learnt from the crew that he had endeavoured to enter the river Lagos, but had been fired on and forced to retire, by several Brazilian vessels lying there at the time.  We conjectured that she had left the West Indies, on a pretence of going to the coast of Africa, upon a slaving voyage, without any cargo, except perhaps a small quantity of specie, in dollars and gold, but carrying an efficient crew, composed of persons from various nations, and a good stock of provisions.  Vessels, thus equipped, frequently traverse these seas, and being generally very fast sailers, they contrive to keep away from ships better armed than themselves,