The second cruise of the _Essex_ began on October 28, 1812, when she sailed from the Delaware bound across the ocean to Port Praya, Cape de Verde, to meet the _Constitution_ and the _Hornet_ and join in a cruise against British commerce in the far East. Her luck in winds having made the passage longer than anticipated, she arrived after the _Constitution_ and _Hornet_ had sailed for Brazil. Having replenished his stores at Port Praya, Captain Porter stood away toward the coast of Africa from Port Praya in order to deceive the people as to his destination, and then ran away toward the island of Fernando de Noronha, where he expected once more to meet his consorts. This passage was without event until December 11, 1812, when at 2 o’clock in the afternoon a sail was seen to windward. Thereat the British signals captured from the _Alert_ in the first cruise were displayed, but they failed to bring the stranger, which was soon seen to be a large brig, toward the _Essex_. So Porter stood up toward the brig, and by nightfall was near enough to see that she was flying British colors; and a little later she displayed night-signals. When Porter was seen to be unable to answer these, the crew of the brig crowded on all sail and manœuvred with skill to escape, but at 9 o’clock at night the _Essex_ was alongside, and after a volley of musketry from the Yankee, the brig struck. She proved to be the British packet, _Nocton_, of ten guns and thirty-one men. Her cargo included $55,000 in coin. The coin was taken out and the brig sent toward home under a prize-crew of seventeen men, but she was recaptured by the swift-sailing _Belvidera_ when near Bermuda. The _Essex_ reached Fernando de Noronha on December 14th, and there found a letter from Commodore Bainbridge. As this port was frequented by British men-of-war this letter was signed with the name of the captain of a British ship, the _Acasta_--Bainbridge having caused the Brazilian authorities of the island to believe that the _Constitution_ and the _Hornet_ were the _Acasta_ and the _Morgiana_--and directed Porter to pose as Sir James Yeo, of the _Southampton_, on reaching the island. Because of this diplomacy--because Porter took a letter which Bainbridge had written to him under the name of Sir James Yeo--British writers have said he was guilty of conduct unbecoming to a gentleman and officer! The letter was double; there was one letter in common ink that meant very little, and on the back of this was another in lime-juice that directed Porter to meet the _Constitution_ and _Hornet_ off Cape Frio.