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JOURNAL OF A VOYAGE TO INDIA.

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nor to break their faith with their captors. All the officers agreed in speaking very ill of the French, and of their conduct towards their prisoners. This last they described as being, in the highest degree, brutal and ungenerous. They said, too, that it was the fault of the private seamen more than of the officers. The latter would often be kinder, if it lay in their power, to the English than they usually were; but they could not prevent their men from insulting and abusing them, pilfering their provisions and water, spitting and pouring filth on them through the gratings, and, whenever an opportunity offered, beating and throwing things at them. An Englishman on board a French ship, they said, was always half starved, and abominably treated, and they spoke of the national temper, as shown in their seamen, as utterly unkind, unchristian, and unmanly. This is a sad picture, but they who gave it me were neither interested in speaking untruly, nor, that I could perceive, inclined to judge harshly of others. How far the character of the uneducated French in general may have suffered under the influence of the Revolution and its consequences, or what circumstances may operate to depress the character of their seamen below the rest of the nation, my informants had not the means of judging.

July 20.-To day, notwithstanding some threatening appearances in the morning, we had our usual prayers and sermon. During the former I found that sea-knees were necessary, as well as sea-legs, since the vessel was so much on one side, that, while kneeling on a chair, (which I was obliged to do rather than on the deck, in order that my congregation might hear me,) I had some difficulty in keeping either myself or my fulcrum from going to leeward. The afternoon and evening were pleasant, but though the congregation at church was very good, there were many absentees at dinner. Two large birds, which the sailors said were "boobies," flew some time round the ship this evening. I began to-day translating St. John's Gospel into Hindoostanee.

July 22.-The day was pleasant and the night beautiful; just such a one as a poet or a painter would wish to describe or represent at sea. I was pleased, while looking over Gilchrist's Guide, with a little Ode by Koodrut, of which the following is an imitation.

Ambition's voice was in my ear, she whisper'd yesterday,

"How goodly is the land of Room, how wide the Russian sway!
How blest to conquer either realm, and dwell through life to come,
Lull'd by the harp's melodious string, cheer'd by the northern drum!"
But Wisdom heard; "O youth," she said, "in passion's fetter tied,
O come and see a sight with me shall cure thee of thy pride!"
She led me to a lonely dell, a sad and shady ground,

Where many an ancient sepulchre gleamed in the moonshine round,

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And "Here Secunder sleeps," she cried; "this is his rival's stone;
And here the mighty chief reclines who rear'd the Median throne.
Inquire of these, doth aught of all their ancient pomp remain,
Save late regret, and bitter tears for ever, and in vain?
Return, return, and in thy heart engraven keep my lore;

The lesser wealth, the lighter load,—small blame betides the poor.”

The last two lines are not in the original, which I thought, though perhaps I was wrong, ended too abruptly without some such moral. My little Emily will probably know, before she reads the above, that "Room" is the Oriental name for the Turkish empire,-that "Secunder" is Alexander the Greatand that the founder of the Median throne is Ky-kaoss, or Deiioces.

July 25.-To day the first or introductory part of the ceremony usual on passing the line, took place. Soon after dark Neptune's boat was supposed to approach the ship, of which notice was given, in the regular form, to the officer on watch. A sailor from the fore-chains, in a dismal voice aggravated by a speaking-trumpet, hailed Captain Manning as if from the sea, and after a short conversation carried on with becoming gravity, Neptune was supposed to take his leave, and a bar rel, with a lighted candle in it, was sent off from the forechains to represent his boat dropping astern. I was much struck by the time during which this continued visible at intervals, rising and sinking on the swell, till it was, at least, two miles distant, and I grew tired of watching it. Our latitude this day was 2° 10 N. Several large birds were seen, which we were told were "tropic birds."

July 26.-To-day we passed the line, and the greater part of it was spent in the mummeries usual on such occasions, which went off very well and in good humour. The passengers were not liable to the usual interrogatories and shaving, but the male part of them took their share in the splashing and wetting, which make up the main fun of these naval saturnalia. I was a good deal surprised at the contrivance exhibited by the masqueraders, in dressing out (with help of a little. oakum and paint, a few fishskins and decayed finery,) the various characters of Neptune, Amphitrite, Mercury, Triton, &c. with far more attention to classical costume than I expected. With the distance and usual aids of a theatre, the show would not have been contemptible, while there was, as might be supposed, a sufficient mixture of the ludicrous to suit the purposes of fun and caricature.

July 27. We had again prayers and a sermon.

July 28.-Our progress continued rapid and our course fayourable. The latitude to-day was 4° 40' S. The night was very beautiful, and from our situation on the globe, we had the

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opportunity of seeing many of the most considerable constellations of both hemispheres. Those of the southern heaven fall far short of the other in number and brilliancy; even the cross, for which I had looked with much earnestness of expectation, and in which I had long taken a sort of romantic interest, is neither extensive nor conspicuous except from the comparative paucity of its neighbours. The Great Bear still (though on the verge, instead of being at the apex of the sky) retains its splendid pre-eminence over the whole host of heaven. The Pole Star has disappeared. The Magellanic clouds are not yet visible.

We have now been six weeks on board. How little did I dream at this time last year that I should ever be in my present situation! How strange it now seems to recollect the interest which I used to take in all which related to Southern seas, and distant regions, to India and its oceans, to Australasia and Polynesia. I used to fancy I should like to visit them, but that I ever should or could do so, never occurred to me. Now that I shall see many of these countries, if life is spared to me, seems not improbable. God grant that my conduct in the scenes to which he has appointed me, may be such as to conduce to his glory, and to my own salvation through his Son!

July 30.-Our progress again good. The weather continues pleasant and remarkably cool for the latitude. The wind brisk and sea rough. The evenings now shut in very soon; and, even at tea, it is necessary to have the lamps lighted in the cuddy.

July 31.-Our latitude this day was 12° 54'. A fine run, and one of the longest which Captain Manning remembers making in this part of the voyage. Yet, which is remarkable, all the vessels whose track is pricked on his great chart, appear to have made their longest run nearly in the same latitude. Captain Manning thinks that the strength of the wind in this particular part of the ocean is occasioned by the projection of South America, and the rarified state of the air over so large a tract of land within the tropics.

August 1.-The wind became very high towards night, and the main top-gallant sail was split in pieces. Two circumstances struck me as remarkable this evening. First, that when the gale grew strong about sunset, the sky was clear in the wind's eye, while to leeward of us, came a very heavy bank of clouds, which retained its figure and position as steadily as if it were land. The second that, every now and then, there was a total cessation of wind, a lull, as the seamen called it, for two or three minutes, after which the gale revived with more vehemence. Both these features were pointed out to me as indications of the gale being likely to

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continue for some time, and to be serious. We have, however, reason to be thankful that, except a good deal of tossing, no harm occurred; nor did the gale increase to such a degree as to become alarming to those who were least accustomed to the sea.

August 3.-Our day again fine, and the gale at first hardly exceeded a stiff breeze. In the course of the afternoon, however, the wind again rose. The sea was very high, and the motion of the ship great and troublesome, pitching, rolling, and performing all sorts of manœuvres. We assembled to prayers at half-past ten o'clock with some difficulty; the crew all stood in consequence of the inconvenience of arranging the spars as usual, and I therefore made the service shorter. Instead of a sermon, I gave notice of a communion for the following Sunday; and, in a short address, enforced the propriety and necessity of attendance on that ordinance, and answered difficulties, &c. The nights are now completely dark by six o'clock.

August 4-8.-I do not think that any thing very material has occurred during these days. The wind has varied in our favour, and is now N. E. by E. which enables us to make a good deal of easting, and our course is regarded as a very good one. Our progress through the water has been rapids. at an average, during the last three days, of seven and a half knots an hour, and to-day frequently ten and eleven. The motion is, of course, considerable, but the weather is very delightful. Yesterday was downright March weather, while to-day has all the freshness, mildness, and beauty of an English May. Great numbers of birds are seen round the ship, and we are told that, as we approach the Cape, their num bers will increase daily. Those called "Cape Pigeons," are very pretty, not unlike the land bird whose name they bear, and which they are said to resemble in flavour. For these last three days the existence or non-existence of the island of Saxenberg has been a frequent topic of conversation. Captain Manning and his officers evidently incline to the affirmative, on the ground that it is more probable that a small isle, a little out of the usual track, may have escaped general notice, than that three different captains of vessels can have told a deliberate falsehood without any apparent motive. That a brig sent out to ascertain the fact may have failed in making the discovery they do not regard as at all extraordinary. They quote repeated instances of vessels from India having failed to find St. Helena; and I think I can perceive that they do not rate the nautical science of many of the commanders of the navy very highly. They admit, however, that if Saxenberg island exists at all, it must be set down wrong in all the charts,

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and in the reckonings of its pretended discoverers; and that if ever met with again, it must be by accident. This, they say, will be the less likely, because delusive appearances of land are so common in these latitudes of the Atlantic, that a real island, if seen, would be very likely to pass, among the rest, as a fog-bank, while the prevailing winds generally confine vessels to one or the other of two courses, according as they are outward or homeward bound; so that, in fact, abundance of unexplored room still exists, and is likely to exist, in the southern Atlantic, for two or three such islands as this is represented to be. Captain Manning says that he always, if he finds himself near the supposed situation, keeps a good look-out. He says that all the older charts, particularly the Dutch, abound in islets, rocks, and shoals, the very existence of which is now more than doubtful. Some of these dangers he conceives to have been fog-banks, some to have been a repetition of those named elsewhere, but of which they had mistaken the site; others, however, he thinks, were pious frauds, inserted on purpose to make young mariners look about them.

August 9.-This morning I saw, or thought I saw, a common white sea-gull, a bird in which I hardly could be mistaken, and which, in size and other circumstances, sufficiently. differs from the Cape pigeons. It, however, rarely goes far from land, and is therefore considered as a presumption that Saxenberg really exists somewhere in the neighbourhood. Nor is this all; one of the crew saw this morning a piece of sea-weed, and two of the passengers a large crab, both equally strong evidences of such a vicinity. From that vicinity, however, we are fast proceeding; and this, if Saxenberg exists, is probably all that we shall see of it. While such a topic, however, was under discussion, we almost overlooked, (what else would have drawn general attention,) that the first albatross which we have seen, made its appearance today, sailing majestically around us on its wide dusky wings, unquestionably one of the largest birds which I ever saw. During these last two nights the motion of the vessel was so violent as to throw my cot far beyond its usual bounds, against the cabin-lockers and chest of drawers. After several rude shocks of this kind, I unhooked and stretched it on the deck; but even there the inclination of the ship was such, that I had some difficulty in keeping myself and my bed from parting company, and slipping or rolling to leeward.

August 10,-Last night I again slept on the floor, and passed it still more uncomfortably than on former occasions, insomuch that I almost determined rather to run the risk of blows and bruises aloft, than to encounter the discomforts of VOL. I.

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