480 Voyage of the Novara. 



the approach of night, that their return was postponed till it 

 was absolutely dark, of which opportunity we gladly availed 

 ourselves to light our pleasant guests homewards with Bengal 

 lights. 



At length, on 10th February^ shortly after noon, we set sail. 

 As the frigate was perceived, from Fort George to w^eigh 

 anchor, a thundering salute was fired of 21 guns — an extra- 

 ordinary honour and mark of attention, to which we responded 

 by a similar salute. In consequence of calms and light winds, 

 we were 48 hours ere losing sight of land ; and it was not till 

 the 12th February we could proceed on our voyage. For 

 several evenings after, that magnificent, and as yet unexplained, 

 phenomenon, the Zodiacal light, which is conjectured by the 

 greatest physicist of our age, to be the beams radiated from a 

 vapour-like, flattened ring, revolving in the space between the 

 orbits of Mercury and Venus, was visible with much regularity. 

 What was afterwards observed, however, of this remarkable 

 zone of light, during the course of our voyage, will be found 

 detailed in the meteorological portion of the scientific volumes. 

 Unbroken fine weather accompanied us during our entire 

 voyage to the Nicobar Islands, our next station. But although, 

 as was rendered necessary by the climate so near the Equator, 

 we were clothed entirely in summer apparel, and there was 

 nothing to remind us of its being winter and carnival at home, 

 our sailors did not let Shrove Tuesday pass over without cele- 

 brating that day, to be marked with a white stone, by masking 



