974 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF 
we doubled the Cape on the Ist of January, 1837, (Sunday 
again), and were favoured with more steady winds to enable 
us to run down 132 degrees of eastern longitude, we now fell 
in with the common, or white albatross (Diomedea exulans), 
several Procellarie (cape-pigeons among them), of the South- 
ern Seas, and two Terns (Sterna alba, and another). It was 
the intention of our excellent commander, Captain Gatenby, 
to touch at Tristan da Cunha in passing, to have seen Go- 
vernor Glass, as the person there residing is called, and to 
have procured from him some fresh vegetables and fruit; 
which, report says, he furnishes to passing vessels with some 
degree of liberality. But the winds did not favour us; we 
therefore passed it full a degree to the northward. Onward 
we urged our voyage easterly, making capital runs weekly of 
1100 to 1200 miles; so that on Sunday, the 29th of January, 
we passed the longitude of Cape Leuwin (115° E.). 
On the 6th of February we passed Bass’ Strait under easy 
canvas and a steady westerly breeze, but we had scarcely 
cleared the islands, and got a degree or so to the eastward, than 
we had to haul our wind and reduce our canvas to a reefed 
fore and main topsail; the wind after traversing the whole 
compass set dead foul against us at N.E. "Thus were we for 
two days dodging between the continent and Van Diemen's 
Land, or being becalmed, doing worse than nothing as regards 
wear and tear. But it’s all right now; we've open sea-room, 
fifty fathom of water under us, a steady eight-knot breeze, 
and right pleasant countenances, each of us in full expecta- 
tion of seeing old friends with older faces on shore on Sun- 
day. 'lhus much for our run out.— At length after a fifteen 
weeks' run, from Sunday, 30th October, to Sunday, 12th 
February, we dropped into our port in company with a large 
convict-ship, the British Sovereign, (a month longer at sea 
than us), and the Fairlie from Van Diemen's Land, where she 
had landed Sir John Franklin and suite. We reached Sydney 
. Cove at three, P.m., and a sunny roasting afternoon it was; 
(I think I never perspired more profusely in my life), when 
I landed and walked quietly to a friend's house to deliver 
