Q A VOYAGE OF DISCOVERY 
Dedaigneuse, and were immediately taken in tow 
by the Eclipse steam-boat, which, notwithstanding 
the wind, and, for some part of the time, the tide were 
against us, managed to take us down to Northfleet, 
a distance, I believe, of eighteen miles, in less than 
five hours ; for we made fast to one of the buoys at 
the above place at half past twelve o’clock. 
The appearance of the country along the banks of 
the river, as we went down, was at this time ex- 
tremely beautiful, particularly on the right side, 
where the villas, &c. that adorn that bank were seen 
to the greatest advantage, surrounded with groves of 
fruit and other trees, all in blossom, and the mea- 
dows which lay between them and the river abound- 
ing with the most luxuriant vegetation, on which 
were feeding numerous flocks of sheep, and herds 
of black cattle. In fact, nature and art seemed as 
if they had combined their efforts, in order to give us 
a beautitul specimen of the scenery of our native 
isle, that we might contrast it with the dreary pro- 
spects which we soon expected to see in the frozen 
regions wé were about to visit: the comparison 
might, indeed, at this time be made by most of us, 
as the greater number had already seen the snow- 
clad mountains of the frigid zone. 
_ As there was only one steam-boat procured, that 
which brought us down returned immediately (we 
made fast) for the .Griper, and arrived with her a 
little before eleven o’clock at night. 
-. I cannot omit mentioning, in this place, a certain 
coincidence which has occurred with respect to the 
day of the month that the expeditions on discovery 
sailed last year, and this; for it was on the 4th of 
April we sailed from Deptford last year, and although 
