PROFESSOR SMITH’S JOURNAL, 261 
with so far to the north,) was fished up. On the 20th, a 
whale was swimming close to the vessel. For the last 
eight or ten days the weather has been humid and foggy. 
The Captain now communicated to us his instructions re- 
lative to our conduct in our future excursions. ‘They are 
such as to afford a satisfactory proof of his liberal conduct 
towards us. We have two Congo negroes on_ board, both 
of whom speak English. One of them, named Ben, acts 
as my servant; but as Ben left his native country when 
twelve years of age, and as the other is but very little ac 
quainted with the English language, we have not profited 
much by their information. 
We have for some days past been proceeding at a re- 
gular but slow rate along the coast. The sea-breeze ge- 
nerally sets in at noon from S.W., and carries us somewhat 
forwards to the south. We now anchor in shallow water 
at the distance of two or three leagues from the shore. 
The country here is very low, and thickly covered with 
wood. ‘The coast has a sandy beach, on which we can 
distinctly see the breakers, and hear them roar at night. 
June 25. We anchored at a distance of three leagues 
from the shore, and had a beautiful view of it. The thick 
forests, which rise in two, and sometimes three successive 
ranges behind one another, varied by plains covered with 
grass of a light green colour, though they present an in- 
teresting appearance, nearly resembling that of the woody 
shores of the Danish islands, indicate at the same time, as far 
as may be judged at a distance, a great uniformity of the 
country itself, and of its natural productions. By looking 
