292 ADIEU TO THE EUROPA. 



At the last farewell visit from the Europa's crew, 

 we were commissioned to deliver many a message, 

 both verbal and written, to near and dear friends of 

 theirs in the States ; and they, poor fellows, doomed 

 as they are, for a year or eighteen months more, 

 cruising off New Holland's coast, could not avoid 

 announcing their wishes to be aboard with us. They, 

 however, bade us " God speed ;" and we bade adieu 

 to New Holland and them both at the same time, 

 hoping to meet the latter again in the land of Wash- 

 ington, amid pleasanter scenes and under happier 

 auspices than can be found within the confines of an 

 Indian Ocean whaler's timbers. 



After bidding adieu to the Europa, we occupied 

 ourselves in sending aloft studding sails on the fore 

 and main, from the topgallant yards to the deck ; the 

 main royal was bent, a mizzen staysail manufactured 

 and bent, and under a cloud of canvass, impelled by 

 the gentle trade-wind, we kept her west-north-west, 

 fully anticipating making Mauritius within a fort- 

 night ; but, like most of our bright anticipations, this 

 was doomed to be dashed — the trade-winds, most un- 

 usually at this season of the year, persisting in being 

 light, 80 that it was not until the 21st that we saw 

 the Isle of France. Previous to this, on the 19th, 

 we sighted and passed close by the Island of Rodrique. 

 This small island is seldom visited by whalers for 

 supplies, as there is no accredited American agent 

 resident on it. It however is made famous amongst 

 the whaling fleet, from the fact of a captain of a New 

 Bedford vessel having selected a lady of the island, 

 of French parentage, as his ladylove, marrying, and 

 takino; her with him to the United States, to the dis- 



