368 A LEAKY VESSEL. 



There is no harbor here — ships anchoring in an 

 open seaway unprotected from the winds ; but as, 

 during the greater part of the year, this latitude is 

 only visited by the south-east trade wind, a ship may 

 lay in this exposed position with impunity. Some 

 twenty vessels lay at anchor, three of which flew the 

 stars and stripes ; one of these was the Messenger, 

 whose crew was ashore on liberty ; another was the 

 ship Thomas Glover, of Boston, bound home in a 

 few days. The third, a barque, whose name I did 

 not learn, was in an extremely leaky condition, and 

 her captain, not wishing to have her condemned 

 here, was offering one hundred dollars bounty, and 

 twenty-five dollars per month for each man who 

 would ship aboard to work her home ; but if anything 

 else ofiers Jack Tar is shy about engaging himself 

 aboard a leaky ship, where the pumps are to be kept 

 constantly going, day and night, and, as her semi- 

 water-logged condition renders her unsafe to carry a 

 press of canvass on, the probability is that a passage 

 in her will be an extended one. Then by the time 

 she would get on our coast, heavy weather might be 

 looked for, and it, united with her leaky condition, 

 would render her anything but a comfortable craft. 



The other vessels were English, French, Swedish, 

 and Dutch. Inside of all lay a number of condemned 

 vessels, amongst them was the barque Ann, of Sag 

 Harbor, the same vessel we were in company with 

 whilst engaged in whaling on the coast of New Hol- 

 land. After w^e left her she proceeded to Desolation, 

 where, from heavy weather, she received severe 

 damages, and, on arriving at St. Helena, a survey 

 was had upon her and she was condemned. The 



