FROM CRONSTADT TO COPENHAGEN. 95 



they returned. Count Bonnet, the French am- 

 bassador, had also had the intention of inspect- 

 ing the ship, but was prevented by an attack of 

 the gout ; and, on the other hand, I was obhged 

 to refuse his invitation to dinner, as necessary 

 business detained me on board the Rurick. 

 Having learned from former experience, how 

 difficult the business of a ship's cook is in hot 

 climates, and how injurious the climate is to such 

 persons, if they have not had an opportunity to 

 accustom themselves to it before ; I took much 

 trouble in procuring a cook, at Copenhagen, who, 

 had already made a voyage to the East Indies. 

 We met with a West Indian, whom I engaged for 

 the Rurick, and who bore the whole voyage ex- 

 tremely well, notwithstanding he was always before 

 the fire, even under the equator. 



August 17th. At four o'clock this morning, we 

 left Copenhagen with a fresh S.S. W. wind, but were 

 obliged to relinquish the hope of passing the sound 

 to day, as the wind turned to the W., and obliged 

 us to cast anchor, at eight o'clock A. M. at Elsi- 

 nore. In Copenhagen, I perceived that the going 

 of my chromometers had much changed, since we 

 came from Cronstadt. They were examined at 

 St. Petersburg by the astronomer, M. Schubert, 

 who observed that Hardy's chronometer, on the 

 20th July, was, by mean time, 2h. 8m. 39s, 54- 

 too slow; the daily loss of time 2,18s. Barraud's 

 chronometer, by mean time, 3h. 20m. 31s, G too 



