350 MEMOIR OF JOHN WILSON. 



passage. Saturday and Sunday I dined on board the ' Yernon ;' 

 and on the Sunday I wrote to you the hurried letter above alluded 

 to. On Monday, the 19th, I dined with Mr. Roberts, the master 

 ship-builder of the docks, and met some naval and military officers. 

 Tuesday the 20th was an a'-day's rain, and I kept all day in a lodg- 

 ing-room with Captain Williams, R. N., and his brother, the purser 

 of the 'Vernon.' Wednesday the 21st was a fine day, but I went 

 nowhere, except on board a few ships ; and it being electioneering 

 time here, I heard some speeches from Sir Edward Codrington and 

 others. I dined with a party of offishers at the hotel. To-day 

 (Thursday the 2 2d) I saw Sir F. Collier, who informed me that the 

 squadron of Sir P. Malcolm, consisting of seven sail, were in the 

 offing, and that the ' Vernon' is to join them to-morrow at 12 a.m. 

 We are consequently all in a bustle ; and my next letter will be 

 from the first port we put into. This is the night of the said Thurs- 

 day ; I am on shore writing this. I hoj)e that a letter from you will 

 reach us to-morrow before we sail, though I fear not, because Mr. 

 Barrow is at Portsmouth, and that may have delayed your letter. 

 The letter which you were to write direct according to former in- 

 structions, to Plymouth, will be sent after us ere long. On receiv- 

 ing this please to write to me, directed to me under cover to Mr. 

 Barrow, Admiralty, and it will be forwarded with the Admiral's 

 letters. The cruise begins to-morrow, and two months have been 

 spent, as you will see, in another way. I shall take two or three 

 weeks of the cruise, as it would be stupid to return without seeing 

 the experimental squadron. I shall write to you by the first steamer 

 or tender that takes letters from the squadron. I do not think we 

 are going very far. Several balls and concerts were about to be 

 given to us, but our orders have come at last rather unexpectedly, 

 and all the ladies are in tears. I forgot to say that on Monday, the 

 13th, I dined, not on board the 'Vernon,' but in the Admiral's 

 house, with a splendid party. The ' Vernon' has been much attack- 

 ed in the newspapers, but my account of her in my long letter is 

 the correct one. I think in strong breezes she will beat the squadron. 

 In light winds she may prove but an ' Endeavor.' I shall say no 

 more of my hopes and fears about your letter to-morrow ; but this 

 I will say, and truly, that I think of you all three or seven times a 

 day, or haply twenty-one. I suppose the lads have gone to Elleray, 

 according to my permission in my last, and with the means of doing 



