352 MEMOIR OF JOHN WILSON. 



strong breeze from the land, and in a few hours we discovered the 

 squadron some leagues ahead, but to leeward, and they were all 

 racing, and, as we n eared, I had a beautiful view of all their mo- 

 tions. The 'Snake' was two miles ahead of all the others; the 

 * Vernon' and ' Prince' were next, and close together. The ' Trin- 

 culo' followed, then the 'Nimrod;' next came the ' Castor,' and, 

 finally, the ' Donegal ;' the ' Dryad' had been sent to Portsmouth, 

 and the ' Tyne' to Plymouth the day before. It now came on to 

 blow very hard, and the waves ran hillocks high ; frequent squalls 

 darkened the sky, and shut out the ships, which ever and anon 

 reappeared like phantoms. They seemed to retain their positions. 

 Meanwhile we kept to windward, and ahead of them all, but with 

 a pitching, and a tossing, and a rolling no mortal stomach could 

 withstand. Still, though occasionally sick, I enjoyed the storm. 

 My hat flew overboard, and w T e were all as wet as if in the sea. 

 There was no danger, and the vessel was admirably managed, but 

 she was liker a fish than a bird. Between four and five in the 

 afternoon the ' Campeadora' dropt anchor behind the breakwater 

 in Plymouth Sound. In rather more than half-an-hour the ' Snake' 

 did the same ; in another half-hour in came the ' Prince ;' in quarter 

 of an hour more the ' Vernon ;' and shortly after the ' Trinculo' 

 and the 'Nimrod;' the 'Castor' and 'Donegal' were obliged to lie 

 off during the night. The race was fifty miles, beating to wind- 

 ward, and in blowy weather. The ' Vernon' was, at the end, seven 

 miles ahead of the ' Castor,' her chief competitor, they being the 

 only two frigates, and built by rivals, Symonds and Jeffrys. As 

 soon as I got myself dried, and my hunger appeased, I joined the 

 ' Vernon,' and joined the officers in the gun-room, crowing over the 

 ' Castor.' They had sold all my effects by auction, and had consid- 

 ered me a deserter. The night was passed somewhat boisterously, 

 but the name of the Campeadora never once mentioned 1 1 ! ! She 

 had beaten them all like sacks, and I therefore behaved as if I had 

 come from Torbay in a balloon. Next day (Thursday) we remain- 

 ed all anchored behind the breakwater. Your welcome letter I re- 

 ceived on board the ' Vernon,' the evening of the race. I asked one 

 of the officers what he thought of the ' Campeadora,' who had left 

 Torbay three hours after the squadron, and anchored in the Sound 

 of Plymouth half-an-hour before the ' Snake.' His answer was, 

 * That he had not seen her! that we had not sailed with the squad- 



