Phenomena of Memory. \ 75 



waiting to be revealed whenever the obscuring daylight 

 itself shall have been withdrawn." 



To the same effect, also, is the story told in a letter 

 to the celebrated Dr. Wollaston by a former hydro- 

 grapher to the navy, Admiral Beaufort, of his own expe- 

 rience in drowning a letter which has, I believe, found 

 its way into print before, but which I transcribe, as far 

 as is necessary to my present purpose, from a manuscript 

 copy in the possession of my friend Sir Thomas Watson, 

 who, in fact, called my attention to it. 



"Many years ago," writes the Admiral, "when a 

 youngster of the ' Aquilon ' frigate, after sculling a boat 

 about Portsmouth harbour, I was endeavouring to make 

 her fast alongside the ship, but, the tide being strong, 

 and the boat sheering off, I foolishly stepped on the 

 gunwale in order to reach the ring of one of the scuttles. 

 The boat of course upset, I tumbled into the water, and. 

 not knowing how to swim, all my efforts to lay hold either 

 of the boat or of the floating sculls were fruitless. The 

 transaction had not been observed by the sentinel on 

 the gangway, and it was not until the tide had carried 

 me some distance from the ship, that a man on the fore- 

 top saw the splashing in the water and gave the alarm. 

 The first lieutenant (the present Rear-Admiral Oliver) 

 instantly jumped overboard, the carpenter followed his 

 example, and the gunner hastened into a boat and 

 pulled after us. With the violent attempts to make 

 myself heard I had swallowed a good deal of water, my 

 struggles to keep myself afloat had exhausted me, and 

 before any of my gallant preservers overtook me I had 

 sunk below the surface. All exertions having ceased, 

 all hope having fled, I felt that I was drowning. 



" So far the facts were either partially remembered, 



