THE ATLANTIC OCEAN. 195 



which commanders guard against two ships on the 

 hiffh sea comin" within even a considerable distance 

 of each other. I have often been amused by hearing 

 the wishes expressed by passengers on their first 

 voyage, when a vessel is speaking at what they think 

 a most uncivil distance, that she would but come 

 nearer, particularly if the wind is light, as " there 

 can be no danger then." Little do they think that 

 in a perfect calm the danger of contact is even 

 greatest, as, if there be wind enough to give the vessel 

 steerage way, she is under control, and the evil may 

 be avoided. On this subject, and on the motions of 

 ships in calms, an unexceptionable authority, Captain 

 Basil Hall, thus speaks : — 



" How it happens I do not know, but on occasions 

 of perfect calm, or such as appear to be perfect calm, 

 the ships of a fleet generally drift away from one 

 another, so that, at the en-d of a few hours, the whole 

 circle bounded by the horizon is speckled over with 

 the.se unmanageable hulks, as they may for the time 

 be considered. It will occasionally happen, indeed, 

 that two ships draw so near in a calm as to incur 

 some risk of falling on board one another. I need 

 scarcely mention that even in the smoothest water 

 ever found in the open sea, two large ships coming 

 into actual contact must prove a formidable en- 

 counter. As long as they are apart their gentle and 

 rather gi-aceful movements are fit subjects of admi- 

 ration ; and I have often seen people gaze for an hour 

 at a time at the ships of a becalmed fleet, slowly 

 twisting round, changing their position, and rolling 

 frum side to side as silently as if they had been 



