ISLES DE LOS. 25 



accompanied by the heaviest rain I ever wit- 

 nessed. Captain Harries took the brig in tow 

 several times, but the swell strained the Quorra 

 severely. Under these circumstances, finding 

 that we were being set by the swell and current 

 considerably to leeward. Captain Harries deter- 

 mined to bear up for the Isles de Los, to obtain a 

 supply of coals there from the Columbine, and 

 attempt to weather the shoals of St. Ann under 

 steam, after which he expected to be able to hold 

 his way down the coast under canvass. Under 

 the circumstances of our situation, I am not 

 aware that he could have acted otherwise — the 

 Quorra under canvass being worse than useless 

 unless the wind was abaft the beam. 



We arrived at the Isles de Los on Sunday the 

 2nd September, and anchored between Factory 

 Island and the mainland. The Alburkah did not 

 join us till the afternoon, having being driven 

 still further to leeward. I was much struck with 

 the extreme beauty and romantic appearance of 

 these islands : the rich verdure with which they 

 were covered even to the water's edge contrasted 

 forcibly with the brown and cinder-like appear- 

 ance of those we had just left. There were no 

 white people on the islands at the time of our 



