1825, JANUARY— APRIL. AT SEA 101 



Some blue lights were let off, to which they answered. The first twelve 

 days, without exception, it was almost constantly raining ; light airs of 

 wind but generally calm. On Sunday, 16th, we had a tremendous 

 thunderstorm, vivid lightning lasting from 4 a.m. to 2 p.m. ; I never 

 witnessed anything equal to it. Five tons of water was had from the sails 

 and deck ; this was a great relief, for our allowance was more and we had 

 our clothes washed. Here we were carried nearly 10° to the westward 

 by the current, a fortunate circumstance, being on our course 45 to 60 

 miles a day. The remainder of the time within the tropics the wind 

 continued very variable ; occasional showers, cloudy sky, with lightning 

 and thunder in the evenings. In the lat. of 34° N. Qaught two albatross 

 of a blackish colour with a little white about the eyes and beak, resembling 

 D[iomedea] fuliginosa caught ofE Cape Horn. I was able to preserve only 

 one. The beak of the one at Cape Horn of a lighter colour, feet and legs 

 white. This I have no doubt will prove a very distinct variety, if not a 

 species. Both of them I preserved carefully and are now sent home. Also 

 one agreeing with l)\iomedea\ exulans, but much smaller than is found in the 

 Southern Hemisphere, 7 feet from tip to tip, colour exactly the same. I 

 was prevented from skinning this one by the violent storm (for as I have 

 mentioned before, I never could take them but when the water was in the 

 most agitated state), during which the second mate fell on the deck and 

 fractured his right thigh. The excruciating pain which this poor man 

 suffered until the termination of our voyage can hardly be expressed. 

 On the 12th of February we were in sight of a river in Long. 134° W., 

 but the weather was so boisterous and frightful that it forbade everything 

 like approaching the coast as useless. We were tossed and driven about 

 in this condition for six weeks, winds prevailing from the south-west. 

 Here we experienced the furious hurricanes of North- West America in 

 the fullest extent a thousand times worse than Cape Horn. In this latitude 

 there is an abundance of a small species of Physalae of an azure transparent 

 colour, which were frequently washed on the mainyard by the spray 

 breaking over the vessel. Prevailing winds from the south-west and north- 

 west. Many efforts were made during this time to reach our destined 

 port in the short intervals of favourable weather. On Saturday, April 2, 

 Cape Disappointment was seen at noon, distant thirty miles. Sail was 

 shortened to wait a new day for entering. 



Sunday, 3rd. — Calm in the morning and cold ; a keen easterly breeze 

 carried us within four miles of the River, when another violent storm from 

 the west obliged us again to put to sea. 



Ajyril 5th. — ^We bore in again for the land, being 170 miles at sea, with 

 weather more inviting. 



April 7th. — At daylight on Thursday our course was again directed 

 to the coast, being only 40 miles distant, every person breathing a wish 

 we might be more fortunate than on Sunday. The weather seemingly 

 more steady with a keen north-east wind, such an opportunity was not 

 lost, all sail was set, joy and expectation was on every countenance, all 

 glad to make themselves useful. The Doctor and I kept the soundings. 

 At one o'clock noon we entered the river and passed the sand bank 



