VOYAGE. 55 



extent of my humble wishes. I look to botany as a sure pro- 

 tection from low spirits, far superior to Cowper's "winding 

 thread." I don't know but that his classical taste (in which I am 

 wonderfully deficient) may have afforded him a more intense, 

 though not so constant an enjoyment. Botany is useful, because 

 you have always plenty of novelty to turn to, always some- 

 thing to do, either in the arrangement, dissection, determina- 

 tion, or description of your plants. And if you have not, the 

 mere admiration of those delicate works of the Creator always 

 affords me great pleasure. 



For the rest, you may abuse this luxury as you do many 

 another, and the natural bent of the human mind is perhaps fully 

 as much to abuse as to use its blessings ; but are we therefore to 

 renounce these blessings entirely ? Off then at once to the desert, 

 put on sackcloth and ashes, and flog yourself six times a day. I 

 do not envy you. 



A fine bright moonlight night, and a balmy atmosphere. 

 Singing on the poop. This is the pleasant hour of the day, 

 but like many other pleasant hours, it leaves scanty points for 

 the journalist. To the sailors it is also a merry time. This 

 evening they had a dance, affording abundant amusement to 

 us as well as to themselves. For lack of fiddle the cook produced 

 a tin dish and iron spoon, and you cannot think what "eloquent 

 music was discoursed " by the humble instruments. It is 

 doubtful to me if the primitive turtle shell spoke better. 



August 4th. The sailors caught a bonita ; and I saw two black 

 gulls winging their solitary way across our bows, happy, doubt- 

 less, in having any companionship in such a waste of waters. 

 The bonita, which is cousin to the porpoise, is a very pretty 

 fish, of an elegant spindle form and brilliant blue painting. 

 This specimen was about two feet long. 



Doubtless it must give double pleasure to benevolent minds 

 when their own enjoyments, even unconsciously, give equal 

 pleasure to others. This remark springs from the amusement I 



have been taking in the contemplation of D . This was 



a moonlight evening, and though the cuddy was lighted up and 

 the viands displayed, yet all the passengers were either enjoying 

 the balmy air of evening, or in their cabins. All ! No ; there 

 was one exception, which I was happy in discovering, and con- 

 templating unobserved. I had been on the poop, was wearied, 



