40 



the torrid," they are " of temper somewhat 

 mulish;" for, although, to be sure, when they do 

 blow, they will only blow in one certain direction, 

 yet very often they will not blow at all ; which has 

 been our case for the last week : indeed, they seem 

 to be but a queerish kind of a concern at best. 

 About three years ago a fleet of merchantmen was 

 becalmed near St. Vincent's : in a few days after 

 their arrival, there happened a violent eruption of 

 a volcano in that island, nor was it long before a 

 favourable breeze sprang up. Unluckily, one of 

 the ships had anchored rather nearer to the shore 

 than the others, and was at the distance of about 

 one hundred and fifty yards from the stream of the 

 trade wind ; nor could any possible efforts of the 

 crew, by tacking, by towing, or otherwise, ever 

 enable the vessel to conquer that one hundred and 

 fifty yards : there she remained, as completely be- 

 calmed as if there were not such a thing as a 

 breath of wind in the universe ; and on the one 

 hand she had the mortification to see the rest of the 

 merchantmen, with their convoy (for it was in the 

 very heat of the war), sail away with all their can- 

 vass spread and swelling ; while, on the other 

 hand, the sailors had the comfortable possibility of 

 being suffocated every moment by the clouds of 

 ashes which continued to fall on their deck every 

 moment, from the burning volcano, although they 

 were not nearer to St. Vincent's than eight or nine 

 miles ; indeed that distance went for nothing, as 



