which move in shoals like the herring, and are 

 about the size of that fish. They are supposed to 

 feed on spawn and sea animalculse, and will not 

 take the bait ; but on the shores of Barbadoes, 

 which they frequent in great multitudes, they are 

 caught in wide nets, spread upon the surface of 

 the sea ; then, upon beating the waters around, the 

 fish rise in clouds, and fly till, their fins getting dry, 

 they fall down into the nets which have been spread 

 to receive them. The dolphin is seldom above 

 three feet long ; the immense strength which he 

 exerts in his struggles for liberty occasions the ne- 

 cessity of catching him in the way before described. 



December 8. 



At three o'clock this afternoon we entered the 

 tropic of Cancer ; and if our wind continues tole- 

 rably favourable, we may expect to see Antigua 

 on Sunday se'nnight. On crossing the line, it was 

 formerly usual for ships to receive a visit from 

 an old gentleman and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. 

 Cancer: the husband was, by profession, a bar- 

 ber; and, probably, the scullion, who insisted so 

 peremptorily on shaving Sancho, at the duke's 

 castle, had served an apprenticeship to Mr. Cancer, 

 for their mode of proceeding was much alike, and, 

 indeed, very peculiar : the old gentleman always 

 made a point of using a rusty iron hoop instead of 

 a razor, tar for soap, and an empty beef-barrel was, 

 in his opinion, the very best possible substitute for 



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