230 



porter's journal. 



A brig from England brought the preliminaries of peace 

 between that country and the United States of America, 

 on the 25th, and on the 17th of March, lieut. Gannble and 

 Captain Whittemore engaged passages in a Swedish ship 

 for Portsmouth, England. The ship sailed on the 23d, 

 but the former was prevented, by a severe bilious attack, 

 from going in her ; and Captain Whittemore proceeded on 

 the voyage alone. Being advised, however, by his physi» 

 cian, to leave the place as soon as possible, heut. Gamble 

 agreed for a passage to England in the British packet, and 

 made the necessary preparations for his departure. But 

 the English minister refused to grant him a passport — and 

 of course he was obliged to remain. On the 10th of April, 

 however, he once more engaged a passage in the Swedish 

 ship Good Hope ; and after a farther delay of six weeks, 

 was so fortunate as to enter upon the Voyage to Havre de 

 Grace, in France, whither the vessel was bound. 



The track of this voyage is so well known, that I need 

 scarcely detain my readers with any farther remarks. But 

 as some of them, no doubt, will be anxious to accompany 

 lieut. Gamble to the United States, seeing they have already 

 followed him so far, 1 shall, for their satisfaction, take a rapid 

 view of this part of his narrative, before closing this work. 



The Good Hope being deeply laden, and, withal, a dull 

 sailer, no great prospect appeared of a speedy passage. 

 Her general progress through the water varied from two to 

 four knots ; and, owing to adverse winds and currents, she 

 was 300 miles farther from the port of destination, on the 

 7th day out, than when at Rio de Janeiro. After being 

 sixteen days at sea, however, she again came up with the 

 latitude of her departure, and at midnight, on the 14th of 

 June, crossed the Equinoctial hne. The phosphoric glit- 

 tering of the sea, on the evening of the 25th, far exceeded 

 every thing of the kind lieut. Gamble had ever witnessed. 

 The surface of the water had a grand and brilliant appear- 

 ance, and the wake of the ship, as far as the eye could 

 reach, seemed like one vast sheet of fire. 



But a happier prospect, in due course of time, began to 

 dawn upon the exhausted spirits of lieut. Gamble; for the 

 Good Hope, like the snail, . s/oro and sure, by the 30th of 

 July brought him in sight of the American flag ; and the 

 next day he had the good fortune to remove on board the 



