4 
JOURNAL OF A 
iiidLilgence ; nor were we ever prevented by the state of the wea- 
ther from regularly attending to the daily service. 
I had provided myself with an assortment of books, some of 
which I had not had leisure to read at home, and to-day, began 
to examine my stock and put them in order in my cabin. The 
first parcel I opened contained several pamphlets, chiefly Ger- 
man, sent to me by my friend, Mr. Ackerman, for the amusement 
of the company. Most of them related to the political affairs 
of Germany, the battle of Leipsic, &c. containing much inter- 
esting information, recent and important, though the late es- 
cape of Bonaparte from Elba, his invasion of France, first suc- 
cesses and final overthrow at Waterloo, has placed even the great 
events of 1813 and 1814 in the back ground of the picture. But 
who that considers the dealings of God with mankind, can con- 
template the events of the last five-and-twenty years, without 
being humbled under His mighty hand, and giving to Him alone 
ail the glory of our deliverance. To him who thus reads the his- 
tory of the late wars, it will prove a useful lesson. 
While we were in the channel and in the bay, vessels of va- 
rious descriptions were continually in sight, but we now seemed 
left alone. 
9th. A shoal of porpoises surrounded the ship. They v/ere 
passing from west to east, and amused us much by their playful- 
ness and the astonishing swiftness of their motions. They are 
said to be forerunners of a storm. Towards evening the wind 
rose, with frequent drizzling s-howers and flying black clouds. 
It increased so much, that the appearance of the sea after sunset 
became rather terrific. The waves frequently broke over the 
forepart of the ship, and sometimes even approached us, as we 
sat on the quarter-deck. For above two hours the moon shone 
bright, every now and then seeming to step behind some dark 
sv/ift-flying cloud, and to come forth again with redoubled lustre. 
The foaming edges of the waves appear at a distance like long 
lines of phosphoric light, chasing each other, and whenever a 
