JIDDA. 
SOI 
tormented by strong gales from the N. E. and N. W. On the 
night of the 3d, after a heavy fall of rain for two hours, it blew 
so fresh as to oblige us to lie under our bare poles, while the swell 
was so great as to preclude the possibility of keeping in our cots. 
The morning of the 4th brought with it but little consolation, for 
the gale continued ; and the idea of the northerly winds prevailing 
at this season, excited a well grounded alarm as to our future 
voyage. It moderated towards evening, and only left a very heavy 
swell. On the 5th, at night, it was less ; and on the 6th, it was calm, 
which gave us some chance of a fair wind. We were not forty 
miles from Jidda, and therefore hoped that a moderate breeze 
might take us there in the course of the next day. High land was 
visible to the eastward, in the morning. 
December 9. — At length we reached the harbour of Jidda, after 
having been repeatedly baffled by adverse winds and currents. On 
the 7 th it continued calm till night, when the squalls recommenced 
with rain, and obhged us to go under double reefed topsails. It 
blew, however, from the south, and in the morning of the 8th 
gratified us with a sight of Jidda. The current, which ran at the 
rate of fifteen miles in twenty-four hours, towards the W. b. N. 
had taken us to the north of the entrance about three miles ; and 
this short distance we were unable to make in the course of the day, 
as it blew very fresh. We ran in close to the reef, and fired signal 
guns, but no pilot came off. In the night we had again very heavy 
squalls with rain, which obliged us to take in all our sails. The 
wind came round to the northward in time to bring us off Jidda 
on the morning of the 9th. On repeating our signals, a pilot came off, 
and by one o'clock we were safely at anchor. I do not know that 
