t^OYAGE OF THE SHIP PRESIDENT. 151 
boarded by the news-boat Eclipse, and soon after by the 
Thomas H. Smith, another boat of some of the daily papers. 
In these two of our passengers embarked, in the hope of being 
the sooner in town, and by them a notification of our ap- 
proach, with a list of passengers, consignees, &c. were trans- 
mitted to New- York. About five o'clock w^e received a pilot 
on board, and shortly a fine breeze sprung up from the S. W. 
which quite confirmed us in the expectation of being in port 
before the next morning. Fallacious hope ! Within a little 
hour, a violent squall, bearing with it a heavy fall of snow, 
struck us from about W.N.W. ; immediately all was bustle on 
board, sail was taken in, and in a few moments we were 
drifting away from our long-desired haven under the closet 
sail. The wind all night, and all the next day, blew a tre- 
mendous gale ; and in addition to its unpleasant and danger- 
ous violence, the weather became piercingly cold. The un- 
happy sailors were completely benumbed ; there was speedi- 
ly a coat of ice over the whole of the sails and rigging, and 
every drop of spray froze as it fell on the deck. All these 
were circumstances to render it truly a " miserable night," 
decidedly the worst we had experienced during the whole of 
our very bad voyage. Winds, and weaves, and frost, com- 
bined with the distressing circumstance of being driven out 
to sea at the moment we fancied ourselves secure of our port, 
was almost too much for the fortitude of the most patient 
amongst us. The chief subject of conversation was our ex- 
treme regret at not having been able to come to an anchor 
within the Hook before the gale commenced; but our regrets 
only proved our shortsightedness. The packet from Charles- 
ton, also named the President, had actually reached the envi- 
able situation for w^hich we had been longing. She dragged 
her anchors, drifted upon a dangerous shoal a considerable 
distance from land, filled, and went to pieces, and the crew 
and passengers very narrowly escaped with their lives ! 
The cold during the v/hole of Monday/, December 5, was 
intense, and we were without the slightest provision for a 
fire. The fury of the gale was unmitigated, and it was not 
till nearly daylight, on the morning of 
Tuesday/, December 6, that it lulled sufiiciently to enable 
us to bear the close-reefed foretopsail and mainsail. At ten 
o'clock we lay up about due north, close hauled, in order to 
make the land on Long-Island, and thus ascertain our exact 
position. About three o'clock the land to the westward of 
Fire-Island, and soon after the light-house, some little distance 
