A DREAM VERIFIED. 
57 
ject for several hours, when, strange to say, we found 
ourselves becalmed within a mile or two of a deeply- 
laden bark which showed American colours. 
^^That fellow looks as if he might be from 'New York, 
with a load of coal and a few stray newspapers,’' remarked 
Russell, the third lieutenant. “I’m going to ask fora 
boat to board him,” 
So he asked, got a boat, boarded the strange sail, and 
returned with Mr. Potts's box. She proved to be the bark 
Roebuck, of Baltimore, eighty-four days out, loaded with 
coal for Periy’s squadron. 
Our passage to Batavia presents little of interest to the 
general reader. I take a few extracts from my journal, 
simply to avoid slighting that portion of the cruise. 
“Nov. 15.— Lat. 35^ 37' S., long. 28° 25' E. A fresh 
breeze from south to southeast. Weather overcast and 
cloudy, the water of a greenish tinge. The following 
birds have hovered around the ship during the day: — 
albatross, Cape-pigeons, gulls, blue jays, (a sea-bird re- 
sembling its shore-namesake,) sheer-waters, sea-crows, 
petrels, and whale-birds ; not so many by far as yester- 
day. Where have they gone to? They generally hang 
by a ship to pick up the scraps that are thrown over by 
the cooks, and I have been often struck by the uncer- 
tainty of their presence. I have at length attributed it to 
the proximity of other ships; for I have noticed that 
whenever a vessel comes in sight they invariably become 
scarce. They soar to such heights that many miles of 
space that are below our horizon become open to them, 
besides which they have a clearer sight than man, and 
instinct in addition. The consequence is that they always 
