300 
AT SEA. 
intention to have entered a port on the eastern 
coast of Iceland; but, after beating about for se¬ 
veral days within sight of the snow-mountains 
near the south coast, making at the same time 
but little progress, we directed our course straight 
for England, proposing in our way to touch at 
the Ferroe islands. With an excellent breeze and 
fine weather we entered the cluster, but had 
barely time sufficiently to admire the immensely 
steep rocky precipices, and strange shapes of the 
great and little Diamond and others of these 
singular islands, before the clouds rolled down 
their black sides, and in a very short space of 
time enveloped us in so thick a fog, that it was 
considered imprudent to endeavor to attempt to 
enter the port of Thoreshavn. We accordingly 
made all sail to clear the islands, which was not 
fully accomplished when we had the misfortune 
to lose our foremast, and in consequence of this 
loss to pass a night of painful anxiety in a severe 
storm, our vessel almost unmanageable and in con¬ 
tinual danger of striking upon some of the neigh¬ 
boring rocks. The excessive darkness of the 
night, the dreadful heaviness of the sea, and the 
pelting of the rain, added to the unpleasantness 
of our situation; and this was still farther in¬ 
creased by the necessity we were under of cutting 
away our first jurymast, which was in fact no 
4 
