102 THE SERVICES OF L1EUT.-COLONEL FRANCIS EOWNMAN, R.A. 
On the 16th , we left this place and anchored at the Nore. 
August 17th. —Weighed, and the same evening came to in the Downs. 
August 18th .—Exceedingly bad weather. 
August 19th .—In the morning weighed anchor and set sail with a 
good wind. 
August 23rd .—In the evening, came to anchor in the Plymouth 
Sound. Went on shore, eat and drank very heartily by way of taking 
leave, and returned on board after purchasing a few things necessary 
for the voyage. 
August 24th .—In the afternoon we weighed anchor, a delightful 
breeze filled every sail and soon wafted us out of sight of land which 
I left with much regret. 
Our passage to the 20th September glided smoothly on. We had 
met with a sloop from Guadeloupe to Bristol and two large sloops near 
the banks of Newfoundland. We had encountered no wind or sea 
that made it the least disagreeable, but the time was very near at hand 
that would show us how uncertain everything is in this world, and how 
little to be depended on are the fairest appearances. We lay to on 
the banks, but very unluckily could not catch any fish. The greatest 
part of the day was fair and pleasant, but towards the evening there 
appeared a vast change, angry dark clouds arose on every side of us, 
the wind began to howl and freshened every minute, the portentous 
birds were flying round the ship, and seemed to warn us of the 
approaching danger. The master had paid attention to all those- 
signs and had put the ship under a reefed fore-sail and a close reefed 
topsail. The wind at length began to blow a gale and increased till 
about 12 o’clock at night, when it blew with such astonishing violence 
that the fore-topsail was torn to atoms in an instant, and the fore¬ 
mast in the greatest danger of going over-board. By this time the 
sea had rose to such a height that the waves which roiled after the 
ship were as high as the mizen top, and from the darkness of the night 
appeared rather as mountains of fire, threatening every minute to 
burst in a deluge upon us and at once engulph the vessel and crew 
beneath its torrents. “ The stormy genius of the deep seemed to have 
forsaken his cavern, to bid the tempest spread its blackest pinions turbid 
and terrible with hail and rain, pour its loudening blasts in whirlwind 
forth, and from the lowest depth upturn the world of waters.” The 
ship is in the greatest danger; several seas break over the quarter, she 
is first down on one side, then the other, she is wheeled in dizzy whirl 
her helm with difficulty guided; at length she is thrown on one side 
and in this tortured condition remains a minute or two, no soul on 
board expected she would rise again, but the supreme hand of Him 
who is the disposer of all events raised her up, and with her our droop¬ 
ing spirits. The storm continued all night, and the next day several 
seas broke into us; one in particular, determined on mischief, broke 
upon the quarter, and drove upon the port. A deluge of water came 
in and set every thing swimming that was in the cabin, from hence it 
found its way into the steerage and almost overwhelmed the officers’ 
wives and a number of children. The shrieks of the one and the 
