SWABEY DIARY. 39 
through whilst we lay at Stokes Bay. I amused myself, however, by 
making up silk handkerchiefs. The calm continuing in the evening, we 
began to apprehend a tedious passage. . . . . . . 
Ist August.-—-This day passed with the usual sameness on board ship, 
ib began, however, to get rough, and the wind blew from an unfavour- 
able quarter. We spoke a convoy from Lisbon, who informed us that 
the armies had gone into cantonments, an unpleasant piece of news, as 
we now suppose operations are concluded for the present. Wind to- 
wards evening still more foul. We were to-day under the necessity of 
giving up tea because the water was bad. The Sergeant-Major re- 
ported many sick, and almost all squeamish; little burgoo! eaten 
DUMONT WIN, 6 6 6 so 6 6 6 0 6 5 6 
2nd August.—A great deal of motion this morning, with a contrary 
wind, and we found on getting up that the Commodore had made the 
signal for putting about and retracing our steps to Falmouth, a very 
mortifying sort of business. 
“But, hark! the signal bids us trace again 
Our steps to England, and the adverse wind, 
Controlling e’en the mighty-swelling main, 
Compels once more the nearest port to find. 
Thus ’tis in life, few certain blessings shine, 
And those but rarely, fully, understood. 
Oh man! in vain thy choice, thy best design 
Vain, as the Bark opposing Nature’s flood.” 
We now sail at nine knots an hour, and arrived off the romantic 
coast, near Falmouth, at 7 o’clock a.m. As we looked from the sea, 
Pendennis Castle, on an elevated promontory, commanded the harbour. 
A fort below it, some height above the water’s edge, with one on the 
opposite side, facing each other, command the entrance. The appear- 
ance of the cliffs is black, with ravines in every direction ; the crops 
at this time of the year, various in colour, alone bespeak it an English 
coast. In several places on each side of the harbour the sea runs 
beautifully between the hills and forms various lakes. Altogether, 
it is as striking a scene as I ever beheld, and though not wild enough 
for Swiss or American scenery, it partakes of their beauties in a more 
polished form. As the Trusty, Captain Macdonald’s transport, was 
bringing to, a Bombardier Cochrane, being on the anchor, unfor- 
tunately fell over and was drowned. He swam for some time, but 
the ship being under weigh, a boat could not be lowered with snfficient 
expedition. ‘This poor fellow’s fate is the more to be lamented as he 
had recently purchased his discharge, but on hearing the troop was for 
service, immediately joined us again ; as a soldier, he is a great loss. 
3rd August.—Remained on board, not being able to procure a boat, 
though we much wanted to get some fresh meat. The funeral of poor 
Cochrane took place at Falmouth Church to-day, we attribute his death 
to the erroneous way of treating him when taken out of the water. The 
men who were in the boat held him up with his head down for the water 
1 Burgoo, a kind of oatmeal pudding, or thick gruel, used by seamen.—F.4. 17. 
