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 continual danger
of striking upon some of the neighboring
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 increased by the necessity
we were under of cutting away our first
jurymast, which was in fact no more than
the stump of the old one newly rigged, and
proved to be unsound. Another was with
difficulty set up, and by dawn the next
morning we happily found ourselves clear of
the islands. The storm, however, continued
with almost unabated violence for two nights,
in one of which our jolly boat was washed
away from her lashings, and broken in halves
by the violence of the sea. On the 20th of
the same month we thanked God on finding
ourselves safe at anchor in Leith Roads.
END OF THE F IR ST VOLUME.