sweréd, that a short tiineatöea,; with tbeeonsumption of fuel
Mid pïteMödSi «fcsld bring ns-to.tbe proper equilibrium.
Onithe l6th: inthe; -evening; we had .every thing .clear . fop sea.
In ihojeoXirse Of this week I had suffered a diminution of two
men in my. chew./ one I had been obliged to send ashore sick,
the' other! de'seited, taking with hinAsome.of my wearing, ap parel.
' The wind in the night becoming fair,- a f day-breakon
the 17th the signal for the conveys sailing was made,by-the
Anson/ Captain Durham. We unmoored,; and/ got a.p ifa^ n -
board - by ;ofder of Captain Patten, thei rèsjdeiit .Ageht. of
Transports a t Portsmouth, whose attention and assiduity to roe,
while in his department, I feel myself happy in thus publiclf
acknowledging/ as deserving-my most, grateful thanks. 'While
getting fhie kedge up* my carpenter, who was rassisting in it, and
had been-drinking too freely to (St. Patrick):his tutelary isaint,
found means to make his escape in the dark. The loss-bf this man
made me more uneasy than any other three ofothemrew would
have. done. Being anxious to sail, 1 was reluctantly ^obliged. to
p u t d p with mydoés. One thing consoled'me* and induced mc*t©
«sail without a carpenter^: which, was, the .strei^thfof! the Lady
Nelson she was new ; and I knew her-to^be a good «da-boat.
AsT liad passports to all the Powers- then atwatr with myiSowei-
reign, I determined, if any^accident should hapipen^to runinto
the n'èlöSst poft, and claim protection a®<Lassistant®®1#*
thing but dire-* necessity would indüee5me. totattempt -this.- By
eleven A, M .A*® got clear out from St. Helen's, and received
Laptain Durham’s orders for keeping company: At noon we had
a fresh breeze from N. At six P . M. oh. the 18th, we took our
departure from-Dunnose, in the Isle.óf Wight, bearing E. by
N. five leagues distant. As the weather was thick and hazy,
,we soon lost sight of land and bid adietoto Old England. Toj
wards
wards might itefell dittlel yind, so that $orpp.vof the Indiamen
nlippedff&ster^thron^h tbe/W;aiter. tbapf (We did.
Onthel^jfet^i^qmntod^d-sent.anp^&cetpn board to say,
th a& k eA u g h t I had--bMter!rgb;in:io ! Falmbiith, and take an
opportuhitycbf'hai^ngsftom thence,Mi^ptho/West India fleet, as
dkjsajfledjfo© hesa^y for the ’Easfdndi^mep?'| Itjhfcing left to myM
^ellf^I preferred^gcanl/on,. as .iffit did.notrbfow.too heavy I
■should be ablevto-keep upi ft | | f -
On,the -£Oth it, blowing-very fresh,, arid a considerable swell,
.1 -found that the>fleefc got from ps, t , As; the .wind increased-, and
the sea' ihade^iWe-Were obliged to take in our, small sails, while
-the^lia^gevships could .settiiteir, steeritfg skiis-s whictehad nearly as
much'canvas in them, as-we could shew altog^ i^K^ This is a
convincing proof,, that ingoing-free large.yesgel’kiin rough weather
have:a' great advantage:4yer, sm4 ^ 0nes,-lespecidlly when
.they are not deep dn the water ;• as they can carry more sail,
(even-admittingfit fobedhe same sail), tid proportion.
A vessel^ when loiw in the water'has. her progress niuch impeded
by' b eing forced- downwards/Between. two. ;seas, and | this
will befoiand to operate more powerfully on.sbort bodies than
lohg*omes.>:31he-Brunswick East Indiam'an, commanded by
iCaptajn; Grant, in afternoon hailed me with . the. Commo-
'done's orders to take,the,Lady Nelson*in trfwvt This was a business
hvhich I -did notrelish; but it also required some conside-
irationohbwtim my conduct would be justifiable'in^fu^ing it./
Prom the. observation made at noon, we 'were in Lat.’490,3 N.
the first We had made since: leaving the land; and judged'the
Long; toibe 9° .47' 26" W. of iGreenwicho therefore we were
• ■•^«©t^/ifit'ffife/lrack'.of -the enemy's cruizers. ' As I had more
ireasdn to dfead detention-^ the* season being so far advanced, and
£the inconveniences attending a winter passage to the ,Cape considered)
than any doubt of -the faith and honour of the maritime
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