Sail to Haiti
For these three last voyages we have always been unfortunate in respect of our stay in harbour. Instead of reposing from our labours for five or seven weeks, our period of enjoyment and social intercourse with friends may not exceed three weeks and on two occasions not more then two. At the present period, after an absence of eighteen weeks, during which we endured incredible discomfort from excessive cold – violent gales – and constant damp – we were disappointed, when we learnt that less then a fortnight would be the extent of our stay. Complaints and grumblings in all such cases are vain and useless – so I made up my mind to enjoy myself as much as possible, and to cram into that short space as great a quantum of pleasure as the season of the year and my necessary avocations would permit. But who can stay the rapid course of time – and old Saturn found me employed when his unwelcome visit was paid, in imagining what my obliviousness of the lapse of time rendered it impossible for me to fulfil. Nay I had even time to have made all my necessary arrangements for going to sea – and you may be sure, that the intelligence of our destination till Monday, which I received on Friday, was most gratifying to me. Indeed our two days of grace were doubly pleasant to me, not only because they enabled me to complete all I had to do, but because they were an unexpected boon which only once in nine voyages before I had yet received. It was therefore with less regret than otherwise I would have felt, that on
Monday 26th March 1832 – at 12 oClock we left Falmouth with a fresh and favourable breeze and cloudy weather.
Tuesday 27th – cloudy weather. Light and favourable breeze.
Wednesday 28th – cloudy but fair weather. Fresh and favourable breeze.
Thursday 29th – d.o wind and weather.
Friday 30th – fine weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Saturday 31st – fine weather. Fresh and favourable breeze.
Sunday 1st April – beautiful weather. Very light favourable breezes inclinable to calms.
Monday 2d – pleasant weather. Nearly foul wind.
Tuesday 3d – cloudy weather. Moderate but foul wind.
Wednesday 4th – moderate and more favourable breeze. Cloudy but pleasant weather.
Thursday 5th – beautiful weather. Very light and favourable breezes, inclinable to calms. Caught a porpoise.
Friday 6th – beautiful weather – fresh and favourable breeze from N.d & W.d
Saturday 7th – cloudy, gloomy weather with squalls and occasional showers of rain. Wind fresh and favourable. No excessive heat. So much caloric has been abstracted from our bodies by the excessive cold of last voyage that they will now require a good [amount of heat] ere they be saturated.
Sunday 8th April – beautiful weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Monday 9th – fine weather. Fresh and favourable breeze.
Tuesday 10th – fine weather. Fresh and favourable breeze.
Wednesday 11th – fine weather. Very light breeze, inclinable to calm.
Thursday 12th – fine weather and warm. Calm till 11 A.M. when breeze sprung up from SW and W – foul for us, tacked twice to-day.
Friday 13th – cloudy weather with constant rain in the afternoon. Moderate and foul wind from WNW. I believe it is rare that the regular course of the trades is interrupted. I have never witnessed it before, but do not regret that for once I have seen it.
Saturday 14th – very light variable winds with occasional showers and calms, very changeable weather.
Sunday 15th – squally with heavy showers. Moderate and favourable breeze.
Monday 16th – cloudy weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Tuesday 17th – cloudy weather with occasional showers – fresh and favourable breeze.
Wednesday 18th April – beautiful weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Thursday 189th – very fine weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Friday 20th – delightful weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Saturday 21st – fine weather with occasional showers. Fresh and favourable breeze until 1 P.M. when it fell off light but freshened again at 8 P.M.
Sunday 22d – beautiful weather. Moderate and favourable breeze.
Monday 23d – very fine weather in the morning and afternoon. Squally with rain at night. Fresh and favourable breeze.
Tuesday 24th – this morning at 6 saw Deseada and in the course of the day, Guadeloupe, & Antigua, and towards evening we were pretty close in shore at Montserrat. We were thus enabled to perceive a small town close to the shore, embosomed in trees and two or three vessels at anchor before it. At any time the near sight of land is pleasant and when we have been out at sea for along period we are apt to think more highly of the first place we come to than perhaps we would otherwise. From this cause I thought, that that side of the island, which we looked upon was exquisitely beautiful, with its Chief town situated close to the waters edge, at the bottom of a sloping country highly cultivated, which as you followed it, led your view up to mountains of considerable elevation. When darkness closed in, we did not altogether lose sight of the land, for numerous fires on the hills still pointed out its direction at many miles distance. As Ovid said, speaking of his knowledge of the first poet of the age Virgil, pigrilium vidi tantum, so we had only a glimpse of a small round island called Redonda, and a very indistinct view of S.t Kitts and Nevis. Lovely weather all day.
Wednesday 25th April – very fine weather – fresh an favourable breeze.
Thursday 26th – beautiful weather – fresh and favourable breeze.
Friday 27th – very fine weather – fresh and favourable breeze.