Weeks 9 – 11
9th Week
Sunday 5th – cloudy but fair all day till 2 P.M. when we had thick heavy rain & a gale of wind.
Monday 6th – constant rain & fog all day – Calm. Vast quantities of ice floating out of the Harbour – Guns heard outside supposed to be fired by the Packet which has followed us.
Tuesday 7th April – heavy fog & rain – at night arrived the Reindeer Packet from Falmouth.
Wednesday 8th – fine weather.
Thursday 9th – very fine weather.
Friday 10th – most beautiful weather
Sat..y 11th – glorious weather.
9th Hebdomade
This has been a week of rest indeed – most acceptable & much required. We have [been] living like gentlemen at ease, both officers and men. With the exception of taking in a due supply of water, little other work has been done. This would not have been the case at any other season of the year – but at present the weather is variable & sometimes so bad that it would [be] worse than useless to do any thing to the Ship or rigging.
Up to Wednesday of this week the weather most un[com]fortable – constant fogs & rain, with wind from Southward & Eastward. On Tuesday night the Reindeer arrived here from Falmouth after a passage of only 26 days – while we were 55. That is to say that we have been very unfortunate in our Mail – and that she started just at the time when a favourable change was about to take place.
With the arrival of the Reindeer, fine weather also set in and during the remainder of our sojourn, the weather has been most beautiful. Then of course I went often on shore at different parts of the Harbour – but my frequent shore-goings did not furnish me with any additional & novel information respecting this part of the world or its inhabitants.
10th Week
Sunday 12th April – delightful weather. Was to have sailed this morning – but in consequence of the non-arrival of the Quebec, we were detained till Tuesday.
Monday 13th – splendid weather. Took a long stroll on the Dartmouth side & enjoyed myself exceedingly.
Tuesday 14th – Quebec mail arrived late last night. Rainy forenoon with wind right against us. At 12 cleared up fine, with favourable change of wind – but light. At 1 received Mail on board – slipped from the buoy and made all sail for England. Wind moderate & nearly favourable.
Wednesday 15th – cloudy weather with frequent showers of hail, Very fresh & favourable breeze – almost a gale.
Thursday 16th April – fine weather – fresh and favourable breeze, till 6 P.M. when wind fell light.
Friday 17th – blowing a gale during last night with very heavy sea – Fine day. Fresh and favourable breeze.
Saturday 18th – up to noon. Fine weather – a little hazy – Fresh & favourable breeze.
10th Hebdomade
After being detained at Halifax, few days longer than we had been led to anticipate, at last on Tuesday 14th April, the Quebec Mail, which we had been so long expecting, arrived and by 1 P.M. we had slipped from our moorings and ran out to sea.
Early on the morning of this day, the wind was foul – the weather thick foggy and our spirits completely dampened by the prospect before us. But as the day advanced the atmosphere cleared & the wind changed in our favour. At first the breeze was moderate & unsteady, but next day we had enough of it, and bowled along in high style on the high road to England. And ever since, with occasional intermissions, of no long duration, we have been favoured in our course and already (such is the sanguine disposition of seamen) we begin to make our calculations as to the day of our arrival at Falmouth. The termination of another week will enable us with more certainty to firm our decisions – and for my part, content with the good we have, I try not to render myself anxious respecting the future – and in this I sometimes succeed, but more frequently fail.
11th Week
Saturday 18th April – variable wind and weather.
Sunday 19th – beautiful weather. Light and favourable breeze.
Monday 20th – light variable winds – Glorious weather.
Tuesday 21st – fine weather. Moderate and nearly fair wind – fresh and favourable at night.
Wednesday 22nd – fine weather. Fresh and favourable breeze. Several vessels in sight.
Thursday 23rd – very fine weather. Wind moderate & not so fair as we could wish, that is to say, we are picking up our Northing faster than we could wish. We do however passable well.
Friday 25th [1] – variable weather, rain, sunshine & fog. Fresh and foul wind.
Saturday 26th – cloudy weather – moderate & foul wind.
11th Hebdomade
At the beginning of this week, there were more glorious, happy, and contented faces than at the termination of it. And good reason why. Then all nature (I mean what of it we could see around us) smiled, under the influence of a bright sun and cloudless sky – then the breeze blew fresh and favourable from the balmy South, Yet so softly that the sea kept smooth, and we were hardly aware how swiftly our course was tracing in the waters. Then we looked forwards to our speedy arrival at Falmouth where we had no doubt considerable anxiety would be felt on our account, and as it is the nature of a small place, numerous reports would be spread abroad, from what source no one could tell, of some disaster temporary of final having befallen us. Now the prospect for the present is changed. We have met again our old enemy of the Easterly, and from his known stubbornly character, whence once he set in; as we experienced so woefully to our discomfort last April, we are apprehensive, that we are about to have a second edition, enlarged & corrected of the same tune. And here I may remark how that by a combination of unfortunate circumstances, we have been foiled every way. A foul wind out (always from West?) and a foul Wind home, all from Eastward. Every day (for the 4 last days) we have seen vessels bound out to North America staggering along under a press of canvass, making the most of their present advantage, while we are obliged to haul close upon the wind, thereby impeding our speed, making lee way and moreover going on a course, which our [assaile?] would not have selected. We however say to each other, Oh! If our friends at home only knew of our safety and our comfortable condition, we should not mind the foul wind or the chance of a week or two longer at Sea. But there’s the rub. Many of our men are married & have families – and all have friends & relations – at Falmouth – and consequently they feel for the anxiety of these respecting us, which of course must be encreased by the comparatively recent loss of the Thais Packet, which took out the same Mail as ourselves. [2] We all hope & pray therefore that we may soon have a fair wind & be able to reach our Port by the end of next (our 12th) week.