the vessel, except the passengers and crew. There was no chance of our being able to resist, as we had no arms belonging to the ship, and but few men. Our latitude at noon was 9° 2′ N., longitude 25° 30′ W.

25th. Shortly after daylight this morning, a strange sail hove in sight: at 2 P.M. she came close to us. We spoke her, and found her to be the ship Cape Packet, from New South Wales 120 days, bound to Liverpool. Her commander informed us, that the brig and schooner which we saw on the 22d boarded him, and that they were both privateers belonging to Buenos Ayres, bound to the West Indies, to cruize against the Spaniards. Our latitude at noon was 11° 25′ north, longitude 26° 40′ west.

Oct. 14th.-Nothing remarkable having occurred since the 25th ultimo, I have allowed the intervening days to pass unnoticed. We carried the eastwardly trade winds to 32° N., at which time the wind shifted to the N.E., N., and N.W., so as to prevent our passing to the northward of the Azores or Western Islands, as we intended to have done, with the wind from the N.W.; we steered to the north-eastward until daylight this morning, at which time we had the islands of Pico and Fayal in sight from the deck. The channel between them bore west. The wind being to the southward, with wet cloudy weather, we bore up north, and stood

round the north point of Fayal. Near the west side of the point there were several pieces of ground enclosed, with a few dwelling-houses on them. Towards noon the wind blew too strong, with wet cloudy weather, to permit of our having any intercourse with the shore; we therefore shaped our course for England.

20th. The wind continued fair from the time we left the Western Islands till Friday night last, at which time it died away, and has since been light and variable from the eastward. At daylight this morning we had three strange sail in sight; two of them were standing to the eastward, one of which shewed French colours: the third was standing to the westward, with all sail set. We steered for her, and on a near approach, found her to be the Anne Romney of London, out from Bristol five days, bound to the island of St. Thomas in the West-Indies. Being short of provisions, we hove to, and sent a boat on board of her at 11 A.M. with some dollars to purchase supplies. The boat returned at 1 P.M. with some salt provisions, flour, biscuit, and rum. We hoisted the boat up, and stood to the south-eastward, with the wind from east.

In consequence of having seen the following land birds on board the ship to-day, I had every reason to suppose they had been blown off either from the coast of Ireland or Spain; Cape Clear

in the former being distant from us 460 miles, and Cape Finisterre on the latter coast being at the distance of 332 miles. The birds we saw and caught were a woodlark, a grey screechowl, and three starlings. There were seven of the latter birds about the ship, who fed heartily on grains of rice, dead cock-roaches, and crumbs of bread. The three that were caught were set at liberty; they roosted on the rigging during the night, and no doubt continued by us until we sighted the land. I record this as a strange and rare instance of birds of this kind being found at so great a distance from the land; especially the owl, who is generally supposed to be a bird of short flight. The latitude at noon was 45° 12′ N., and longitude 16° 27' E.

On the 25th of October we sighted the Startpoint, and the next afternoon the passengers landed from the Mary Anne at Plymouth. I made the best of my way to London, where I arrived on the Wednesday morning following and delivered the letters entrusted to me from India at the East-India House. Shortly after I waited on his Excellency Prince Polignac, French ambassador at the court of London, and communicated to him my intention of proceeding immediately to Paris. His Excellency received me in the most gracious and flattering manner, and very kindly gave me a cabinet passport with letters of intro

duction to the Baron Hyde de Neuville, minister of marine at Paris.

On Saturday the 1st of November I accordingly set out for France, for the purpose of securing the copyright of my voyage, this being the only benefit I was likely to receive from an expedition that had cost me so much trouble, expense, and anxiety of mind. I got to Paris in the evening of the 3d, and presented myself at the Admiralty on the morning of the 4th, where I was most politely received by the chief secretary to the French minister of marine and colonies. The secretary requested me to call the next day at four o'clock: which I did, and had the honour of an interview with the minister, his Excellency Baron Hyde de Neuville. He received me kindly, and congratulated me on my success. I intimated to him the object of my visit to Paris, and received assurances that my request as to the copyright of my voyage would be attended to: he also informed me that on my return to Paris, which I intended shortly after to visit, that he had no doubt his most Christia Majesty would do what was proper towards me.

On the morning of the 9th November I returned to London, and had the honour of an interview next day with the Chairman of the Honourable Court of Directors for the Affairs of India. This gentleman informed me that the relics which I had procured at the island of

Mannicolo should be transferred to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, who would make a communication regarding them to the French authorities here, and effect the necessary arrangement for their transmission to France. Things remained in this state until the 15th of January 1829, at which time a communication from his Excellency Prince Polignac, the French ambassador, was received at the India-House through the Foreign Office, returning thanks, in the name of his most Christian Majesty, to the Honourable East-India Company, for the humane and liberal exertions of their government abroad, which had led to the recovery of these relics, which the king would receive, with Captain Dillon, on their arrival in Paris.

On the 18th of January his Excellency Prince Polignac visited the East-India House by appointment, to inspect the relics previous to their embarcation, when he was politely received and attended by the honourable Deputy Chairman and several of the Directors, and after also viewing the Company's museum and other objects of curiosity, his Excellency partook of an elegant entertainment which had been prepared for the occasion.

The articles to be presented to his Majesty the King of France having been shipped on a steamvessel, I proceeded with them for Calais on the 1st of February. I arrived at Paris on the 6th,