the helm; upon the management of which our only chance seemed to depend. Sitting at his elbow, in dead silence, as he desired, I carefully watched his features as the barometer of my hopes and fears, and you will believe that I felt not much at ease, upon observing him betray manifest symptoms of alarm. To move was even worse than to speak, and might be instant destruction to us all, hence it only remained to us to sit in solemn stillness, and meet whatever fate should overtake it.

The captain assures me that I behaved uncommonly well upon the occasion; but I fear all the merit due to me was merely negative, for I am not sure that my conduct was not more the conduct of resignation, than of fortitude. Seeing that no effort, no power that I possessed, could in any degree aid our safety, I resigned myself in implicit obedience to the captain's better judgment; and, without expressing, indeed I might say, without harbouring useless fears, sat calmly prepared for any result that might occur.

To reach the Lord Sheffield was absolutely impossible; for the wind and tide were both in concert with the storm, to prevent it: and to return to Portsmouth was scarcely less difficult, or less perilous, from the inability of our little boat to resist the enormous following waves, impelled by all the force of the gale and the tide.

"In this critical dilemma it was decided that we should bear away, and steer for the nearest ship there was any hope of our being able to fetch, and the captain, encouraging the sailors to continue at their oars, and bear away to leeward, directed the helm accordingly. In this attempt we struggled on, often washed with the heavy sprays which struck against the boat, and as frequently almost upset by the tearing gusts of wind, or driven to the bottom by the disordered waves. But perseverance, together with great dexterity and address in the management of the boat, at length, succeeded in bringing us alongside the Diana frigate, where we were kindly received, and even cherished as friends rescued from the devouring deep.

Having witnessed the danger to which we had been exposed, the officers in the most liberal manner welcomed us on board, and refusing to hear a word of apology, insisted upon our not attempting to put to sea again until every appearance of the gale had subsided. Indeed they gave orders that our boat should be hoisted on board, and desired that we would think only of making ourselves comfortable for the night. In this they were imperative, nor will you imagine that our obedience was reluctant.

We passed the night in rest and comfort. In the morning the weather was settled and fine, therefore, after taking breakfast with the Diana's pleasant mess, our boat was lowered down, and we made the best of our way to the Lord Sheffield, reluctantly quitting the hospitable party, with whom misforfortune had brought us acquainted.

Without further interruption we reached the Mother-bank, and I have now the pleasure to address you, in safety, from the Lord Sheffield, a very fine West India ship. She is thoroughly clean, has a general air of neatness, and, if we may judge from her appearance, seems likely to verify the commander's report of her sailing. She is conveniently fitted out for passengers, and is expressly calculated for the West Indies, having awnings, scuttles, port-holes, and all the necessary accommodations for the climate. The cabin is commodious, and is fitted up with mahogany, wainscot, pier glasses, chairs, sofa, &c. due regard being paid to taste and ornament.

'Lord Sheffield, December 8.

'AGAIN I have been unsettled, and moving about from place to place, making my home sometimes on board, sometimes on shore. Upon examining my baggage, soon after I joined the Sheffield, I perceived that one of my boxes was missing; and it has cost me a long, and very sickly round, to recover it, in consequence of our old ship the Ulysses having changed her birth, and dropped down to St. Helen's to take in troops from the Commerce de Marseilles. In following her we were brought into an open and heavy-swelling sea,

the motion of which made me very unwell, and led me to contemplate the probable sufferings I have to support upon the long voyage we are about to undertake.

'Captain Jaffray never having been on board a ship of such immense bulk, availed himself of my necessities, and took the command of the boat, upon this excursion, in order to view the vast Commerce de Marseilles. I wish it were practicable to convey to you, in words, the sense of grandeur with which the mind is inspired on first approaching such an enormous floating battery; or to paint to you the sensations excited by rowing, in a small boat, close under her stern, and her sides; but it were quite impossible to describe how diminutive we felt, and how immense and wonderful she appeared.---To express it by the image of the knat and the camel, it were necessary to suppose the former the minutest of its race, and the latter hugely overgrown. Looking up from our little skiff the sight was truly awful----the figure of the ship was forgottonthe hull appeared a mountain, the masts lofty obelisks erected upon it; and the tremendous batteries, projecting from her sides, conveyed the idea of a stupendous rock hanging over us, fortified with many tiers of cannon.

'We also availed ourselves of this excursion to make a visit to our friends on board the George and Bridget, which ship appears still more sombre and uncomfortable, after witnessing the neatness of the Lord Sheffield.

We returned yesterday to the Lord Sheffield, and you will be glad to know that we were accompanied by our friend Cleghorn, who, in consequence of a new arrangement, is permitted to join our mess, so that we have again the prospect of crossing the Atlantic pleasantly en quartette. Dr. Henderson is less fortunate, for while we are agreeably associated to our former number of professional colleagues, he is left to make the passage alone, or perhaps crowded with strangers in the gloomy George and Bridget: nor do circumstances now seem to afford any probability of a further change, for both the appearance of the weather, and the report of the hour, seem to imply that we have, at length, made our final visit on shore.

'To-day a signal has been given for the fleet to unmoor; and, in consequence of this, the Lord Sheffield has dropped down from the Mother-bank to the eastern part of Spithead. -We have taken the precaution of bringing our linen on board, wet from the wash-tub, lest we should be compelled to leave it behind, for should the wind continue at the point from which it now blows, we may be to-morrow on our passage.

'Lord Sheffield, at sea, Dec. 31.

'AT length we are at sea! the convoy sailed from Spithead and St. Helens, the day after I sent you my last letter, and I now lift my pen to you upon the bosom of the Atlantic.

'On the first morning of our being at sea, the weather was clear and mild, and the whole fleet, consisting of nearly 300 vessels, of various magnitude and burden, was assembled in compact form, occupying a certain circle of the ocean's surface, and gliding smoothly on the passage. It formed one of the grandest spectacles ever beheld. Never shall I forget climbing up the shrowds, as high as the main-top, to enjoy it in all its perfection. The sun shone; the sea was smooth and undisturbed; the air serene. All the sails were set, and the vessels being near to each other, the white canvas seemed spread, in crowded continuation, throughout the whole extent of the fleet. Looking down upon the multitude of ships, it created the idea of a whole nation moving upon the waters. It was a proud emblem of Britain's glory. We appeared to command the whole empire of the main; and the prospect, being calculated to excite flattering hopes of victory and success, could not fail to be viewed, by every true Briton, with delight. But alas! how delusive were these auspicious dawnings! We had advanced but little on our passage, before a dire reverse succeeded. The sun was now obscured; a thick fog overspread the ocean; and the whole fleet was shut from our sight. Dark clouds gathered around; the heavens scowled in terrific blackness; the shadowed sea swelled with pregnant throes; and the ships heaved in sickening motion. At length the heavy clouds burst into a roaring storm; the waters broke into huge

and tremendous mountains; and the ships rolled and pitched, in dreadful agitation, upon the ruptured surface. All seemed a mighty conflict. The boisterous gale tore, in hideous sound; the fleeting clouds hurried before the wind; the rugged ocean in violent disorder hurled mountains over mountain, and issued forth loud-roaring threats of destruction. The ships, struggling against the wind and furious waves, were at one moment tossed on a pinnacle to the heavens, and the next plunged into a glooming deep, surrounded by dark and disordered mountains; whence there seemed no possible escape. In an instant they were again amidst the clouds, and again as suddenly sunk in the dark valley of liquid hills: thus, alternately, threatening us with the danger of being hurled from a summit, or swallowed up in a frightful gulf of the unfathomable ocean. Nor had we barely to encounter the common dangers of the sea, but, from being amidst a crowded fleet, were every instant liable to the additional peril of running aboard some neighbouring ship, and being dashed in pieces, or driven at once to the bottom; and to this we were equally exposed by the darkness of the night, and by a heavy fog.-The terror of these critical moments is necessarily augmented by the lively apprehensions of those who are but little accustomed to the sea: nor is this wonderful, for, where every motion, and every sound is calculated to excite alarm, he must be more than a philosopher, he must be a sailor, who can regard even the less imminent perils with unconcern.

During a storm, the deep rollings of the ship, her deeper lurches, the thundering concussion of heavy seas against her sides, the hollow dreary sound of the wind howling in her sails and rigging, the hurry and the clamour of the ship's company, the clattering of broken plates, dishes, and basons, and the dismal creakings of the masts, bulkheads, and other parts of the vessel, all conspire to create tumult and confusion, and to keep alive the most trembling apprehensions. At one moment the ship is upset, the next you feel her strike upon a rock: suddenly she is shattered to atoms; or, foundering, sinks to the bottom; and, while you are absorbed in these sensations, a sea, or heavy spray breaks over the deck, a 3 G