Hope. I have found it in the months of June, July, and August better weather and much easier making westing near the land here than to keep off in the strength of the current, that runs through the Mozambique channel. It is not dangerous to keep the land close on board, for fear of gales of wind, as I never experienced it to blow heavy on shore, any where to the southward of 25° south, on the south east coast of Africa. It will be borne in mind, that it is necessary to preserve a sufficient distance from the land, to avoid some small islands and rocks, which lie off the coast a few leagues distant near latitude 34° south. If wishing to stop at the Cape of Good Hope, a ship can enter False Bay with safety, and anchor in Seaman's Bay any time in the winter season.

In leaving the bay to proceed to the westward, it will be natu ral to choose a fair wind to make some westing with, and a ship, in the season of the year likely to have bad weather, should not come to the northward of the latitude of the cape, till one degree or more to the westward of it, on account of the strong gales of wind that sometimes blow from the westerly quarter, and would in souch cases drive a ship on shore to the northward of the cape. I have known this to be done, and they have been lost from no other circumstance than standing to the northward before she had secured sufficient westing to bear the effects of a gale of wind on a lee shore. After the passage round is secured, the best course to run is for St. Helena, and from that to the island Ascension, if after the month of September, till the month of March; from thence steer a course so as to cross the equator in the longitude of about 30° west, and pass to the westward of St. Paul's rock, and make the course so as to pass but a short distance to windward of the island of Barbadoes. But should it be necessary to make a passage from the Cape of Good Hope between the months of March and September, it is recommended to steer down the south east trade winds, some where about latitude 20° south, till nearly in longitude 25° west, before hauling to the northward, as the winds and currents at that season of the year are from the southward, on the coast of America; setting strong to the northward a great part of the time, and will of course accelerate the passage. To cross the equator at that season of the year in as high a longitude as 35° west, would be safe, and perhaps better than to cross

it further to the eastward. I have found it best when bound to any port in New England to sail to the eastward of Bermuda, as the winds at that season of the year are as frequently from the eastward as from any quarter of the compass.

When I have passed to the westward of Bermuda, it has been repeatedly the case that I have been kept for several days togeth er hemmed on to the westward of Nantucket Shoals with a north east wind, and at the same time I might have gone to the eastward of it, and avoided this delay, which is so extremely disagreeable for seamen when returning from a long voyage, to be kept out of port, and fatigued with bad weather and contrary winds. It is a good general rule to come on to the coast of America, when bound to a port to the eastward of New York, to pass to the eastward of Bermuda, any time between the 20th of March, and the 1st of October.

CHAPTER XXIII.

Remarks upon fitting out and preparing for a voyage to the South Sea, and North West Coast of Amer ca, by way of the Cape of Good Hope-Description of the island of Tran:dad-Tristan de Cunha―K.ng's Island— Straits between New Holland and Van Dieman's Land-Settlements on New Holland and Van Dieman's Land.

AFTER

FTER my return to America in November 1802, in the ship Perseverance, from a voyage on which I had been three years absent, I set about making preparations for another excursion to the Pacific Ocean. I had a tender of sixty two tons burthen, built by my brother Samuel, with the assistance of my brother William. We rigged her as a schooner, and called her the Pilgrim.

I had the Perseverance refitted, coppered her and the Pilgrim, and put both in the best order possible for sea. The Perseverance mounted twelve six pound cannon, and the Pilgrim mounted six guns, from nine pound carronades to four pound fortified cannon, having all parts of their armament fitted in the best manner to correspond with their number of guns. Being the principal owner of both vessels myself, I took special care to have them equipped with every thing necessary for a sealing voyage, loading them with provisions and ship stores, and to complete our equipment, shipped sixty prime men. After a more than ordinary share of difficulty and perplexity, we again set sail on the 25th of September, 1803, bound to the South Sea, by way of the Cape of Good Hope, and the south cape of New Holland.

On my leaving America on this voyage, I was placed in a situation that caused me more anxiety than I had ever experienced at the beginning of any enterprise. I had with me my two brothers, who were all I had, and a nephew of seven years old, who was

an invalid. He had lost the use of his arms, and wanted as much attendance as common children of three years old. I had entered into a contract, which was * * * * * *, that had more powerful effect on my feelings than all the other causes put together; and moreover I found myself less active in body and mind than I was at the age of twenty five years. I considered the responsibility I was under, when I took from my parents all the sons they had, and one grandson, and from my sisters all their brothers; and to other near connections who might have tender feelings for absent friends; and of the importance it would be to them all, was any thing to happen to our vessels so that they might never return. Almost the whole of our connections, whom we left behind, had need of our assistance, and to look forward it was no more than a reasonable calculation to make, that our absence would not be less than three years. All these important causes came under consideration, together with the extraordinary uncertainty of the issue of the voyage, as we had nothing but our hands to depend upon to obtain a cargo, which was only to be done through storms, dangers, and breakers, and taken from barren rocks in distant regions. All the foregoing considerations were sufficient to rouse the sensibility and put the mind of any man on a stretch. But after a voyage of four years for one vessel, and five for the other, we all were permitted to return safe home to our friends, and not quite empty handed.

Many were the perils and dangers we three brothers encountered during this long, extraordinary and tedious voyage. We built both the vessels we were in ourselves and navigated them two and three times round the globe. Each one of the brothers has been master builder, and master rigger, and navigator of ships and vessels in all quarters of the world.

Being now about starting on my third and last long voyage, I will state the principles which have actuated me in my pursuit, so far as I have gone through life. The first that I know of was an ambition to excel others in achievements; the next was, to satisfy my own curiosity in a knowledge of the world, and particularly to know how far myself and others were imposed upon with exaggerated accounts of the world, and false statements of things a great way from home; the third and last, and for many of my

latter years by far the greatest, was, honestly and honourably to obtain a competency sufficient to support myself and family, through an old age, should I live to see it; to do a benevolent act now and then, and to leave an unblemished character behind me. As a child of misfortune, I have felt for the distress of others, and may these feelings remain with me as long as I have breath to draw, and it will be my constant prayer, let my misfortunes, miseries and persecutions be ever so great.

In preparing for such a long voyage, a man should take great care that his business should be so settled, and agreements made so binding, that on his return home, he could keep clear of being dragged into the law, harrassed and wronged out of all his hard earnings, which is peculiarly poignant to the feelings of a man who has earned his money in the hard way that globe beaters generally do theirs. On returning from a voyage of three or four years, to be called upon to pay sums of money that he never owed, and sometimes to people he never saw before to his knowledge, is very disagreeable, and should be guarded against in the beginning of the voyage as much as in his power. Never let an account lie open with friend or foe, although they may say, "let it all lie just as it does till your return;" for in such cases the simple or fair balance seldom or never pays the demand, especially when the sailor has got a little money.

It may be believed that when a man has been absent a great length of time, that he will imbibe different ideas from those he has entertained whilst on shore; and he sees things very differently when he returns home. He is vulnerable at all points, to either love, friendship, gratitude, or benevolence; and at the same time holds his honour at too high a rate to get along very well with people who do not set so high a value upon theirs.

It is a duty that every man owes to himself to take care of his own earnings, and not be outstripped under the operation of any of the foregoing principles, so that he may be left in his old age pennyless and without a friend; for should it so happen, it most commonly will break his heart, more especially if he possess a noble mind.