account of the brig being made a separate account: and I was pleased to find all fair; so that I paid the several demands with much satisfaction.

After I had done this business, I waited on the paymaster, to inquire if he had any bills on England: he told me he had not; but referred me to the agent-victualler, to whom he gave me a letter of introduction. This gentleman was very glad to see me on my errand, as the cash would be convenient to him; and he quite chuckled when he heard that I could let him have a large sum. But I complained of the premium; and told him, I would not take bills for any considerable amount, at any thing above five per cent. He replied, that all government bills had fetched ten, for some time back; but if I could accommodate him with 10,000l. sterling, he would give the bills at five. We struck the bargain;-and on Monday I waited on him with two boxes of the doubloons; out of which I counted down 2747 pieces, being the amount required, receiving back 8 dollars. He in turn handed me over a set of bills of exchange on the Treasurer of the Navy, for the 10,000l. sterling approved by the Admiral; for which I had stipulated as a security for government acceptance.

Sunday, 6th. We kept this sabbath by going to church. Before we went, my dear wife and I had some difficulty in in deciding whether we should have Purdy married there this day; but as Martin was not married in a church, and others at Seaward Island could not be, we feared it might make a schism, or create a jealousy among the people; and we therefore resolved to celebrate the rite on our return, so that all our people might be on the same footing with respect to such matters.

Monday, 7th.-After negotiating for the bills as above stated, and paying for every thing, I found I had four bags of doubloons still untouched; and about 100 extra doubloons from the last bags we had opened. Of these, I converted 150 into dollars; for which I received 2400. I placed them in bags, in the iron chest, beside the gold; reserving as much as I thought necessary for present use. I now wrote letters to Perry and Co., inclosing them the first of exchange for £10,000, with orders to fund the amount; sending them at the same time the seconds of the former bills, and also inclosing my will, which I in

dorsed "Not to be opened, but by myself, or in the event of my decease."-And I moreover got ready a duplicate letter, with further duplicates of the bills already sent, to be forwarded by Mr. Green, to Messrs. Perry and Co., at a future early opportunity.

Diego reported all his stock (consisting of six sheep, four pigs, twelve turkeys, twelve geese, twelve Guinea fowls, as also a quantity of plantain suckers and plantains, some roots, and a good supply of fruits) to be safe on board; besides Allan Derrick's pig and goat; he had brought a fine large dog also with him, which he begged to take; and, after some hesitation amongst us for fear of our little pet Fidele, with my dear wife's approbation I at last gave my consent; but the dog was to go in the Avon, and not in the schooner. Diego declared himself well satisfied, if it might go in any way, for it was a fine animal, and his name was Lion.

Before dinner I visited the vessels, and was highly pleased with their appearance, and all the arrangements that had been made: every thing necessary had been provided; and I felt greatly indebted to Mr. Green, and the two captains, for having taken so much minute trouble off my hands. I paid a month's wages in advance to the captains, and also to each of the men. On returning to our lodgings, I would have invited the captains and Mr. Green to dine with us; but now that we were on the point of sailing, I thought it best that every one should be at his post. My dear Eliza and I, therefore, dined alone, and after dinner busied ourselves in packing up some suitable clothes we had ordered; amongst which were several pairs of buck and doe skin boots, the color of our own sandy isthmus, on which we hoped once more soon to tread.

At my fond wife's request, a handsome suit of uniform, blue and gold, with a hat looped and handsomely laced, had been made for the captain-commandant. "If those Spaniards," said she, "should ever intrude themselves into our bay, which they may do as friends, without an imposing uniform on your person, they might pay very little respect to your commission." I saw the force of the observation, and therefore the uniform was made.

At the last visit of my hair-dresser, he recommended me to purchase of him an Adonis, a new-fashioned wig very much in vogue, instead of having my own hair tortured into

the mode. I wished he had informed me of such a thing at first, as it would have saved me a great deal of time and torment. "But," said I, "I do not want any thing of the kind where I am going." My dear wife thought otherwise and smiling, desired him to bring the wig. He obeyed, with a proper box to hold it in, and all the requisites for powdering it up, when required. As it was my Eliza's pleasure, I made no more demur, but took it, and paid him 20 dollars for it. When he was gone, I said to her "What am I to do with this mophead, my Mistress Commandant, at Seaward Islands?" It is for my Captain-commandant," she replied, "when he has occasion to appear in state!" I smiled at her remark, but felt at the same time that it was dictated by good sense, and a just regard to the opinions of men.

My kind wife, meanwhile, had provided herself with some presents for those left behind; and had attended to the minutiae of our own future comforts, in the procurement of many things not necessary to be enumerated : and having finished the day in prayer to God our Father, we rose next morning in health and spirits. We paid our bill cheerfully to the brown lady, our hostess, and thanked her besides for her many civilities. The negresses and our trunks were conveyed on board, followed by ourselves and our faithful Fidele, who ran by our side before the great iron chest; which was a formidable burden, from the combined weight of itself and its remaining contents.

CHAPTER II.

TUESDAY, April 8th.-We embarked at seven o'clock, where nothing but happy faces met us. I felt I had no need of pistols here! All hands cheered us; and the women crowded round my wife, kissing her hand. Indeed, she smiled so sweetly on them, and had already done so many kind things to them, they could not but love her. We did not receive our clearance from the custom-house before nine o'clock, which gave us time to inspect the dispositions made on board for the people. Temporary combings had been fixed to a scuttle cut in the main hatches, to protect the opening from the wash of the sea,

should it at any time come over the decks. This was well; and a windsail was fitted to the scuttle, to throw air down between decks; so that the stock, and the people on the platform there, might breathe freely and wholesomely. Here were berths put up for Allan Derrick and his wife, for David Allwood and his wife, for young Allwood and his wife, and two berths for the three negresses and Purdy's wife. The captain was requested to sleep in the steerage with the crew, to which he readily consented; himself, Diego, and the two negro boys, John and Harry, being packed in among them. We were in all, on board the schooner, fifteen in number. And in the Avon there were altogether seven; Captain Drake, Jemmy Purdy, the two New England blacks, and three white seamen. A little before nine o'clock the Avon hauled alongside, and I went on board to take a look at her. Some precautions had been taken here too against the sea, by fixing canvass so as to make a defence if necessary; with which I was much pleased. Captain Drake, who, as captain of the schooner, had cleared her out at the custom-house, now returned, but took his station in the Avon.

The sea-breeze having set in, and the pilot being on board, we set sail; and with the fine little lugger in our wake, ran down to Port Royal in little more than an hour. As we passed the men-of-war, I perceived the Solebay had gone; so, wishing her as well as ourselves a good voyage, we stood out to sea, and dismissed the pilot. The vessels steered nearly south, keeping away about half a point, to allow for east variation. At sunset we computed our run off the land to be about eighteen leagues, which was sufficient to take us clear of the Pedro shoals; we now kept away S. W., and having run about one hundred miles by Wednesday at noon, we observed in 15° 48′ N. It was determined still to steer S. W., keeping a good look-out ahead; and at noon on Thursday we observed in 14° 46', having run little more than eighty miles during the last twenty-four hours, by reason of going under easy sail all night, and again laying by, for some hours in the forenoon, until we could ascertain the latitude, so as to shape our course accordingly, supposing ourselves not to be very far distant from the place of our destination. After some consultation, we agreed to steer west; and, by four o'clock, breakers were discovered right ahead; we in

consequence hauled up to the northward, bringing the breakers on our beam to leeward. The Avon was now ordered to keep three or four cables' lengths ahead of the schooner, on her larboard bow. We continued to stand to the northward for about an hour, when we were enabled to keep away N. W. at this time something like land was discerned to the southward of us, but it was too late in the day to endeavour to close with it; we therefore stood off and on, all night, holding a pretty good offing, for fear of encountering calms or currents, while among so many unknown reefs and shoals. At daylight in the morning we again descried the land to the southward, and stood in towards it. The Avon being within hail, I desired him to keep on our quarter till further orders; and I would endeavour to lead, and find the channel. After coming up with the broken water, and then running a few miles on a west course, keeping the surf on the reef about a mile within us, we were enabled to steer two points to the southward, and then S. W. A little before noon we set the high land nearest to us, bearing S. E., when the channel appeared open, having a little hummock in the distance, which I knew to be our homestead promontory. We now hauled to the wind on the larboard tack, laying up about S. S. E., and stood in. I was not without fear and apprehension, although I knew there was a navigable channel that separated the two islands on the north, through part of which, Diego, who was now at my elbow, had rowed his canoe. Thus assured, and thus backed, I ventured to keep on under easy sail, till we found ourselves embayed within a horse-shoe reef, and were thus compelled to stand back again to escape from our perilous situation. We then rounded the edge of the reef to the westward, keeping away a little till we brought the hummock in the distance to bear S. S. E. The channel now appearing quite open, but with shoals on each side of it, we stood in again, with the Avon leading; but soon found ourselves obstructed by a long line of broken water, stretching apparently all the way across. Being thus straitened, and at a loss how to proceed, I thought it expedient to bring the schooner to an anchor for the present, under a low small coral island that lies on the eastern extremity of the breakers, and there remain until the Avon should make out the passage. I hailed Mr. Drake to that effect; and as soon as we dropped VOI. II,-5