,
(Signed) R. SEMMES.

M. Duchaxel,
Commander of H.I.M. Steamer, L'Acheron.

NOTE.--The Sumter went to sea from the port of St. Pierre on the evening
(8 o'clock) of the date of the preceding letter, and, as was predicted,
the light was burned on board the American schooner to signal her
departure to the Iroquois.

R.S.

* * * * *

Muffled the windlass. Getting on board some water. Last night, between
eight and nine o'clock, the engineer being on shore, near the north end
of the town, saw two of the Iroquois' touts, and heard one of them say
to the other, "Harry, that's she--I see her:" in allusion, doubtless, to
the presence of this vessel. We were all very anxious as the night
approached as to the state of the weather; and lo! for the first time in
five or six days, we had a beautiful star-light night, without a speck
of cloud anywhere to be seen. The enemy continued plain in sight, and
our black smoke, as it issued from the stack, would have betrayed us at
a distance of five miles. We were therefore reluctantly compelled to
give up the attempt.

_Saturday, November 23rd._--Beautiful clear morning, with every
appearance of settled weather. Fine starlit nights and clear settled
days, though very pleasant to the lover of nature, are not quite such
weather as we require for running a blockade by a ship which keeps
herself in plain sight of us, and which has the heels of us. But we must
have patience, and bide our time. Several sail have come in and departed
during the last twenty-four hours. The enemy in the offing as usual.
Towards noon it began to cloud up, and we had some rain, and I had
strong hopes that we should have a cloudy, dark night. The moon would
not rise until seven minutes past eleven, and if we could be aided by a
few clouds we should have sufficient darkness; for be it known that in
these tropical climates, where almost every star is a moon, there is no
such thing as darkness when the firmament is clear. But my hopes began
to fade, with the day, for one cloud disappeared after another, as the
sun went down, until the night promised to be as serene and bright as
the last. Venus, too, looked double her usual size, and being three
hours bright at sunset, poured forth a flood of light, little less than
that of the moon in a northern latitude. Notwithstanding all these
discouragements, however, I resolved to attempt the run, and having made
all the necessary pre