rivations and sufferings which nothing but an intense patriotism
could have sustained. They will live in history as a people
worthy to be free; and future generations will be astonished at
the folly and fanaticism, wickedness and want of principle, developed
by this war among the Puritan population of the North. And in this class
may nine-tenths of the native population of the Northern States be placed,
to such an extent has the "Plymouth Rock" leaven "leavened the whole lump."
A people so devoid of Christian charity, and wanting in so many of the
essentials of honesty, cannot but be abandoned to their own folly by a just and
benevolent God.

Our crew is keeping Christmas by a run on shore, which they
all seem to enjoy exceedingly. It is, indeed, very grateful to the
senses to ramble about over even so confined a space as the Arcas,
after tossing about at sea in a continued state of excitement for
months. Yesterday was the first time I touched the shore since I
left Liverpool on the 18th August last, and I was only one week
in Liverpool after a voyage of three weeks from the Bahamas; so
that I have in fact been but one week on shore in five months.
My thoughts naturally turn on this quiet Christmas-day, in this
lonely island, to my dear family. I can only hope, and trust them
to the protection of a merciful Providence. The only sign of a
holiday on board to-night is the usual "splicing of the
main-brace"--_Anglice_, giving Jack an extra allowance of grog.

_Friday, December 26th._--* * * Weather fine, but the barometer
has gone down the tenth of an inch to day, and is now (7 P.M.)
29.96. I shall begin to look for a norther in about twenty-four
hours. We commenced caulking our leaky decks to-day, and
despatched the launch to assist in ballasting the barque. I strolled
on the islands to-day, and amused myself searching for shells along
the beach. There are some very pretty diminutive shells to be
found, similar to those on the Florida coast; but none of a larger
size than the common "conch," of which there are a few. We
have made free with the turtle nets of the fishermen found in the
huts, and have set them. As yet, we have only caught two or three
small turtle. I landed on the south island to-day, where they are
getting off ballast. This islet is occupied exclusively by the black
man-of-war bird; whilst the north islet seems to be divided between
the white gannet (with the lower edges of its wings black)
and the blac