On the other the unpolisht seamen emitting yells,
With criticisms of a Custom House official
Whose action for some reason they resented as prejudicial.

"At length the last farewell is said,
The anchor tripped, the gangway clear'd;
'Twas five p.m. ere past Pendennis Head
Forth to th' unfathomable deep we steer'd.
The bo'sun piped (he wore a manly beard);
And while th' attentive crew the braces trimm'd
(Alluding to the ship's), and while from observation
The coast receded, we with eyes be-dimm'd
Indulged in feelings natural to the situation.

"Albion! My Albion! So called from the hue
Thy cliffs wear by the Straits of Dover--
Though darker in this neighbourhood--still adieu!
Albion, adieu! I feel myself a rover.
Thy sons instinctively take to the water,
And so will I, albeit but a daughter."

A page later, in more tripping metre (which reflects her gaiety of
spirits), she describes the ship--

"The _Townshend_ Packet is a gallant brig
Of one hundred and eighty tons;
'Tis the Postmaster-General's favourite rig,
And she carries six useful guns.
As she sails, as she sails
With his Majesty's mails,
Hurrah for her long six-pounders!
They relieve our fear
Of a privateer,
But what shall we do if she founders?
I prefer not to think of any such contingency:
She has excellent sailing qualities,
And her captain appears to rule with stringency
And to be averse from minor frivolities.
With the late Admiral Nelson he may not provoke comparison.
But one and all place implicit confidence in Captain Harrison."

While Plinny cultivated the Muse--and with the more zest as, to her
pride and delight, she found herself immune from sea-sickness--I kept
up, through the long mornings, the pretence of studying mathematics
with Captain Branscome, and regularly at noon received a lesson in
taking the ship's bearings. Our fellow-voyagers were mostly
merchants and agents bound for Jamaica, the trade of which had
revived since the restoration of peace; and among them we passed for
a well-to-do family travelling partly for pleasure to visit the
island, but partly also with an idea of buying a plantation and
settling there--which explained the presence of Mr. Goodfellow.

Our captain ju