ort time, looking
at each other, without saying a word. At length one said, "Let us return
to the deck;" two did so, but the other remained below. He opened his
desk, took out his commission, his introductory letters, and some money,
went on deck, but saw neither of his companions. Then looking forward,
he saw the ship going down head foremost, and the sea rolling in an
immense column along the deck. He tried to ascend the steps leading to
the poop, but was launched among the waves encumbered by boots and a
great coat, and unable to swim. Afterwards, finding himself on the
opposite side, he conceived that when the stern of the ship sunk, he
would be drawn into the vortex. While struggling to keep himself afloat,
he seized something which frequently struck the back of his hand, and
found it to be a rope hanging from the mizzen-shrouds. Trying to ascend
several feet by it, he fell into the sea; but by a sudden lurch from the
ship, he was thrown into the mizzen-shrouds, where he fixed himself as
well as circumstances would allow.

CRUISE OF THE SALDANHA AND TALBOT.

BY ONE OF THE OFFICERS.

At midnight of Saturday, the 30th of November, 1811, with a fair wind
and a smooth sea, we weighed from our station, in company with the
Saldanha frigate, of thirty-eight guns, Captain Packenham, with a crew
of three hundred men, on a cruise, as was intended, of twenty days--the
Saldanha taking a westerly course, while we stood in the opposite
direction.

We had scarcely got out of the lock and cleared the heads, however, when
we plunged at once into all the miseries of a gale of wind blowing from
the west. During the three following days it continued to increase in
violence, when the islands of Coll and Tiree became visible to us. As
the wind had now chopped round more to the north, and continued unabated
in violence, the danger of getting involved among the numerous small
islands and rugged headlands, on the north-west coast of
Inverness-shire, became evident. It was therefore deemed expedient to
wear the ship round, and make a port with all expedition. With this
view, and favored by the wind, a course was shaped for Lochswilly, and
away we scudded under close-reefed foresail and main-topsail, followed
by a tremendous sea, which threatened every moment to overwhelm us, and
accompanied by piercing showers of hail, and a gale which blew with
incredible fury. The same course was steered until next day about noon,
when land w