essarily caused,
I should assuredly have slipped over the side after the miserable little
fool.

Our fair wind sticks to us, and the gulf-stream is calculated to be from
three to three miles and a half in our favour; so that we are making
short work of it. All alive and well.

_Tuesday, 7th._--We last night got inside the Hook, but were blown off,
not being able to get a pilot. We are now thrashing at it with a bitter
head-wind. A great number of ships of all kinds are beating through the
bay, as well as numbers coming out with it all their own way. The
Shakspeare proves worthy the name, as she weathers and goes a-head of
every craft beating with us. A very smart ship, called the "Washington
Irvine," held our Billy a stout tug, but, after reading the name as she
went about a-head of us for many turns, we at last crawled to windward,
and Shakspeare took the lead, as even the "Washington Irvine" must admit
was perfectly proper.

At the quarantine station we landed our sick passenger, and were
permitted to proceed. By four P.M. I once more set my foot on the
dock-side of New York, after an absence of five months, and felt as
though I had again reached home.

Let me here remark, that during these five months I had travelled
through the roughest part of these States in every sort of conveyance,
and had been thrown amongst all classes of the community, yet never
received one rude word or encountered an inconvenience, save those
inseparable from the condition of the roads. Even the Southern mail, the
discomforts of which I have painted exactly as I experienced them, I
must in fairness admit is well managed, when the difficulties to be
encountered at the season of my journey are justly taken into
consideration. Their object is to get on; this, as long as possible, at
any risk, they are bound to do. It will be seen that, when a coach
cannot be dragged through, they nail a few boards on the axle, and
proceed with this lighter and less ticklish vehicle: it is true the
passengers suffer much; but only those exceedingly desirous to proceed
travel at such times, and without such a resort the machinery must stand
still.

Out of our party two stout men gave in at different stages; and another,
when I quitted America, had not recovered from the effects of exposure
to wet, loss of rest, and fatigue.

The journey ought not, in my mind, to be undertaken by any man who
regards his ease, after the month of November or before the mont