ships to the sea,
where they seemed to swim in a sea of glory; and that was the last sight
I had of my kind friend.

_10th_.--Nothing of any note or variety has taken place during these ten
days. Glennie is gaining ground: I write and read, and attend to him.
The Nitherohy sails to-morrow to join Lord Cochrane off Bahia, with
three mortars on board, two 10, and one 13-inch. I find, with surprise,
that the cartridges are still made up here in canvass, not flannel; and
I fear that the ships are not so well found as I wish them: great part
of the canvass and cordage have been seventeen years in store, and, I
should fear, partly rotten. But all this is nothing to the evil
attending the having Portuguese among the crews. 'Tis not natural they
should fight against their countrymen.

I have had the pleasure of reading Peveril of the Peak within these few
days. 'Tis a sort of historical portrait, like Kenilworth, where the
Duke of Buckingham, he who

"In one revolving moon
Was hero, fiddler, statesman, and buffoon,"

is the principal figure: Charles II. and the rest of the court serve for
the black boy and parrot in costume; while the story of Peveril is
nothing more than the carved-work frieze of the very pleasant apartment
he has been placed in.

_14th_.--The Fly sloop of war, and the packet from England, came in and
brought the news of the war between France and Spain. This news is, of
course, interesting here, as Portugal is considered to be implicated in
the disputes in Europe; and then, the part England may take, and how
that may affect this country, is a subject of anxious speculation. The
more domestic news is not quite agreeable. The Imperial General Lecor,
in the south, has suffered some loss in an action with the Portuguese:
however, it is not considerable enough to give any serious uneasiness.
The same vessel that brought the news from Lecor, also gives
intelligence that the head of the Buenos Ayrian government, Rodriguez,
having taken the field against some Indian tribes, who have lately
committed great ravages in his territories, an attempt was made by one
of the ex-chiefs to subvert his government; happily, without success. I
say happily, because I am convinced that every week and month passed
without change, is of infinite consequence both to the present and
future wellbeing of the Spanish colonies. While they had still to
struggle for their independence, while they had to amend the abuses of
t