LETTERS, &c.

Letter E.

New York, 3d November, 1819.

I WROTE a few lines last night by a vessel for Ireland, which will probably have reached you before this, to mention my safe arrival here after a short and pleasant passage of 32 days. Our party on board the Courier consisted of 24 persons. English and American, male and female, of every possible variety of age, temper and pursuit; and I think it no slight encomium on so miscellaneous an assembly, confined within such contracted limits, and exposed to the inconveniences which must ever attend a voyage, to say, that our harmony never suffered a moment's interruption.

B

My spirits began to fail me when I parted with ; and when I got up in the middle of the first night to walk the deck, and take another view of the little island that contains all my earthly treasures, I found we were changing our course, and going through the North Channel.

The following day we had a fine view of Donaghadee and Carrickfergus Bay, Fairhead, and the Mull of Cantire, and about sun-set saw the Giant's Causeway, at the distance of perhaps 15 miles. On the 4th we saw land for the last time, the Irish coast fading in the distance.

The wind continuing unfavourable, we were compelled to keep further to the northward than we wished, and for some days had cold uncomfortable weather, and most of us were unwell. For the first ten days I never went below, in the day-time, but since that time have in general been unusually well. We reached the banks of Newfoundland on the 20th October, and were fortunate enough to have a fine clear day for crossing them, instead of the foggy weather which usually prevails. We saw eight or ten French and American vessels at anchor fishing, the first we had seen for a fortnight; and the sight afforded us a

degree of satisfaction which you will not readily conceive. The Bank, which lies perhaps 50 miles to the south of the island, is about 380 miles long, and 75 or 80 broad, and of a very irregular shape. The depth is from 30 to 40 fathoms, and the fish lie at the bottom. The water on the Bank is usually several degrees colder than at the distance of a few miles from the edge, and I found, indeed, that our captain depended much on his thermometer to indicate our approach to any shoals. After crossing the banks, we had two severe gales, in which we were very near losing our masts, the vessel at one time being in imminent danger from being taken aback; but they were of short continuance, and succeeded by beautiful autumnal days, on which the sea was like a mirror. Occasionally the vessel scarcely moved during the whole day; but the extreme beauty of the sea and sky reconciled me to our slow progress. One day, when I was sitting reading in the boat, which hung a-stern, a little bird perched upon my knee, exhausted by its long flight. We were about 120 miles from Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and were visited the same day by a hawk, which perched upon our mast. Once, previous to reaching the Banks, and once afterwards, we were gratified

with an excellent view of the whales and grampuses which frequent those seas. The former were said to be 50 to 60 feet long, and came close to the vessel, following us for half a mile, heaving their gigantic bulk out of the water, and forming fountains, apparently 15 or 20 feet high, with the breath of their nostrils. Their path was often visible when they could not be seen, reminding me forcibly of the passage in Job, "He maketh the deep "to boil like a pot; he maketh a path to shine “after him; one would think the deep to be

hoary." One day we saw a sword-fish glide past the vessel; and porpoises became too common to disturb our reading or working parties on deck. These parties would often have amused you, if you could have seen them at their various pursuits on deck or in the cabin. Reading was the general resource in the morning, and cards, chess, and back-gammon in the evening. We had not many fine star-light or moonlight nights, though a few very beautiful ones. I was at first struck to see the great bear so little above the horizon, which reminded me rather unexpectedly how far I was receding from you to the southward. to the southward. Our chronometer and many of the gentlemen's watches were kept by London time; and towards the conclusion