severe hurricane, which caused much damage to houses, trees, chimneys, &c., occurred the day previous to our departure. My detention here was also productive of much satisfaction and benefit, by the access it afforded me to books, and the introduction to scientific friends, particularly to Mr. James Were Fox, a gentleman already well known to the scientific world.
On the 30th we quitted Falmouth, having on board despatches to deliver at Lisbon, where we were also to fill up our coal.
Here we were detained by the perverseness of our engineer, and by other trivial matters, over which, until the commanders of steam vessels are better informed on scientific subjects, they will have no control.
On the 27th December we quitted Lisbon, blindly steaming at full coal, in spite of every remonstrance, expecting to reach the trade limit before it could be expended. On the last day, at the last four hours' coal, I succeeded in persuading the commander to try one boiler with half fuel, and he then found that the difference was eight knots at full expenditure, and six and a half with half. We did not reach the trade limit, and we were left at the mercy of strong breezes from N.W. to S.W. for nine days, making but trifling progress.
On January 1st a calm succeeded, and I caused a current bottle to be put over, which reached Half-moon Bay on the island of Antigua on the 16th July
