THUNDER, LIGHTNING, AND FIERY METEOR. 23 wings, when expanded, bear some resemblance to the crescent moon, joined the feathered tribes which, day and night, follow in the wake of our vessel. It is of a light grey colour, and glides with great swiftness close to the water, precisely directing its curvilinear flight according to the undulation of the sea. July 13. The gale having been strong all day, the waves indeed ran mountains high. The captain remarked that he had generally encountered as tremendous weather in this quarter, off Rio de la Plata, as in any part of the world where he had been. There was a double halo round the moon this evening, which, we are told, portends more blowing weather. July 14. We had much thunder and lightning last night. During the storm, a fiery meteor, apparently the size of a man's head, shot through the atmosphere, and fell into the sea near our ship. The light which it diffused was so sudden and intense that night became as noonday. Had it struck our vessel, we might have all perished on the spot, and no record of our end been discovered till the day of judgment. We are in the hands of God, and on Him, whom all the elements obey, is our sole dependence. To-day, the boats which had hitherto been suspended over the quarters, and kept ready for whale fishing, have been taken upon deck and lashed down. July 15. (Lord's day.) The weather very tempestuous. Mr. Tyerman preached from Psalm lxxxix. 9: "Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them." July 18. The storm has abated. We daily experience increasing cold, which requires thicker clothing and other comforts, which those who have been at sea, and have wanted, can well appreciate. A magnificent albatross, snowy white, except the tips of the wings, which were dark brown, came suddenly near our ship this forenoon; then passed away, like an apparition of beauty. This might be deemed a bird which had attained full maturity, or rather great age, not only by its size, but by the pure colour of its plumage, which, in the younger ones, is much more dusky. Towards night the gale again came on with such fury that there was no rest for us in our beds; but, "in the multitude of our thoughts within us," the remembrance of friends afar off, and of God ever present with us as with them, "refreshed our souls." July 19. Having requested the captain to inform us whenever any thing novel or striking was to be seen from deck, by day or by night, he sent for us early this morning to witness the approach of a tremendous squall. Sky and ocean, indeed, wore an aspect so wild and menacing that we landsmen might well have been excused if we had felt greatly appalled. From overwhelming fear, however, we were graciously preserved by Him whose strength is made perfect in weakness. To us it was intensely interesting to observe the vigilant care which marked the countenance of our commander, whose rapid glances seemed to take in, at once, every part of the ship, and the whole surrounding hemisphere of horrors and perils; especially eyeing, with instinctive jealousy, the quarter from which the instant storm was coming down in its fury, and prepared in a moment to meet it with all the resources of his skill, and the capabilities of his vessel; to see also that half of the crew whose watch it was, standing, each at his post, (alongside of brace, tack, sheet, or lift,) waiting with an air of prompt yet patient attention for the sudden and urgent commands that might be given; but particularly to behold PEO AND EGMONT HEN-THE GRAMPUS. 25 the timoneer (the man at the helm), whose hands firmly grasped the wheel, and whose eye alternately, anxiously, intelligently, glanced from the compass-box to the sails, from the sails to the eye of the captain, and thence again to the compass. The picture, the reality, which this scene presented, was sublimely affecting, and produced an exaltation rather than a depression of mind, amidst all the terrors of conflicting elements around us. A fall of snow that followed covered the deck four inches deep. The squall however, passed away without having harmed us. July 21. South lat. 47° 23'. West long. 47° 53'. The thermometer stood at 45, in the companion. The newlyseen birds which have joined our train are principally the peo, or stinkpot (named from its abominable smell), and what cook calls the Egmont hen. Great quantities of sea-weed float by us, indicating the vicinity of land.Weather calmer. July 24. Several grampuses (delphinus orca) passed the stern of our ship this morning. This species is called by seamen the killer, from its successfully attacking and destroying whales. When the latter, even in a shoal, find a grampus among them, they are said to be so terrified that those which have young ones take them upon their backs, and heave them completely out of the water, to preserve them from the ravenous enemy. The tongue of the whale is the delicacy which the grampus seizes in his assault, and he tears it out with surprising dispatch. July 26. In the afternoon we were near the Falkland Islands, which lie off the Straits of Magellan. Whale-porpoises and penguins were the principal novelties discovered within the last few days. Our captain and crew have often spoken of an animal which they call Turpin, found on the Galipagos Islands, on the west coast of South America, near the equator, about ninety degrees west longitude; to-day we have taken down a description of it. They represent this creature as a species of tortoise, the shell of which is black, carinated and reflected at the neck. The scutilla is oval and composed of irregular plates; the head and eyes are small; the neck slender and much longer than in other species of the tortoise, being about twenty-eight inches in one of middle size. The legs are twelve inches in length; the foot consisting of five toes, the claws of which are hooked and strong. Turpins, at different ages, are found from three inches long to six feet; some being a load for four or five men. They live entirely on shore, feeding upon plants, and resort much to springs and rivulets of fresh water, where they are generally taken. Though so strong, in some instances, as to carry four or five men standing upon their backs, they are so slow of motion as to be easily caught; when turned upon their backs, they are unable to recover their legs, and are thus secured. Their flesh is such excellent and nourishing food that we are informed a ship's crew is never weary of it; and they are, therefore, eagerly sought by sailors at the landing-places. As these animals are exceedingly abstemious, and can live for months without eating (in a state of torpor), they are particularly useful on long voyages in the South Pacific. When taken, these live lumps of stock are stowed away, like dead lumber, in the hold between decks, and constitute a valuable store of fresh provisions. The female lays a considerable number of eggs, which are spherical and about three inches in diameter; these she buries in the sand, where they are hatched by the heat of the sun. lat. 54°, 25'. West long. 57°, 20'. Therm. 43. South SINGULAR PASSAGE OF MR. TYERMAN'S EARLY LIFE. 27 July 27. We are off Staten Island, east of Terra del Fuego, the Straits of Le Maire lying between them. Vessels sometimes venture through these into the South Pacific, but the passage is perilous. We have lately sailed at great speed; the weather, though blustering, being favourable to our progress. July 29. (Lord's day.) The sun rose bright from the sea, which was lightly in motion, the wind being moderate. We have found this indeed a Sabbath, a day of rest and holy pleasure, amidst the loneliness of savage lands in view, and meeting oceans, on which we are sailing, round Cape Horn. This celebrated point, "placed far amidst the melancholy main," presents none of those tremendous horrors (though still in the depth of winter) with which the captain and crew tell us it is almost always invested. Mr. Tyerman preached in the morning from Psalm cxxi. 4: "Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." At the close of his discourse he mentioned the following circumstance. "Yesterday was the anniversary of a great and very remarkable deliverance which I experienced in the year. 1793. At that time I was intimate with several young men as gay and trifling as myself; and we frequently spent our Sabbaths in pleasure on the Thames. Early in the week, on the occasion referred to, I and four others had planned a Sunday party down the river; to make the most of it, we agreed to embark on Saturday afternoon, and proceed to Gravesend. On Friday night, when I lay down to rest, a transient misgiving, whether it was right so to profane the Sabbath of the Lord, gave me a little uneasiness; but I overcame the monitory feeling, and fell asleep. On Saturday morning, when I awoke, the thought again came upon me, but |