Recollections of a naval life Author:James Scott Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Mr. Merry and Thomas Moore—A strange Sail—Preparations for Action—False Alarm—Coast of America—Disappointment feltat itsappearance—Hampton Hoads—... more »Sudden Frost—Good Cheer—Shipsailsfor New York to refit—American Shipwrights andCaurkers—Their pernicious Influence on the Crew—C.P.S —Necessity of strict discipline on board—Corporal Punishment —Difficult situation of a Captain of a Man-of-war—Design of the Crew to desert in a body—Noble Resolution of the Petty Officers—The Crew return to their duty—Apprehension of Deserters—The Ship ordered to the East Indies—A North-wester and its consequences—The Cape deVerds—Doubling the Cape —Ceylon—Uncertainty of Currents—Arrival in Madras Roads —Captain Lambert—The Java—Naval Actions with the Americans. We were soon ready for sea, ancT.a few days saw Mr. Merry and suite embarked on board. Mr. Moore, the famous modern Anacreon, likewise took his passage with us on his way to Bermuda. We quitted Spithead on the 25th September, and in a short week lay becalmed under the lofty Peak of Pico. In this situation the Phaeton is VOL. I. C depicted in the frontispiece of Moore's Poems, published soon after that gentleman's return froin America. I was too young to appreciate his poetic powers, (I even doubt whether I had heard of them,) but I remember perfectly well that he appeared the life and soul of the company, and the loss of his fascinating society was frequently and loudly lamented by the officers long after he had quitted us in America. It was on crossing the Bay of Biscay in the middle of the night, the second or third day of our departure, that we fell in with a strange sail, and for the first time rny slumbers were invaded by the sound of the hollow drum beating to quarters. My eyes were scarcely unclosed, when I hear...« less