The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1844-06-26
For the Northern Galaxy.
LETTERS FROM JAMAICA.

) For the Northern Galaxy.
! LETTERS FROM JAMAICA.
Chesapeake Bay.
On the 9Th Dec. we commenced our voy-
age in the Barque Orb, fast sailing vessel
of $50 tons, well laden with flour and beef in
the hold and live stock on deck. Gliding
gently down the Petapsco, with light winds,
IA miles, we entered the bay, and at length
with a head wind cast anchor 25 miles from
Baltimore. Awaking the next morning on
the smooth waters of the Chesapeake, & sa-
luted by the mingled voices ofturkeys, chick
ems, ducks, geese, pigeons and a fine canary
bird, and of some of the five species of quad
rapeds on deck, our first thoughts were Of ru-
raj scenes, and the second of Noah's Ark. A
favoring wind called all hands up to heave the
anchor and set the sails, with studding sails
spread we started in the rear Of fleet of ff-
ty vessels, land in few hours left most ofthem
behind. A fine Barque, bound for Boston,
attempted trial of speed, and for some time
the contest was doubtful. At length it was
evident that we were drawing ahead, when
our antagonist attempted the expedient of ia
king the wind out of our sails. This is done
by coming close along on the windwdrd side,
and when once effected, a dull sailer may keep
a fast vessel under its lee at pleasure. For
tunately for us the maneuvre was too late,
and we passed on.
During all of this day the officers and crew
were employed in the very omuous prepara-
tons of lashing firmly all movable articles.
We afterwards experienced the benefit of this
precaution. A freshing breeze from the N.
w. bore us, before sunset, to the mouth of
the Potomac, where from the sudden widen
ing of the bay, we at once lost sight of the
E. coast. Before morning we were in the
neighborhood of the capes, and after laying to
for several hours, discharged the pilot, the last
link of communication with friends at home.
We then made for the open sea, and at noon
lost sight of our native land.
Gulf Stream.
i On the morning of the 1lth, we were eros
sing the Gulf Stream, which sets to the N. L.
with current here of 2 1-2 miles per hour,
within the mouth of Chesapeake Bay, the sur
face water had temperature of 43o Far,
and Is miles E. of Cape Henry it was at 40
But here it was at "a nearly 20o warmer
than the air, and of course very warm to the
hand.
A Soudi-Wester.
During the evening of the 11th, S. S. w.
wind frcshened into heavy gale, which rag
ed with great fury during the night and fol-
lowing morning. We were compelled to lay
to, under fore-top-mast-stay-sa and close
reefed man-top-sail. lin Laying to-" YES
sci is made to head as near as possible to the
wind, and of course advances but slowly, usu-
ally about one mile per hour. Another re-
sort for safety, consists in running before the
wind. which however in an advancing storm
will of course keep the vessel longer exposed
to its violence.) The waves broke with great
fury over the deck and with the rolling of the
ship. caused much confusion among the live
stock, many of which persisted. At 2 A. NJ.
| the fore-to mast-stay-sail was blown to piec-
es The bowling of the winds through the
rigging, the rushing and roaring tumult of
the Infatuated waves, now beating like bat
tering ram against the vessel, and again rush
ing over us. as if determined BY one means
or the other to ensure our destruction, with
the confusion on deck, rendered the night as
horrible as it was dark. Morning came, but
only to reveal the terrors of the night. Du-
ring the forenoon the gale abated; the wind
came round to the N. W., and we resumed
our course. But with such heavy sea
pouring over the deck, we could not venture
any more sail.
A North Wester.
Early in the night of the 18th, the north
wester had freshened into furious and ftful
gale, more violent than that of the preceding
night. Blowing nearly at right angles to the
course of a heavy sea, it created for several
hours an irregular cross sea, which rushed
down in heavy masses over the rails carrying
away most of the sheep pens, breaking through
the bulwarks, and penetrating the cabin and
state rooms. After an anxious night, NOR
ming revealed scene, which, viewed from the
shore, would have been sublime, but from the
midst of it, it was truly awful, and impressed
us deeply with the terrible majesty of Him,
'' who holds the waters in the hollow of his
hand"
A Heary Sea.
1t is very common to represent waves as
running mountains high" but this is fig
ure of speech which conveys no correct idea.
A heavy sea is unlike any thing else, and a
literal description can alone give correct con-
ceptious. Here, as in most of the Divine
works, the thing itself has such an intrinsic
grandeur. that rhetorical ornaments only de-
grade the subject. Let then the reader i'm
agine heaps of water, the larger 35 feet high,
800 feet wide, and IA mile in length, but of
every size and form, these heaps covered
with smaller heaps equally irregular, and each
Of these again covered with still smaller mas
ses. wrinkled and either obtruse or acute
edged, and the whole enormous bulk cresting
over at top in snow-white foam, which is
caught up by the wind and fills the air with
spray let him imagine rolling motion of
10 miles per hour propagated through all
these masses, a velocity of the form and not
of the substance of the water, while the air
is filled with deep rushing and roaring in
cessant noise; let him in Imagination stand
on deck, now on the summit of an elevation,
which commands an extensive prospect ofthe
war Of elements, and again at the bottom of
valley, looking up to the summit of wave,
which limits the vision TO few yards, and
which would bury the vessel in its bosom if its
great breadth did not present moderate
slope.
As north wester is rather local than pro-
gressive, and as our course lay nearly S. E.,
we run before the wind, passing within 10
miles of brig which was laying to, tossed
I;La , nut shell nm a ruffied Dond IL seemed