25. This forenoon, a gentleman came to see us, who is lately from London. He told us that when he sailed, the cartel absolutely lay in the Downs. By this time I hope we have got the truth of it.
26. Yesterday three gentlemen, who are our friends, came with Mr. Heath to see us. We have been so long confined, that when a friend comes into the yard to see us, we flock around him like children, and love the ground he treads upon. Also, to-day, we wrote them out the facts relating to the dog, agreeably to their request.
27. Nothing of interest.
28. Sunday. The wind hauls round to the northward and eastward, which gives us now to hope that our cartel will be here in a few days.
March 1. Nothing remarkable.
2. Nothing worthy of notice.
3. We understand that there is a fleet bound to the East Indies, and another to the West Indies, that lay wind-bound, up channel, as well as our cartel.
4. This morning, James Valentine died with a fever. He was a Marblehead man, and belonged to Captain Lee’s crew. He is the twentieth man that has died since I have been taken, and the eleventh since I have been in prison. This has been a fast day with us; for the beef that came in this morning was so bad, and so far from being according to contract, that we sent it back again.—The second that came, was worse than the first, and we refused it, also. Our peas are also bad, so that we could not eat them, and by applying to the officer of the guard, who spoke in our behalf, we received cheese instead of beef, but not until evening.
5. This morning we received the joyful tidings that our cartel had arrived. Some of the Marblehead men received letters from home, by way of a vessel that was taken. The bills of exchange for one hundred and nine pounds sterling, have arrived from Bilboa, for Captain Lee’s crew, and are sent to London to be answered.
6. Notwithstanding our cartel has arrived, we understand that she is to wait for orders from London, before she can embark us.