WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1ST.
Rose soon after seven, having passed the night pretty well, excepting dreaming a good deal about travelling. Found the wind still favourable but more north; going about eight knots. Passed a brig this morning. Commenced reading Hamilton's[33] "Men and Manners in America"; would be very cold but for the sunshine. A good wind all day; sail reduced towards evening in expectation of a gale, but it went off.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2ND.
Passed a restless night, the ship rolling a good deal; dreaming that my father was at Bury attending one of our religious meetings, wearing one of my ruffled shirts. I found we had been getting on, 8 or 9 knots till about five, since only 5 or 6, but should be thankful having had nearly a week's good run. About 4 knots all forenoon; at 12 a little more wind with some rain. A sail to the south-east; another brig in sight at 2 o'clock. A few porpoises.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3RD.
Found the wind south-west and making about ten knots; this since eleven o'clock. Finished the first volume of the "Kentuckians" and read a little in the "Youth's Letter-Writer." A fair wind all day, going eleven knots; cold though the wind is south-west.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4TH.
The wind still favourable and from the south, making us all night about ten knots. The Captain complains of the alterations made in this line of packets, since one of the old captains took a share. The seamen have ten or twelve dollars per month; the Captain is obliged to take a fourth share; a loss if only two or three passengers; six or seven about pay with a fair cargo. This is Captain Wilson's 97th crossing; only 36 years old; went to sea at fourteen; married about four years ago a French lady at Bordeaux, the father American, with the mother French; two children. A very wet disagreeable day, so that we could not take the usual exercise on deck, and yet tempted to eat more by way of pastime. At dinner one or two Yankees found great fault with my saying "A good deal of factories," declaring it to be bad English, in which Mr. Frankland also acquiesced, thinking it improper to apply the word "deal" to numbers; a deal of money, but not a deal of guineas. I admitted it might be more elegant, though the other was not inaccurate. (See "Johnson's Dic.")
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5TH.
Little or no wind, and that against us all night so that we have made no way. After all it is best to have the calm at night, more especially as we approach the coast where we may expect to meet more ships. Passed a brig going to the east. A number of porpoises, some of the older attended by their young. Read four or five more of Cobbett's "Sermons." A good deal of conversation about the New York Banks, assisted by the Yankees who would be ready to condemn the reading of Hamilton. Yesterday at 2 had made 252 miles in 24 hours: 272 the most that was ever done by Captain Wilson.