We were often compelled to lay to, in which there is little danger in any moderate gale, provided you have plenty of sea-room to drift, and the vessel has far less motion than if sailing in the same wind, or in a calm.  In one of the late gales the tiller rope broke, when it threw down, and very much cut and bruised, the man steering.  My butter was all spoiled through the warm weather, not having been potted close, and sufficient salt put in it.

Squalls, calms, head winds, &c. continue, and the captain says he never experienced so much bad weather and opposing winds before.  A disagreeable life on board in such seasons: perhaps you are pitched head-foremost against one side of the vessel by a lee-lurch, or a roll, and before you have time to recover your legs, tumbled to the other side; or at dinner, the dishes and plates with their contents are suddenly dashed to the floor, when the potatoes, &c. are rolling about from one side of the vessel to the other, as if playfully amusing themselves; and, while attempting their recovery, you roll after them, or tumble headforemost, to the no small amusement of the rest of the company.

We continued to experience westerly winds, which retarded our progress greatly, a proof of which was, that we spoke a brig from New York, bound to Buenos Ayres, out only eight days, and it took us three weeks to get into port; indeed, their prevalence is a strong reason why the voyage out should not be undertaken at this season, and that this period, or a little earlier, is often chosen to return to England.  Appearances indicated an approach to the New World, and like similar circumstances to Columbus filled us with hope.  Great quantities of sea or gulph-weed floated past us, and on the 4th of December we were in latitude 34:35, and southed a degree.  Beautiful April-like weather, thermometer 71 in the shade, and 73 in the water; sometimes some light showers, with occasionally lightning in the evenings.  The air exhibited a curious appearance, being of a yellowish red colour, and the clouds of a cinerous blue, which were in a thousand fantastic and singular forms, the sailors called them snow-clouds.  Saw a number of flying fish pursued by a dolphin, and also numerous beautiful coloured nautilus or "men of war," with their sails expanded to the breeze, blown swiftly over the undulating waves.  My bottled porter was excellent, and of great service now I had recovered from the seasickness; saw no more gulph-weed.  We had now crossed the back stream, and were between the two; it runs down the eastern coast of America, across the banks of Newfoundland, round the Western Isles, and along the coast of Africa.

Dec. 12.—Light wind, and smooth sea; clear, bright, warm day.  Two dolphins came swimming about the vessel, one of which the captain struck with a fish-spear, and succeeded in getting it on board; they all said it was the largest they had ever seen, six feet seven and a half inches in length, and I should suppose weighed three quarters of a cwt. or more.

Dec. 13.—Hardly any wind of late, but a breeze sprung up this morning, and soon rose into a gale, and at noon blew violently from the southward.  The foam flew like fine drifted snow: the wind suddenly fell, and then chopped round to the northwest, and blew more moderate, when the grandest sight I bad ever seen presented itself: the tremendous billows meeting in all directions formed a thousand fantastical shapes, sometimes running up into high peaks or spires, then suddenly sinking into vast abysses; or two large waves meeting, rose into an immense ridge; or meeting with violence, dashed their spray in all directions, as if in a rude, frolicsome play, while the vessel rose up their mountain sides most majestically, receiving now and then a salute from their gambols.  Rain came on, and clouds were seen flying in various directions ; the air remarkably warm.  Thermometer in the morning 70, and in the water at noon 74; and before night 79 ; remaining at 70 in the air.—So we are in the Great Gulph stream at last!

Dec. 15.—Through the Gulph as it is called, and the air gets colder every hour.  Shortened sail last night, and sounded without finding bottom.  Found, by an observation taken at noon, we were in latitude 35:19.  Just north of Cape Hattrass, a dangerous reef of sunken rocks, running forty miles into the sea, on the coast of Carolina.  Sounded again in the evening, and found nineteen fathoms water.  The thermometer had sunk in the air to 45, and in the water to 68.  Water on soundings looks green, in the ocean a dark blue; this is universal, I am told.

Dec. 16.—Made land this morning opposite Roanoke Inlet, North Carolina, near the borders of Virginia, seventy miles too far south of the Chesapeak Bay; ranged within five miles of the shore all day, with a light breeze, and fine clear cold air.  Cannot see anything of the country, but clay and sand banks, covered with pines and other trees; it is apparently a flat land along the seaboard; vessels sailing in different directions, and numbers of wild ducks seen along the shore.

Dec. 17.—As no pilot came on board last evening, a lantern was hung up in the night at the mast head, for a signal, and at two o'clock this morning one hove his boat alongside and was taken on board, who proceeded immediately with the vessel round Cape Henry, into the Chesapeak Bay; the wind having got southeast at the same time, with a stiff breeze, wafted us along faster than we had sailed all the time we had been out.  Rain and hazy weather came on this evening, which compelled us reluctantly to come to an anchor for fear of the shoals.  The Chesapeak is a very fine Bay, from ten or twelve to twenty miles across, and upwards of two hundred long; its low banks, fringed with trees, are all that is to be seen of the country, excepting here and there a house near the shore, and occasionally a small town or village.  A great number of small craft loaded with cord, wood for fuel, country produce, &c. for Baltimore market.  Ten thousands of wild ducks, geese, swans, &c., almost covering the Bay, swimming and flying; an English sportsman would be in his Elysium here!

Dec. 18.—After a wet, blowing night, it cleared up soon after daylight this morning, when we weighed anchor, and proceeded up the Patapsco River.  As beautiful a day as ever shone, with a serene mild air, and pleasant light breeze.  Vessels of all sizes sailing in various directions, with well-dressed people on board; and Baltimore, with its white buildings rising to our view on the sides of the hills, as we approached it, bad a most exhilarating effect on one whose vision had been confined to the monotonous rolling of the unstable waters for sixty-five days, which is deemed a very long passage.