Wednesday, 16.—­Captain Owen employed himself in the examination of the papers and crew of the schooner brought in by Mr. Mercer.  A short time before midnight, there was an alarm that a man had fallen overboard:  every exertion was made to pick him up, without success.  On inquiry, the unfortunate person proved to be Mr. Morrison, who had left England as schoolmaster of the Eden, and who, after the death of Mr. Abbott, was appointed acting store-keeper to the settlement.  For want of lodging on shore, he used to come on board every night to sleep.  Upon this occasion, he had laid down in the hammock netting on the gangway, a favourite place with the young gentlemen, as most of the ship’s company, as well as the Kroomen, and black labourers, slept on the deck.  It is supposed, that on awaking, he intended going below, but being drowsy, he mistook the outside for the inside rail, and fell into the water.  He struggled a very short time before he sunk, and it was therefore thought, that he must have struck himself against a gun, or the side of the vessel, in his fall.

Thursday, 17.—­We this day hove the Horatio down alongside the Eden to a pinnace filled with iron ballast:  the pinnace sunk during the night in a squall, in consequence of her iron ballast not having been taken out at sunset.  Eighty-one adult female slaves, and some female children, were landed this afternoon from the Elizabeth.

Sunday, 20.—­About two o’clock in the afternoon, Lieutenant Badgeley arrived in a Brazilian schooner, Ou Voador (The Flying-fish), which he had taken with 230 slaves on board.

Monday, 21.—­The Victoria, Lieutenant Robinson, returned from Old Calabar to-day, without having met with any further success.  Landed this afternoon, at the settlement, from the Voador, sixty male slaves, with forty-two women and children, who were to be employed, with an allowance of sixpence per day, and their provisions.

Wednesday, 23.—­Fired a royal salute from Adelaide Island, in honour of St. George’s day.  The African returned with stock from the island of Bimbia.  Landed sixty-four sick children, of both sexes, from the Voador, their complaints being sore eyes, scurvy, craw-craws (itch), &c.  The black mechanics and labourers, and their wives, shewed the greatest anxiety to take one, two, or more of these children under their protection, although they had been previously told that they would not receive any additional allowance for their support.  One woman remarked, that as she had left her child at Sierra Leone, she wanted another in its place, to carry at her back; and before they obtained the Governor’s permission for the indulgence of their wishes, they took the beads off their own necks to decorate their newly-adopted favourites.  This philanthropic disposition was happily not confined to people of colour, (most of whom had fallen under the protection of the British flag, from similar situations, i.e. the holds of slave-vessels), as most of the naval, military, and civil officers, who resided on shore, also received boys under their protection.