Thursday, August 13th.-—­Weather cloudy; blowing a moderate gale from the S.E.  The Tuscaloosa is ready for sea, but is detained by the weather.  Dined with Rear-Admiral Walker; Governor Sir Philip Wodehouse and lady were of the party.  My sailors are playing the devil as usual.  They manage to get liquor on board the ship, and then become insubordinate and unruly.  We have to force some of them into irons.  The man Weir, whom I made a Quartermaster, has run off; also two of the Stewards, and two dingy boys; the latter were apprehended and brought on board.

Friday, August 14th.—­We have a dense fog to-day and calm.  The Tuscaloosa, which went out at daylight, anchored some four or five miles outside the harbour.  The mail steamer from England arrived at Cape Town to-day, bringing us news of Lee’s invasion of Maryland and Pennsylvania.  Finished our repairs this evening.

Saturday, August 15th.—­We were ready to get under way at daylight this morning, but were delayed by the dense fog until eleven o’clock, when we moved out of the harbour.  As we neared the Cape another fog bank rolled over and enveloped us for a couple of hours.  At 2.30, boarded an English barque.  At 3, let the steam go down, and raised the propeller.  Weather threatening.  Barometer 29.80.  Took single reefs in the topsails.  At 11 P.M. a steamer passed close, to leeward of us.

Light winds and thick weather now for rather more than a week, varied by a stiff northwester on the 22nd August, lasting over the greater part of two days.

Tuesday, August 25th.—­Dense, cloudy morning.  Got a glimpse of the sun and latitude at twelve o’clock.  Our freshwater condenser is about giving out, the last supply of water being so salt as to be scarcely drinkable.  This will be a serious disaster for us if we cannot remedy it at Cape Town, for we have no tank room for more than eight days’ supply, and no place to store casks except on deck, where they would interfere with the guns.  And so I have borne up to run for Angra Pequena, where I expect to pick up my prize-crew that I may return to Simon’s Bay to see what can be done, without further delay.  I am quite knocked up with cold and fever, but sick as I may be, I can never lie by and be quiet, the demands of duty being inexorable and incessant.

Thursday, August 27th.—­Morning fine; made all sail at early daylight and stood in for the land, having every promise of getting latitude at meridian for position, and running in to an anchor early in the afternoon.  But an ominous fog-bank, that we had noticed hanging over the land for a short time before, suddenly enveloped us at eight, and shut us in so completely as to render it difficult to see a hundred yards in any direction; the wind the while blowing fresh from the south; weather cool and uncomfortable, and the rigging dripping rain.  Hove to, and awaited anxiously the disappearance of the fog; but hour after