to make the ship snug; the midshipmen being on the yards as well as the men, and the captain, when the gale became severe, at their elbow.  In close reefing the main-topsail, there was much difficulty in clewing up the sail for the purpose of making it quiet, and the captain issued his orders accordingly from the quarter-deck, and sent us aloft.  On gaining the topsail-yard, the most active and daring of our party hesitated to go upon it, as the sail was flapping about violently, making it a service of great danger.  A voice was heard amidst the roaring of the gale from the extreme end of the yard-arm, calling upon us to exert ourselves to save the sail, which would otherwise beat to pieces.  A man said, ’Why, that’s the captain—­how the ——­ did he get there!’ The fact was, that the instant he had given us orders to go aloft, he laid down his speaking trumpet, and clambered like a cat by the rigging over the backs of the seamen, and before they reached the maintop, he was at the topmast-head, and from thence by the topsail-lift, a single rope, he reached the situation he was in.  I could mention numberless instances of this kind, but will proceed to relate a few others fresh in my recollection.  On our arrival at St. John’s Newfoundland, we anchored in the narrow entrance in the evening; and many officers would have been satisfied to have remained there until the morning, as we could reach our anchorage only by the tedious and laborious operation of laying out anchors, and warping; but we saw that the captain was bent upon exertion, and we went heartily to work.  In the course of our progress against a strong wind, the ship had been warped up to the chain rock, and it became necessary to cast off the hawser attached to it, but all the boats were employed in laying out an anchor and warps elsewhere.  The captain called to the men on the forecastle, and desired ’some active fellow to go down by the hawser, and cast it off,’ at the same time saying that a boat would soon be there to bring him on board again.  The smartest seaman in the ship declined the attempt.  In an instant the captain was seen clinging to the hawser, and proceeding to the rock; the hawser was cast off, and to the astonishment of every one, he swang himself to the side of the ship by the same means, mounted the ship’s side, and was again directing the duty going on.  After nine hours laborious and incessant exertion, the ship was anchored near the Commodore in St. John’s harbour, before daylight; and as a salute had been prepared in the hope of seeing the Commodore’s pennant before sunset on the evening before, the captain remained on deck with the gunner only to assist him.  The rest of the officers and men, being excessively fatigued, had been sent below to rest; and I was not singular in being unconscious of the firing, although my hammock hung close to the open hatchway, and immediately under the deck that the guns were fired from.

“The strong mind and fertile