The last week we had been occupied in taking in a supply of wood and water for the passage home, and in bringing on board the spare spars, sails, &c.  I was sent off with a party of Indians to fill the water-casks, at a spring about three miles from the shipping and near the town, and was absent three days, living at the town, and spending the daytime in filling the casks and transporting them on ox-carts to the landing-place, whence they were taken on board by the crew with boats.  This being all done with, we gave one day to bending our sails, and at night every sail, from the courses to the skysails, was bent, and every studding-sail ready for setting.

Before our sailing an unsuccessful attempt was made by one of the crew of the California to effect an exchange with one of our number.  It was a lad, between fifteen and sixteen years of age, who went by the name of the ``reefer,’’ having been a midshipman in an East India Company’s ship.  His singular character and story had excited our interest ever since the ship came into the port.  He was a delicate, slender little fellow, with a beautiful pearly complexion, regular features; forehead as white as marble, black hair curling beautifully round it; tapering, delicate fingers; small feet, soft voice, gentle manners, and, in fact, every sign of having been well born and bred.  At the same time there was something in his expression which showed a slight deficiency of intellect.  How great the deficiency was, or what it resulted from; whether he was born so; whether it was the result of disease or accident; or whether, as some said, it was brought on by his distress of mind during the voyage,—­ I cannot say.  From his account of himself, and from many circumstances which were known in connection with his story, he must have been the son of a man of wealth.  His mother was an Italian.  He was probably a natural son, for in scarcely any other way could the incidents of his early life be accounted for.  He said that his parents did not live together, and he seemed to have been ill treated by his father.  Though he had been delicately brought up, and indulged in every way (and he had then with him trinkets which had been given him at home), yet his education had been sadly neglected; and when only twelve years old, he was sent as midshipman in the Company’s service.  His own story was, that he afterwards ran away from home, upon a difficulty which he had with his father, and went to Liverpool, whence he sailed in the ship Rialto, Captain Holmes, for Boston.  Captain Holmes endeavored to get him a passage back, but, there being no vessel to sail for some time, the boy left him, and went to board at a common sailor’s boarding-house in Ann Street, where he supported himself for a few weeks by selling some of his valuables.  At length, according to his own account, being desirous of returning home, he went to a shipping-office, where the shipping articles of the California were open.  Upon asking