Depending upon the westerly winds which prevail off the coast in the autumn, the captain stood well to the westward, to run inside of the Bermudas, and in the hope of falling in with some vessel bound to the West Indies or the Southern States.  The scurvy had spread no further among the crew, but there was danger that it might; and these cases were bad ones.

Sunday, September 11th.  Lat. 30 04’ N., lon. 63 23’ W.; the Bermudas bearing north-northwest, distant one hundred and fifty miles.  The next morning about ten o’clock, ``Sail ho!’’ was cried on deck; and all hands turned up to see the stranger.  As she drew nearer, she proved to be an ordinary-looking hermaphrodite brig, standing south-southeast, and probably bound out from the Northern States to the West Indies, and was just the thing we wished to see.  She hove-to for us, seeing that we wished to speak her, and we ran down to her, boom-ended our studding-sails, backed our main topsail, and hailed her:  ``Brig ahoy!’’ ``Hallo!’’ ``Where are you from, pray?’’ ``From New York, bound to Curacoa.’’ ``Have you any fresh provisions to spare?’’ ``Aye, aye! plenty of them!’’ We lowered away the quarter-boat instantly, and the captain and four hands sprang in, and were soon dancing over the water and alongside the brig.  In about half an hour they returned with half a boat-load of potatoes and onions, and each vessel filled away and kept on her course.  She proved to be the brig Solon, of Plymouth, from the Connecticut River, and last from New York, bound to the Spanish Main, with a cargo of fresh provisions, mules, tin bake-pans, and other notions.  The onions were fresh; and the mate of the brig told the men in the boat, as he passed the bunches over the side, that the girls had strung them on purpose for us the day he sailed.  We had made the mistake, on board, of supposing that a new President had been chosen the last winter, and, as we filled away, the captain hailed and asked who was President of the United States.  They answered, Andrew Jackson; but, thinking that the old General could not have been elected for a third time, we hailed again, and they answered, Jack Downing, and left us to correct the mistake at our leisure.

Our boat’s crew had a laugh upon one of our number, Joe, who was vain and made the best show of everything.  The style and gentility of a ship and her crew depend upon the length and character of the voyage.  An India or China voyage always is the thing, and a voyage to the Northwest coast (the Columbia River or Russian America) for furs is romantic and mysterious, and if it takes the ship round the world, by way of the Islands and China, it out-ranks them all.  The grave, slab-sided mate of the schooner leaned over the rail, and spoke to the men in our boat:  ``Where are you from?’’ Joe answered up quick, ``From the Nor’west coast.’’ ``What’s your cargo?’’ This was a poser; but Joe was ready with an equivoke. ``Skins,’’ said he. ``Here and there a horn?’’ asked