ment to the general reader; but particularly to those who may visit the places therein described, and have an opportunity of comparing the copies with the originals. In the language and style indeed, he fears that many inaccuracies and much roughness will appear. For these, he has no reasonable apology to make, unless it is considered that these pieces were written in a very desultory manner, often on a rude and boisterous element, and continually interrupted by professional duties. He has therefore to request the reader, when he meets with any thing that offends his ear, to remember that, "Far from the Muses' academic grove, "Twas his the vast and trackless deep to rove. London, May 1, 1806. DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES IN INDIA, CHINA, &c. DEPARTURE. ON the 24th of May, 1805, a king's messenger came on 1803. board his Majesty's ship Caroline, then lying in Cork harbour, May. bearing sealed orders, (to be opened in a certain latitude) and the Declaration of War with France, &c. We immediately got under weigh; and as the winds hung from the S. W. we stood over towards the Bay of Biscay, putting every thing in readiness to give Mounsieur a warm reception at the commencement of hostilities, in case we should fall in with him; and entertaining no small sanguine hopes of partaking of Fortune's favours at this propitious crisis. FALL IN WITH A FRENCH MERCHANT VESSEL. About 11 o'clock at night, a vessel suddenly hove in sight, and so near us that he hailed us in French, requesting to know our longitude. We desired him to heave to, and we should send a boat on board; but not relishing this answer, he attempted to make off, and obliged us to fire at him. On the captain's coming aboard he informed us he was from St. Domingo to Bourdeaux, laden with a cargo of colonial produce. We told him he was now so far out in his reckoning, that he must give up all thoughts of prosecuting his intended voyage; for that we were about to send a few British tars on board, who would conduct him safe into port! The sprightly Frenchman, (who though he had no previous intimation of the 28. 1803. war, now clearly saw the state of affairs) after repeating the usual consolatory phrase," Fortune de guerre," facetiously reMay. marked, that " sure enough he must have been confoundedly out June 9. 10. in his reckoning, witness the Diable of a LANDFALL, he had made at last," casting an expressive glance at the implements of war ranged round the decks. From this time until our arrival at Madeira, little occurred worthy of remark. The uncertainty of our destination, and our having only been fitted out for Channel service, obliged us to adopt as strict a system of economy with respect to our water, as was compatible with the health of the ship's company.-To answer this end, they were not confined to any particular allowance, from a conviction that the idea of limitation in water particularly, is not only repungant to a man's mind, but that the reflection even on this circumstance, will excite a kind of thirst and inclination for more than he would otherwise require. At the scuttle-butt, therefore, every one might drink as much as he pleased; but no water was suffered to be taken from thence, except for the express purpose of cooking, or for the use of the sick. PORTO SANTO. We this day discovered Porto Santo, a small island to the northward of Madeira, and found our chronometers to be very correct it appears at the distance of five or six leagues, in four or five hummocs of rather whimsical shapes. On approaching nearer, the Desertas and Maderia came in view. During the night we ran in between the Desertas and Porto Santo, though it is not very common for ships to do so. ARRIVAL AT MADEIRA. At day-light this morning, found ourselves close in with the north-east point of Madeira. As the sun arose, the whole prospect of Funchal, and the surrounding villas, churches, &c. burst upon our view. This bay has a truly romantic and beautiful appearance. The town, the houses of which are all white, and look remarkably well, lies at the bottom of the bay; and the ground forming the extremities of the latter, rises at first with a gradual, and afterwards with a very steep ascent, in the form of an amphitheatre. From the sea up to the steep part, the whole is covered with vineyards, villas, orangeries, churches, and convents, rising in gradation, and forming a most picturesque landscape; while the steep cliffs, crowned with trees of the most luxuriant foliage, and which from their great height, frequently appear above the clouds, majestically crown the whole, Having, for expedition sake, dispatched our boat ashore, |