several feet by it, he fell into the sea; but by a sudden lurch from the
ship, he was thrown into the mizzen-shrouds, where he fixed himself as
well as circumstances would allow.




CRUISE OF THE SALDANHA AND TALBOT.

BY ONE OF THE OFFICERS.


At midnight of Saturday, the 30th of November, 1811, with a fair wind
and a smooth sea, we weighed from our station, in company with the
Saldanha frigate, of thirty-eight guns, Captain Packenham, with a crew
of three hundred men, on a cruise, as was intended, of twenty days--the
Saldanha taking a westerly course, while we stood in the opposite
direction.

We had scarcely got out of the lock and cleared the heads, however, when
we plunged at once into all the miseries of a gale of wind blowing from
the west. During the three following days it continued to increase in
violence, when the islands of Coll and Tiree became visible to us. As
the wind had now chopped round more to the north, and continued unabated
in violence, the danger of getting involved among the numerous small
islands and rugged headlands, on the north-west coast of
Inverness-shire, became evident. It was therefore deemed expedient to
wear the ship round, and make a port with all expedition. With this
view, and favored by the wind, a course was shaped for Lochswilly, and
away we scudded under close-reefed foresail and main-topsail, followed