On the 25th we lowered for blackfish, and captured six, which yielded us ten barrels of oil. These fish, like the whales on this coast, are fatter than they are elsewhere, and average larger. Two days afterwards we gammoned with the barque Emily Downing, of Hobartown. She reported, that on the day we were blackfishing she had sighted two schools of sperm whales. Swinging only three boats, the captain and second mate went in pursuit of one school, and the mate of the other. The last seen of the mate’s boat he was close to the whales, and his boatsteerer standing up, preparatory to darting, when a thick fog enveloped everything. The two boats in company proceeded to regain the ship, which they did with much difficulty; and had not those on board kept up a continual ringing of their ship’s bell to guide them, the probabilities are, that they would have fared no better than the mate and his crew, who had neither been seen nor heard of since. Conjectures were rife as to their probable fate: some surmising that the boat had been stoven, and all hands lost; others thought that, as the mate was a prudent man, of much experience, and well knew the locality of the land, he would most likely direct his boat straightway to it, and lose no time in searching for their ship. The latter were right, as was proved on the 30th, when the Downing and we were in company, lying under short sail,--a fresh breeze blowing, with a heavy sea in attendance--our mastheadsman apprised us, that there were several sails off our weather-beam, squared in, and standing directly for us--coming down before the half gale like racehorses. We at first thought that they were whaling; but as they neared us, and we saw that they all had their colors flying, we at once suspected the true reason for their manœuvring. In a short time, the barque Isabella ran across our stern, spoke us, and informed us of the safety of the missing ones; and that all, though weak and exhausted, were as well as circumstances would permit. This was glorious news, and was received with hearty cheers. Later in the afternoon we learned that the poor fellows had been five days in their boat, with nothing to eat, except half-a-dozen biscuits, an albatross that they had killed by darting a lance into it, and a piece of squid that they managed to pick up. The latter, they said, was not very recent; but, in their necessity, it was to them tall eating, and they were disposed to grumble at the quantity, rather than the quality of their food. They said that they had made for the land immediately on finding that they had lost their ship, but had not succeeded in reaching it until Sunday. As they approached it, they fortunately discovered the ship James Allen close-to. They made for her--told their story--were taken on board, and everything that could be afforded for their comfort was plentifully supplied to them. They were much emaciated by their long fast and exposure; but under the