Soon afterwards we met the James Allen. Since we last saw her she had captured a whale, her first--whose lower jaw was snapped short off--probably in conflict with another of his species. These creatures are often terribly scarred, and their teeth indented and broken, as if another whale had locked jaws with them; in which case something must start. In the month of May we gammoned the barque Massasoit, of Mattapoisett, and from her got several terrapins which she procured in Madagascar. These creatures had lived in her lower hold for twelve months, we kept them three more; still, when we killed them we found them quite fat, and had a delicious meal off them. From this ship we also received a quantity of Madagascar beans, which were most excellent--surpassing, in richness and flavor, the best of our beans at home. They are about the size of the Lima bean, the skin being covered with black spots. On the 23d of May we spoke the barque Ann, of Sag Harbor, and from her received papers five and a half months old; they were treasures to us, and were read with intense interest, advertisements and all coming in for a share of attention; these papers were full of anticipated troubles with England, and, of course, this prospect of a war was the favorite topic. Like all Americans, we felt the superiority of the universal Yankee nation, and had no fears as to the result in case of a war with John Bull; and, from the general tenor of the conversation, I should infer that, in case of emergency, the whalemen would be found amongst the most strenuous supporters of both army and navy. Another light also was cast on the subject by some one hoping that we should be ordered home; and as a war would raise the price of oil, and induce an earlier return home, both topics of intense interest to us, it cannot be wondered that we were so much engrossed by them.