We ran down the trades, and keeping well to the southward in order to catch the "brave westerlies" as soon as possible, we came in sight of Tristan d'Acunha, a noble, symmetrical mountain island, 8,326 feet high, its top covered with snow. We were becalmed in sight of it for several hours, and enjoyed resting our eyes, wearied with gazing for weeks upon the dancing water, by fixing them on this grand, immovable mass. Books gave an interesting account of a colony formed here; but we were not near enough to perceive any signs of human life. The lazy rolling of the bark in the swell, made even the idea of a residence on the snowy peak seem attractive, and there was comfort in thinking of a future world which is to be all land. A breeze, springing up from the north-east, gradually freshened. The sea being quite smoothed down by the calm, we were able to carry a press of canvas; and with all sail set and the yards braced up, the bark lay down on her side, and made a run of 261 miles in 24 hours, and the day after, she made 252 miles. The fore topgallantmast was then found to be sprung, and a new one had to be put in its place. While sending it up, we overtook and passed a brig, loafing along under reefed topsails, evidently seeming to think it was blowing a gale of wind, whereas we had our main-royal set. This showed why some vessels make long passages. We sped along swiftly, passing the Cape of Good Hope when 61 days out, and running along the parallel of 40° S., a succession of gales helped us onward. The weather was chilly, often wet and disagreeable, but our good progress kept us cheerful. One night was especially exhilarating, when running in a north-west gale, with the wind quartering, under reefed canvas, the bark flying away, at the rate of 14 knots, from wind, rain, thunder, lightning and towering waves. There is some sublimity in a sailor's life, and this wild scene was a good specimen of it. I enjoyed standing by the bitts and singing at the top of my voice some hymns expressing trust in the Creator, knowing that the noise of the elements made the sound inaudible to the crew. As we neared Amsterdam Island, the weather continued rainy, and there was no chance for observations by which to verify our position. On the day I expected to pass it, the sun appeared, most providentially, just at noon for a moment. I caught the altitude with my sextant and found the latitude. But I had no means of determining the longitude. We were a few miles south of the latitude of the island, so I steered due east, keeping a hand on the lookout to watch for the land, as I desired to sight it to verify the reckoning and the chronometers. No land appeared; a dark night was coming on, and I felt anxious at running down so nearly in the latitude of the island; but at evening-time it was light, and at 6, P.M., we saw the noble mass of land, nearly three thousand feet high, bearing off the weather-quarter. We had already sailed by it, within five miles distance.