The national anthem at morning colors woke me, and I arose and looked out. What a glorious sight! Green slopes in all freshness, radiant with broom and yellow gorse, the rocky shore mirrored in the Firth, which stretched, smooth and cool, wide away to the east and south, and in the distance snow-capped Ben Wyvis. Lying off the entrance to Munlochy Bay, we had a view along its sloping shores into the interior of Black Isle, of noted fertility. Farther out were Avoch, a whitewashed fishing village, and the ancient town of Fortrose, with its ruined 12th century cathedral. Across the Firth lay Culloden House, where Bonnie Prince Charlie slept before the battle. Substantial, but softened in outline by the morning haze, the Royal Burgh of Inverness covered the banks and heights along the Ness River, gleaming in the bright sunshine. And how peaceful everywhere! _Canandaigua_ and _Sonoma_ lay near by, the _Canonicus_ farther out—but no movement, no signal, no beat of the engines, no throbbing pumps. All seemed resting from those last four days of our passage overseas, which had all but done away with sleep. My responsibility for the safe conduct of the squadron had ended at 1 a.m., when it dispersed at the buoy, whence the routes to our bases at Inverness and Invergordon diverged. The captains taking the ships to their berths singly, Captain Butler was up until 5 o’clock, needing daylight to take the _San Francisco_ all the way in. Turned in at last, his servant and orderly at 8 o’clock were 45 minutes waking him. The Senior British Naval officer, Captain H. F. J. Rowley, R.N., came on board early, to give us welcome, and then we went to our own chief, Rear Admiral Joseph Strauss, U.S.N., commander of the Mine Force, whose headquarters were here at Inverness, U.S. Naval Base 18. After taking a look over the base itself, Captain Murfin’s work and province, we stayed to lunch at Kingsmills, a handsome place amid beautiful surroundings, bordering on the golf links, with gardens, tennis court, croquet lawn, and fishing brook, which Admiral Strauss, Captain Murfin, and some of the headquarters staff had rented. It was a satisfaction to everyone to see our chief so befittingly established, and this came out very effectively later, at a picturesque and enjoyable garden party given there on the 4th of July, an occasion which was being celebrated locally with unaffected cordiality. Altogether, we could feel ourselves fortunate in the beauty and attractiveness of our surroundings and also, as we soon found, in the hospitality and kindliness of the people.