Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William TorreyTorrey, William
History
Torrey's Narrative; or, The Life and Adventures of William Torrey
Torrey, William
Marquesas Islands (French Polynesia); Seafaring life
A Botanic Garden was established in 1801, at the expense
of about ten thousand pounds.
Among the remarkable objects connected with the
town, the ornamental cemetery of St. James, formed out
of an old stone quarry, is worthy of particular notice.
[210]
CHAPTER XIV.
Proceed to New Brunswick. Encounter a severe storm. Come
near losing the ship. Arrived at Delhouse. Sickness of the author.
Bleeds himself. His end apparently approaches. Timely
assistance. Sails for Quebec. Description of the Citadel. A
sketch of its history.
I remained at Liverpool only a few days,
when I shipped on board the barque Asia,
Capt. Hannah, (a Scotchman) as second mate.
Ten days from the time of my arrival on the
Tammercee we weighed anchor and put to sea, bound
for Delhouse, N. B.
We proceeded down the channel with a head wind
until abreast the Tuscan light, when the wind favoring
us, we soon lost sight of the land.
We had a good passage until we reached the New
Foundland banks. These are immense sand banks or
shoals which greatly endanger the safety of vessels
bound thither. In the spring of the year they are covered
with ice which washes down the Davis straits from
the more frozen regions. Then it is, that ships are
obliged to lay to, during the night.
The wind now hauled round from the northwest and
blew a complete hurricane for about six hours, when it
abated and fell into a calm. During the calm, we
caught several codfish and halibut.
The dense fog which arose was a sure omen of a
southerly wind. For this we made ready. The wind[211]
came at length like a "cat's paw" upon the water. Sails
were trimmed, studding-sails set, &c. The wind increased
every moment, and in the course of two hours
we were obliged to take in the studding-sails, and top-gallant-sails,
and in the course of three hours were under
close reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail. Thus we
run until the captain thought us to be in the Gulf of St.
Lawrence; and about 12 o'clock at night altered our
course one point. At 4 the next morning I called the
mate. I had scarcely laid my head on the pillow, when
I heard the order, "port your helm, put hard to port,"
and at the same time, "haul in the larboard braces,
quick; bear a hand my good fellows or we are all on
the beach." At this I sprung upon deck, with nothing
on, save a shirt and a pair of drawers, and met the
captain in the same dress as myself. After the helm
had been hard put to port, she came around on her
keel, a thing which I never saw her do before. Had
she not done so, we should have run on the beach at
Cape Breton. This is a large island, separated from
Nova Scotia by the straits of Canseau. It is about 100
miles in length, and from 30 to 80 in breadth, and is
divided into two nearly equal portions by an arm of the
sea, called Bras. de. or. The fog was so dense that it
was impossible to see more than one-fourth of a mile.
Had not the high cliffs towered above the fog, which
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