he
assistance of a surgeon. Hitherto we had been fortunate in not having
materially suffered from the want of so valuable an officer; but it was
scarcely probable we could expect to continue upon such a service much
longer without severe sickness. As any assistance therefore was
preferable to none, I accepted the proffered services of a young man who
was strongly recommended by his Excellency the Governor, and he was on
the point of joining me, when a surgeon of the navy, Mr. James Hunter,
who had just arrived in charge of a convict ship, volunteered his
services which were gladly accepted, and he was immediately attached to
the Mermaid's establishment.

The accession of a surgeon to our small party relieved me of a greater
weight of anxiety than I can describe; and when it is considered that Mr.
Hunter left an employment of a much more lucrative nature to join an
arduous service in a vessel whose only cabin was scarcely large enough to
contain our mess-table, and which afforded neither comfort nor
convenience of any description, I may be allowed here to acknowledge my
thanks for the sacrifice he made.

After all our defects were repaired, and we were otherwise quite ready
for sea, we were detained nearly a month before our crew was completed.

June 14.

And it was not until the 14th of June that we left Port Jackson.

For a day or two previous to our departure the weather had been very
unsettled; and when we sailed, there was every appearance of an
approaching gale of wind: we had however been detained so long in
collecting a crew that I was glad to sail the moment we were ready:
besides I hoped to get to the northward before the threatening storm
commenced. Unfortunately however we had no sooner put to sea than it set
in; and by the time we were abreast of Smoky Cape the wind, after flying
about, fixed itself in the eastern board, and blew extremely hard with
thick weather and heavy rain.

June 20 to 22.

The gale lasted with little intermission during the 20th and 21st; and at
four o'clock the next morning we had the misfortune to lose our bowsprit
by the vessel's plunging into a head sea. We had however made a
sufficient offing to enable us to keep away two points, so that, by
rigging the wreck of the bowsprit, which was barely long enough to spread
the storm jib, we contrived to steer a course we had every reason to
think would carry her clear of Port Stevens. We continued to run to the
southward until the