n and West Indian Fleet. On the
25th of March he set sail for Halifax, which was soon reached, and was,
during three years, the head-quarters from which he proceeded on
numerous voyages in fulfilment of the duties of his office. These duties
were not very onerous or various. They were relieved, however, by much
careful study of the circumstances and prospects of our colonies in
British North America, and by correspondence thereupon, and on other
subjects, with influential friends at home, and especially with Lord
Auckland, the First Lord of the Admiralty. From this correspondence some
selections will be made in the ensuing pages.

"I am very much pleased with your letter of the 19th," wrote Lord
Auckland, on the 21st of March, while the _Wellesley_ was still at
Devonport, "and the good spirit with which you look forward to your
coming duties. I know how irksome is the succession of the petty duties
which are incident to places of authority, and how far more attractive
is the excitement of great actions to those who are capable of
performing them. But even the first class of duties is not without
interest, and carries credit as it is performed with justice and
exactness; and I hope that for the second the necessity of great
exertions will not arise. But it is always well that the possibility of
their being called for should be borne in mind; and, while you follow
the peaceful avocations of your station, I should be glad that you
become acquainted with all its points of strength and of weakness. All
the information and advice that you may give to me will be gratefully
received and carefully considered."

"I hope," wrote Lord Auckland, three days later, "that the Mosquito
affair will have been brought to a termination before your arrival, and
that the necessity for the presence of ships in the Bay of Mexico will
have terminated with a cessation of hostilities between the United
States and Mexico. You will then have the slave-trade and the fisheries
mainly to attend to. You will learn from the Consul at Cuba whether the
slave-trade is now actively carried on. It had for some time entirely
ceased, but it may have revived, and, with good information and force
for interception applied at the right time, I should hope that it will
not require many of your ships. The fisheries will, for a season, be a
regular and fixed object of attention. Though I feel that your number of
ships is small, it is difficult for me to increase it.