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rendered it extremely difficult and hazardous. I therefore decided to run for the harbor of La Teste.

About a week before we got into port, while in the Bay of Biscay, namely, on the 19th and 20th of January, we encountered one of the most severe gales from the westward that I ever experienced. It commenced early on the morning of the 19th, and blew a perfect hurricane, which soon raised a high cross-sea; at 8 o'clock, A. M., I hove the schooner to under a double-reefed foresail, lowered the fore-yard near the deck, and got everything as snug as possible. At 12 o'clock noon, a tremendous sea struck her in the wake of the starboard fore-shrouds. The force of the sea broke one of the top timbers or stauncheons, and split open the planksheer, so that I could see directly into the hold. The violence of the blow, and the weight of water that came on board, threw the vessel nearly on her beam-ends. Fortunately the foresail was split, and the bulwarks torn away by the water, and being thus relieved, she gradually righted. We then threw overboard two of the lee-guns, water-casks, etc., and after nailing tarred canvas and leather over the broken plank-sheer, got ready to veer ship, fearing the injury received in the wake of the starboard fore-shrouds would endanger the foremast. We accordingly got ready to hoist a small piece of the mainsail, and then kept her off before the wind for a few minutes, and watched a favorable, smooth time to bring her to the wind on the other tack.

During the time that the schooner ran before the wind, she appeared literally to leap from one sea to another. We soon, however, brought her up to the wind on the other tack without accident; and thus, under a small piece of the mainsail, she lay to pretty well. As the gale contiued to rage violently, I feared

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we might ship another sea, and therefore prepared, as it were, to anchor the vessel head to wind. For this purpose we took a square-sail boom, spanned it at each end with a new four-inch rope, and made our small bower cable fast to the bight of the span, and with the other end fastened to the foremast, threw it overboard, and payed out about sixty fathoms of cable; she then rode like a gull on the water, and I was absolutely astonished to see the good effect of this experiment. The spar broke the sea, and kept the schooner nearly head to the wind until the gale subsided.

The next day, in the afternoon, January 20th, we again made sail, and on the 26th, six days after this tempest, got safe into La Teste, thirty-seven days from Charleston. While we providentially escaped destruction, other ships were less fortunate; many vessels were stranded and wrecked along the coast; five sail of English transports were thrown on shore near La Teste, and most of their crews perished in the same gale. On my arrival, all my papers were sent up to Paris; and although we were all well, still we were compelled by the government to ride quarantine for six days.

After this was accomplished, I landed all my cotton, and having put it into a large and convenient warehouse, I proceeded directly to Bordeaux. The distance from La Teste to Bordeaux is about thirty miles, and as the roads were in a bad state at this season of the year, it was deemed most advisable to let my cargo remain at La Teste until some favorable change. At Bordeaux every thing was in confusion, as the enemies of France were at that time entering the empire in almost every direction. It was reported, while I was there, that a part of the Russian and Austrian armies were within thirty leagues of Paris, and that Lord

Wellington, with his army, was in the Landes in pursuit of Marshal Soult, who was on his way to Toulouse; and great fears were entertained that a part of the English army would soon be in Bordeaux. I was therefore extremely anxious to get away at all hazards, not knowing whether the English would respect private persons and private property.

All the American vessels had left Bordeaux for fear of the English, and had gone down near the mouth of the Garonne; some were bound home to America, and others strove to get to La Rochelle, as that was a strongly fortified town, and would probably hold out longer than this place. Every day brought us worse news from Paris and other quarters, and from present appearances the country could not hold out much longer.

In this state of things, when all was hubbub and confusion, the merchants were unwilling to advance any portion of the freight on the cotton, I therefore found it difficult to obtain sufficient means to pay my necessary disbursements. I, however, at length prevailed on my consignees, Messrs. Brun frères, to purchase for me one hundred casks of wine, and fifty pipes of brandy, to charter a small coasting vessel to carry these articles to La Rochelle, and wait my arrival there. They also agreed to furnish me with sufficient funds to pay my outfit at La Teste. Having made these arrangements, I forthwith proceeded to La Teste on horseback.

Although at this period the Austrian and Russian armies were in the neighborhood of Paris, and Lord Wellington at the head of a victorious army overrunning the south of France, it was astonishing to see how little was known to the country people of this region about the military state of the empire. Perhaps not a

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