Lewis, M. G. (Matthew Gregory), 1775-1818
. Journal of a Residence among the Negroes in the West Indies
Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library
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December 20.
The weather is excessively close and sultry; and in point of heat there is no difference between the days and the nights; or if it is that the nights are rather the hottest of the two. The lightning is incessant, and it does not show itself forked or in flashes, but in wide sheets of mild mild blue light which spread themselves at once over the sky and sea; and, for the moment during which they last, make all the objects around as distinct as in daylight. The moon now does not rise till late, and during her absence the size and brilliancy the of the stars are admirable. In England they always seemed to me to peep through the blanket of the dark;" but here the heaven,; appear to be studded with them on the outside, if they were chased with so many jewels: it is really Milton's "firmament of living sapphires;" and what with the lightning and the stars, and quantity of floating lights which just gleamed round the ship every moment, and then were gone again, to-night the sky had an effect so beautiful, that when at length the moon thought proper to show her great red drunken face, I thought that we did much better without her. The above-mentioned floating light' are a kind of sea-meteors, which, as I am told, are produced by the concussion of the waves, while eddying in whirlpools round the rudder ; but still
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I saw them rise sometimes at so great a distance from the ship, and there appeared to be something so like will in the direction of their course-sometimes hurrying on, sometimes gliding along quite slowly; now stopping and remaining motionless for a minute or two, and then hurrying on again,-that I could not be convinced of their not being Medusae, or some species or other of phosphoric animal: but whatever be the cause of this appearance, the effect is singularly beautiful. As to air, we have not enough to bless ourselves with. I had been led to believe, that when once we should have fallen in with the trade-winds, from that moment we should sail into our destined port as rapidly and as directly as Truffaldino travels in Gozzi's farce ; when, having occasion to go from Asia to Europe, and being very much pressed for time, he persuades a conjuror of his acquaintance to lend him a devil, with a great pair of bellows, the nozzle of which being directed right against his stern, away goes the traveller before the stream of wind, with the devil after him, and the infernal' bellows never cease from working till they have blown him out of one quarter of the globe into another: but our trade-winds must "hide their diminished heads" before Truffaldino's bellows. It seems that like the Moors, "in Africa the torrid," they are of temper somewhat mulish;" for although, to be sure, when they do blow, they will only blow in one certain direction, yet very often they will not blow at all; which has been the case for the last week: indeed, they seem to be but a queerish kind of a concern at best. About three years ago a fleet of merchantmen was becalmed near St. Vincent's: in a few days after their arrival, there happened a violent eruption of a volcano in that island, nor was it long before a favourable breeze sprang up. Unluckily, one of the ships had anchored rather nearer to the shore than the ethers, and was at the distance of about one hundred and fifty yards from the stream of the trade-wind ; nor could any possible efforts of the crew, by tacking, by towing, or otherwise, ever enable the vessel to conquer that one hundred and fifty yards : there she remained, as completely becalmed , as if there were not such a thing as a breath of wind in the universe; and on the one band she had the mortification to see the rest of the merchantmen, with their convoy (for it was in the very beat of the war), sail away with all their canvass spread and swelling; while, on the
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other hand, the sailors had the comfortable possibility of being suffocated every moment by the clouds of ashes which continued to fall on their deck every moment from the burning volcano, although they were not nearer to St. Vincent's than eight or nine miles; indeed that distance went for nothing, as ashes fell upon vessels that were out at sea at least five hundred miles and Barbadoes being to windward of the volcano, such immense quantities of its contents were carried to that island as almost covered the fields; and destroying vegetation completely wherever they fell, did inconceivable damage, while that which St. Vincent's itself experienced was but trifling in proportion. Our captain is quite out of patience with the tortoise-Pace of our progress; for my part I care very little about it. Whether we have sailed slowly or rapidly, when a day is once over, I am just as much nearer advanced towards April, the time fixed for my return to England; and, what is of much more consequence, whether we have sailed slowly or rapidly, when a day is once over, I am just as much nearer advanced towards "that bourne," to reach which, peaceably and harmlessly, is the only business of life, and towards which the whole of our existence forms but one continued journey.