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I have been quite disappointed in the
quantity of fish to be seen at sea _
scarcely any to be seen at all, and
they are such a rarity, that when
one is observed, there is quite a fuss
_ I particularly expected to see them
on the Banks of New foundland
which we are near -
1st day morning 24th
A fine breeze this morning, but towards
dinner it left us, with a real Calm
upon our hands, except that we
move from 1/2 to a knot p^r h^r. The
sea as smooth & glassy as a mirror
except the swell _ No fish except
the portuguese men of war that like
the little nautilus, hoist their
transparent sails to catch the breeze
_ Some of them are beautiful indeed
and were it that they would be
degraded by comparison I would
say the caps of our English {shorthand}
{shorthand} [Sketch of portuguese man of war]
The above is something
like a draft of their
appearance, the upper
part being transpar[en]t and sometimes
tinged with reds like a soap