Diary: James P. Stabler, 1827 (Volume 1)

a brig in sight _ The captain had the boat lowerd down to day and with a couple of sailors rowed round the Ship to take a paragraph upon her rigging &c. Latitude 41.23 Long 49° 9' 30" by obser of chronometer _ course NE _ another thick fog closed this day _

4th day 27th

Two ships in sight this morning & another perfect calm _ The ship almost motionless except the gentle rolling from the swell. Let down a thick 2oz vial with a ground stopper to the depth of a ball of twine about 4 inches in diameter _ brought it up full of water and the stopper apparently as tight as it could be _ when I touched the stopper it appeared as if there was a little gush of the condensed air outwards. — passed our two Ships — and another Brig in sight to the NE. A calm most of the day and tried the effect of a bate thrown from our [ed. side] of the Cabin Windows to a small black fish 4 to 6in long that keeps about the rudder from whence they

derive their name — but it would not take — Lat to day 41° 51 — A slight breeze at night and we begin to for from 3 to 4 miles pH^r but bring aft makes her roll _

5th day 28th

Quite a bresse this morning & which gives us pitching for rolling which is far preferable _ I have just discoverd that my birth is in about the worse place in the whole ship * discoved it by walking on the deck _ and when I got over my sky light _ when the Ship is pitching it seems as if it shrank from underneath the feet. — rainy_wet_damp weather to day — the sea runs high (fine mild weather) and we run faster than 9 of 10 knots to the N — several of us Sea sick again – I feel a little conscientiously scrupulous about the matter but not eno to part with what I have taken to fill the blanks between bone & skin _ A ship in sight to day.

Lat 43, 51

* {& so dark that I can seldom write well}

6th day 29th

A fine breeze all night - the sea not so high but eno motion to induce a few qualms amongst some of the passengers. The Sailors employed in shinning ropes – the Carpenter making ladders — the passengers employed in playing _ some cards _ some chess – some the fool — and so we go.

A sail in sight this morning bound westward — hoisted our signals to the spanker - which was soon answerd by her - but owing to the distance could not make out her number. _ five sail of one kind or other seen to day and we have passed three of them _ This day suppose we are about halfway across the Atlantic – The sea rough part of the time and our gate 10 miles the hour — about dusk decreased to 7 1/2 _ _

7th day 30th

This evening will make us two weeks since we left the Western World — the bal^e of the voyage looked upon as only equal to a mere trifle – passed 2 brigs in sight this morning – Long 37° 13 Lat 44° 34 – all well on board except the poor Sea Turtle which

has neither ate nor drunk since we started, and it probably is six weeks since he left the gulph. of Mexico from whence he was brot to N.Y. _ In passing him or approaching, he gasps as if at Prayer: and if so, no doubt his petition would be _ "pray eat me", or like the sailor boy "please to throw me overboard" _ Was favourd by request, with corn bread for breakfast. _ better than "possom sop" _ 2 more sail in sight but passed them also with but little wind this afternoon __.

1st day morning 7 mo 1st

Last night about ten, the wind sprung up and shifted to the NW since when we have been moving from ten to 11 1/2 miles the hour. Nearly all our sail out and the sea rising from 15 to 20 ft high apparently. A gallant sight to be sure to stand on the fore castle and look astern to see the mounting of so large a body, apparently from wave to wave - sometimes it appears as if we were down in a deep ravine, and the surface of the sea above the sides of the ship as

if they would roll over the deck - but in a moment it mounts aloft and the waves pop under her - and appear at the side or stern according to the direction they come _ _ While on the top it seems as if we were "whirld aloft" and a gulph yawns below - to receive us _ _ I was about 12 oclock sitting with R L on the deck and just about to express an opinion that if the spars were not strong they would certainly be carried off. _ The wind appeared to blow a young hurricane and the ship careened from the larbord side almost to an angle of 30 degrees _ when "crack went one of the four topmast spars (a boom) and down came the sail . - all hands were at work in a moment and soon had it safe "at home" - but before a great while they had another up in its place. _ At this time we were going about 12 miles an hour _ _ A very large sea gull close to the bow _ 2 curious looking whitish col'd birds flying over the main Topmast head screaming and appeard as if they wanted to