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CHAP. XVI. STORM ON THE OCEAN. 447 Mauritius and some of the officers of Government on board the commodore’s ship, where I met a gentleman recently from Bourbon, from whom I obtained much valuable infor mation. I likewise met repeatedly with Mr. Layard from the Cape, who, for purposes of science, was voyaging with the com modore. During my stay I also shared the hospitality of Major-General Hay, commander of the forces at Mauritius, and found myself again a guest at Cerne, with the Honour able Judge Surtees, and Mr. William L’Estrange. Mr. Dowland, acting colonial secretary, also offered me the hos pitality of his country residence, until at length the “ England” steamer arrived at Port Louis; and on board this fine vessel, commanded by Captain Dundas, I embarked for England on the 13th of January, 1857. It was the season of cyclones, or hurricanes, and these atmospheric disturbances are as frequent and as violent in the neighbourhood of Mauritius as in any other part of the world. A few days after we had left the island, we ex perienced as severe a gale and as high a sea as I remember ever to have witnessed, either off Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope. We could only show canvass enough to keep the ship steady, and yet were driven along at a fearful rate, while the sea broke in cascades, first over one side of the bulwarks and then the other; and rolling like a torrent fore and aft, as the ship rose or sunk with the waves, swept away everything that was not secured by fastenings. Our captain regarded it as the tail of a hurricane, more especially as the wind changed rapidly to opposite quarters. After the second day, however, the weather became moderate, and we pursued our voyage without inconvenience. Two days afterwards, viz. on the 21st of January, while sitting in the captain’s state-room, waiting for him to mark our position on the chart, I took from his shelves a book in which I soon became interested. When we had looked at the