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282 African Memoranda. When hauling aft the main sheet, in coming to an anchor, though there was very little wind, the boom was carried away, and a stick of a proper size to make another was not to be pro cured here. I had only one seaman, and no chance of procur ing more to navigate the cutter to England; besides, she wanted caulking, sails, and rigging, which, if to be had at all, would have cost nearly as much, at this place, as the cutter would be worth if she arrived in England ; to which being added the risk of her being captured if we fell in with any of the enemy’s cruizers on our passage, (for she was only a Gravesend boat of 34 tons, and six swivels,) the war having now been commenced nearly a year. These considerations united, determined me to sell the cutter and accept the very kind offer of Mr. Dawes, the governor, to take a passage with those persons who were with me, in the company’s ship the Harpy, which he assured me would sail on the 1st of March next. Although this delay of two months, before I could sail for Europe, was matter of much regret, yet, as some compensa tion, it gave me an opportunity of looking about me, and afforded me leisure to recruit my greatly exhausted strength, which indeed, I stood much in need of. A fever with which I was attacked, and the jaundice which I afterwards had, were soon got the better of by the care and attention of Dr. Winter bottom ; and the kindness of every one was such as to demand my grateful acknowledgements. It was the 20th, instead of the 1st of March, before the Harpy was ready to sail, when, liaving sold the cutter and her cargo for somewhat more than a thousand pounds, and having discharged Watson and Dowlah, who preferred remaining at Sierra Leone to returning to Europe, as well as Williams and