July 12th, 1818
W. Lon. 22, N. Lat. 54
This day as the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne* was commemorated by a certain part of our passengers to the no small annoyance of another part. Party spirit began to kindle on board and it required all the influence of our good-natured Capt. to keep it under amongst them. We knew that if any disputes took place either one or both parties would attempt to retaliate on him by lodging information of his landing passengers in the State of New York without entering their names in the Custom House, contrary to the laws of that state. This would subject the ship to a fine of 500 dollars. The fear of this kept our poor Capt. in a continual state of alarm and anxiety. I have often heard him declare that he would never again place himself in the power of any crew or set of passengers in the same manner. For that a state of servile dependency on their fickle humors was not to be borne by any republican of spirit.
A few days back in Northern Lat. we seen at a small distance, a large whale spouting up immense quantities of water to a considerable distance above the surface. We now began to perceive large shoals of Grampuses** swimming past in their slow, irregular, heaving course on the surface of the great deep. For the description of these I refer you to the different natural histories and we seen sea fowl every day between land and the Capt., who was a good marksman, kept shooting at them constantly though we could never get them on board.
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* The Battle of the Boyne was the famous battle on July 12, 1690 in which the Protestants (the Williamites) defeated the Catholics (the Jacobites) at the River Boyne.
** Orcas.
Next Week: The inside scoop on Captain Moses Gale.