The loss of my partridges was the more provoking, as they were
in perfect health, and I had no doubt of landing them safe: so ends my
project of propagating the breed of these birds in England.
In a former letter, wherein I gave you my motives for making this attempt,
I mentioned their extreme hardiness; of this I had now additional proofs:
these birds were in a coop on the deck, and I expected every sea we
shipped over our quarter during the first gale, they certainly would be
drowned; but was agreeably surprised, when the gale was over, to find them
very little the worse for their severe ducking.
_April 14th._ - For the last eight days we have been beating against
an easterly wind, a few leagues to the westward of the chops of the
channel, subject to continual alarms from french cruisers, of all
situations the most disagreeable. This evening we had soundings at 80
fathom, and a favourable change of the wind to the westward.
On the 15th we saw an american-built ship standing athwart us, by her
course and appearance evidently a french prize, bound to Brest. She had
her anchors over her bows, and most likely had been but a few days from
some port in St. George's Channel.
