United States or French Guiana ? Vote for the TOP Country of the Week !


If the shot should preserve continuously its initial velocity of 12,000 yards per second, it would require little more than nine hours to reach its destination; but, inasmuch as that initial velocity will be continually decreasing, it will occupy 300,000 seconds, that is 83hrs. 20m. in reaching the point where the attraction of the earth and moon will be in equilibrio.

Now this is quite impossible, as, by the log of every ship, the squadron was engaging much later: by the Cæsar, until 1h. 35m.; by the Audacious, until 1h. 20m.; by the Venerable, until 1h. 30m. &c.; before which, the ensign of the Hannibal was seen, from every ship, Union down.

The guide assured us that we should reach the river that day. I extract the note from my journal on that occasion: "Marched, 6h. 20m., reaching the Somerset river, or Victoria White Nile. I never made so tedious a journey, owing to the delays of grass, streams, and deep swamps, but since we gained the forest these obstacles were not so numerous.

"Does he imagine, the young 'confrere', that I am going to believe his time so fully occupied that he must make a special arrangement to give me an hour?" But it was not an arrangement of this kind that Saniel sought. His almanac gave the rising and the setting of the sun, and it was the exact hour of sunset that he wished: "26 March, 6h. 20m."

"Does he imagine, the young 'confrere', that I am going to believe his time so fully occupied that he must make a special arrangement to give me an hour?" But it was not an arrangement of this kind that Saniel sought. His almanac gave the rising and the setting of the sun, and it was the exact hour of sunset that he wished: "26 March, 6h. 20m."

Thus the logs and journals of the captains and officers of the Spencer, Audacious, Venerable, and Cæsar, all agree that the Hannibal struck her colours between 1h. 20m. and 1h. 40m. The Pompée, being by this time near the Mole at Gibraltar, could not see nor take minutes of that circumstance.

"Does he imagine, the young 'confrere', that I am going to believe his time so fully occupied that he must make a special arrangement to give me an hour?" But it was not an arrangement of this kind that Saniel sought. His almanac gave the rising and the setting of the sun, and it was the exact hour of sunset that he wished: "26 March, 6h. 20m."

A.M., and the lower meridian at 4h 6m. P.M. Adding an hour and a half to each would give the high tides at 5h 9m. A.M. and 5h. 36m. P.M.; as a matter of fact, they are 4h. 58m. A.M. and 5h. 20m. But these illustrations are sufficient. We find that at London, in a general way, high water appears at London Bridge about an hour and a half after the moon has passed the meridian of London.

At 10h. 20m. the Pompée drifted between us and the French Admiral's, hove in our spring, and brought our guns to bear on the other enemy's ship on our bow, and the other's stern: at 12h. the Pompée drifted between our fire and the enemy's, slipt the sheet-cable, and eight-inch hawser, the spring, with the intention of getting alongside the enemy's southernmost ship, light air springing up at the time from the N.E.; in awaiting this opportunity, the mizen-top-mast, fore-braces, and jibb halyards, with various other standing and running rigging, shot away, and main-mast badly wounded: at 11h. 15m. breeze dying away prevented our intention, opened our fire on the southernmost ship; at 12h. calm and hazy, Cæsar, Hannibal, Audacious, Spencer, and us still firing on the enemy's ships, batteries, and gun-boats, boats of the squadron towing off the Pompée to Gibraltar; P.M. calm, still firing on the enemy's ships, which were warping farther in-shore.

At 8h. it fell calm; at 8h. 20m. the Pompée and Audacious, bringing up the breeze, passed us to windward, when the enemy's ships opened their fire on us; at 8h. 14m. a light air sprung up, passed the Audacious to leeward, at which time the Pompée and Audacious opened their fire; at 8h. 20m. the breeze dying away, came to with the sheet-anchor, as did the Pompée and Audacious, hove in the spring; and at 8h. 30m. opened our fire on the French Admiral's ship: at 10h. the Cæsar anchored on our bow, and sent a spring on board of us; at the same time the action became general, and the Hannibal got on shore, after attempting to cut off the French Admiral's ship.