Sunday, August 11.— Morning windy, with a head sea. We have been laboring and plunging through it all night, with little hope of making much headway, but continuing on in the expectation that possibly the current might change or the wind abate. Vain hope; neither the one thing nor the other took place! The genius of the east wind maintained his sway even against the power of steam and drove us back from an invasion of his dominion from so unlooked-for a quarter. At meridian we observed in latitude 2° 38′, which gave us longitude 47° 48′, and this settled the question of the voyage to Maranham, or even to Para. We had experienced 60 miles current N.W.in one day, and had made good a distance of 125 miles only. We had still 200 miles to run to the point at which the pilot is taken for Para, and we had but thirty lours of coal, so the game was up. Most unwillingly I ordered the fires to be put out and the ship put under sail and steered N. W., intending to make some one of the ports of Guiana under our lee, in the hope of finding coal. Afternoon, sailing along pleasantly under all the starboard studding sails. Evening delightfully clear and pleasant, and the wind and the sea not at all in a hurry! At 11 a.m. mustered the crew and caused the clerk to read the third general order on the subject of a court-martial. Man will offend and must be punished.
Extracts from the journal of Commander Semmes, C.S. Navy, commanding C.S.S. Sumter
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