Tuesday, May 20th

The first thing this morning was to send round for the boat of firewood; she was found by Henry and Caughey sunk and waterlogged. They towed her a short distance, but she soon took the mud. We helped them, but she being immoveable, we unloaded her cargo partly and left her at anchor. The wood was so sodden as to sink to the bottom of the boat in the water. After dinner Henry and I rowed to the Port and shopped; brought away a bag of flour and ditto of bran for the cow. Heard that the picnic party at Rhodes's Bay had enjoyed themselves greatly, after having a severe drenching in crossing the harbour. On returning home rowing, we encountered a severe squall of sleety rain, and were wet through. Snow on the hills about in the morning, and disappeared about eleven o'clock. In other respects than the foregoing the day being quite fine and calm. Mrs Leslie paid me for the house; I found her with a fire in it. Novice continues poorly and giving little milk. Henry got some hartshorn and oil for her today, and thinks the disorder incidental to calving, and not to a bruise as Manson supposed. He has found the proper course of treatment in some of his manuscript Cirencester books. Posted letters to Mary, Mamma and Sophia Mordaunt to go by the Havannah direct to England.