30th June.—Lat. 44° 02′ S., Long. 56° 35′ E. Distance 281 miles. Winds westerly. The weather has been excessively cold, dark and cloudy. The heavy sea running caused the ship to roll heavily.
1st July.—Lat. 44° 39′ S., Long. 63° 27′ E. Distance 298 miles. Wind westerly. Fine at first, then cloudy with showers of snow.
2nd July.—Lat. 45° 07′ S., Long. 70° 55′ E. Distance 319 miles. Wind westerly. Wind still fresh and fair.
3rd July.—Lat. 45° 07′ S., Long. 79° 55′ E. Distance 382 miles. Wind westerly. Her run to-day has been only once surpassed since she floated. She indeed seemed to fly through the water like a seabird on the wing, causing one of our passengers, who knows something of navigation, to remark that it was skating, not sailing.
4th July.—Lat. 45° 07′ S., Long. 88° 30′ E. Distance 364 miles. Wind westerly. Still favoured with the propitious breeze. Our week’s run is the best we have done yet and the best the _Lightning_ has ever accomplished.
It will be seen from the above log extracts that the _James Baines_ ran 2276 and the _Lightning_ 2188 miles in the week.
The “James Baines,” “Champion of the Seas,” and “Lightning” race out to India with Troops in the Time of the Mutiny.
In 1857, the _James Baines_ regained her reputation, coming home in 75 days against the _Lightning’s_ 82 days. Both ships, together with the _Champion of the Seas_, were at once taken up by the Government, and sent round to Portsmouth to load troops for India, on account of the Mutiny. It was confidently believed that the great Black Ballers would lower the record to Calcutta and the importance of getting the troops out as quickly as possible, was, of course, very great at such a crisis.
After being carefully prepared for the voyage, the _James Baines_ and _Champion of the Seas_ sailed from Portsmouth at the beginning of August. Before sailing the _James Baines_ was inspected by the Queen, when she is stated to have remarked that she did not know she had such a fine ship in her Dominions.
On the 17th August the two ships were met by the homeward bound _Oneida_, and reported to be making great progress. Both ships were under a cloud of canvas—the _James Baines_ had 34 sails set, including 3 skysails, moonsail and sky stunsails—and presented a splendid appearance as they surged by, their rails red with the jackets of the cheering troops. Unfortunately for the hopes of countless anxious hearts, the two Black Ballers reached the Bay of Bengal at the worst season of the year, and as they had not been built to ghost along in catspaws and zephyrs like the tea clippers, their progress up the Bay was very slow.