Births  Marriages  Deaths  &c. &c.

1854 continued

service a very large proportion of the community assembled dressed in their gayest apparel & went visiting from house to house attended by a musician. In this manner the afternoon was spent. At sunset long tables were spread in Samuel McCoys house and nearly all the inhabitants partook of a social meal. Those who had volunteered to act as cooks attending on the rest

May 25th
Ascension day. Divine service twice

June 1st
Weather Cloudy but moderate. This morning several persons went to the South West part of the Island on the rocks after fish. About ten A.M. three persons launched their canoes at Bounty Bay to go fishing but they had scarcely reached St. Pauls before a violent gale commenced, and with difficulty the canoes regained the habour; for some time fears were entertained for their safety. The violence of the wind rendered it very dangerous to be abroad, some of the houses had the upper part of the roofing blown off, and it was necessary to secure them by placing cocoanut branches on the roofs & lashing them down.

The party (chiefly women[)] who had gone to the South West part of the island were in great peril from the violence of the storm; being at times nearly forced over the precipice, but they were mercifully preserved. The storm lasted about three hours and then subsided to nearly a calm with occasional showers of rain. At sunset the party from the rocks returned & much cause was there to thank our Heavenly Father that no one was missing or injured.