Tuesday 23 August 1836

This morning I saw the sun rise. When at the equinox it rises and sets exactly at 6 o’clock, and at sea, where there is nothing to intervene, the sight is indeed a glorious one. We saw a bird called a booby flying about the ship; it appeared to be about the size of a raven.

This day our allowance of water, which had hitherto been three quarts daily to each adult and half or two-thirds to children, according to their age, was reduced to one pint for each person. Generally speaking, we had a sufficiency, though it was sometimes such as no one in England would think of giving to a dog. It was as black as ink, with a thick sediment at the bottom, and smelt worse than a stagnant ditch. Those who go to sea, however, must make up their minds not to be over-nice or over-particular about anything.