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[[preprinted]] FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 1865. [[/preprinted]]

Morning half cloudy with light winds but favorable.
  Black writing on ships papers.  Work a little on slop-chest accounts.  Write long letters to Prof. H. Bannister Mr. Thompson of Chicago. Dr. G.P. Kirtland of Cleveland, Ohio.  Charley Pease's Grandfather; E.D. Reope of Philadelphia, and begin one to Alex. Agassiz which shortens up my list of letters considerably.  We are steadily approaching San Francisco, and made some [[strikethrough]] three [[/strikethrough]] one hundred and twenty miles since twelve o'clock yesterday.  Evening finish Russian adjectives.

[[preprinted]] SATURDAY 25 [[/preprinted]]

Morning winds still favorable though light with a prospect of a change.  Writing all day.  Letters to Mike, Putnam and Scudder and finish letter to Alex. Agassiz.  Make one hundred and twenty five or there about miles since 12 o'clock yesterday.  Write all afternoon with Black as usual.  Toward evening make all fast in expectation of a gale.  Wind hauls to S.E. and the clouds are very lowering.  Evening write till midnight on the Russian pronouns and verbs.  There is a multiplicity of terminations which is very puzzling.

[[preprinted]] SUNDAY 26 [[/preprinted]]

Morning head wind from the east.  Bear southerly.  All on board are now anxiously counting the miles and looking at the chart a dozen times a day.  Friends, sweethearts, and San Francisco are drawing nearer.  I hope I shall find at least a few letters from home waiting for me.  I've written about it enough.  We have made 132 miles since yesterday noon.  Toward evening the wind springs up again fair.  Write to Verrill Nason and Greeley.  Evening on Russian verbs.

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[[preprinted]] MONDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1865 [[/preprinted]]

Morning, wind fair and free, making a good even course toward Frisco.  Working up my account.  [[Go?]] over the slop-chest with Black and Smith and square up accounts in the book.  At noon make 157 miles easting since noon yesterday, 13 miles south and 255 miles west of the Farallone light.
  Keep steadily on.  Finish up the slopchest accounts.  Evening write with Black. to Mrs Coburn, Mrs. G.P.A. Healy and Mother and Sadie.  This finishes up my letters, a weary long job it has been to write most of them.  I suppose there is 250 pages of writing in them.

[[preprinted]] TUESDAY 28 [[/preprinted]]

Morning overcast and calm.  Late to breakfast.  A fine English clipper ship probably from China is just ahead of us endeavoring to beat in to San Francisco.  Get a memorandum book from the Captain and write up San Francisco mems.  Write all the afternoon on notes for Prof. Baird; write about 30 pages.  Write in the evening with the Captain on them.  All hands getting ready for Port.  Hear a rat in the locker behind my head in the night and find he has defaced and mimed the old gull from Avatcha that I had so much trouble skinning-

[[preprinted]] WEDNESDAY 29 [[/preprinted]]

Morning thick fog but clear sky through which the sun looms dimly.  The clipper is still to leeward.  Get the scientific equipment out of the slopchest, and pack it in the doctors chest - which I have emptied and put together.  Get up the other keg for the carpenter to put a big bung in it for specimens.  Afternoon wind dies away entirely and leaves us rolling about in the fog.  These fogs and calms last sometimes several days.  Get a bath and a clean suit of clothes, and spend evening mending.