A DARING VOYAGE.

Southland Times, Issue 1165, 15 November 1869, Page 2

A DARING VOYAGE.

MrEmpson Edward Middleton, late of Her Mnjeety's 51ft Regiment of Foot, who arrived in Edinburgh on the evening of the 17th August, has undertaken an adventure which is, perhaps, without a parallel in the annals of yachting, if the somewhat doubtful story of the voyage ncrosa the Atlantic be excepted. He had undertaken to circumnavigate the coast of England alone and unaided in his yacht Kate — a boat of three tons burden ; and in a couple of months from the time he began his voyage, he has succeeded in performing the larger half of his task. Mr Middleton left London in the Kate on the loth of June, and sailed down the Thames in the face of a heavy gale of wind from the north-east. On the 16th he had a good iua from Greenhithe to Ramsgate under close-reefed mainsail. He had light head winds all the way down the Channel, and made the Lizard on the 13th, and Lana's End on th 6 14th Ju'y. Thence he sailed along the coast of Cornwall to Lundy Island and Milford Haven, encountering very stormy weather in the Bristol Channel. When off Lundy Island the Kate was kept out all night by the sea that was running. At Milford Haven she got becalmed, and was detained five days. On the 29th of July Mr Middleton attempted to make Scoona Island, but was rau^ht in a gale of wind, and V\ad to put into North Haven. On the 31st he ran over to Courfown and Dublin, where he remained for two or three days, after which he made for Donoghadee, where he was again beamed. On the loth ol Augusta breeze sprang up, and he succeeded in making Ayr on that day, having taken exactly two months to accomplish the voyage from London. The wind again falling away, he lost a day at Ayr, and, on reaching Irvine on the 17th of August, lie took the steamer to Bowling. Thence he came over the canal to Grangemouth, and took the steamer for Leit.h, which he reached on Tuesday evening. Mr Middleton intends to complete his voyage, which ):e hopes to be able to accomplish within a month. The hero of this arduous and somewhat hazardous adventure is a man about sft. 6in. in height, slightly built, but very firmly knit, and he bliows no signs of fatigue after the hardships he haa undergone. The longest spell of work which he had on the voyage was in coming down the Channel from Brighton to Southampton, when he was out two days and two nights, during which time he had no sleep. His usual habit was to come into port about midnight, re9t for two or «»'•" again aootu enree nexV-~«l th a yacht, and frequently found himself becalmed when four or five miles off the port where he meant to spend the ni^ht, and had to work himself into harbor. He also lost much time when off Cornwall in waiting for the flowing of the tide to float his yacht out of the dry harbors which abound on that coast. The Kate is a very handsome little craft of 2 lft. keel by 7ft. beam, and, as stated, three tons burthen. Large crowds of interested spectators collected around her as she lay in L?ith harbor. — Scotsman.