note: transcription publicly contributed - please contact us with comments, errors or omisions

because I ordered all the cards on the Island to be burned when I was informed by my foreman that those villans were playing them on Sunday – after which they grumbled about their provisions and many other things. The crew of the Brig.t Science who was here 74 days in the winter of 1851were guilty of similar offences and I had the cards taken from ^them and I firmly believe that if they could have found out who it was that informed on them they would have taken his life. I am willing to allow amusements in moderation at proper times but I will not allow cards to be played on the Sabbath day nor will I allow any other games on that day when I am in authority let the consequence be what it may.

I think that these two cases alone should be considered sufficient to show that a vesel should be sent more frequently to the Island, but I can give a hundred good reasons why the vesel should never be over two months absent. During the five winters I have been here she has been ^absent as follows: first winter 105 days, second winter 65 days, third winter 87 days, fourth winter 118 days but we had no communication with her for 156 days she having come to the Island and left without our boat boarding her, fifth and last winter 118 days. I know the Daring is totally unfit for this service. She is both uncomfortable and unsafe [tattered: in?] bad weather, she is a dull sailer in rough water and carries only a trifle of cargo 322 bbls of flour being the greatest cargo [tattered: she?] has taken from the Island since I came to it and 170 of them [tattered: are?] carried on deck, but the weather during the winter has been so uncommonly mild that any sort of craft could have made a trip to the Island. If the Ship Winchester or any any other ship having such a crew of ruffians as she had should be wrecked here and no vessel come to our assistance for upwards of 100 days what [tattered: will become?]