CHAPTER XV.

CHAPTER XV.Sail in the Borneo for Limerick. A Man is found secreted on board. Conduct of the Captain. Sympathy of the Crew. Terrible Storm. Wretchedness of our Situation. Account of the loss of the Francis Spade. Singular occurrence. The Storm continues. Reach the Shannon. The rolling of the Killserphine. Its Tradition. Reach Limerick. Sail for London. Sail for Egypt. Description of Gibraltar. Arrive at the quarantine ground off Alexandria. Go to the Dead Sea. Its description. Return to Alexandria. Curiosities and History of Egypt. Manners and Customs of the People.I shipped on board the ship Borneo, Captain Gorman of and for Limerick. We weighed our anchor about the first of April, 1839, with a crew of twenty-four men, including officers. We had a very pleasant sail down the river. The third day after we stood out of Quebec, a man made his appearance on board, who was a stranger to all excepting the captain and mate. The captain inquired how he came there; he replied that he belonged to Killruch, and had offered him (the captain) all the money he had, which was less than the passage money, and being very anxious to go home, was determined the ship should not leave without him; consequently he watched an opportunity to secrete himself on board; and when the watch was on deck, or when the watch was below asleep, he would crawl from his hiding place to the store-room, where he would get enough to supply himuntil another opportunity offered for him to get another supply. This he continued until the third day as mentioned. The captain, after hearing his story, ordered the mate, who was an old schoolmate, and fellow associate of his, to tie him to the capstan, and pour cold water over him every half hour. This the mate refused to do to one to whom he was so strongly attached. The man as well as the captain insisted upon it; still he refused. The crew then proposed to pay his passage, which the captain accepted, and the man was released.The wind blowing a fresh breeze soon brought us in sight of Newfoundland. The breeze freshening each moment, soon became a perfect gale. The captain thought best to run through the straits of Bellisle—the channel that separates New Foundland from Labrador—passing through in the night during the first watch. We stowed the main sky-sail, and fore, main and mizzen royals, also tried the pumps. About midnight, the cry of "all hands ahoy." "Bear a hand up, and reef top-sails." The three top-sails were reefed, and the top-gallant sails set over them, and the main-sail furled. When this was done, the whiskey, as was usual in those days in such times, was passed around. This occupied two or three hours, when we went below again. At four we were called again, this being a new or second watch. The order, "clew up the top-gallant sails and stow them," was quickly obeyed, when another, "lay aft my lads, splice the main brace," (meaning, take another round of whiskey,) "man your top-sails, reef tackles and clew lines, lower away your halyards roundly. When all is done, lay aloft and reefyour sails." Soon the seven bells called the watch to breakfast. The ship at this time was laboring very heavy under the press of canvass. The wheel got the advantage of the helmsman, and in an instant broached to; at the same time a heavy sea boarding her, swept the caboose clear from the deck, leaving the cooking apparatus, it being strongly secured by large bolts to the deck, or we should have lost our whole breakfast; as it was it was hardly worth eating, being wet with salt water.The ship was soon got before the wind again; the pumps were examined, and seven feet of water found in the hold. The pumps were rigged, and all hands were obliged to take their turn at them. The ship was heavily deck loaded, which rendered it very crank, or, in other words, easily to be upset; as well as made it extremely difficult to go about on deck to work the ship, and making it altogether unsafe, as there was nothing to prevent our being washed overboard. We lashed ourselves to the railing around the mainmast, and thus we stood for twenty-four hours, having nothing to eat but a few hard biscuit, taking a glass of whiskey as often as every half or three-fourths of an hour. The gale still increased,—the sea under our stern would raise the ship to such a height, that for a moment it appeared as if she would go over in end; then she would fall again, and for a moment be engulphed between two high seas apparently fifty or sixty feet high, when they would come again with seemingly greater fury. When rising this wave, it appeared as if the ship went at the rate of 14 or 16 knots an hour. Keeping the pumps at work constantly, we were enabled to check the increaseof the water; but still so great was the leakage, that we could not decrease the quantity already in the hold. This was truly discouraging. Whiskey was dealt out freely, which served in some degree to drive away the fear of the moment.One night, when under close reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail, with two men at the wheel, our ship broached to, or suddenly turned to the windward of her course, which presented her side to the wind, and greatly endangered her upsetting. At this time all hands were aloft, reefing and securing the sails that had blown adrift from the yards. Those that were at that time from the mast, upon the yards, sought safety by clinging to the yard, which brought them erect upon the same. Others, that were near the masts, lay at, or were in a horizontal position. While she lay upon her beam ends, a heavy sea boarded her, sweeping the hurricane house, bed, and bedding of the second mate, spare sails, ropes, and six casks of meat, clear from the deck, and disabling one of the men at the wheel. At length she righted, quite to the disappointment of all on board; for we all expected she was lost. In this condition we lay, drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves twelve hours, when we loosed the fore-sail and fore top-mast-stay-sail after goose winging (or fastening the clew or lower corner of the sail, while the middle is secured or fastened to the yard) the fore-sail and boarding the fore-tacks, set the stay-sails, and put the helm hard up. She payed off a little, and shivering the main-top-sail, we were soon before the wind again, running at the rate of 12 or 15 knots per hour. The wind abating somewhat, allowed us to make a little sail. Our top-sailsand fore-top-mast-studding-sails were set on both sides. A squall suddenly arose, blowing our fore-top-mast studding sails from the yards and braces, the fore-top-sail was in an instant torn from the bolt rope, leaving only a few fragments hanging to it.At the time the squall arose all hands were at the pumps, and six only could possibly be spared to secure the sails that the wind had left hanging to the yards, or to cut the fragments of those torn from the ropes, clear. Being one of this number, I hastened to perform the order. As I came up over the run, I saw a Russian in the attitude of prayer. I stopped a moment, not wishing to interfere with his devotion. Another of the crew soon came up, and going up to the Russian while yet upon his knees, gave him a hearty kick in the ribs! at the same time advising him with oaths and imprecations, to put off his praying until better weather, and attend to the safety of the ship. We succeeded, though at the peril of our lives, in securing the sails. Our condition was now indeed wretched, seemingly the worst that could be pictured.The crew upon whom the management of our now half water-logged ship devolved, were much worn with fatigue and hunger, having nothing to eat save what we took raw and wet, there being no place to cook anything, as the water which constantly swept over the deck, rendered our attempts to build and support a fire fruitless. Consequently we ate raw pork and beef, with bread which had been completely wet through with salt water.To add to our almost insupportable suffering, the deck, by the constant straining and tossing of the ship,leaked so badly that every article of clothing, bed and bedding, were completely drenched, so that we were not only destitute of an occasional dry suit, but were deprived of a dry and comfortable place in which to rest ourselves, when for a moment we could in turns be spared from the arduous duties of our situation.In giving a just and accurate description of this, as well as every other storm at sea, the pen entirely fails. There can be no just conception of it, but by having it vividly impressed upon the mind, by keen, sensitive reality.The same Capt. Gorman, who had the command of our ship had a few years before, commanded one called the Francis Spade, and by his mismanagement, she water-logged, was dismasted, and lost. The crew of that ill-fated vessel remained upon the wreck seven days in a state of starvation, their ship stores having been swept away. They at last resorted to the horrible extreme of casting lots, to see which should fall a victim to satisfy the hunger of the rest. The first lot fell upon a boy 12 or 15 years of age. Knowing his fate, with that degree of fortitude that characterized the martyrs of other days, he set about putting an end to his own life by bleeding. After trying in vain to open a vein in his arm, he called for a blanket, which he wrapped around his form; then cutting a deep gash in the bottom of both feet, calmly laid himself down to meet the death which it was his lot to suffer. No sooner had the pulse ceased to beat, than the body was divided among the half famished crew, who with the rapacity of tigers fell to devouring it. Two other boys afterwards fell victims to the same fate.Some of our crew being rather superstitious, fancied they heard groans and deep sighs, when we were in the vicinity of the scene of the above related horrible transaction. So firmly was the belief established in their minds, that nothing could dissuade them from it, and often would they mention it as an actual occurrence.In this situation we passed another night, hoping that the morning would bring relief. Our hopes were not realized, but quite to the contrary, for the gale increased instead of abating. All hands were called to close-reef the main-top-sail, the pumps were obliged to be kept in constant operation, there having been seven feet of water in the hold since the first commencement of the gale.A heavy sea struck the ship and spun the wheel at which I was stationed, rapidly around, the spokes of it caught me under the jacket, throwing me heels over head and thrusting me head foremost through a partition of stout panel-work, which left me senseless for a moment. The captain being near caught the wheel and prevented the ship from broaching to, which it must have done and perhaps to our entire loss, had not timely assistance been offered.I was carried below, my shoulder bathed and placed in a sling—after the pain had subsided somewhat, I went to the pumps, working with one hand, thus relieving one man who could render assistance elsewhere. There I remained three days and two nights with but little cessation, when at the expiration of this time the gale abated. We saw the Skelligo light on the coast of Ireland and in a few hours we weresafely in the mouth of the river Shannon, which is navigated by large ships 200 miles.Here we took pilot and made sail up the river. Soon we were land-locked and could make no progress. All hands were called to bend a fore-top-sail, and while bending it, the pilot spoke, saying, "we are in theKillserphine!" the captain replied that "it was not the season for it to break." This was no sooner said, than a noise was heard like distant thunder, which caused all hands to look for its cause, when to our surprise we saw a heavy sea rolling half mast high, and coming directly towards us.The captain in agony of mind exclaimed, "My God! we are all lost!"The sea struck us, washing one of the men from the wheel, and filling the decks with water, but doing no damage save carrying away the carved work on the stern and the starboard quarter boat. This was followed by one of less magnitude scarcely washing the deck. The third one beat lightly against the stern.This occasioned much surprise among the crew, for many of them knew not what it meant, having never before heard of such a place.Upon inquiry respecting it, I was informed by an Irishman, over whose head 90 winters, which he recollects, have passed, that once there was an island in the Shannon on which was a castle and other buildings, and that by the workings of nature that island gradually sunk away, until it disappeared entirely, and now each year the soundings are found to vary, there yet being a gradual sinking of the river's bottom. The water is now 11 or 12 fathoms deep.During each year, (it is said by those upon whom reliance can be placed) there are three swells or rollings of the sea, the same as those above described, and at no stated or regular times, often taking the mariner by surprise. This to the incredulous may seem to be unworthy of credit; but I have the testimony of hundreds to the truth of the same. The cause of this phenomenon I shall not attempt to state.We came to anchor about the middle of April, 1839. Seven of us were sent to the hospital, where I remained fourteen days, when getting my discharge, I went to a boarding-house where I remained only a few days, and then shipped on board the brig Bryanabbs of Limerick, Capt. Gorman, (a brother of the captain of the Borneo) bound for London, with wheat in bulk for cargo. We reached London the middle of May.There I remained but a short time, having a berth offered me on board the Bengal, Capt. Wright, bound for Alexandria.Getting before a fair wind we were soon in the Bay of Biscay, where we encountered a short though very severe gale of wind. Nothing occurred more than is usual in all gales.After the wind abated we again made sail and stood for Gibralter, where we touched for the purpose of getting some recruits, such as hogs, fowls, &c.Gibralter is situated upon a point of land at the south of Europe, on the north side of the Straits of Gibralter, which forms a communication between the Atlantic and Mediterranean sea. It belongs to Great Britain, and is undoubtedly the strongest fortress in the world, and is supposed to be impregnable. The length, fromthe Spanish line to the most southern point is three miles, and the circumference seven. No communication can be held between the garrison of this fortress, and the rest of Spain, owing to a strongly fortified line drawn for the purpose by the Spaniards.The town is defended on the water side by a line of ramparts forming a continued fortification from the north and perpendicular side of the rock, to the extremity of the Moors' wall, which was built about the year one thousand. This wall divides the rock into two equal parts, running from the water's side up a very steep ascent.Since the time this wall was built, fortifications have been carried entirely round the rock, and works cut into the interior on the perpendicular side, which renders them impregnable.Since this place was captured by the English they have excavated the rock, forming galleries and caverns of several thousand feet in length, and in case an enemy should carry the outer works, the besieged can retire to these subterraneous passages, and there hold out against an immensely superior force.These galleries are at an elevation of from 300 to 1300 feet above the surface of the plain below. They are arranged in tiers, each forming a battery, of which there are 23 in number. Were a general battery of all the embrazures to take place at the same time, it would afford one of the grandest spectacles in the world.In every place where it is possible to make an attack even with a small number of men, cannon are planted upon the surface of the rock, and these are at such an elevation, and the use of them so well understood, thatthe object aimed at is hit with as much certainty as with a fusee.Should the lines near the water be carried by an enemy, they would have to dispute the ascent to the top of the mountain inch by inch, and should they even succeed in obtaining possession of the whole surface of the mountain, they would have to combat an army in the bowels of the rock against a thousand mines and other artifices, which would render the situation of the assailants very unsafe and dangerous. There are close quarters in the rocks for 1200 men, and provisions for three years, with a sufficient quantity of ammunition always stored there.Since the English took Gibralter in 1704, it has been repeatedly besieged but always without success. The combined forces of Spain and France laid siege to it in 1779, and after four years of the most strenuous and powerful efforts to reduce it, were obliged to abandon the project, and withdraw.Thus much for a description of Gibralter, which I should not give at such length were it not a place of peculiar interest.We weighed our anchor once more for Alexandria. Nothing worthy of notice occurred on our passage. We came to anchor four or five miles from the town and were immediately boarded by an officer of customs and put under quarantine, although the captain was allowed on shore to attend to his business. At the expiration of the quarantine (ten days) we weighed anchor and stood further in shore. Capt. Wright seeing the impossibility of procuring a cargo of cotton and rice, proposed visiting the Dead Sea.The Consul, falling in with the idea, and wishing to go himself, procured for the journey horses and asses, the former for the use of the captain and officers, and the latter for the sailors and servants.We started, our company numbering about 30, with our provisions and baggage lashed upon the asses. Soon after crossing the Nile we came into a large prairie of tall grass through which was a straight and narrow path, only wide enough for one to ride at a time. After riding about 15 miles, we came to a little village, chiefly the residence of Copts, (a race of people generally considered as the descendants of the ancient Egyptians, being of a light mulatto color, black eyes, high cheek bones, short nose, large mouth, thick lips and half wooly hair. Some of the females are exceedingly handsome and of graceful and easy carriage.) Here we refreshed ourselves and horses, and amused ourselves by shooting birds of different kinds.After our horses were rested, we proceeded on our way, passing through a piece of woods heavily timbered about a mile in width. This wood was literally filled with birds of every description, some of them possessing musical powers far superior to many of the human family. Beyond this wood in the open field we found a large spring of most delightful clear cold water, with which we filled our skins. The day being nearly spent, we rode as fast as we could urge the animals along. The horses being more fleet than the asses, soon left them behind. It was impossible to increase their speed or even make them retain the old pace except by the most severe beatings. We rode until 11 o'clock before we could overtake those with the horses, when we foundthem quietly reposing under a thatched roof which had been built by some travelers, or some other persons and deserted.Here we allturned intogether, if it could be called "turning in" to camp down on the bare ground without blankets or other bed clothing to protect us from the night air, and musquitoes who were swarming around by thousands. We got but little rest.As soon as the light appeared in the east, we mounted and were on our journey again. About 9 o'clock we made a halt in a grove and took our morning repast. We soon crossed the great road which leads from Suez to Jerusalem. Here we made a stop and shot a few birds. While tarrying here a caravan of 40 camels came along from Suez bound to Joppa, laden with goods of all kinds.The traveling is usually done in caravans or armed bodies, as a safeguard against the many robbers (who are usually wandering Arabs) who infest the country, capturing and sacking everything which comes in their way.We soon crossed a small river or creek, about two feet in depth, which the natives called the outlet of the Dead Sea, which led us into a large open country, with here and there a grove or cluster of trees. By the continual application of the clubs over the heads of our asses, we were enabled to keep a moderate pace, though not equal to that of the horses.The second night was passed similar to the first. On the morning of the third day we reached the point of our destination.The Dead Sea, or Lake Asphaltites as it is sometimescalled, (from the great quantities of bituminous and inflammable substance which are found floating on its surface) lies in Palestine and is about 60 miles long and 15 wide. It covers the ground on which stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, buried according to history, by an earthquake, with frequent eruptions of fire, or according to Scriptural expression, by a "rain of sulphur."Many superstitious prejudices have been entertained relative to the Dead Sea, which are entirely unfounded in truth. It has been said, that "beautiful fruit grows upon its shores, which is no sooner touched, than it becomes dust and bitter ashes," that its waters prove destructive to animal life, and that numerous are the victims to the exhalation of the atmosphere in the vicinity.But on the contrary, I can assure my readers that this pretended "fruit of ashes" is a natural and admirable production, that its waters swarm with myriads of fishes, and that certain birds make this lake their peculiar resort, and do not become "victims to its exhalations." Bodies sink or float in it according to the proportion of their gravity to the gravity of the water. The bituminous substance, called Asphaltas, which is found upon its surface, is thrown up from the bottom in a melted state by the agency of subterranean heat, and having become solid by the coldness of the water, is collected on the margin of the lake. This is a valuable article, and is much used for various purposes, in the United States.At the time of our visit, the surface of the sea was unruffled by a breeze, and as smooth as a mirror. Wesaw none of those clouds of vapor or smoke which are said to rise from the surface of the lake and from the neighboring mountain. Every thing about it was, in the highest degree, grand and awful. We approached the shore, and here we found that the stones were of a combustible nature and would ignite by the application of a match, owing we supposed to their being covered with the bituminous substance.Among the various kinds of birds we found, there was one worthy of our particular attention. This is called the Sounding bird, and is of a dark gray color, and the size of the body will well compare with that of the New England pigeon. The head was as large as that of a common goose, and on the top of it is a semi-circular shell of about six inches in length and two in breadth, (at the top) and covered with a thin skin. This shell is hollow. These birds were such a curiosity that we carried several of them back with us to the ship.After remaining at the sea thirty-six hours, we set out on our return. During the first day of our journey back, the officers kept us company; but on the morning of the second day they put spurs to their horses, and left us far behind. We rode all night, and arrived at Alexandria about five o'clock in the morning of the third day. Greatly fatigued with the journey, I went into a barn, or shed, and fell asleep on a pile of straw, where I remained until near sunset. As soon as I emerged from the shed, I was accosted by one of my shipmates with "Halloo! where have you been this long time?""Under the lee of a bundle of straw," I replied."Well, all the Copts of Egypt have been searching for you," said he, "until at last we concluded that you had fallen a victim to the poisonous atmosphere of the Dead Sea, and gone off yourself inevaporation. We therefore have got the cargo ready without your assistance; but if you are still in amortalstate, and capable of hauling a rope, (as your refreshed appearance would indicate,) then bear a hand, for every thing is ready." We then went on board, where I found the cargo stowed; consisting of cotton, ivory, gums, &c., and all things in preparation to weigh the anchor.I will in this place give my readers a brief description of some of the curiosities of Egypt; and some general characteristics of the inhabitants, which come under my observation, during my stay in that country. Of all the wonders of this truly wonderful country, the ruins and antiquities which it contains, are perhaps the greatest. The mechanical labors and monuments of the ancient Egyptians are beyond the imitation of modern times.Among the many ruins of Alexandria, the most prominent are Pompey's Pillar, and Cleopatra's Needle. There are other magnificent remains, such as prostrate rows of marble columns, and mutilated capitals. Pompey's Pillar stands upon a pedestal twelve feet high. The shaft is round, and one hundred feet in height. The diameter is about nine feet. Cleopatra's Needle is sixty-four feet high, and eight feet square at the base. The shaft is granite, covered with hieroglyphics.There are a great number of Pyramids scattered over the country, but the most remarkable are those of Djizeh, Sakhara, and Darhour. The size of these is so great, that they appear to the spectator to be near athand, when he is many leagues distant from them. The account of Herodotus is, that ten years were consumed in preparing a road whereon to draw the immense blocks of stone; and the labors of 100,000 men employed, who were relieved once in three months.The largest is ascribed to Cheops. It covers an area of eleven acres, and is four hundred and eighty feet high, one hundred and twenty-seven feet higher than the cross of St. Paul's, in London. The entrances to those pyramids which have been explored, descend at exactly the same angle, and at the same part of the fabric. Various passages and chambers have been discovered by great labor, and wells or shafts conducting from above to the lower apartments. The entrances are artfully concealed in the wall, thirty feet or less above the base. The passages were sometimes stopped with a solid block of granite, made, however, to slide upwards by the force of a lever.Immense chambers have been found in them, hewn from the solid rock. Belzoni found one forty-eight feet in length, sixteen wide, and twenty-four high. The pyramids are composed of immense blocks of stone, laid upon each other in the receding manner of steps. The celebrated Sphynx, of which so much has been written, is now almost buried in sand. The head and neck only remain uncovered. The form is that of a woman's head and breast on the body of a lion. Since buried in the sand, it has once been excavated and measured. The length was found to be one hundred and thirty feet, the breast was thirty-three feet wide, and the head and neck twenty-seven feet high,—the whole, exceptthe paws, which are of masonry, was cut from the solid rock.Alexandria, the scene of many of these ruins, is situated upon the Mediterranean Sea, and has communication with the river Nile by means of a canal. This city was founded by Alexander the Great, and rose immediately to wealth and greatness; and for science and literature was second only to Rome. It once contained 600,000 inhabitants. After its capture by the Saracens, it began to decline, and the discovery of the passage to India destroyed its commercial importance. At present it consists of narrow, crooked, and dirty streets, and lofty buildings, and is surrounded by a high stone wall. The population at the present time cannot exceed 15,000. Egypt is inhabited by a number of distinct tribes, or classes. The most numerous are the Fellahs, or Arab cultivators; the descendants of the ancient conquerors; these are well formed, and active, though lean. They have fine teeth, and sunken, sparkling eyes. Upper Egypt is settled principally by the Copts, of whom I have before spoken. Besides these are Greeks, Jews, Syrians, Turks, &c., scattered over the country.The people are so various, that the customs are therefore different in the different classes. The Arabs are cheerful, quiet, and have many good qualities. The Jews are filthy, and avaricious; they are generally merchants, and officers of the customs. The inhabitants of the cities are indolent and sensual; have but little employment, and their amusements are of a depraving kind. The women are vailed, and secluded, as in all oriental countries, but they have still much freedom.Beauty is esteemed by weight, as in many Mohammedan countries, and the Christian observes various trifling practices, totally at variance with those to which he has been accustomed. The beard is worn and the hair shaven. The men wear petticoats, and the women trowsers. Fingers supply the place of forks; a cushion is used instead of a chair, and a tray instead of a table is set upon the floor. Females hide their faces and display their bosoms. Many things seem to be adhered to because they are at variance with European usage. The inhabitants delight in exhibitions of wrestlers, rope dancers, &c. The exhibitions of the serpent charmers, are terrific—they handle the serpent with perfect familiarity, and are seldom bitten. There are numerous dancing women who perform in public, but their exhibitions conform to the state of moral sentiment, and are such as would not be tolerated in America. Marriages in Egypt are generally contracted by the intervention of friends, and frequently the parties do not see each other till the ceremony. The females are often married at fifteen, and sometimes at an earlier age. The climate is peculiar, during eight months in the year, from March to November; the heat is almost insupportable to a European, or American. During the whole of this season the air is inflamed, the sky sparkling, and the heat oppressive to all unaccustomed to it. The southerly winds which sometimes blow there are called by the nativespoisonouswinds, or the hot winds of the desert. They are of such extreme heat that no animated body exposed to them can withstand their pernicious influence. During the three days of the southern blast, the streets are deserted; and woe to thetraveler whom this wind surprises remote from shelter; when it exceeds three days it is insupportable. Very frequently the inhabitants are almost blinded with drifts of sand, but these evils are in a great measure remedied by the rising and overflowing of the Nile. This occurs annually, and supplies the deficiency of rain, (very little falling in that country,) in producing the vast fertility for which Egypt is so famed.The river begins to rise the last of May, and continues till September. At the height of its flood in Lower Egypt, nothing is to be seen in the plains but the tops of forest and fruit trees; the towns and villages being for that reason built upon eminences, either natural or artificial. When the river is at its proper height, the inhabitants celebrate a kind of jubilee with great festivity. The banks or mounds which confine it, are cut by the Turkish Pasha, attended by his grandees; and after this ceremony, the water is led into what they call the khalix, or grand canal, which runs through Cairo, whence it is distributed into cuts for supplying the fields and gardens. The irrigation is effected by machinery. This being done, and the waters beginning to retire, such is the fertility of the soil that the labor of the husbandman is next to nothing. Nothing can be more charming than the prospect which the face of the country presents in rising corn, vegetables and verdure of every sort. Oranges and lemons perfume the air; dates, grapes, and figs cheer the eye; and palm trees which afford the means of making wine, are blooming and abundant. March and April are the harvest months, and they produce three crops, one of lettuces and cucumbers, (the latter being the ordinary food of the inhabitants,) one of corn, and one of melons.CHAPTER XVI.Sail for London. Arrive at the Downs. Sail for St. Johns. A dense fog. Bay of Fundy. Come to anchor at St. Johns. Proceed to London. Sail for the East Indies. Study Navigation. Arrive at St. Helena. Tomb of Napoleon. Reach Cape Town. Description of the Country. Of the several Tribes. Arrive at Calcutta. Description of the Ganges, and its Religious Rites. Of Calcutta. Sail for Canton. Tiger Island. Straits of Malacca. Preparations for Pirates. Arrive at Canton. Its description. Chinese Floating Town. Manners and Customs. Fourth of July. Sail for England. Misconduct of the Mate. His discharge. Arrival at London.The last of July we weighed anchor, and spread our sails bound for London. Nothing worthy of note occurred on the passage to Gibralter, at which place we stopped. Sent a boat ashore for fresh provisions, and soon it came back richly laden with fruits, and a quantity of wine for the use of the seamen. We were allowed three glasses of wine per day, and on Saturday night one bottle was allowed each four men. Bracing full, we were soon through the gut of Gibralter, homeward bound; and in a few days were in the chops of the channel of Old England. Had fine weather, though a head wind to contend with. While we were thus detained by adverse winds, we were employed in cleaning the ship. We lay thus several days when the wind veered around in our favor. Our sky-sails, and studding-sails were set alow andaloft; and in forty-eight hours we came to anchor at the Downs. This is the sea between the shore and the Goodwin Sands, which furnishes a large and usually safe anchorage for vessels, where they ride at their leaving or entering the Thames. Here were seventy or eighty ships laying at anchor, all flying the British colors. We lay here three days, when we were taken in tow to Graves End, and the next tide took us up abreast the London docks, where we anchored and awaited the next tide, when we docked the ship. This was near the last of September, 1839. We spent a few days visiting various places of interest, (which I shall notice when I speak of London.) At the expiration of which time I shipped on board the Cornet, Captain Tabor, bound to St. Johns, which is the principal town in New Brunswick; and is situated at the mouth of the St. Johns river, which is navigable for vessels of fifty tons, for nearly fifty miles, and is a place of extensive trade.As they were nearly in readiness, we soon left and proceeded down the channel. Nothing worthy of particular notice occurred until we reached the Newfoundland Banks, which place is almost constantly thronged with vast numbers of fishing smacks. Here we encountered a fog so dense, that scarcely could we see from one side of the ship to the other. We shortened sail, keeping the bell almost constantly ringing. We lay in this position several days, when an east wind broke the fog, so that we were enabled to get into fair sailing. It is not unfrequently that vessels with a press of sail run down some small fisherman, and nothing more is heard of them. After a few days of fair sailingwe made Cape Sable, off our starboard bow. This was a sight long wished for, as is always the case with seamen when bound to any particular port. We hauled our wind and stood up the bay, making the land a few miles below Eastport. Ran up the Bay of Fundy with a delightful wind.The Bay of Fundy is a considerable arm of the sea, extending into the British Provinces, about two hundred miles. At its entrance from the sea, it is about twelve degrees wide, gradually decreasing as it proceeds inland. It is remarkable for its tides, which in consequence of the abundance of its water between the shores is swelled from the height of from forty to sixty feet. So rapid are its flood tides, that small vessels are overturned, and small animals overtaken and devoured. At the ebb, small coasting vessels are often left upon the flats; care being taken so that the heavy swell, called the bore, as it strikes them, will beat against them at either the head or stern. We took on board a pilot, who in a few hours brought us to anchor safely at St. Johns. Our vessel was pulled up for repairs, and all hands paid off except myself.During my stay I became acquainted with a girl of Irish descent, whom I married; I procured me a house and necessary stores, and was in a way to live.The first of December I shipped on board the Coronation, bound for London, with a cargo of timber. On our arrival orders were given to fit ship and proceed to the East Indies. Accordingly the ship was put in readiness, and about the last of January, 1840, we left London, bound for Calcutta, and this I think about the finest voyage that I ever made. We had been out buta few days when we took the trade winds, and ran forty days without scarcely touching brace or halyards. Having watch and watch, the captain told those who had a mind to spend their watch below and study navigation, he would with the greatest pleasure assist. Five of us gladly availed ourselves of this opportunity, and daily we spent our allotted time in study. At the expiration of a few weeks we had made such progress under our accomplished teacher, that each of us could work a day's work tolerable well. We ran down close to St. Helena, and anchored for the purpose of making a short visit to this memorable place, a brief description of which may interest my readers. This celebrated island is in the Atlantic ocean, 1,200 miles distant from any land; the nearest being the coast of South Africa. It is about ten miles long, and six broad, and is as a general thing, a barren waste. It presents the appearance to the approacher, of nothing but an immense wall of perpendicular rock, extremely abrupt at its northern extremity, but more shelving towards the south; varying in height from 600 to 1,200 feet. There are only four openings in the great wall of rock, which surrounds St. Helena, by which it can be approached with any facility, and these are all strongly fortified. This island has become celebrated by being the place to which the allied sovereigns of Europe banished Napoleon, in 1815, where he remained till his death, in 1821. His tomb is in a secluded recess, and is surrounded by a fence, enclosing a piece of ground containing weeping willows. The island is owned by the English East India Company.Nothing worthy of notice occurred after leaving St.Helena, until we reached the Cape of Good Hope. We stopped at Cape Town, the capital of Cape Colony, and it may not be out of place here to give a brief description of the country and its inhabitants, or so much as came under my observation.The district called Cape Colony, occupies the southern extremity of Africa. The leading feature in the aspect of the territory, consists in three successive ranges of mountains, running parallel east and west; and forming as it were a succession of terraces, rising above each other; the range farthest from the coast called the Snowy Mountains being the highest, and the first range, or that nearest the coast called theLange Kloof, or Long Pass, the lowest. The Snowy Mountains are the highest in southern Africa, and the summits are generally covered with snow. Their greatest height will not fall short of 10,000 feet. The plain next the sea is covered with a deep and fertile soil, watered by numerous streams, and clothed with a beautiful variety of trees and shrubs. There are frequent rains, and from its nearness to the sea, enjoys a mild and equable temperature. The Karroos, a name given to the plains between the second and third mountain ranges, presents a dreary uniformity of level surface 300 miles in length, and 100 in breadth; the soil of which is hard and impenetrable, and destitute of all kind of vegetation.Table Mountainoverlooks Cape Town, and rises abruptly like the ruins of a gigantic fortress. The highest point is about 3,588 feet above Table Bay.The west side of this stupendous mass of rock is rent into hollows and worn away into pyramidal masses.The mountain is very difficult of ascent on account of numerous loose stones which make an unsafe foothold for the traveler. The summit is level, and very barren and bare of soil. Baboons, antelopes, vultures, and toads are sometimes to be met with on the mountain. The view from the summit is very extensive and picturesque. The bay seems a small pond or basin, and the ships in it are dwindled to little boats; the town, and the regular compartments of its gardens, look like the work of children, all is so dwindled into mere specks or lines.The air on the summit in winter and in the shade, is generally about 15° lower than that of the town; but in summer a fleecy cloud called the "Table-cloth" appears on the mountain and gives indication of an approaching storm. This cloud is composed of immense masses of fleecy whiteness. It does not appear to be at rest on the hill, but to be constantly rolling onward from the southeast; yet, to the surprise of the beholder, it never descends, because the snowy wreaths seen falling over the precipice towards the town below, vanish completely before they reach it, while others are formed to replace them on the other side. The two principal rivers on the western coast are theBergor Mountain river, and the "Elephants' river," and these are only navigable by small crafts to the distance of about 20 miles up the country.On the south coast is Broad river. Its mouth, now called Port Beaufort, allows vessels of 200 tons to enter, and discharge or load in safety.The river Gamity, the next in size on the coast, is a collection of waters from the Great Karroo and BlackMountains. In the rainy season it is a rapid and dangerous stream. Most of these rivers swelled by periodical rains, deposit much mud and sand at their mouths. Some of them during the dry season are lost amid the sand and rocks.In this colony the seasons are divided into Monsoons, of which there are two, annually; the one wet, and the other dry. The wet monsoon is called winter, and the dry, summer. The weather during the wet monsoon is disagreeable and moist, but the cold is not severe. Ice is never more than an eighth of an inch thick. Thunder and lightning are very rare and seldom violent. The atmosphere is healthy and agrees well with European constitutions.The cape has long been celebrated among naturalists as a fertile field for their labors. Almost every animal found on the African continent may be found in the neighborhood of this colony. Two varieties of lions, the yellow and the brown, zebras, elephants, rhinoceros, the giraffe and buffalo, are all found there.Wine is manufactured at the Cape and exported in considerable quantities. Many kinds of wine are extremely cheap, and a large quantity is consumed in the colony.Cape Town, the capital, was founded in 1652, and is built with great regularity. The streets are wide, intersecting each other at right angles. There are some 1500 houses which are for the most part constructed of stone, cemented with a glutinous kind of earth, and are generally white-washed on the outside. Their height is seldom more than two floors, frequent storms rendering a greater elevation dangerous. Many of the houseshave trees planted before them, which gives a rural appearance to the town.To the southward of the town, a great number of elegant villas are scattered about, and the scenery resembles that of the rich and cultivated districts of England. Labor, house-rent and firewood constitute a large proportion of the expenses of living at Cape Town. Fruits, vegetables and sea fish are abundant and cheap. For amusements they have horse-races, balls, masquerades, and Sunday promenades in the government gardens. The population, by the census of 1827, was 120,036, of whom 35,509 were slaves. The country was first settled by the Dutch, but has since fallen into the hands of the English.The state of society at Cape Town is not deserving of much praise; but the ladies are distinguished for sweetness and affability. A considerable portion of the inhabitants are Hottentots. There are also Dutch, German, English and a few French. The color of the Hottentots is a yellow brown, and their formation is peculiar. They have very small hands and feet; their faces are broad above and narrow to a point; cheek bones prominent and their lips thick. In some tribes the wool grows in little tufts, and when suffered to grow hangs in fringes. They have been called a stupid race, but seem to be so only from their oppressed condition; they are gentle and faithful when trusted. They are filthy in their persons and indolent in their habits.The Bushmen are a tribe of Hottentots anciently separated from the rest. They have been described as the lowest grade of human nature. A traveler in that country mentions having met a horde of them, only oneof whom had a name, and he was called the "Old Boy."Their women are, to European eyes, very repulsive objects—lean and gaunt, except over the hips where all the flesh seems to be piled. The Hottentots smear themselves with fat and soot, and are so used to it that when washed one seems to be without clothes. The dress consists chiefly of the skins of sheep which they wear with the wool, generally in the form of a cloak, open before. This is called acarosse. The females have a petticoat of skins or leather. They wear many ornaments of beads, rings, carved bones, &c. The handkerchiefs of the Hottentots are jackals' tails tied to a handle; and with these they wipe the perspiration from their faces. Their language is harsh and shrill. For dwellings a few poles are bent over and skins or mats thrown over them. The entrance is low, and serves for door, window and chimney. The tribes which have cattle, pen them at night in the circle inclosed by the huts.Almost any kind of food is acceptable to Hottentots; they eat roots, ants, grass, mice, toads, &c. They can long abstain from food, and can eat an enormous quantity without injury. All the tribes are fond of tobacco, which for the want of a better pipe, they smoke through the shank bone of a sheep. They smoke also the leaves of a kind of hemp calleddacha, which stupefies and intoxicates. Much brandy is drank which is spread over the colony by means of traveling pedlars.Some of the wines of the Cape are excellent. There are one hundred and fifty varieties, some of which have a deleterious mixture of brandy.The manner of traveling among the Colonists is in wagons drawn by six or seven yoke of oxen.As there are no taverns or places for refreshments, they carry sheep and other provisions with them.The Caffres are a plundering people, robbing each other at every possible opportunity. They are excellent herdsmen and have their herds so well trained that they are guided altogether by a shrill whistle. The punishments for offence are whipping with rods—exposure to a cluster of black ants—burning with hot stones—and death inflicted by clubs, or drowning.In their huts they sit on the skulls of cattle, with the horns attached, serving as arm pieces.We weighed anchor and proceeded on our voyage, passing through the Mozambique Channel. This channel separates the island of Madagascar from the main land, and is of about one thousand miles in length. Its waters are very swift and extremely rough, and are infested with hordes of pirates, who adhere to the island of Madagascar principally.Here we spoke several vessels, the Clinton of New York, and the Brazen Head of Liverpool.Nothing of interest occurred till we reached the soundings off the river Hoogly, or Little Ganges. These soundings or banks extend from the mouth of the river out to the distance of from sixty to a hundred miles. Innumerable numbers of pilots are stationed on them at all seasons and all hours.The Ganges, one of the noblest streams in the world, rises in the vast mountains of Thibet and is supposed by the natives to possess virtues capable of purifying them from every sin and transgression. At sunset theylight tapers and throw into the river, which are so constructed as to stand erect as they float on with the current.Thousands of them are thrown in at a time, affording a scene which is without a parallel in interest and singularity.Crowds of Hindoos are seen at all times washing in its water and saying their prayers in a kneeling posture on its banks.The waters of the Ganges are carried in great quantities to all parts of India, and are sworn by in courts of justice.Statham, in his "Indian Recollections," says, "At Allahabad where the streams of the Ganges and the Jumna unite, the country for miles around is considered sacred ground; and so great is the number of pilgrims, who resort thither for bathing, that the vizier has received in one year, half a lac of rupees for permission to enjoy the benefit of immersion in its sacred flood. Many lives are there sacrificed annually. The persons who usually fall victims to their superstitions are females, who come from all parts of the country to perform the tragic deed, and who show a firmness of purpose worthy a better cause."Several of them, accompanied by the priests, embark in a boat, and proceed to the spot where the streams unite, when each of the victims in succession descends from the boat into the water, with a large earthen pan fastened to her body, and is supported by a priest till she has filled the pan with water, when the priest lets go his hold and she sinks to rise no more, amidst the applause of the spectators, while the Brahmins enjoy thescene, and extol the fortitude of the last victim to her who is about to follow."The cow is an animal held sacred among the Hindoos, and the dung is used in the temples and other places as a species of holy ointment.The Ganges empties itself into the bay of Bengal by two large channels, and by a number of smaller size.On the river Hoogly or western channel stands Calcutta, the capital of British India, 100 miles from the sea. The length of the town is about six miles, extending along the banks of the river. As you approach Calcutta from the sea, it has the appearance of a vast and beautifully arranged city. Tall and elegant houses ornamented with spacious pillars and verandas meet the eye along the whole length of the town, and completely shutting out from view the "Black Town," or the native town of Calcutta, which is composed of low dirty huts, made of earth baked in the sun, placed along the narrow and crooked streets. Occasionally, however, a larger one is seen which denotes the residence of some wealthy native, yet this like all others is entirely devoid of neatness.We employed natives to discharge our cargo as they could better endure the sun's heat.Taking on a cargo of rice, we received orders to sail for Canton, and proceeded down the river, and passed Tiger island, so called, from the great abundance of tigers which are found there.They occasionally swim from the island to the main land, which is about two miles distant.A few years since a fire swept over the island and almost entirely drove them from it. Many were killedby the flames, and in the general confusion many were drowned, while vast numbers were killed by the ships' crews, that were stationed around.The ninth day after our departure the pilot left us and resumed his station on the shoals to await the next ship that might require his services.The weather proved unfavorable indeed, and obliged us to beat about, making but little progress.Taking a fine breeze and a leading wind, we were soon in the straits of Malacca, which separate the peninsular of Malacca from the island of Sumatra. Those straits are infested with pirates of a most desperate character, seizing upon every opportunity for plundering vessels, and oftentimes are not satiated until all of the crew have fallen victims to their murderous cruelty.Most of the vessels that pass these straits are traders, and therefore but poorly prepared for defence.We prepared ourselves in the best manner possible for an attack, collecting all the small arms, knives, &c., and loaded the two twelve pounders which were on the quarter deck.We ran through the straits without any molestation whatever; headed our wind and ran across the gulf of Siam; spoke the ship Rothchilds, 14 days from Canton, bound for London; and after the usual salutation, and request to be reported at home as well, we passed on, and in ten days we were at the mouth of the river Canton.Here we lay at anchor 14 days in consequence of head winds, which at length favoring us, we proceeded up the river till we came to the island of Lintin situated about fifty miles from Canton, where we came to anchor,and entered our cargo, paying the duty. The duty consists of a tax upon the tonnage of the vessel, and upon the different kinds of goods with which she may be laden.Besides this tax there is akumshawor a present to government required, which is demanded alike of vessels of all sizes. Our whole tax amounted to about five hundred dollars. At Lintin we discharged a part of our cargo, and from thence proceeded up the river to Canton and came to anchor, and discharged the remainder of our cargo.Canton is situated on the eastern bank of the river Pekiang, which is a beautiful stream about one-third of a mile wide. This is the only port of trade of any importance in China. The city with its ponds and pleasure grounds covers an area of about seven miles in circumference, and is enclosed with a wall, which is at short intervals mounted with cannon.There are several entrances which are, beside the strong iron gates, guarded with one or more soldiers. At night these gates are closed, and at each street bars are thrown across the entrance. All foreigners are almost entirely excluded, being only allowed within the populous portions with permission.Their only land locations are at thehongswhich are built on the bank of the river near to the water's edge, and devoted almost entirely to them.One of the most pleasing sights is the Chinese floating town, which is composed of fifty or sixty thousand vessels of different kinds which are placed in rows tightly together. Here families are born, live and die, without ever stepping on shore. This town extends several miles down the river from Canton.China street is almost wholly occupied by the Chinese merchants, where they practice all kinds of fraud upon foreigners, considering themselves entitled to honor for the art which they proclaim most loudly.Occasionally, however, the biter has been most horridly bitten, by some honest son from yankeedom.The Chinese, though of Tartar origin, have through the influence of the climate degenerated sadly, possessing but little of the courage and strength so justly ascribed to the Tartar.Their dress is a long robe hanging below the knee. Over this is worn a girdle of silk, usually, in which they carry a sheathed knife and two sticks, used as forks, called chop sticks. They are extremely slovenly in their dress and person, seldom, if ever, washing a garment. The hair, except a small tuft on the top of the head, is shaven off. This tuft is suffered to grow, and when of sufficient length is plaited or braided, and hangs down upon the back. The hat or head covering is of woven cane.The females are treated as slaves and are made oftentimes to draw the plough, while the husband goads her on with the whip.Pressing the feet of infants, which is carried to such extremes among the Chinese, is a most barbarous practice. They are so closely bound that they cease to grow, and it is with the greatest difficulty that they walk. This is usually done at the age of five years. The foot is a mere lump of lifeless flesh and bears a strong resemblance to the hand of a wash-woman which has been long in strong suds.Such is the immense population of China, that nothingthat can be eaten is thrown away. Puppies and rats are carried about the streets for sale. A favorite dish is made of birds' nests which are composed of glutinous substances.We lay at Canton the fourth of July. At an early hour, as is usual for all American vessels, wherever they may be, we hoisted the national flag and fired a grand salute. The day was spent in fine style with the other American vessels which also lay at anchor at Canton, by visiting each other, singing national airs, and firing salutes.Never did an anchor come to a ship's side or was a sail made quicker, or in finer style, than that on board of the Coronation, as we left the port on the 7th of July. We proceeded down the river and stood out into the China sea, where we were delayed several days by strong head winds, which came around into our favor.Again we made preparations to meet those unwelcome visitors of the straits. We however had but little use for our guns, for we were carried through the straits with a fine breeze, without even seeing one of their murderous craft, which are large open boats propelled by 100 or 150 oars.We now shaped our course for Good Hope, where we arrived in due season, without any unusual occurrence, and came to anchor at Cape Town. Procuring a supply of water and provision, we again set sail for Old England with as fine a breeze as ever wafted a mariner on his way. One fine evening a number of us were sitting on, or standing around the windlass, each telling some adventure of his own, when one of the number observed a dark and angry cloud arising in the northeast, which as he thought betokened a squall. This hemade known to the mate, who was walking, and received in reply a bitter curse, and a request to mind his own business. Our fore, main and mizzen-royal and main-sky-sail were set, and all were waiting in breathless silence for its approach. At last one proposed to call the captain or advised him to do so, when he flew into a perfect rage, and said he would have them know that he was master of the deck and was not going to receive orders or advices from any fore-mast Jack.Soon the fury of the storm burst upon us, and when the masts, yards, and sails were already starting from their places, the order, "Let go the halyards fore and aft," came, but it came too late, for ere the sound died upon the breeze they were dangling at the ship's sides, the noise of which soon brought the master upon deck, who asked why he was not called on the approach of the squall. The mate replied that he was unconscious of the extent of it. All hands were called to clear the wreck, and found the fore and main-top-gallant-masts and yards were carried away, and mizzen-top and fore-top-mast badly sprung. Some words passed between the captain and mate, which ended in the mate's discharge, or rather he was thrown off duty.After the damage was repaired I was called upon to fill the vacancy made by his discharge, which position I kept until the voyage was made. Every thing passed well and we arrived in London about the last of December, 1840, being absent about 11 months.All hands were paid off; the ship was to run to St. Johns, N. B., and all who wished could go in her. She remained in London four or five weeks, which time I improved by visiting places of amusement in and around London.

CHAPTER XV.Sail in the Borneo for Limerick. A Man is found secreted on board. Conduct of the Captain. Sympathy of the Crew. Terrible Storm. Wretchedness of our Situation. Account of the loss of the Francis Spade. Singular occurrence. The Storm continues. Reach the Shannon. The rolling of the Killserphine. Its Tradition. Reach Limerick. Sail for London. Sail for Egypt. Description of Gibraltar. Arrive at the quarantine ground off Alexandria. Go to the Dead Sea. Its description. Return to Alexandria. Curiosities and History of Egypt. Manners and Customs of the People.I shipped on board the ship Borneo, Captain Gorman of and for Limerick. We weighed our anchor about the first of April, 1839, with a crew of twenty-four men, including officers. We had a very pleasant sail down the river. The third day after we stood out of Quebec, a man made his appearance on board, who was a stranger to all excepting the captain and mate. The captain inquired how he came there; he replied that he belonged to Killruch, and had offered him (the captain) all the money he had, which was less than the passage money, and being very anxious to go home, was determined the ship should not leave without him; consequently he watched an opportunity to secrete himself on board; and when the watch was on deck, or when the watch was below asleep, he would crawl from his hiding place to the store-room, where he would get enough to supply himuntil another opportunity offered for him to get another supply. This he continued until the third day as mentioned. The captain, after hearing his story, ordered the mate, who was an old schoolmate, and fellow associate of his, to tie him to the capstan, and pour cold water over him every half hour. This the mate refused to do to one to whom he was so strongly attached. The man as well as the captain insisted upon it; still he refused. The crew then proposed to pay his passage, which the captain accepted, and the man was released.The wind blowing a fresh breeze soon brought us in sight of Newfoundland. The breeze freshening each moment, soon became a perfect gale. The captain thought best to run through the straits of Bellisle—the channel that separates New Foundland from Labrador—passing through in the night during the first watch. We stowed the main sky-sail, and fore, main and mizzen royals, also tried the pumps. About midnight, the cry of "all hands ahoy." "Bear a hand up, and reef top-sails." The three top-sails were reefed, and the top-gallant sails set over them, and the main-sail furled. When this was done, the whiskey, as was usual in those days in such times, was passed around. This occupied two or three hours, when we went below again. At four we were called again, this being a new or second watch. The order, "clew up the top-gallant sails and stow them," was quickly obeyed, when another, "lay aft my lads, splice the main brace," (meaning, take another round of whiskey,) "man your top-sails, reef tackles and clew lines, lower away your halyards roundly. When all is done, lay aloft and reefyour sails." Soon the seven bells called the watch to breakfast. The ship at this time was laboring very heavy under the press of canvass. The wheel got the advantage of the helmsman, and in an instant broached to; at the same time a heavy sea boarding her, swept the caboose clear from the deck, leaving the cooking apparatus, it being strongly secured by large bolts to the deck, or we should have lost our whole breakfast; as it was it was hardly worth eating, being wet with salt water.The ship was soon got before the wind again; the pumps were examined, and seven feet of water found in the hold. The pumps were rigged, and all hands were obliged to take their turn at them. The ship was heavily deck loaded, which rendered it very crank, or, in other words, easily to be upset; as well as made it extremely difficult to go about on deck to work the ship, and making it altogether unsafe, as there was nothing to prevent our being washed overboard. We lashed ourselves to the railing around the mainmast, and thus we stood for twenty-four hours, having nothing to eat but a few hard biscuit, taking a glass of whiskey as often as every half or three-fourths of an hour. The gale still increased,—the sea under our stern would raise the ship to such a height, that for a moment it appeared as if she would go over in end; then she would fall again, and for a moment be engulphed between two high seas apparently fifty or sixty feet high, when they would come again with seemingly greater fury. When rising this wave, it appeared as if the ship went at the rate of 14 or 16 knots an hour. Keeping the pumps at work constantly, we were enabled to check the increaseof the water; but still so great was the leakage, that we could not decrease the quantity already in the hold. This was truly discouraging. Whiskey was dealt out freely, which served in some degree to drive away the fear of the moment.One night, when under close reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail, with two men at the wheel, our ship broached to, or suddenly turned to the windward of her course, which presented her side to the wind, and greatly endangered her upsetting. At this time all hands were aloft, reefing and securing the sails that had blown adrift from the yards. Those that were at that time from the mast, upon the yards, sought safety by clinging to the yard, which brought them erect upon the same. Others, that were near the masts, lay at, or were in a horizontal position. While she lay upon her beam ends, a heavy sea boarded her, sweeping the hurricane house, bed, and bedding of the second mate, spare sails, ropes, and six casks of meat, clear from the deck, and disabling one of the men at the wheel. At length she righted, quite to the disappointment of all on board; for we all expected she was lost. In this condition we lay, drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves twelve hours, when we loosed the fore-sail and fore top-mast-stay-sail after goose winging (or fastening the clew or lower corner of the sail, while the middle is secured or fastened to the yard) the fore-sail and boarding the fore-tacks, set the stay-sails, and put the helm hard up. She payed off a little, and shivering the main-top-sail, we were soon before the wind again, running at the rate of 12 or 15 knots per hour. The wind abating somewhat, allowed us to make a little sail. Our top-sailsand fore-top-mast-studding-sails were set on both sides. A squall suddenly arose, blowing our fore-top-mast studding sails from the yards and braces, the fore-top-sail was in an instant torn from the bolt rope, leaving only a few fragments hanging to it.At the time the squall arose all hands were at the pumps, and six only could possibly be spared to secure the sails that the wind had left hanging to the yards, or to cut the fragments of those torn from the ropes, clear. Being one of this number, I hastened to perform the order. As I came up over the run, I saw a Russian in the attitude of prayer. I stopped a moment, not wishing to interfere with his devotion. Another of the crew soon came up, and going up to the Russian while yet upon his knees, gave him a hearty kick in the ribs! at the same time advising him with oaths and imprecations, to put off his praying until better weather, and attend to the safety of the ship. We succeeded, though at the peril of our lives, in securing the sails. Our condition was now indeed wretched, seemingly the worst that could be pictured.The crew upon whom the management of our now half water-logged ship devolved, were much worn with fatigue and hunger, having nothing to eat save what we took raw and wet, there being no place to cook anything, as the water which constantly swept over the deck, rendered our attempts to build and support a fire fruitless. Consequently we ate raw pork and beef, with bread which had been completely wet through with salt water.To add to our almost insupportable suffering, the deck, by the constant straining and tossing of the ship,leaked so badly that every article of clothing, bed and bedding, were completely drenched, so that we were not only destitute of an occasional dry suit, but were deprived of a dry and comfortable place in which to rest ourselves, when for a moment we could in turns be spared from the arduous duties of our situation.In giving a just and accurate description of this, as well as every other storm at sea, the pen entirely fails. There can be no just conception of it, but by having it vividly impressed upon the mind, by keen, sensitive reality.The same Capt. Gorman, who had the command of our ship had a few years before, commanded one called the Francis Spade, and by his mismanagement, she water-logged, was dismasted, and lost. The crew of that ill-fated vessel remained upon the wreck seven days in a state of starvation, their ship stores having been swept away. They at last resorted to the horrible extreme of casting lots, to see which should fall a victim to satisfy the hunger of the rest. The first lot fell upon a boy 12 or 15 years of age. Knowing his fate, with that degree of fortitude that characterized the martyrs of other days, he set about putting an end to his own life by bleeding. After trying in vain to open a vein in his arm, he called for a blanket, which he wrapped around his form; then cutting a deep gash in the bottom of both feet, calmly laid himself down to meet the death which it was his lot to suffer. No sooner had the pulse ceased to beat, than the body was divided among the half famished crew, who with the rapacity of tigers fell to devouring it. Two other boys afterwards fell victims to the same fate.Some of our crew being rather superstitious, fancied they heard groans and deep sighs, when we were in the vicinity of the scene of the above related horrible transaction. So firmly was the belief established in their minds, that nothing could dissuade them from it, and often would they mention it as an actual occurrence.In this situation we passed another night, hoping that the morning would bring relief. Our hopes were not realized, but quite to the contrary, for the gale increased instead of abating. All hands were called to close-reef the main-top-sail, the pumps were obliged to be kept in constant operation, there having been seven feet of water in the hold since the first commencement of the gale.A heavy sea struck the ship and spun the wheel at which I was stationed, rapidly around, the spokes of it caught me under the jacket, throwing me heels over head and thrusting me head foremost through a partition of stout panel-work, which left me senseless for a moment. The captain being near caught the wheel and prevented the ship from broaching to, which it must have done and perhaps to our entire loss, had not timely assistance been offered.I was carried below, my shoulder bathed and placed in a sling—after the pain had subsided somewhat, I went to the pumps, working with one hand, thus relieving one man who could render assistance elsewhere. There I remained three days and two nights with but little cessation, when at the expiration of this time the gale abated. We saw the Skelligo light on the coast of Ireland and in a few hours we weresafely in the mouth of the river Shannon, which is navigated by large ships 200 miles.Here we took pilot and made sail up the river. Soon we were land-locked and could make no progress. All hands were called to bend a fore-top-sail, and while bending it, the pilot spoke, saying, "we are in theKillserphine!" the captain replied that "it was not the season for it to break." This was no sooner said, than a noise was heard like distant thunder, which caused all hands to look for its cause, when to our surprise we saw a heavy sea rolling half mast high, and coming directly towards us.The captain in agony of mind exclaimed, "My God! we are all lost!"The sea struck us, washing one of the men from the wheel, and filling the decks with water, but doing no damage save carrying away the carved work on the stern and the starboard quarter boat. This was followed by one of less magnitude scarcely washing the deck. The third one beat lightly against the stern.This occasioned much surprise among the crew, for many of them knew not what it meant, having never before heard of such a place.Upon inquiry respecting it, I was informed by an Irishman, over whose head 90 winters, which he recollects, have passed, that once there was an island in the Shannon on which was a castle and other buildings, and that by the workings of nature that island gradually sunk away, until it disappeared entirely, and now each year the soundings are found to vary, there yet being a gradual sinking of the river's bottom. The water is now 11 or 12 fathoms deep.During each year, (it is said by those upon whom reliance can be placed) there are three swells or rollings of the sea, the same as those above described, and at no stated or regular times, often taking the mariner by surprise. This to the incredulous may seem to be unworthy of credit; but I have the testimony of hundreds to the truth of the same. The cause of this phenomenon I shall not attempt to state.We came to anchor about the middle of April, 1839. Seven of us were sent to the hospital, where I remained fourteen days, when getting my discharge, I went to a boarding-house where I remained only a few days, and then shipped on board the brig Bryanabbs of Limerick, Capt. Gorman, (a brother of the captain of the Borneo) bound for London, with wheat in bulk for cargo. We reached London the middle of May.There I remained but a short time, having a berth offered me on board the Bengal, Capt. Wright, bound for Alexandria.Getting before a fair wind we were soon in the Bay of Biscay, where we encountered a short though very severe gale of wind. Nothing occurred more than is usual in all gales.After the wind abated we again made sail and stood for Gibralter, where we touched for the purpose of getting some recruits, such as hogs, fowls, &c.Gibralter is situated upon a point of land at the south of Europe, on the north side of the Straits of Gibralter, which forms a communication between the Atlantic and Mediterranean sea. It belongs to Great Britain, and is undoubtedly the strongest fortress in the world, and is supposed to be impregnable. The length, fromthe Spanish line to the most southern point is three miles, and the circumference seven. No communication can be held between the garrison of this fortress, and the rest of Spain, owing to a strongly fortified line drawn for the purpose by the Spaniards.The town is defended on the water side by a line of ramparts forming a continued fortification from the north and perpendicular side of the rock, to the extremity of the Moors' wall, which was built about the year one thousand. This wall divides the rock into two equal parts, running from the water's side up a very steep ascent.Since the time this wall was built, fortifications have been carried entirely round the rock, and works cut into the interior on the perpendicular side, which renders them impregnable.Since this place was captured by the English they have excavated the rock, forming galleries and caverns of several thousand feet in length, and in case an enemy should carry the outer works, the besieged can retire to these subterraneous passages, and there hold out against an immensely superior force.These galleries are at an elevation of from 300 to 1300 feet above the surface of the plain below. They are arranged in tiers, each forming a battery, of which there are 23 in number. Were a general battery of all the embrazures to take place at the same time, it would afford one of the grandest spectacles in the world.In every place where it is possible to make an attack even with a small number of men, cannon are planted upon the surface of the rock, and these are at such an elevation, and the use of them so well understood, thatthe object aimed at is hit with as much certainty as with a fusee.Should the lines near the water be carried by an enemy, they would have to dispute the ascent to the top of the mountain inch by inch, and should they even succeed in obtaining possession of the whole surface of the mountain, they would have to combat an army in the bowels of the rock against a thousand mines and other artifices, which would render the situation of the assailants very unsafe and dangerous. There are close quarters in the rocks for 1200 men, and provisions for three years, with a sufficient quantity of ammunition always stored there.Since the English took Gibralter in 1704, it has been repeatedly besieged but always without success. The combined forces of Spain and France laid siege to it in 1779, and after four years of the most strenuous and powerful efforts to reduce it, were obliged to abandon the project, and withdraw.Thus much for a description of Gibralter, which I should not give at such length were it not a place of peculiar interest.We weighed our anchor once more for Alexandria. Nothing worthy of notice occurred on our passage. We came to anchor four or five miles from the town and were immediately boarded by an officer of customs and put under quarantine, although the captain was allowed on shore to attend to his business. At the expiration of the quarantine (ten days) we weighed anchor and stood further in shore. Capt. Wright seeing the impossibility of procuring a cargo of cotton and rice, proposed visiting the Dead Sea.The Consul, falling in with the idea, and wishing to go himself, procured for the journey horses and asses, the former for the use of the captain and officers, and the latter for the sailors and servants.We started, our company numbering about 30, with our provisions and baggage lashed upon the asses. Soon after crossing the Nile we came into a large prairie of tall grass through which was a straight and narrow path, only wide enough for one to ride at a time. After riding about 15 miles, we came to a little village, chiefly the residence of Copts, (a race of people generally considered as the descendants of the ancient Egyptians, being of a light mulatto color, black eyes, high cheek bones, short nose, large mouth, thick lips and half wooly hair. Some of the females are exceedingly handsome and of graceful and easy carriage.) Here we refreshed ourselves and horses, and amused ourselves by shooting birds of different kinds.After our horses were rested, we proceeded on our way, passing through a piece of woods heavily timbered about a mile in width. This wood was literally filled with birds of every description, some of them possessing musical powers far superior to many of the human family. Beyond this wood in the open field we found a large spring of most delightful clear cold water, with which we filled our skins. The day being nearly spent, we rode as fast as we could urge the animals along. The horses being more fleet than the asses, soon left them behind. It was impossible to increase their speed or even make them retain the old pace except by the most severe beatings. We rode until 11 o'clock before we could overtake those with the horses, when we foundthem quietly reposing under a thatched roof which had been built by some travelers, or some other persons and deserted.Here we allturned intogether, if it could be called "turning in" to camp down on the bare ground without blankets or other bed clothing to protect us from the night air, and musquitoes who were swarming around by thousands. We got but little rest.As soon as the light appeared in the east, we mounted and were on our journey again. About 9 o'clock we made a halt in a grove and took our morning repast. We soon crossed the great road which leads from Suez to Jerusalem. Here we made a stop and shot a few birds. While tarrying here a caravan of 40 camels came along from Suez bound to Joppa, laden with goods of all kinds.The traveling is usually done in caravans or armed bodies, as a safeguard against the many robbers (who are usually wandering Arabs) who infest the country, capturing and sacking everything which comes in their way.We soon crossed a small river or creek, about two feet in depth, which the natives called the outlet of the Dead Sea, which led us into a large open country, with here and there a grove or cluster of trees. By the continual application of the clubs over the heads of our asses, we were enabled to keep a moderate pace, though not equal to that of the horses.The second night was passed similar to the first. On the morning of the third day we reached the point of our destination.The Dead Sea, or Lake Asphaltites as it is sometimescalled, (from the great quantities of bituminous and inflammable substance which are found floating on its surface) lies in Palestine and is about 60 miles long and 15 wide. It covers the ground on which stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, buried according to history, by an earthquake, with frequent eruptions of fire, or according to Scriptural expression, by a "rain of sulphur."Many superstitious prejudices have been entertained relative to the Dead Sea, which are entirely unfounded in truth. It has been said, that "beautiful fruit grows upon its shores, which is no sooner touched, than it becomes dust and bitter ashes," that its waters prove destructive to animal life, and that numerous are the victims to the exhalation of the atmosphere in the vicinity.But on the contrary, I can assure my readers that this pretended "fruit of ashes" is a natural and admirable production, that its waters swarm with myriads of fishes, and that certain birds make this lake their peculiar resort, and do not become "victims to its exhalations." Bodies sink or float in it according to the proportion of their gravity to the gravity of the water. The bituminous substance, called Asphaltas, which is found upon its surface, is thrown up from the bottom in a melted state by the agency of subterranean heat, and having become solid by the coldness of the water, is collected on the margin of the lake. This is a valuable article, and is much used for various purposes, in the United States.At the time of our visit, the surface of the sea was unruffled by a breeze, and as smooth as a mirror. Wesaw none of those clouds of vapor or smoke which are said to rise from the surface of the lake and from the neighboring mountain. Every thing about it was, in the highest degree, grand and awful. We approached the shore, and here we found that the stones were of a combustible nature and would ignite by the application of a match, owing we supposed to their being covered with the bituminous substance.Among the various kinds of birds we found, there was one worthy of our particular attention. This is called the Sounding bird, and is of a dark gray color, and the size of the body will well compare with that of the New England pigeon. The head was as large as that of a common goose, and on the top of it is a semi-circular shell of about six inches in length and two in breadth, (at the top) and covered with a thin skin. This shell is hollow. These birds were such a curiosity that we carried several of them back with us to the ship.After remaining at the sea thirty-six hours, we set out on our return. During the first day of our journey back, the officers kept us company; but on the morning of the second day they put spurs to their horses, and left us far behind. We rode all night, and arrived at Alexandria about five o'clock in the morning of the third day. Greatly fatigued with the journey, I went into a barn, or shed, and fell asleep on a pile of straw, where I remained until near sunset. As soon as I emerged from the shed, I was accosted by one of my shipmates with "Halloo! where have you been this long time?""Under the lee of a bundle of straw," I replied."Well, all the Copts of Egypt have been searching for you," said he, "until at last we concluded that you had fallen a victim to the poisonous atmosphere of the Dead Sea, and gone off yourself inevaporation. We therefore have got the cargo ready without your assistance; but if you are still in amortalstate, and capable of hauling a rope, (as your refreshed appearance would indicate,) then bear a hand, for every thing is ready." We then went on board, where I found the cargo stowed; consisting of cotton, ivory, gums, &c., and all things in preparation to weigh the anchor.I will in this place give my readers a brief description of some of the curiosities of Egypt; and some general characteristics of the inhabitants, which come under my observation, during my stay in that country. Of all the wonders of this truly wonderful country, the ruins and antiquities which it contains, are perhaps the greatest. The mechanical labors and monuments of the ancient Egyptians are beyond the imitation of modern times.Among the many ruins of Alexandria, the most prominent are Pompey's Pillar, and Cleopatra's Needle. There are other magnificent remains, such as prostrate rows of marble columns, and mutilated capitals. Pompey's Pillar stands upon a pedestal twelve feet high. The shaft is round, and one hundred feet in height. The diameter is about nine feet. Cleopatra's Needle is sixty-four feet high, and eight feet square at the base. The shaft is granite, covered with hieroglyphics.There are a great number of Pyramids scattered over the country, but the most remarkable are those of Djizeh, Sakhara, and Darhour. The size of these is so great, that they appear to the spectator to be near athand, when he is many leagues distant from them. The account of Herodotus is, that ten years were consumed in preparing a road whereon to draw the immense blocks of stone; and the labors of 100,000 men employed, who were relieved once in three months.The largest is ascribed to Cheops. It covers an area of eleven acres, and is four hundred and eighty feet high, one hundred and twenty-seven feet higher than the cross of St. Paul's, in London. The entrances to those pyramids which have been explored, descend at exactly the same angle, and at the same part of the fabric. Various passages and chambers have been discovered by great labor, and wells or shafts conducting from above to the lower apartments. The entrances are artfully concealed in the wall, thirty feet or less above the base. The passages were sometimes stopped with a solid block of granite, made, however, to slide upwards by the force of a lever.Immense chambers have been found in them, hewn from the solid rock. Belzoni found one forty-eight feet in length, sixteen wide, and twenty-four high. The pyramids are composed of immense blocks of stone, laid upon each other in the receding manner of steps. The celebrated Sphynx, of which so much has been written, is now almost buried in sand. The head and neck only remain uncovered. The form is that of a woman's head and breast on the body of a lion. Since buried in the sand, it has once been excavated and measured. The length was found to be one hundred and thirty feet, the breast was thirty-three feet wide, and the head and neck twenty-seven feet high,—the whole, exceptthe paws, which are of masonry, was cut from the solid rock.Alexandria, the scene of many of these ruins, is situated upon the Mediterranean Sea, and has communication with the river Nile by means of a canal. This city was founded by Alexander the Great, and rose immediately to wealth and greatness; and for science and literature was second only to Rome. It once contained 600,000 inhabitants. After its capture by the Saracens, it began to decline, and the discovery of the passage to India destroyed its commercial importance. At present it consists of narrow, crooked, and dirty streets, and lofty buildings, and is surrounded by a high stone wall. The population at the present time cannot exceed 15,000. Egypt is inhabited by a number of distinct tribes, or classes. The most numerous are the Fellahs, or Arab cultivators; the descendants of the ancient conquerors; these are well formed, and active, though lean. They have fine teeth, and sunken, sparkling eyes. Upper Egypt is settled principally by the Copts, of whom I have before spoken. Besides these are Greeks, Jews, Syrians, Turks, &c., scattered over the country.The people are so various, that the customs are therefore different in the different classes. The Arabs are cheerful, quiet, and have many good qualities. The Jews are filthy, and avaricious; they are generally merchants, and officers of the customs. The inhabitants of the cities are indolent and sensual; have but little employment, and their amusements are of a depraving kind. The women are vailed, and secluded, as in all oriental countries, but they have still much freedom.Beauty is esteemed by weight, as in many Mohammedan countries, and the Christian observes various trifling practices, totally at variance with those to which he has been accustomed. The beard is worn and the hair shaven. The men wear petticoats, and the women trowsers. Fingers supply the place of forks; a cushion is used instead of a chair, and a tray instead of a table is set upon the floor. Females hide their faces and display their bosoms. Many things seem to be adhered to because they are at variance with European usage. The inhabitants delight in exhibitions of wrestlers, rope dancers, &c. The exhibitions of the serpent charmers, are terrific—they handle the serpent with perfect familiarity, and are seldom bitten. There are numerous dancing women who perform in public, but their exhibitions conform to the state of moral sentiment, and are such as would not be tolerated in America. Marriages in Egypt are generally contracted by the intervention of friends, and frequently the parties do not see each other till the ceremony. The females are often married at fifteen, and sometimes at an earlier age. The climate is peculiar, during eight months in the year, from March to November; the heat is almost insupportable to a European, or American. During the whole of this season the air is inflamed, the sky sparkling, and the heat oppressive to all unaccustomed to it. The southerly winds which sometimes blow there are called by the nativespoisonouswinds, or the hot winds of the desert. They are of such extreme heat that no animated body exposed to them can withstand their pernicious influence. During the three days of the southern blast, the streets are deserted; and woe to thetraveler whom this wind surprises remote from shelter; when it exceeds three days it is insupportable. Very frequently the inhabitants are almost blinded with drifts of sand, but these evils are in a great measure remedied by the rising and overflowing of the Nile. This occurs annually, and supplies the deficiency of rain, (very little falling in that country,) in producing the vast fertility for which Egypt is so famed.The river begins to rise the last of May, and continues till September. At the height of its flood in Lower Egypt, nothing is to be seen in the plains but the tops of forest and fruit trees; the towns and villages being for that reason built upon eminences, either natural or artificial. When the river is at its proper height, the inhabitants celebrate a kind of jubilee with great festivity. The banks or mounds which confine it, are cut by the Turkish Pasha, attended by his grandees; and after this ceremony, the water is led into what they call the khalix, or grand canal, which runs through Cairo, whence it is distributed into cuts for supplying the fields and gardens. The irrigation is effected by machinery. This being done, and the waters beginning to retire, such is the fertility of the soil that the labor of the husbandman is next to nothing. Nothing can be more charming than the prospect which the face of the country presents in rising corn, vegetables and verdure of every sort. Oranges and lemons perfume the air; dates, grapes, and figs cheer the eye; and palm trees which afford the means of making wine, are blooming and abundant. March and April are the harvest months, and they produce three crops, one of lettuces and cucumbers, (the latter being the ordinary food of the inhabitants,) one of corn, and one of melons.

Sail in the Borneo for Limerick. A Man is found secreted on board. Conduct of the Captain. Sympathy of the Crew. Terrible Storm. Wretchedness of our Situation. Account of the loss of the Francis Spade. Singular occurrence. The Storm continues. Reach the Shannon. The rolling of the Killserphine. Its Tradition. Reach Limerick. Sail for London. Sail for Egypt. Description of Gibraltar. Arrive at the quarantine ground off Alexandria. Go to the Dead Sea. Its description. Return to Alexandria. Curiosities and History of Egypt. Manners and Customs of the People.

I shipped on board the ship Borneo, Captain Gorman of and for Limerick. We weighed our anchor about the first of April, 1839, with a crew of twenty-four men, including officers. We had a very pleasant sail down the river. The third day after we stood out of Quebec, a man made his appearance on board, who was a stranger to all excepting the captain and mate. The captain inquired how he came there; he replied that he belonged to Killruch, and had offered him (the captain) all the money he had, which was less than the passage money, and being very anxious to go home, was determined the ship should not leave without him; consequently he watched an opportunity to secrete himself on board; and when the watch was on deck, or when the watch was below asleep, he would crawl from his hiding place to the store-room, where he would get enough to supply himuntil another opportunity offered for him to get another supply. This he continued until the third day as mentioned. The captain, after hearing his story, ordered the mate, who was an old schoolmate, and fellow associate of his, to tie him to the capstan, and pour cold water over him every half hour. This the mate refused to do to one to whom he was so strongly attached. The man as well as the captain insisted upon it; still he refused. The crew then proposed to pay his passage, which the captain accepted, and the man was released.

The wind blowing a fresh breeze soon brought us in sight of Newfoundland. The breeze freshening each moment, soon became a perfect gale. The captain thought best to run through the straits of Bellisle—the channel that separates New Foundland from Labrador—passing through in the night during the first watch. We stowed the main sky-sail, and fore, main and mizzen royals, also tried the pumps. About midnight, the cry of "all hands ahoy." "Bear a hand up, and reef top-sails." The three top-sails were reefed, and the top-gallant sails set over them, and the main-sail furled. When this was done, the whiskey, as was usual in those days in such times, was passed around. This occupied two or three hours, when we went below again. At four we were called again, this being a new or second watch. The order, "clew up the top-gallant sails and stow them," was quickly obeyed, when another, "lay aft my lads, splice the main brace," (meaning, take another round of whiskey,) "man your top-sails, reef tackles and clew lines, lower away your halyards roundly. When all is done, lay aloft and reefyour sails." Soon the seven bells called the watch to breakfast. The ship at this time was laboring very heavy under the press of canvass. The wheel got the advantage of the helmsman, and in an instant broached to; at the same time a heavy sea boarding her, swept the caboose clear from the deck, leaving the cooking apparatus, it being strongly secured by large bolts to the deck, or we should have lost our whole breakfast; as it was it was hardly worth eating, being wet with salt water.

The ship was soon got before the wind again; the pumps were examined, and seven feet of water found in the hold. The pumps were rigged, and all hands were obliged to take their turn at them. The ship was heavily deck loaded, which rendered it very crank, or, in other words, easily to be upset; as well as made it extremely difficult to go about on deck to work the ship, and making it altogether unsafe, as there was nothing to prevent our being washed overboard. We lashed ourselves to the railing around the mainmast, and thus we stood for twenty-four hours, having nothing to eat but a few hard biscuit, taking a glass of whiskey as often as every half or three-fourths of an hour. The gale still increased,—the sea under our stern would raise the ship to such a height, that for a moment it appeared as if she would go over in end; then she would fall again, and for a moment be engulphed between two high seas apparently fifty or sixty feet high, when they would come again with seemingly greater fury. When rising this wave, it appeared as if the ship went at the rate of 14 or 16 knots an hour. Keeping the pumps at work constantly, we were enabled to check the increaseof the water; but still so great was the leakage, that we could not decrease the quantity already in the hold. This was truly discouraging. Whiskey was dealt out freely, which served in some degree to drive away the fear of the moment.

One night, when under close reefed main-top-sail and fore-sail, with two men at the wheel, our ship broached to, or suddenly turned to the windward of her course, which presented her side to the wind, and greatly endangered her upsetting. At this time all hands were aloft, reefing and securing the sails that had blown adrift from the yards. Those that were at that time from the mast, upon the yards, sought safety by clinging to the yard, which brought them erect upon the same. Others, that were near the masts, lay at, or were in a horizontal position. While she lay upon her beam ends, a heavy sea boarded her, sweeping the hurricane house, bed, and bedding of the second mate, spare sails, ropes, and six casks of meat, clear from the deck, and disabling one of the men at the wheel. At length she righted, quite to the disappointment of all on board; for we all expected she was lost. In this condition we lay, drifting at the mercy of the wind and waves twelve hours, when we loosed the fore-sail and fore top-mast-stay-sail after goose winging (or fastening the clew or lower corner of the sail, while the middle is secured or fastened to the yard) the fore-sail and boarding the fore-tacks, set the stay-sails, and put the helm hard up. She payed off a little, and shivering the main-top-sail, we were soon before the wind again, running at the rate of 12 or 15 knots per hour. The wind abating somewhat, allowed us to make a little sail. Our top-sailsand fore-top-mast-studding-sails were set on both sides. A squall suddenly arose, blowing our fore-top-mast studding sails from the yards and braces, the fore-top-sail was in an instant torn from the bolt rope, leaving only a few fragments hanging to it.

At the time the squall arose all hands were at the pumps, and six only could possibly be spared to secure the sails that the wind had left hanging to the yards, or to cut the fragments of those torn from the ropes, clear. Being one of this number, I hastened to perform the order. As I came up over the run, I saw a Russian in the attitude of prayer. I stopped a moment, not wishing to interfere with his devotion. Another of the crew soon came up, and going up to the Russian while yet upon his knees, gave him a hearty kick in the ribs! at the same time advising him with oaths and imprecations, to put off his praying until better weather, and attend to the safety of the ship. We succeeded, though at the peril of our lives, in securing the sails. Our condition was now indeed wretched, seemingly the worst that could be pictured.

The crew upon whom the management of our now half water-logged ship devolved, were much worn with fatigue and hunger, having nothing to eat save what we took raw and wet, there being no place to cook anything, as the water which constantly swept over the deck, rendered our attempts to build and support a fire fruitless. Consequently we ate raw pork and beef, with bread which had been completely wet through with salt water.

To add to our almost insupportable suffering, the deck, by the constant straining and tossing of the ship,leaked so badly that every article of clothing, bed and bedding, were completely drenched, so that we were not only destitute of an occasional dry suit, but were deprived of a dry and comfortable place in which to rest ourselves, when for a moment we could in turns be spared from the arduous duties of our situation.

In giving a just and accurate description of this, as well as every other storm at sea, the pen entirely fails. There can be no just conception of it, but by having it vividly impressed upon the mind, by keen, sensitive reality.

The same Capt. Gorman, who had the command of our ship had a few years before, commanded one called the Francis Spade, and by his mismanagement, she water-logged, was dismasted, and lost. The crew of that ill-fated vessel remained upon the wreck seven days in a state of starvation, their ship stores having been swept away. They at last resorted to the horrible extreme of casting lots, to see which should fall a victim to satisfy the hunger of the rest. The first lot fell upon a boy 12 or 15 years of age. Knowing his fate, with that degree of fortitude that characterized the martyrs of other days, he set about putting an end to his own life by bleeding. After trying in vain to open a vein in his arm, he called for a blanket, which he wrapped around his form; then cutting a deep gash in the bottom of both feet, calmly laid himself down to meet the death which it was his lot to suffer. No sooner had the pulse ceased to beat, than the body was divided among the half famished crew, who with the rapacity of tigers fell to devouring it. Two other boys afterwards fell victims to the same fate.

Some of our crew being rather superstitious, fancied they heard groans and deep sighs, when we were in the vicinity of the scene of the above related horrible transaction. So firmly was the belief established in their minds, that nothing could dissuade them from it, and often would they mention it as an actual occurrence.

In this situation we passed another night, hoping that the morning would bring relief. Our hopes were not realized, but quite to the contrary, for the gale increased instead of abating. All hands were called to close-reef the main-top-sail, the pumps were obliged to be kept in constant operation, there having been seven feet of water in the hold since the first commencement of the gale.

A heavy sea struck the ship and spun the wheel at which I was stationed, rapidly around, the spokes of it caught me under the jacket, throwing me heels over head and thrusting me head foremost through a partition of stout panel-work, which left me senseless for a moment. The captain being near caught the wheel and prevented the ship from broaching to, which it must have done and perhaps to our entire loss, had not timely assistance been offered.

I was carried below, my shoulder bathed and placed in a sling—after the pain had subsided somewhat, I went to the pumps, working with one hand, thus relieving one man who could render assistance elsewhere. There I remained three days and two nights with but little cessation, when at the expiration of this time the gale abated. We saw the Skelligo light on the coast of Ireland and in a few hours we weresafely in the mouth of the river Shannon, which is navigated by large ships 200 miles.

Here we took pilot and made sail up the river. Soon we were land-locked and could make no progress. All hands were called to bend a fore-top-sail, and while bending it, the pilot spoke, saying, "we are in theKillserphine!" the captain replied that "it was not the season for it to break." This was no sooner said, than a noise was heard like distant thunder, which caused all hands to look for its cause, when to our surprise we saw a heavy sea rolling half mast high, and coming directly towards us.

The captain in agony of mind exclaimed, "My God! we are all lost!"

The sea struck us, washing one of the men from the wheel, and filling the decks with water, but doing no damage save carrying away the carved work on the stern and the starboard quarter boat. This was followed by one of less magnitude scarcely washing the deck. The third one beat lightly against the stern.

This occasioned much surprise among the crew, for many of them knew not what it meant, having never before heard of such a place.

Upon inquiry respecting it, I was informed by an Irishman, over whose head 90 winters, which he recollects, have passed, that once there was an island in the Shannon on which was a castle and other buildings, and that by the workings of nature that island gradually sunk away, until it disappeared entirely, and now each year the soundings are found to vary, there yet being a gradual sinking of the river's bottom. The water is now 11 or 12 fathoms deep.

During each year, (it is said by those upon whom reliance can be placed) there are three swells or rollings of the sea, the same as those above described, and at no stated or regular times, often taking the mariner by surprise. This to the incredulous may seem to be unworthy of credit; but I have the testimony of hundreds to the truth of the same. The cause of this phenomenon I shall not attempt to state.

We came to anchor about the middle of April, 1839. Seven of us were sent to the hospital, where I remained fourteen days, when getting my discharge, I went to a boarding-house where I remained only a few days, and then shipped on board the brig Bryanabbs of Limerick, Capt. Gorman, (a brother of the captain of the Borneo) bound for London, with wheat in bulk for cargo. We reached London the middle of May.

There I remained but a short time, having a berth offered me on board the Bengal, Capt. Wright, bound for Alexandria.

Getting before a fair wind we were soon in the Bay of Biscay, where we encountered a short though very severe gale of wind. Nothing occurred more than is usual in all gales.

After the wind abated we again made sail and stood for Gibralter, where we touched for the purpose of getting some recruits, such as hogs, fowls, &c.

Gibralter is situated upon a point of land at the south of Europe, on the north side of the Straits of Gibralter, which forms a communication between the Atlantic and Mediterranean sea. It belongs to Great Britain, and is undoubtedly the strongest fortress in the world, and is supposed to be impregnable. The length, fromthe Spanish line to the most southern point is three miles, and the circumference seven. No communication can be held between the garrison of this fortress, and the rest of Spain, owing to a strongly fortified line drawn for the purpose by the Spaniards.

The town is defended on the water side by a line of ramparts forming a continued fortification from the north and perpendicular side of the rock, to the extremity of the Moors' wall, which was built about the year one thousand. This wall divides the rock into two equal parts, running from the water's side up a very steep ascent.

Since the time this wall was built, fortifications have been carried entirely round the rock, and works cut into the interior on the perpendicular side, which renders them impregnable.

Since this place was captured by the English they have excavated the rock, forming galleries and caverns of several thousand feet in length, and in case an enemy should carry the outer works, the besieged can retire to these subterraneous passages, and there hold out against an immensely superior force.

These galleries are at an elevation of from 300 to 1300 feet above the surface of the plain below. They are arranged in tiers, each forming a battery, of which there are 23 in number. Were a general battery of all the embrazures to take place at the same time, it would afford one of the grandest spectacles in the world.

In every place where it is possible to make an attack even with a small number of men, cannon are planted upon the surface of the rock, and these are at such an elevation, and the use of them so well understood, thatthe object aimed at is hit with as much certainty as with a fusee.

Should the lines near the water be carried by an enemy, they would have to dispute the ascent to the top of the mountain inch by inch, and should they even succeed in obtaining possession of the whole surface of the mountain, they would have to combat an army in the bowels of the rock against a thousand mines and other artifices, which would render the situation of the assailants very unsafe and dangerous. There are close quarters in the rocks for 1200 men, and provisions for three years, with a sufficient quantity of ammunition always stored there.

Since the English took Gibralter in 1704, it has been repeatedly besieged but always without success. The combined forces of Spain and France laid siege to it in 1779, and after four years of the most strenuous and powerful efforts to reduce it, were obliged to abandon the project, and withdraw.

Thus much for a description of Gibralter, which I should not give at such length were it not a place of peculiar interest.

We weighed our anchor once more for Alexandria. Nothing worthy of notice occurred on our passage. We came to anchor four or five miles from the town and were immediately boarded by an officer of customs and put under quarantine, although the captain was allowed on shore to attend to his business. At the expiration of the quarantine (ten days) we weighed anchor and stood further in shore. Capt. Wright seeing the impossibility of procuring a cargo of cotton and rice, proposed visiting the Dead Sea.

The Consul, falling in with the idea, and wishing to go himself, procured for the journey horses and asses, the former for the use of the captain and officers, and the latter for the sailors and servants.

We started, our company numbering about 30, with our provisions and baggage lashed upon the asses. Soon after crossing the Nile we came into a large prairie of tall grass through which was a straight and narrow path, only wide enough for one to ride at a time. After riding about 15 miles, we came to a little village, chiefly the residence of Copts, (a race of people generally considered as the descendants of the ancient Egyptians, being of a light mulatto color, black eyes, high cheek bones, short nose, large mouth, thick lips and half wooly hair. Some of the females are exceedingly handsome and of graceful and easy carriage.) Here we refreshed ourselves and horses, and amused ourselves by shooting birds of different kinds.

After our horses were rested, we proceeded on our way, passing through a piece of woods heavily timbered about a mile in width. This wood was literally filled with birds of every description, some of them possessing musical powers far superior to many of the human family. Beyond this wood in the open field we found a large spring of most delightful clear cold water, with which we filled our skins. The day being nearly spent, we rode as fast as we could urge the animals along. The horses being more fleet than the asses, soon left them behind. It was impossible to increase their speed or even make them retain the old pace except by the most severe beatings. We rode until 11 o'clock before we could overtake those with the horses, when we foundthem quietly reposing under a thatched roof which had been built by some travelers, or some other persons and deserted.

Here we allturned intogether, if it could be called "turning in" to camp down on the bare ground without blankets or other bed clothing to protect us from the night air, and musquitoes who were swarming around by thousands. We got but little rest.

As soon as the light appeared in the east, we mounted and were on our journey again. About 9 o'clock we made a halt in a grove and took our morning repast. We soon crossed the great road which leads from Suez to Jerusalem. Here we made a stop and shot a few birds. While tarrying here a caravan of 40 camels came along from Suez bound to Joppa, laden with goods of all kinds.

The traveling is usually done in caravans or armed bodies, as a safeguard against the many robbers (who are usually wandering Arabs) who infest the country, capturing and sacking everything which comes in their way.

We soon crossed a small river or creek, about two feet in depth, which the natives called the outlet of the Dead Sea, which led us into a large open country, with here and there a grove or cluster of trees. By the continual application of the clubs over the heads of our asses, we were enabled to keep a moderate pace, though not equal to that of the horses.

The second night was passed similar to the first. On the morning of the third day we reached the point of our destination.

The Dead Sea, or Lake Asphaltites as it is sometimescalled, (from the great quantities of bituminous and inflammable substance which are found floating on its surface) lies in Palestine and is about 60 miles long and 15 wide. It covers the ground on which stood the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, buried according to history, by an earthquake, with frequent eruptions of fire, or according to Scriptural expression, by a "rain of sulphur."

Many superstitious prejudices have been entertained relative to the Dead Sea, which are entirely unfounded in truth. It has been said, that "beautiful fruit grows upon its shores, which is no sooner touched, than it becomes dust and bitter ashes," that its waters prove destructive to animal life, and that numerous are the victims to the exhalation of the atmosphere in the vicinity.

But on the contrary, I can assure my readers that this pretended "fruit of ashes" is a natural and admirable production, that its waters swarm with myriads of fishes, and that certain birds make this lake their peculiar resort, and do not become "victims to its exhalations." Bodies sink or float in it according to the proportion of their gravity to the gravity of the water. The bituminous substance, called Asphaltas, which is found upon its surface, is thrown up from the bottom in a melted state by the agency of subterranean heat, and having become solid by the coldness of the water, is collected on the margin of the lake. This is a valuable article, and is much used for various purposes, in the United States.

At the time of our visit, the surface of the sea was unruffled by a breeze, and as smooth as a mirror. Wesaw none of those clouds of vapor or smoke which are said to rise from the surface of the lake and from the neighboring mountain. Every thing about it was, in the highest degree, grand and awful. We approached the shore, and here we found that the stones were of a combustible nature and would ignite by the application of a match, owing we supposed to their being covered with the bituminous substance.

Among the various kinds of birds we found, there was one worthy of our particular attention. This is called the Sounding bird, and is of a dark gray color, and the size of the body will well compare with that of the New England pigeon. The head was as large as that of a common goose, and on the top of it is a semi-circular shell of about six inches in length and two in breadth, (at the top) and covered with a thin skin. This shell is hollow. These birds were such a curiosity that we carried several of them back with us to the ship.

After remaining at the sea thirty-six hours, we set out on our return. During the first day of our journey back, the officers kept us company; but on the morning of the second day they put spurs to their horses, and left us far behind. We rode all night, and arrived at Alexandria about five o'clock in the morning of the third day. Greatly fatigued with the journey, I went into a barn, or shed, and fell asleep on a pile of straw, where I remained until near sunset. As soon as I emerged from the shed, I was accosted by one of my shipmates with "Halloo! where have you been this long time?"

"Under the lee of a bundle of straw," I replied.

"Well, all the Copts of Egypt have been searching for you," said he, "until at last we concluded that you had fallen a victim to the poisonous atmosphere of the Dead Sea, and gone off yourself inevaporation. We therefore have got the cargo ready without your assistance; but if you are still in amortalstate, and capable of hauling a rope, (as your refreshed appearance would indicate,) then bear a hand, for every thing is ready." We then went on board, where I found the cargo stowed; consisting of cotton, ivory, gums, &c., and all things in preparation to weigh the anchor.

I will in this place give my readers a brief description of some of the curiosities of Egypt; and some general characteristics of the inhabitants, which come under my observation, during my stay in that country. Of all the wonders of this truly wonderful country, the ruins and antiquities which it contains, are perhaps the greatest. The mechanical labors and monuments of the ancient Egyptians are beyond the imitation of modern times.

Among the many ruins of Alexandria, the most prominent are Pompey's Pillar, and Cleopatra's Needle. There are other magnificent remains, such as prostrate rows of marble columns, and mutilated capitals. Pompey's Pillar stands upon a pedestal twelve feet high. The shaft is round, and one hundred feet in height. The diameter is about nine feet. Cleopatra's Needle is sixty-four feet high, and eight feet square at the base. The shaft is granite, covered with hieroglyphics.

There are a great number of Pyramids scattered over the country, but the most remarkable are those of Djizeh, Sakhara, and Darhour. The size of these is so great, that they appear to the spectator to be near athand, when he is many leagues distant from them. The account of Herodotus is, that ten years were consumed in preparing a road whereon to draw the immense blocks of stone; and the labors of 100,000 men employed, who were relieved once in three months.

The largest is ascribed to Cheops. It covers an area of eleven acres, and is four hundred and eighty feet high, one hundred and twenty-seven feet higher than the cross of St. Paul's, in London. The entrances to those pyramids which have been explored, descend at exactly the same angle, and at the same part of the fabric. Various passages and chambers have been discovered by great labor, and wells or shafts conducting from above to the lower apartments. The entrances are artfully concealed in the wall, thirty feet or less above the base. The passages were sometimes stopped with a solid block of granite, made, however, to slide upwards by the force of a lever.

Immense chambers have been found in them, hewn from the solid rock. Belzoni found one forty-eight feet in length, sixteen wide, and twenty-four high. The pyramids are composed of immense blocks of stone, laid upon each other in the receding manner of steps. The celebrated Sphynx, of which so much has been written, is now almost buried in sand. The head and neck only remain uncovered. The form is that of a woman's head and breast on the body of a lion. Since buried in the sand, it has once been excavated and measured. The length was found to be one hundred and thirty feet, the breast was thirty-three feet wide, and the head and neck twenty-seven feet high,—the whole, exceptthe paws, which are of masonry, was cut from the solid rock.

Alexandria, the scene of many of these ruins, is situated upon the Mediterranean Sea, and has communication with the river Nile by means of a canal. This city was founded by Alexander the Great, and rose immediately to wealth and greatness; and for science and literature was second only to Rome. It once contained 600,000 inhabitants. After its capture by the Saracens, it began to decline, and the discovery of the passage to India destroyed its commercial importance. At present it consists of narrow, crooked, and dirty streets, and lofty buildings, and is surrounded by a high stone wall. The population at the present time cannot exceed 15,000. Egypt is inhabited by a number of distinct tribes, or classes. The most numerous are the Fellahs, or Arab cultivators; the descendants of the ancient conquerors; these are well formed, and active, though lean. They have fine teeth, and sunken, sparkling eyes. Upper Egypt is settled principally by the Copts, of whom I have before spoken. Besides these are Greeks, Jews, Syrians, Turks, &c., scattered over the country.

The people are so various, that the customs are therefore different in the different classes. The Arabs are cheerful, quiet, and have many good qualities. The Jews are filthy, and avaricious; they are generally merchants, and officers of the customs. The inhabitants of the cities are indolent and sensual; have but little employment, and their amusements are of a depraving kind. The women are vailed, and secluded, as in all oriental countries, but they have still much freedom.Beauty is esteemed by weight, as in many Mohammedan countries, and the Christian observes various trifling practices, totally at variance with those to which he has been accustomed. The beard is worn and the hair shaven. The men wear petticoats, and the women trowsers. Fingers supply the place of forks; a cushion is used instead of a chair, and a tray instead of a table is set upon the floor. Females hide their faces and display their bosoms. Many things seem to be adhered to because they are at variance with European usage. The inhabitants delight in exhibitions of wrestlers, rope dancers, &c. The exhibitions of the serpent charmers, are terrific—they handle the serpent with perfect familiarity, and are seldom bitten. There are numerous dancing women who perform in public, but their exhibitions conform to the state of moral sentiment, and are such as would not be tolerated in America. Marriages in Egypt are generally contracted by the intervention of friends, and frequently the parties do not see each other till the ceremony. The females are often married at fifteen, and sometimes at an earlier age. The climate is peculiar, during eight months in the year, from March to November; the heat is almost insupportable to a European, or American. During the whole of this season the air is inflamed, the sky sparkling, and the heat oppressive to all unaccustomed to it. The southerly winds which sometimes blow there are called by the nativespoisonouswinds, or the hot winds of the desert. They are of such extreme heat that no animated body exposed to them can withstand their pernicious influence. During the three days of the southern blast, the streets are deserted; and woe to thetraveler whom this wind surprises remote from shelter; when it exceeds three days it is insupportable. Very frequently the inhabitants are almost blinded with drifts of sand, but these evils are in a great measure remedied by the rising and overflowing of the Nile. This occurs annually, and supplies the deficiency of rain, (very little falling in that country,) in producing the vast fertility for which Egypt is so famed.

The river begins to rise the last of May, and continues till September. At the height of its flood in Lower Egypt, nothing is to be seen in the plains but the tops of forest and fruit trees; the towns and villages being for that reason built upon eminences, either natural or artificial. When the river is at its proper height, the inhabitants celebrate a kind of jubilee with great festivity. The banks or mounds which confine it, are cut by the Turkish Pasha, attended by his grandees; and after this ceremony, the water is led into what they call the khalix, or grand canal, which runs through Cairo, whence it is distributed into cuts for supplying the fields and gardens. The irrigation is effected by machinery. This being done, and the waters beginning to retire, such is the fertility of the soil that the labor of the husbandman is next to nothing. Nothing can be more charming than the prospect which the face of the country presents in rising corn, vegetables and verdure of every sort. Oranges and lemons perfume the air; dates, grapes, and figs cheer the eye; and palm trees which afford the means of making wine, are blooming and abundant. March and April are the harvest months, and they produce three crops, one of lettuces and cucumbers, (the latter being the ordinary food of the inhabitants,) one of corn, and one of melons.

CHAPTER XVI.Sail for London. Arrive at the Downs. Sail for St. Johns. A dense fog. Bay of Fundy. Come to anchor at St. Johns. Proceed to London. Sail for the East Indies. Study Navigation. Arrive at St. Helena. Tomb of Napoleon. Reach Cape Town. Description of the Country. Of the several Tribes. Arrive at Calcutta. Description of the Ganges, and its Religious Rites. Of Calcutta. Sail for Canton. Tiger Island. Straits of Malacca. Preparations for Pirates. Arrive at Canton. Its description. Chinese Floating Town. Manners and Customs. Fourth of July. Sail for England. Misconduct of the Mate. His discharge. Arrival at London.The last of July we weighed anchor, and spread our sails bound for London. Nothing worthy of note occurred on the passage to Gibralter, at which place we stopped. Sent a boat ashore for fresh provisions, and soon it came back richly laden with fruits, and a quantity of wine for the use of the seamen. We were allowed three glasses of wine per day, and on Saturday night one bottle was allowed each four men. Bracing full, we were soon through the gut of Gibralter, homeward bound; and in a few days were in the chops of the channel of Old England. Had fine weather, though a head wind to contend with. While we were thus detained by adverse winds, we were employed in cleaning the ship. We lay thus several days when the wind veered around in our favor. Our sky-sails, and studding-sails were set alow andaloft; and in forty-eight hours we came to anchor at the Downs. This is the sea between the shore and the Goodwin Sands, which furnishes a large and usually safe anchorage for vessels, where they ride at their leaving or entering the Thames. Here were seventy or eighty ships laying at anchor, all flying the British colors. We lay here three days, when we were taken in tow to Graves End, and the next tide took us up abreast the London docks, where we anchored and awaited the next tide, when we docked the ship. This was near the last of September, 1839. We spent a few days visiting various places of interest, (which I shall notice when I speak of London.) At the expiration of which time I shipped on board the Cornet, Captain Tabor, bound to St. Johns, which is the principal town in New Brunswick; and is situated at the mouth of the St. Johns river, which is navigable for vessels of fifty tons, for nearly fifty miles, and is a place of extensive trade.As they were nearly in readiness, we soon left and proceeded down the channel. Nothing worthy of particular notice occurred until we reached the Newfoundland Banks, which place is almost constantly thronged with vast numbers of fishing smacks. Here we encountered a fog so dense, that scarcely could we see from one side of the ship to the other. We shortened sail, keeping the bell almost constantly ringing. We lay in this position several days, when an east wind broke the fog, so that we were enabled to get into fair sailing. It is not unfrequently that vessels with a press of sail run down some small fisherman, and nothing more is heard of them. After a few days of fair sailingwe made Cape Sable, off our starboard bow. This was a sight long wished for, as is always the case with seamen when bound to any particular port. We hauled our wind and stood up the bay, making the land a few miles below Eastport. Ran up the Bay of Fundy with a delightful wind.The Bay of Fundy is a considerable arm of the sea, extending into the British Provinces, about two hundred miles. At its entrance from the sea, it is about twelve degrees wide, gradually decreasing as it proceeds inland. It is remarkable for its tides, which in consequence of the abundance of its water between the shores is swelled from the height of from forty to sixty feet. So rapid are its flood tides, that small vessels are overturned, and small animals overtaken and devoured. At the ebb, small coasting vessels are often left upon the flats; care being taken so that the heavy swell, called the bore, as it strikes them, will beat against them at either the head or stern. We took on board a pilot, who in a few hours brought us to anchor safely at St. Johns. Our vessel was pulled up for repairs, and all hands paid off except myself.During my stay I became acquainted with a girl of Irish descent, whom I married; I procured me a house and necessary stores, and was in a way to live.The first of December I shipped on board the Coronation, bound for London, with a cargo of timber. On our arrival orders were given to fit ship and proceed to the East Indies. Accordingly the ship was put in readiness, and about the last of January, 1840, we left London, bound for Calcutta, and this I think about the finest voyage that I ever made. We had been out buta few days when we took the trade winds, and ran forty days without scarcely touching brace or halyards. Having watch and watch, the captain told those who had a mind to spend their watch below and study navigation, he would with the greatest pleasure assist. Five of us gladly availed ourselves of this opportunity, and daily we spent our allotted time in study. At the expiration of a few weeks we had made such progress under our accomplished teacher, that each of us could work a day's work tolerable well. We ran down close to St. Helena, and anchored for the purpose of making a short visit to this memorable place, a brief description of which may interest my readers. This celebrated island is in the Atlantic ocean, 1,200 miles distant from any land; the nearest being the coast of South Africa. It is about ten miles long, and six broad, and is as a general thing, a barren waste. It presents the appearance to the approacher, of nothing but an immense wall of perpendicular rock, extremely abrupt at its northern extremity, but more shelving towards the south; varying in height from 600 to 1,200 feet. There are only four openings in the great wall of rock, which surrounds St. Helena, by which it can be approached with any facility, and these are all strongly fortified. This island has become celebrated by being the place to which the allied sovereigns of Europe banished Napoleon, in 1815, where he remained till his death, in 1821. His tomb is in a secluded recess, and is surrounded by a fence, enclosing a piece of ground containing weeping willows. The island is owned by the English East India Company.Nothing worthy of notice occurred after leaving St.Helena, until we reached the Cape of Good Hope. We stopped at Cape Town, the capital of Cape Colony, and it may not be out of place here to give a brief description of the country and its inhabitants, or so much as came under my observation.The district called Cape Colony, occupies the southern extremity of Africa. The leading feature in the aspect of the territory, consists in three successive ranges of mountains, running parallel east and west; and forming as it were a succession of terraces, rising above each other; the range farthest from the coast called the Snowy Mountains being the highest, and the first range, or that nearest the coast called theLange Kloof, or Long Pass, the lowest. The Snowy Mountains are the highest in southern Africa, and the summits are generally covered with snow. Their greatest height will not fall short of 10,000 feet. The plain next the sea is covered with a deep and fertile soil, watered by numerous streams, and clothed with a beautiful variety of trees and shrubs. There are frequent rains, and from its nearness to the sea, enjoys a mild and equable temperature. The Karroos, a name given to the plains between the second and third mountain ranges, presents a dreary uniformity of level surface 300 miles in length, and 100 in breadth; the soil of which is hard and impenetrable, and destitute of all kind of vegetation.Table Mountainoverlooks Cape Town, and rises abruptly like the ruins of a gigantic fortress. The highest point is about 3,588 feet above Table Bay.The west side of this stupendous mass of rock is rent into hollows and worn away into pyramidal masses.The mountain is very difficult of ascent on account of numerous loose stones which make an unsafe foothold for the traveler. The summit is level, and very barren and bare of soil. Baboons, antelopes, vultures, and toads are sometimes to be met with on the mountain. The view from the summit is very extensive and picturesque. The bay seems a small pond or basin, and the ships in it are dwindled to little boats; the town, and the regular compartments of its gardens, look like the work of children, all is so dwindled into mere specks or lines.The air on the summit in winter and in the shade, is generally about 15° lower than that of the town; but in summer a fleecy cloud called the "Table-cloth" appears on the mountain and gives indication of an approaching storm. This cloud is composed of immense masses of fleecy whiteness. It does not appear to be at rest on the hill, but to be constantly rolling onward from the southeast; yet, to the surprise of the beholder, it never descends, because the snowy wreaths seen falling over the precipice towards the town below, vanish completely before they reach it, while others are formed to replace them on the other side. The two principal rivers on the western coast are theBergor Mountain river, and the "Elephants' river," and these are only navigable by small crafts to the distance of about 20 miles up the country.On the south coast is Broad river. Its mouth, now called Port Beaufort, allows vessels of 200 tons to enter, and discharge or load in safety.The river Gamity, the next in size on the coast, is a collection of waters from the Great Karroo and BlackMountains. In the rainy season it is a rapid and dangerous stream. Most of these rivers swelled by periodical rains, deposit much mud and sand at their mouths. Some of them during the dry season are lost amid the sand and rocks.In this colony the seasons are divided into Monsoons, of which there are two, annually; the one wet, and the other dry. The wet monsoon is called winter, and the dry, summer. The weather during the wet monsoon is disagreeable and moist, but the cold is not severe. Ice is never more than an eighth of an inch thick. Thunder and lightning are very rare and seldom violent. The atmosphere is healthy and agrees well with European constitutions.The cape has long been celebrated among naturalists as a fertile field for their labors. Almost every animal found on the African continent may be found in the neighborhood of this colony. Two varieties of lions, the yellow and the brown, zebras, elephants, rhinoceros, the giraffe and buffalo, are all found there.Wine is manufactured at the Cape and exported in considerable quantities. Many kinds of wine are extremely cheap, and a large quantity is consumed in the colony.Cape Town, the capital, was founded in 1652, and is built with great regularity. The streets are wide, intersecting each other at right angles. There are some 1500 houses which are for the most part constructed of stone, cemented with a glutinous kind of earth, and are generally white-washed on the outside. Their height is seldom more than two floors, frequent storms rendering a greater elevation dangerous. Many of the houseshave trees planted before them, which gives a rural appearance to the town.To the southward of the town, a great number of elegant villas are scattered about, and the scenery resembles that of the rich and cultivated districts of England. Labor, house-rent and firewood constitute a large proportion of the expenses of living at Cape Town. Fruits, vegetables and sea fish are abundant and cheap. For amusements they have horse-races, balls, masquerades, and Sunday promenades in the government gardens. The population, by the census of 1827, was 120,036, of whom 35,509 were slaves. The country was first settled by the Dutch, but has since fallen into the hands of the English.The state of society at Cape Town is not deserving of much praise; but the ladies are distinguished for sweetness and affability. A considerable portion of the inhabitants are Hottentots. There are also Dutch, German, English and a few French. The color of the Hottentots is a yellow brown, and their formation is peculiar. They have very small hands and feet; their faces are broad above and narrow to a point; cheek bones prominent and their lips thick. In some tribes the wool grows in little tufts, and when suffered to grow hangs in fringes. They have been called a stupid race, but seem to be so only from their oppressed condition; they are gentle and faithful when trusted. They are filthy in their persons and indolent in their habits.The Bushmen are a tribe of Hottentots anciently separated from the rest. They have been described as the lowest grade of human nature. A traveler in that country mentions having met a horde of them, only oneof whom had a name, and he was called the "Old Boy."Their women are, to European eyes, very repulsive objects—lean and gaunt, except over the hips where all the flesh seems to be piled. The Hottentots smear themselves with fat and soot, and are so used to it that when washed one seems to be without clothes. The dress consists chiefly of the skins of sheep which they wear with the wool, generally in the form of a cloak, open before. This is called acarosse. The females have a petticoat of skins or leather. They wear many ornaments of beads, rings, carved bones, &c. The handkerchiefs of the Hottentots are jackals' tails tied to a handle; and with these they wipe the perspiration from their faces. Their language is harsh and shrill. For dwellings a few poles are bent over and skins or mats thrown over them. The entrance is low, and serves for door, window and chimney. The tribes which have cattle, pen them at night in the circle inclosed by the huts.Almost any kind of food is acceptable to Hottentots; they eat roots, ants, grass, mice, toads, &c. They can long abstain from food, and can eat an enormous quantity without injury. All the tribes are fond of tobacco, which for the want of a better pipe, they smoke through the shank bone of a sheep. They smoke also the leaves of a kind of hemp calleddacha, which stupefies and intoxicates. Much brandy is drank which is spread over the colony by means of traveling pedlars.Some of the wines of the Cape are excellent. There are one hundred and fifty varieties, some of which have a deleterious mixture of brandy.The manner of traveling among the Colonists is in wagons drawn by six or seven yoke of oxen.As there are no taverns or places for refreshments, they carry sheep and other provisions with them.The Caffres are a plundering people, robbing each other at every possible opportunity. They are excellent herdsmen and have their herds so well trained that they are guided altogether by a shrill whistle. The punishments for offence are whipping with rods—exposure to a cluster of black ants—burning with hot stones—and death inflicted by clubs, or drowning.In their huts they sit on the skulls of cattle, with the horns attached, serving as arm pieces.We weighed anchor and proceeded on our voyage, passing through the Mozambique Channel. This channel separates the island of Madagascar from the main land, and is of about one thousand miles in length. Its waters are very swift and extremely rough, and are infested with hordes of pirates, who adhere to the island of Madagascar principally.Here we spoke several vessels, the Clinton of New York, and the Brazen Head of Liverpool.Nothing of interest occurred till we reached the soundings off the river Hoogly, or Little Ganges. These soundings or banks extend from the mouth of the river out to the distance of from sixty to a hundred miles. Innumerable numbers of pilots are stationed on them at all seasons and all hours.The Ganges, one of the noblest streams in the world, rises in the vast mountains of Thibet and is supposed by the natives to possess virtues capable of purifying them from every sin and transgression. At sunset theylight tapers and throw into the river, which are so constructed as to stand erect as they float on with the current.Thousands of them are thrown in at a time, affording a scene which is without a parallel in interest and singularity.Crowds of Hindoos are seen at all times washing in its water and saying their prayers in a kneeling posture on its banks.The waters of the Ganges are carried in great quantities to all parts of India, and are sworn by in courts of justice.Statham, in his "Indian Recollections," says, "At Allahabad where the streams of the Ganges and the Jumna unite, the country for miles around is considered sacred ground; and so great is the number of pilgrims, who resort thither for bathing, that the vizier has received in one year, half a lac of rupees for permission to enjoy the benefit of immersion in its sacred flood. Many lives are there sacrificed annually. The persons who usually fall victims to their superstitions are females, who come from all parts of the country to perform the tragic deed, and who show a firmness of purpose worthy a better cause."Several of them, accompanied by the priests, embark in a boat, and proceed to the spot where the streams unite, when each of the victims in succession descends from the boat into the water, with a large earthen pan fastened to her body, and is supported by a priest till she has filled the pan with water, when the priest lets go his hold and she sinks to rise no more, amidst the applause of the spectators, while the Brahmins enjoy thescene, and extol the fortitude of the last victim to her who is about to follow."The cow is an animal held sacred among the Hindoos, and the dung is used in the temples and other places as a species of holy ointment.The Ganges empties itself into the bay of Bengal by two large channels, and by a number of smaller size.On the river Hoogly or western channel stands Calcutta, the capital of British India, 100 miles from the sea. The length of the town is about six miles, extending along the banks of the river. As you approach Calcutta from the sea, it has the appearance of a vast and beautifully arranged city. Tall and elegant houses ornamented with spacious pillars and verandas meet the eye along the whole length of the town, and completely shutting out from view the "Black Town," or the native town of Calcutta, which is composed of low dirty huts, made of earth baked in the sun, placed along the narrow and crooked streets. Occasionally, however, a larger one is seen which denotes the residence of some wealthy native, yet this like all others is entirely devoid of neatness.We employed natives to discharge our cargo as they could better endure the sun's heat.Taking on a cargo of rice, we received orders to sail for Canton, and proceeded down the river, and passed Tiger island, so called, from the great abundance of tigers which are found there.They occasionally swim from the island to the main land, which is about two miles distant.A few years since a fire swept over the island and almost entirely drove them from it. Many were killedby the flames, and in the general confusion many were drowned, while vast numbers were killed by the ships' crews, that were stationed around.The ninth day after our departure the pilot left us and resumed his station on the shoals to await the next ship that might require his services.The weather proved unfavorable indeed, and obliged us to beat about, making but little progress.Taking a fine breeze and a leading wind, we were soon in the straits of Malacca, which separate the peninsular of Malacca from the island of Sumatra. Those straits are infested with pirates of a most desperate character, seizing upon every opportunity for plundering vessels, and oftentimes are not satiated until all of the crew have fallen victims to their murderous cruelty.Most of the vessels that pass these straits are traders, and therefore but poorly prepared for defence.We prepared ourselves in the best manner possible for an attack, collecting all the small arms, knives, &c., and loaded the two twelve pounders which were on the quarter deck.We ran through the straits without any molestation whatever; headed our wind and ran across the gulf of Siam; spoke the ship Rothchilds, 14 days from Canton, bound for London; and after the usual salutation, and request to be reported at home as well, we passed on, and in ten days we were at the mouth of the river Canton.Here we lay at anchor 14 days in consequence of head winds, which at length favoring us, we proceeded up the river till we came to the island of Lintin situated about fifty miles from Canton, where we came to anchor,and entered our cargo, paying the duty. The duty consists of a tax upon the tonnage of the vessel, and upon the different kinds of goods with which she may be laden.Besides this tax there is akumshawor a present to government required, which is demanded alike of vessels of all sizes. Our whole tax amounted to about five hundred dollars. At Lintin we discharged a part of our cargo, and from thence proceeded up the river to Canton and came to anchor, and discharged the remainder of our cargo.Canton is situated on the eastern bank of the river Pekiang, which is a beautiful stream about one-third of a mile wide. This is the only port of trade of any importance in China. The city with its ponds and pleasure grounds covers an area of about seven miles in circumference, and is enclosed with a wall, which is at short intervals mounted with cannon.There are several entrances which are, beside the strong iron gates, guarded with one or more soldiers. At night these gates are closed, and at each street bars are thrown across the entrance. All foreigners are almost entirely excluded, being only allowed within the populous portions with permission.Their only land locations are at thehongswhich are built on the bank of the river near to the water's edge, and devoted almost entirely to them.One of the most pleasing sights is the Chinese floating town, which is composed of fifty or sixty thousand vessels of different kinds which are placed in rows tightly together. Here families are born, live and die, without ever stepping on shore. This town extends several miles down the river from Canton.China street is almost wholly occupied by the Chinese merchants, where they practice all kinds of fraud upon foreigners, considering themselves entitled to honor for the art which they proclaim most loudly.Occasionally, however, the biter has been most horridly bitten, by some honest son from yankeedom.The Chinese, though of Tartar origin, have through the influence of the climate degenerated sadly, possessing but little of the courage and strength so justly ascribed to the Tartar.Their dress is a long robe hanging below the knee. Over this is worn a girdle of silk, usually, in which they carry a sheathed knife and two sticks, used as forks, called chop sticks. They are extremely slovenly in their dress and person, seldom, if ever, washing a garment. The hair, except a small tuft on the top of the head, is shaven off. This tuft is suffered to grow, and when of sufficient length is plaited or braided, and hangs down upon the back. The hat or head covering is of woven cane.The females are treated as slaves and are made oftentimes to draw the plough, while the husband goads her on with the whip.Pressing the feet of infants, which is carried to such extremes among the Chinese, is a most barbarous practice. They are so closely bound that they cease to grow, and it is with the greatest difficulty that they walk. This is usually done at the age of five years. The foot is a mere lump of lifeless flesh and bears a strong resemblance to the hand of a wash-woman which has been long in strong suds.Such is the immense population of China, that nothingthat can be eaten is thrown away. Puppies and rats are carried about the streets for sale. A favorite dish is made of birds' nests which are composed of glutinous substances.We lay at Canton the fourth of July. At an early hour, as is usual for all American vessels, wherever they may be, we hoisted the national flag and fired a grand salute. The day was spent in fine style with the other American vessels which also lay at anchor at Canton, by visiting each other, singing national airs, and firing salutes.Never did an anchor come to a ship's side or was a sail made quicker, or in finer style, than that on board of the Coronation, as we left the port on the 7th of July. We proceeded down the river and stood out into the China sea, where we were delayed several days by strong head winds, which came around into our favor.Again we made preparations to meet those unwelcome visitors of the straits. We however had but little use for our guns, for we were carried through the straits with a fine breeze, without even seeing one of their murderous craft, which are large open boats propelled by 100 or 150 oars.We now shaped our course for Good Hope, where we arrived in due season, without any unusual occurrence, and came to anchor at Cape Town. Procuring a supply of water and provision, we again set sail for Old England with as fine a breeze as ever wafted a mariner on his way. One fine evening a number of us were sitting on, or standing around the windlass, each telling some adventure of his own, when one of the number observed a dark and angry cloud arising in the northeast, which as he thought betokened a squall. This hemade known to the mate, who was walking, and received in reply a bitter curse, and a request to mind his own business. Our fore, main and mizzen-royal and main-sky-sail were set, and all were waiting in breathless silence for its approach. At last one proposed to call the captain or advised him to do so, when he flew into a perfect rage, and said he would have them know that he was master of the deck and was not going to receive orders or advices from any fore-mast Jack.Soon the fury of the storm burst upon us, and when the masts, yards, and sails were already starting from their places, the order, "Let go the halyards fore and aft," came, but it came too late, for ere the sound died upon the breeze they were dangling at the ship's sides, the noise of which soon brought the master upon deck, who asked why he was not called on the approach of the squall. The mate replied that he was unconscious of the extent of it. All hands were called to clear the wreck, and found the fore and main-top-gallant-masts and yards were carried away, and mizzen-top and fore-top-mast badly sprung. Some words passed between the captain and mate, which ended in the mate's discharge, or rather he was thrown off duty.After the damage was repaired I was called upon to fill the vacancy made by his discharge, which position I kept until the voyage was made. Every thing passed well and we arrived in London about the last of December, 1840, being absent about 11 months.All hands were paid off; the ship was to run to St. Johns, N. B., and all who wished could go in her. She remained in London four or five weeks, which time I improved by visiting places of amusement in and around London.

Sail for London. Arrive at the Downs. Sail for St. Johns. A dense fog. Bay of Fundy. Come to anchor at St. Johns. Proceed to London. Sail for the East Indies. Study Navigation. Arrive at St. Helena. Tomb of Napoleon. Reach Cape Town. Description of the Country. Of the several Tribes. Arrive at Calcutta. Description of the Ganges, and its Religious Rites. Of Calcutta. Sail for Canton. Tiger Island. Straits of Malacca. Preparations for Pirates. Arrive at Canton. Its description. Chinese Floating Town. Manners and Customs. Fourth of July. Sail for England. Misconduct of the Mate. His discharge. Arrival at London.

The last of July we weighed anchor, and spread our sails bound for London. Nothing worthy of note occurred on the passage to Gibralter, at which place we stopped. Sent a boat ashore for fresh provisions, and soon it came back richly laden with fruits, and a quantity of wine for the use of the seamen. We were allowed three glasses of wine per day, and on Saturday night one bottle was allowed each four men. Bracing full, we were soon through the gut of Gibralter, homeward bound; and in a few days were in the chops of the channel of Old England. Had fine weather, though a head wind to contend with. While we were thus detained by adverse winds, we were employed in cleaning the ship. We lay thus several days when the wind veered around in our favor. Our sky-sails, and studding-sails were set alow andaloft; and in forty-eight hours we came to anchor at the Downs. This is the sea between the shore and the Goodwin Sands, which furnishes a large and usually safe anchorage for vessels, where they ride at their leaving or entering the Thames. Here were seventy or eighty ships laying at anchor, all flying the British colors. We lay here three days, when we were taken in tow to Graves End, and the next tide took us up abreast the London docks, where we anchored and awaited the next tide, when we docked the ship. This was near the last of September, 1839. We spent a few days visiting various places of interest, (which I shall notice when I speak of London.) At the expiration of which time I shipped on board the Cornet, Captain Tabor, bound to St. Johns, which is the principal town in New Brunswick; and is situated at the mouth of the St. Johns river, which is navigable for vessels of fifty tons, for nearly fifty miles, and is a place of extensive trade.

As they were nearly in readiness, we soon left and proceeded down the channel. Nothing worthy of particular notice occurred until we reached the Newfoundland Banks, which place is almost constantly thronged with vast numbers of fishing smacks. Here we encountered a fog so dense, that scarcely could we see from one side of the ship to the other. We shortened sail, keeping the bell almost constantly ringing. We lay in this position several days, when an east wind broke the fog, so that we were enabled to get into fair sailing. It is not unfrequently that vessels with a press of sail run down some small fisherman, and nothing more is heard of them. After a few days of fair sailingwe made Cape Sable, off our starboard bow. This was a sight long wished for, as is always the case with seamen when bound to any particular port. We hauled our wind and stood up the bay, making the land a few miles below Eastport. Ran up the Bay of Fundy with a delightful wind.

The Bay of Fundy is a considerable arm of the sea, extending into the British Provinces, about two hundred miles. At its entrance from the sea, it is about twelve degrees wide, gradually decreasing as it proceeds inland. It is remarkable for its tides, which in consequence of the abundance of its water between the shores is swelled from the height of from forty to sixty feet. So rapid are its flood tides, that small vessels are overturned, and small animals overtaken and devoured. At the ebb, small coasting vessels are often left upon the flats; care being taken so that the heavy swell, called the bore, as it strikes them, will beat against them at either the head or stern. We took on board a pilot, who in a few hours brought us to anchor safely at St. Johns. Our vessel was pulled up for repairs, and all hands paid off except myself.

During my stay I became acquainted with a girl of Irish descent, whom I married; I procured me a house and necessary stores, and was in a way to live.

The first of December I shipped on board the Coronation, bound for London, with a cargo of timber. On our arrival orders were given to fit ship and proceed to the East Indies. Accordingly the ship was put in readiness, and about the last of January, 1840, we left London, bound for Calcutta, and this I think about the finest voyage that I ever made. We had been out buta few days when we took the trade winds, and ran forty days without scarcely touching brace or halyards. Having watch and watch, the captain told those who had a mind to spend their watch below and study navigation, he would with the greatest pleasure assist. Five of us gladly availed ourselves of this opportunity, and daily we spent our allotted time in study. At the expiration of a few weeks we had made such progress under our accomplished teacher, that each of us could work a day's work tolerable well. We ran down close to St. Helena, and anchored for the purpose of making a short visit to this memorable place, a brief description of which may interest my readers. This celebrated island is in the Atlantic ocean, 1,200 miles distant from any land; the nearest being the coast of South Africa. It is about ten miles long, and six broad, and is as a general thing, a barren waste. It presents the appearance to the approacher, of nothing but an immense wall of perpendicular rock, extremely abrupt at its northern extremity, but more shelving towards the south; varying in height from 600 to 1,200 feet. There are only four openings in the great wall of rock, which surrounds St. Helena, by which it can be approached with any facility, and these are all strongly fortified. This island has become celebrated by being the place to which the allied sovereigns of Europe banished Napoleon, in 1815, where he remained till his death, in 1821. His tomb is in a secluded recess, and is surrounded by a fence, enclosing a piece of ground containing weeping willows. The island is owned by the English East India Company.

Nothing worthy of notice occurred after leaving St.Helena, until we reached the Cape of Good Hope. We stopped at Cape Town, the capital of Cape Colony, and it may not be out of place here to give a brief description of the country and its inhabitants, or so much as came under my observation.

The district called Cape Colony, occupies the southern extremity of Africa. The leading feature in the aspect of the territory, consists in three successive ranges of mountains, running parallel east and west; and forming as it were a succession of terraces, rising above each other; the range farthest from the coast called the Snowy Mountains being the highest, and the first range, or that nearest the coast called theLange Kloof, or Long Pass, the lowest. The Snowy Mountains are the highest in southern Africa, and the summits are generally covered with snow. Their greatest height will not fall short of 10,000 feet. The plain next the sea is covered with a deep and fertile soil, watered by numerous streams, and clothed with a beautiful variety of trees and shrubs. There are frequent rains, and from its nearness to the sea, enjoys a mild and equable temperature. The Karroos, a name given to the plains between the second and third mountain ranges, presents a dreary uniformity of level surface 300 miles in length, and 100 in breadth; the soil of which is hard and impenetrable, and destitute of all kind of vegetation.Table Mountainoverlooks Cape Town, and rises abruptly like the ruins of a gigantic fortress. The highest point is about 3,588 feet above Table Bay.

The west side of this stupendous mass of rock is rent into hollows and worn away into pyramidal masses.The mountain is very difficult of ascent on account of numerous loose stones which make an unsafe foothold for the traveler. The summit is level, and very barren and bare of soil. Baboons, antelopes, vultures, and toads are sometimes to be met with on the mountain. The view from the summit is very extensive and picturesque. The bay seems a small pond or basin, and the ships in it are dwindled to little boats; the town, and the regular compartments of its gardens, look like the work of children, all is so dwindled into mere specks or lines.

The air on the summit in winter and in the shade, is generally about 15° lower than that of the town; but in summer a fleecy cloud called the "Table-cloth" appears on the mountain and gives indication of an approaching storm. This cloud is composed of immense masses of fleecy whiteness. It does not appear to be at rest on the hill, but to be constantly rolling onward from the southeast; yet, to the surprise of the beholder, it never descends, because the snowy wreaths seen falling over the precipice towards the town below, vanish completely before they reach it, while others are formed to replace them on the other side. The two principal rivers on the western coast are theBergor Mountain river, and the "Elephants' river," and these are only navigable by small crafts to the distance of about 20 miles up the country.

On the south coast is Broad river. Its mouth, now called Port Beaufort, allows vessels of 200 tons to enter, and discharge or load in safety.

The river Gamity, the next in size on the coast, is a collection of waters from the Great Karroo and BlackMountains. In the rainy season it is a rapid and dangerous stream. Most of these rivers swelled by periodical rains, deposit much mud and sand at their mouths. Some of them during the dry season are lost amid the sand and rocks.

In this colony the seasons are divided into Monsoons, of which there are two, annually; the one wet, and the other dry. The wet monsoon is called winter, and the dry, summer. The weather during the wet monsoon is disagreeable and moist, but the cold is not severe. Ice is never more than an eighth of an inch thick. Thunder and lightning are very rare and seldom violent. The atmosphere is healthy and agrees well with European constitutions.

The cape has long been celebrated among naturalists as a fertile field for their labors. Almost every animal found on the African continent may be found in the neighborhood of this colony. Two varieties of lions, the yellow and the brown, zebras, elephants, rhinoceros, the giraffe and buffalo, are all found there.

Wine is manufactured at the Cape and exported in considerable quantities. Many kinds of wine are extremely cheap, and a large quantity is consumed in the colony.

Cape Town, the capital, was founded in 1652, and is built with great regularity. The streets are wide, intersecting each other at right angles. There are some 1500 houses which are for the most part constructed of stone, cemented with a glutinous kind of earth, and are generally white-washed on the outside. Their height is seldom more than two floors, frequent storms rendering a greater elevation dangerous. Many of the houseshave trees planted before them, which gives a rural appearance to the town.

To the southward of the town, a great number of elegant villas are scattered about, and the scenery resembles that of the rich and cultivated districts of England. Labor, house-rent and firewood constitute a large proportion of the expenses of living at Cape Town. Fruits, vegetables and sea fish are abundant and cheap. For amusements they have horse-races, balls, masquerades, and Sunday promenades in the government gardens. The population, by the census of 1827, was 120,036, of whom 35,509 were slaves. The country was first settled by the Dutch, but has since fallen into the hands of the English.

The state of society at Cape Town is not deserving of much praise; but the ladies are distinguished for sweetness and affability. A considerable portion of the inhabitants are Hottentots. There are also Dutch, German, English and a few French. The color of the Hottentots is a yellow brown, and their formation is peculiar. They have very small hands and feet; their faces are broad above and narrow to a point; cheek bones prominent and their lips thick. In some tribes the wool grows in little tufts, and when suffered to grow hangs in fringes. They have been called a stupid race, but seem to be so only from their oppressed condition; they are gentle and faithful when trusted. They are filthy in their persons and indolent in their habits.

The Bushmen are a tribe of Hottentots anciently separated from the rest. They have been described as the lowest grade of human nature. A traveler in that country mentions having met a horde of them, only oneof whom had a name, and he was called the "Old Boy."

Their women are, to European eyes, very repulsive objects—lean and gaunt, except over the hips where all the flesh seems to be piled. The Hottentots smear themselves with fat and soot, and are so used to it that when washed one seems to be without clothes. The dress consists chiefly of the skins of sheep which they wear with the wool, generally in the form of a cloak, open before. This is called acarosse. The females have a petticoat of skins or leather. They wear many ornaments of beads, rings, carved bones, &c. The handkerchiefs of the Hottentots are jackals' tails tied to a handle; and with these they wipe the perspiration from their faces. Their language is harsh and shrill. For dwellings a few poles are bent over and skins or mats thrown over them. The entrance is low, and serves for door, window and chimney. The tribes which have cattle, pen them at night in the circle inclosed by the huts.

Almost any kind of food is acceptable to Hottentots; they eat roots, ants, grass, mice, toads, &c. They can long abstain from food, and can eat an enormous quantity without injury. All the tribes are fond of tobacco, which for the want of a better pipe, they smoke through the shank bone of a sheep. They smoke also the leaves of a kind of hemp calleddacha, which stupefies and intoxicates. Much brandy is drank which is spread over the colony by means of traveling pedlars.

Some of the wines of the Cape are excellent. There are one hundred and fifty varieties, some of which have a deleterious mixture of brandy.

The manner of traveling among the Colonists is in wagons drawn by six or seven yoke of oxen.

As there are no taverns or places for refreshments, they carry sheep and other provisions with them.

The Caffres are a plundering people, robbing each other at every possible opportunity. They are excellent herdsmen and have their herds so well trained that they are guided altogether by a shrill whistle. The punishments for offence are whipping with rods—exposure to a cluster of black ants—burning with hot stones—and death inflicted by clubs, or drowning.

In their huts they sit on the skulls of cattle, with the horns attached, serving as arm pieces.

We weighed anchor and proceeded on our voyage, passing through the Mozambique Channel. This channel separates the island of Madagascar from the main land, and is of about one thousand miles in length. Its waters are very swift and extremely rough, and are infested with hordes of pirates, who adhere to the island of Madagascar principally.

Here we spoke several vessels, the Clinton of New York, and the Brazen Head of Liverpool.

Nothing of interest occurred till we reached the soundings off the river Hoogly, or Little Ganges. These soundings or banks extend from the mouth of the river out to the distance of from sixty to a hundred miles. Innumerable numbers of pilots are stationed on them at all seasons and all hours.

The Ganges, one of the noblest streams in the world, rises in the vast mountains of Thibet and is supposed by the natives to possess virtues capable of purifying them from every sin and transgression. At sunset theylight tapers and throw into the river, which are so constructed as to stand erect as they float on with the current.

Thousands of them are thrown in at a time, affording a scene which is without a parallel in interest and singularity.

Crowds of Hindoos are seen at all times washing in its water and saying their prayers in a kneeling posture on its banks.

The waters of the Ganges are carried in great quantities to all parts of India, and are sworn by in courts of justice.

Statham, in his "Indian Recollections," says, "At Allahabad where the streams of the Ganges and the Jumna unite, the country for miles around is considered sacred ground; and so great is the number of pilgrims, who resort thither for bathing, that the vizier has received in one year, half a lac of rupees for permission to enjoy the benefit of immersion in its sacred flood. Many lives are there sacrificed annually. The persons who usually fall victims to their superstitions are females, who come from all parts of the country to perform the tragic deed, and who show a firmness of purpose worthy a better cause.

"Several of them, accompanied by the priests, embark in a boat, and proceed to the spot where the streams unite, when each of the victims in succession descends from the boat into the water, with a large earthen pan fastened to her body, and is supported by a priest till she has filled the pan with water, when the priest lets go his hold and she sinks to rise no more, amidst the applause of the spectators, while the Brahmins enjoy thescene, and extol the fortitude of the last victim to her who is about to follow."

The cow is an animal held sacred among the Hindoos, and the dung is used in the temples and other places as a species of holy ointment.

The Ganges empties itself into the bay of Bengal by two large channels, and by a number of smaller size.

On the river Hoogly or western channel stands Calcutta, the capital of British India, 100 miles from the sea. The length of the town is about six miles, extending along the banks of the river. As you approach Calcutta from the sea, it has the appearance of a vast and beautifully arranged city. Tall and elegant houses ornamented with spacious pillars and verandas meet the eye along the whole length of the town, and completely shutting out from view the "Black Town," or the native town of Calcutta, which is composed of low dirty huts, made of earth baked in the sun, placed along the narrow and crooked streets. Occasionally, however, a larger one is seen which denotes the residence of some wealthy native, yet this like all others is entirely devoid of neatness.

We employed natives to discharge our cargo as they could better endure the sun's heat.

Taking on a cargo of rice, we received orders to sail for Canton, and proceeded down the river, and passed Tiger island, so called, from the great abundance of tigers which are found there.

They occasionally swim from the island to the main land, which is about two miles distant.

A few years since a fire swept over the island and almost entirely drove them from it. Many were killedby the flames, and in the general confusion many were drowned, while vast numbers were killed by the ships' crews, that were stationed around.

The ninth day after our departure the pilot left us and resumed his station on the shoals to await the next ship that might require his services.

The weather proved unfavorable indeed, and obliged us to beat about, making but little progress.

Taking a fine breeze and a leading wind, we were soon in the straits of Malacca, which separate the peninsular of Malacca from the island of Sumatra. Those straits are infested with pirates of a most desperate character, seizing upon every opportunity for plundering vessels, and oftentimes are not satiated until all of the crew have fallen victims to their murderous cruelty.

Most of the vessels that pass these straits are traders, and therefore but poorly prepared for defence.

We prepared ourselves in the best manner possible for an attack, collecting all the small arms, knives, &c., and loaded the two twelve pounders which were on the quarter deck.

We ran through the straits without any molestation whatever; headed our wind and ran across the gulf of Siam; spoke the ship Rothchilds, 14 days from Canton, bound for London; and after the usual salutation, and request to be reported at home as well, we passed on, and in ten days we were at the mouth of the river Canton.

Here we lay at anchor 14 days in consequence of head winds, which at length favoring us, we proceeded up the river till we came to the island of Lintin situated about fifty miles from Canton, where we came to anchor,and entered our cargo, paying the duty. The duty consists of a tax upon the tonnage of the vessel, and upon the different kinds of goods with which she may be laden.

Besides this tax there is akumshawor a present to government required, which is demanded alike of vessels of all sizes. Our whole tax amounted to about five hundred dollars. At Lintin we discharged a part of our cargo, and from thence proceeded up the river to Canton and came to anchor, and discharged the remainder of our cargo.

Canton is situated on the eastern bank of the river Pekiang, which is a beautiful stream about one-third of a mile wide. This is the only port of trade of any importance in China. The city with its ponds and pleasure grounds covers an area of about seven miles in circumference, and is enclosed with a wall, which is at short intervals mounted with cannon.

There are several entrances which are, beside the strong iron gates, guarded with one or more soldiers. At night these gates are closed, and at each street bars are thrown across the entrance. All foreigners are almost entirely excluded, being only allowed within the populous portions with permission.

Their only land locations are at thehongswhich are built on the bank of the river near to the water's edge, and devoted almost entirely to them.

One of the most pleasing sights is the Chinese floating town, which is composed of fifty or sixty thousand vessels of different kinds which are placed in rows tightly together. Here families are born, live and die, without ever stepping on shore. This town extends several miles down the river from Canton.

China street is almost wholly occupied by the Chinese merchants, where they practice all kinds of fraud upon foreigners, considering themselves entitled to honor for the art which they proclaim most loudly.

Occasionally, however, the biter has been most horridly bitten, by some honest son from yankeedom.

The Chinese, though of Tartar origin, have through the influence of the climate degenerated sadly, possessing but little of the courage and strength so justly ascribed to the Tartar.

Their dress is a long robe hanging below the knee. Over this is worn a girdle of silk, usually, in which they carry a sheathed knife and two sticks, used as forks, called chop sticks. They are extremely slovenly in their dress and person, seldom, if ever, washing a garment. The hair, except a small tuft on the top of the head, is shaven off. This tuft is suffered to grow, and when of sufficient length is plaited or braided, and hangs down upon the back. The hat or head covering is of woven cane.

The females are treated as slaves and are made oftentimes to draw the plough, while the husband goads her on with the whip.

Pressing the feet of infants, which is carried to such extremes among the Chinese, is a most barbarous practice. They are so closely bound that they cease to grow, and it is with the greatest difficulty that they walk. This is usually done at the age of five years. The foot is a mere lump of lifeless flesh and bears a strong resemblance to the hand of a wash-woman which has been long in strong suds.

Such is the immense population of China, that nothingthat can be eaten is thrown away. Puppies and rats are carried about the streets for sale. A favorite dish is made of birds' nests which are composed of glutinous substances.

We lay at Canton the fourth of July. At an early hour, as is usual for all American vessels, wherever they may be, we hoisted the national flag and fired a grand salute. The day was spent in fine style with the other American vessels which also lay at anchor at Canton, by visiting each other, singing national airs, and firing salutes.

Never did an anchor come to a ship's side or was a sail made quicker, or in finer style, than that on board of the Coronation, as we left the port on the 7th of July. We proceeded down the river and stood out into the China sea, where we were delayed several days by strong head winds, which came around into our favor.

Again we made preparations to meet those unwelcome visitors of the straits. We however had but little use for our guns, for we were carried through the straits with a fine breeze, without even seeing one of their murderous craft, which are large open boats propelled by 100 or 150 oars.

We now shaped our course for Good Hope, where we arrived in due season, without any unusual occurrence, and came to anchor at Cape Town. Procuring a supply of water and provision, we again set sail for Old England with as fine a breeze as ever wafted a mariner on his way. One fine evening a number of us were sitting on, or standing around the windlass, each telling some adventure of his own, when one of the number observed a dark and angry cloud arising in the northeast, which as he thought betokened a squall. This hemade known to the mate, who was walking, and received in reply a bitter curse, and a request to mind his own business. Our fore, main and mizzen-royal and main-sky-sail were set, and all were waiting in breathless silence for its approach. At last one proposed to call the captain or advised him to do so, when he flew into a perfect rage, and said he would have them know that he was master of the deck and was not going to receive orders or advices from any fore-mast Jack.

Soon the fury of the storm burst upon us, and when the masts, yards, and sails were already starting from their places, the order, "Let go the halyards fore and aft," came, but it came too late, for ere the sound died upon the breeze they were dangling at the ship's sides, the noise of which soon brought the master upon deck, who asked why he was not called on the approach of the squall. The mate replied that he was unconscious of the extent of it. All hands were called to clear the wreck, and found the fore and main-top-gallant-masts and yards were carried away, and mizzen-top and fore-top-mast badly sprung. Some words passed between the captain and mate, which ended in the mate's discharge, or rather he was thrown off duty.

After the damage was repaired I was called upon to fill the vacancy made by his discharge, which position I kept until the voyage was made. Every thing passed well and we arrived in London about the last of December, 1840, being absent about 11 months.

All hands were paid off; the ship was to run to St. Johns, N. B., and all who wished could go in her. She remained in London four or five weeks, which time I improved by visiting places of amusement in and around London.

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