ON BOARD A UNION STEAMER.

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ON BOARD

UNION STEAMER.
A compilation by
Capt, S. P, OLIVER.

to which is added
"A SKETCH ABROA D,"
BY
Miss DOVETON.

LONDON :
W. H, ALLEN & CO., 13, WATERLOO PLACE, S.W.
1881.

LONDON
PRINTED BY WOODFALL AND KINDER,
MILFORD LANE, STRAND, W.C.

INTRODUCTION.

The following pages do not pretend to any originality.
Their origin arose in the collection of scraps of information
gathered during several voyages to and fro in the steam
vessels of the Union Company. The first idea was taken
from an article in an old tattered Saturday Review (Decem
ber, 23, 1876), on the P. and O. steamers ; which has been
freely used, and is herewith acknowledged.
So also it will be seen that many writers have been
drawn upon for contributions to the literature of the Union
Company, In a compilation large quotations are admissible
if duly recognized. Wherever possible, it will be seen that
I have noticed all contributors, and should any one find his
name omi|;ted, I desire that he shall at once claim credit for
his contribution, should it not be acknowledged properly in
the text.
I may say that nearly all the details of information have
been freely afforded, and most generously written, by the
officers of the Union Company's boats.
My own contribution consists solely in the threading
together of the heterogeneous scraps. I have travelled on
the maj' ori ty of established lines of steam-packets through
out the world. But on all these lines I have nowhere met
with greater kindness, sympathy and good fellowship than
on board the Union packets. I always feel at home there.
The greater number of these sort of works are meant as
advertisements. Now this brochure is by no means intended

vi Introduction.
to be such ; nor was it ever the intention of the writer to
write an advertisement.
Had it been one, many portions of the work (which has
grown over the dimensions originally contemplated), would
have been omitted. Notably the wrecks of the Union
steamers. These have all been faithfully recorded, without reference
to adverse criticisms or the reverse.
The sole object in the publication of the serious and
trivial, grave and gay, casual communications to my scrap
book, has been the amusement of tedious hours spent on
The Rock in the South Atlantic, and the desire to relieve the
slight ennui of a voyage, by giving subjects for conversa
tion and controversy to those making the voyage outwards
to, or homewards from, the Cape and South African colonies.
The sea serpent is especially an object of conversation,
and since a distinguished writer and careful observer (vide
Appendix) has declared the possibility of such an animal's
existence, I recommend all voyageurs to be on the look-out
for this survival of the Zeuglodontia.
S. P. O.

CONTENTS.

PART I.
CHAPTER I.
Embarkation at Southampton — Scene on Board — The Eddystone
Lighthouses, Old and New — The Bay — Madeira — Teneriffe —
The Cape de Verde — Crossing the Line — Zodiacal Light — The
Sea Serpent versus Zeuglodont .  i
CHAPTER II.
The Mythical Sunken Continent of Atlantis — The Challenger
Soundings — Thalassography of the Atlantic — The Dolphin
Rise — The Atlantis Theory upset— St. Helena— Tragic Event
— Jamestown — Ride up to Longwood— Flora, Indigenous and
Exotic — Culture of Quinine — The Old Whaler's Story— Recent
Analogous Events — Napoleon  33
CHAPTER III.
Scandal Signals — Deason's Farm — Pendulum Experiments — Intro
duction of Horses — Ostrich Farm  53
CHAPTER IV.
Halley's Mount — Proposed Monument — Account of Halley's Life
and Labours . .  58
CHAPTER V.
St, Helenian Ghost Stories — Specimens of St. Helena Literature . 81
CHAPTER VI.
Death on Board — Burial at Sea — Consignment of Wives to Mis
sionaries — The Legitimate Drama Afloat — The Ship's Library
— Steamer Stopped by Jelly Fish — Rapid Passages — The
Cape — Antarctic Current — Flora of Cape Town — The Neigh
bourhood  119

viii Contents.

CHAPTER VII. PAGE
Leaving Cape Town— Cape Point— Mossel Bay — Local Storms
— The Agulhas Bank— Algoa Bay— Coast of Kaffraria —
Wreck of the Grosvenor — Durban . . ... 1 37

CHAPTER VIIL
Leave South Africa — Rollers — Homeward Bound — Loss of the
Athens — Cape Diamonds — The Calemma — Ascension — Les
Lettres d'Outre-Mer — The Astronomer and his Wife — Dew-
catchers .... . . ... 171
CHAPTER IX.
Amateur Navigation— Hilarity of Passengers — Deep-sea Sounding
—Funchal again  216

PART II.
" A Sketch Abroad," by the Author of " Nothing Else " . 227

APPENDIX.
Union Company's Fleet, etc. ... .... 275
Loss of the Celt .... . . . 277
Loss of the iVawzaj'K^  281
Loss of the European  282
Loss of the Kafir  ... 290
The Wreck of the Grosvenor . . . ... 292
The Electric Log  ... 296
Ocean Currents  301
The Sea Serpent  . . 306
The Observatory, Cape Town  317
The Wreck of The Lady Holland  319
Dr. Hally  320
St. Paul's School  322
Index . . . . . ... 323

ON BOARD A UNION STEAMER.

PART I.

CHAPTER I.
Embarkation at Southampton — Scene on Board — Th^ Eddystone Light
houses, Old and New — The Bay— Madeira — Teneriffe — The Cape
de Verde — Crossing the Line — Zodiacal Light — The Sea Serpent
versus Zeuglodont.
To be on board a Union steamer is an experience very
common with most of us South Atlantics, but the actual
feelings of those who travel in these vessels must' naturally
vary in every, case, not only according to a man's mind, but
according to his digestion and temperament.
" To be lodged with some two hundred or more people in a
great floating hotel, — cut off from all the disagreeable ex
citements of civilized life, the postman's knock, the afternoon
visitor, the telegram, the duns, and tax-collector, and at the
same time to he face to face with nature in one of its grandest
aspects, as we are sure to be constantly reminded by the more
sentimental portion of our fellow-travellers, — is to see life, it
might be thought, under very favourable conditions ; but the
reality is not so sweet." So writes a contributor of great
discrimination to the Saturday Review.
We have arrived at Southampton, and put up probably
either at the South-Western or Radley's Hotel, the halls of
which are crowded with trunks and miscellanea, labelled for
East London, Durban, Kqwie or Mossel Bay, Port Elizabeth,
or Cape Town, etc., whilst a very modest quantity is addressed
to Ascension or St. Helena ; and worse confusion ensues if
a P. and O. or a North German Lloyds' packet has just
arrived. We luckily find that, thanks to the Union Company, we
and our effects are free from all the trouble and annoyance of
dock dues, porterages, shipping agents' commission, etc., and
B

2 On Board a Union Steamer.
that it is nearly time to go on board. Should the tide be
favourable we are able to walk on board of the ship as she
lies alongside the wharf at her berth in the inner dock, which
is most convenient, but if it is low tide we embark on the
little tug on a Thursday at noon, and instinctively take stock
of our fellow-passengers, trying to glean information as to
v/ho they are from the labels on the portmanteaux and bonnet-
boxes. But more especially we scrutinize those bound for
the same port as ourselves, wherever that may be, and make
mental notes of their capacity. Should it be a military
embarkation sentries are posted to prevent the wives of men
married without leave stowing themselves away on board
amidst the confusion. The bell rings and the vessel com
mences to haul out : no longer with immense hawsers like
boa-constrictors, which were so unmanageable, but with steel-
wire rope, which, as flexible and supple as whipcord on reel,
is sufficient to warp out the huge floating mass like the
Athenian (365 feet long, 46 feet broad, 4,000 tons burden)
through the narrow entrance of the inner dock.
We glide out of the docks and down Southampton Water,
and first notice the old Trincomalee (1,447 tons displacement),
which has been used for many years past as a drill-ship for
the Royal Naval Reserve. Her old guns, to the number of
fourteen, were 32-pounders with ornamental breeches and
tulips, and with old wooden carriages to match. Several of
them bear the date 1853. Luckily for the crew, the guns were
not accustomed to be fired, the reserve men only being taught
to go through the necessary movements. But as they served
to encumber the deck and interfered with the drill of the
men, of whom as many as eighty are sometimes up for train
ing, without at the same time affording much instruction in
the handling of the kind of guns which the Naval Reserve
would have to work in actual warfare, it has been at length
determined to supersede them. The new armament will
consist of six of the converted 64-pounder guns, and one
6}4-ton 7-inch gun, the latter of which will be placed oppo
site the loo-pounder smooth-bore, the only gun of her old
armament which the drill-ship will be allowed to retain ; and
next we wonder which of the three steamers lying near the
iron-clad guard-ship* off Netley, is to be the bearer of our-
* H.M.S. Hector, eighteen guns, s. iron ship, armour-plated, 6,713
tons, 3,256 indicated horse-power of engines. Captain Carter, R.N.^ com
manding. When Her Majesty is at Osborne this guard-ship moves down
and anchors off Cowes, with her satellite, the crack revenue cutter Rose,
commanded by Chief Officer Doran.

Lcavc-takiiiQ.

^> ¦

selves and fortunes to the southern climes. Discussions as to
whether she is one of the fast ones or a slow boat, and
information as to whether the captain is popular with pas
sengers or crew, or both, is eagerly sought for by the green
hands ; whilst some others, on the strength of a single for
mer voyage, give themselves the airs of old travellers (who,
by the bye, seldom give themselves airs), and affect an in
timate knowledge with nautical technicalities.
There is a general scramble on board and a sort of picnic
luncheon, and we have an uncomfortable sensation of being
in our own and everybody else's way. On the saloon tables
we find neatly printed programmes of the voyage, containing
the names of the captain and principal officers of the vessel,
a list of the passengers, and the proposed sailings of the
steamers for the ensuing months ; and last, but not least, a
track chart on which the passengers can prick off their daily
position. After some difficulty we find our berth, and are either
vexed at finding the cabin chock full, or agreeably dis
appointed at finding it to yourself — empty, swept and
garnished, with the sunlight shining brightly through the
port-holes. This greatly depends upon the season of the
year, as the colonists prefer to visit England during the
northern summer and autumn. Before Christmas, or rather
during October and November, the boats are mostly crowded
when outward bound. And soon the first bell is rung, and
" Any passengers for the shore .¦" " is demanded. This is too
generally a rather painful scene : — husbands parting from
wives, parents from children, lovers from the loved ones,
the mute handshakings, are an interesting sight, but one
which we do not care to see again. The comic aspects
are so mixed up with the tragic, the kisses with the tears,
that the indifferent looker-on is doubtful whether to laugh
or cry. A father and mother bid their son farewell with
a look of being heartily glad to get rid of a prodigal
evidently about to join the Cape Mounted Rifles, and the
young man weeps whilst even the mother's eyes are dry ;
there may be a trace of repentance in his face, and he
has probably found life at home too pleasant to be willingly
given up. A bride with floods of tears, a red nose, and
redder eyes, parts from her sisters with frantic embraces, her
husband looking on helplessly and but half-pleased. There is,
on all sides of us, a good deal of covert crying ; often the
grief which is most deep and bitter is indulged in stealthily,
and some of the faces are tragic enough in all conscience. B 2

4 On Board a Union Steamer.
But a second ringing of the bell and the little tug departs
in a cloud of waving handkerchiefs. A great rush of steam,
a snort, our screw begins to revolve, and we are off. At first
we are interested in the novel motion of gliding down the
still waters of Southampton Water, and also in the move
ments of a large P. and O. steamer which has also just
started, and is only a short distance ahead of us.
We pass the huge Netley Hospital to our left, whilst the
sun is getting lower over the trees of the New Forest at
Beaulieu on our right, and are not long before we pass close
by Calshot Castle and Lightship. On turning to look at
our fellow-passengers we regret to observe that the prettiest
faces have disappeared, and also with disappointment that
the ladies who remain have almost all the appearance of
suffering from colds in the head.
We now open out Spithead and the Solent as we round
the Bell buoy ;* a troop-ship and a turret-ship, with an iron-
* A new invention has been applied with satisfactory results to the
Calshot buoy in Southampton Water by Mr. J. Shervill, of Buckland,
who was formerly connected with the Dockyard. Hitherto the great
difficulty has been to cause the bell to ring at times of dead calm and to
prolong the vibration. When the buoy was first placed in position a bell
of the ordinary pattern was fitted upon it having two fixed hammers or
clappers on the outside. When the bell, therefore, was made to oscillate
by the wind or the swell of the water, it was brought into contact with
the hammers and gave the alarm. There were, however, two objections
to this principle. It took considerable motion to make the bell act, and
when the blow was struck the hammer remained in contact and deadened
the sound. As a result, in quiet foggy weather, when its services were
most required, the bell ceased to ring, while at other times the sound was
so low and short that it could only be heard at close quarters. About
eight years ago Mr. Shervill took the matter in hand, with the consent of
the authorities, and effected a great improvement. He substituted a
gong for the bell, and instead of delivering the blow by means of a hammer
he made use of brass balls running along radial ways. Each of the
four ways contained three grooves. Set in motion by the movement of
the water, the ball ran down the centre groove and struck the gong, and
was then immediately thrown into one of the lateral, grooves by its own
impact. This arrangement was found to prolong the sound, but as it was
necessary for the ball to make a circuit of the leads before striking, it
did not remove the former objection of being only operative in compara
tively rough weather. In the improved system, which is a modification
of the old, each of the four radial ways contains only one groove, and is
thus of much simpler construction. Each way is about two feet long, a
little incline at the bell end, up which it runs to strike, serving to bring
it back immediately after striking, and allow the vibrations to continue.
A similar check at the other end shortens the run of the balls in calm
weather, and enables them to act against the gong with the slightest
movement of the sea. A new method of supporting the gong upon a
spindle also tends to strengthen the sound.

Neck-and-Neck Race. 5
clad, jumbled up with the ironclad granite forts, appear dimly
in the distance at Spithead, whilst if it is at all clear the long
low pier at Ryde is distinctly visible. Opposite to us is
Cowes and its fleet of yachts.
We glide along, leaving the Calshot light-ship far astern,
and in another half-hour approach the heavily-armed and
armoured casemates of Hurst Castle — Yarmouth on the port,
and Lymington river and borough on the starboard.
On one occasion, when outward bound on board the (then)
fastest steamer of the Union Company, in 1877, we had an
exciting neck-and-neck race with a P. and O. steamer (the
Mirzapore) from off the Calshot as far as the Needles. A
race between two fast steamers like these is most exhilarat
ing ; at times the two steam vessels were so close to one
another, that a biscuit might have been chucked from one
deck to the other, and chaffing remarks from the waist to
the forecastle of the respective packets were easily ex
changed. The telegraph announces to those at home through
the medium ofthe shipping news in the daily press the hour
when the steamer passes Hurst Castle, whose numerous case
mates are most puzzling to count at the pace that we are
going. The names of the forts — Victoria, Cliff End, and Golden
Hill, in succession — are repeatedly asked for by the young
travellers, and opposite the brilliantly coloured sands of
Alum Bay the engines are stopped in order to land the pilot,
whilst the pinnacled Needles stand out boldly under the lofty
cliffs at Freshwater of dazzling white chalk, relieved only by
transverse lines of flint, which mark how the globigerine
submarine formations have been tilted up by vast upheavals.
By the time we are in the channel and opposite Poole
harbour, with the Bill of Portland visible far ahead, the
dinner-bell rings, and there is a contest and scuffle — not
generally too good-tempered — as to a seat near the captain,
and we endeavour to sit next, or at least opposite to, a pretty
face. The first dinner, however, is seldom a success ; a con
stant retiring disposition seizes a large proportion of the
company, and most of the ladies prefer the airy deck to the
closeness of the saloon, whilst ominous sounds of human
beings in distress reach our ears from neighbouring cabins.
One's own sufferings may be sHght, but the motion of the
ship causes certain qualms for most landsmen, and inquiries
are made as to what hour we shall reach Plymouth, and the
facetious commercial gents crack their coarse jokes.
The sun on Friday morning, if fine, generally rises on a

6 On Board a Union Steamer.
happier scene, for the steamer is at anchor in the Sound
within the famous breakwater. We view the " three towns "
with the Tors of Dartmoor in the far distance ; and Mount
Edgecumbe, Drake Island, and Staddon Heights present a
picturesque foreground.
There is time for a run on shore, and various little commis
sions are undertaken by gallant bachelors for various nothings
which have been forgotten or omitted. We enjoy a walk on
the Hoe and through .the principal streets, etc. of Plymouth,
and meet again at the Great Western Docks to re-embark in
the small tug which waits for the north mail.
A few additional passengers join us here — perhaps an
Italian operatic signora or so — and again the scrutiny is re
sumed. At two o'clock the propeller is again in motion, and we
pass an ironclad ready for the Mediterranean and a troop
ship just returning from abroad, and not improbably the
mail steamer from the Cape steams in as we pass out between
the west end of the breakwater and the two tiers of heavy
guns at Picklecombe Fort. The red and white stripes of the
old Eddystone* and the nearly finished structure of the new
Lighthouse are distinctly visible to the south and abreast of
us as we round Rame Head, whilst the Cornish coast beyond
Whitesand Bay vanishes away in the evening mists.
" Since the foundation-stone of the new Eddystone Light
house was laid by the Duke of Edinburgh, in the presence
of the Prince of Wales, on the 19th of August, 1879, steady
if quiet progress, upon which the engineer is to be con
gratulated, has been made with the erection of the structure,
which now consists of fifty-three courses of granite masonry,
rising to a height of about 70 feet above high-water.
* Soon to be superseded by the new lighthouse further to the east, on
the reef of abrupt rock, the first stone of which was to have been laid
on Saturday, the 21st June, 1879 — the longest day — it was hoped as a
good omen for the long lasting of the new edifice. This date was
altered. The foundations of the old lighthouse have become quite
undermined by the constant wear of the ever moving sea. It is a
curious sight to look over from the balcony outside the lantern of the
Eddystone light on the western side. One looks down right into deep
water, and in calm weather the fish, which swarm in numbers, are
clearly discernible, glittering at the great depth of forty fathoms. The
three light keepers get plenty of fish. They are allowed no intoxicating
liquor of any description on board the lighthouse, although I remember
when visiting there in a small yacht, that they highly prized a bottle of
grog presented to them (very wrongly) by the owner of the yacht. The
present writer watched the light the following night from the Hoe with
some uneasiness, more especially as it turned out tempestuous.

TJte New and Old Lighthouses.

'<b

'' The works in connection with this important undertaking
were commenced in July, 1878, the first landing by the
executive party on the Eddystone rocks having been effected
on the 17th of that month. The principal operations of the
season of 1878, and of the former part of the succeeding
summer, necessarily consisted in the cutting and levelling of
the rock — a hard gneiss, or species of granite traversed by
quartz — into benches for receiving the bottom courses of the
masonry. The foundation of the building being below the
level of low-water, it was requisite in the first instance to
construct a brick and cement coffer-dam, inside which the
men could proceed safely with their boring and cutting oper
ations, and eventually with the setting of the lower courses of
the masonry, for the brief three or four hours which then
constituted a maximum tide's work. In these operations no
gunpowder was used, for fear of shaking the adjacent rock ;
the whole of the cutting and levelling being accomplished by
'jumpers' — heavy iron bars, sharp at each end, worked by
hand — assisted by a patent rock-boring drill, worked by
compressed air.
" This is, we believe, the first occasion on which such an
instrument has been employed in the erection of a rock
lighthouse ; and we understand that it has proved itself to
be a very useful auxiliary in this branch of marine engineering,
the work which it is capable of executing being equivalent
to that which can be done by ten 'jumpers' plied by the
most brawny Cornish miners.
" Indeed, not only in this matter, but in most other respects,
extraordinary facilities are available to the rock lighthouse-
builder at the present time over those which existed in the
days of the father of lighthouse engineering, John Smeaton.
The material of Smeaton's tower had all to be conveyed from
Millbayto the rock in small sailing vessels — ' busses,' as they
were called — which used often to beat about for days before
reaching their destination, so that when they did accomplish
their passage the event not unusually excited the liveliest
emotions of gratitude in the mind of the anxious engineer,
as numerous records in his delightful narrative of the work
testify. Then the gear which he was obliged to use for loading
and unloading the vessels was of the most crude description.
Now, however, powerful steam vessels for conveying the
material to the rock, and steam winches for rapidly lifting on
board and transhipping the cargoes, take the place of the old
slow sailing boats and cumbrous timber derricks. The net
advantage of these and other such modern appliances will

8 On Board a Union Steamer.
be apparent when we say that it has been demonstrated that
the landing and building operations of a rock lighthouse
which now occupy an hour would have occupied an engineer
in Smeaton's day 6 hours 32 minutes.
" Up to the present time (iSth April) from the commence
ment of the new lighthouse in July, 1878, about 1,400 hours
in all have been worked on the rock, equivalent to about
155 J^ days of nine hours each, and some 1,800 stones,
weighing about 4,100 tons, have been landed and set in the
work. A course of masonry can now be landed and built
into the structure every day when the weather adrnits of the
executive staff getting on to the rock, and, as only thirty-six
courses still remain to be set, it will be seen that, externally
at least, the tower approaches completion. Already, indeed,
the height of the new structure equals that of Smeaton's
tower, which it will so soon supersede.
"The new light is expected to be exhibited in March, 1882,
and will be a powerful white double-flashing half-minute
light, showing two successive flashes of about two-and-a-half
seconds duration, divided by an eclipse of about four seconds,
the second flash being followed by an eclipse of about 21
seconds. The light will be visible all round the horizon, and
in clear weather at a distance of 17^ miles. The illuminant
for producing the light will be colza oil. At first it was
thought not improbable that electricity might be employed
for the purpose ; but in the present rather experimental state
of electric lighting the authorities of the Trinity House have
displayed discretion rather than valour in the decision they
have come to on the subject. The chief desideratum in a
light for lighthouse purposes is that it shall be constant and
reliable ; but the electric light, brilliant and beautiful as it
undoubtedly is, has hitherto shown an unfortunate tendency
to go out, often when it was most wanted ; and, though
the interval of accidental extinction be but brief, such an
unexpected eclipse might seriously confuse the perhaps
already-bewildered mariner. In foggy weather, a powerful
bell, weighing two tons, will be sounded at the new Eddystone
twice in quick succession every half-minute, the character
of the sound-signal being thus assimilated to that of the
light. " A statement was published about the time when the
foundation-stone of the new Eddystone was laid, that on the
exhibition of the new light, Smeaton's tower would be taken
down to the level of the top of the solid portion, i,e,, to a
height of about 28 feet above high-water, the stump being

Weather Chart and Forecast. 9
allowed permanently to remain. We do not know whether
that statement was, and may now be considered, accurate, or
whether the ultimate fate of the upper part of the building
— i.e., all the portions containing the rooms — is yet deter
mined. Were Smeaton's beautiful tower to be literally
consigned to the waves, we should regard the act as a national
calamity, not to say scandal ; and, if public funds are not
available for its conservation, we trust that private zeal and
munificence may be relied on to save from destruction so
interesting a relic. It certainly could not cost much to
.convey the building in sections to the mainland, and there, on
some suitable spot, to re-erect it as a national tribute to the
genius of its great architect. We commend this matter to
the ' Society for the Protection of Ancient Monuments.'" —
Daily Nezvs, April 15, 1881.
We get the daily newspaper at Plymouth and study care
fully the weather forecasts and chart, especially that which
relates to the Bay of Biscay, and look blue if any doubly-
feathered arrows are depicted flying from the SW. with a
deep depression shown advancing from the Atlantic, with a
depressing telegram from America tli^it a storm or storms,
preceded with cold, sleet, or snow, may be expected the fol
lowing day.
William Black, the novelist, in his charming book, " Green
Pastures and Piccadilly," which was copyrighted four years
since, has well depicted the departure of a big steamer, and
makes his heroine, when her companions try to frighten her
with " Beware the awful ' isobar ! ' " reply, " Beware the awful
fiddlesticks ! " but, nevertheless, whatever portends the eve of
the "fiddles '' on the saloon tables, means discomfort by no
means distant. William Black also gives facetiously what is
by far from bad advice viz., " In all cases of apprehended col
lisions stem to stern, the order, according to both the old and
new rules of the road at sea, is, ' Port your helm.' Porting
the helm makes the steamer steer to starboard ; consequently,
if possible, take your berth in a starboard cabin, which is less
liable to be crushed in at the first shock."
Here are Thomas Gray's verses, written by him when
secretary to the Marine Department of the Board of Trade,
as an aide-mhnoire to the officer on watch on the bridge at
night : — " When both side lights you see ahead —
Port your helm, and show your red !
Green to green — or red to red,
Perfect safety — go ahead !

IO On Board a Union Steamer.
If to your starboard red appear,
It is your duty to keep clear ;
• To act, as judgment says, is proper : —
To port — or starboard — back — or stop her !
But when upon your port is seen
A steamer's starboard light of green,
There's not so much for you to do,
For green to port keeps clear of you.
Both in safety and in doubt
Always keep a good look-out ;
In danger, with no room to turn —
Ease her ! — Stop her ! — Go astern ! "
At this evening's dinner the scale of precedence has been
arranged by the stewards in solemn conclave, the reservation
of certain places on either side of the captain being arranged
by the purser. Should troops be on board, the commanding
officer and the commanding officer's wife are on the right,
and any notables, or the most important of the married
passengers, take the left of the captain's seat of honour at
the head of the table. Judicious tipping secures us a seat
next the most agreeable of the fair sex, and one who has a
merry eye. Nautical morality is not strait-laced. AU
tight-lacing is injurious, and especially on board an ocean
going steamer. If the weather be calm there is a fair sprink
ling of ladies around the social board, and cross-examina
tions as to who is who, are freely discussed ; the captain
and officers being constantly interrogated as to when we shall
reach Madeira. It strikes us that the first idea of the normal
land passenger when arriving on ship-board is, without
exception, to inquire the earliest time as to when and where
he can land again. Everybody is most polite, and every one
on their good-behaviour.
After dinner follows coffee and flirtation on deck. The
seductive wiles of the grass widow, the arch looks of that
wily brunette, and the placid voluptuousness of that gay
charmer — evidently an American from her profusion of lithia-
emeralds, the only purely United States' gem known — how
dangerous they are afloat ! One rule is that there are safe
to be at least one (generally more) newly-married couple to
start with billing and cooing; whilst by the end of the
voyage at least four and five spoony couples have arranged
affairs entirely according to the satisfaction of one if not of
both the contracting parties. During the night we pass the
Ushant Light, near where the steamer European was wrecked
in 1877.

/// the Bay of Biscay. 1 1
Saturday morning, alas ! finds us in "the Bay " — a westerly
wind and slight rolling, with a few white horses cresting the
billows, prevent most of the ladies making an appearance
either on deck or at breakfast. Here we notice that we are
followed by several of those elegant little stormy petrels
passing over the waves astern, pattering with their delicately
webbed feet and flapping their wings, so as to keep them
selves above the surface. These Mother Carey's chickens, as
the sailors call them, have probably come from the Islot des
Rats, north of Alderney, one of the few places where they
have been known to breed. Their ornithological name is
Thalassidroma pelagica, and they are said to have been named
petrels after St. Peter, on account of their power of walking
on the water. How the name Mother Carey's chickens
came to be given to them is not clearly known : the fact of
Carey being a common name in the Channel Islands may
have something to do with the nautical nomenclature. A
drizzly rain, just sufficient to damp our spirits and to make
the decks slippery, makes us all uncomfortable. To-day
everybody is restless and bad-tempered ; for even if one is
not actually sea-sick, it is difficult to settle down to any writ
ing or reading at first : the change is too great. Living en
Evidence is at first utterly disagreeable to young and old.
There is no retirement or seclusion (which one needs so
especially when feeling " out-of-sorts "), a need most harass
ing, especially for the weaker and fairer of the passengers.
The first day or two every one is more or less hypochon
driacal. A few old voyagers, however, manage to establish
a whist party in the smoking-room on deck forward, and,
amidst a cloud of the fragrant weed, beguile the weary hours.
The first forty-eight hours on board ship, to our thoughts,
are longer than the whole of the rest of the voyage put
together. Sunday we experience a slight breeze, what sailors call
a capful of wind, but which the more ingenuous and greener
portion of the passengers regard as a gale of wind at least,
and subsequently recount their experience of a tempest or
hurricane in their letters home from Madeira, merely because
a sea or two is shipped forward and a little spray flies over
the bows and forecastle.
If there is a parson on board he will probably be unfit for
duty oh the first Sunday, and the captain is also glad of an
excuse for not interrupting the duties of the ship for Divine
service. A German missionary or two, perhaps, enliven (.')
the day with some solemn dirges, v/hilst some enterprising

12 On Board a Union Steamer.
sailor boys lately run aw ay from a cathedral choir, either
Salisbury or Winchester, give some really good chorales, and
obtain a capful pf small silver and coppers, which they
merit. On Monday, as, indeed, on every succeeding morning for
the first five days, the captain, chief officer, and all under
officers are always greeted on all sides with the parrot-like
cry — " When shall we reach Madeira 1 " Everybody asks
everybody else this absurd query, and everybody gives every
one else the same answer. The weather is brighter as we
approach the Spanish and Portuguese coasts. Off Finisterre
and Vigo we talk of the loss of the Captain, and how sharks
are still numerous in the neighbourhood of the deeply sub
merged wreck. Those who affect nautical language talk of
metacentre, centre of gravity, high and low freeboards,
centres of oscillation, centre of displacement, curve of buoy
ancy and spontaneous rotation, etc. As a matter of course,
a great amount of ignorance is exhibited by those who talk
loudest and use the longest words, especially if the loudest
happens, as is often the case, to be a lady. The vicinity of
Vigo also naturally turns the conversation on the Livadia,
the famous Russian yacht designed by Popoff for the Em
peror, and which was long lying at Vigo since her accident
at sea ; attributable by her officers to collision with wreck ;
but sinister rumours among the mh\\!\.s\A.c cognoscenti leave
little doubt that the fracture was outward instead of inwards,
and that the compartment was smashed by a coal torpedo in
reality. Off St. Vincent we come to shallower water on the Joseph
ine Bank, so called after the Swedish corvette which first
observed it, and follow its southerly direction ; giving our
would-be savants, who have been studying Sir Wyville Thom
son, an opportunity of declaiming about deposits of globi
gerine ooze, calcareous deposits, and decomposed pelagic
foraminifera* on the ridges, and of the deep-sea red clays,
mixed with pumice, in the profounder valleys and depths of
the ocean.
The weather is finer on Tuesday, the awnings are spread
and various invalids appear on deck, and attempts at parad
ing the decks are made by the bravest of the fair ones, who
are gallantly escorted by one or more of the oflScers of the
ship. Great interest by this time is taken in the ship's log ;
* Not forgetting the interesting group of rhizopods, intermediate
between the foraminifera and radiolaria, named Challengerida in honour
of the Challenger expedition.

New Patent Logs. 13
and the performance of the vessel daily is a never-ending
source of conversation. Numerous patent logs have been
devised, but the ancient pattern used by Columbus still holds
its own : although many machine-recording instruments are
also in vogue, such as Walker's harpoon log and Massey's.
Sir William Thomson, however, recommends the most
ingenious of all instruments, viz., the " pressure log," the
invention of Napier and Berthon, the principle of which is to
measure the speed of the ship by observing to what height a
column of water rises in a vertical tube, the bottom end of
which dips into the sea and faces forward. It shows the
velocity of the ship through the water at any instant, instead,
like all other patent logs, of telling the distance run during
a known length of time. Kelway's Electric Log, which can
also be used as a range-finder in Naval Gunnery, has been
well reported on by the late Mr. Froude to the Admiralty.
{See Appendix.)
Of course, the usual inquiries as to when we shall reach
Madeira are as plentiful as ever, and in the afternoon we all
admire the picturesque island of Porto Santo, with its lofty
cliffs, ravines, and rocks. With the setting sun shining forth
on the precipitous cliffs, upwards of 1,000 feet, their sides,
consisting of volcanic tuff, traversed by dykes of reddish
basalt, appear as though yet glowing with plutonic heat. One
small isolated rock bears a singular resemblance to a gorilla's
head. Steaming rapidly, as we do, we soon leave Porto Santo*
and the smaller islet of Basco on our port quarter, and as it
gets dark we dimly descry Madeira and the lighthouse, and by
eleven o'clock anchor in the roadstead of Funchal, the town of
which glitters like fairyland scenery in the moonlight, framed
by the transparency of a lovely lunar rainbow, which illu
mines the mists of the ravines and the depths of the moun
tainous background. The romantic young ladies are in
ecstasies. Funchal, it may be stated, is a purely Portuguese
name, meaning a place where fennel (funcho) grows.
Should the mail steamer be signalled at Funchal before a
certain hour in the evening, it is possible to obtain coal and
to proceed immediately ; but for passengers, unless they are
peculiarly impatient, it is infinitely more agreeable to arrive
too late to coal the same night, as by this delay there is an
opportunity of seeing something of the old-fashioned Portu-
* Porto Santo and Madeira were not discovered (as generally sup
posed) in 141 8 by Prince Henry of Portugal, son of King Joao I. and his
Queen Philippa, daughter of old John of Gaunt ; but by an Englishman
named Machin in 1337, who anchored in the port now named Machico.

14 On Board a Union Steamer.
guese colony. We are able to get a run on shore in the
morning, and breakfast at Miles' Hotel, where the profusion
of sub-tropical plants and shrubs of flowers astonishes the
newly-arrived visitors, brugmansias, bougainvilleas, and al-
pinias being mixed with roses, plantains, &c. The Brug-
¦mansia suaveolens is called the petticoat or moon plant, and
sometimes wrongly described as Datura arborea. English
people, who have only seen the Alpinia nutans, or great
ginger plant, in conservatories at home, can have little idea
what a magnificent plant it is when in blossom in the open
air in sub-tropical climates. The compound, drooping
racemes, over a foot in length, with their waxy, cream flowers,
deepening into an orange yellow, with feathered, crimson
tips, are most striking. Like the poinsettias, the singularly
beautiful bougainvilleas depend for their excessive brilliancy
not so much upon their flower blossoms, which are small and
insignificant, as upon the colouring of the bunches of bracts,
or flower leaves, surrounding the petals. These bracts are
of every shade of colour in different plants, some of almost
Venetian flesh red, whilst others have varied tints, from
scarlets, crimsons, and magentas to the most delicate violets
and mauves. When mixed with other creeping plants, such
as bignonias, of sorts, over trellis-work alcoves and verandahs,
the effect is striking. The land-shells of Madeira are in
teresting to the naturalist, and more especially to the evolu
tionist, as they indicate the source and extension of the land
faunae of the Madeira archipelago. The late Mr. Wollaston
made these, as well as the coleoptera of the Canaries, his
especial study ;* and his work is now being continued by the
well-known Assistant-Secretary pf the Geographical Society,
Mr. H. W. Bates, the author of the "Naturalist on the
Amazon." For those who wish to study the ornithology of
Madeira we recommend Mr. E. W. Harcourt's " Sketch of
Madeira," written twenty years ago, and Mr. F. Godman's
monograph of the " Birds of Madeira and the Canaries," in
the Ibis of 1872.
Bullock carriages, sledges, and paved stony streets form
the chief characteristics of Funchal, and there is the usual
trade in curiosities, wicker-work chairs, feather flowers, lace
insertions, &c. ; walking-sticks of palm and guava are pur
chased, and in the fish market we duly admire the albicore
and cavalho. If we are in luck we may see a specimen of
* " Testacea Atlantica ; or, the Land and Freshwater Shells of the
Azores, Madeiras, Salvages, Canaries, Cape Verdes, and St. Helena,"
by T. Vemon Wollaston, M.A., F.L.S.

Madeiran Ichthyology. 15
the most desperately vicious of all the formidable sea-wolves,
viz., Plagyodus fero.r, which grows to a length of six feet,
and is fortunately rare. In the stomach of one specimen
found off Madeira there were found several eight-armed
cuttle-fish, numerous crustaceans and ascidians, a young
brama, twelve young boar-fishes, a horse mackerel (cavalho),
and one young of its own species.
The fishes of Madeira have formed a subject of study to
several of our most noted ichthyologists. Dr. Giinther, Mr.
Lowe, and Mr. Johnson have all so fully examined the
Madeiran fishes, that there is perhaps no other locality out
of Europe with the ichthyology of which we have a better
acquaintance. We get splashed on re-embarking from the shingle beach
under the remarkable and mysterious chimney-like tower,
and on gaining our steamer's deck amuse ourselves with
watching the diving of the Madeira urchins for small silver
coins. The steamer has now finished taking her coals on
board, again the screw revolves, Pico Ruivo and the peaks
of Torrinhas (6,000 feet), and Madeira and the Desertas isles
soon grow dim far away astern of us as we roll before
the north-west trade in the direction of the Canary archi
pelago. The colour of the water has now changed from the cobalt
blue of the first part of the voyage to a deep ultramarine
hue, whilst the grandly formed waves froth and effervesce in
our wake with sparkling briskness, different to the soapsud
foam of less genial latitudes. Few Englishmen who have
not extended their nautical excursions to more than a hundred
miles beyond the mouth of the British Channel can form
any correct idea of the appearance the sea presents through
out the greatest portion of the globe, or how little appHcable
is the term " sea-green " when the shallow and troubled
waters of our own coast are exchanged for the clear and
deep blue bosom of the deep ocean, such as we have here, of
2,400 fathoms in profundity. In the latter, the vast expanse
of fluid presents one uninterrupted field of a lapis-lazuli tint,
and its lifting waves, crested with foam, bear a close resem
blance to robes of the richest purple, with translucent edges of
aquamarine hue, crested with beryl. This intense blueness
of the ocean has been ascribed to the salts of iodine con
tained in sea-water ; but it is more probable that the blue of
our atmosphere, or sky, and that of the deep sea have both
the same origin, namely, the clearness and vast accumulation
of their respective elements.

1 6 On Board a Union Steamer.
Blue ! 'tis the life of waters : — Ocean,
With all his tributary streams, pools numberless.
May rage, and foam, and fret ; but never can
Subside, if not to dark blue nativeness. — Keats.
" Clear as the full calm's emerald hyaline."— Swinburne's Thalassius.
We are, about here, sure to see some whales disporting
themselves, and if there are whales, there is sure to be found
also their food, in the shape of shoals of medusae ; some vast
collections of these zoophytes extend over incredible spaces,
even to thirty pr forty square miles. When we reflect that
each of these gelatinous floating bells requires in turn for its
food countless milhons of flinty-shelled diatomaceae, we
cannot fail to be struck with such abundant manifestations of
organic existence.
As usual, we are no sooner away from one place than some
of the pertinacious inquiries again commence as to when we
shall see land again, and there is an eternal repetition of
" When will Teneriffe be in sight ? " as we approach the
Fortunate Islands, the ancient home of the Guanches. This
romantic synonym of the Canary Islands once led to an
odd mistake, which might have had serious consequences.
The English Ambassador at the Court of Rome, in 1343,
left the city in high dudgeon when he heard that Pope
Clement VI. had presented the " Fortunate Isles " (the
Canaries) to the Comte de Clermont, fancying that the Pope
had sequestrated his master's dominions, " for of course there
were no other fortunate isles save England and Ireland."
We have now fairly entered the heart of the Trades, whose
almost constant current of air is evidenced by the overcast
weather of the Trade clouds. Half-fog, half-cumulus, they
are pulled out in long, thin lines, coalescing, as we get
further south, into an almost unbroken sheet of cumuloni.
On Thursday morning land on the starboard bow is re
ported, and proves to be the island of Palma, and we sfeam
within an easy distance of the western coast line of this
almost regularly conical volcanic mountain, getting a good
view of its outline, at least of the bounding wall of its
magnificent central crater, or caldera, nearly six miles in
diameter and S,ooo feet deep, encircled by precipices, except
where its basin is drained through a great cleft, called the
Baranco, into the, sea* Von Buch upholds the upheaval
theory in regard to this extinct volcano, 7,690 feet in altitude ;
* "PhysikalischeBeschreibung der Canarischen Inseln.'' 1825. Leo
pold von Buch.

Sublime Natural Laboratory. 1 7
but Sir C. Lyell is satisfied that it is a model type of an
insular volcano, chiefly subaerial, truncated, and hollowed
out by a paroxysmal eruption, drained through a principal
radial fissure, which torrents and dSdcles have since greatly
enlarged. Whilst directly afterwards dimly descried ahead
are the shores of Gomera and Teneriffe. We look in vain
for the lofty cone of the Peak, the celebrated landmark of
all sailors, and begin to fear that we shall miss the view
altogether as we near the shore and see the surf beating with
terrific force on the rocks at the base of huge basaltic cliffs,
whose summits are thickly enveloped in the mantle of the
wildly torn cumuloni, which seem to dash against the lofty
summits of the jagged cliffs, and, rent piecemeal, ever dis
solve in eddies of mist.
Suddenly, to our great delight, a rift appears in the driving
clouds, and behold far above us is the famous Peak,* that
highly elevated laboratory of regenerated sulphur, unveiled
for a few minutes only ; the Piton, 1 2,000 feet, above the sea
level, is shining in the morning sun, and before we have time
to express our admiration the curtain drops over the scene,
which, nevertheless, creates, perhaps, all the deeper impres
sion on the beholders. The cliffs of Point Rasca soon dis
appear behind us, while, covered with its cloud cap, on the
starboard beam is the isle of Ferro, once the zero of longi
tude long before the observatories of Paris and Greenwich
were built. The position of Ferro, or Hierro, appears to have
determined the line of division of the world on maps into an
eastern and a western hemisphere. It was a sufficiently
adventurous act for Columbus to set sail across unknown
seas for an unknown shore ; but when we read what strange
theories were held by the geographers of the sixteenth cen
tury, we marvel yet more at his courage. Many persons
* " As some tall cliff, that lifts its awful form.
Swells from the vale, and midway leaves the storm.
Though round its breast the rolling clouds are spread.
Eternal sunshine settles on its head." — Goldsmith.
It curiously happened to the writer that he passed the Peak of Teneriffe
on the 31st May, 1877, outward bound, and on the exact anniversary of
this date the following year, 1878, again passed the same Peak ; both
times in the same fast Union steamer, at one time nicknamed "the South
African greyhound," viz., the Nyanza, a vessel which once belonged to
the Peninsular and Oriental Company. The writer had previously passed
Teneriffe on three occasions— in March, 1865, June, 1876, and March,
1877. On all these occasions there were only patches of snow on the
summit. The cone of cinders bears to the total height of the Peak the
ratio of i'22. C

1 8 On Board a Union Steamer.
believed that after passing Ferro the sea sloped downwards
like a plain, which vessels could descend upon, but never
return hy. Others taught that rash navigators, if they suc
ceeded in passing the limits already known, would fall away
into the abysses of space. The most hopeful ideas were that
the sea beyond the islands already discovered rose into waves
so gigantic that no vessel could live among them ; or that a
strong wind blew eternally from the east, across that un
known sea ; thus condemning the navigators, should they
fail to discover the expected continent, to sail round the
globe without possibility of return. No sooner is Ferro out
of sight than the usual inquiry is re-echoed as to when we
shall reach St. Helena : the faces of the captain and officers
are worth studying after the fiftieth time they have replied to
these ever recurring questions of the bores.
We are approaching the tropic, yet the climate is delight
ful. The ladies have by this time nearly all recovered their
healthy appetites and regained their good looks and spirits.
Acquaintance ripens into intimacy, and as by this time
every one knows who every one else is, the formation of
various cliques and coteries is more or less the inevitable
result. First, there is the would-be aristocratic clique, consisting
mostly of the old cats who can talk and think of nothing
but scandal ; affecting a prudish exclusiveness, they mostly
assume and maintain a curiously unnatural tone of voice
when entertaining their gentlemen acquaintance. Their
ideas of courtesy are strange, whilst their appreciation of the
broadest double entendres is enhanced by the transparency of
the tissue paper in which they are wrapped.
Secondly, a smoking whist and loo-playing chque, the
leading members of which are mostly the husbands of the
above, and a very good set they are too; their language,
perhaps, smacks more of the mess-room and the racecourse
than of the drawing-room, and it need hardly be said that
their Equivoques are not wrapped in the flimsiest of trans
parencies. Thirdly, the musical set, comprised mostly of the younger
people. Concerts and dramatic entertainments, etc., are
energetically devised, dancing and flirtation being the chief
characteristics of this set. Among these are the young
women, who seem to be afflicted with a plethora of sestheti-
cal sentiment, and are for ever breaking forth into gushing
rhapsodies over the scenery last visited ; and what strikes
one as most significant of affectation in these sentimental

Columbus and the Cocoa-Nut. 19
ladies is that they appear to be as equally excited by the
most powerful as by the most insignificant stimulants.
Lastly, the outsiders, who belong to no particular set,
to which set we recommend our independent readers to
belong. The game of bull is now in vogue, together with go-bang
and deck quoits, and numerous bottles of beer or pegs are
lost and won over these intellectual amusements.
Early Saturday morning the Cape de Verde is passed,
and, perhaps, one of the islands descried ; the weather grows
warmer, and flying fish make their appearance, and cocoa-
nuts may be seen floating by, reminding us of Lamartine's
story — which seems almost difficult of belief — that in the
present century a relic of Columbus' first return voyage was
discovered. A sailor on the African coast is said to have
picked up a petrified cocoa-nut, which, on being opened, was
found to contain, instead of a kernel, a piece of parchment,
on which the following words were inscribed, in ancient
Gothic characters : " We cannot survive one day longer. We
are between Spain and the newly-discovered western isles.
If the carrack founders, may some one pick up this testi
mony !" If a genuine relic, this would be most interesting ;
but the tale sounds a little doubtful. The moon-lit decks
afford agreeable promenades of an evening, and most of
the flirtations assume a definite shape. It is amusing to
watch the tactics of the fair ones playing off one admirer
against another, or still more instructive it is to the cynical
observer when it is a fair one who is enslaved, and shows
her preference in a manner marked to the most trivial looker-
on. To see her ecstatically star-gazing in a retired corner,
vainly endeavouring to appear indifferent to the desertion
of her flame, who is carrying on, within earshot, a despe
rate flirtation with a fast grass widow, is quite pathetic,
however cynical we may be inclined to feel, as we watch
" The bashful virgin's sidelong looks of love."
The jealous husband affords, perhaps, the most sport
during a short voyage (on a long one he would be intoler
able) ; whilst the petty jealousies of some of the sex, where
both are rivals, are such as to afford rich and suggestive
instruction in human nature. All the stock jokes have been
by this time evaporated ; nearly all on board feel at home.
The rattle of the dice at backgammon is heard, and studious
chess players find a pleasant relief from the ennui of
idleness. C 2

20 On Board a Union Steanur.
On Sunday we are interested in the general muster of the
crew in their clean turn-out, and hear them answer to their
names ; and, as by this time an energetic chaplain or arch
deacon has organized a choir (not surpliced, but at all events
petticoated), a full service is given with great Mat. As no
chess, backgammon, or whist are allowed on Sundays, the
remainder of the day is rather triste and devoted to French
novels, sleep, and scandal, till flirtation time arrives in the
evening, when it is wonderful what an attraction is caused
by the phosphoric waves in our wake ; at least, one would
judge so from the invariable tendency of numerous couples
to watch the phenomena over the taffrail. The moonrise is
another excuse for similar watching.
By the bye we must remark what a blessing it is for
modern lovers that the vessels are now steered from a wheel-
house forward on the bridge, and that the man or men at the
wheel are no longer required aft, where they used to be a
standing interruption of the most tender of love passages.
Many hopes have been blighted by the presence of this wet
blanket, which now, happily, has ceased to exist.
Lower latitudes soon change the prevailing costumes, and
the shadiest of shady hats are in request, with veils and
sunshades, to protect the northern complexions. Iced drinks
are also in demand, and, as a rule, the passengers prefer
lingering on deck as long as possible, previously to retiring
to the warmth of the cabins below. On the 23rd of Sep
tember, 1815, H.M.S. Northumberland, with Napoleon on
board, crossed the line, by one of those singular hazards
which sometimes occur, at latitude 0°, longitude 0°, declina
tion 0° ; that is to say, exactly at mid-day at the first meri
dian and on the day of the equinox. ( Vide Count Mon-
tholon's History, vol. i. p. 132.) In an explanatory note the
deviation of the compass is confounded with the sun's decli
nation, and it is attempted to show that on this date and at
that time and place the variation of the compass was also
nil — an extraordinary coincidence, which it is naively remarked
will not soon occur again. We are now in the equatorial
region of the Atlantic, where not infrequently shocks of
earthquakes have been felt by passing vessels.* {See
" Comptes Rendus des Stances de I'Acad^mie des Sciences,"
tome sixifeme. 1838.)
It is not improbable that it is to some such phenomenon
* " On sait que, quand des tremblements de terre se font ressentir en
mer, ils produisent sur les bitiments un effet semblable \ un choc centre
des rochers ou contre le fond."

Loss of the ''American.'' 21
of nature that the accident to the propeller of the Ameri
can is attributable, and we herewith give the story as an
illustration of the perfect discipline and care exercised on
board a Union steamer : —
" The Union steamer American, with 141 souls on board,
all told, left Plymouth on the 9th of April, 1880, with every
prospect of a favourable run. They crossed the Bay of
Biscay in fine weather, but a gale of wind overtook them
when off Lisbon, and obliged the captain to ease the
engines, and the weather continued bad for thirty-six hours.
The American came to anchor off Madeira on the morning
of the 15 th of April, and remained there six hours. The
passage therefrom was most agreeable, the captain and his
officers uniting to make the passengers as comfortable as
possible. Amateur theatricals, concerts, bazaars, and other
amusements were got up daily, and in what was generally
fair weather, the passage to the equator was successfully
accomplished. It was about a quarter to five o'clock on the
morning of the 23rd of April, when the American was in
latitude 1° 52' N., longitude 9° 57' W., that every passenger
on board was aroused by a sudden and indescribable shock
under the sternmost part of the ship. Some few of the
gentlemen had already left their cabins and were enjoying
their baths when this happened, and the first impulse with
many of them was to go on deck and learn what was the
matter. The alarming feature first presenting itself to
those on board was the sudden and complete collapse of the
engines, and it was also remarked that the gallant commander
of the ship. Captain Wait, had left the deck, and was ob
served in close conversation with the engineers below.
After it had been ascertained by personal examination of
the tunnel where the shaft worked, that a very serious frac
ture in the ship's bottom had been made by the broken
shaft, and that with no engine power the ship must soon
inevitably founder. Captain Wait came up on deck, and,
addressing himself to the few gentlemen who had at that
time assembled, made known to them the extent of the
mischief that had happened, explaining that one of the
water-tight compartments had already filled with water,
and that he feared the ship must be abandoned before
many hours had elapsed. He begged those present to
undertake the painful duty of communicating this sad
intelligence to the ladies on board, of whom, with children,
there were about thirty, and to explain to them that it
might be necessary to leave the ship in boats, at any rate

2 2 On Board a Union Steamer.
for a time. Simultaneously he ordered the stewards to
have breakfast prepared in the saloon, so that when the
passengers left their cabins, no special cause for alarm
might be apparent.
" Having thus far completed his arrangments to avoid panic
among the passengers. Captain Wait next applied himself
to the important duty of inspecting and fitting the various
boats, of which there were eight in all, and telling off his
officers to their respective commands. The boats were
now lowered, and a very short interval sufficed for pro
visioning them with water and stores, and a bountiful supply
of lime juice. Fortunately the weather was fine, and there
being very little swell, each boat was kept in close contact
with the ship, by the one or two sailors remaining on board,
who saw that all the needful stores were shipped.
" These preparations completed, at eight o'clock, there
being no hope of keeping the water under, Captain Wait told
off each officer and man to his duty, and ordered the em
barkation of the passengers in the boats to be commenced.
The ladies and children were first cared for. The first
officer, Mr. Hepworth, took charge of the second life-boat,
which had a full complement of ladies and children, and
an able-bodied crew. This boat had the advantage of
having the medical officer on board. The second officer,
Mr. Jones, had charge of the third life-boat, which took
in twenty-eight persons in all, including Mr. Levy and his
son. The third officer, Mr. Stevenson, took charge of the
first cutter, and had on board several ladies and children.
The fourth officer, Mr. Dunn, had the mail boat under his
charge, and among those on board were Mr. and Mrs. Lord
and family, and two servants. Captain Wait had charge
of the first life-boat, in which he was accompanied by the
unfortunate Mr. Paterson (subsequently drowned) and some
ladies and children. The boatswain had charge of the
second cutter, in which two German families embarked.
The carpenter had charge of the gig, which took in all
that were left of the passengers, and the eighth boat, the
dingy, which was commanded by the first quartermaster,
carried only the mail bags and a crew of four seamen.
Before noon it was evident that the American could not
keep afloat much longer, and Captain Wait called round
him the commanders of each of the boats and gave them
their course to steer, enjoining them to keep as closely to
gether as the exigencies of their position admitted. He
told them that, from observations he had made, he con-

Captain J Fail's Courageous Behaviour. 23
sidered that they were about 250 miles from Las Palmas,
for which place he advised them to steer.
"The American was now fast settling down by the stern,
and as soon as the various officers had taken their com
mand of the several boats. Captain Wait, who was the last
to leave the ship, stepped into the first life-boat, and as he
bade the good ship farewell, she sank stern foremost into
an unfathomable sea. The weather was favourable, and a
fair breeze prevailing, the boats scudded merrily along, so
that, with the exception of occasional squalls, there was
less discomfort than might have been expected. The first
life-boat ran 120 miles, as nearly as could be computed,
between the time of leaving the ship and the next day, at
half-past seven in the evening, when Captain Wait first
sighted, and then boarded, the American barque, Emma
F. Herriman, Captain Upton, who was engaged in a trad
ing voyage along the African coast. At half-past nine
the same evening, the second officer in the third life-boat
sighted the same ship, and on getting on board with his
passengers, all were much gratified to find that they had
been preceded by their captain and his crew of ladies and
children. Later on, during the same moonlight night, the
fourth officer's boat was also picked up by the Emma F.
Herriman, which, with very spare accommodation indeed,
took on board, and treated with as tender a kindness as
the circumstances allowed, no less than sixty-five passengers
out of the three boats.
" From Saturday evening, April 25th, until after midnight
on the following Tuesday, the passengers remained on board
the American barque, cruising along the coast of Liberia,
until they were sighted and taken off by the Coanza, one of
the Liverpool West African fleet, which landed them a few
hours afterwards at Grand Bassa, where they were received
with great kindness and hospitality by the American native
half-caste population, and the few white residents on this
part of the coast. While at Grand Bassa, the rescued
survivors attended a thanksgiving service, when prayers were
offered up by the half-caste and native population for the
missing passengers in the undiscovered boats.
"After remaining at Grand Bassa until the 8th of May, the
passengers of the American were taken on board the Senegal,
Captain Keane, another of the ships of the Liverpool line of
West African steamers, which had called to take in cargo
for Madeira. From Grand Bassa the Senegal sailed to
Monrovia, and thence to Sierra Leone, where she embarked

24 On Board a Union Steamer.
Sir Samuel Rowe, the Governor, who, on hearing of the
disaster that had happened to the American, ordered Her
Majesty's gunboat Firebrand to proceed in search of the
missing boats. The Senegal next called at Bathurst, at the
mouth of the Gambia River, where Sir Samuel Rowe's
business engagements led to a detention of the ship for thirty
hours. The next port touched at was Goree, one of the
Cape de Verde islands, and from thence the Senegal proceeded
direct to Las Palmas, a distance of i,ooo miles from Grand
Bassa, which she had run in little more than four days.
" All had gone fairly well with the Senegal so far, and she
was within six miles of Las Palmas, when she unfortunately
ran on to a sunken reef in open daylight. A general panic
seems to have ensued, and Captain Keane, finding there was
no hope of saving his ship and the persons on board by the
adoption of any other course, determined to run her on shore.
After the Senegal had got off the reef, the captain ordered
the engines to be put at full speed, and steered direct for the
beach, running at eleven knots. When about a mile and a half
from the shore, the boats were lowered, and one, in which
was the unfortunate Mr. Paterson, Mr. and Mrs. Lord, and
her daughter, Mr. Levy, and others, was struck by the screw
and capsized. For a moment all the twelve persons she
contained were in a position of the utmost danger ; but a
.';mall Portuguese boat, manned by a fisherman and his boy,
rendered timely assistance, and Captain Wait, having noticed
the dangerous position of the parties, put off in a boat from
the Senegal, which had now reached within a mile of the
beach, and, with the assistance of Mr. Dunn, his fourth officer,
rescued all the occupants of the boat, except the lamented
Mr. Paterson, who, being encumbered with a heavy overcoat,
could not keep himself afloat. Mr. Levy, who was in this
boat with Mr. Paterson, feels quite certain that he was not
injured by the screw of the Senegal. The spot where the
Senegal was beached is about twelve miles from Las Palmas.
As soon as the accident was observed the natives came down
from the hills to the shore, and, tendering assistance, appro
priated all the few belongings the wrecked passengers had
preserved. But when the Consul appeared on the scene, he
arranged for their conveyance over twelve miles of broken
country, to Las Palmas, where they were lodged and cared
for in the best manner the place afforded. On the next day
the Teuton, Cape mail steamer,* which was on the look-out
* The unfortunate Teuton herself was lost seventeen months after, as
i\ill be related hereafter.

Incidents of the Boat's Voyage. 25
for the missing boats, and had descried the Senegal on the
beach, put into Las Palmas, and, re-embarking the passengers
from the American, conveyed them back to Madeira, where
they met with great joy their fellow-shipmates rescued by
the Congo a fortnight previously. The dingy was picked up
subsequently by a vessel bound for the American coast."
The following is from the diary of a passenger : — " After
all had got into the boats, the captain lowered himself into
one, and gave an order for all boats to move from the ship.
After getting away to what was considered a safe distance,
the men were told to ' lay on ' their oars and await the
disappearance of the vessel. We had not long to wait
before the cry from the boats was ' There she goes !' the
after part disappearing first. As Cape Palmas, on the west
coast of Africa, was the nearest point of landing, the captain
decided to make for there, and gave the course nearly east
by east half-east magnetic. Our boat, being the first to
windward, took the lead, the wind blowing fresh from the
south-west. We soon found that our boat and No. 6 were
the two fastest boats of the eight. 4 P.M. — No. 6 boat
passed us, in charge of the boatswain, but we were both
evidently well matched in respect to sailing qualities. We
could see the foremost of the other boats astern. 6 P.M. —
Shortened sail for the lifeboat in charge of the chief officer,
this being the only one in sight. On coming within hailing
distance, we asked them whether they thought it advisable
to wait for the other boats. Waited for about two hours.
Seeing nothing of the other boats, set sail again and steered
the same course. We had twenty-six people in our boat,
among whom were three ladies, three little girls, and a baby
thirteen weeks old. As night approached the breeze freshened,
and we considered we were sailing about six knots. 1 1.30 P.M.
— Lost sight of the chief officer's boat, and could distinctly
see No. 6 boat ahead, the moon shining brightly.
" Saturday, April 24th, 6 A.M. — Sighted the chief officer's
boat astern. Shortened sail for him to come up, and asked
him if he had seen any of the other boats. He replied ' No.'
8.30 A.M. — Had breakfast, consisting of preserved beef
sausages, lobster, salmon, and biscuits. We afterwards
examined the water and found we must use it sparingly.
12 o'clock (noon). — The third officer took observations, and
found we were about 1 16 miles from land. Lost sight of the
chief officer's boat. The heat was now so intense that most of
us longed for the night and the cool breeze. The poor baby's
face became blistered very much, through being exposed

26 On Board a Union Steamer.
to the sun. 5 P.M. — Lime juice and water served out, and
our evening meal partaken of. As night advanced the
weather assumed a threatening aspect. Reefed sail and
made snug for the night. 11.30 P.M. — Came up to No. 6
boat and compared compasses. 12 o'clock midnight. — The
clouds cleared off and the moon shone brightly until day
dawned, " Sunday, April 25th, 5 A.M. — No. 6 boat signalled some
thing in sight, which proved to be a brigantine steering south-
south-east. Bore down to her and made signals, but were
not observed. 8 A.M. — Experienced a heavy thunderstorm,
the lightning being very vivid. One of the little girls began
to cry for the first time. There was a continuous downpour,
which, although drenching us completely, enabled us to fill
our water beakers and buckets. We had now a month's
provisions and ten days' water. 12 o'clock (noon). — No sun,
for observations. 2 P.M.- — The weather cleared. Fresh
breeze from the south-south-west. There was a heavy cross
swell. Altered course to east, reefed sails until 3 P.M., when
we made the land distinctly, and could see trees a short dis
tance from the beach. 3.30 P.M. — Sighted a steamer to wind
ward, and hoisted extra signals, steering towards it. We
were observed. No. 6 boat being within hailing distance.
She proved to be the steamship. Congo, of Glasgow, and was
about to disembark natives — or, I should say, allow them to
jump overboard into the water and join their companions,
who came off to meet them in canoes. The place where we
were making for, before sighting the Congo, was Grand Sester,
about 30 miles north of Cape Palmas, and 210 miles south
of Monrovia, the capital of the Liberian Republic. 3.45 p.m.
— Were taken on board the Congo. The ladies were very
much cram.ped through being in the boat so long. No. 6
boat came alongside a few minutes later, all well. Told the
captain of the Congo that six boats were sailing adrift, and
he immediately sent a man to the masthead, who sighted the
chief officer's boat bearing into land. 6.15 p.m. — Stopped to
pick up the chief officer's boat. Occupants all well. The
Congo then proceeded to sea, going slowly in a likely direc
tion to pick up the other boats. A good look-out was kept,
and red and blue lights were burned every half-hour during
the night. As nothing was seen of them, at daybreak the
Congo shaped her course towards Madeira."
The narrator supplements this by repeating that the
greatest coolness prevailed at the time the accident occurred,
and he states it as his opinion that everything possible was

Transport rescued by a Union Steamer. 27
done to save the ship, a statement which he was sure would
be readily borne out by the passengers of the ill-fated vessel.
Some time in 1879 the Nyanza steamer, then commanded
by Captain Ballard, found a French transport, the La Plata,
with a disabled screw, some 250 miles off Goree, utterly
powerless to get on, with a large number of emigrants or
convicts, I forget which, already on short allowance for many
days. A steam-launch would have gone to Goree, and
brought assistance in three or four days. When one knows
that some of our ocean passenger steamers often have 200
passengers on board, besides a crew of seventy or eighty
hands at least, it seems absolutely necessary that some steps
should be taken to provide for, their safety, besides the pre
sent boat-power.
Crossing the Line.
On board the steam packets it is no longer the fashion to
celebrate the crossing of the line with the old-fashioned
" customs " of former days, although sometimes a little rough
play goes on forward. But the writer remembers a great
scene which once took place hereabouts on board one of Her
Majesty's vessels employed on transport service.
It was late in the year 1864 that H.M.S. Orontes, then a
new vessel, built after the pattern of the Himalaya, with
Admiralty improvements, under the command of Captain
Hire, R.N., was bringing out the then 2nd Brigade of Royal
Artillery and other draughts, to relieve the 12th Brigade at
St. Helena, the Cape, Mauritius, and Ceylon.
When the ship reached the vicinity of the line the time-
honoured frolics were duly carried out. The blazing tar
barrel and hail from Neptune over night, and the drenching,
from the tops, of the spectators, etc., were duly carried out,
and the shaving and ducking the following morning. Some
evil, malicious sprite, however, seems to have entered the
ship, which induced the ladies to venture on the bridge to
view the sports, thinking themselves safe in the august com
panionship of the officer commanding the troops. Conceive
their horror when, not only on the commanding officer, but
on the commanding officer's wife, the hose of the pump,
worked by the donkey engine, was turned. Imagine the
flight and screeching of the fair ones as they scuttled back
to the saloon, their indignation and rage, and, not least, their
hysterics and language subsequently.
Then ensued a scene which baffles description. The com
manding officer rushed at Neptune, who was seated in state

28 On Board a Union Steamer.
on the chart- house. Seizing the ocean monarch by his throat,
the infuriated colonel hurled him backwards, with another
well-directed blow sent Amphitrite off her reversed swash-
tub after her lord, and both tumbled through the engine-
room skylight. Rushing at the dial on the bridge in hopes
of stopping the steam pumps (meantime a free fight was
general and a Donnybrook scrimmage seemed imminent),
the military colonel turned the handle of the signal dial to
" Hard astern," and the engineer below instantly reversed
his engines, no doubt thinking a coUision imminent.
As there was a following swell, and all the stern ports
were wide open, green seas rapidly commenced pouring
from aft into the saloon, so that the ladies, rushing from the
showering hose on deck, only encountered worse swamping
in the saloon and adjoining cabins, where everything was
afloat. They had, in fact, jumped out of the frying-pan
into the fire. Had the engines not been promptly stopped,
the good ship Orontes would speedily have gone down stern
foremost. We need hardly add that this incident put a
damper on the rest of the voyage.
Apropos of crossing the line, the writer experienced the
whole initiation in December, 1861, on board H.M.S. Urgent,
in which transport we had embarked off the Peiho river, in
the Gulf of Petcheli, some two months previously, with three
batteries of artillery on board. One battery we had dis
embarked at Madras, and, after a week's sojourn for repairs
in Trincomalee harbour, we were on our way to Mauritius.
It was just before Christmas, and only two or three of us
officers and most of the gunners had not previously crossed
the line, although, of course, we had been twice within a few
miles of it, going and returning by Singapore. However, we
were only too glad of the fun ; but we were confidentially
warned that it would be prudent, in addition to the tip whicli
it is necessary to pay as a fee to Neptune and his retinue, to
propitiate the bears, whose duty it is to roll you over and duck
you, after shaving, in the sail full of sea-water. .So we sent
for the bears, and ordered the steward to fill them a stiff glass
of grog each. The steward coolly poured them out each (there
were six or eight of them) a tumblerful (half a bottle) of
neat brandy. The bears tossed off their glasses without
winking ; but the result was that by the time we were ducked
the bears hardly knew what they were about, and we were
nearly half-drowned before we could get released.
Now that we are in the vicinity of the line the waters of
the ocean grow calm, sometimes like glass, only scratched

Captain Toynbce's Charts. 29
here and there with patches of ruffled " cats'-paws," and we
not unfrequently experience heavy showers. Calm and still
as the sea appears outwardly, it is in reality swept here and
there by intricate equatorial currents, which rapidly change
according to the time of the year, whilst the temperature of
the surface salt water also varies accordingly. Thanks to
Captain Toynbee's charts of these phenomena, the tracks of
vessels passing these regions are no longer liable to error in
respect of drifting, as was formerly the case.
A whole week has now elapsed since we last sighted
Teneriffe, and we cross the line a fortnight after leaving
Southampton Water, having met but few, if any, vessels
since the tropic, as our line is out of the track of saihng
vessels, which pass much more to the westward of our
course. Now the stars of the northern constellations are low
in the horizon, and the southern crux culminates higher each
evening. When the moon is rising late in its last quarter after twilight
has ceased, a strange glade of light, of a lenticular form, may
be observed shooting upwards amongst the stars to Orion
and Taurus, and glowing towards the lower part of its axis,
inclined at an acute angle to the horizon. This strange fiery
tongue is the famous zodiacal light, often so brightly visible
that it produces a weak, reflected glow in the opposite horizon.
The same phenomenon may be observed before dawn in the
morning, but few passengers are such early risers as to wit
ness it, or the " gegenschein " or opposition-glow.* One of
the great occupations of the day is dodging the sun's pitiless
rays. Even at earliest dawn, as soon as the full orb of the
fiery furnace is above the ocean, all on deck are glad to walk
on the shady side of the deck under the lee of the side
awnings, on the port side outward bound and to starboard
when returning. Then, as the sun changes its position, or as
the vessel alters her course, there is a general move of every
body to place their lounging chairs in a more favoured spot,
as far removed as possible from the gaze of old Sol. This
general move is continued at intervals all round the clock.
The late Frank Buckland used to remark that when read-
* The " gegenschein " consists in an elliptical patch of light almost
directly opposite the sun's place, with its greater axis nearly in the plane
of the echptic. Attention was first drawn to it, in 1854, by Herr Borsen
(the discoverer of the comet of short period, February, 1846) whilst
observing at Seftenburg, in Bohemia. {See " Das Zodiacallicht," by
Julius Schmidt, Director of Observatory at Athens, 1856.) The zodiacal
light is called " fejri kyazib " by the Arabs, meaning " the false dawn."

30 On Board a Union Steamer.
ing books of travel he noticed that the author invariably
managed to get across the ocean with a very few words of
description. Thus the events and the objects seen in the vast
Atlantic are summed up in half a page. The fact is that there
is an abundance of surface fish and other forms of marine
life which are well worthy of notice.
Flying fish are common enough (Albicores,* porpoises,
skipjacks, and such-like), and various other marine objects,
such as swimming crabs, with claws developed into paddles,
Portuguese men-of-war, floating with their brilliant bladders
on the surface, and occasionally a turtle or two, their shell
glistening above the surface. But no sea serpent is inter
viewed ; that great animal, the Kraken, who was last viewed
in these latitudes by Her Majesty's gun-vessel Avon,
being described as Heaven knows how many feet long,
with an alligator's head sixty feet long, covered with
knobs. This was evidently the same rare specimen which was seen
by an American whaler fighting with a whale near Tristan
d'Achuna, an " authentic " drawing of which was made by
the Rev. Chaplain of H.M.S. London, then at Zanzibar, from
the description of the aforesaid veracious Yankee skipper,
bringing in a view of San Juan Noronba by way of an
effective background. Dr. Giinther states that the so-called
thresher or fox-shark (Alopias vulpes) does not attack whales.
Frank Buckland puts down the " fights " of whales and
threshers to attacks by the gladiator dolphin or sword
grampus {Orea gladiator), whereas Mr. Pascoe denies the
grampus having a heterocercal tail.
It was Stanley, the great African explorer, who told the
then commander of the Avon, Captain Leicester Keppel, R.N.,
that he would rather cross Africa again than dare to assert
in England that he had seen the sea serpent, as not a soul
would believe him.
A sea serpent was exhibited in Regent Street, and figured
m^e. Illustrated London News, ^\xxi& 2, 1849. It proved to
be a ribbon fish {Regalacus glesne). In September, 1880, Lord
A. Campbell witnessed a supposed fight between a thresher
and a whale {Carcharias vulpes). Mr. S. V. Wood attributes
all these conflicts to the existence of a Zeuglodont similar to
those antediluvian monsters found in the Miocene in Malta.
{See Appendix.)
Recently, George Drevor, a captain in the merchant
* Scomber Thynnus, the Tunny-fish, which attains a size of nearly a
ton in weight.

Proposed Capture of the Sea-Serpent. 31
service, was charged at Bow Street with having sent letters
threatening the life of Mr. H. C. Rothery, Wreck Com
missioner. — Mr. Poland appeared to prosecute. — The pri
soner's certificate had been suspended in 1879, after an inves
tigation into the loss of the vessel Norfolk on the Boavista,
one of the Cape de Verde islands. In one of his letters
the prisoner called the Wreck Commissioner a " modern
Jesuit," and said that desperate remedies were required for
desperate wrongs. He asked for " recompense, employment,
or an asylum," and said if he did not get what he asked for
he would " charge his blood and that of another on the nation
that had so cruelly outraged him." In another letter he said
his wrongs had paralyzed all desire to succeed in his profes
sion, and that he would sacrifice his own life and that of
another to wipe out his wrongs. When arrested, he told
Inspector Swanson, of Scotland Yard, that he might go into
court and shoot him (the Wreck Commissioner) on the bench.
His reason for writing the letters was partly, he said, the
insults he had received from Mr. Rothery because " he was
doing the Almighty's work in making His wonders known."
He was referring to the sea serpent, of which he believed he
has captured a specimen. He showed witness a serpent in a
bottle of spirits. It was about four or five feet long, and of
peculiar formation. He said one of his officers had caught
it while it was in the act of swallowing a fish, off the coast of
South Africa. Pamphlets were produced by Mr. Poland
which showed that the prisoner believed he had discovered
the sea serpent. In one of these he wrote : " I sincerely
believe that God, for some wise purpose, has been pleased to
reveal this greatest wonder of nature to me. By help of
good glasses (barque Pauline, July 8, 1875, lat. 5 deg. B.S.,
long. 35 deg. W., Cape San Roque, north-east coast of Brazil,
distance twenty miles, 1 1 A.M.) saw a monster sea serpent,
coiled twice round a sperm whale. The struggles of the
whale and serpent made the sea like a boiling cauldron.
The last seen of the whale was its tail, and no doubt it was
gorged by the serpent." He added that he thought a steam
whaler, with suitable hooks, might effect a capture. The
Doctor of the House of Detention, who had had the prisoner
under his observation during the remand, reported that he
was suffering from monomania on the subject of the sea
serpent. — The prisoner made a long statement, in which he
said his log-book, which would show that it was not his fault
the vessel was lost, had been given to Mr. Rothery. He
could not get it. He had sent the threatening letters to

32 On Board a Union Steamer.
compel him to come forward, and so to call public attention
to gross wrongs that existed in his profession.
So runs the not too tedious voyage, generally uneventful,
and about this period a concert is not rarely got by some
enterprising, aspirants, and a rather formidable programme of
instrumental and vocal talent drawn up for approval. The
difficulty of an amateur entrepreneur in such cases is the
embarras des richesses in the way of talent. Should a pro
fessional be on board the management is comparatively easy,
but the jealousy of rival cantatrices is easily provoked, and
requires an immensity of tact to allay. The concert is
more or less a success, and a decent collection is made, in
all probability, for the Seamen's Orphan Fund or Lifeboat
Society. Unless we happen to be in one of the fastest of the com
pany's boats, the island of St. Helena is seldom made till the
Monday morning at daybreak ; when the passengers, awaked
by the stoppage of the engines, are next thoroughly aroused
from their slumbers by the discharge of a carronade above
their heads, simultaneously with the rattling of the cable
through the hawse-holes ; and looking through the port from
our berth we see cinereous cliffs towering above us, reflecting
deep shadows in the calm deep sea beneath them, and we
know we have arrived at St. Helena.
The aspect of St. Helena from the sea is certainly not in
spiriting. The anchorage lies close under the gloomy, barren,
and inaccessible cliffs ; a majestic natural fortress, surrounded
by an almost fathomless ocean. The entire coast, as viewed
from the vessel, presents a rampart of weathered and iron-
bound cliffs, varying from 600 to 2,000 feet in height, of a
sombre, burned hue ; scarce a trace of vegetation is visible ;
a line of low surf frets at the foot of the crags, and a few
sea-fowl — terns and noddies — skim the water, or fly from the
hollows of the rocks. The scene it offers is novel and grand
— even " sublime in barrenness " — but melancholy in the
extreme. " Island that rides at anchor and is moored.
In which men do not live 'b\xtgo aboard."
What, then, must have been the thoughts of the ex-Em
peror Napoleon Buonaparte * when (after a voyage of seventy
* June loth, 1879. — Within a few minutes of writing the above I heard
the news of the fate of the Prince Imperial in Zululand. Happy Prince,
to have died on the field of battle !
In view of so tragical an end, we remember only one thing, that Prince
Napoleon was a Frenchman, and that he has fallen as a soldier. We

The Mythical Atlantis. 33
days from Plymouth in the Northumberland,* under Admiral
Cockburn) he first beheld the rock to which he was to be
chained, a modern Prometheus t and yet the Count de las
Cases, whose eyes were constantly fixed upon his counte
nance, as he viewed his perpetual prison, could perceive no
change in his countenance.

CHAPTER II.
The Mythical Sunken Continent of Atlantis — The Challenger Soundings
—Thalassography of the Atlantic — -The Dolphin Rise — The Atlantis
Theory upset — St. Helena — Tragic Event — Jamestown — ^Ride up to
Longwood — Flora, Indigenous and Exotic — Culture of Quinine —
The Old Whaler's Story — Recent Analogous Events — Napoleon.
" Je visitai cette ile en noirs debris f6 conde,
Plus tard dernier degrd d'une chute profonde."
Twenty years ago Professor Unger, after twenty years' study
of the fossil floras of Europe and America, was led to believe
that there existed in tertiary times land between Europe and
America, by which the ancestors of the plants gradually
travelled from America to Europe. He proposed to call this
hypothetical land " The Island of Atlantis, the Sunken Island,
or the Lost Island of Atlantis {Die Versunkene Inset Atlan-
therefore bow respectfully before his death, as we should do before that
of any child of France struck while fighting for a friendly nation. We
carmot help thinking that African soil is fatal to those who bear the name
of Napoleon. The first expired at St. Helena, under the guard of an
English gaoler, and this one dies, at twenty-three, in the service of
England, pierced by a Zulu's assegai. The mind is troubled at these
terrible analogies which fate presents at certain moments and in certain
families, and it is impossible not to feel a painful impression on thinking
of the destiny which begins at the Tuileries to end on African soil in a
combat which has not even a name.
Contrast Napoleon III., after Sedan, writing to the King of Prussia,
at Donchery : — " N'ayant pas pu mourir k la t6te de mes troupes, je
ddpose mon ^pde aux pieds de votre Majesty."
Field-Marshal Count von Moltke, in his " Wanderbuch," when in Paris
with the Crown Prince of Germany, in December, 1856, relates how, at
a review of 15,000 men, the Prince Imperial, who was then only eight
months old, had been placed at a window to watch the evolutions of the
troops, and the Emperor's countenance on beholding his infant son
beamed with joy. No wonder, too, observes the Count, for he is a splendid
little fellow {prdchtiger, kleiner Bursche).
* H.M.S. Northumberland z.n.c:a.oxtd.z.\.^l.. Helena on the iSth October,
1815. D

34 On Board a Union Steamer.
tis)."* It was, no doubt, what our American cousins would
call a " big thing " for a botanist to do, to " create " a former
land in mid-ocean simply because he wanted it to account
for the migration of the ancestors of fossil plants he had
studied, and to do so without a particle of physical evidence.
It was the first time in the history of geological science that
so bold a step had been taken.
The arguments by which Unger arrived at his conclusions
were severely criticized at the time, and another route for
migration by the Pacific was suggested. Whatever may be
the opinions as to the value of the evidence on which Profes
sor Unger based his " Versunkene Insel Atlantis," we know
now, from the Challenger working out of soundings, that not
only a sunken island, but a sunken continent, does lie in mid
Atlantic between the Old and New World, of which the
Islands of Ascension, St. Helena, and Tristan D'Aeunha
formed a portion. {Lecture by W. S. Mitchell at S. Kensington))
Unger took the name of his hypothetical continent from a
legend met with in the "Timaeus and Critias" of Plato. In a
conversation between a priest of Sals and Solon, when in
Egypt, mention is made of a great island of Atlantis situ
ated beyond the Pillars of Hercules, where lived a powerful
nation that ruled over Libya as far as Egypt, and over
Europe as far as Tyrrhenia. They tried to subjugate the
Hellenes, but that heroic people defeated them. At a later
period, during severe earthquakes and great floods, the
Island of Atlantis sank into the ocean. Such, in brief out
line, is the legend.
Grantor, quoted by Prochus, corroborates this account of
Plato, and says that he found this same story retained by
the priests of Sals 300 years after the period of Solon, and
that he was shown the inscriptions on which it was recorded.
Alas ! the ancient nation of Bailly's Atlantis, which
d'Alembert has happily described as "having taught us
everything but its own name and existence," has vanished
long since, only to be resuscitated by modern savants in
support of pet theories. Even in the days of Posidonius,
the inhabitants of the Oceanic Atlantis were already treated
as having but a mythical, or at least apocryphal, existence.-f-
It was not until the early part of the present century that
• An Enghsh translation of Unger's work, " Die Versunkene Insel
Atlantis," has been published by my friend the late Dr. Berthold Seemann
in Seemaniis Journal of.Betany, vol. iii. p. 12. A Spanish version has'
also been given by Senor A. Ernst, at Caraccas.
t See Strabo, lib. ii. p. 102 ; also lib. xiii. p. 598. Casaub.

The Science of Thalassography. 35
the curiosity of seamen appears to have been generally
awakened to know more of the ocean than could be gleaned
on its surface. In 18 18 John Ross caught glimpses of animal
life at the depth of 6,000 feet in the Arctic seas, and James
Ross was, in 1840, the first to record beyond doubt that
bottom had been reached, " deeper than did ever plummet
sound,"* at 16,060 feet between Saint Helena and the Cape.
The impetus to deep-sea exploration was, however, given by
the demand for electric telegraphic communication between
countries severed by the ocean or impracticable land routes.
Hence has arisen the art of exploring ocean depths to which
the name of ' Thalassography ' has been given. There is now
open up to us as fair a general knowledge of the depression
of the beds of large oceanic areas below the sea level, as of
the elevation of the lands of adjacent continents above the
universal zero line. When graphically rendered on charts
by contour lines of equal soundings, the surface of the ocean
beds present extensive plateaux, varied with gentle undula
tions, generally ranging from 1 7,000 to 1 2,000 feet below the
sea surface.
We learn for the first time by the Challenger's results that
the southern seas in both hemispheres are shallower than
the northern seas, where the grand abyssal f depth of 23,250
feet has been obtained in the Atlantic Ocean, north of St.
Thomas Island in the West Indies.:j: We further learn that in
the Atlantic Ocean, from a high southern latitude, a broad
channel not less than some 15,000 feet can be traced as extend
ing nearly to the entrance to Davis' Strait ; a dividing, undu
lating ridge of far less depression, on which stand the islands
of Tristan D'Aeunha, St. Helena, and Ascension, separates
this, which may be named the western channel, from a simi
lar one running parallel to the South African continent, and
which extends to the parallel of the British Isles. This
middle ridge, which passes down from Greenland, including
the Azores and the islands above named, far south to the
Antarctic region, has been named the "Dolphin Rise," in
compliment to the American ship which first surveyed it.
A portion of it is now named the " Challenger Ridge." Geolo
gists are familiarized with invoking former rises and falls in
* The Tempest, act. v. scene i.
t Mr. Gwyn Jeffreys proposed the term " abyssal" for depths between
100 and 1,000 fathoms, and " benthal" (from ^kv6os) for depths of i,ooo
fathoms and more.
X The greatest recorded depth in the Pacific Ocean is over 25,000 feet,
somewhere to the east of Yezo Island, Japan. (Capt. Sir Fred. Evans,
R.N., Hydrographer to the Admiralty, British Association, i88i.)
D 2

3 6 On Board a Union Steamer.
land to account for some of the facts they study ; and it
would not be received as a startling idea that the whole area
of what is now the Atlantic has been dry land.
The late Mr. Thomas Belt, of the Geological Society, in
his most interesting work " The Naturalist in Nicaragua,"
writes thus about the Atlantic, ch. xvi., pp. 272, 273—" If
Atlantis were low lands connecting the West Indian Is
lands with America, the other islands mentioned by Plato
may have been the Azores, also greatly increased in extent
by the lowering of the ocean ; and the overwhelming of
this land on the melting of the ice at the close of the
glacial period may be that great catastrophe that is recorded
on both sides of the Atlantic, but is more clearly remem
bered in the traditions of America, because all the high
lands there had been covered with ice, and the inhabitants
were restricted to those that were overwhelmed by the
deluge. " I approached this subject from the side of natural his
tory. I was driven to look for a refuge for the animals
and plants of tropical America during the glacial period,
when I found proofs that the land they now occupy was
at that time either covered with ice or too cold for genera
that can now only live where frost is unknown. I had
arrived at the conclusion that they must have inhabited
low lands now submerged, and following up the question,
I soon saw that the very accumulation of ice that made
their abode impossible, provided another for them by the
lowering of the sea. Then pursuing the subject still further,
I saw that all over the world curious questions concerning
the distribution of races of mankind, of animals and of
plants, were rendered more easy of solution on the theory
that land was more continuous once than now ; that
islands now separated were then joined together, and to
adjacent continents ; and that what are now banks and
shoals beneath the sea were then peopled lowlands.
" I have said that the sea during the glacial period — if,
as I believe, it was contemporaneous in the two hemi
spheres — must have stood at least 1,000 feet lower than it
now does. It may have been much lower than this, but I
prefer to err on the safe side. When geologists have
mapped out the limits of ancient glacier and continental
ice all over the world, it will be possible to calculate the
minimum amount of water that was abstracted from the
sea ; and if by that time hydrographers have shown on
their charts the shoals and submerged banks that would

The Soundings of H.M.S. Challenger. 37
be laid dry, fabled Atlantis will rise before our eyes be
tween Europe and America, and in the Pacific the Malay
Archipelago will give place to the Malay continent."
This was written in 1872, before the Challenger had
commenced her cruise. According to the soundings of
the Challenger it would require far more than Mr. Belt's 1,000
feet of subsidence to restore the submerged Atlantis :
1,500 fathoms is about the average depth of ^e. Dolphin 2i.nA
Challenger rises ; and therefore a considerable amount of
upheaval would be necessary to meet the theoretical sub
sidence of antediluvian continents.
This Dolphin rise may be the result of submarine ele
vation analogous to that which had raised high mountain
ridges elsewhere, and in this case has never brought the
ridge above the sea except in a few peaks ; nor, if we
admit the ridge through its whole length to have been
dry land, does it follow it was so all at the same time.
Let us suppose that this area had been rarised so that what
is now at a depth of 3,000 fathoms is at the sea level, then
St. Helena and Ascension would form the tops of moun
tains 30,000 feet high, the ridge itself averaging about
15,000 feet. We should thus have a mountain ridge with
a snow-capping even at the equator, and hot valleys be
neath. That this was so is more than probable. My
friend, the late Mr. Andrew Murray, the learned natu
ralist, expressed his conviction that there had been one or
two great continental routes between the northern and
southern hemispheres, both now lying buried in the ocean,
to explain the geographical distribution of plants and
animals over the globe, with especial reference to St.
Helena. All we know for certain is that vast changes in
the crust of this globe have taken and are taking place
slowly but surely, and that if Atlantis is indeed sunk,
leaving only her mountain peaks here and there above
the waves of the ocean, at all events she cannot sink much
lower. The gradual extinction of the indigenous fauna*
and flora of St. Helena point decisively to a change and
slow alteration of the physical condition of the island,
* Sir Joseph Hooker says of Goat Island (in the midst of the rapids
above the falls of Niagara), that he found on it a greater variety of vege
tation within a given space than anywhere in Europe or east of the
Sierras in America. But within the very few square acres immediately
surrounding the topmost ridge of Diana's Peak, there must be an
infinitely greater variety of flora and a far rarer although more limited
fauna.

38 On Board a Union Steamer.
and there is little doubt that in remote ages Diana's Peak
was conspicuous as a snow-capped ridge, towering over
the lower plains and hills of the now hidden Atlantis. Mais,
nous avon changi tout cela ; and, since reading Darwin and
Wallace, we must reluctantly admit that Atlantis was ever a
myth, all the more delightful from its vagueness and an
tiquity. Modern science is ever thus demohshing our most
cherished beliefs !
Mr. Darwin first called attention to the importance of
oceanic and distantly isolated islands from a geological and
biological point of view. He plainly showed that all the
remoter islands were volcanic or coralline, and that none of
them contained indigenous mammalia or amphibia. He
showed the connection of these two phenomena and main
tained that none of the islands so characterized had ever
formed part of a continent. This was quite opposed to the
opinions of the scientific men of the day, who almost all
held the idea of * continental extensions, and of oceanic
islands being their fragments, and it was long before Mr.
Darwin's views obtained general acceptance. Even now the
belief still lingers ; and we continually hear of old Atlantic
or Pacific continents, of "Atlantis" or "Lemuria',' of which
hypothetical lands many existing islands, although wholly
volcanic, are thought to be the remnants. It was essentially
a provisional hypothesis, very useful in calling attention to a
remarkable series of problems in geographical distribution,
but not affording the true solution of those problems.
Atlantis is now rarely introduced seriously except by the
absolutely unscientific, having received its death-blow by the
chapter on Oceanic Islands in the " Origin of Species," and
the researches of Professor Asa Gray on the affinities of the
North American and Asiatic floras. {See " Island Life," by
Alfred Russel Wallace, 1880.)
Such is the theoretical history of the rock-fortress which
towers above us as we survey it from our port-hole, and
we congratulate ourselves that we are not forced to reside
in such a spot for good and all. Nevertherless, there are
worse places ¦; and as Napoleon himself said to Las Cases
on the 1st February, 1816:— "Apr^s tout, exil pour exil,
Ste. H^l^ne 6tait peut-^tre la meilleure place."
We dres.s, go on deck, and find that our steamer has
obtained pratique after some scruples on the part of the
health officer, who at first insisted on the yellow quaran
tine flag being hoisted at the fore. We ascertain that the
packet will not proceed for some five or six hours, and

Tragic Event at Ladder Hill. 39
consequently breakfast leisurely, and make up a party for
the shore, sending off meantime to order horses to be in
readiness. We have plenty of visitors from the shore, and those
passengers who have come for good are seeing to their
baggage being got up and put into the boats alongside.
Whilst gazing at the huge cliffs which almost seem to
overhang the vessel, our attention is drawn to the famous
ladder — 610 feet in height — which leads from the town up
to the fort at the top of the hill where the artillery are
quartered. Many accidents have happened to the garrison
from falls over these cliffs, and a recent one is still the talk
of the little colony when we arrive, and we may quote
the account given in the local paper : — " As most of our
readers know the saluting battery of the garrison of St.
Helena is within Ladder Hill Fort, overlooking the cliffs
to seaward close to the flagstaff and signal station. The
battery is composed of eleven 18 -pounder muzzle-
loading smooth-bore iron guns on iron garrison carriages.
The regulation charges of 3 lbs. L.G. powder are used for
saluting purposes. On the 28th June, 1877 — Coronation
day — at noon, the usual salute was duly fired by the men
of No. I Battery 22nd Brigade Royal Artillery, under the
command of Captain Oliver, R.A., with whom was Captain
Geo. Vaughan Wardell, of the ist Battalion 24th Regi
ment [subsequently slain at Isandlana]. Ten of the guns
were fired twice, and the eleventh for the last round. At
the seventeenth round Gunner Morris, who was the No. 2
at No. 7 gun, was blown over the low parapet by the dis
charge, and his body fell down to the low ledge of rocks
beneath at the water's edge, over 600 feet below. Death
must have been instantaneous. The body was picked up
by a boat belonging to the barque Varuna, Captain Philp."
" Then plunged : the rock below received like glass
His body, crush'd into one gory mass,
With scarce a shred to tell of human form.
Or fragment for the sea-bird or the worm ;
A fair-hair'd scalp, besmear'd with blood and weeds,
Yet reek'd the remnant of himself and deeds."
Byron {The Island).
Curiously coincident with this event occurred a similar
accident ; for, on the same day and year, at the same
nominal hour (noon — really some eleven hours later), when
a salute was fired by some volunteers in New Zealand (at
Taranaki i"), a gunner of the volunteer artillery was blown

40 On Board a Union Steamer.
away in an exactly similar manner ; and, more curious still,
his name was also Morris. This, of course, was only ob
tained from newspaper information long subsequently.
Breakfast over, our party descends the gangway to the
shore boat, and we land at the quay under the casements of
a shore battery,* whose guns are at least a hundred feet
and more above us. The shipping in the roadstead is
comprised of half a dozen whalers or so, a small trading
yawl, and perhaps a large coolie ship, three or four sailing
tanks, and open fishing-boats.
The arrival of the English mail makes a bustle in the
usually stagnant street of Jamestown, giving the strange
visitor a very false impression of the usual monotonous dul
ness, the actual characteristic of this metropolis. However,
we are fortunate in finding a cicerone, under whose guidance
we mount our horses and ride up the long and rather strag
gling street, delighted to find ourselves in the saddle after the
fortnight's confinement on board the steamer. Most pas
sengers go by the regular hackneyed route up the sidepath
to Longwood and Napoleon's Tomb, but we are better ad
vised, and vary the route so as to see more of the island
scenery, which is best described by notice of its vegetation
and geognosy.
Mounted on island ponies, our small party makes an early
start for Jamestown, passing under the shade of the peepul
trees at the military hospital about lo A.M. Thence we pur
sue our way up the valley of Jamestown by what is known
as Barnes' Road, which is cut at a somewhat steepish incline
on the western escarpment of the formidable gorge above
the town. On our left, above and below, are lava terraces
covered with prickly-pear, interspersed with briljiant wild
scarlet geraniums, the handsome castor-oil shrub, and the so-
called samphire. Beneath, in the valley, the bed of the
scanty stream called The Run is choked with tropical vegeta
tion, bananas, mangoes, date palms, and cocoanut trees, to
gether with groves of the Seville orange, and dense thickets
of Japanese bamboo reeds and Guinea grass ; these all flourish
* Munden's battery, so called after Sir Richard Munden, who re
captured the island in 1673. An old yarn relates apocryphally that his
sailors boarded this battery from the mainyard arm of his ship. The
modern battery of three seven-inch guns, protected by ill-built low
granite casemates covered in with iron girders, commands the whole
north-west coast of the island. On the i6th of May, 1878, Captain
Allington, R.N., of H.M.S. Boxer, tried the effect of firing two seven-
inch shells at the escarpment of the battery, at 400 yards' range, without
effect.

Home of the yEgialitis Sanctce Helencs. 41
in the well-known grounds belonging to Lady Ross called
Maldivia, where the night-blooming cactus is also very notice
able. Opposite frowns the impregnable and almost perpen
dicular rock-mass, attaining a height of 1,900 feet, and crowned
with the fortifications of High Knoll. These basaltic rocks
have, at this time of the year, almost a verdant appearance,
being covered with a small purslane which springs up after
the rains, amongst which, too, is found a small adder' s-tongue
fern. We soon pass round a projecting mass of lava, on which
the ice plant grows in perfection, and obtain a fine view of
the strange barrier of basalt which terminates abruptly one
branch of the ravine, over which trickles a small stream, dis
sipated in vapour long ere it reaches the dark and gloomy
chasm beneath. We wind round the left or eastern branch
of the valley under the Briars, steadily ascending a tiring
gradient. The Briars is the cottage residence of George
Moss, Esq., of the leading firm — Solomon, Moss, Gideon,
and Co. It is celebrated as having been the residence of the
great Napoleon, on his first landing on the island, for a period
of one month and twenty-four days, by which time the farm
house at Longwood had been prepared for him. The vegeta
tion here is diversified by numberless aloes in blossom, more
prickly-pear of a handsomer description, and where the
water filters through the porous lava beds are patches of
cow-grass, foxtail, and other sedges, with rush grasses, which
are used in the island as bedding for ponies, and thatching.
Crossing a small, well-watered valley, with here and there
thickets of Caffre thorn, we toil up a much steeper gradient,
and whilst waiting to breathe our ponies at an angle of one
of the zigzags, we see some nasty pieces of rock tumble on
to the road above us — a fact not calculated to reassure the
wayfarers. We have now mounted some 700 feet and over
look the Briars. The next turn brings us to more level
ground in a grassy valley called Cat-hole, between the hill of
Francis Plain and Peakhill : here the change from the some
what oppressive atmosphere of the sheltered valley, whose
heated rocks radiate warmth Hke the interior of an oven, to
the healthy trade breeze which greets us above, is most in
vigorating. The change of climate is evident from the
sudden and striking change of vegetation. The prickly-pear
is replaced by the familiar whin bushes, and in front of us
are pine groves with a very homelike appearance ; if we
look out here we are nearly sure to catch sight of the " wire
birds" peculiar and indigenous to the rock. Its scientific

42 On Board a Union Steamer.
name is ^gialitis Sanctce Helena — a species of wader, a
small plover very closely allied to a species found in South
Africa, but presenting certain differences which entitle it to
the rank of a peculiar species.
We follow the course of the tiny brook, and, leaving the
regular road, mount a peculiarly rugged path up to a snug
little vicarage known as Woodcot, where we find the reverend
military chaplain in the midst of re-arranging his lares and
penates after some months' absence. We can only wish that
the kindly and cheery padre could come with us, as no one
in the island is so qualified as a cicerone ; scholar and natu
ralist combined, he is intimately acquainted with the fauna,
flora, and geology of his interesting island home. In his
garden beneath, we notice clumps of bamboo, the loquat,
and Bermuda cedars, peach trees and yam.?, amidst which
numberless wild canaries are twittering. We also notice the
oak trees now shedding their leaves, imparting almosta wintry
aspect. Over bushes above the house trail the honeysuckles,
now in full blossom. In the borders are brilliant euphorbias
and the leaf-bearing cactus, with fuchsias, and the oak-leafed
geranium. We follow a track past a deserted house, always
ascending, and along a ridge covered with pines. On emerg
ing from the pines we traverse the side of a valley whose
sides afford capital pasturage for numerous cattle, whilst
clumps of furze in blossom give a homelike appearance to
the hills, and in the moister ground below are drooping wil
lows, the handsome leaved yams, and the lovely ariod lilies
protrude their pure white blossoms.
Leaving the small farm of Blenkins, conspicuous for its
screw-pine and handsome cedrelas — the only ones of any
size in the island — we cross the main road, and through a
gate follow a fairly good road up " Swampy-gut." We are
now attaining some considerable height, and looking back
see the far distant sea horizon over High Knoll, so we
must be over 2,000 feet, and now the flora about us assumes
a far stranger aspect. Hitherto all the majority of the
plants observed have been almost, without exception, exotics
acclimatized and introduced from various parts of the world.
As Dr. Hooker observed in a lecture on Insular Floras, at
the Nottingham meeting of the British Association in 1866,
in reference to St. Helena : —
" When discovered, about 360 years ago, it was entirely
covered with forests, the trees drooping over the tremendous
precipices that overhang the sea. Now, all is changed ; fully
five-sixths of the island are utterly barren, and by far the

Napoleon's BHdle-Path. 43
greater part of the vegetation which exists, whether herbs,
shrubs, or trees, consists of introduced European, American',
African, and Australian plants. The indigenous flora is
almost confined to a few patches towards the summit of
Diana's Peak, the central ridge, 2,700 feet above the sea."
Here the buddleia is abundant, forming intricate thickets,
and is associated with the lovely blossoms of the moon plant ;
in short, everywhere the eye meets plants originally derived
from other parts, such as the blackberry. As we ascend, the
soil is more moist and the vegetation more luxuriant, and at
last we reach the summit of the ridge and look down into
Sandy Bay, and admire the varied landscape suddenly un
folded to us. But we must not linger, and we turn into a
grass bridle-path called Cabbage Tree Walk, and regret we
have not time to gather specimens of the indigenous plants
around us — shrubby campanulaceae, scsevoleae, mosses, lyco-
pods, and arborescent Dicksonias, and the peculiar composite
trees,* cannot fail to extort admiration from the most in
different visitor. This bridle-path, it may be remarked, was
formed for the exercise-ground of the Great Emperor.
* The late Mr. Vernon Wollaston wrote an admirable paper in the
Journal of the Horticultural Society , on the importance of preserving the
almost extinct arborescent composite of the island of St. Helena. It is
sincerely to be hoped that his hints will be taken, and his suggestions
energetically carried out. In the beautiful gardens of Colonel Smith
Dorrien, in Tresco (Isles of Scilly), i'he: Aster argyrophyllus and Eurybia
myrsinoides grow with luxuriance, as if at home in their native soil.
Doubtless, the asters burchellizxiA. gummiferus sccA the other arborescent
compositae of St. Helena would grow in these isles, as well as in the
south-west of Ireland. The seeds of these plants have failed to germinate
in England hitherto, and it is recommended that rooted cuttings be made
for transport home.
The following notice of the cultivation of quinine on Diana's Peak
may interest some, and, perhaps, induce some one to resuscitate the now
almost abandoned plantation : —
"QuiNOLOGiA Sancta Helen^e.
" We do not know whether many of our readers have lately visited the
cinchona plantation on Diana's Peak ; but the casual visitor can scarcely
fail to remark how the cinchona trees, which were planted out at such
an expense by Sir Charles Elliott in 1868-69, have lately been utterly
neglected, and are gradually being smothered up by the adjacent vegeta
tion. There were at least 600 trees, which should now be ten years old,
and consequently the island should benefit by the harvesting of the bark .
crop, which should now be fit to be gathered. The local manufacture of
a cinchona febrifuge is interesting and important to our island community,
and we do not hesitate to endorse the opinion of Professor Thiselton
Dyer, of Kew Gardens, who, writing to an officer in the garrison, said
that ' the cultivation of cinchona in St. Helena would pay much better

44 On Board a Union Steamer.
We descend over grassy slopes under Diana's Peak, and
come to a halt at a small hostelry, where we are glad to rest
and obtain something to refresh the inner man. Here we
meet the captains of some of the whalers in the harbour,
than the manufacture of fibre from the Phorm,ium. tenax' But, alas ! I
doubt if now 200 trees remain.
" In India the commercial value of the cinchona plantations is enor
mous, and as a commercial enterprise the cultivation of cinchona in St.
Helena must prove a success. We have noticed that the cinchona is
already well acclimatized on the Peak, and doubtless would flourish along
the whole ridge. The chemistry of the cinchona barks is a point of which
little is properly known in this island. It would seem that a considerable
amount of cinchonidine (one of the several alkaloids found in cinchona
barks) is often mixed up with the sulphate of quinine of commerce, some
times, indeed, exceeding ten per cent. ; and although the efficacy of the
quinine is not materially impaired by this mixing, a great difference is
made in the intrinsic value, cinchonidine being worth not more than one-
eighth as much as quinine. Considering the present high price of quinine,
it is pleasant to be told that the sulphate of cinchonidine has been proved
to be very little inferior in efficacy, for certain kinds of maladies, to
quinine ; the price of this alkaloid being two or three shillings an ounce
against sixteen shillings for quinine. During the great epidemic fever
which broke out in Mauritius in 1875-76 as great a sum as ^30 was given
for a single ounce of quinine !
"The Government should either cultivate the cinchona, or, at all
events, allow some quinologist to take it up ; and we know of at least
one gentleman in the island who is willing and anxious to undertake this
enterprise. " The suitability of the higher portions of this island as regards the
climate, temperature, rainfall, elevation, soil, drainage, &c., has been
decisively proved, and all that is wanted is a trustworthy quinologist of
practical experience to superintend the cultivation, sowing, propagation,
planting, pruning, barking, and manufacture of the bark alkaloid to prove
a commercial success. The cinchonidine, or, as the Government quino
logist at Calcutta calls it, ' amorphous quinine,' consists of the total
alkaloids of cinchona bark in the form of a non-crystalline powder,
mixed to some extent with the resin and red colouring matter so abundant
in red bark. This alkaloid has been accepted in India as a remedy for
malarious fevers, scarcely if at all inferior to quinine. Up to 1872-73
the process of manufacture at the Neilgherry factory was found too
costly ; but in Sikkim, Mr. C. H. Wood, the Government quinologist,
commenced a more simple process, by which at the present time a ton
per week of dry red bark is being worked up. The bark hitherto so
utiHzed has been chiefly derived from thinnings and prunings undertaken
from time to time in the interest of the trees. By the end of the current
financial year (1875-76) about 32,000 ounces of alkaloid was turned out,
and during the present and future years a much larger quantity will be
yielded. It has been calculated that of this efficient febrifuge there can
be soon yielded from three to four tons annually, at a cost of rather less
than one rupee per ounce. We certainly look forward to St. Helena
producing cinchonidine in large quantities, and a proper factory for its
production established at 'Newfoundland,' as the demesne just below
the south side of the ridge is named."

Whale-Spume and Sleek. 45
the eldest of whom relates the following narrative. We do
not profess to give the exact words of the old whaling
captain, but the following is as near as possible the r^sumE
of his tale, leaving out the expletives, which unfortunately we
cannot reproduce : —
The Old Whaler's Story.
"I guess I could considerably astonish some of you
Britishers if I yarned only half of what I've gone through
in these here South Seas since I first sailed as a lad in a
whaler in the year '20, more than half a century ago. I
guess the Britishers did not know much about the sperm
fishery in those days, and had to come to America for har-
pooners. Well, my first voyage was nearly my last, I can
tell you, and not easily forgotten, you bet, 'Twas in the
Pacific, and our vessel was the barque Essex, of 250 tons, and
commanded by Captain Pollard, a New Bedford man, and a
right good sort he was too. We had been cruising some
months and had been lucky, and a good many erect flukes
were already figured in our log-book, and were nearly filled,
when what I am about to relate happened.
" It was during the month of May, when the hog-nuts are
ripe, and we were in the line currents, and in longitude 118°
W. with the Marquesas and Society Islands on our
lee, when the broad oily tracks, ' Whale-spume ' or ' sleek,'
as we call them, together with sea-lizards and floating frag
ments of squid on the surface of the ' thick water ' indicated
the vicinity of whales. The cry of ' Town ho !' from the
masthead one morning soon roused us up, and ' There she
blows r ' There she breaches !' ' There again !' followed in
quick succession, as we saw we were approaching the largest
' body of whales ' I ever had the good luck to see. For
several miles round the ship, scattered on the surface of the
sea, basking or sleeping and spouting leisurely, were any
amount of ' pods ' and ' schools ' of cachalots. The ocean
appeared to be strewn with a constant succession of spouts,
denoting a greater number of fish than, could they all have
been secured, would have afforded a full cargo of oil for a
dozen ships. There was no appearance of the body ' making
a passage,' when the fish are difficult to get near, and I
thought my i6oth share would soon fill my pockets. Since
those days the constant passage of numerous steamers has
caused whales of all descriptions to be much more shy than
they were formerly.

4-6 On Board a Union Steamer.
" We had not much leisure to watch the cachalots gambolling
on the surface of the waves. Here you would see the almost
incredible spectacle of a huge bull whale of the largest size,
say sixty to seventy feet long, and with a girth of over thirty,
leaping from the water with the activity of a salmon, dis
playing entirely its gigantic body suspended at the height of
several feet in the air, and again souse into the water, causing
the water to shoot up in broad and lofty columns, whilst the
sound of the enormous splash could be heard a long way off:
others of the ' school ' leaping or ' breaching ' in a less degree,
sportively brandished their broad and fan-shaped flukes
in the air or protruded their heads perpendicularly above
the waves like columns of black rock ; some could be seen
with their flukes raised perpendicularly in the air, preparatory
to diving, and others 'settling down' in a horizontal position.
Here you could observe the young calves leaping actively
and spouting high by the side of their dams, and here and
there the dams reposing on their sides, with the pectoral fins
raised above the surface, suckling their young.
" As-soon as Captain Pollard ascertained that the whales
were placed favourably for attack, the word was given, and
in less than two minutes three of the four boats were down
their slides and in the water, manned with their respective
crews, the headsman at the steer oars, and the harpooners
at the bow oars, pulling energetically towards the selected
fish, whilst the Essex attended us at a convenient distance
to windward to direct our movements, from the masthead
observations, by signals. I was in the port quarter boat with
the first mate, and, fortunately, the whales not being ' gallied,'
we were soon all engaged with fish.
" Our boat was skilfully brought by the headsman ' upon
the eye ' of a fine fish, at least a seventy-barrel whale, and
the harpooner quitted his oar and stood in the bow until we
were sufficiently near and in a favourable position, when the
first harpoon was darted, and the second almost instanta
neously followed with success ; the wounded monster plunged
convulsively, casting its flukes high in the air, and raising
clouds of foam and lofty columns of spray, half-filling the
boat with water. After the first surprise and agony, off she
started along the surface, dragging our boat by the two-inch
whale line, secured round the smoking logger head, grooved
and charred by the rapid friction. Our oars were all ' apeak '
and bristling from either gunwale, the bow raised high above
the level of the waves and enveloped in spray, whilst the
water, displaced by the tremendous velocity of our motion

Bull Whale with Hatchet-shaped Snout. 47
through it, rose on each side of our depressed stern as though
threatening to swamp us.
" The mate, a fine, muscular sailor, now resigned the steer
oar to the harpooner, and took his station in the bows, and,
as we hauled up near enough to the whale, darted his power
ful and keenly-sharpened whale-lance into its body, withdraw
ing it rapidly bythe lance- warp attached to it. I have known
that mate to kill a whale by a single wound. Finding his
flight on the surface of no avail, the whale now ' sounded,'
descending perpendicularly to a great depth, and carrying the
entire boat's line out of the tubs ; but finding this attempt at
escape ineffectual, reappeared on the surface, and was again
with the lance. The sea-water around us was now attacked,
crimson with the blood of the nearly exhausted whale, as
she flurried about, lashing the waves with her tail, yet grad
ually drawing us towards the Essex. A few more stabs from
lances finished the wounded animal, and after some terrific
struggles she turned on her side and floated lifeless, but not
before she had considerably damaged our boat, by staving
in several streaks of the gunwale by an ' under clip ' from
her flukes in the ' flurry,' as the final convulsion is termed.
As the boat was so damaged, the mate had a ' flag-drogue '
attached to the carcase, over which the waves washed with a
low and confused surf, and we pulled back to the Essex to
equip a spare boat to replace our shattered one, after an
absence from the vessel of three hours.
" Meantime, the master and second mate were also busily
engaged with whales, each having harpooned one in the
midst of the school ; and after a hasty meal, we busied our
selves in transferring the boat gear into the spare boat.
Whilst thus occupied, the look-out man at the masthead
sang out that a large bull whale was coming down towards
the ship, and we hastened with our work to prepare to get
the spare boat lowered in time to attack it. The whale,
on account of its prominent ^hatchet-shaped' snout, was
evidently a 'lone' bull of the largest size, and, to our
astonishment and dismay, he came driving right at the ship
with extreme velocity. There was barely time to put up the
helm when the whale was into us, striking the Essex right
abeam, below the Surface, on the port side, as it passed
under us, giving us a tremendous blow, which made us
stagger, and carrying away a large portion of the false keel, as
we afterwards discovered.
" We had scarcely recovered from the shock and unex
pected surprise when we observed the same old bull reappear

48 On Board a Union Steamer.
on the surface a quarter of a mile distant, on the starboard
beam, spouting and lashing the water in its fury. Whilst
watching him, round he turned towards us, and came rush
ing a second time with the terrific speed of a locomotive ;
this time the enormous head of this madly enraged whale
struck the Essex full on the starboard bow, staving in a
large portion of the planking and timbers above and below
the water line, causing a hideous leak and chasm, into which
the sea poured with such rapidity that we barely had time
to launch our boat before the Essex fell over on her beam
ends, a waterlogged crippled wreck. We were too occupied
in saving ourselves and what else we could in a boat to
observe the subsequent behaviour of the ferocious whale.
The wreck, fortunately, after filling, righted herself, but was
quite waterlogged, although she kept afloat for some hours.
Captain Pollard and his second mate, on observing the
disaster, abandoned their fish and pulled up to us, and we
continued near the wreck until we were able to obtain a
small supply of provisions and water for the boats out of it.
" Fearing to land on the Marquesas, or Society Islands,
under the erroneous impression that all in those islands were
cannibals, we preferred pulling to windward for the coast of
Peru — a fatal error, for in the attempt we were exposed for
a long period to extreme privations. We lost several of our
number, but at length made land at Elizabeth, or Hender
son's Island, a small uninhabited spot in the South Pacific,
which, till this occasion, had never been visited by navi
gators. In this desolate place we recruited our health some
what, and after a short continuance some of us, under
Captain Pollard, again put to sea in our most serviceable
boat, and, being picked up by a coaster, we were taken to
Valparaiso. Here Captain Pollard induced an English South
Sea trader to rescue the remaining survivors on Elizabeth
Island. Captain Pollard was an unlucky man, for the very
next season he wrecked his ship on a coral reef, not marked
in the chart of the Pacific. Since then, sirs ! I have pre
ferred cruising for ' right ' or true whales. They are less
dangerous, and now there is a demand for young* ones, alive,
* The conditions under which the animals are obtained and brought
over are these : — They are caught off the coast of Labrador by surround
ing them by a line of boats and so driving them up on the top of a tide
on to the shore. As they are stranded on the retreat of the tide they
are put in cases suited to their size and packed in seaweed. They are
then put on a sloop specially engaged, run to Quebec, and then transferred
to steamer. Mr. Zack Coup alone has captured 125 whales alive, and
has supplied all the specimens shown in any aquarium.

Collision between Whale and Steamer. 49
to be exhibited in aquaria, and if they die, their skeletons,
or at all events their jaws, are bought by scientific naturalists
and surgeons, who seem to take an interest in hunting for
teeth in the jaws of the toothless fish."*
"Let's liquor, strangers." Tim soon produces Hennessey
(three-star), and tumblers round contribute to our full
appreciation of the Yankee's tale. That it's true there is
no doubt. I had heard and read of the main facts, but
never before heard the story so circumstantially. Wishing
the whalers success on their next voyage south, we mount
our ponies and proceed on our way to Longwood.
The Times of hidia of November 10, 1880, describes a
collision with a whale, which occurred during a recent trip
of the steamer Dalhousie from Bombay to Kurrachee : — " On
the Sth of October, about seven A.M., when the Dalhousie
was proceeding on her way, and about fifteen miles from
Manora Point, the persons on deck were startled by hearing
a simultaneous shout from the officer of the watch and the
look-out man aloft of 'a whale under the bows.' The
vessel was then under steam and fore and aft sail, and was
going about eight knots with a perfectly smooth sea. As
the ship's stem struck the creature (which was passing at
right angles to the vessel's course) somewhat heavily a dis
tinct shock was felt throughout the vessel, making her
quiver, and at the same time momentarily deadening her
way. On rushing over to the port side the huge head and
part of the body of the whale appeared rising out of the
water, and as the vessel pressed forwards the mass was
turned clean over, the belly being uppermost. In this posi
tion the creature drifted astern, slashing with its fins and tail
and working the water all round into a sea of froth. When
last seen it was vainly endeavouring to sound, and the sharks
would doubtless soon crowd to the feast and rapidly finish
what the stem of the old Dalhousie had so strangely begun.
When the shock was felt the other officers of the ship and
some of the passengers bolted out of their cabins, think-
* M. Charles Julin's paper on the ossification of the lower jaw in the
foetus of the Balcenoptera rostrata, and on the structure of its dental
system, may be mentioned as of especial interest. The minute teeth found
in the jaw of the foetus of this whalebone whale have an enamel organ.
There are forty-one of them in each ramus ; the nine anterior ones of
these have simple crowns, whilst the posterior teeth have Complex crowns,
like those of seals. Eschricht found a similar condition in the foetus of
Megaptera boops. The whalebone whales are hence shown to be related
to the extinct Squalodon rather than to the sperm whales — Squalodon
being, like them, heterodont. E

50 On Board a Union Steamer.
ing that the vessel had touched the shore. The ship was
cleverly handled to avoid contact between the monster's
body and the screw. The whale was estimated to be from
70ft. to Soft, in length."
The following is an interesting description of the strand
ing of a whale on December Sth, 1880 : — "In the far distant
island of Bernera, on the extreme north-west of the island
of Lewis, west coast of Scotland, considerable excitement
has been caused within the last few days by the stranding of
a huge whale, exaggerated accounts of which are likely to be
circulated. This whale is reported to have measured no less
than 105 feet in length. His spine was found to have been
snapped short across, an accident probably caused by a blow
from the bow of one of the iron Transatlantic steamers, or
more probably by the whale having run foul of the flange of
the revolving screw propeller of some fast-going ocean mail
boat. The Custom-house officers at Stornoway laid claim
to this Bernera whale for Her Majesty ; but before the sale
of it came on, the inhabitants had completely filched off all
the blubber, leaving nothing but the skeleton.
" This whale was probably the great northern Rorqual
Razorback or ' Finner ' {Balcenoptera boops or Rorqualis
borealis), the same species that follows the herrings, and
which the Scotch drift-net herring fishermen do not wish to
be persecuted, because by their blowing they show them the
whereabouts of the shoals of herrings. These finners are
also very powerful animals, and so strong and difficult to kill
that the Peterhead and Dundee professional whalers do not
care to kill them, especially as they do not contain very
much blubber and very little whalebone. Whales of this
kind often grow to a very large size ; they are often 70ft.
long ; and a gentleman who has lived many years in the
Orkneys informs us that the largest he ever saw was 82ft.
The right or whalebone whale is a much smaller animal.
An experienced whaling captain tells us that one bull whale
which he killed last year measured 48ft. from nose to tail,
breadth across the head Sft. loin., nose to eye 17ft. Another
whale, which he harpooned and obtained after a severe fight,
measured — total length 47ft., body between the fins lift.,
breadth of head 9ft. 3 in. These were both the true or
whalebone whale, not finners.
" On account of the very great value of whalebone — an
article so much required by the present fashion of ladies'
dresses, and by the demand for whale oil for dressing jute,
which when dressed with this oil assumes the appearance

Farm 0/ Mr. T. Deason, Longwood. 51
of silk fibre, and is used for all sorts of purposes, from the
making of carpets and chignons to the adulteration of silk
dresses — the true or whalebone whales are becoming gradually
exterminated, or are getting so artful that it is very difficult
to approach them.
" It has been suggested that the skeleton of this Bernera
whale shall be secured and brought to London. The great
distance of the locality where it now lies is fatal to this pro
ject ; besides which, the bones of the whale are composed of
a series of cells, very porous and containing more or less oil.
It is very difficult to get this oil out of the bones, There
are already three fine skeletons of whales in London —
namely, at the Royal College of Surgeons, Lincoln's Inn
Fields ; a second in the British Museum, hidden away in the
dark vaults of that establishment ; and, thirdly, a specimen
somewhere on the premises of the Alexandra Palace. The
skeletons of whales are very expensive and very unsatis
factory preparations. Their proper use is, without doubt, to
be ground up for manure ; while the two elegantly curved
bones which form the lower jaw are not unfrequently set up
on end and thought to form a highly ornamental archway for
a garden walk. Many of such archways of considerable age
exist in the neighbourhood of Newcastle-on-Tyne, which
port was once celebrated for its fleet of whalers."
From the " Rose and Crown," at Longwood, as this small
wayside inn is termed, at Hutt's Gate, there is a level road
along a neck of land, with deep valleys on either side. The
sterile soil consists of decomposed laterite and marl, on
which, however, the so-called " Hottentot fig," mesembry-
anthemum, trails its succulent spikes and brilliant blossoms ;
and a rude aqueduct of leaden piping follows the course of
the road, only partially covered with rudely-shaped blocks of
the local rock.
We canter on for about a mile, pass a ruined guard-house,
and reach the lodge gate at the entrance to the grounds of
Longwood, whence a stretch of green sward, alongside a
decaying group of scattered gum-trees and pines, leads up
to the old farmhouse of Longwood, passing the new Long-
wood House and Mr. Deason's present farmhouse on our
left, and the cottage where the important magnetic observa
tions (1841-45) were carried on.
Longwood House has been so often described, and is so
hackneyed, that we need not devote much time to its descrip
tion. Originally a farmhouse, it was fitted up for Napoleon
whilst the new and more suitable building, which he never
E 2

52 On Board a Union Steamer.
occupied, was being built. After Napoleon's death, in 1821,
the building reverted to its original use till 1857,* when it
was handed over to the French, together with the tomb.
The French partially restored it, and the rooms give some
idea of what they were like when occupied by the Emperor,
I may, however, here give some lines which were formerly to
be found written on the walls of the room where the greatest
soldier of modern history breathed his last, and which have
never been published, at least to the writer's knowledge.
Where do they come from .'
" Du grand Napoleon le nom toujours citS
Ira de bouche en bouche a la posterity."
" fai servi, com,mande, vaincu, quarant annies
Du monde entre mes mains fai vu les destinies.
Etfai toujours connu qtien chaque ^vinement
Le destin des dtats dependait d'un moment,"
The authenticity of the following well-known lines was
at one time much disputed : —
" Yes ! where is he, the champion and the child
Of all that's great or little, wise or wild ?
Whose game was empires, and whose stakes were thrones ?
Whose table earth — whose dice were human bones ?
Behold the grand result in yon lone isle.
And as thy nature urges, weep or smile.
Sigh — to behold the eagle's lofty rage
Reduced to nibble at his narrow cage ;
Smile — to survey the queller of the nations
Now daily squabbling o'er disputed rations ;
Weep — to perceive him mourning as he dines.
O'er curtailed dishes and o'er stinted wines.
O'er petty quarrels upon petty things.
Is this the man who scourged or feasted kings ? "
Byron {The Age of Bronze).
Lieutenant-Colonel Freiherrn von Meerheimb, in a lecture
* En 1857 Sa Majesty Victoria Reine d'Angleterre, fit donnation k la
France de Old House et du Tombeau. Dfes lors le gouvernement de Sa
Majestd L'Empereur Napoleon III. ordonna la restauration de Old
House et du Tombeau, comme dtant des monumens historiques dont la
conservation serait confine d un ancien officier de I'armde membre de la
Ldgion d'Honneur, telle est I'origine de 1' institution.
De 1858 k 1867, Monsieur Gauthier de Rougemont, ex-chef d'escad-
ron, officier de la Legion d'Honneur, a 6t6 Conservateur Francais k Ste.
Hdl&ne. Depuis 1868, Monsieur J. Claude Mareschal, ex-officier k I'Etat Major
du Gdnie, ChevaUer de la Ldgion d'Honneur, est Gardien et Conserva
teur des monumens. II est Chef de service affdrant au Ministfere des
Affaires Etrangdres.

Amenities of Telegraphic Signalling. 53
given at Berlin, and published in the Militair- Wochenblatt,
1872, after the war, says — " How do the French die } Men
die easiest on the battle-field — hardest on the scaffold. That
the French know how to die in battle is their inheritance
from their Celtic forefathers : they have proved it on count
less battle-fields in every quarter of the globe for 2,000 years,
and we may say of them, as was said of the Poles, ' lis ont
su toujours mourir vaillamment pour leur patrie, mais rare-
ment vivre raisonnablement pour elie.' "

CHAPTER III,
Scandal Signals — Deason's Farm — Pendulum Experiments — Introduc
tion of Horses — Ostrich Farm.
" Tel qu'un char lanc^ Perase ce qu'il recontre par sa route,
Napoldon ne songeait qu'k avarier."
Close by the old house at Longwood is a signal and tele
graph station, communicating with the other stations at
High Knoll, Ladder Hill, and Jamestown, where a gunner
resides to signal the mail steamers and other vessels to the
windward of the island. The whole island, ever since the
days of the captivity (the St. Helenan Hegira) has been
under a certain system of inofficial espionage. It is impossi
ble to get out of the reach of the ever-observant eyes of the
watchful signalman. As these signallers have nothing to do
except transmit telegraphic messages at rare intervals, they
amuse themselves by gossiping among themselves by wire, so
that all the incidents of one's walks or rides are known, and
commented on in town down to the minutest details ; and of
course a considerable amount of charitable (.¦•) construction
is put on the slightest grounds for scandal. Such messages
pass as this : " Colonel So-and-so is riding down Swampy
Gut ! " " Mrs. this or that is riding up from Longwood ! "
Pause. " Colonel has turned back with Mrs.  ! They
have gone along the ridge to Cuckold's Point ! " " Captain
Blank is walking with Miss Anonyma through Plantation ! "
" There is a picnic at Fairyland ! " " There are the first
lieutenant and the doctor of the gunboat, with the Misses
A. B, C, the chaplain," and so on.
On one occasion the writer of this notice had warned some

54 On Board a Union Steamer.
friends, newly arrived, of this systematic record of all goings
in and goings out, which they could hardly believe, but the
truth was soon tested. The party rode out, and on Dead-
wood racecourse, some four miles distant, the hat of one of the
ladies was blown off and with difficulty recovered. By the
time she reached town again this incident was universally
known, and, greatly to her surprise, every one she met in the
streets on her return to town congratulated her on her regain
ing her hat. With full knowledge, therefore, that our move
ments are under observation, we make for the so-called new
house at Longwood, the residence of the French official
before mentioned as having been placed in charge of the
property of the French nation. Alas ! we miss the accus
tomed face of the cheery old major and chevalier, the kind
welcome of Madame Mareschal, and the winning smiles of
the fair Mademoiselle Olympe (now no more mademoiselle
however*), for whose favour all the bachelor officers of the
garrison have in vain striven ; and not a few of the West
Coast Squadron officers, to one of whom, however, at last the
victory has fallen (a pledge of the entente cordiale) ; for the
whole party returned with the ex-Empress Eugenie in June,
iSSo, on board a Union steamer (the Trojan, Captain Travers).
There is still the fine citron-tree remaining in front of the
spacious verandah, whose fragrant blossoms excel in fragrance
those of the familiar orange flowers, as does the fruit it bears
(shaddock. Citrus decumana), that of the Seville orange.
In front of the house stretches Deadwood Plain, the one
rare flat open space of turf where a gallop can be enjoyed in
the island. Bordered it is, however, with dangerous ravines
and crags, and the view is bounded by the huge stupendous
mass of basalt surnamed the Barn.
Whilst waiting for the ponies to be brought round, we open
a book on the table in the drawing-room, and the following
d propos passage meets our eye. It is a volume of Metter-
nich's " Memoirs," and presents an impassionate portrait of
the man for whom the house we stand in was especially
built : — " Si I'^re de la Revolution Fran^aise a ^t^, comme ses
admirateurs le pensent, I'epoque la plus brillante, la plus
glorieuse de I'histoire moderne. Napoleon, qui a su y atteindre
* On the 23rd Sept., 1880, in Paris, at the Mairie 7th Arrondt., at the
Church of St. Thomas d'Aquin, and the Enghsh Church, Lieut. Henry
Chapman Walker, R.N., of High Stakesby, Whitby, Yorkshire, to
Olympe Melanie Cdcile, only child of Major Mareschal, of the French
Engineers, Chevalier of the Legion of Honor, in charge of the tomb of
Napoleon I. at St. Helena, and Madame Mareschal.

The Lancashire Farmer's Beef and Mutton. 55
la premiere place et la conserver pendent quinze ans, a ^t^,
sans contredit, un des plus grands hommes qui jamais aient
paru. Si, au contraire, il n'a eu qu'ci s'dlever comme un
m6t6ore audessus des brouillards d'une dissolution g^ndrale ;
s'il n'a trouv^ autour de lui que les ddbris d'un ^tat social
ruin6 par I'exc^s d'une fausse civilisation ; s'il n'a eu k com-
battre que des resistances amorties par la lassitude univer-
selle, des rivalit^s impuissantes, des passions ignobles, enfin,
au dehors, comme au dedans, des adversaires d&unis et
paralyse par leur desunion, il est certain que I'^clat de ses
succus diminue a proportion de la facility qu'il a eue k les
obtenir." On one side of the house is an English-looking, comfort
able farmhouse and homestead, with several acres of well-
cultivated meadows, pleasant to the eye, of oats, potatoes,
cabbages, mangle, etc. ; flocks of sheep and well-bred horned
cattle, all the property of a thorough Lancashire farmer —
Mr. Thomas Deason — than whose beef and mutton none
better can be reared, at least in latitude 15° S., as both the
British soldier and sailor can testify.
" Fair St. Helena ! shall not poets sing
Thy emerald centre in its copper ring ?
Where, sheltered neath the foliaceous shade,
Fair mansions nestle, mostly half-decayed.
How can the glowing pen aright pourtray
The rapturous beauties of the juicy day ?
No melting sunshine blinds the aching eye.
No burning heat to parch the throat too dry.
No choking dust is there to make one cry,
No glaring blue defiles thy gloomy sky.
Enwrapped in soaking mists, and blinding rain.
The shrieking wind tears over ridge and plain.
And maddened ghosts of cloud flit writhing past.
To 'scape th 'embraces of the howhng blast.
The burning brain is cooled by icy sleet,*
And softened roads assist the weary feet ;
The tired horseman homeward wends his track.
Refreshing streamlets running down his back.
And happy girls, with petticoats full high.
Enjoy perennial shower-baths on the sly.
Ungrateful he who scoffs such happy clime !
If such there be, he is not worth a dime :
Water above, around, and mud below,
Are blessings more than any such can know.
Beyond, stretch the ostrich plains towards Prosperous Bay,
for Mr. Deason has recently estabhshed an ostrich farm
with his usual energy, which is sure to command success.
* Oh ! oh !

56 On Board a Union Steamer.
To the left again is the cottage on the site of the magnetic
observatory, admirably situated as a meteorological station.
Instead of being sacred to the memory of the labours of
Captains Foster, R.N., and Sabine, R.A.,* it is now chiefly
used as a honeymoon resort for the newly-married ; and
many pairs of lovers have sat opposite the very scraggy,
candelabra-like pandanus which adorns the small lawn in
front. Whether this species of pandanus is peculiarly
sacred to Hymen I know not ; but, anyhow, the rival honey
moon retreat in the island is similarly adorned with even
finer specimens, which I may remark are seldom or ever
found naturally at such an elevation, 2,000 feet above the
sea. Time, however, flies, and if we are to get back to our steamer
in time we must think of returning ; and here we may notice
what capital ponies we are mounted on : for the work
required of them there are no better, surefooted little horses
bred anywhere than these animals, whose ancestors have
been on the island for more than 200 years. The story of
their first introduction is as follows : —
In the extracts from the Records published in the last " St.
Helena Almanack " notice is taken of the fact that horses
were found in a wild state in the island at the date of its first
occupation by the English in 1657, and M. Rennefort, the
French navigator, who visited the island in 1666, mentions
that " horses had been introduced, and that they had become
so very wild that when pursued, rather than allow themselves
to be taken, they would leap over the precipices overhanging
the sea coast."
Who had introduced these horses, or for what purpose, or
* This point in St. Helena, lat. 15° 56' 07" S., was one of the ten
stations in the southern hemisphere selected by the Royal Society for the
determination, by pendulum experiments, of the ellipticity of the figure
of the earth. The Chanticleer sloop-of-war was commissioned for this
service, 1828-31, by Captain Henry Foster, who was subsequently
drowned in the River Chagres, February 1831. Captain Foster's obser
vations, with seventeen chronometers, placed his station in the Battery
of Lemon Valley, in longitude 0° 22' 53"92". Mr. Baily, President of
the Royal Astronomical Society, superintended the necessary calcula
tions, and the results were for increase of gravity from equator to pole
•0051924, and for ellipticity jsVj. The very close agreement of this
result with that which had been previously stated from the experiments
in the northern hemisphere, affords a very strong probability that in
the conclusion afforded to them both, we have a true measure of 'the
ellipticity of the earth derived by means of the pendulum, as well as a
highly interesting and important indication of symmetry in the two hemi
spheres.

Native Breed of Horses. 57
why they had been allowed to become so wild, it was difficult
to guess. At that early period there were no roads upon
which a horse could be of any use ; the passages were so
dangerous that Sir Thomas Herbert, in 1634, in his quaint
way says : " The way is such as a man may choose whether
he will break his heart going up or his neck coming down ; "
and it was not till more than a hundred years after that date
that the island was provided with roads suitable for the use
of horses.
It is therefore interesting to find that the Cape Monthly
Magazine has recently published some articles which tell us
how and why horses were first landed at St. Helena, viz.,
that they had been intended for the Cape, but in consequence
of the ships missing their destination the horses had been
set adrift at this port. The articles referred to are pubhshed
in the Magazine for October and December, 1879, entitled
" The Beginning of the European Occupation in South Africa,
from Documents in the Cape Archives."
From this we learn that in 1652 Admiral Teylingen, in
command of a fleet of eleven ships, in returning from India
put into Table Bay with only three ships, the rest of his fleet
having separated from him. He waited in Table Bay some
days for his missing ships, and then, as they had not arrived,
he sailed, 26th February, 1652, for St. Helena, hoping to find
them there. It is added that " on board of these missing ships
there were some horses intended for the use of the people
who were coming to form a victualling station " at the Cape,
and " it was afterwards ascertained that the ships had gone
on to St. Helena, which was then an uninhabited island, and
that the horses had been turned loose there"
On the I Sth April, 1654, the galiot Tulp arrived at Table
Bay from Holland with information that " secret orders had
been sent to Batavia, in 1653, that the year's return fleet was
not to call at the Cape, but to push on to St. Helena and
wait there for instructions ; — ' it was therefore resolved to send
the Tulp to St. Helena to procure a supply of food from the
return ships, and to bring some young apple and orange
trees from the island.' The Tulp returned from St. Helena
on the nth of June, having been only forty-one days absent.
The gardener brought back some young fruit trees which he
had obtained from those long since planted, and at this time
growing nearly wild upon the island." The following summer
the Tulp was again sent to St. Helena " for some horses
which were taken past (the Cape) in a ship from Batavia,
and to try to recover those set ashore there from Van Tey-

58 On Board a Union Steamer.
lingen's fleet, but she returned with only two ; " thus showing
that already within three years the horses had become too
wild tp be caught by their former masters.

CHAPTER IV.
Halley's Mount— Proposed Monument — Account of Halley's Life and
Labours.
ON HALLEY'S MOUNT,
" Hoc primum ab homine Anglo inventum fuisse non inficiabitur sequa
posteritas." In Mrs. Gill's account of her voyage to Ascension,* she re
lates how her husband (since appointed astronomer at Cape
Town) visited Halley's Mount, a prominent spur on the
northern declivity from Diana's Peak, the central culminating
point of the Island of St. Helena. Here, on a small plateau,
the sight of a few roughly-squared blocks of tufa cannot
fail to inspire the beholder with deep interest, for these
stones, now overgrown with wild-pepper and blackberry
brambles, are all that remain to mark the site of a celebrated
astronomical station.
The neglected state of these ruinous foundations,
" In which there was obscurity and fame.
The glory and the nothing of a name,"
contrasts in a marked manner with the "exquisite neatness"
(as Mrs. Gill terms it) which distinguishes the cenotaph of
Napoleon t in the so-called "Vale of the Tomb" several
hundred feet beneath,
* See Nature, vol. xix. p. 240. " Six Months in Ascension. An Un
scientific Account of a Scientific Expedition." By Mrs. Gill. (Murray,
1878.) t Darwin says : " After the volumes of eloquence which have poured
forth on this subject, it is dangerous even to mention the tomb. A
modern traveller, in twelve lines, burdens the poor little island with the
following titles : it is a grave, tomb, pyramid, cemetery, sepulchre, cata
comb, sarcophagus, minaret, and mausoleum ! " (" A Naturahst's Voy
age," p. 486.) Darwin's lodgings at Hutt's Gate were within a stone's
throw of Halley's observatory, of which fact he appears to have been
unaware ; and, similarly, neither Napoleon nor any of his staff appear
to have remarked the scientific associations of Halley's Mount during
the six years they were resident at Longwood ; a circumstance the more
curious as Napoleon always patronized science, perhaps less for its own
sake than from motives of policy.

Synopsis Astronomiccc Cometce. 59
Here it was that Edmund Halley, 200 years ago, estab
lished his observatory, and first constructed his " Catalogus
Stellarum Australium ; " here he observed the transit of
Mercury, and wrote his method of obtaining the sun's
parallax by the forthcoming transits of Venus, and he
made the first* magnetical observations in the southern hemi
sphere. On the eve of Mr. Gill's astronomical experiment at Ascen
sion, then a matter of uncertain expectancy, now happily a
successful /"cJzV accompli, no wonder is it that a sincere sym
pathy with the aspirations of his predecessor determined
him to some day find the means and opportunity to raise a
memorial on the spot.
To astronomical students the apotheosis of the great Hal
ley is immortally celebrated by the comet which bears his
name ; but to the "profanum vtdgus " the mention of Dr,
Halley conveys no conception of his genius nor of the prac
tical scientific benefits he bequeathed to the English nation.
It was Delambre who, speaking of Halley's " Synopsis As-
tronomicae Cometae," said {Ast. Sikle, xviii. p. 310) : "Voila
bien, depuis Kepler, ce qui on a fait de plus grand, de plus
beau, de plus neuf en astronomic."
It is a fact hardly yet appreciated either in England or
America, that Dr. Edmund Halley is second only to Isaac
Newton, whose friend and contemporary he was (Newton's
"Principia" was first printed in 1686-7 at Halley's expense),
and that it is to this close contemporaneity alone that the
bright light of Halley's star has suffered diminution of lustre
from the brilliant rays of his world-renowned neighbouring
luminary. No biographer has yet appeared to write the life of this
great man, nor does any public monument yet adequately
represent the national estimation which is so richly deserved
by the second most illustrious of Anglo-Saxon philosophers.
The first of these two reproaches is, we believe, on the eve
of being wiped away ; for we learn that Professor Pritchard,f
of the Oxford University, to whom (as holding the Chair of
Astronomy denied to Halley by Stillingfleet) pertains the
honour of compiling so valuable a biography, is preparing
* In 1667 Halley found the variation ofthe compass to be 40' E.; it is
now 24'' W.
t See Monthly Notices, Royal Astronomical Society, December, 1875,
p. 54. Large materials for a hfe of Dr. Halley were found among the
papers of the late Professor Rigaud, which will be edited by Professor
Charles Pritchard, M.A.

6o On Board a Union Steamer.
for the press a full account of the long life-work of the vener
able astronomer.
It is to remove the second of these wants that we now
would advocate the erection of a fitting memorial to our
illustrious countryman on the spot which is indissolubly con
nected with his name, as the scene of his famous achievement.
The onerous duties of the astronomer at Capetown have
prevented his doing more than suggesting the idea of a
monument to Halley and the most appropriate site ; it
now remains for us with more leisure at home to forward
the idea, and do our utmost to carry out his well-inten
tioned scheme ; nor need we fear that it will be lost sight
of and fall to the ground, now that it has been brought for
ward to the notice of our scientific societies. This recog
nition of the claim of Halley to his proper place on the roll
of English scientific worthies, although somewhat tardy,
need not therefore be the less hearty and«thorough now that
it takes place. It is now some seven or eight years since
the Tuscans expended nearly forty thousand pounds in a
memorial to their " Divinus Galilaeus," at Florence ; * and in
1S74 the preparations for observing the transit of Venus re
called to our minds the hitherto obscure memory of the long-
forgotten Jeremiah Horrocks. Surely we need not wait for
the advent of the next transit in 1882 to remind the present
generation what they owe to the St. Helena observer of 167.7.
Have we not therefore established the fact that it is desirable
to erect a memorial to Halley on the ancient site of his ob
servatory in St. Helena .'
Receiving in anticipation an affirmative reply from our
readers in answer to the question above, we may now ap
proach the next stage of our subject by inquiry as to the
form which such a memorial should take ; and the fact is
that it matters very little in reality whether tablet or bust ;
whether column, pyramid, or statue be chosen, so long as it is
not too ornate,-f- The simplest and most severe design alone
* " Tuscan Memorial to Gahleo," by G. F. Rodwell {Nature, vol. viii.
p. 328, August, 1873.)
f The sketch of one design has been shown us, consisting of a pyramid
whose four sides are inclined at an angle of 70°, with the base standing
on a podium, which is dodecagonal, surrounded with seats. The faces
of the pyramid face the cardinal points. On the north face is Ursa
Major, and on the south Crux. On the east the inferior planets, and on
the west the comet. On the twelve seats are the signs of the Zodiac (has
any one remarked that the conventional signs of the Zodiac have become
a recognized ornamental pattern on the jewellery made by the natives
on the west coast of Africa ?) and the names of astronomical workers in
the southern hemisphere.

Disestablished Observatories. 6i
will suit the locality, which we will presently describe, and
may safely be left to the discretion of a committee of taste
by a general meeting of the subscribers to the memorial, as
only a small sum of money need be expended on this object ;
but we would ask if this alone will appease the manes of
Edmund Halley .' We must give further explanations.
Within sight of Halley's Mount are two disestablished
observatories. One, the most important, is that on Ladder
Hill, with this inscription over the doorway : " H^EC SPECULA
ASTRONOMICA Condita fuit A.D. MDCCCVII." This was
Johnson's observatory, broken up when the Imperial Govern
ment took the Island from the East India Company in 1S34.
It is now used as a mess-room for the officers of the garrison
at Ladder Hill.* The other is at Longwood, and was estab
lished in 1S40 by Sabine as a magnetic and meteorological
observatory; this station was broken up in 1845. In front
of it, on Deadwood Plain, is the base-line measured by
Lefroy, 2,986-3 yards in length.
The re-establishment of these valuable observing stations
would indeed be a lasting memorial such as Halley would
approve. " Jamque opus exegi, quod nee Jovis ira, nee ignis.
Nee potent ferrum, nee edax abolere vetustas." — Ovm.
Of the fitness of the first-named station as an astronomical
observatory, we need only judge from the actual work
accomplished there by Johnson and by Gill's appreciation
of its position and capabilities. Of the second it will be
manifest to all meteorologists, what an advantage such an
establishment in the heart of the south-east trades would be
to science ; whilst Halley's magnetical researches could be
renewed in an island where the atmospherical electricity is
so seldom disturbed that lightning conductors are never fitted
to the powder magazines, and where distant thunder is heard
seldom more than once" in a generation.f
A few more words may not be out of place to describe
Halley's Mount. Nearlyinthe centre ofthe island,it commands,
* See " Six Months at Ascension," p. 26. David Gill's feehngs at
viewing this degraded observatory remind us of Halley's disappointment
on reaching Greenwich, on his appointment as King's Astronomer, 1720,
and finding that the executors of Flamsteed had removed all the instru
ments. — See Whewell's " Inductive Science," vol. ii. Compare also the
present desolation of Uraniburg.
t Captain Foster's pendulum experiments were carried on between
1828-1831, but in the battery at Lemon Valley ; nor are we sure where
Maskelyne's station was.

62 On Board a Union Steamer.
from its elevation of 2,400 feet, the whole of the northern
portion of St. Helena. At this spot we seem to breathe
"An ampler ether — a diviner air!'
Four miles, looking due north, is the northern extremity of
the island, called Sugar-loaf, and four miles to the right is Dry-
gut Bay and Stone-top, whilst the same distance to the left,
or west, is Bennett's Point. Throughout the whole of this
northern semicircle, the view is bounded only by the sea
horizon. Behind us the crateral ridge, just under 3,000 feet,
hides the southern coast, which is distant only three miles in
Sandy Bay. But although this ridge hides the view, it forms
a fine background and shelter against the southern winds.
Above Halley's Mount the mountain-tops are covered with
the indigenous vegetation, much the same as when Halley
was here two centuries ago ; but beneath us, how changed !
" When first visited by civilized man, it (St. Helena) was in
all probability far more richly stocked with plants and
animals, forming a kind of natural museum or vivarium, in
which ancient types, perhaps dating back to the Miocene
period, or even earlier, had been saved from the destruction
which had overtaken their allies on the great continents.
Unfortunately many (we do not know how many) of these
forms have been exterminated by the carelessness and im
providence of its civilized but ignorant rulers ; and it is only
by the extreme ruggedness and inaccessibility of its peaks
and crater-ridges that the scanty fragments have escaped by
which alone we are able to obtain a glimpse of this interest
ing chapter in the life-history of our earth." (Wallace's
" Island Life.") On Halley's Mount the indigenous and exotic
plants meet on equal terms — a fit vegetation to surround a
cosmopolitan relic.
In the present day the most conspicuous features in the
landscape of St. Helena, as viewed from the highlands, are
the sombre plantations of pinaster (only introduced in 1787),
which contrast strongly with the willow-leaved acacias of New
South Wales ; whilst on all sides are ever wider extending
acres of Phormium tenax, grown for the sake of its econo
mical fibre, and whose seeds afford capital fare to the
numerous Chinese pheasants which inhabit the coverts on the
sides of Halley's Mount, The Mountain itself the noblest
monument. " Exegi monumentum aere perennius,
Regalique situ pyramidum altius ;
Quod non imber edax, non Aquilo impotens
Possit diruere, aut innumerabilis
Annorum series et fuga temporum."

Halley at St. Paul's School. 63
On June 12th, 1874, Prof Adams, President of the
Royal Astronomical Society, called the attention of the
members at the meeting to the original labours of Jere
miah Horrocks in connection with the then forthcoming
transit of Venus ; the result being the erection of a memo
rial to Horrocks in Westminster Abbey. Several of those
who took then such a keen interest in the noblest of as
tronomical problems (one of whose keys was about to be
unlocked by the keen observers of various nationalities)
have passed away ; but the veterans who survive, together
with an ever-increasing crowd of junior recruits, are now
looking forward to the next recurrence of the infrequent
transit, and on this occasion 'we may well devote a page
to an outline of the life of the famous Dr. Halley, .whose
name is so well known, but whose history has yet to be
written. For beyond more or less unsatisfactory and in-
authentic sketches of his career, no actual scientific biogra
phy of our grand countryman exists. The want of such
a work will, we believe, be ere long supplied by the
Savilian Professor of Astronomy at Oxford, in whose hands
the mass of material collected by the late Prof. Rigaud
rests ; so that the result of the editorial labours of the
Reverend Professor Pritchard may be looked for at an
early date. Meantime we may briefly recapitulate what is
generally known of the indefatigable and long-lived cos-
mographer to whom it is now proposed to erect a fitting
monument on the site of his deserted station at St.
Helena. Edmund Halley was born at Haggerston, near London,
on the 29th of October, 1656, and was the only son of a
soap-boiler. He was educated at St. Paul's School, and at
an early age evinced a peculiar aptitude for mathematics.
He first apphed hinself to the study of languages and
sciences, and at sixteen years of age made original obser
vations on the movements of the magnetic needle before
he left St. Paul's School. In 1673 his university career
commenced at Queen's College, Oxford, where, at the age
of twenty, he made careful observations of the spots on
the sun, the first results of his study of solar physics, made
during July and August, 1676, being published in conjunc
tion with those of Flamsteed.
Young Halley's first ambitious scheme was to make an
accurate general catalogue of the stars, and as Hevelius
and Flamsteed were employed in cataloguing the stars of
the Northern Hemisphere, interest was made with the then "

64 On Board a Union Steamer.
reigning monarch, Charles II. (who appears to have been
much interested with the ardent enthusiasm of the young
astronomer), who permitted Halley to proceed, at his own
expense, to the nearest available spot under the southern
tropic, viz., St. Helena, which small island had been retaken
by Sir Richard Munden from the Dutch in 1673, and re-
granted to the East India Company by a new charter,
and a European garrison was raised for its defence under
Captain Gregory Field. The educational state of the island
in those days may be judged from the fact that three of
the few members of Council were unable to write, and
could only affix their marks to the proceedings of the
Board. The latitude and longitude of the island even
were imperfectly known, and the means of ascertaining
the latter were so inaccurate on board ship that at least
one ship returned to England with the intelligence that
the island had disappeared altogether. Halley's journal
or log book of the voyage in 1676 is still extant, and
what is now a matter of a fortnight's steaming in a Union
Company or Donald Currie steamer was then a formidable
voyage of two or more months (the Northumberland, under
Rear-Admiral Sir George Cockburn, leaving the Start on the
9th of August, reached St. Helena on the 15th of October,
1 81 5, with Napoleon on board), and we can imagine the
enjoyment he must have felt during the tropical nights on
the Atlantic, and the first indelible impressions with which
he beheld the gradual rising of the Centaur, Argo, Crux, and
the Nubeculae of Magellan, whose pale phosphorescent
radiance contrasts with the dark spot through which the
terrestrial spectator catches a glimpse of the ultra-planetary
depths of space.
Arrived in St. Helena, then overgrown with forests and
rare shrubs, now extinct for ever, he appears to have landed
at James's Fort, in Chapel Valley, late in the year, and must
have found no small difficulty in the selection of a site for
his temporary observatory ;* but, doubtless tempted by the
unusual clearness of the season, he selected a magnificent
situation on the northern side of the central mountain, to
which he must have had considerable difficulty in transport
ing his instruments, as even with the present modern roads
wheeled transport is most limited and precarious. Under
Governor Field, however, with slave labour and royal aus-
* The foundation-stone of " Uraniburg," the lordly observatory of
Tycho-Brahe, in the island of Huen, between Denmark and Sweden,
was laid on August 6th, 1 576, just a century previously.

Catalogus Stellarum Australium. 65
pices, Halley industriously set to work towards the comple
tion of the catalogue of the southern stars, and delineated a
planisphere of their projection. It was here, says Prof
Forbes, that " Halley was the first to see clearly what a
powerful means of determining the sun's parallax an obser
vation of contact really is. So far as I can discover, he
first mentions the method in a letter to Sir Jonas Moore,
written at St. Helena in 1677,* just after having seen a
transit of Mercury, The exactness with which he believed
the time of contact to be determinable led him frequently
afterwards to urge his countrymen to make every effort to
utilize the method on the occasion of the transits of 1761 and
1769, when he should be dead.-f- And thus, in addition to
his celebrated prediction of a comet, he left a second legacy
to his successors, who, as Englishmen, might be entitled to
be proud of his foresight, though he could not live to reap
the glory of it." (" The Coming Transit of Venus," by Prof
George Forbes, Nature, April 23, 1874.)
" Halley saw (what many people fail to see even now) that
the great accuracy of the method consists in this, that in one
second of time Venus moves over about 0'02" ; and if we can
determine the time of contact, with an error of no more than
a second, we are measuring the sun's parallax with an error
of no more than 0"02 of a second of arc. Halley even
pointed out the best stations for observations." {Ibid.)
Ninety-four years subsequently to this letter Dr. Maske-
lyne and Mr. Waddington were able to take advantage of
Halley's legacy, and to partake in their share of its fruition.
The result of Halley's observations in the Southern Hemi
sphere, made in spite of the clouds which hung over the
heights of the rocky island (caused by the counter-current
of air above the trade-winds), was the publication of the
positions of 350 stars which he had fixed in his " Catalogus
Stellarum Australium." {See Humboldt's "Cosmos," vol.
iii. 207.)
Halley returned to England in 1678, and at the early age
of twenty-two years was elected a member of the Royal
Society. On his return to England he was not idle, for we
soon find him at Dantzic engaged in settling a friendly and
international controversy between the Royal Astronomer of
England and Dr. Hevehus. He was travelling on the Con
tinent with his companion, Mr. Nelson, when — between Calais
* Hooke's Lectures and Collections, 1678.
t Catalogus Stellarum Australium ; also Phil. Trans., 1694 and 1715.
F

66 On Board a Union Steamer.
and Paris — he made his second (December) observations of
the remarkable direct elhptic comet of i6So, the length of
whose tail was calculated at lOO millions of miles, with a
period of 8,8 1 3 years, having observed it before its perihelion
passage the previous month.
During a portion of 168 1 Halley spent a considerable
time in Paris with Cassini at the Observatory, and subse
quently went to Italy, where we find a record of him in a
first edition of a copy of the " Principia " of his friend
Newton, bearing an autograph inscription from the donor to
the Abb6 Nazari, who edited a scientific journal at Rome at
this period. The following is the entry in Halley's hand
writing* : — ILLUSTRISSIMO DNO
Dro Abbati Nazario
R0M.ffi HUMILLIME OFFERT
Edm. Halley.
During the year 16S2 Halley observed and determined the
parabolic elements of the retrograde orbit of the remarkable
comet of long period which bears his name. The results of
his calculations made it evident to him that this comet must
have been identical with the comet observed in 1697 by
Kepler and Longomontanus, and also with one whose
elements were calculated from observations by Apian, at
Ingoldstadt, in 1531, and which previously appeared in 1456
and 1378, as calculated by Pingrd and Langrier. Halley pre
dicted the return of this comet at the close of 1758 or begin
ning of 1759 — the first prediction of the return of a comet.-f-
This comet, as is well known, actually passed its perihelion
on March 12th, 1759, just one month before the time cal
culated by Clairaut, Lalande, and Madame Lepaute ; and
again on November 15.95, 1835, within five days of Rosen-
berger's elaborate calculation. We now await the next
advent of Halley's comet in 1909-10, its perihelion passage
being fixed by the late Count G. de Pontecoulant (as com
municated by him to the Paris Academy of Sciences in 1864)
to May 23.87 (Paris timei"), 1910 ; it having been last
glimpsed by Dr. Lamont with the Munich refractor on May
17th, 1836. (See Nature, February 11, 1875, p. 286.)
The following interesting discovery has lately been pub-
* See Nature, March 6, 1879, p. 422.
f When the great Southern Comet of 1880 was visible, a telegram
appeared in The Cape Times ixam. Port Elizabeth, in February, 1880 : —
" Much astonishment is expressed here that the Astronomer Royal has
not predicted the comet."

Fncyclopcedia of Ma-Twan-Lin. 67
lished by a celebrated astronomer: — "Probably no one of
the great comets recorded in history has occasioned a more
profound impression upon mankind in the superstitious ages
than the celebrated body which appeared in the spring of
the year 1066, which was regarded as the precursor of the
invasion of England by William the Norman, and which is
the comet of the Bayeux Tapestry ; as Pingre, the eminent
cometographer, remarks, it forms the subject of an infinite
number of relations in the European chronicles. There is
another consideration which adds to the interest that English
men might feel in the presumed connection of this body with
so eventful an occurrence in the history of this country, aris
ing from the fact that it is now almost beyond doubt that
the famed comet of 1066 was no other than the comet which
bears the name of our countryman Halley, who, in its case,
first demonstrated practically that these bodies obey the
Newtonian laws of motion and may re-appear after stated
periods — predicting that this particular comet would be again
visible about the year 1758, and appealing to posterity, in
the event of his prediction being verified, not to forget that
it had been made by an Englishman. ' Quocirca,' he writes,
' si secundum predicta nostra redierit iterum circa annum
1758, hoc primum ab homine Anglo inventum fuisse non
inficiabitur sequa posteritas,'
"The European chronicles, though defining the general
characteristics of the appearance of the comet of 1066, are
not sufficiently explicit to be made the groundwork for a cal
culation of the real orbit which it described, but they are
supplemented in a most important degree by the account of
its track among the constellations preserved in the Chinese
Annals, which first became known in Europe, though in less
detail than at the present time, about the middle of the last
century, when the French Jesuit Gaubil sent partial extracts
from the annals to Paris, and his manuscript was utilized by
Pingre for his laborious work, the 'Com^tographie,' published
in 1783, Subsequently copies of the Chinese historical works,
the so-called encyclopaedia of Ma-Twan-Lin, and the great
collection of twenty-five principal historians of China, which
contains for each dynasty a section of astronomy, recording
the observations of comets, were received in Europe. The
late Edouard Biot, son of the well-known French philoso
pher, made use of these works with the view to collect such
records as by any possibility might refer to former appear
ances of Halley's comet. These were pubhshed in 1846, but
Biot made no attempt to fix by actual calculation the precise
F 2

68 On Board a Union Steamer.
epochs of the comet's appearances. Its visits in 1531. 1607,
and 1682 were recognized by Halley. Pingre showedthat it
had appeared in 1456, and Laugier identified it with the
comets of 1378, 760, and 451, The connected series of
appearances, however, was first indicated in a communication
which I made to the Royal Astronomical Society, in January,
1850, after a very close study of the materials brought to
gether by Biot, in conjunction with the descriptions of the
European chroniclers, and I then pointed out that the memo
rable comet of 1066 fell into this series, and its path in the
heavens agreed well with that of Halley's comet with a par
ticular date for the passage through perihelion, and at the
same time I succeeded in tracing the same body back to the
year 12 B.C.
" The apparent track of the comet of 1066 may be thus
briefly stated : — It was detected in China on the morning of
April 2, in the constellation Aquarius, and in somewhat
greater right ascension than the well-known star Markab,
the principal star in Pegasus ; from the recorded direction
of the tail, it is evident that it was not far from the echptic.
From this position we are told that it moved rapidly towards
the east till, approaching the sun's place, it disappeared for
some days, becoming visible again in the north-western
heavens in the evenings. The comet's presence in the morn
ing sky does not appear to have been generally recognized
in Europe, though it is mentioned in the ' Chronicon Albe-
rici,' one of Boquet's collection ; generally the European
writers date its appearance in Easter week. English authors
say it became visible at the commencement of the year, but
the year at that time began at Easter in England, and Easter
Sunday in 1066 fell on April 16. The comet was widely
observed in the following week, and would appear to have
been most conspicuous at this time. April 24 is mentioned
as the date when it became visible in the evenings in China.
It passed through the constellations Auriga, the southern
part of Ursa Major, Gemini, Leo, &c., until it attained the
right ascension of stars in Hydra, traversing in all, as the
Chinese tell us, fourteen of the sidereal divisions, which are
unequal though known intervals of right ascension, from
Pegasus and Andromeda to Scorpio. It disappeared after
sixty-seven days, or about June 8. The original description
is at first sight a very confused one, but the Chinese have
evidently mixed up the direction of the tail and the stars
which it appeared to pass over with the motion of the head,
as is frequently their custom, so that some practice in the

Comet of the Bayeux Tapestry. 6g
interpretation of their observations of comets is required to
trace out the particulars which are available for the calcula
tion of the orbit. The elements of Halley's comet, as
deduced from Apian's observations in 1531 (the earliest year
in which we have European observations, properly so called),
would represent the track of the comet of 1066 pretty
nearly, but with the place of the perihelion and the node
less advanced the agreement will be better, and in the lapse
of five centuries these elements may well have undergone
such change from the accumulation of planetary perturbations.
I find, in short, that if the perihelion passage of Halley's
comet is assumed to have taken place on April i, 1066, with
other elements, as here indicated, the recorded track of the
comet of 1066 is reproduced. About the end of Easter
week, when it was causing the greatest sensation in Europe,
its distance from the earth was only 0"I7, the earth's mean
distance from the sun being taken as unity. The moon,
which was at full on the evening of April 18, was then with
drawing from the evening sky, and the comet at a north
declination of upwards of 30° would be seen under most
favourable circumstances ; while, as regards the length of the
tail, which in comets generally is well known to attain its
greatest proportions after the perihelion passage, the posi
tion of the comet with respect to the earth was such as to
favour its being of imposing extent. Many of your readers
will remember the appearance of Halley's comet at its last
return in 1835 ; in 1066 its intensity of light would be half
as great again, and it would approach the earth, as stated
above, after the perihelion passage, instead of before arriving
at that point of its orbit as in 1S35. A revision of my
earlier calculations, made since the appearance of Mr.
Williams's new translation of the cometary details contained
in the supplement to Ma-Twan-Lin, has confirmed me in the
opinion that the comet of the Bayeux Tapestry was the
celebrated comet of Halley.
" I should be extending this letter to an inordinate length
were I to attempt to justify here the grounds upon which
the connected series of appearances of Halley's comet
backwards to B.C. 12 depends. I shall content myself with
giving the approximate epochs of the arrival at perihelion,
as deducible from Chinese and European records. Previous
to 1456 (when the comet, favourably situated, exhibited a
train 60 degrees in length, and produced a great commo
tion in Europe, and Callixtus III. exorcised Turks and
comet alike) we recognize it in perihelion about November,

JO On Board a Union Steamer.
1378; October, 1301 ; July, 1223 (or, possibly, in 1222);
April, 1 145 (a very well-defined appearance); April, 1066;
September, 989; April, 912; April, 837; June, 760; Sep
tember, 684; November, 608 ; November, 530; July, 451;
November, 373; April, 295; April, 218; March, 141;
January, 66 ; and, finally, in October, B.C. 12. One or two
dates of this series are much more uncertain than the others ;
singularly enough, the appearance of the comet in B.C. 12
is one of the most certain of the whole. Indeed, any one
acquainted with the track of Halley's comet when it arrives
at perihelion in October would be at once struck by the
similarity of the Chinese description. Dio Cassius merely
records that 'under the consulate of M. Valerius Messala
Barbatus, and P. Sulpicius Quirinus, before the death of
Agrippa, a comet was seen for many days ; it appeared as
thougli suspended over the city of Rome.' Thus, with
greater or less degree of certainty, Halley's comet is traceable
to a date before the Christian era.
" But this is not all. In 1862 the late Swedish astronomer
Angstrom, accepting these dates as the epochs of the perihe
lion passages of Halley's comet, arrived at a most unexpected
and very remarkable result, which strongly supports, if it
does not actually demonstrate, their general accuracy. He
found that the inequality of intervals is due to the existence
of two perturbations, the one depending upon the action of
Jupiter alone, the other upon the action of Jupiter and
Saturn, and he showed that from the combined effect of the
two the return of the comet to perihelion might be accele
rated or retarded from one revolution to another by about
a year and a half Taking into account these perturbations,
he found, except in one case, that of 608, one of the most
doubtful, a close agreement between the epochs in the above
series and those deduced from his investigation,
" The period of the next appearance of Halley's comet has
been made the subject of calculation by the late Comte de
Pontecoulant, in continuation of his researches upon its mo
tion, commencing with the year 1531. His conclusions were
communicated to the Academy of Sciences of Paris in May,
1864. He takes into account the action of Jupiter, Saturn,
and Uranus, and assigns for the date of the ensuing peri
helion passage May 24, 1910, a condition which would cause
the comet to be a very conspicuous object while passing from
the constellation Auriga to Leo in the middle of June. The
most striking effect in this revolution, according to Pon-
tecoulant's calculations, is the influence of the attraction of

Variation of the Magnetical Compass. 71
the planet Jupiter upon the eccentricity of the orbit, which
will cause the point of intersection with the plane of the
earth's path at comparatively a considerable distance there
from during the last visit in 1835, to be brought close upon
it in 1910, as would appear to have been the case three cen
turies ago. The perihelion distance which falls within the
earth's orbit is so largely increased in the interval that the
actual distance of the comet from our track in traversing its
plane in the summer of 1910 will be less than one-tenth of
that in 1835, So great an effect in a single revolution is
worthy of note, but may be negatived in a succeeding one, —
J, R. HlND."
An account of his next research is given by K., in a paper
on the " Early History of Magnetism," in Nature, April
27, 1S76, p. 523, as follows: — "In 1683 Halley presented a
paper of great importance to the Royal Society of London,
entitled 'A Theory of the Variation of the Magnetical
Compass.' In this communication he states that 'the de
flection of the magnetical needle from the true meridian is
of that great concernment in the art of navigation that the
neglect thereof does little less than render useless one of
the noblest inventions mankind ever yet attained to,' and
gives as the result of ' many close thoughts ' the following
explanation of the variation of the compass : —
" ' The whole globe of the earth is one great magnet,
having four magnetical poles or points of attraction, near
each pole of the equator two ; and in those parts of the
world which lie near adjacent to any one of those magnet
ical poles, the needle is governed thereby, the nearest pole
being always predominant over the more remote.' He re
marks that the positions of these poles cannot as yet be
exactly determined, from want of sufficient data, but con
jectures that the magnetic pole which principally governs
the variations in Europe, Tartary, and the North Sea is
about 7° from the North Pole of the earth, and in the meri
dian of the Land's End ; whilst the magnetic pole which
influences the needle in North America, and in the Atlantic
and Pacific Oceans, from the Azores westward to Japan, is
15° from the North Pole, and in a meridian passing through
tire middle of California. The variation in the South of
Africa, in Arabia, Persia, India, and from the Cape of Good
Hope over the Indian Ocean to the middle of the South
Pacific, is ruled by the most powerful of all these magnetic
poles, which is situated 20° from the South Pole of the earth,
and in a meridian passing through the island of Celebes ; in

72 On Board a Union Steamer.
the remainder of the South Pacific Ocean, in South America,
and the greater part of the South Atlantic Ocean, it is
governed by a magnetic pole i6° from the South Pole in a
meridian 20° west of the Straits of Magellan."
" On this hypothesis Halley explains the variation ob
served in different places, and among others cites the two
following instances : — On the coast of America, about Vir
ginia, New England, and Newfoundland, the variation was
found to be west, being above 20° in Newfoundland, 30° in
Hudson Strait, and 57° in Baffin's Bay. On the coast of
Brazil, on the contrary, it was found to be east, being 12° at
Cape Frio, and increasing to 20^° at the Rio de la Plata,
thence decreasing towards the Straits of Magellan. Thus,
almost in the same geographical meridian, we find the needle
at one place pointing nearly 30° west, at another 20^° east;
this is explained by the north end of the needle in Hudson
Strait being chiefly attracted by the North American mag
netic pole, whilst at the mouth of the Rio de la Plata, the
south end is attracted by the south magnetic pole situated
west of the Straits of Magellan. Sailing north-west from
St. Helena to the equator, the variation is always in the same
direction, and slightly east. Here the South American is
the chief governing pole, but its power is opposed by the
attraction of the North American and Asian South Poles,
the balance as you recede from the latter being maintained
by approach to the former."
" During the next nine years Halley continued his investi
gation of the causes of magnetic variation, and in 1692 he
made another communication to the Royal Society, in which
he endeavoured to meet two difficulties he had always felt
in his former explanation ; one, that no magnet he had ever
seen or heard of had more than two opposite poles ; the
other, that these poles were not — at least all of them — fixed
in the earth, but slowly changed their positions. The fol
lowing observations are cited by Halley in proof of the
motion of the magnetic system : — At London, in 1580, the
variation was 11° 15' E., in 1622 it was 6° E., in 1634 it was
4° 5' E., and in 1657 there was no variation ; whilst in 1672
it was 2° 30' W., and in 1692, 6° W. At Paris the variation
was 8° or 9° E. in 1550, 3° E. in 1640, 0° in 1666, and 2° 30' W.
in 1 68 1. At Cape Comorin it was 14° 20' W. in 1620, 8° 48'
W. in 1680, and 7° 30' W. in i68S. Halley considered the
external parts of our earth as a shell, separated by a fluid
medium from a nucleus or inner globe, which had its centre
of gravity fixed and immovable in the common centre of

Halley's Magnetic Research. "j^,
the earth, but which rotated round its axis a little slower
than the superficial portions of the earth. The nucleus and
the exterior shell he regarded as two distinct magnets,
having magnetic poles not coincident with the geographical
poles of the earth. The change observed in Hudson's Bay
being much less than that observed in Europe, Halley
concll^ded that the North American Pole was fixed, while
the European one was movable ; and, from a similar obser
vation on the coast of Java, he considered the Asian South
Pole as fixed, and the pole west of the Straits of Magellan
to be in motion. The fixed poles he regarded as those of
the external shell, and the movable as those of the inner
nucleus. Of these latter the one placed by him in the
meridian of the Land's End was ascertained, in the present
century, to have moved to Siberia in I20° E. long., and that
placed by him 20° from the Straits of Magellan to have
moved between 30° and 40° west of this position ; while
those poles regarded by Halley as fixed were found but
slightly altered in position since his time. It is extremely
interesting to find that not only modern observations of
declination, but also those of dip and magnetic intensity,
have received their best explanation on the assumption of
four magnetic poles. Much, however, that is mysterious
remains unsolved, and Halley's remarkable words may even
now with truth be quoted : — " Whether these magnetical
poles move altogether with one motion or with several,
whether equally or unequally, whether circular or librator)',
if circular about what centre, if libratory after what manner,
are secrets as yet utterly unknown to mankind, and are
reserved for the industry of future ages." (" K." ibid)
Intent on still further carrying out his magnetic researches,
Halley was successful in an application to King WiUiam to
fit out a scientific expedition, and in 1698, as Captain Halley,
R.N., received his appointment to the command of H.M.S.
Paramour, in which vessel, a Pink, his sailing orders directed
him to seek by observations the discovery of the rule of
variations of the compass, and as well to survey and lay
down the latitude and longitude of His Majesty's American
settlements. H.M.S. Paramour left England in November,
1698, but was absent only for seven months, on account of
sickness breaking out among the crew during their stay in
the equatorial calms, and his Lieutenant mutinying. On
their return home the Lieutenant was court-rfiartialled and,
cashiered ; and Captain Halley, in no way disheartened, and
with his expedition augmented by the presence of a smaller

74 On Board a Union Steamer.
consort placed under him, set off in September, 1699, and
voyaged throughout the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic
to the Antarctic regions, until the ice stopped his progress.
He revisited the well-known scenes of his early scientific
success on the isolated rock of St. Helena, which doubtless
inspired him with the thoughts of old Robert Herrick, whose
lines aptly apply to this now barren spot : —
" Rockie thou art, and rockie we discover
Thy menne, and rockie are thy wayes all over.
O menne ! O manners ! now, and ever knowne.
To be a rockie generatione !
A people currish, churlish as the seas.
And rude almost, as rudest salvages ;
With whom I did, and may resojourne whenne
Rocks turn to rivers, Rivers turn to menne."
The voyage of the Paramour included the coasts of the
Brazils and the West Indies on the West, together with the
West Coast of Africa, Madeira and the Canaries, etc., and
lasted a whole year : the result was speedily made public by
the production ofthe much-cited "Halley's Magnetic Chart"
(on which the isogonal magnetic curves or " Halleian lines ''
were laid down), the original of which is in the British
Museum. By the assistance of Mr. Winter Jones, the
principal librarian, copies in a reduced size have been pro
duced from this chart, and they were inserted as an Appendix
in the Magnetical and Meteorological volume of the Astro
nomer Royal's Report at Greenwich for the year 1S69.
This chart lies before us now. It is entitled
" Nova & Accuratissima
Totius Terrarum Orbis
TABULA NAUTICA
Varationum Magneticarum Index
Juxta observationes Anno 1700
habitas constructa
per Edm. Halley!'
De Inventore Pyxidis Nautic^.
" Qui primus docuit Magnete instinguere ferrum,
Oceanique vias dubiis signare carinis,
Dissociata prius connectens htora vento
Mutua ab extremis advexit commoda terris.
Obterit hunc ingrata dies atque immemor avum
Authori tanto renuit post funera vitam.
Ne speres Stygiis famam eripuisse tenebris.
Neve tui memores cineri prodesse merentis.
Ast conscire sibi genus excoluisse per artes,
Humanum inventas, serosque beasse nepotes,
Elysias donat campos, vittamque nitentem."

Dedication to Queen Anne. 75
Ad Dominam Reginam.
" Ille gigantseo certat temerarius ausu.
Qui Jovis in Terras femula regna petit.
Assyrio quota pars, quota pars est Subdita Persa: !
Opposuere suas Indus et Oxus aquas.
Pellffio frustra est defleta angustia Mundi,
Romano fines Tigris et Ister erant.
Latins at quanto dominatur classe Britanna !
Coerula quo Thetis est quo vehit aura ratem.
Anna maris regina Jovi socia arma capessens,
Auxiliatricis Palladis instar habes."
In April, 1701, Captain Halley was employed as Hydro
grapher to His Majesty, and surveyed the British Channel,
an accurate chart of which was published under his super
intendence, besides a systematic series of observations on
the tides was undertaken with satisfactory conclusions. By
this time the fame of Halley as astronomer, discoverer, and
engineer, had spread throughout the civilized world, and the
Emperor of Germany (Leopold), desirous of forming a har
bour for shipping in the Adriatic, applied for and obtained
from Queen Anne the services of Captain Halley, who em
barked for Holland on November 22nd, 1702, and proceeded
to Istria. In consequence of the political opposition of the
Dutch, Halley's designs were not carried out as to the con
struction of two ports in Dalmatia ; but the approval of the
Emperor Leopold was signified by the present of a diamond
ring and an especial letter of recommendation to the Queen
of England, who again sent him to Istria, where, in con
junction with the Emperor's engineer, he added to the forti
fications and harbour-works of Trieste. On this occasion,
passing through Hanover, he supped with the Electoral
Prince (subsequently our King George I.) and his sister the
Queen of Prussia, and at Vienna he was personally presented
to the Emperor Leopold.
In 1703 Captain Halley returned to his native country, and
was made Professor of Geometry in the University of Oxford
in the place of Dr, Wallis, and the degree of LL.D. was
also conferred upon him. The professorship of Astronomy at
the University of Oxford was withheld from him, it is said,
at the instigation of the orthodox Stillingfleet — another in
stance of the numerous attempts to stifle true scientific
investigation by narrow-minded and bigoted divines.
The late Captain, now Doctor Halley, as indefatigable as
ever, did not seek in his professorial chair the otium cum
dignitate : only forty-seven years of age, he began to trans
late into Latin, from the Arabic, " Apollonius de Sectione

76 On Board a Union Steamer.
Rationis," and to restore the two books " De Sectione
Spatii " of the same author (which are lost), from the account
given of them by Pappus ; and he published the whole work
in 1706. Afterwards he took a leading part in preparing for
the press and editing " Apollonius' Conies," and he, success
fully supplied the whole of the eighth book, the original of
which is lost. He likewise added Serenus on the Section
of the Cylinder and Cone, printed from the original
Greek, with a Latin translation, and published the whole
in folio.
In 171 3 he was made Secretary of the Royal Society, and
on May 3rd, I7i5,with the astronomer De Louville, he made
his observations of the celebrated total solar eclipse from
the house of the Royal Society, in Crane Court, Fleet Street,
which he has so well recorded in the " Philosophical Trans
actions " of the. Society.
In 1720 he was appointed Astronomer Royal at Green
wich, in room of his old friend and colleague Flamsteed ; and
nine years afterwards had the distinction of being chosen as
a foreign member of the Academy of Sciences at Paris.
Full of years and honours this great man died at Green
wich, in his eighty-seventh year, after a long career of such
scientific benefits to his countrymen as few of our greatest
philosophic worthies can boast. Besides his magnetic works
and astronomical discoveries — among which was the dis
covery of the acceleration of the moon's mean motion,* and
* " The Astronomer Royal gives a simple interpretation of the numer
ical result of his investigations on the secular acceleration of the moon's
mean motion, read at the April meeting of the Astronomical Society.
The value he found for it, and which, it may be remembered, he
announced with much confidence in its accuracy, was io"'i477, assuming
the sun's mean horizontal parallax to be 8"'9i (should this be really 8"76,
it would reduce the acceleration to 9"'6404). Now in the moon's orbit
i"=6,oooft. very nearly, so that in a century the moon is accelerated
6o,oooft. Her mean distance wiU be changed in a century by about
7T4ft., and in each single year our satellite comes nearer to us by 0-85
of an inch. It is interesting to recall that the first astronomer who was
acquainted with the fact of an acceleration of the moon's mean motion
was Dr. Halley, the Second Astronomer Royal, who refers to it in a
paper in the ' Philosophical Transactions ' for 1695, but was not in a posi
tion to form any opinion as to its probable amount. Laplace, who dis
covered its cause, made a determination of its amount, which he found
to be aboul ten seconds in a century. But more recently Prof Adams,
on examining the question, came to the conclusion that the theoretical
value was only about half this amount, and it is well known that this
discrepancy has led to much controversy. Sir George Airy's new pro
cess of investigation has conducted him to a result nearly the same as
that of Laplace, and which also agrees nearly with the observed value

Halley's Transit Instrument. jy
the method of finding longitude at sea — his principal works
were the " Tabulae Astronomicae " and an " Abridgment of
the Astronomy of Comets," in addition to his " Catalogus
Stellarum Australium " before mentioned. We are also in
debted to him for the publication of several of the works of
Sir Isaac Newton, who had a particular friendship for him,
and through whom some of his most important discoveries
were made. Thus, for instance, the first evaluation of the
mass of Jupiter is that of Newton in the Cambridge edition
ofthe "Principia" (1713), inferred from Halley's observation
of an emersion of Jupiter and his satellites from the moon's
limb, giving for the denominator of the fraction 1033. {^^^
Nature, September 23, 1875.)
Such is a brief account of the talented Edmund Halley,
the details of whose busy and varied life must be awaited
with the utmost interest. It will, we are assured, be a
source of gratification and pride to astronomers, and indeed
to all scientific men, throughout the Anglo-Saxon dominions
to unite in raising such a memorial as has been suggested
as deduced from a comparison of ancient eclipses with modern observa
tions of the moon."
The Astronomer Royal describes an instrument of Flamsteed's, of
which he possessed an engraving that appeared to be unique. He states
that he believed this instrument marked an epoch in the history of
astronomy. Before the invention of clocks which could be relied upon
for the determination of time over periods of a day or longer, right
ascensions had to be measured by the triangulation of stars ; there was
never any difficulty in determining the polar distances of stars with a
graduated arc in the meridian. Having determined the polar distances
of two stars, the distance between them was measured with a movable
arc, and the difference of right ascension found by calculation. Tycho
possessed an instrument for measuring such distances, but it was only
provided with sights, and it was mounted on a vertical axis. This instru
ment of Flamsteed's was mounted on a polar axis, which projected
beyond its bearings. On the top of the axis was a movable T head,
carrying the graduated arc with two telescopes. The movable T head
could be inclined by a rack-and-screw motion, so as to enable the
observer to measure the distance between the two stars which differed
in declination. The instrument was only used for determining the
places of the principal stars, and a clock which would go pretty well for
some hours was used for determining the differences of right ascensions
of smaller stars as measured from the larger ones. Flamsteed was
succeeded by Halley, who relied entirely upon the places of principal
stars as determined by Flamsteed, and filled up the interspaces by
means of observations made with a curious transit instrument, with
axes of unequal length. The great reform in the method of determining
the positions of stars was brought about by Graham, the clockmaker,
who invented the deadbeat escapement and the gridiron pendulum,
which enabled right ascensions to be determined all round the heavens
by observing the times of transit with a meridian instrument.

78 On Board a Union Steamer.
by the organizer* and observer of the Mars Expedition in
1877, and at last we may expect to see Halley's Mount
crowned with an appropriate memorial of the astronomer.
In the report of the late Astronomer Royal, Sir George
B. Airy, to the Board of Visitors of the Royal Observatory,
Greenwich, read at the Annual Visitation of the Royal
Observatory, 18S1, June 4th: It appears that Halley's
ancient tombstone, after its removal from Lee Churchyard
(where it has been replaced by a new stone with a fac-simile
of the inscription), had been placed in the South Ground,
where it has been lying for several years. It has now been
carefully restored, and mounted on the east wall of the lobby
of the North Dome of the Observatory, a most fit and appro
priate resting-place for the simple memorial. Appended is
a copy, supplied by the courtesy of the present Astronomer
Royal, Mr. W. H. M, Christie, F.R.S. L,
Inscripton on Dr. Halley's Monument, removed from Lee
Churchyard.
Sub hoc marmore
Placide requiescit cum uxore carissima
Edmundus Halleius, LL.D.
Astronomorum sui seculi facile princeps.
Ut vero scias lector,
Qualis quantusque vir ille fuit
Scripta ejus multifaria lege.
Quibus omnes fere artes et scientias
Illustravit, ornavit, amplificavit,
JEqwxm. est igitur.
Ut quem cives sui vivum
Tantopere coluere,
Memoriam ejus posteritas
Grata veneretur.
Natus 1 p„t A r \ M.D.C.L.v.l.
Mortuus / "=="--*-^- \ M.D.C.C.X.L.L
Hoc saxum optimis parentibus
Sacrarunt duse filiae pientissimae
Anno c.M.D.c.c.XLii.
Here is also interred Mrs. Margaret Halley,
The eldest daughter of the above Dr. Halley.
She died on the 13th of October, 1743,
In the 55th year of her age.
Also Mrs. Catherine Price, youngest
Daughter of the above Dr. Halley,
Who died Nov. the loth, 1765, aged 77 years.
And Mr. Henry Price, her husband.
The writer of an article on Halley in the Journal of
* " Non Jovis ira, imbres. Mars, ferrum, flamma, senectus.
Hoc opus unda, lues, turbo, venena, ruent."

halley's mount and hutt's gate, from woody ridge, ST. HELENA.
Site of the Proposed Monument to Halley, the Astronomer, and the Spot where his Observatory formerly stood.
Drawn on wood by Mr. Skill, from Sketch by Capt. S. P. Oliver. Graphic, February 28, t88o.
Halley's Mount — The monument to Dr. Edmund Halley, which Mr. Gill, the a.<;tronomer at the Cape, pro
poses to have erected in St. Helena, will stand above the small church (St. Matthew's) shown in the middle dis
tance of the drawing;, with the "Valley of Silence" on this side of it. On the left are Pinasters, which were
introduced into the island long after Halley's time, in 1787, and below are two fine Norfolk Island pines (Arau-
caria excelsa) in the grounds of Walboro Cottage. In the foreground are caladiums and arums, which flourish
throughout the moist dells of the island. The little cottage beneath the church is the " Rose and Crown " hotel
sic\ kept by Mr. Tim, who is celebrated wherever the West African squadron anchors.

8o On Board a Union Steamer.
Science for February, to which we adverted on the 14th of
that month, has referred to our remarks in the March number
of the Journal, and explained that he had reason to judge
that " a former and early friendship had existed between
Flamsteed and Halley," It must ever be a matter of regret
to all lovers of science that that friendship did not always
continue. To ourselves, the correspondence unearthed hy
the late Mr. Baily forms one of the most painful parts of
astronomical literature, nor are we disposed to lay all the
blame upon Halley, who, in writing to Flamsteed under
date June 23rd, 17 11, subscribed himself "Your quondam
friend, and not yet profligate enemy (as you call me)." It
having been unearthed, we cannot help hoping that further
light may yet be thrown upon it. We beg to assure the
writer of the able article in the Journal of Science that we
fully coincide with him in his wish to attract more notice to
the memory of the great Edmund Halley, whose reputation
is dear to all astronomers.
Dr. Halley is not to be forgotten by the present genera
tion, and that one of the few remaining peaks of the sub
merged Atlantis is to bear upon its summit a record of the
great cosmographer, who first had the courage to propose
the seeming metaphysical paradox — viz., that the number
of fixed stars must be more than finite, and some of them
at a greater than a finite distance from others — the hold
ing of which heterodox opinion amongst others was the
cause of the Chair of Astronomy at Oxford being withheld
from him, at the instigation, it is said, of Stillingfleet.
Poor Halley ! who indeed found the island lie de brouillard,
as Napoleon termed it. A monument to Halley should cer
tainly stand here. The bloodless victories achieved by this
philosopher far exceed the comparatively puny, vainglorious,
and short-lived successes of the shameless and selfish tyrant,
whose cenotaph beneath remains only as a badge of fruitless
chagrin and vanity. It is fitting that the memorial of
one should stand high, full, and clear against the bright
tropical sunshine, the other cower beneath, in the shade
of merited obloquy. After Life's fitful fever, sleeps he
well .?
A movement has been set on foot by the Astronomer
Royal at the Cape of Good Hope to erect a pyramidal
monument on Halley's Mount. (See Nature, January 29th,
1880; also Proc. Royal Astronom. Soc, March, 1880,
for notice of Halley's Monument by Captain Oliver, R.A.)
The inscription on Sir William Herschel's monument at

Quartermaster Keating's Tales. 81
Upton, near Slough, would well apply 'to the illustrious
Halley:— " Novis artis adjumentis innixus
Quas ipse excogitavit et perfecit
Coelorum perrupit claustra."
" Not marble, nor the gilded monuments
Of princes, shall outlive this powerful rhyme ;
But you shall shine more bright in these contents
Than unswept stone, besmear'd with sluttish time.
When wasteful wars shall statues overturn.
And broils root out the work of masonry.
Nor Mars his sword nor war's quick fire shall burn
The living record of your memory.
'Gainst death and all oblivious enmity
Shall you pace forth ; your praise shall still find room.
Even in the eyes of all posterity
That wear this world out to the ending doom.
So, till the judgment that yourself arise.
You live in this, and dwell in lovers' eyes."
Shakspeare's Fifty-fifth Sonnet.

CHAPTER V.
St. Helenian Ghost Stories — Specimens of St. Helena Literature.
Over sixteen years ago I first visited St. Helena when
homeward bound on board a troop-ship. We had the screw
up, and sailed before the SE. winds to St. Helena, where
we came to anchor at 5.45 P.M. on the 12th of February,
1865 ; a lovely Sunday evening.*
The quartermaster of the brigade, Richard Keating, was
a fine old soldier, and much given to yarning, and he was
never tired of relating his quaint adventures in his youthful
days, especially when he had been an acting-bombardier.
Nearly all his stories commenced with "When I was an
acting," reminding one of Napoleon I., who, when seated at
dinner at Dresden, in the zenith of his power, among a circle
of crowned heads, began a story with " When I was a Lieu
tenant in the regiment of La Fere." Well, this old fellow
(who retired on half-pay with rank of Captain in '70, and
whose death I saw announced not long since) had been
quartered in St. Helena for some time, and he pointed out
the various landmarks and conspicuous points of the island
* See " On and Off Duty," Part II., Lemuria. (W. H. Allen & Co.)
G

82 On Board a Union Steamer.
as we neared the island clififs. Stone Top, King and Queen,
Turk's Cap, and the Barn were successively pointed out, and
then came FlagstafiT Mount, the Sugar Loaf, then surmounted
by a flagstaff,* and finally Buttermilk Point and Banks be
fore we finally came to anchor off Rupert's Valley, not far
from Munden's. When the veteran's tongue was unloosened
the same evening, the remembrance of old times in St. Helena
came vividly to mind, and he entertained us on deck with
several recollections of his sojourn in St. Helena. It was a
lovely moonlight evening — so clear that the stars of Orion in
the zenith above our head and those of the wondrous Cross
(croce maraviglioso)t to the south seemed to hang midway
in the firmament, whilst the deep shadows of the basalt clififs
under Sugar Loaf threw out the moonlit-batteries in bright
relief against the sombre background.
The old quartermaster, whom every one respected and
liked, having got an audience who evidently expected the re
lation of some of his reminiscences, pointed out the white
parapets at Banks', and commenced the following narrative,
which was subsequently written down by his daughter from
the old soldier's lips. It must be premised that the vieux
moustache would tell his tales much as he would have given
evidence before a court-martial ; with frequent iterations,
and dwelling on irrelevant details with gusto, as was the wont
of the ancient gunner. I am not sure if it is not rather a
failing of the modern gunner too : —
"When I was a sergeant, in the year 1835, this time thirty
years ago, when Brigadier-General Dallas was Governor,
there used to be a detachment of an officer and thirty-five
men stationed at Banks', furnishing a day guard on the
Halfmoon Battery and a night guard at Buttermilk Point
Battery, that's the furthest point you can see, where the sea
has undermined the cliff beneath. You see, in those days
there were no ocean-going steamers in these waters, and sail
ing vessels were obliged to sail close under the batteries to
reach the Jamestown roads and anchorage. The place looks
ruinous enough now, but then we had the batteries in apple-
* This flagstaff was destroyed in 1877 by Lieut.-Colonel Richard
Warren, R.E. t " Io ni volsi a man destra, e posi mente
All 'altro polo, e vidi quattro stelle
Non viste mai fuor ch'alla prima gente." Dante {Purgatorid).
In 1 501 the practical sailor Amerigo Vespucci, destitute of sentiment,
simply says the four stars form a rhomboidal figure {una Mculdortti).

Apparition vouched for. 83
pie order, and it was by no means so dull as you would think
now that it is deserted. We spent our time in fishing, catch
ing bulls'-eyes, jacks, soldiers,* and conger eels. Well, one
fine night, as it might be like this, I was sergeant in
charge of the Half-moon Battery guard, and was seated in
the guardroom, engaged in writing out the guard report for
the following morning. It being, as I have said, a fine bright
moonlight night, all the men of the guard were outside on the
battery and the sentries at their posts ; the men were chat
ting and laughing together, and it must have been somewhere
between nine and ten at night. The officer was at his
quarters above, and his gunner servant was down in the bat
tery talking to the men. Presently the sentry outside called
to me in the guardroom that the officer had come out and
called for the sergeant of the guard. I immediately went
up to the officer's quarters, which is immediately above the
battery, knocked at the door, and was desired to come in.
On entering I found the officer lying on a sofa, reading a
book. I said, ' Do you want me. Sir } ' He answered ' No !
what makes you ask ? ' I replied that the sentry had told
me that he had seen him (the officer) come out to the wall
above the battery and call out for the sergeant of the guard.
The officer declared he had never moved from his sofa for
the last hour or so, and dismissed me. I was riled, and
instantly went to the sentry and asked what the devil he
meant by sending me to the officer's quarters on a fool's
errand ; but he swore he had seen the officer at the wall and
heard him call out ' Sergeant of the guard' three times, and
that the other men had seen him too. All the men of
the guard on being asked said that they had seen and heard
the officer. One of the gunners called out to know who first
saw the officer, when Bombardier Cree said that the oflScer's
servant Pat (I forget his other name) first pointed out the
officer's appearance to him before he called out, and drew his
attention to him ; all the other men had seen the officer
leave the wall and had heard him call ' Sergeant of the
guard' three times.
" The man who had asked who was the first to see the
apparition remarked, ' Oh, murder, the first man who sees a
wraith is wanted in another world ; so Pat, my boy, make
up your account and prepare for a long voyage.' This made
us all laugh, but Pat was superstitious and did not seem to
relish the joke, and for some time he was silent and de-
* Bulls'-eyes, Priacanthus sp.j jacks, Serranus impetiginosus ; soldiers,
Holocentrum longipinne.
G 2

84 On Board a Union Steamer.
pressed. I and the rest forgot all about it for a time.
About a week afterwards it was again my turn to be on
guard at the same post. Just after midnight, after I had re
lieved the sentries, I was sitting outside, as the night was
very still and sultry, and what with the mosquitos and heat
inside, the guardroom- was intolerable, but all the guard with
the exception of the sentries were asleep within. Presently
I heard footsteps approaching, the sentry challenged, and up
came the servant Pat, looking very agitated. I asked him
what took him out of his bed at that time of night ! and he
said he had been unable to sleep, when just at midnight he
had plainly seen his wife (who was in Jamestown at the time)
with blood dropping from her mouth come to his bedside,
and that he actually felt her shake him and call him to get
up and follow her ; he distinctly saw her after he got up,
but when he followed her to the door she had vanished. He
would not stay in his room after that, but would stay in the
guardroom till the daylight appeared. We tried all we could
to persuade him to return to his bed, but he was too terrified
to go back to his room, and he slept on the guard bed till
morning. " The next day the orderly who took the guard reports each
morning to the Town Major's Office in Jamestown was
strictly enjoined to inquire after Pat's wife, and if possible
see her and bring back news from her, as poor Pat was con
fident that something serious had befallen her, and we were
all rather anxious for the orderly's return. It was nearly
the dinner hour when we saw him coming along that path
which you can see there, lads, between Rupert's and Banks',
and he did not seem as if he was in a hurry, and never
answered to our vociferous inquiries, whilst poor Pat's anxiety
and dread of evil tidings was lamentable to witness. We
knew Pat's wife to be a delicate creature, not fitted to rough
ing it, evidently consumptive, and all dreaded now the worst.
The orderly returned and went straight to the officer's
quarters, Pat was sent for, and within another minute or two
we learnt that the dread foreboding was only too surely
realized. " Pat's wife had broken a bloodvessel, and had died as nearly
as possible at midnight. Poor Pat ! he never held his head
up again. She had appeared to call him at the moment her
soul had departed from her body. As many of us as could
got leave to go in with Pat and saw his wife buried in the
upper burying-ground in Jamestown, and then brought Pat,
who seemed to have suddenly aged, back to Banks'. The

Melancholy Reminiscence. 85
next day the officer went out fishing in one of the two
boats kept at Banks', one being the officer's private boat,
and another used for the public service. The officer went
out first for a sail in his own boat, whilst several others of
the detachment and myself went out fishing in the larger
boat, hoping to catch some cavalleys.
" With the officer were Bombardier Cree, Pat, and two
other gunners. They had not got a mile from Buttermilk
Point, and were in Flagstaff Bay off the Barn, when a sudden
squall took the boat and the sheet was let go, but the boat
capsized as Pat and Bombardier Cree were trying to unship
the mast, and they must have been struck as the boat turned
bottom up, for they two disappeared and their bodies were
never recovered. They were the two who had first seen the
wraith ten days before. The officer and the remaining two
gunners managed to climb on the bottom of the boat and
hold on to the keel, till we in the other boat, who had
witnessed the accident, came to their assistance and res
cued them. So much for a melancholy reminiscence of
Banks'. " I'll tell ye yet another story, lads, about Banks'. I was still
a sergeant (promotion warn't quick in those days), and it was
at least three years after — leastways it was after General
Middlemore had come and took over the island for King
Billy, and some foreigneering Prince paid us a visit,* Lord,
what a time we did have ! By this time the detachment
at Banks' was reduced to one non-commissioned officer and
three gunners. One morning, one of the detachment, a
gunner by name Alison, came up to the head-quarters of the
R.A.,at Ladder Hill, and reported that Bombardier Buchanan,
in charge of Banks', was missing. He had been fishing
the previous evening on a rock beneath the battery and had
not been seen since. On inquiry, it appeared that there had
been some drinking going on in the detachment, and that
the bombardier was not sober. I was sent over to Banks'
directly to take charge, and I found that the bombardier's
kit was complete, and that he had been dressed in a chequed
shirt, canvas trousers and canvas slippers. No vestige could
be discovered of the body, and as there had been a heavy
surf on, it was concluded that the unfortunate man. Bombar
dier Buchanan, had been swept off the rocks and been
drowned. Indeed no other conclusion could be come to, as
no boat had been seen near the battery. The man was
* This must have been Prince William Henry Frederick, grandson of
King William I. of Holland.

86 On Board a Union Steamer.
struck off the strength of the battery, and no one thought
anything more about him.
• " Years rolled on, and the company was relieved by another
from England, but I and a few other men were transferred
to the newly-arrived company. In the year 1843, the same
year that they put a steeple to St. James's Church in the town,
and when there was a good deal of sickness in the island,
brought as it was said by some of the slavers, I was quartered
up in Ladder Hill Fort, when an American corvette was
signalled approaching the roads, and soon after she anchored,
and plenty of liberty men were soon enjoying themselves on
shore, many of the officers and warrant officers riding up to
see Longwood and the Valley of the Tomb, whence the body
of the Great Emperor had only been removed two years and
a half previously ; an event at which I assisted, and which I
will tell you about afterwards. Well, shortly after the dinner
hour and before afternoon parade, an American warrant
officer in uniform, mounted on a hack pony, rode up to the
gate of the Fort and was about to ride in, when the sentry
stopped him, telling him that no one was allowed to enter
the barracks mounted except officers of the garrison. The
American looked hard at the sentry and said, —
" ' I do not belong to the garrison now, you know. Jemmy
Alison, but I did ; I have come back to claim five years'
back pay due to me,' And, greatly to his surprise, the sentry.
Gunner Alison, who had been at Banks' in the former battery,
recognized in the American sailor Bombardier Buchanan,
who it was supposed had been drowned years before, and
who everybody imagined to have been in the other world.
Gunner Alison was so taken aback that he was utterly stag
gered, and at that moment the first Captain commanding the
Company holloaed out to him from his quarters, which over
looks the barrack gate, to know why he was loitering on his
post, and off the soi-disant KTnenca,n rode down the hill into
the town. Gunner Alison reported the circumstance directly
to the sergeant of the guard, who sent to inform the captain,
who ordered myself and an escort of men who had known
Buchanan to follow and apprehend him. We went into the
town to the house of a woman who had previously lived
with Buchanan, and she evidently expected our visit, as she
was on the look-out, and called to us that the nest was there
but the bird had flown. We searched her house, but of course
did not find our man. Meantime the commanding-officer
had exerted the authority of the Governor, and the same
afternoon all the men of the corvette were mustered on her

Tomb of the Corsican. 87
deck, and we who knew Buchanan were sent under a subal
tern to inspect the crew. The Yankees were too cute. No
Buchanan could be found, although after the Yankee sailed
it was well known that her Master-at-Arms was originally
the drowned Bombardier Buchanan. Now, boys, it is time
to turn in, and to-morrow evening, after you've seen something
of the island, I'll tell you some more yarns about it."
The Quartermaster retired below, and we soon followed
his example.
But to return to the thread of our narrative, which we have
well-nigh lost by these extensive digressions.
By leave of the vicar of St. Matthew's we pass through
the shrubbery and orchard surrounding his house, and by a
somewhat zigzag path reach the tomb, or what was the tomb,
of Napoleon I. We think of all he strove to establish — to
what end ? That Plon-Plon might pose in his attitude .¦"
as Tenniel's facile pencil so caustic portrays in his late
cartoon. The tomb — happily without inscription — consists of a large
stone imbedded in cement, with iron railing and a few gera
niums within its sill. " Non tamen annorum series, non
flamma, nee ensis, aeternum potuit hoc abolere decus."
Around, the tall cypresses have grown up, as well as some
araucarias (excelsa), and these last are fast changing the
original aspect of the spot ; four willows, of which but one
is of even decent size, are at the corners. The perennial
spring alongside bubbles blissfully out of the hillside, where
European pines and gorse have usurped the native ebony,
and with the New Zealand flax, everywhere intrusive, are
living examples of the rapid destruction of the ancient
European dynasties by the Corsican upstart*
Looking down the dreary valley beneath us, a dismal
dreary chasm destitute of vegetation, a solitary ruined house
is pointed out as the scene of a grisly murder committed
many years ago, when a woman disappeared for a long time,
and until the heavy tropical rains washed away the clayey
soil, her decomposed corpse was found under stones in a
gully close by. Since which time the whole tenement has
been deserted and bears about it a nameless horror of death,
keenly felt by the superstitious natives. Its outward aspect
certainly betokens, truly or not, that a curse hangs over the
place. Death, and a sense of decay, with a horror but half
* In Major Palmer's " Notes on St. Helena," 1859, it is stated that
" A model of the equestrian statue at Cherbourg is to be sent to the
island."

88 On Board a Union Steamer.
comprehended, overhang the demesne : even the few firs
round the building seem wan and shrunken. Just the place
to imagine at night, if one looked through the broken case
ments, one could see a shrunken and deathly white face,
with its lips apart in agony, with sounds of woe enough to
drive back one's blood cold to the heart, as one dreads the
touch of a clay-cold hand of the murdered victim pleading
for revenge. The Sane Valley ghost is firmly believed in
yet. Our ponies are waiting for us near Alarm House, where a
rusty old iron cannon alone remains to tell of a deadly strug
gle which here took place some years ago, when the mutineers
were gallantly captured and promptly executed on Christmas
day, and buried on the spot, each with a stake through his body,
and now the benighted yam-stock* does not exist who would
dare approach near this spot at midnight at Yuletide, for do
not twelve ghastly forms in scarlet uniforms and lappets,
with their round-cornered hats, still patrol this fatal and ac
cursed spot .'' each transfixed with a stake through his abdo
men, visible by the phosphoric glare of sulphurous vapour,
apparently issuing from the mouth and vent of the alarm
guns ! From hence is a view of the roadstead between Mun
den's and Ladder Valley — over Jamestown, some 1,500 feet
beneath — over the woods of odorous pine and golden-blos
somed, willow-leaved acacias ; — and guided by the telegraph
wires, etc., down the stony gradients, the ponies trot nimbly
along ; whilst as the sun is now up, we begin to feel its rays
increase in power when we leave the shade ; and now our
elevation decreases whilst we pass above Briars, with its con
spicuous cypress and date trees, and recognize the road by
which we ascended on our left ; but our thoughts are now
chiefly occupied in regaining our vessel, more especially as
her shrill steam-whistle, although still some two miles distant,
is distinctly audible to us, recalling her absent passengers
with notice to be off. To miss our passage to the Cape
would be more than inconvenient, and we urge our animals
on till the town street is reached ; and we imagine Jamestown
must be a most stirring, cheerful place, to judge by the
assemblage of people in holiday clothing, for four-fifths of
the island at least are this day in town. From the governor
downwards, mail-day is looked upon as par excellence a fdte
day. On whatever day (or, for the matter of that, night) of
the week the homeward or outward mail arrives, the signal
* Native of St. Helena is so called.

Literature of the Period. 89
is answered by the festive gathering of all the world, and
St. Helena is a microcosm in its way. Talk of insular pre
judices in Albion ! the cosmopolitan forefathers of the present
St. Helena generation have succeeded in producing a race
whose ideas approach as far as possible the old dogged ob
structive conservation of the Boers of the Transvaal ; but on
mail-days the inhabitants throw off their restraint and become
expansive. A shrill whistle of impatience from the steamer hastens
our departure, amidst a crowd of boats which jostle one
another at the steps, and when on board there is more leave-
taking from our ephemeral acquaintances, whom we all vote
most charming. Again we are on the move, and steam
rapidly past Buttermilk Point, with its deserted battery,
under the towering Barn, with its contorted and upheaval
stratification of lava beds, exposing almost the section of
an eruptive crater 2,000 feet sheer above us, and with a
final view of the Turk's Cap, the King and Queen's Pin
nacles, the island recedes from us, whilst we proceed to
examine some of the island newspapers left on board of us.
We cannot refrain from giving a specimen of the island
literature of the period, as found in the

"St. Helena Guardian,
"PrintedbyBenjaminGrant,in Napoleon Street, and published
at Mr. George's Dispensary, Main Street, James' Town,
St. Helena. Price 4d."
The main portion of the outer sheet is composed of adver
tisements of Holloway's Pills, CoUis Browne's Chlorodyne,
etc., with Tenders for Treasury Bills, with the signature of
that imposing dignitary, the deputy-commissary-controller of
army expenditure, and we wonder such a great man can stay
on such a small island. The correspondence is most amusing
and vituperative. The commanding engineeer is evidently
aggrieved at exception being taken at his having pulled
down a flagstaff" on a conspicuous position : —
"AN AUTO-DA-FF at sugar LOAF.
" ' For the fashion of this world passeth away.'

"At noon on Wednesday, the i8th instant, the old flagstaff
on Sugar Loaf was hewn down and burnt by Yon, by direc-

9© On Board a Union Steamer.
tion of and under the superintendence of the colonial engi
neer, to the universal regret of the whole island. It is a
great pity that such relics of this island's former prosperity
and importance should be at the mercy of strangers who
hold but brief authority in our small colony. ' Rien n'est
sacre pour un Sapeur,' 'demolition' is the favourite text of
the civilian engineer. How many years a flagstaff has stood
on Sugar Loaf we do not know ; for at least a century, and
we should suppose probably more. In time of war a signal
from Sugar Loaf to Munden's battery would be most useful,
so that the battery might be prepared the moment the hos
tile vessel rounded Buttermilk Point to fire upon her. By
the bye, when will this important battery be finished .'' It
was commenced at the wrong end, and the casemates of the
least important flank prepared for the guns, whilst the much
more important salient is still in the same state as when the
old smooth-bores were thrown over on to the rocks beneath,
and the battery demolished. The old guns might surely be
left in position until the new works were commenced ; at
present all is at a standstill.
" It appears that an absurd idea somehow got about that
passing vessels have been wont to mistake the flagstaff on
Sugar Loaf for the signal station at Ladder Hill, and that
complaints had been made, at home and abroad, that no
answer or acknowledgments had been made to their signals.
As a matter of fact this is not so, and not a single complaint
has been ever received to that effect. But even if this had
been the case, and it was necessary to remove the staff, surely
it might have been lowered, to be replaced when required ;
but to chop it up and burn it (for no earthly reason except a
love of demolition), is an act of Vandalism which deserves
denunciation. But there is also another point of view from
which the destruction of such a, landmark (which we may
here remark is an important point in the triangulation of
the Island survey) has to be considered, viz. the Nautical
one. "In the sailing directions and on the charts the con
spicuous cap of Sugar Loaf (900 feet above the sea) is laid
down as marked with a flagstaff, and consequently the cap
tains of ships who have not before sailed in these waters may
likely be misled, and serious consequences ensue. It also
strikes us forcibly that when this act is reported to the Hydro-
graphical department at the Admiralty — as it must be, that
the requisite alteration may be made in the charts — that
some disagreeable remarks may be made.

The Commanding Engineer's Reply. 91
" Previous to altering any distinguished land or sea
mark, it is usual to notify it some months previously in the
public papers and shipping gazettes that such a mark will be
altered or removed. The shipping public will probably now
first learn from the columns of the St. Helena Guardian the
intelligence of the removal of this well-knowp, familiar sea
mark. We happen to know of a case somewhat to the point,
which came under our observation some years since. At the
mouth of Grande Riviere, Mauritius, a gentleman built a
rather lofty tower. We believe it was intended as a pagoda,
or some such ornamental folly, but before it was finished the
owner failed, or at all events parted with the property, and
years subsequently the then proprietor of this unfinished
and unsightly building wished to remove it. This, however,
the Government would not permit, as it had become a per
manent landmark for vessels approaching the neighbouring
anchorage off" the harbour of Port Louis. We dare say our
readers will remember the appropriate punishment which
a lieutenant of the navy received some fifty years since
down in Cornwall. The story, we believe, runs somewhat as
follows : — The officer in command of a small coastguard
cruiser, in the Penzance division, one day landed with a
boat's crew near the Land's End, in Cornwall, and with two
or three long levers managed to topple over the famous rock
called the Logan Stone, or the Rocking Stone — a mass of
granite of some tons weight, so curiously balanced that a
child might make it rock but a giant could not push it over.
Great indignation was expressed throughout Cornwall.
(" ' Twice five thousand Cornish men will know the reason why.')
" The Lords of the Admiralty ordered the unlucky and
thoughtless lieutenant to replace the Logan Stone in its
original position at his own expense. He was allowed the
use of sheers, tackles, cordage, spars, etc., from the
Devonport Dockyard, and after months of labour he suc
ceeded in replacing the Logan on its pedestal, but it has
never rocked really properly since. The story further adds
that the impecunious lieutenant was utterly ruined by the
costs incident to the work."
" Sir, — With reference to a communication which appeared
in the last number of the Guardian relative to the recent
removal of the old flagstaff from ' Sugar Loaf,' I beg to
say, for the information of the public, that on its being

92 On Board a Union Steamer.
reported to me by the Superintendent of Telegraphs that
inconvenience was experienced by the existence of the old
flagstaff at the long-disused Signal Station at ' Sugar Loaf,'
owing to passing vessels often mistaking it for the signal
station at Ladder Hill, and that he had consulted His Excel
lency the Governor, who had approved of the old staff being
removed, I had it accordingly taken down. I do not deem
it necessary to reply further to the remarks of your corre
spondent, which appear to me to be written with evident
traces of ill-feeling towards myself, and to convey unmerited
censure on the corps to which I have the honour to belong.
" I have the honour to be. Sir,
" Your obedient servant,
"X. X."

"Sugar Loaf Signal Station,
"2,0th July, 1877.
" Honoured Sir, —
" I beg to inclose the following, which has been delayed by
the postman not coming round here as he ought. I hope
he will be reported to the noble Postmaster and the Honour
able Company. " Song — To the air of ' Only.'
" Only a flagstaff on Sugar Loaf,
Only a staff, nothing more ;
Yet the look of the flag gaily waving
Still comes to me more and more.
" Only a wooden flagstaff.
Only a stick, that was all ;
Yet all day my poor heart it gladdened,
As it swayed, so graceful and tall.
" Only a flag gaily waving.
Only a flag, as I watched ;
But that flag will still be remembered
As gaily the halliards I cotched.
" Only a flagstaff, you tell me ?
Only a flagstaff to thee ;
But nought that the island contained
Was so dear as its memory to me.
" To leave it was all I asked for.
To leave it alone — and yet
The sweet boon I could not hope for,
And so I must strive to forget.

The Royal and Colonial Engineers. 93
" Only a ' NO,' lowly spoken.
By the governor, ex cathedrA,
It had given the flagstaff on Sugar Loaf
To be mine for ever and aye.
" Only a small, small party.
Ascending the steep, steep slopes.
But they carried an axe, and some matches.
And down rattled all my hopes.
" Oh ! for some words of sorrow !
Oh ! that I'd ne'er been born !
For blank is the crest of Sugar Loaf,
And the love of my hfe is gone.
" Hoping you will print this so as to catch the eye of our
Hon'ble Masters," "I am, your humble Servant,
" The Ghost of the Signalman."
["We have great pleasure in giving a prominent place to
the above spiritualist's communication, but only on the
distinct understanding that the ghostly signalman does not
intend to visit us, as we have no spirit license, nor are any
spirits allowed on the premises ; and we also beg leave once
and for all to state that the editor of the Guardian is not a
medium. We did not before know that Sugar Loaf was
haunted, but on making inquiries we learn that a misty object
is sometimes visible (through a very powerful reflecting tele
scope), which leaves some shadowy resemblance to a loafer
on the summit of the mountain. At all events we are glad
that the ghost reads the St. Helena Guardian, and he will
be pleased to see that his first appearance on Pegasus has
proved a signal success. We shall be delighted to receive
more communications, but mind — no visits. — Ed. S.H.G."^
The editor is evidently in league with the opponents of
the gallant engineer. It shows what onerous duties the
colonial engineer must have in the island when the putting
up or pulling down of a sacred pole is the cause of columns
of correspondence, of which the above forms only part.
We next have a skit, evidently not fully to be appreciated
but by those familiar with the faibles of the leading char
acters, which are apparently drawn from life, and seem to
be a mixture of civilian and military ways and manners in
the colony. The writer appears to be a faithful imitator —
may we not say an unblushing //^^/am^.^ — of Mr. Burnand,
the Editor of Punch.

94 On Board a Union Steamer.

"A NOVELETTE OF THE ROCK,

" Warranted a really true Story, By the Author of Tracks* in St. Helena
Written expressly for this Joumal by Revilo.

"Part I. — Chapter I. — The Rendezvous.
" ' If you're waking, call me early,
Call me early, wifey dear.'
" It was before the break of early dawn that Le Sapeur,
mounted on his faithful mare ' Frosty,' left his highland home,
whilst the mists still enveloped the valleys beneath him.
It was too dark to shave, and yet he had a narrow shave of
falling off — they have fallen off lately in Brittany. You
could not hesitate, from his stern, determined air and features
of the ancienne noblesse of Bretagne, to see whence his
nationality. If you ever sware, you would swear he was a
Breton. Yes, you would swear right. He rode silently, his
hat slouched over his eyes, whilst the boot-trees waved on
either hand. He used the Breton language as well as his
whip, and gently whistled as he rode the pathetic air La
Fille d'Attrapeur de Rats. It was now the charming hour
known among the natives as ' the top of the morning.' The
insects were humming ; it was quite a humming-' top bf the
morning.' The natives pegged away at their early matutinal
repast ; to them it was quite a peg-top of the morning. The
dairymaids at Longwood were whipping the cream ; to them
it was the whipping-top of the morning. Such was the
morning, and such the topography at the Enfield Rifle
(which has been for sale since the memory of man at our
office), when a consul, gloriously attired, mounted his
prancing gee. La Reine des FEes, which curvetted gracefully.
' Hoop la t'chk,' he explained in his national Dutch, as he
waved his scarf to the fair nightcap at the window of the
Redhill Castle, and then wrapped it round his neck adjacent.
* The St. Helena Tracts were written by General Beatson, who was
most unpopular in the island by his attempt to enforce total abstinence
in the garrison in 1810-13.

Local Description. 95
He slowly wiped away a tear as he glanced at the Royal
Lodge beneath, and burst into a refrain from Tennyson's
' Princess.' The Consul and Le Sapeur met ; it was not in a
crowd, however, and we draw a green curtain over their first
interview, whilst the ground doves uttered their dolorous
notes around.

" Chapter II, — Ladderillon.
" ' At Ladderill— at break of day.
We met, we ate, and rode away.' — LONGFELLOW.
" Slowly and sadly they both rode down past the lone
hollow of Arbre-demi ; anon bursts of wild minstrelsy
issued from the Salle de Billiard of the great Hellenic
Observatory at Ladderillon, the Cyclopean masonry of which
recalls to mind the mediseval glories of the great Dr. Halley's
pulmonic wafer, and the later automatic inventions of those
venerable masters, Maskelyne and Cooke, in the previous
century. Two warriors thence issued to meet them, and
joyfully bade them welcome. They were clad in buff ;
having doffed their armour after the severe and stern duties
of the night, as one fully panoplied in the heaviest 7- inch
armour-plating is ever on watch and ward at the iron gates
of the impregnable Rock Fortress of Ladderillon. The
other, also iron-clad, guards the donjon of the turreted
Kanteen. The gigantic proportions of the young warrior,
over whose curly head scarce twenty summers had lightly
flown (summers are not now so scarce as in those days, and
yet one swallow does not make a summer), dwarfed the
figure of the capitano, although a veteran amateur, whose
more scanty locks showed traces of sojourn in foreign climes.
The meeting of these four connoisseurs was indescribable ;
the meeting of the waters was nothing to it. The early
cat's-meat man was verily astonied ; the roads at Ladder
illon are also very muchly stonied. They proceeded to break
their fast, as they knew they might have to ride fast before
the next break of day ; and perhaps, indeed, summoned
to be off to the distant Jamestown early in the morning.
But hark ! the trumpet's call to boot and saddle, is heard
without, whilst the bray of the donkey-engine and the clatter
of hoofs in the feudal courtyard announce the arrival of the
iron-shod chargers, the dramatic company proceeded to say

96 On Board a Union Steamer.
gracious words for some seconds, and then joining hands,
sang solemnly the touching morning hymn commencing
' Twas the voice of the charger, I heard him complain,' to
slow music without by the Involuntary band, who subse
quently, whilst the mounting was going on, played the air of
' Woodman, spare thy gee,' as is always used with irregular.
cavalree. Down from the castellated portals of huge Lad
derillon they sped at full gallop ; and the clattering hoofs of
the four riders re-echoed up the sunlit ravine above the city
beneath. The cathedral spire glittered below, whilst many
minarets waved, and the bells clanged in the gilded domes
of the palace of the far-port — La Ville de St. Jacques —
familiarly and too freely translated in the vernacular of the
British tar as the town of sharks.

"Chapter IIL
" ' But give to me, oh give to me.
Our young and amorous A.B.C.'
Genevieve de Brabant {Old Play).
" In the streets, from the piazza of his princely abode, the
descent of the cavaliers was viewed by the intelligent optics
of a pair of binoculars, whose owner alternately looked at
therii and then at the flagstaff of Ladderillon, from whence
the signal was flying of 'England expects that every man
this day will do his duty.' From his dress it would be
difficult to detect the prime minister, chief vizier, and from
his knowledge of the alphabet, confidential A.B.C. of the
governor of the city. He was in disguise, and his guise was
distinctly that of a fisherman. He was prudence personified,
and possessed great perception of character ; thus he was
wont to remark that he could tell at once who was a lady by
the remarks she made. He knew many languages, and
could distinguish the got dam of the Dutchman from the
dam gud of the German. He was a judge of wine ; and
could, if you asked him, tell the whikski of the Russian from
Kinnahan's L.L. of Hibernian growth. The cavaliers
approach and dismount from their reeking steeds (all born,
bred, and vaccinated in the far distant plains of Auld
Reekie). At this moment the gay and gallant Saint-Gilo
pulled out a glittering flagon partially filled with golden
chartreuse, and exclaiming (in the immodest Greek of the

Swearing recommended by Admiralty. 97
period) EUREKA, gulped a stirrup cup, and felt consider
ably better after the operation. They all followed the
president in various American drinks. A dead silence
ensued. ' Cras ingens iterabimus cequor! exclaimed the
ingenuous A.B.C, not to be cut out in immoderate classics,
although he had not passed ' moderations ' at the University.
' Donner und Blitscn,' qaoth. the Consul. 'Aliens enf ants'
said Le Sapeur, smiling sadly. ' Let's,' briefly answered II
Capitano ; and the five proceeded arm-in-arm down the
capacious boulevard, and, by the kind permission of the
Connemara Guards, were allowed, on this occasion only, to
pass the drawbridge without payment of the usual toll,
but not without remonstrance from the sentinel who sits on
the treasury chest inside the castle walls.

"Chapter IV. — The Landing,
" ' Swear, boys ! swear ! '
" See Admiralty Regulations.
" The bulwarks of the dread Mallardo rose gradually to
view, and the thunder of her sixty 4-pounder guns rang, whilst
the boatswain's pipe was considerately put out as the greatest
gun on board. 'The Commodore' proceeded in his gig,
drawn by a screw, warranted quiet in harness, across the
moaning harbour bar. ' Port your helm ! Two to one bar
one,' he exclaimed in technical terms to his sea-cooks as
she bumped across the obstacle. ' Ay, ay, sir ; Port it is ! '
answered the gruff" sailor, visibly affected ; for having once
been a Vice-Admiral,* he had been reduced by the co
ordinate use of port wine to the station of coxswain. ' Any
port in a storm,' was his greatest consolation, and he sup
ported himself and two maiden aunts by the portage of
porter on board as often as he could get it, for which he
was invariably reported to the Commodore. The new
harbour works of the great port of Sharkstown had only
lately been completed, the neck of the last crane had been
properly scragged, the flotsam and jetsam duly moored,
and the tanks had been cleared for action by means of
Kingston valves. The gig drove alongside, and the Com
mander mounted on the marble quay amidst the cheers
of the assembled market women, who always assemble (but
* i.e.. An ardent admirer-of-all vice.

98 On Board a Union Steamer.
seldom dissemble) in the early matins, to distribute gratui
tously the stalks of the valuable yam to the crews of
foreign and native craft, to dissipate all scurvy behaviour
among the floating population. Such beneficence is its own
reward. Sometimes they igave them something more.
Sometimes the sailors swore. When sailors swear they
swear deeply ; and now that deep-sea soundings have
become all the rage, they are obliged to gauge their strange
oaths according to the depth of water they are in. The
sea outside the great Sharkstown harbour is deep (' devilish
deep, sir ') ; in fact, at the time we allude to, it was unfathom
able : in conformity with the above nautical rule, therefore,
the oaths used by the crews of vessels leaving the port
were inscrutably profound. The screw was soon unharnessed
and led away — in fact, deep-sea-lead, buoyed in soundings,
and amply supplied with cod-sounds in its comfortable
berth. The screw was seldom sea-sick at sea, although it
often got screwed in port, where it was popularly known as
the Commodore's Corkscrew. It had been bred, or as we
should say in nautical terms, biscuited in the Cove of Cork,
and was from the famous sire Propellor, out of Skinflint,
the notorious Screw, whose ancestor was Usurer. The gig,
with its two steering wheels and tiller, was speedily run into
the galley, and dried before the fire, as it was delicate.
Meantime the Commodore advanced at the head of a pro
cession, spontaneously ignited for the occasion, and, amid the
cheers of the populace, proceeded to dance the sailor's horn
pipe. With his flowing locks, broad-leaved palmetto hat,
chequed shirt, belt full of carronades and small neat blunder
busses, loose-at-ankle unmentionables, and shoes with silver
buckles, he was the beau-ideal of the Roystering Buccaneer.
His photos were for sale at 6d. plain and is. coloured, in all
the famous seaports, and he expected certain elevation, and
the order of the hempen collar, on his return to his native
country. It was as he was finishing a double-shuffle amid
cries of anchor e (note by Ed. — French for ' good again ') from
the enthusiastic spectators, that the five cavaliers previously
introduced to our readers approached the affecting scene,
and the whole six having shaken hands, attempted to dance
the solemn and stately measure known as the ' Plantation
Breakdown.' They soon broke down, and wept tears of joy
on one another's shoulders. The crowd, ever gullible, sobbed
violently. Le Sapeur apostrophized the other friends in the
impressive language of his ancestors, 'Mes amis ! Quel jour
est<^ que nous avons!' His friends did not in the least

The Gay Commodore. 99
understand him, but it mattered little, as there was but
little matter in the speech, but it went well down with the
crowd, who were struck speechless. Le Sapeur was a proud
man, but this electric spark of sympathy was too much for
him. It pricked him to the cockles of his hitherto unmelt-
ing heart. He smiled on the populace, and proceeded to
sing one of those simple melodies which the natives of his
picturesque country render with such sublime innocence.
It was appropriate to the occasion, as he finished with a high
falsetto, " ' Scintillez, scintillez petit astre.'
The applause was deafening, bouquets were showered on the
artist, who advanced to the footlights and bowed to the empty
boxes which were scattered on the quay. Meantime the
coxson handed round his hat for coin of the realm, but only
received tracts, good advice, and a volley of yam stalks, at
which he stalked away, murmuring ' Golley ! Coxon in dam
bad luck dis time. Yah, yah.' The assembly was now dis
solved by the constabulary.

"Chapter V. — The Departure.
" ' O the gay Commodore has rowed forth from his ship,
His face all aglow at the thought of the trip ;
And round his short neck he collar had none ;
He cares not for wind, and he cares not for sun :
So jovial on board, and so jovial on shore.
The ladies all love our gallant Commodore.' Scald'er Hott.
" A four-oared barge now hailed the Peer of the Realm,
and at a signal from the commissariat department, provi
sions for six persons and fluid for twelve weeks was placed
on board, out of bond, by the Government contractors, who
only charged cent, per cent, on this occasion, as the space
for stowage was much contracted. Before embarking young
Saint-Gilo again produced his richly-gilt flagon with its
amber chartreuse, and stirrup cups and pannikins were
speedily in requisition. This time they drank the Queen's
health, and were responded to by hip-hip-hurrah ! and a
commodore's salute from the culverins of Ladderillon. With
grace and agility they all proceeded on board, — their desti
nation was a dead secret. The expedition went with sealed
orders to sea. Whither away "i Mons. Charli des Indes Occi-
H 2

IOO On Board a Union Steamer.
dentales gave the word, and off they go. Charli des Indes
Occidentals was a marvellous seaman. He and his men
performed miracles of dexterity ; one oar would be splashing
wildly in the waves whilst another was struggling with the
breeze. One man received blows from the oars both before
and behind. ' If provisions fail,' s.aid the Commodore, ' they
can always catch crabs.' Steered by the Commodore's own
compass, which is two notes within the octave of St. James',
the barge proceeded at intricate knots per half-hour, taking
sights, and hearing the log-book at irregular intervals. The
sights were taken through the lenses at the base of long
tumblers, and found effective. The West Rocks are passed,
and the terrific gorge of Breakneck, the depths of which are
covered with the broken necks of East Indian marines,
rendering approach to Ladderillon on this side awkward to
an enemy without shoes and stockings. The lofty crags of
Goats'-Pound Ridge, between Young's Ravine and Friar's
Valley, are seen and passed, but not without some sarcas-
tical geological remarks from Le Sapeur, by whom even the
grandest operations of nature are scarcely held sacred. Oh,
irreverent one ! The numerous garrison in Lemon Valley
turns out, and the standard of Old England flies like Zazel
from the Half-Moon Battery, which is declared by some on
board to be built on a volcanic bomb-shell — the first bomb, in
fact, fired at the island in the date .00 something or other .?
at all events, in some very prehysterical period. Le Sapeur
looks scornful, merely muttering ' C'est magnifique, mais ce
n'est pas la geologic! Red Rock is passed, and L'Hdtel
d'Ollivier, the hospitable quarantine quarters in the island,
where once it was proposed to billet the Capitano, who does
not escape a certain amount of banter on the subject, as he
is versed and experienced in quarantine laws. A long,
terrific reef is now in sight, over which with ominous low
thunder roars the smooth Atlantic swell.

" Chapter VL— Les Travailleurs de la Mer.
" ' Water, water everywhere.
And yet we want to drink.'
' The Prehistoric Mariner.' — COLD-PlG.
" On the starboard bow a rock is now descried by Thoma-
sino forward, and the sullen roar of the rolling tide breaking
against the grim Roche de Leon, falls fitfully on the ears of

Victory or Westminster Abbey. loi
the watchful crew. But what is that grim object beneath
the waves .'' It is — it is not ; no, yes — it is the long-legged,
big-toed octopus. That marine anonymous libeller, who
sneaks away under cover of the venomous ink which he dis
charges in the face of his enemy. He must be captured.
One of the bravest of the crew, exclaiming 'Victory or
Westminster Abbey ! ' boldly springs on the rock armed only
with a sharp pew-opener, and through the wild surge plunges,
' so young, and yet so bold.' We turn away our faces. A
splash ! The octopus is captured ! There is a sigh of relief.
The boldest and bravest have turned pale. The dreaded foe
— that wicked old sly-boots, the eight-footed sea-cat or cat
fish, first cousin to the cat-o'-nine-tails — the octopus, is caught,
and the young Jack-the-Cat-killer returns in triumph. The
juice of the grape is now handed to the crew in honour of
the event. The scientific Le Sapeur now finds an oppor
tunity of airing a few scientific remarks on the body of the
marine monster, which lies in all its hideousness before the
Expedition. Having wetted his whistle, he thus proceeded
in his foreign accent : — ' Messieurs, the repulsive-looking
creature before you is known to naturalists as the octopus of
Cuvier. So named from the Greek OK.TO (eight) and POUS
(a foot). It belongs to the class of cephalopods, and is the
Pieuvre of Victor Hugo. He is the great marine Humpty-
dumpty, all head and legs without body. He has an eye
ever open for business, and when not otherwise engaged he
sits with his eight legs in his mouth, as a matter of purely per
sonal convenience. His powers of suction would astonish the
greatest toper, horrify the teetotalers and Band of Hope,
and delight the publican. When tamed he is a most divert
ing and affectionate companion. Easily domesticated in the
bath-room, he is agreeable to visitors, suspicious of strangers,
playful with children, and formidable to burglars. C'est fini.
St. Gilo, mon chere, pass me the chartreuse! The Expedition
gets under weigh. The north-west point of the island is now
reached, and the Expedition are turned towards the Commo
dore as he takes out the sealed orders which he was bound
in vellum not to reveal or unsedl until he should reach Horse
Pasture Point. It was a bewildering moment. Would the
North-West Passage be attempted ! or would the grey mare
prove the better horse } The Commodore was a judge of
sea-horses, and had lived for weeks on hippopotamuses and
hippocampuses in the Antarctic oval, winning the match by
one duck's egg against the Wilkes'-land Volunteer dozen and
a half ; but as they would not pay him, he decamped with the

I02 On Board a Union Steamer.
foresheet, and will never play with edged tools again. But
hark ! the seal is cracked. It is that old yellow seal from bin
I5°5S S at Ladderillon. Pop ! and the cork is drawn. The
orders are oracular. The course is north and by south a
little west till midnight, when a due easterly course is to be
taken. Strict orders for the Expedition not to return before
morning. All hands to diversions on the quarter deck. The
Commodore performs the solo. Chorus by entire company,
' We won't go home till morning.' Drinks round. Yellow
seal excellent !

"Chapter VII. — The Encounter.
" ' The conger writhes and twists and bites.
The A. B.C. he nobly fights
And hits the serpent, then his shin.
His friends look on with dire dismay,
And hope the eel will lose the day —
Yet fear that he may win.' — Marmaladion,
" On the starboard beam is Lighter Rock, ahead is Ben •
net's Point, and at the stern command of the Commodore
the barge is skilfully brought round to take possession of La
Rocque Beerie. The boarding pikes and crab hooks are
served out, the word is given ' Crabs for ever ! ' and the board
ing party speedily gain possession of the rock. The Expedi
tion hitherto had been a success. Bait was wanted, and the
enemy — if there had ever been one in possession — had baiten
a retreat. More chartreuse ! What, all gone t Impossible.
Visages lengthen. Ha ! a happy thought, a ruse by our own
botanist of the Expedition ; produce the chart, gather the
fragrant Ruta Graveolens of Linnaeus (as he, the savant,
learnedly styles the familiar rue which grows freely on these
rocks). Boil the kettle ; stew the chart and rue, distil the
aromatic essence, and soon they all regale on brand new
chartreuse. (We have patched and registered the above new
invention, and intend shortly to establish a manufactory of
chartreuse on La Rocque Beerie. A few shares may still be
had on application to the Chartreuse Lim. Liability Co.,
Napoleon Street, Jamestown, or at the office of this paper.)
Re-embarkation of party ; ground lines are overboard, and
numberless brilliantly-coloured fish are speedily hauled on
board. The barge became a pretty kettle of fish. But stay ;
why that look of anxiety and mingled sternness and ferocity
which is evident in the face of the A.B.C. } Alas ! he is
being dragged out of the boat. Help, help ! To a man the

A Titanic Struggle. 103
crew — the whole Expedition — rush to his assistance, ' Pul-
lez diable ! Pullez boulanger ! ' exclaims Le Sapeur. They
haul hand-over-hand the tightened line, and soon a veritable
sea monster is hauled on board ; but once on board what is
to be done.'' ' Le diabU parmi les tailleurs! in the dialect of
Bretagne, escaped the lips of Le Sapeur as the crew fled to
the forecastle, the Expedition to the poop. The A.B.C.
alone was left with the most formidable of sea serpents. It
was the great Muroena, the large snapping, spectacled conger of
the South Atlantic Ocean. ' Ha, ha, my stick ! my kingdom
for a stick !' roared the A.B.C, and the brave Charli without
delay handed him the well-used club, quaintly carved from
the stern of the Ulex Europczus ; and now brandishing this
over his head the hero advanced like St. George against the
dragon. The Laocoon group could not surpass this scene if
rightly rendered in marble. Leighton's Athlete and Python
somewhat approaches the occasion in bronze. Fortunately
the stick was a club, and, still more fortunately, clubs were
trumps. A Titanic struggle now began between the A.B.C.
and his conger. Would that a Homer had been present to
immortalize the fight in immortal verse ! None but the brave
deserve the fair. It was a fair fight, but the conger had not
paid his fare on board. He paid dearly for it ; he wished to
take farewell. It was a fearful moment, and yet the intrepid
A.B.C. whistled. 'The big fish a-wriggling on the hook
may suffer some, but, oh ! no, not what I do feel for my
Maria Anne.' This was to exhibit his great unconcern ; the
remainder exhibited theirs by joining in the chorus. A snap
pish conger on board is one of the greatest of marine acci
dents, which cannot be insured against. Even at Lloyd's, few
underwriters will swallow conger ; they underrate the flesh,
but congers have been known to swallow underwriters. What
a thing it is to be underrated ! Congers do not underrate
the flesh of the underwriter ; they prefer it to ground hooks,
lines, and crab-sticks ; they prefer clubs not to be turned up
whoever deals. It was A.B.C's deal now ; the conger
began to wish the deal was over, and began to dance on the
deal deck like a dancing Quaker. As Shakspeare justly
observes, ' You can beard an oyster, you can get a chop and
potato to follow, you can say bo to a goose, you can tickle
a trout, you can hug the wild sea-shore, but there is no
resource with a monster seven-foot snapping conger, writhing,
twisting, biting, all over the shop,' — {'Fartout dans le maga-
sin,' as Le Sapeur subsequently remarked,) — ' hopping about
like old boots ; darting at you like Winkin (who was Winkin T),

I04 On Board a Union Steamer.
reckless as a recruit, deaf as a post, and as heavy as Tupper's
Philosophy.' The struggle began ; it was like polo in the
pantry, skittles in the cellar, lawn-tennis in a china shop, or
football in the larder. 'Come on! carn't yer.?' said the
classical A.B.C. Then the conger, supple, agile, adroit,
glided at him with a spluttering noise.

" Chapter VIII. — The Victory.
" ' The A.B.C. glared at his foe,
And winked his noble eye ;
With fatal whack he hit the head
Of the great eel and killed him dead.
Then shouted victory ! ' — Halter Knot.
" The monstrous slithy eel hurled himself stern fore
most at the disguised fisherman. He was a slippery
customer to deal with. In the twinkling of an eye, in
the twinkling of a star, he came at him. (' Starboard your
helm !' shouted the brave Commodore ; who, seated safely
out of reach of the conger in the poop, could sneer even in
the midst of such danger.) A sensation of horror thrilled
the Expedition as the newly-sharpened fangs of the slippery
Muroena were fixed, more ardently than gently, in the calf
of the athlete's left leg. This left calf was veal below the
ham, and it really wished it had been left below or behind on
shore on this occasion. The Atlantic conger has good taste
(as well as a good mouthful of teeth) and likes veal, but the
calf, curiously enough, took an extreme aversion to cold
conger, and would have preferred its P.P.C card. This would
have been more strictly the correct card ; he would not be sorry
pour prendre conger himself. 'Weel, oh Weel ! ' ejaculated
the A.B.C, but the umpire sternly refused the man at the
wheel to interfere. ' Oh my leg ! ' he repeated, and yet the
heroic fisherman never dreamt of legging it. He had never
given leg bail, although he had been known to knock down
his bails when hitting to leg. The leg gave a sigh. The
A.B.C would rather have had a legacy left him, and sighed
for his distant home in the legation. The barometer went
down ominously and simultaneously with the mercury in the
far distant inartificial horizon, whilst the barge was rocked
to sleep by the prodigious efforts of the man against his lithe
antagonist, whose ponderous folds slowly slid about his right
thigh. A.B.C. gave the word 'right close,' and the conger

Indelicate Persiflage. 105
tightly closed — not rightly but too well — and bit his clothes.
It was a close affair, a tight fit ; betting even on the bubble
event. ' Bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble,' quoted the Shak-
sperian botanist, and he put the pot hat on. A wedding-ring
bolt was soon formed. The betting was three to two
degrees far-and-high in the shade on the conger, freely
taken and supplied wholesale on the premises in Wales.
Pieces of spread canvas supplied the want of Tattersails.
In the sun it was hotter, being four to five on the forecastle,
so that the Welsh crew refused to row more, and sent
in requisitions to the purser for sunshades. The purser,
not having any in store, only issued nightlights. The A.B.C,
with rare courage, also beat two to three (whacks) on the con
ger's head, shoulders, and back, in order to divert that crea
ture's attention from his veal cutlet. Failing to soothe the
savage beast in this way he let him have a few smart cuts on
the side of the head ; in fact, he let drive at him much as Jael
did at Sisera with tent pegs. At this every one took a sam
ple peg of tent (36/- the doz.) ; these were wood-cuts of the
best description, and drawn on the highest art principles.
But the eel now strove to elude the cuts, it being evident that
his newly-made acquaintance wished to cut him dead. He
little knew that his antagonist had been in the army and
knew the sword exercise ; he could cut, thrust, and point
with the greatest swordman in the army. ' CoAte qui coMe '
escaped the lips of Le Sapeur, ever addicted to indelicate
^persiflage! from the days when he had been first persifledged.
The reptile, having previously studied dentistry in the depths,
felt deeply pained, and revealed his extremely artificial
teeth. Oh that they had been artificial ! Being still hungry,
and attracted by the polished boot of the dandy, he next (in
the language of the fancy) fixed his enamelled ivories into
the heel of the defendant. Plaintiff" scored one love, he had
seized the tender Achilles. The statuesque Achilles felt ten
derly towards his foe : his game was love no one. The boat
now heeled over in the struggle. ' No heeltaps,' observed
the Capitano, thoughtfully observant of the progress of the
strife. ' How are your poor feet } ' asked St. Gilo sarcasti
cally, knowing that the A.B.C. had tight boots and bunions.
Le Sapeur quaintly observed to the Commodore that it re
minded him of Bunyan's 'Pilgrim's Progress.' 'The (K)nipper
(K)nipt,' growled the Consul. By an adroit movement of
his tail the wily eel now encircled the brilliant A.B.C. within
his powerful coils, playfully administering flips in the face
with its slimy tail. It was not so nice as egg-flip ; the flopping

io6 On Board a Union Steamer.
of the waves, the flapping of the fish, the flutter of the spec
tators, were accompanied on the flute by the flippers, of the
Commodore : every one more or less fluked. The wrestling
combatants closed in a fell embrace ; they fell together, and
great was the fall thereof ! ' The fall of man,' said the Com
modore. 'A fall in consol,' said the Capitano, as the Consul,
reduced to a state of squeamishness by the rocking vessel,
leant his head over the gunwale and fed the fishes with the
ground bait. The tide was now falling fast — it used to fall
very fast then, it has got slower now, and seldom fasts. He
regained his sea-legs ; to have lost his legs at sea would
have caused him delay and trouble. The ocean is trackless,
and legs once lost are gone over the horizon away, it may
be into the Offing Asylum for ever. The eel, exhausted,
quits his hold. The A.B.C. staggers to his feet amid the
congratulations of his comrades. ¦¦ Ha ! an inspiration. Music
hath charms. Putting his glass* in his eye, he commenced
a song. He sang wisely but not well, ' Ye spotted snakes.'
It exercised a quieting influence over the animal, who rose
gently on its tail, and with his head on one side, as if he had
a stiff neck (which he had), the sides of his mouth quivered
and he shed briny tears of gratitude, danced feebly, and
finally subsided in a fit. Slow music ! The gas in the foot
lights was turned down. A groan, and all was over. The
scales and weight and the main steel-yards were braced. The
scaly beast was brought to book, duly weighed and found
wanting — something like 7cwt., the exact weight of the 7in.
guns at Lemon Valley, The loud Psean was sung, and the
ode of victory swelled up to the topmost Acroceraunian
peaks in praise and honour of the sparsely-crowned victor,
' What hidest thou in thy treasure caves, what sells .?
Thou ever-sounding and mysterious sea.' — Shemans.
" Leaving the pinnacled rock of Lady's Slipper or chair
far astern, the lie des CEufs was at great peril success
fully doubled. The Baits were uneven on the double event.
Porpoises plunged — the boatswain birds whistled, and kitti-
wakes and blackbirds sang their early carols, accompanied
by the barrelled stout organ and bottled beer. Frying-pan
Cove is now ahead, and the rocky islet of Soda-and-Bee safely
reached. They were welcomed by numerous molluscs, echini
and ascidians, who form the only population of the island
rock — our poor relations, according to Darwinian theory. The
rods which had been kept in pickle were duly prepared, the
lines baited, and soon the dexterous ten fingers of the Consul

Gratis Advertisement of Parkins and Gotto. 107
were employed at legerdemain, and they hooked out the
five fingers with miraculous celerity. The fingers of the
others were not idle. One Jack caught by Le Sapeur was
nearly as large as himself Sodor and Man has a bishop.
Soda-and-Bee requires a diocesan sadly, so the congerga\!\ox\.
appear to think, and the sharks on duty concur in the above
mis-statement. ' Cease, rude Boreas! would be the appropri
ate motto, as suggested by Messrs. Parkins and Gotto to an
eminent Prelate who asked them to prepare a die for his
monogram for his northerly diocese. ' You want a die en
graved, my Lord .'' ' said Mr. Gotto to his Lordship, rather a
prosy old customer of his. ' Yes, ' says his Eminence. ' Die ! '
repeated Mr. Gotto, ' I have it, a die ! Oh, Cease, rude Bore !
As that is easily cut, your Lordship may rely on having it
early next week.'

" Chapter IX. — Lunchskl
" ' Grins and Gargantuan gormandizing pall.'
" The path de mer were discussed with gusto. Our
chroniquer has only been able to preserve a fragment of the
menu, which was served by very blue cordons who had been
educated in the aquamarine force. We may quote the fol
lowing dishes : — Cotelettes de Mouton a Longwood, Olives de
Bceuf au Thorpe, P&tis de fois du Cod, Mdange du Conger,
etc. II Capitano made a speech to the select audience.
' What then .' ' he pursued. ' Is it because you do not use
the Archimedean Lawn Mower, the Silens Messor, that none
other is genuine and strikes on its own box t No. Will
you take upon yourselves to assert that waxworks at
Madame Tussaud's could ever be melted by a mere tale of
woe, even though a tax were taken off" horses .'' No. Never !
Shall it be said by those who can read, write, and speak, but
can't sing, that the three years' system is to be abolished in
the army, and the best price given for gents' cast-off clothes?
And if so, why .? Or, if not, why not .' And should it be
so, who will have caused it .? But can you say it is not your
mothers who are the cause of all this anguish .? No.
Then whose fault is it that carpets are beaten, that hair falls
off in the presence of Pulvermacher's painless dentistry, that
linoleum is the best spring medicine, that perambulators
are doubled up, that there are no more Holloway's Pills or
Keating's Cough Lozenges } Who indeed cares that you

io8 On Board a Union Steamer.
may go for miles along Lynes and get back to Moses in the
Minories, where baldness, greyness and deficiency of hair are
guaranteed at twenty-three shillings the dozen, and time and
labour and half your fuel are saved by those who are willing
and ready to dwell in a Paradisiacal Panklibanon on the
golden-grained shares of the Revalenta Arabica, with youth
at the prow and PlimsoU at the helm, and the certainty that
the tonnage dues will make the skippers dance the 'deux
tongs' through the wards of the incivil hospital, and play
the deuce with the sale of ApoUinaris natural mineral waters,
now produced by the run in Chubb's Spring locks .-" Is such
the progress of the march of science as exhibited in Lea
and Perrins' famous Worcestershire Sauce } Go on ! Where
are we now .' That's what's the matter. Am I right, or
any other man .-' Who is there .¦¦ Again, I say, who does
not prefer Rowlands' Macassar to Dr. De Jongh's light brown
cod-liver oil, which, when applied to the porpoise-eyed boot
strings, has the same effect as Rimmer's Union Castle bilge
water has on Schweppe's effervescing chronometers } ' The
orator's heart-stirring address convulsed the wrapt spectators'
ears. ' Avast ! belay there ! ' shouted the stentorian Commo
dore, at the same time heaving a vast belaying pin at the
orator, who, however, ducking his head, the belaying pin
caught Charli between his lee braces in the waist of the
vessel. This is the proper way for bargees to perform when
on board their barge.

"Chapter X. — L'Ile des GEufs.
" Le Sapeur and 11 Capitano now followed the orders of
the Commander to reconnoitre the neighbouring fortifica
tions which crown the peaked lie des CEufs. Manned with
two oarsmen, the boat is propelled, and a landing is effected
on the western side by the venturesome explorers. In the
distance they beheld the party on Soda-and-Bee. In front
rose the ruins of a castellated canteen, once a celebrated
house of call for General Bee. A toilsome journey up the
rocks, the fortress is reached and stealthily approached, and
found abandoned. Above, an inscription, dated 1808, ran as
follows : — ' All pop abandon ye
Who enter here.'
Thirsty, they read and ran.

Imprudent Slide. 109
"Duet. — 'Pop! Bang! Ici nous som^nes encore t ' — Ballade de Bretagne.
"This they carolled as, disappointed and weary, they re
freshed themselves with a duet. Le Sapeur now utterly de
molished the remains of the turreted Kanteen and obliterated
the inscription. Huge masses of masonry and rocks were
hurled over the beetling cliffs, etc. They were masters of all
they surveyed. Le Sapeur was a past master in surveying.
The kittiwakes and black stolid noddies flew around. Their
tameness was shocking to see. Both Le Sapeur and II Capi
tano blushed ; they felt so shocked, and murmured 'Nimium
te crede colori! and turned pale. The gay Sapeur now threw
stones to drive away the shocking white kittiwakes and nod
dies. Observez vous that I endeavour to disturb the stolidity of
that Anous stolidus by propelling this morsel of basalt at its
occipital cranium. He is ' nigro simillimus cyno! Observer
also, Mons. le Capitane, the equanimity and curiosity dis
played by these candied Gyglese, les oiseaux blancs. These
are indeed rarce aves; although they are not ' in terris^ they
are not uninterested in our movements. They now com
menced to descend, and the proud Le Sapeur, having re
moved another rock, discovered a young and fluffy cygnet,
which he put in his pocket in order to have it set in his ring ;
it would then be a signate ring : he had been made formerly
in the days of the Pretender a writer to the signate at Edin-
bourg. The barge had now arrived beneath them prostrate
with fatigue. Most of the members of the Expedition are
under the thwarts, and all more or less gunwale under, or, as
it is more accurately termed in medical terms, half seas over.
But see ! the ladder has been removed by some miscreant ;
how are the two explorers to descend .^ ' Pride goes before a
fall' The proud Englishman arid the prouder Frenchman
felt this, and gaily laughed to conceal their humiliation.
The cliff at a spherical triangle of 394° }ihy xy measured
more than less fifty feet in superficial declination. What, no
rope ! so they slid, and very imprudently sled. They sled
like rinking. When they reached the bottom they felt as if
they had been bound with bottomry bonds. They sat un
easily on their seats for weeks after, and preferred cushioned
chairs to hard chairs. They felt considerably sat upon.

1 1 o On Board a Union Steamer.

"Chapter XL— Homeward Bound,
" ' Sing on, my brave Gilo, and we'll echo thee
By cliff, rock and islet, the songs of the sea.
And when the big conger is straining your line.
Sing louder, brave A.B.C., soon we shall dine.
We'll sing whilst we bait, and we'll sing when we haul.
For Sainte Hdl^ne's sea has enough for us all ;
There is Jack for the women, and Old 'Wife for men.
Then mirth and long life to all brave fishermen.'
Ancient Fragment.
" The first thing the official A.B.C. did was to ask Le
Sapeur for his license to catch wild birds, or for the fee of
I OS. under the ordinance of the secret-aerial compartment.
Of course Le Sapeur forked out at once his nimble ninepence
and tossed the A.B.C. for a fiver, won, and asked the A.B.C
for the change ; but A.B.C.s do not always carry a change
of linen to sea, and his was all at the wash. He would,
however, sing a song-a-sixpence until he worked off" the re
mainder. The A.B.C, who.se voice resembles in compass
and tenor the organs of the great Mackney, then proceeded
to sing the celebrated elongated early burlesque rendered so
popular by the aforenamed artist. After a short prelude to
moisten his throat andante con expressione, he commenced
the following song : — Recitativo P.P. tremolo. ' I was once
particularly attracted by the charms of a lovely coloured
maiden, — Whom I loved as my life. She came from a remote
region beyond the confines of civilization, — / made her my
dear wife. No language can express the felicity of our
domestic circle, so free from grief and pain, but during the
inclemency of the following elongated winter season, / lost
my Mary Jane! Le Sapeur now commenced humming a
stave, and on being hot-pressed yielded like paper to the
pressure of his warm admirers and favoured the company
with, ' Ben Baxter was a Boatswain,' who, when half seas over,
overboard he went ; his ghost appeared to his shipmates and
advised them never to mix their liquors, but, like Good Tem
plars, to ever drink them neat. The wary Commodore next
tipped them a real ' Fore Bitter! He had before been bitten
by a musical mania, and was bitter to the forenoon. He sang
in a newly imported Quay, but had quite forgotten the key
with which to open the rowlocks : but as he played the gim
bals of the binnacle he was most mellowdious. There was a
good deal of 'Ho! heave yoh,' etc. The Gay St, Gilo's turn
now came, and all his songs smacked of the guardroom and

Plagiarisms on Burnand. 1 1 1
the orderly-room. Hence he was able to render the ' March
of the Ladderhill Guards ' with great emphasis, with a tenore
robusto voice, and being anchored, and the encore-age en
couraging him, he also sang ' Marching thro' Georgia.'
Chorus of stretchers on the thwarts. It was now again the
A.B.C's turn, as II Capitano only sang, he said, Mendellshon's
shongs without wordsh, and by particular desire, after analyz
ing a Mermermaid, he sang Joe Muggins, to the air of ' Lord
Lovel.' The encore was again heaved, and the A.B.C. re
sponded with the following pathetic refrain : —
"'BINGO ! ! !
There was a Darkey who had a dog.
And Bingo was his name ;
It began with a B and ended in O,
For Bingo was his name.
Chorus ad lib.
B-i-n-g-o, b-i-n-g-o, b-i-n-g-o.
For Bingo was his name.
B-I-N-G-Oooooo, for
Bingo was his name,' etc.
"The company could hardly refrain from tears.

"Chapter XII, — The Return.
" ' Oft in the silly night.'
" The horrid horizon was gradually dipping in the distance,
while to the accurate astonomical observer through the ob
scure camera it actually dript. ' Weil viel shippe haben komm
in dem hdbur dis nacht,' exclaimed the Netherland Consul,
and consulted his timepiece, as his time was sometimes pre
occupied. Night approached. The sun had set. Its rays no
longer illumined tht depths of the sea, and the soldiers be
neath turned their bulls'-eyes on the ships riding at anchor, as
they turned towards the sea-mews. ' It is tit-tit-time for Meux
and Co.'s own bottled st-st-stout,' suggested the stoutest of
the crew with an amusing stutter from the stern sheets. After
much musing the mosquitos on the ramparts were silent, and
drew their curtains down before they joined the performing
fleas. The solemn tramp of the sentinel was alone discernible
by his gilt-spiked helmet, out of which he ladled the aromatic
rum-punch to the hbrarian of the medicine chest. The
silly pools were full. White played on red, blue his player

112 On Board a Union Steamer.
in hand, while the one star disappeared and went to cushion.
The fisherwomen washed themselves ashore — wrung them
selves dry, and then rung from the Cathedral bells a gay
carillon. The rooks and gulls came out together, then went
in for something : later the rooks let in the gulls, and all was
silent. The solitude was complete. There was a wild divi
sion of colour, the wind blew, the moon rose, the dew heavy,
the night light. The billows wandered to and fro, and the
glorious sun sank at its moorings, with all its rays on board.
Day (and Martin too) got black in the face, as if they had
eaten nightshade. The shades of night were falling fast,
when through Sharkstown streets there passed the Expedition
of six. Their path was of strange device — very strange and
devious, yet hitherto devoid of vice. Clubs had been trumps
that day, and therefore these six of trumps stopped at the
Club and mounted the steps. They enter the sacred pre
cincts and were blackballed without delay. We draw a
screen. Wisht, oh wisht ! At one A.M. the gay St. Gilo sere
naded the empty streets of Sharkstown with the following
original verses produced extemporaneously without effort :—
"'The Loo-ser's Lament.
" I played in the Club at Jamestown,
Until one had struck in the tower.
And my face, as I rose from the table.
Must have looked decidedly sour.
" For my head was hot and heavy.
And my brain was full of care.
As the coin I had 'dropped' that evening
Was more than I well could spare.
" And I thought how many sovereigns.
Which I had when I first began.
Had passed from my hands for ever,
Into those of another man.
." And surging and eddying through me,
S^ept the confusing fume.
From cigars and ' two star' brandy.
And the stifling heat of the room.
" How often ! oh, how often !
In the hours that I had played,
Had I cursed my evil fortune,
By a faithless ' Miss ' betrayed.
" How often ! oh, how often !
Had I wished that the ebbing tide
Of coin, as it swept o'er the table.
Would ' flow ' again to my side.

"Non Angli sed Angleri." 113
" But now it has all passed from me.
To add to another's gains.
And all I have got is a headache.
To reward me for my pains.
"And far in the hazy distance.
Which will come with the rising sun,
I see no hope of appeasing
The calls of the frequent dun.
" Yet whenever I pass that doorway,
And hear those sounds within,
I am sure to enter and play there.
In the hope that I yet may win.
""And forever, and forever.
As long as a single ' brad '•
To play for a ' loo,' or a drink
To the faithful Boy may be had,
" I shall always make one at that table,
And my sinking spirits cheer.
In the hope that the fickle Goddess,
With a smile may be hovering near.'
" That night they played no more. ' Non Angli sed Angleri,'
as Pope Gregory aptly observed as he watched the offspring
of a British tar catching tittlebats in the Tiber under the
Castle of St. Angelo at Rome. Our anglers were certainly no
Angeli. Early in the morning they separated. The Commo
dore in his closed wheel-barrow departed for the wharf The
warriors returned to watch and Ward, Ward watched at the
signal staff" and signalled from Ladderhill, 'Welcome, little
strangers.' The official A.B.C. regained the Legation with
out difficulty and preserved a firm countenance. La Frostie
and La Reine des Fees accommodated their respective riders
as far as the Castle of Red Hill. Here the report of the
morning gun was heard, and repeated by the original Eng-
field Rifle, so well known as the best shot in the colony by
our readers. Here the riders swapped horses, as in the
morning dawn they discovered they had mistaken which was
which. Le Sapeur disappeared in the morning mists, and
crying ' Excelsior ' went upward.
" 'And up the hill the Captain went.
And round the tortuous zigzag road ;
But Gilo on the ladder leant,
Until he reached where he abode.
The rest were scattered far away.
Before the light or mom grew dim.
Excepting Ruff, young Gilo's dog,
Unto his home he followed him.' — Old Song."
Then follows some natural history, which we commend to
I

114 On Board a Union Steamer.
the notice of Mr. A, C Haddon, of the Linnean Society, for
his opinion : — "In Memoriam Testudinis.
" One of the two oldest and most respectable inhabitants
of St. Helena has, we regret to say, been lost to us, leaving
a solitary relict to bemoan its fate. We refer, to the decease
of one of the bicentenarian pair of tortoises, whose existence
has been connected with Plantation House during the past
sixty years at least. It is enough to make any one moralize
to reflect what changes these two reptiles have witnessed
during their almost fabulous lifetime. Little is known about
their primal history, but we have no difficulty in tracing the
whereabouts of their original habitat. We have no hesita
tion in saying that they came from Mauritius, and in all
probability were brought to this island subsequently to the
capture of Mauritius and Bourbon by the British in 1810,
" One large tortoise, as near as possible the counterpart of
the Plantation animals, was the property of the French
Artillery at Port Louis, and it was handed over with the
ordnance and stores at the capitulation, and has remained in
the artillery barracks there ever since. It is still living, we
believe, "We therefore think it highly probable that the two
tortoises were first brought to this island when either General
Beatson or Colonel Wilks was governor. As Governor
Beatson was an enthusiastic importer of exotics, it is more
than probable that he imported the specimens in question.
It is perfectly possible that they were full grown when first
brought here, as these slowly-developed reptiles are believed
to live from 150 to 200 years, if not more. The lately de
funct tortoise may have been hatched about the time that
Dr. Halley visited the island, although we do not suppose
the creature to have been a native of the rock. It is also far
from being impossible that the immediate parents of the
interesting couple may have been in existence when Commo
dore Juan de Nova Castella, returning from India in 1501,
discovered St. Helena.
" The palaeontology and history of the testudinidse
is most curious and suggestive, from their first appear
ance in the North American eocene, and in the early upper
miocene freshwater deposits which form the range of the
Siwahk Hills at the foot of the Himalayas, near Simla, in
North-West India. Here have been found the fossil remains
ofthe huge tortoise Colossochelys Atlas, vAiose shell was
twelve feet long, and head and neck eight feet more i^ide the

Gigantic Tortoises of Aldabra. 115
well-known specimen in the British Museum, which most of
us have gazed at with wonder and admiration). A grand
progenitor of the chelonian race !
" It was about this (the miocene) period that a great change
took place in the geography of Africa ; it had gradually
diminished on the south and east — Madagascar had been left
isolated — while a number of small islands, banks, and coral
reefs in the Indian Ocean alone remained to indicate the
position of a once extensive equatorial continent — Lemuria,
as it has been named from its characteristic fauna.
" The Mascarene Islands appear to represent the portion
which separated earliest — before any carnivora had reached
the country — and it was in consequence of this total exemp
tion from danger that several groups of birds, altogether in
capable of flight, became developed here, culminating in the
huge and unwieldy dodo {Didus ineptus), and the more active
aphanapteryx. To the same cause may be attributed the
development in these islands of gigantic land tortoises, far
surpassing any others now living on the globe. They appear
to have formerly inhabited Mauritius, Bourbon, and Rodri
guez, and perhaps all the other Mascarene Islands ; but having
been recklessly destroyed, now only survive in the small unin
habited Aldabra Islands west of .the Seychelles group. The
largest living specimen — five and a half feet long — is now in
the Zoological Society's Gardens at the Regent's Park. The
onlyotherplacewhere equallylarge tortoises ofan alliedspecies
are found is the Galapagos islands, where they were equally
free from enemies, till civilized man came upon the scene ;
who, partly by using them for food, and partly by the intro
duction of pigs, which destroy the eggs, has greatly dimin
ished their numbers and size, and will probably soon wholly
exterminate them. It is a curious fact, ascertained by Dr.
Giinther, that the tortoises of the Galapagos are more nearly
related to the extinct tortoises of Mauritius than is the living
tortoise of Aldabra. This would imply that several distinct
groups or sub-genera of testudo have had a wide range over
the globe, and that some of each have survived in very dis
tinct localities. This is rendered quite conceivable by the
known antiquity of the genus testudo, which date back to at
least the eocene formation in North America, with very little
change of form.
"These sluggish reptiles — so long-lived and so tenacious
of life — may have remained unchanged, whilst every higher
animal type around them has become extinct, and been re
placed by very different forms; as in the case of the living
I 2

1 1 6 On Board a Union Steamer.
Emys tectum,'whlch is the sole survivor of the strange Siwalik
fauna of the miocene epoch. The ascertained history of the
genus and the group thus affords a satisfactory explanation
of the close affinity of the gigantic tortoises of Mauritius and
the Galapagos. Dr. Giinther has recently distinguished five
species of fossil tortoises from Mauritius and Rodriguez, all
of them quite different from the living species of Aldabra.
The great land tortoises of Reunion were destroyed by the
end of the seventeenth century.
" ' Les tortues de terre ont 6ti totalement detruites ; en
1667 on n'en trouvait presque plus, dit un voyageur. La
derni^re citee pariit ^tre celle tu^e vers la fin du si^cle der
nier par un Creole a Saint-Philippe. Bory n'en vit que la
carapace.' (Maillard.)
" So we probably have to lament the demise of one of the
three remaining huge Mascarene tortoises. The venerable
reptile was deserving of some respect, and it is to be hoped
that, at all events, its shell and skeleton will be preserved in
all due honour. As to its flesh, we shudder to relate {horri-
bile dictu), it was converted into real turtle soup ! A fact.
" The classification of this rare tortoise is as follows : —
Division, Vertebrata ,- class, Reptilia ; sub-class, Cataphracta.
Order, Chelonia ; Family, Testudinidce. Species, Tristerata.
Giinther {Tricarinata Bory de St. Vincent)."
Altogether, we do not get a bad four-penny's worth of
amusement out of Mr. Grant's St. Helena Guardian, and let
us hope his editor will not rest contented in his bureau in
Napoleon Street.
The following extract from the same paper, dated July 26,
1877, assumes now a melancholy interest : —
" We have great pleasure in announcing to the inhabitants
of St. Helena that before long we may expect amongst us
the presence of an august visitor. Napoleon IV.; or, as he is
more generally known, the Prince Imperial of France.
" The next homeward bound mail steamer will convey an
invitation from the Captain and Lieutenant of the Battery
of Artillery stationed in this island to the Prince, to ask him
to be their guest, should he be able to honour the island with
his visit, and to make a Pklerinage to the cenotaph of the
founder of the Bonaparte dynasty,
" Her Imperial Majesty the Empress Eugenie will also be
invited. " As an Artillery Officer educated at the Royal Military
Academy, Woolwich, and who has served with a Battery of
the Royal Artillery at Aldershot, the Prince will most cer-

The Empress of the French. 1 1 7
tainly appreciate the graceful compliment, and we may be
tolerably sure that he and the gracious Empress will accept
the invitation. We believe that we are not far wrong in
stating that Plantation House will be at the disposal of the
Imperial party, and that a distinguished suite will require still
more accommodation in the island. We may be sure that the
reception of these Royal personages will be worthy of the
island which has for the last half century been so intimately
associated with the memory of the last days of the great
conqueror. " More particulars will be given as soon as a reply has
been received from Europe, and we will take care that our
readers are kept well informed so as to be ready for the oc
casion. We recommend that owners of empty houses should
soon set to work to put them in order to accommodate the
numerous tourists who will take this opportunity of visiting
Napoleon's grave. We predict a more brilliant assemblage
of European celebrities at our Governor's Court in the
Castle than has ever yet been there present. Floreat St.
Helena!' On reading the above, little did we think that, when the
Empress did visit the Rock in 1880, it would be on re
turn from the sad pilgrimage to the site of her son's ceno
taph in Zululand, near the Itelezi Hill.
Now again we are at sea, with blue sky above and blue
water all around — a perfect calm — the only ripple is caused
by the motion of the screw frothing up the creamy soda-
water-like wake astern of us, leaving a cometary track visible
for miles. Now and then the yellowish brown-pink back
of a turtle glistens above the surface,* or the glassy-bubbled
velella rides by in fleets.
I am dozing on deck under the awning, half awake, and
in a few moments shall be asleep from the monotonous beat
of the engine, which has the same effect upon me after
luncheon as a sermon drawled in monotone at a 3 p.m. ser
vice. Out of my half-shut eyes I notice one of the hands
is blackening the gangway steps, hauled up outside the bul
wark over against me. Not four people are on the deck
astern of the companion, and they are asleep, for it is 2 P.M.,
and we have all tiffined to satisfaction, and from the heat
most have gone to sleep below.
* It is Lady Barker I Mrs. Napier Broome) who describes a huge
turtle, " like a small boat, lying fast asleep on his back on the water, just
rocking very gently up and down on the top of his calm blue bed." What
a thing it is to be realistic and a naturalist !

1 1 8 On Board a Union Steamer.
I am just about finally to close my eyes when I am startled
by a splash. Surely the man at the gangway has not gone
over. He is certainly not there. I look over the side, half
inclined to cry out " man overboard," but I am restrained by
the fear of stopping the vessel unnecessarily, and the ridi
cule I shall incur, should no one be over. I see the man's
cap left on the steps, and his paint-brush and pot of black
ing. I take all this in at a glance — in the instant — yet half
think I may be dreaming, and that the man has only left,
having dropped something in the water perhaps, and gone
forward to replace it, or for some other reason. It shows
how many thoughts flash instantaneously through one's brain
in an incredibly short space of time, for I have time to reflect
how cowardly it would be if I refrained from giving even a
false alarm for fear of the jeers which would greet me. [This,
it may be noticed, is a true military instinct, as I know of
many instances of the fear of giving false alarm preventing
early alarm being given.] And I even have time to think
that at the pace we are going — 13 knots — if he has gone
over he cannot possibly be saved, and that as no one had
observed it except myself, that I had better leave it alone
as none of my business ; and I daresay a great deal more
might come into my head, when in the depth beneath me I
see the man's head disappear and appear for a moment.
It will exemplify the rapidity of thought which it takes
a minute or two to write down, that the man is not more
than a yard astern of where he must have fallen when I
see him and give the shout of " man overboard," and rush
forward to the engine room, shouting at same time as loud
as I can to attract notice on the bridge. The seconds
seem hours, but another shout inside the engine room
meets with a response, and the engines are stopped most
promptly. A passenger dozing right astern has been aroused by my
shout, and has dropped over one of the life-buoys, which
are ever ready close at hand, which the man — fortunately
a good swimmer — has reached, and as he floats astern a
look-out from the mizentop keeps watch upon him. Greatly
to the credit of the crew, in a marvellously short time a
boat is lowered fully manned, and as it is quite calm no
difficulty is experienced. The whole affair hardly lasts
more than ten minutes, and within a quarter of an hour
of the engines stopping the boat is back, everybody on
board, and the engines again are going at full speed, as if
nothing had happened.

Man Overboard. X19
This little episode makes me reflect on all the curious
mortal and human flotsam and jetsam I have witnessed,
" Quaeris, quo jaceas, post obitum, loco ?
Quo non nata jacent ! " — Seneca.

CHAPTER VI.
Death on Board — Burial at Sea — Consignment of Wives to Missionaries
— The Legitimate Drama Afloat — The Ship's Library— Steamer
Stopped by Jelly Fish— Rapid Passages— The Cape — Antarctic
Current— Flora of Cape Town— The Neighbourhood.
" Je veux voir les autres dtoiles
Et la croix du Sud enflammd.
Peut-etre dans cette autre terre
Trouve-t-on la clef du mystfere
Cach^ sous I'ordre universel ;
Et peut-ltre aux fils de la lyre
Est-il plus facile de lire
Dans cette autre page du del ! "
Les Feuilles d'Automne.
I LEFT my readers in the last chapter amidst some lugubrious
reflections, awakened by the incident of the man overboard,
and reminiscences of the human and mortal flotsam, and
jetsam which I have noted during a chequered career. On
board ship one has more time and leisure to ponder on the
various incidents about, as everything which takes place is
necessarily near to every one, and such an event as the sudden
disappearance of one from amongst even so many, makes
a far greater impression than a fatal accident on shore. The
voyage out on board a Union steamer is happily, as a rule,
free from such events, as the time is so short, and no pas
sengers suffering from serious illness are permitted to embark,
but on the homeward journey there is generally some
casualty. But there is one strange coincidence, if no
stronger term can be used connected with death on board
ship, and that is that whenever there is a dead body on board
a shark invariably makes its appearance ; and, vice versd,
Avhenever a shark hovers in the wake of a ship the shadow
of death threatens with impending fate some one on board.
In mid Atlantic I have witnessed the case where the boat
swain's mate jumped overboard, —
" So by a calenture misled, '
The mariner with rapture sees,
' On the smooth ocean's azure bed,
Enamell'd fields and verdant trees :

1 20 On Board a Union Steamer.
With eager haste he longs to rove
In that fantastic scene, and thinks
It must be some enchanted grove,
And in he leaps and down he sinks " (Swift) ; —
and although within a few minutes the body was recovered,
bereft of life, a huge white shark rose at the corpse as it
was being hauled into the boat which had been lowered to
save the man ; another two seconds, and the dread loup de
mer would have seized the human bait as readily as a jack
takes a gudgeon on a gorge-hook. At other times, during
an epidemic of yellow fever, on board the old Atrato steamer
of the West Indian line, there was never a lack of sharks in
the vicinity as long as there were sick and dying on board ;
and similarly, when on board a trooper with wounded men on
board, the appearance of the back fin of the insatiable Lamia
v/as simultaneous with, if not antecedent to, the surgeon-
major's report that any given cases were hopeless.
In places where many bodies are to be seen, either floating
or lying stranded, it is remarkable how callous the spectator
becomes ; thus in the Si-kiang River during the Chinese
rebelhon, we could judge of the proximity of the Taepings -
by the numbers of bodies floating past us, mostly decapi
tated, and we kept an account of the numbers of the men
and women slain, distinguishing them by their method of
flotation, whether on their backs or the reverse.
I have now before me a rather ghastly sketch which I
made from the poop of a troop-ship on the 7th of April,
1877, two days after leaving Ascension. It was very hot, as
in my diary I wrote that the heat of the water was 85° and
the air 96° in the shade, as we were close to the equator,
The body, sewn up in white canvas and covered with a Union
Jack, is not visible to those attending the funeral parade on
the quarter-deck as it disappears with the grating over the
port gangway, but from my position, looking over the side
of the trooper on the poop, I had a good view of the final
scene. It was a considerable height to fall from the quarter
deck of a vessel 5,600 tons, and as the engines had been
stopped for some time previous to and during the funeral
service, it was almost perfectly stationary, barely forging
ahead when the body of our dear brother was committed to
the deep, and I watched with fascination the white mummy
like form take its leap, feet foremost, into the deep abyss.
" Sullen it plunged, and slowly sank.
The calm wave rippled to the bank ;

Lord Byron's Verses. 121
I watch'd it, as it sank methought
Some motion from the current caught
Bestirr'd it more, — 'twas but the beam
That checker'd o'er the living stream :
I gazed, till vanishing from view,
Like lessening pebble it withdrew.
Still less and less, a speck of white
That gemm'd the tide, then mock'd the sight ;
And all its hidden secrets sleep.
Known but to Genii of the deep.
Which, trembhng in their coral caves,
They dare not whisper to the waves."
The white form, horribly suggestive of a pinioned being
from execution, " Le simulachre de la Mart," performed its
ghostly " Todtentanz " before my eyes, and by the time it
passed under me had sunk a considerable depth in the water,
which was of the deepest indigo, was itself of a vivid and
most pronounced green, such as one notices reflected from
the gleaming bellies of porpoises and dolphins. I could
notice the gradual deepening of the colour as the body sank,
until the blue-green reflections altogether died away in the
lustrous surface ghmmer of the ocean deep.
" No stone is there to show, no tongue to say
What was ; no dirge except the hollow seas."
At that temperature there was something tempting in this
peaceful ending, as contrasted with the last rites as conducted
on terra firma. " This grace my heart should crave.
To find no landward grave
That worldly springs make brave.
World's winters darken.
Nor grow through gradual hours
The cold blind seed of flowers
Made by new beams and showers
From limbs that moulder.
Nor take my part with earth.
But find for death's new birtli
A bed of larger girth.
More chaste and colder.

When thy salt lips well nigh
Sucked in my mouth's last sigh.
Grudged I so much to die
This death as others ?
But thirst shall touch not him
Who hath felt with sense grown dim
Rise, covering lip and limb.
The wan sea's water.

122 On Board a Union Steamer.
All fire of thirst that aches
The salt sea cools and slakes
More than all springs or lakes,
Freshets or shallows ;
Wells where no beam can burn
Through frondage of the fern
That hides from heart and hern
That haunt it hallows.
Peace with all graves on earth.
For death or sleep or birth.
Be alway, one in worth
One with another ;
But when my time shall be,
O mother, O my sea.
Alive or dead, take me.
Me too, my mother." — A. C. Swinburne.
From the same ship — on the same voyage — a more painful
funeral, that of a child, had about a week before taken place.
In this instance, in deference to the wishes of the motjiier, a
coffin had been constructed by the ship's carpenter with a few
holes in it to sink, but when the tiny ark was lowered into
the sea, instead of sinking it floated astern with the waves,
and was yet visible afloat until it vanished in the distance ;
fortunately the parents could not see it.
It is such an incident as this, on board a steamer, which is
better than all the sermons one listens to, and fails not to
awaken the thought of hereafter — the grand problem of all
— which every now and then thrusts itself upon our mind.
" Je vais chercher un grand peut-itre,"* said Diderot on his
death-bed, "AN UNTIMELY THOUGHT.
" I wonder what day of the week—
I wonder what month of the year —
Will it be midnight or morning.
And who will bend over my bier ?
" What a hideous fancy to come
As I wait at the foot of the stair.
While Lillian gives the last touch
To her robe, or the rose in her hair.
* The original saying is also attributed to Rabelais, who died in 1553.
He is reported when dying to have made a burlesque will, " I owe much,
I have nothing, the rest I leave to the poor." At the last moment he is
reported to have exclaimed, " Draw the curtain, the farce is played out."
Folding around him his black robe, he is said to have muttered, " Beati
sunt qui moriuntur in Domino" and to the page, sent to inquire after him
by the Cardinal de Chastillon, he is stated to have addressed the words,
" Je vais qudrir un grand Peut-itre / "

Justin McCarthy's "Miss Misanthrope." 123
" Do I hke your new dress— pompadour ?
And do I Xik.'&you f on my life
You are eighteen and not a day more.
And have not been six years my wife.
" Those two rosy boys in the crib
LIpstairs are not ours, to be sure !
You are just a sweet bride in her bloom.
All sunshine, and snowy, and pure.
" As the carriage rolls down the dark street.
The little wife laughs and makes cheer —
But  I wonder what day of the week,
I wonder what month of the year ? "
Most of us have heard the story of the nobleman who dur
ing his lifetime prepared for himself a lordly mausoleum
with a superb sarcophagus within, and how the owner used
to spend hours inside its massive gates, looking forward to
becoming its tenant for eternity ; how he was seized with a
sudden desire to travel, and somewhere in mid-ocean was
seized with a sudden fever, of which he died, and his body
committed without ceremony to the deep. This incident, it will
be remembered, has been introduced by Justin McCarthy, the
popular author (and unpopular Land Leaguer), into his charm
ing novel " Miss Misanthrope."
Now it has been lately the fashion to discuss the various
modes of disposing of the mortal remains of human beings,
and " earth to earth " coffins, and wicker-work baskets, are
advocated by speculative undertakers. Now there is little
doubt that inhumation as practised in Europe is an expensive
and unscientific method of disposing of the remains of our
fellows. In China we see the result, where the whole country
is one vast graveyard — one of the principal obstacles to the
formation of railways in that extensive empire. Cremation
also is, at present, almost unobtainable and an expensive
process,* although, doubtless, it will in time supersede huma-
tion; but why not practise liquation .¦"¦j- The all-surrounding
ocean is the best natural graveyard for all creation, and if a
proper method were adopted of sinking bodies in abyssal
* I think burial at sea would have suited the eccentric gentleman who
begged his friends and executors to sing the last stanza of the twentieth
ode of the second book of Horace over his grave by way of a funeral
service : — " Absint inani funere naenise,
Luctusque turpes et querimoniae ;
Compesce, clamorem ac sepulchri
Mitte supervacuos honores."
t It would hardly do to say " liquidation ! "

124 On Board a Union Steamer.
ocean depths, in gurgite vasto, amidst the globigerine ooze of
the modern chalk formation, there is no reason why bodies
should not become siUcified like the layers of flints, and
useful to future geologists, — a natural and superior process of
petrifaction. The De prof undis clamavi would make a grand
ncenia befitting the accompanying ceremony.*
But enough of these hideous ideas. Away with the blue
devils, and turn to a brighter subject. Of all days in the
year, on Christmas eve 1876 I once had to embark from St.
Helena, southward bound, on board the fine Union steamer
Nubian, then on her (I think) first voyage [What, her very
first } Well, nearly her first voyage], and a very gay time
we had of it. There was a most energetic, well-known
archdeacon on board, proceeding to Mossel Bay, under whose
guidance a choir had been in active preparation of Christmas
carols from the commencement of the voyage. There were
also some Moravian missionary ladies (Germans) proceeding
to Walvisch Bay, all unmarried but betrothed, and they
formed portion of a consignment of fiancees despatched to
be married as wives to a colony of bachelor expectant bride-
* Ode to the Memory of George Villiers, by Prior,
" Our term of life depends not on our deed.
Before our birth our funeral was decreed ;
Nor aw'd by foresight, nor misled by chance,
Imperious Death directs his ebon lance."
" Si I'Ocean est le berceau de la terre, il en est aussi le tombeau.
C'est dans son sein que se rendent les debris des roches et des mon-
tagnes, que les torrens entrainent dans les fleuves, qui en deviennent
tout noirs ou tout jaunes aprfes d'abondantes pluies. C'est Ik que flottent,
en dissolution, les huiles, les bitumes, les nitres, qui forment des volcans
sur les rivages ; c'est Ik aussi que les sifecles ensevelissent k la longue
les ruines des villes et des puissances humaines. La meilleure partie de
Rome n'est plus sur le sol de Rome ; elie est au fond du Tibre et dans
les bancs de la Mediterranee. Ses peuples innombrables ne gissent
plus dans leurs catacombes, et ses empereurs dans leurs vastes tom-
beaux : il n'en reste tout au plus que les squelettes ; leurs chairs se sont
ecoulees avec les eaux souterraines vers les feux du Vesuve et de I'Etna.
Quant k nous, peuples modernes, I'Ocean est pave de nos boulets [he
might have added nos bouteilles] de nos canons, des lingots du Perou et
du Mexique, et des ossemens des nations qui se les sont disputes, par le
fer et le feu au sein des eaux. Oh ! que la cloche du plongeur nous serait
bien plus utile que le globe de I'a^rostat ! Les monumens mensongers
et passagers de notre gloire sont dans nos histoires et dans nos places
publiques ; mais ceux de nos mis^res et de nos fureurs sont permanens
au fond des mers. lis y sont ranges par ordre des slides. Un jour, ils
apparaitront dans les carriferes ouvertes par nos descendans, comme les
OS des elephans et des crocodiles nous apparaissent dans celles du nord.
 Bernardin de St. Pierre {Harmonies Aquatiques).

Prudes and Poses Plastiques. 125
grooms on probation, on the south-west coast of Africa.
Neither husbands in posse or future wives had seen one
another, it may be remarked (but of this more anon). These
said female missionaries, under the charge of a staid mis
sionary, formed another and rival choir, also in active re
hearsal for Christmas.
It was fortunate for me, in some respects, that I had not
been on board during the voyage from Southampton ; as it
was, it was refreshing to hear some good part singing.
There was a little difficulty sometimes in sharing the single
piano between the rival choirs, but the arrangement had been
amicably settled before I joined the jovial party, for the ship
was crowded ; and there was also a party of actors and
actresses on board — a portion of the corps dramatique of
South Africa en route to Port Elizabeth — under the manager,
the famous Captain Disney Roebuck. We were accordingly
awoken before breakfast in latitude 18° S. by a burst of
melody in the saloon, and found the stewards had gaily
decorated the tables, swinging lamps, and ornaments with
artificial flowers and wreaths. A full choral service was
held by the archdeacon, and after dusk the piano was hauled
on deck through the hatchway, and we had a dramatic per
formance. The theatrical manager allowed his properties
and wardrobe to be unpacked, and with professionals of above
average ability to back them, the amateurs were well coached
in their parts. Then followed tableaux vivants, wax-work
figures, and poses plastiques. The prudish spinsters were
much exercised in their minds as to the propriety of one young
lady — the prettiest on board — not one of the professional
troupe, appearing as the Prince in the scene of " The Sleeping
Beauty in the Wood," and wearing Turkish trousers. Of
course the theatricals ended with dancing, in which the
Turkish trousers showed to advantage, especially during the
waltzes, and the revels were carried on till a late hour.
The opportunities for flirtation on board ship after dusk
are frequent, and after a fortnight many of these primarily
furtive assignations have become openly recognized engage
ments. Whether it is that the presence on board of so many
newly-married couples is contagious it is certain that the
temporary idle leanings over the side, —
" Thus bending o'er the vessel's laving side,
To gaze on Dian's wave-reflected sphere,"
— have from the first stolen sweetness become a necessity.
The bait has been gorged, the fish hooked. In the innocence

126 On Board a Union Steamer.
of bliss the unwary griffin has been entangled ; at the com
mencement the stolen kisses were sweet.
" Furto cuncta magis bella
¦ Furto dulcior puella
Furto omnia decora
Furto poma dulciora."
" And her dewy lips he presses,
And she thrills with light caresses."
In latitude 20° S. on board a Union steamer, the hidden
stage has by degrees been discarded, les bornes sont passees,
frequent discoveries have made the most timid and demure
puss with downcast eyes lift them with unabashed gaze at
the horror-struck chaperon, who would gladly, if she could,
spoil sport. To the sensuous, cynical outsider, these by
plays are never-failing sources of amusement. Having
passed successfully through all the preliminary and succeed
ing acts of the drama, not only in rehearsal but on the real
stage, the hardened spectator can fully enjoy the sport ; and
all the more readily that it is not one but a dozen of these
cross purposes and crooked intrigues that we watch, like so
many broad farces in private life.
Of all intrigues to watch on board ship, those of the grass
widows are the most amusing, as at the commencement of
the voyage they invariably fly high, ambitiously, at game
which falls victim to the more innocent wiles of some
bread-and-butter miss in her teens, only themselves to be
come hopelessly entangled with some smooth-cheeked sub
lieutenant, or third officer of the packet.
We must remember that one of the curses predicted by
Adam for his descendants was that man —
" Never shall find out fit mate, but such
As some misfortune brings him, or mistake ;
Or whom he wishes most shall seldom gain
Through her perverseness, but shall see her gained
By a far worse."
And here it may be noticed that the theory of the officers
commanding on board the steamers of all lines differs
widely, and in practice often fails. On board some steamers
the officers of the ship are not allowed any intercourse what
ever with the passengers ; they never come aft except on
duty, and never mix or associate with the passengers in any
way. On other ships, most wisely, no interference is exer
cised ; and again free intercourse is allowed, but undue in
terference subsequently exercised. As a rule, on board the

Ship-board Literature. 127
Union Company's steamers, the commanders exercise a cer
tain tact in allowing or restraining polite attentions on the
part of their officers, who are certainly as gallant a set of
gentlemen as I have ever met, I could mention a score or
more of names, and more frequent passengers than myself
could name as many more, who would be an ornament to any
sphere of manly vocation.
Whenever, at few and infrequent intervals, vessels have
been lost, the officers of the Union Company have ever
shown themselves worth their salt. Take, for instance, when
the American foundered at sea, through her screw shaft
breaking through her bottom ; although in mid equatorial
ocean, and with little time to prepare for the sudden emer
gency. Captain Wait's judicious and cool self-possession en
abled every soul on board to be disembarked without confu
sion, and the boats prepared and despatched with the same
distribution as if they were simply being put on shore with
in easy distance of the sinking steamer. Not one single life
of the whole ship's company and passengers was lost on this
occasion. But our voyage outward bound is being lost sight of
amidst these reminiscences. Now that we approach 25° S.
ennui and a general sense of drowsiness pervades both the
saloon and the deck. Chess, draughts, and backgammon,
even whist and icarte, have lost their zest. Signs of gam
bling commence below in the shape of unlimited loo, and
lovers' quarrels even are watched as a pleasant interlude.
The ship's library has been read through and through — at
least the most readable novels have been idly perused ; but
why is it that ships' books as a rule are so arbitrarily chosen .¦•
Take, for instance, the following list as a specimen of ship
board literature, as suggested by Charles Dickens : —
Five Minutes in China (2 vols.).
Forty Winks at the Pyramids (2 vols.).
Mr. Green's Overland Mail.
Abernethy on the Constitution.
Captain Cook's Life of Savage.
A. Carpenter's Bench of Bishops.
Toots' Universal Letter- Writer (2 vols.).
Orson's Art of Etiquette.
Downeaster's Complete Calculator.
History of the Middling Ages (6 vols.).
Jonah's Account of the Whale.
Captain Parry's Virtues of Cold Tar.
Kant's Eminent Humbugs (10 vols.).
Bowwowdom : a Poem.
The Quarrelly Review (4 vols.).

128 On Board a Union Steamer.
The Gunpowder Magazine (4 vols.).
Steele. By the Author of " Ion."
The Art of Cutting the Teeth.
Malthus's Nursery Songs (2 vols.).
Paxton's Bloomers (3 vols.).
On the Use of Mercury by the Ancient Poets.
Drows/s Recollections of Nothing (3 vols.).
Heavyside's Conversations with Nobody (3 vols.).
Commonplace Book of the Oldest Inhabitant {2 vols.).
Growler's Gruffiology, with Appendix (4 vols.).
The Book of Moses and Sons (2 vols.).
Burke (of Edinburgh) on the Sublime and Beautiful.
Teazer's Commentaries.
King Henry the Eighth's Evidences of Christianity (3 vols.).
Miss Biffin on Deportment.
Morrison's Pills' Progress (2 vols.).
Lady Godiva on the Horse.
Munchausen's Modern Miracles (5 vols.).
Richardson's Show of Dramatic Literature (6 vols.).
Hansard's Guide to Refreshing Sleep.
Besides these volumes, not forgetting " The Friendly Zulus,
by Farini," there are the select writings of Ouida, and Bur-
nand's amusing parodies of Miss Rami's favourite volumes.
Joking apart, a very respectable library is now always to be
found on board the Union steamers. There is one work
which can be fully appreciated on board a Union steamer, and
which I would recommend all travellers to study en voyage,
as the pretty foibles of character are more decided there than on
shore. Who has not met on board Sir Hongkong Bantam,
from the colonies, Euphorion, the accomplished hermit and
plagiarist, the too agreeable Aquila, with his conversational
rapine, Ganymede, the young coxcomb, the Reverend Merula
and the fair Columba, the vivacious Pepin, with his touchingly
inflated naiveti, poor Theron and the loud-buzzing Bombus,
Monas the author, and Mile. Gregarina, who has had the
cholera .? Out of the multitude of characters depicted in
" Theophrastus Such," some are ever to be met with on board
as fellow-passengers. It is sad to think that no more charac
ters will be depicted by the pen of the lately-departed, gifted
writer George Eliot. It is too early to estimate the exact
position she will hold hereafter among the highest ranks
of English authors.
Here let me warn the innocent passengers against leaving
books about on deck, as all literature is valuable in these
latitudes, and one should not even lend a book without pre
cautionary measures ; and remember to ask for it again, for
if once a book is passed on from one to another it is im
possible to trace it. The unwary should remember —

H.M.S. Crocodile attacked by Meduscs. 129
" Tel est le triste sort de tout livre prctd,
Souvent il est perdu, toujours it est gdtd"
But again we are astray from our subject ; as we get south
we get garrulous. Birds become more frequent, and we at
last make the acquaintance of the mutton-bird {Diomedea
melanophrys), and the Cape pigeon {Daption Capensis), with
gannets, gulls, and petrels of sorts that come to welcome
the steamer, and last, but not least, the albatross, the
" Prince des nu^es
Qui hante la tempgte et se rit de I'archer;
Exil^ sur le sol au milieu des hudes,
Ses ailes de g^ant I'emplchent de marcher."
It was somewhere in these latitudes that one of our
troopships (the Crocodile) was actually stopped by passing
through swarms of medusae, which jellyfish, actually entering
the valves, choked the aperture ; but we fortunately escape
such a mishap.
Captain Proby Doughty, R.N., commanding H.M.S. Croco
dile, thus wrote from Simon's Bay, September 30th, 1879 : —
" Between latitude \ \^ ^g' ( ^¦' ^"'^ longitude ] ^° tt' f ^-t
and between the hours of moon-setting and daylight on the
nights of September 21, 22, the condensers were continually
heating, and the vacuum gauge suddenly dropping to zero.
" On examination of strainers it appeared that the inlet to
the sea-water was choked with a marine animal to an extent
that necessitated stopping and clearing four times on the
night of the 21st inst, and five times on the night of the
22nd. inst.
" On referring to Dallas' ' Natural History,' the description
given of the Pyrosoma, class Tunicata, order Ascidia, cor
responded in all apparent particulars to the specimens I
fished up from alongside and took from off the strainers.
Those on the strainers were, of course, much flattened by the
pressure, and those that had passed through were much
attenuated. " The luminosity of the creatures was very great, and
of a most brilliant sapphire colour." — Letter to Commodore
Richards, A.D.C., Cape of Good Hope.
And within nineteen* days of leaving Southampton, land
* The Union Steamship Company's mail steamer Pretoria, Captain
G. Larmer, from Cape Town August 19th at 5 p.m., and Madeira 3rd
instant at 9.46 A.M., arrived at Plymouth yesterday at 6.14 a.m., after a
passage of eighteen days, thirteen hours, fourteen minutes, which is the
quickest yet made. Excluding detentions of three hours at Madeira and
K

130 On Board a Union Steamer.
is reported, and the flat top of the Table Mountain is
soon conspicuous on the lee bow. There is a general revival
of spirits on board ; the fiancees are trembling with excite
ment, and wondering what their future husbands are like,
and carefully studying again their features from the re
ligiously-preserved photos, so as not to make a mistake
when they meet, and several of us wicked ones look forward
with grim expectation to watch the tender greeting.
The new steamer recently contracted for by the Union
Steamship Company for their Cape of Good Hope and
Natal mail service, which is in course of construction by
Messrs. Aitken and Mansel, of Glasgow, is to be called the
Athenian, and will be ready for sea by the end of the current
year. Two other new steamers, the Spartan and Moor,
have been built for the Union Company by Messrs. James
and George Thompson, of Glasgow. The Spartan is now
running, and it is confidently expected that she, as well as
the Moor and Athenian, will actually exceed the speed
of the steamers at present occupied in the mail service.
As an instance of the success which has attended the
efforts of the directors of the Union Company to reduce
the passage between England and the Cape Colonies to the
shortest possible time, the recent homeward performance of
the Durban may be cited. This vessel left Cape Town on
the I Sth January at 6.15 P.M., and after calhng at St. Helena
and Madeira reached Plymouth on the 6th inst. at 1.45 P.M.,
after a passage from port to port of eighteen days nineteen
ai!d a half hours, her actual steaming time being eighteen
days twelve hours. This is the fastest run yet made includ
ing a call at St. Helena, and on the former voyage the same
steamer made the fastest direct run, her passage on that
occasion being eighteen days nine hours. On the voyage
just ended her mean speed out and home was 13-2 knots per
hour. For the homeward voyage alone her average speed
was 1 3 "4 knots per hour.*
two hours and three-quarters at sea, the actual steaming time is eighteen
days, seven hours, twenty-nine minutes, or nine hours less than the
hitherto fastest known — that made by the same company's steamship
Durban. The Pretoria made 326 knots for five consecutive days, and
averaged 1 3 '66 for 3,500 miles, being the same average as obtained in
the measured mile in the Clyde and at Southampton. The longest day's
run was 340 miles.
* The Union Company's Royal Mail steamer Arab, Captain S. R. F.
Caines, which left Capetown on the 1st inst., arrived at Plymouth
yesterday morning, after a passage of eighteen days, thirteen hours,
ten minutes, including thirteen hours ten minutes' detention at Madeira,

Quick Passages of Union Steamers. 131
The officers, outward bound for the front, are anxiously
discussing the probabilities as to where their destination is to
be — whether for Basuto country or the Transvaal. Every
one is busy and excited with the pleasurable sensation of
seeing a totally new country or a new life. One or two fair
faces are sad at the prospect of parting with some who are
bound onward with the ship, and for the first time discover
that what was meant for a merely temporary diversion has
become a too serious loss of independence.
At last we slow engines in the bay, from which the scenery
of the panorama is imposing, — although now so peaceful,
there are few places where the waves are lashed into greater
fury than in this bay, on the near side of the Cape of Storms,
— receiving a flattering reception from numberless Cape
hens {Procellaria cequinoetialis) and cormorants {Phalacocorix
Capensis). In front rises the huge mountain, with its pictu
resque accompaniments of peak and ridge. Berg and Veldt ;
at its foot the town, and nearer the breakwater and the
entrance to the docks. Altogether the first view gives a
favourable impression. There are always the remains of
wrecks around the sides of the bay, and the gaunt ribs
and timbers of these forsaken hulks, partially broken up,
suggest the danger of the navigation south of the Good
Hope. However, we have not long to wait ; the health officer and
pilot are soon on board, and we enter the docks, where a
motley assemblage is met to greet the arrivals. Gruff"
husbands on the look-out for their wives ; parents for their
children ; merchants for their partners and correspondents ;
&c. The actual steaming time is even shorter than the famous passages
of the same company's steamers Durban and Pretoria; the longest run
in one day was 357 knots, and the average speed throughout the voyage
was i3'46. Since writing the above, yet faster speed has been attained.
On the 1 8th September, 1881, the Pretoria, Captain Larmer, arrived in
Plymouth from the Cape, having made the fastest run known. She left
Cape Town on August 30 at 4.50 p.m., eight hours after the ill-fated
Teuton sailed out of the port of Algoa Bay, St; Helena, 4th September,
9.30 P.M.; and Madeira, 14th, 10A.M. The length of passage was 18 days,
II hours, 15 minutes, or with 5 hours 25 minutes' total detentions ex
cluded, the actual steaming time was 18 days, 5 hours, 50 minutes. The
time occupied in the run to Plymouth from Madeira was 3 days, 18
hours. The Durban, of the same company's service, had hitherto made
the best run, having reached Plymouth on July 24, i88i, viA St. Helena,
in a passage of 18 days, 17 hours, 35 minutes; minus detentions, actual
steaming time 18 days, 9 hours, 10 minutes. The Pretoria has earned
. on this occasion about £1,000 as premium alone for her quick work,
this being outside the regular mail subsidy. It is the largest sum ever
granted.
K 2

132 On Board a Union Steamer.
consignees for their bills of lading ; staff-officers from the
castle to order the military on board to proceed to Durban
instead of landing ; and, of course, the German missionaries
to tranship their expectant brides to a steamer just about to
start for Walvisch Bay. The greetings are tender on the
side of the rougher sex ; of the fairer ones several seem to
feel more than they dare express the adieux of the gay
militaires, whose cartes-de-visite, I fear, will not be exhibited
to the religious and stern but homely husbands. Although
well south of Capricorn, the sun in January is not to be
despised or laughed at in Cape Town ; seldom within the
tropics even do the solar rays appear to have more power,
although Cape Town cannot by any means be called one of
the hottest places to be found, at least according to ther
mometer measurement, for the climate is certainly temperate,
averaging only 64°7, viz., mean winter temperature 58°5, sum
mer 73°2. Yet Sir John Herschel, when Astronomer Royal
at the Cape, was wont to have his mutton-chop cooked for
him at the Observatory by means of a tinned copper vessel
with a glass cover, on which the sun's rays were concentrated
by a parabolic reflector (a process recently tried on a larger
scale at Bombay). Still one never hears of coup de soleil or
heat apoplexy. Not that I have ever come across a case of
coup de soleil proper except once, when. Lord Brougham
brought some of his investigations and discoveries with regard
to light before the Academic at Paris, when the table before
him was covered with a certain arrangement of knife edges
for producing refraction of luminous rays. Now it appears
the apparatus was constructed by a M. Soleil, an eminent
optician. Lord Brougham, whilst preparing his experiments,
was pierced in the corner of his eye by one of these knife
edges, causing blood to flow somewhat freely, so that the
lecture had to be suspended. M. Arago, the Republican
Astronomer, appealed for the indulgence of the audience to
the lecturer, who he could state truly was sufifering from coup
de soleil. But hot as the sun is, the waters of Table Bay are
the reverse — they are icy cold — owing to an antarctic current
which sets along the coast from the south, bearing icebergs
and floes within a few degrees ; indeed there is a tradition
that a huge iceberg was once stranded in Table Bay itself,
but I have never seen the authentic account of it. But as,
according to some scientist.s, the reflex waves of the gigantic
convulsions by which icebergs are borne in the antarctic
glaciers cause the rollers as far north as St. Helena and
Ascension, how do these huge waves apparently miss the

Icebergs near the Cape. 133
Cape, whilst the icebergs* reach it .? I can answer for the
coldness of the water in the harbour, for at the very first
opportunity I had on New Year's Day in 1877, feehng the
atmosphere oppressive, I was taking a header from the pier
at the entrance to the docks, expecting to enjoy a long swim
out in the cool sea-water, but the moment I jumped in I
made myself aware what a mistake I had made ; the water
was like snow-ice just melted, and I speedily climbed out
again, finding I could only remain in a very short time.
Underneath this wooden pier where I was bathing I found
a perfect aquarium of marine treasures, including zoophytes
of strange forms.
No sooner does the voyager land at the docks than the
familiar sight of hansom cabs greets his eyes, and a drive of
ten minutes soon brings him to the metropolis of South
Africa. The broad streets and squares of Cape Town pre
sent a curious admixture of English and Dutch architecture.
Still, at first sight, in the neighbourhood of the railway
station the aspect is more European than African. The huge,
ugly Dutch church in the centre of the town — where the
services are conducted in Dutch, the sermons (such dreary
ones) preached in Dutch, and Dutch versions of the Psalms
sung to the antique tunes dating from the time of Luther —
and the castle are the most conspicuous of the old Hollanders'
public buildings. The shops in Adderley Street are of cer
tain pretension, quite equal to those in most English provin
cial towns, and nearly all the private houses are surrounded
with compounds enclosing ornamental shrubs and trees. The
streets themselves are also well planted with oak-trees {Quercus
cesculus), willows, poplars, pines, the lilac-like melia, and the
silver tree {Leucadendron argenteum), which give an air of
fertility to the otherwise arid city.
However, being only visitors from the steamer, our time is
limited, and we pass the English cathedral — a most unpre
tentious-looking church — and enter an umbrageous avenue
which leads to Government House, in the enclosure surround
ing which are ostriches and Numidian cranes, whose gardens
are on the left, whilst on the right are the public gardens,
where we first perceive that we are actually in another hemi
sphere. On entering the gates we are struck with the tall
Eucalypti resiniferi, whose pendulous blue-green leaves and
aromatic odour unmistakably proclaim their origin. Sur-
* Many icebergs were observed near the Cape as low as 36° S., some,
one hundred feet high, in April, 1828 ; another small iceberg reached
latitude 35° in 1850, outside False Bay.

134 On Board a Union Steamer.
rounding a plot of grass, on which is a sun-dial, are fine
specimens of zamias and encephalartos with cycads, and,
beyond, a rather tangled jungle, in which are mixed strelitzias
with latanias amid groves of brugmansia and Plumbago
Capensis, and oleanders. Native queer-looking testudinarias ,
or elephant's feet, are mingled with agaves and Cassia florida.
Gardenias of course abound, both cultivated and wild, and
proteas, with fine arborescent euphorbias, with their strangely-
contorted candelabra-like branches, are conspicuous. In
tanks are the sweet-smelling aponogeton and Crinum aqua-
ticum, and at their edges Richardias. We note especially,
among the musads, Musa ensete twenty feet high, with leaves
eleven feet in length and two feet six inches wide, circum
ference three feet. Surely this wild musad is a worthy pro
genitor of the cultivated African plantain. On all sides,
growing in profusion, are palms, such as phoenix and cocos of
sorts, and African oil-palms. Oreodoxas and the ravenale,
with bananas and heliconias, wigandias, polygalas, Ixia
sparaxis and gladiolus, and numerous native heaths, with
liliums, begonias, draccenas, and fine araucarias (both excelsa
and imbricata) ; but, alas ! little scientific research has hitherto
been carried on in the way of botany. At one end of the
gardens is the public library and museum. These combined
establishments are (or rather were when I last visited them)
hardly creditable to the great colony which supports them.*
A great improvement has lately been made in the manage
ment of these institutions.
The South African Library absorbs a large amount of
* The Botanic Garden in Cape Town appears to have been estab
lished by Sir Harry Smith in 1848 ; the ground was given by the Govern
ment, with £yx) a year, to be met by an equal sum to be raised by
subscription. The rest of the expenditure was to be defrayed by the
profits from the sale of the plants. Sir William Hooker was consulted by
the Secretary of State for the Colonies at the time, and Kew has always
maintained an active correspondence with it. The late superintendent,
Mr. McGibbon, was appointed in 1830, and his annual reports tell a
continuous story of an arduous struggle, with crippled means and inca
pacity from other difficulties, to make the establishment worthy of its
position. Mr. McGibbon has now been pensioned. Since then Professor
MacOwen, late of Gill College, Somerset East, has accepted the post of
Director of the Botanic Garden, Cape Town, and he also lectures at the
South African College. This appointment of a man whose long and
enthusiastic devotion to South African botany has earned him a wide
reputation, is generally to the credit of the official trustees and the
present Cape Government, and it is a good omen for the scientific future
of the Cape Botanic Garden. As observed before, this estabhshment has
never yet attained the position which it would naturally derive from the
resources of one of the most interesting floras in the world.

77/1;' Herbarium of Cape Town. 135
public money, yet, as far as standard works of reference go,
in such branches of science as anatomy, chemistry, mineralogy,
natural philosophy, &c., are concerned, it is lamentably defi
cient, and unaccountably so, considering the demands of
these departments* and the standing of some of the directors.
The only sums voted for purely original scientific work are
those for geological researches, and for the meteorological
commission. With the exception of the first of these, which
amounts to ;^ 1,500, research is only fostered by some four
hundred pounds. f
The Colonial Herbarium of Cape Town has a fine collec
tion of types of the very highest value to Cape botany —
those arranged and classified by Dr. Harvey.:]: It has the
collection of Dr. Pappe, the late colonial botanist, consisting
of thousands of species, which were bought by a former
Government for some ;£'200. Other collections, more or less
valuable, are also in the herbarium ; but, alas ! the greater part
of these most interesting and valuable plants has been
destroyed by rain leaking through the roof of the library
buildings in which the collections are kept, and Dr. Rehman,
the Austrian botanist, found -whole fasciculi destroyed.
This museum was founded by Sir George Grey in 1855,
with Sir Thomas Maclean, the then Astronomer Royal, Dr.
Pappe, alluded to above, and Mr. Rawson as the trustees.
For fifteen years Mr. Layard was its most efficient curator,
and lately ]\ir. Roland Trimen (now in England), has done
the utmost possible during the scanty hours when not
employed on his official civil duty.
The library is hospitably thrown open to strangers and
visitors, and during the hottest days I have found it a delight
fully cool retreat, where books of reference on all subjects
connected with South Africa can be consulted. In the
museum there is a most perfect collection of the birds of
South Africa, with geological specimens and other objects of
interest in natural history. Notably some remarkably well-
* See Cape Town Standard and Mail, April 7th, 1877.
t Mr. T. B. Johnston's Map of South Africa (Cape Town, Juta ;
London, Longmans & Co.) is drawn on a scale of forty miles to the inch,
and extends north to lat. 21° S. It is evidently based upon official docu
ments not generally available in this country, exhibits the new political
divisions, including those of the territory recently " proclaimed " or
" reserved " in Damara Land, and will answer well for purposes of
reference. X Vide Harvey and Sondor's Flora Capensis, (Lovell Reeve.)
Harvey's Thesaurus Capensis, and " Harvey's Genera of South African
Plants."

136 On Board a Union Steamer.
articulated skeletons of big snakes. The whole collection is
most systematically arranged, thanks, I believe, to Mr. R.
Trimen and Mr. Layard. Dr. P. L. Sclater, F.R.S., gives the
following note on the Zoological Bibliography of South
Africa :— *
" Sir Andrew Smith's' Illustrations of the Zoology of South
Africa ' constitute four solid octavo volumes, devoted to the
new and rare vertebrates met with during that energetic
traveller's many explorations of the Cape Colony and the
adjoining districts. But there is no perfect list of the Cape
fauna given in Sir Andrew Smith's work, and Mr. Layard's
' Birds of South Africa,' though not very completely elabor
ated, was, therefore, a most acceptable and convenient work
to the ornithologist. Still more agreeable will it be to
witness the completion of the new and enlarged edition
of Mr. Layard's little volume which Mr. Sharpe has under
taken, and of which he has just issued the first part.
Another much-to-be-recommended bird-book belonging to
this sub-region is Mr. J. H. Gurney's ' Birds of Damara-
land,' founded on the extensive collection of the late C J.
Anderson. No less than 428 species of birds were obtained
by this indefatigable collector, and the task of editing his
field-notes has been well performed by Mr. Gurney."
Leaving the town, we take a walk along the valley between
the Lion's Rump and Table Mountain towards False Bay,
and ascending the back of the mountain get a tolerably hasty
idea of the native flora of the south-western portion of Cape
Colony. The iridacce are most plentiful of all colours, and
good collections of these and other Cape bulbs of similar
habit are obtainable in the town, and will be found most
acceptable presents to ship home by the return Union
steamer. Again, there are numerous compositae, such as
asters, quantities of the large yellow- flowered thistle or Mex
ican poppy, diosmece, bruniacice, penezacce, restiacece, ericacece,
and the mesembryanthece, and of course the geraniacece, with
numberless heath-like flowering dumose plants of the legu
minous order.
If time permits, we take the rail to Wynberg, some eight
miles distant, and visit the vineyards at Constantine. The
rural scenery from Rondeboosch and about Wynberg is
delightfully wooded after passing the desolate-looking Cape
flats, where cobras and the dreaded puff-adder {Clotho arietans)
have their home, with charming peeps of the Table Moun-
* Address to Biological section D, British Association, Sept., 1875.

Ways and Manners of Ostriches. 137
tain at different angles of view through the odoriferous pine
woods. Nor should a visit be omitted to the observatory,
where Lacaille's "Caelum Australe Stelliferum" was composed,
and where the present eminent Astronomer Royal, D, Gill,
Esq., follows not unworthily in the footsteps of his celebrated
predecessor.

CHAPTER VII.
Leaving Cape Town — Cape Point — Wreck of the Teuton — Mossel Bay
— Local Storms — The Agulhas Bank — Algoa Bay — Coast of Kaf
fraria — Wreck of the Grosvenor — Durban.
If we intend proceeding by the same steamer, there is not
time allowed for more than this hurried scamper in the
environs of the town ; if time permitted we might take the rail
to Worcester, a hundred miles away, scaring flocks of ostriches,*
which speed away over the plains at the approach of the
train as it traverses the sunburnt tracts ; past Paarl and
Wellington, before it reaches the trim white Dutch houses
with their stoups and tiled roofs — a veritable sleepy-hollow
* " These strange birds generally stalked at the head of the procession,
and appeared to be on most excellent terms with all the domestic
animals. Occasionally one would deviate to the right or left of the track
to peck a mouthful of grass, but as soon as the drover would leave the
road and shout at it, it would immediately fall into its proper place and
march forward with the utmost demure gravity, as if to be guilty of an
infringement of rules was the last thing it would think of Ostriches
always have an intensely stupid look, but they are not nearly such fools
as the uninitiated would take them for ; and although the most timid
creatures on the earth when in a state of nature, in captivity or when
domesticated, they are bold and dangerous, more especially the males.
Horse or rider indiscriminately they will attack, walking up to the object
of their indignation with a quiet, measured stride, never evincing for a
moment the slightest evidence of hostihty — in fact, looking such fools
that no one would imagine them capable of inimical ideas — when, with a
quick movement, done with great strength and velocity, they raise their
foot and strike forward, the edges of the toes being so sharp that they
will cut your clothes the whole length of the stroke. As they are too
valuable to be knocked on the head, perhaps you turn to run from them,
but their speed is such that an attempt thus to elude them is useless.
The only plan then to be pursued is to throw yourself down, and he still
on your face or back. They cannot kick you in these positions, but they
will jump on you and trample all over you. While this operation is
going on you may give vent to your feelings and satisfy your self-esteem
by bestowing upon them a few reminders that two can play at the same
game." — Parker Gillmore (Ubique).

138 On Board a Union Steamer.
transported from Holland to this oasis — in a low basin under
the barren mountains, 6,000 feet high, which are capped with
snow in the winter time^the source of the Breede River,
which runs far away eastward, past Zwellendam into Sebas
tian Bay, The streets are laid out in the most symmetrical
lines, intersecting each other, and at each crossing one has
to step over the little streams of water that run along the
pavements. Long rows of poplars and blue gum-trees shade
the houses and shops in front and behind. Such orchards !
Pears, fig and plum and peach trees breaking under their load
of fruit. The Hex River keeps the little town well irrigated
by canals led off from it, and the shade is so pleasant that
one scarcely feels the heat reflected from the red-hot oven
like ravines of the mountain sides. Here the visitor will
have an opportunity of seeing the baboons {Cynocephalus
porcarius) in their native wilds. Here is an extract from a
letter lately received, giving the first iihpressions of the visitor,
fresh from Europe : —
" The most curious thing I saw in our little trip was a
party of wild baboons. I suppose they are not new to you,
in 3'our many travels, but I had never seen the creatures in
their native wilds before, and they gave me quite a shock.
They had come down from the mountains to drink at a
' vley,' past which we happened to be driving, and we got
wonderfully near to them before the scouts gave the alarm.
How dreadfully human they looked as they scampered off,
their babies clinging to them I and one old fellow, after he
had got to a safe distance, stood up on his proper legs, put
his hand on his forehead as if to shade his eyes from the
sun, and stared at us in the most impertinent manner. He
only needed an eye-glass to look quite civilized I "
There are plenty of other excursions for the voyager who
has leisure, past Wynberg, with its pine groves and its
hotels, to the celebrated inn, of ancient renown, called after
its first proprietor, " Farmer Pecks." On the quaint old sign
board is a painting popularly supposed to represent the
Shepherd of Salisbury Plain, and further adorned with the
following quaint polyglot advertisement : —
" Multum in parvo, pro bono publico,
Entertainment for man and beast, all of a row.
Lekker kost ! as much as you please.
Excellent beds, but plenty of fleas.
Nos patriam fugimus ! now we are here,
¦Vivamus, let us live by selling beer.
On donne k boire et k manger ici !
Come in and try it, whoever you be."

Colonel Carrington' s Valour. 139
This superscription is attributed to a learned captain of
the navy, senior officer on the station in years long gone by :
also to Kalk Bay, a charming watering-place, with seaweed-
covered rocks for bathing-machines, where, however, often
sea-fogs as cold as any Scotch mists are not unfrequent, and
to Simon's Town, where the waters of the bay are warmer
than at Cape Town, where the Government Naval Establish
ment is, and the head-quarters of the commodore.
We are not sorry to say good-bye to the smells and stinks
of Cape Town, and after calling at the post-office to post our
home letters, hear of the recent robbery there, by which
several thousand pounds worth of diamonds were made away
with : another hansom whirls us past the dried-fish estab
lishments and bathing-piers, back to the docks, and we are
not sorry to sit down to the good English fare at the saloon
table, after the poorly-served meals obtainable at the
decidedly uncomfortable hotels in the town. I should advise
all those having friends at Cape Town, civil or military, to
speedily find their way to the regimental messes, and the
really capital club.
It is cooler as we round Green Point and its lighthouses in
the late afternoon, and begin to count the distorted crags of
unfossiliferous old sandstone, inappropriately called " The
Twelve Apostles," as the number is indefinite. As we move
south, we get quite a different view of Table Mountain, with
its horizontal strata of argillaceous and ferruginous schists,
elevated on the grey granite upheaved beneath, and we pass
the real Cape, and Cape Point Lighthouse, on clififs over 800
feet high, before evening closes, and cross the entrance of
False Bay ; getting good departure-bearings off" the Bellows'
Rock. Our original party is somewhat diminished, but there are
additions, and the vessel is as crowded as ever, as not only is
there considerable passenger traffic along the southern ports,
but more troops have been put on board, bound for Durban,
and numerous volunteers to join Carrington's horse, and some
gunners for the Artillery troop of the Cape Mounted Rifles,
which troop, organized originally by Major Robinson, R.A.,
is now effectually commanded hy Captain G. E. Giles, who
has done rare good service, both against Secocoeni and the
Basutos. Carrington, who is now a colonel, was, till lately, only a subal
tern in the unfortunate 24th Foot, but, like Hodson,of Hodson's
Horse, Fane, of Fane's Horse, and such irregular leaders, is
a chevalier sans peur et sans reproche, a true leader of men.

140 On Board a Union Steamer.
and destined to be a great soldier. I never came across a
man (with one or two exceptions) as hard or as tough a cus
tomer to deal with ; a thorough sportsman, and a devoted
soldier, he has already made a name for himself which will
not be forgotten. The fresh importation of Cavalrymen and
Highlanders adds additional zest to the conversation at the
dinner-table, and we hear of all the latest gossip from the
disturbed districts ; and many hairbreadth escapes and adven
tures, sporting, serious and comic, keep us up beyond the
usual hour. How Lambert of the 21st escaped, and how
poor Elliott the paymaster was shot ; together with an
account of the murderous surprise of the 94th Regiment,
under Lieutenant-Colonel Anstruther.
We leave Cape Hangklip on our beam as it gets dark, and
at dinner the conversation is sure to turn on the loss of the
Birkenhead thirty years ago on the rocks near Danger Point,
and of the Celt, wrecked near Quoin Point, in February,
1875 ; but the greatest interest naturally attaches to the most
recent catastrophe, the melancholy story of the Teuton, which
we proceed to give at length. It is as follows : —
Whilst the agents of the Union Company at Cape Town
were congratulating themselves on the rapid run of the
Durban, on Wednesday afternoon, 31st August, 1881, and
had assembled to see her dock, news was received of the
wreck of the Teuton, and the terrible loss of life with which
it was accompanied. The first intimation was the arrival of
a boat at Simon's Bay, in charge of the carpenter, containing
fourteen persons. Another boat in charge of the boatswain,
with thirteen persons on board, arrived very shortly after
wards. The following was telegraphed. Short, but how
significant ! —
" Teuton set south-east course by compass, eight miles due
south of Cape Point, at 2 P.M., Tuesday, 30th August, 1881.
Second officer's watch ; compass error 22° W.
"At 4.50 P.M. captain altered course to south-east-half-
east. " At S P.M. chief officer took charge.
"At 6.30 thirdofficer relieved chief for dinner. Danger Point
passed about 5.30 P.M. during chiefs watch ; apparently five
miles offi
" At 6.4S P.M. captain altered course to south-east.
" At 7.20 P.M. ship struck off Quoin Point, land apparently
four miles distant ; moonlight ; fine, clear over head, hazy
over shore. Neither breakers nor beach observed. Teuton
stood off, then returned towards Simon's Bay.

Passage of the Teuton Steamer. 141
" At 9 P.M. boats lowered to rail and provisioned.
" At 10 P.M. water was over 'tween decks hatch in No. 2
hold ; ship was stopped to lower boats ; seven boats lowered ;
only one loaded women and children, and two sailors ;
second boat commencing to load when ship foundered, at
10.50 P.M., sucking in everything. All compartments
forward of engine-room filled. Engine-room free up to time
of foundering, then supposed bulkhead burst and ship foun
dered instantly.
" All those saved, except Lizzie Ross, Hirst and Walken-
shaw, sank with ship and scrambled into boats afterwards.
" Two boats reached Simon's Bay, one Table Bay.
" No change was made in crew here, except surgeon.
" Captain at dinner when ship struck ; thereafter remained
on bridge until ship foundered.
"Good discipline. No confusion. Passengers behaved
splendidly." The passengers from England on board after the vessel
landed those for Cape Town numbered 162 ; the crew was
eighty-five strong, and, adding the twenty-five coolies, the
total human freight for places east of Cape Town was 272.
Of these, thirty-six persons, including only eleven passengers,
were saved ; therefore the total loss of life, so far as can be
ascertained up to the present, is 236. The Teuton made the
passage to the Cape in twenty-three days, three days less
than the time allowed under the contract for carrying the
Royal mails to even the larger and more modern steamers,
such as the Pretoria and the Durban, the tonnage and the
horse-power of the engines of each being twice those of the
Teuton. About eleven the same night a third boat reached Table
Bay, in charge of the second officer, containing the third and
fourth officers, three sailors, two firemen, and one coolie, all
of whom went down with the ship, but on coming to the
surface reached a boat floating bottom upwards, which, after
much exertion, they righted, and in which they made their
way to Table Bay. The captain was last seen on the bridge,
where he had been from the time the vessel struck. The
saved speak in the highest terms of the order and discipline
maintained on board. There is hardly one passenger
amongst the saved who has not lost a wife and children.
Captain Manning was accounted one of the most careful and
cautious of captains, and was considered to be never animated
with a desire to make quick passages. The carpenter, who
was in the forecastle head shortly before the ship struck, says

142 On Board a Union Steamer.
she was not unusually close to land. Her Majesty's ship
Dido was despatched to the scene within two hours of the
news arriving, and the Union Company's steamer Danube the
next morning. Both vessels made a thorough search, but
found nothing. The Kinfauns Castle, which passed over the
same ground the next afternoon, also saw nothing. A brig
antine arrived at Mossel Bay with one of the boats, which
she had picked up ofif Cape Point. The gunwale of this
boat was broken off, and the stem torn out, and it is supposed
to be the upper boat which contained the women and chil
dren. The Court consisted of Mr. J. Campbell, R.M., assisted by
Captains May and Penfold, nautical assessors. Mr. Advocate
Upington, Q.C, appeared to represent the Union Company ;
Mr. Advocate Jones was asked to watch the proceedings on
behalf of the relatives of the deceased captain ; and Mr. J.
C O'Riley appeared to watch the proceedings on behaff of
Mr. Diver, the third officer.
Mr. C Forder, the second officer of the Teuton, was first
examined, and stated that he himself was in charge of the
deck and took the bearings up to within two or three hours
of the disaster, when he was relieved at five in the evening.
Point Danger was nine or ten miles distant, and the captain
altered the course south-east to south-east half-east, and the
course he set would have taken the vessel five or six miles
off Danger Point. They struck at seven in the evening, and
when he went on deck he saw the land about three or four
miles off. The weather was fine at the time and clear over
head, with a white haze over the horizon. After the ship
struck she heeled over and then went on. There was only
one perceptible shock. After striking she never appeared
to lose her helm, but answered it. Gradually, however, she
sank by the head, and her final plunge was sudden and unex
pected. From' the time the vessel struck until she foundered
perfect order was maintained on board. Captain Manning
was cool and collected, and so were all the other officers. The
passengers were very orderly ; indeed, there was not a
murmur or a cry of any kind, and they readily obeyed every
order given. The Teuton carried a full and efficient crew
and was well furnished with boats, and when she left Simon's
Bay was staunch and well found.
Mr. Wm. Oswall Diver, third officer of the Teuton, stated
that he was in charge of the deck at the time of the disaster.
The course given him by the chief officer was SE. half E.,
and he personally satisfied himself that the ship was being

The Augulhas Light sighted. 143
steered by the course given. Shortly before seven o'clock
the captain came on the bridge and altered the course to
SE., and at the same time took a good look round. During
that time witness was on watch. The lead was not hove.
It was not the custom to do so, as they only hove it once in
every two hours. At about twenty minutes after seven he
felt a slight shock, with a grating noise, as if the ship was
passing over something, and she heeled slightly to starboard.
The helm was immediately put hard-a-port and the ship at
once answered it. By this time the captain was on deck,
but none of them could see land after the shock any more
than he could see it before. The land appeared-distant
three or four miles. For half an hour after striking there
was no perceptible difference in the flotation of the ship or
in her -speed, which was about twelve knots. After she
began to show signs of settling from twenty to thirty cases
of "t argo were thrown overboard. Then came the order for
the boats to be got out. There was a general order that
none of the crew were to get into the boats. The ship was
stopped when the boats were lowered. There was no con
fusion amongst the boats. They were quietly waiting for
orders, and there was only one alongside the gangway.
The boat with the women and children was being lowered,
and the order came for the starboard cutter to be lowered,
when there was a sudden clash as if something had given
way, with a rush of water forward, and the ship went down
bows foremost. From the time he took the charge of the
ship from the chief officer until she sunk there was no oppor
tunity of testing where she was. The captain, when he came
on deck, simply inquired " How did this happen .'" They all
believed themselves to be off Quoin Point. After striking,
the ship was sheered off for about a quarter of an hour until
a report was made as to the depth of water in her. Four
feet and a half of water was reported in her hold an hour
after she struck. After striking, her head was shaped N. by
N., and no immediate danger was at that time apprehended.
He believed there was not 2. drop of water in the engine-
room up to the time of her foundering. He saw no indica
tions of broken water where she struck, but about five
minutes afterwards they sighted Agulhas Light for the first
time. Mr. J. W. B. Turner, fourth officer of the Teuton, deposed
that immediately after she struck the wells were sounded,
and a foot of water was reported. The land was on the
port quarter, about four miles off. It was low land, with a

1 44 On Board a Union Steamer.
slight haze hanging over it. There was no order to get the
boats out until eight o'clock, when he was directed to get
them ready for lowering. He was at work swinging out the
boats from eight until a quarter to eleven, being two hours
and three-quarters at them. When the first boat was lowered
the vessel was rolling, and almost immediately afterwards
she went down. He could give no reason why more passen
gers were not got into the boats. It was a fine starlit night,
with only a ground swell and no breaking water, and there
was no danger in lowering the boats.
Samuel Roberts, carpenter of the Teuton, stated that he
sounded the wells just before the ship struck and there was
scarcely any water in them. He sounded them immediately
after striking, and the depth of water varied in the four wells
from fifteen to two inches. Half an hour afterwards there
was a depth of two feet six inches. At a quarter after eight
the forward wells showed a depth of six feet. The two
others showed no material alteration until nine o'clock, when
the water commenced to rise there also, notwithstanding that
the pumps were kept constantly going. Subsequent soundings
showed that the depth of water increased up to twelve feet
six inches in the forehold, but in the afterhold he never got
more than about nine inches. The women and children were
then passed into one of the boats, and other boats had been
got out when what appeared to be a great wave swept in
over the ship and she went down by the head. He had no
reason to think the bulkheads of the Teuton were defective,
and if bulkheads would keep ships afloat he saw no reason
why the Teuton should not be kept afloat. The Teuton was
divided by six bulkheads, and he felt no apprehension of
danger at any time.
John Paddon, boatswain, gave similar evidence.
Joseph Allen, a passenger, stated that it was a matter of
conversation amongst the passengers that the boats were not
lowered ; but they sat quietly, having every confidence in
those who were managing the vessel. Two or three other
passengers were examined, but their evidence threw no light
upon the cause of the disaster.
The Teuton, which had for some time ceased to run as an
ocean mail steamer, was originally engaged in the China
trade, and was then known as the Glenartney. About four
years ago she was lengthened, and a poop deck put on her.
She was of 2,313 tonnage and 1,800 horse-power. She had
been commanded by Captain Manning for several years.
He was universally spoken of in terms of the highest com-

The Captain a Capable Navigator. 145
mendation, as a capable navigator, of a careful turn of mind
and unassuming and kindly in his manners. Mr. Wardroper,
the chief officer, formerly sailed in the Lady Selborne, a
well-known vessel engaged in the Cape trade. The surgeon.
Dr. Rose-Innes, had been for some time on the Danube, and
had transferred to the Teuton on her arrival at Cape Town
with the view of returning home in her, as he had been
summoned to Scotland for the purpose of giving evidence in
an important action-at-law. Mr. Purkiss, the chief steward,
had only shipped in the Teuton just before leaving Southamp
ton, having taken the place of Mr. Duncan, who, strange to
say, also left the American on the very voyage prior to her
going down. The following is the narrative of Mr. Kromm,
a first-class passenger : —
" We left Table Bay with a light SE. wind shortly after ten
o'clock on Tuesday morning. Nothing occurred worthy of
mention until we came off Quoin Point. The evening was
beautifully fine, the moon was shining, the stars were over
head, and there was not the slightest sign of fog or vapour.
We could make out the land-line perfectly, and could see
even the sandy shore, which did not appear to me to be more
than a mile distant. Suddenly, without any warning what
ever, the ship struck. I do not know who the officer was on
watch. It was not the chief officer, for he was sitting with
me at table. We had just finished dinner, and were sipping
coffee. The captain had the cup of coffee in his hand and
it was shaken out of his hold, so violent was the concussion.
The whole table was swept of glass and dinner ware, which
fell on to the port side, showing us that the ship had been
struck on the port side. After striking she shivered like an
aspen leaf and heeled over to port. There was some little
confusion ; the women shrieked, and there was a general rush
on deck. The order kept on deck was admirable, and officers
and men vied in their efforts at soothing passengers. The
pumps were immediately sounded, and it was found that the
fore-compartment was leaking. The boats were slung out
and provisioned with biscuit and water within half an hour
of the ship striking. The passengers were all ordered on to
the poops, and were directed to sit quietly until they were
told off to the boats. The doctor was in charge of the
passengers. All this time the ship was settling down gradu
ally by the head. Volunteers were called for from amongst
the male passengers for the pumps, and there was a ready
response. After striking the ship's head had been put round
to westward, evidently with the hope of reaching Simon's
L

146 On Board a Union Steamer.
Bay. There was a little south-east wind with a slight jobble
of the sea on. It was between a quarter and half-past seven
o'clock when the ship struck, and for three hours she had
kept on her way, and everything was orderly on board. At
half-past ten the ship's head was so down that her stern was
out of the water, and her screw was of little use. The cap
tain now gave orders for the starboard waist lifeboat to be
lowered, and the women and children to be put in. This
was done. The ship was now hardly moving, for her propel
ler was out of the water. The engines were stopped and the
steam blown off. The starboard quarter boat had already been
lowered, and was ordered alongside to receive passengers.
This was the first time I had heard Captain Manning's voice.
" Why don't you," he cried, " hurry up and get the boat along
side .¦¦ " No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the
ship gave a dip, and in less than a minute she appeared to
make a somersault. Seeing this, I jumped overboard at her
port quarter. I could not swim, but I was fearful of being
carried down by the suction, and I hoped to be picked up by
the port quarter boat, which had been lowered some time. I
struggled about, and at last came across a teak-wood casing,
used for covering the iron bollards on deck. I tried to get on
to it but it kept revolving, and twice threw me away from it
I at last, however, got a good grip of it in position, and must
have held on to it for twenty minutes or half an hour, when I
saw at a short distance one of the boats showing a light. My
cries for help brought them to me in about five minutes, and
I was taken into the carpenter's boat. We succeeded in
taking three men off a boat which was bottom upwards.
The other boat came alongside of us, and we divided passen
gers and rowed about and picked up, I think, five people.
We heard a few cries. The bulk of the passengers must
have gone down in the vortex. They were on the poop, and
when the ship went down head first they would be precipi
tated into the water, and be drawn down by the suction of the
vessel. She went down like a streak of lightning. I could
not have believed it possible that a vessel would have gone
down so suddenly. There was a loud crashing of timber, an
escape of steam, a wild rush of water, and the Teuton was
out of sight. We only saw some wreckage floating about.
I am almost certain that the boat with the women and chil
dren in it was fastened by a rope to the vessel ; at any rate
it did not get clear of the vortex. The moonlight enabled
us to see everything distinctly, and we could not see anything
of the boat with the women. After pulling around the spot

Report of the Boatswain. 147
for half an hour, the course of the two boats was made for
Simon's Bay. The crew pulled all night. The men were
most orderly and well-behaved, and did all they could. Sail
was got on the boat at daybreak. There was then a fresh
breeze and an ugly jobble of the sea which compelled us to
keep baling. We had a double-reefed sail during the fore
noon, but as the wind freshened another reef was taken in,
and even then we found she had as much sail as she could
carry. We got up to Cape Point, and were about five miles
off from it between eleven and twelve. We overran ten or
twelve miles in mistaking the entrance to Simon's Bay, and
but for this we should have arrived earlier in the bay than we
did. The carpenter's boat, which was a better sailer than ours
and had made a direct run, arrived there first. In fact, she
ran out of our sight altogether."
The boatswain states, " I had reported all the boats swung
out to the chief officer as usual, and he went below to get his
dinner. I had hardly got to the forecastle when the ship
struck. The pumps were sounded and set to work, but they
could not keep the water down. The boats were lowered
and provisioned by 9 P.M., and everything was ready to pass
the passengers in when there was a sudden crash, the ship
having sunk bow first. I was carried down by the ship, and
on rising caught hold of a spar and was afterwards picked
up by the carpenter's boat. There was not the slightest con
fusion on board. The ship sank most suddenly. I think the
forward bulkhead must have given way. The last I saw of
the captain was on the bridge, which, with the wheel-house,
deck-house and funnel, seemed to go at once. No one
thought she would sink so fast as she did. We reached
Simon's Bay about 2 P.M."
Mr. John Cooper, another passenger, who lost his wife and
family, thus describes the scene : —
" Our ship struck at half-past 7 P.M., and from that time
till a quarter to eleven we were all doing our utmost to save
the ship. The greatest order prevailed. The boats were all
provisioned and ready to receive the passengers and crew,
but the captain delayed in transferring us to the boats in the
hope of his ship being able to reach port. At about a
quarter of an hour before the vessel went down, I came back
to where my wife and family were gathered, having been
assisting at the pumps, I was drenched, and my family all
got round me, when my daughter Alice commenced singing
the hymn, 'Abide with Me,' in which we all joined, and
endeavoured to cheer one another. All at once the ship gave
L 2

148 On Board a Union Steamer.
a sudden plunge, bow first, and carried us all under water.
We all went down together, my wife and children in my
embrace, just as we were standing ; but somehow we became
separated, and I saw them no more. Giving myself up at
last, I took in as much water as I could, so as to die as
quickly as possible ; but I remember lifting my hands in the
attitude of prayer and saying, ' Father, Thy will be done ! '
when I immediately rose to the surface, and then caught
hold of some of the wreckage, from which I was afterwards
taken by a boat, and after twelve hours' sailing I landed here
alive — but all alone — deprived of those so dear to me."
Miss Ross, who is referred to as the only woman saved,
seem's to have shown remarkable courage and self-possession.
She had gone out with her parents and a young sister from
Glasgow. It was her father's intention to settle in Cape
Town, but on landing, there he did not like the place and
decided to go on to Port Elizabeth, to see what could be
done there. Miss Ross could swim a little, and although
encumbered with her heavy clothing, she saved herself when
the ship went down by striking out for and getting hold of
some spars and other wreckage until she was picked up.
Although overwhelmed with grief at the fate of her parents
she gives an exceedingly clear account of what happened
among the passengers. She states that just after dinner
a shock was felt through the vessel. The passengers
— especially the ladies — felt some passing alarm, but most
of the male passengers supposed it was only some ordinary
accident, which the ship's people would be able to deal
with. They were called up on deck, when the doctor and
chief officer told them there was no immediate danger, and
that they were to be calm, for if the ship did sink the boats
would save them. Between eight and nine o'clock the
engineman and fireman came up and said the ship was in
danger of going down. Then the chief officer told the
passengers they would have to take to the boats. Even then
the passengers, though much excited, were not in any
immediate fear for their safety, as the boats were being got
ready and the land was so near. The doctor, who was
perfectly cool and collected, assembled them all on the poop,
and told them to keep their seats exactly where he place"d
them, so that the women and children might be got into the
boats first. He called out, "If any man gets up, I will
knock him down." One man did attempt to cross over to
his wife when she called him, but the doctor instantly pushed
him back into his seat again, saying that the slightest dis-

Miss Ross Saved. 149
order would lead to the swamping of the boats, but if they
were all quiet they would all get in safely. After that not a
single passenger rose from his or her seat till called. Be
tween ten and eleven o'clock they were ordered into the boats.
Miss Ross handed in one child that was clinging to her dress,
and in answer to the appeal of a fellow-passenger had taken
another baby into the boat with her when it capsized.
Mothers and children were lost in an instant. One lady
passenger had wrapped her baby so tightly in her shawl,
that a ship's officer thought she was trying to evade the
order that passengers were only to take what they stood in,
and he made her unwrap it accordingly. There was no
bidding of good-byes, or anything of that kind, as the
passengers supposed they would all be saved. Miss Ross,
when she reached the surface after the capsizing of the
boat, could see no ship — nothing but boxes, hen-coops, and
spars floating about. She sank twice, but each time she
came to the surface, and swimming a little and getting
hold of a spar, she was soon picked up by the boat, which
brought her to Simon's Bay. She is now left quite alone,
having no friends in South Africa.
The survivors state that the night was neither dark nor
foggy ; the sea was calm, and the wind light. The Agulhas
beacon was just in sight, and the course had been altered
half a point westward by the captain, who had been on the
bridge shortly before. There was a look-out on the fore
castle, who gave no alarm of danger, and, though a seaman
has asserted that he saw breakers ahead, as he drew no
attention to them at the time little credit is given to his
story. Early on Thursday morning, the ist September, one of the
ship's boats of the Teuton arrived at Cape Town, bringing the
following survivors : — Mr. Forder, second officer ; Mr. Diver,
third officer ; Mr. Turner, fourth officer ; Hawkins, A.B.,
Skippick, A.B., House, A.B., Henry Heynes, fireman ; Pot
ter, fireman ; one coolie. Mr. Diver had been seriously in
jured by a falling davit. Captain Manning was believed to
have been killed by the funnel when it fell. The third officer
was on the bridge at the time of the disaster. The boat in
which these men were saved was bottom upwards, but they
succeeded in righting it. Mr. Forder, the second officer,
speaking of the disaster, states : — " It was about 7. 1 5 p.m.,
on Tuesday August 30th, when the ship struck. The vessel
was about four miles off the land, and Quoin Point had been
passed about a quarter of an hour. When the ship struck

150 On Board a Union Steamer.
there was considerable concussion; the vessel heeled ovei,
but did not stop. She went off whatever she struck at once
and kept her weigh. The pumps were, of course, immediately
sounded, and, from the way in which the water came in, she
appeared to have struck on the collision bulkhead, and this
allowed water to get into both compartments. Every pump
was at once manned and worked. The boats were at once
got ready, and a compass and provisions and water placed in
each. As the ship was setting down, at a quarter to ten the
officers were ordered to get the passengers into the boats.
The passengers were all on the poop. They were told to
sit quiet, which they did, and obeyed orders most perfectly.
They were quiet and orderly throughout, and more com
posure, with confidence in those in command, it would be im
possible to conceive. The first boat got out was No. 2 star
board lifeboat, and in it were placed about thirty women and
some children, and there was an able and an ordinary seaman
in the boat." Both Mr. Forder and Mr. Diver, says the Cape
Times, think that this boat may yet be saved. They are sure
it was clear of the ship. The men are likely, they think, to
have kept to sea, and, if so, the boat may already have been
picked up by the Kinfauns Castle or by Her Majesty's ship
Dido. But, although with every desire to hold out this hope,
it must not be forgotten that Lizzie Ross was in the boat
with her mother when it capsized, and she, as far as we can
learn, is the only survivor. Both second and third officers
are, however, certain that No. 2 starboard lifeboat was clear
of the ship, and if she was capsized it must have been in the
commotion of the water caused by the sinking of the ship.
They are certain she got clear of the ship. What came of
her after they do not know. In the boat was Mrs. Diver, the
wife of the third officer. When the ship went down Mr.
Forder was on the lower bridge and the captain on the upper
bridge. The captain had remained on the bridge from the
time the ship struck until she went down. The ship went
down with a rush, which is explained by the fact that the
bulkheads, which kept the water from the engine-room, gave
way, and the sea poured in. This was what we assumed
as having occurred after hearing the statements of the sur
vivors in Simon's Bay. Mr. Forder describes the ship as
going down with a rush, and he felt himself washed away.
All he could see on coming to the surface was the top of
the steamer's funnel. He held on to a piece of wreckage,
and seeing a boat bottom upwards he let go the wreckage
and swam to her, fijjding her to be No. 4 boat, with the

The Second and Third Officers Saved. 151
third officer and two men on her. These pulled Mr. Forder
on to her, and he saw another hfeboat bottom upwards not
far from them. They righted No. 4 boat, but she was full
of water, and they were unable to bale her. Four of them,
however, remained in her, and the rest clambered on to the
other boat. They fastened the boats to each other, by
their painters, and stood by each other until daylight. Dur
ing the night, and almost until daybreak, they heard cries
from a boat and saw a light. Shortly after daylight,
the water getting smoother, they were able to bale
the boat out. They got her dry, but had nothing in
her. They were without either oars or sail. They again
tried to right the other boat and to get the gear out of
her, but she was too heavy for them, so they knocked a
hole in her bottom and poked the gear downwards, until it
floated out from underneath. They got a sail out of the
boat, two beakers of water, oars, and a rudder. They then
made sail on their boat. There was a strong south-east
breeze, and they decided to sail along the coa.st, in the
hope of being picked up by the Kinfauns Castle, and they
actually did sight her somewhere near Dayker Point, but
the sea was too heavy to permit them to stand in to her, and
the height of the waves must have prevented their being
seen from the steamer. The boat then worked to Table
Bay, where, as we have described, she arrived about mid
night. Mr. Diver, who helped throughout in getting the pas
sengers into the boats, was on the poop alongside the star
board cutter, which he was trying to clear away, when the
ship went down. They heard the crash as the bulkheads
gave way, and among the firemen saved is one who describes
the rush of the water into the engine-room. The starboard
cutter as she hung at the davits was full of people. The
reason she had not been lowered earlier was in consequence
of the boatful of women being below and in the way.
Seeing the boat with women thus induces Mr. Diver to
believe that she did clear away from the steamer's side,
even when the ship went down. The passengers, of whose
conduct Mr. Diver speaks in the highest terms of praise,
showed no terror and made no noise. There was a sort of
general exclamation as of astonishment. Mr. Diver re
members no more beyond being heavily struck, and falling
into the water, was sucked down a great depth. As he
came up he just saw the top of the funnel. He saw a
boat lying bottom up, with her gunwale broken. The gun
wale, they thought, had been srhashed by the falling funnel.

152 On Board a Union Steamer.
and this, they think, must have struck the captain, as the
last thing seen of him he was making in the direction of
this boat. Mr. Turner's experience shows how great was
the suction as the ship went down. He, with Young, the
storekeeper, and Wells, an able seaman, had been told off
to bring the second port lifeboat round to the companion
ladder, which they were doing when the ship went down.
Mr. Roberts, the ship's carpenter, says that when the ship
struck there was a shock the like of which he had never be
fore experienced. The ship trembled all through. All the
passengers immediately went on deck. On sounding it was
found that water was coming rapidly into two of the water
tight compartments into which the ship was divided. Half
an hour had now elapsed since she struck, and in about
another thirty minutes they began to throw overboard heavy
cases and any other cargo they could get at easily, in order
to lighten the vessel. They put all the pumps on, and the
whole of the male passengers, as well as the twenty coolies,
worked hard at the hand-pumps, so as to leave the crew free
to get the boats ready and lower them. These were ready
some time before the ship went down, but it was not sup
posed that they would be required. For a long time the
water was only in the fore part of the ship. It was only
when it got into the engine-room and stoke-hole that she
went down. The officers had been properly told off in per
fect readiness to go to the boats, when the ship suddenly
went down. Mr. Roberts is of opinion that it was the pres
sure of the water on the collision bulkheads which made
them give way so enexpectedly. No one would have sup
posed that these bulkheads would not bear the strain. He was
on the gangway platform, handing the people into the boats
when the ship went down. There were seven regular boats
in the ship, and these could have easily taken all the passen
gers and crew. He saw one boat being lowered with people
in, but she had not got clear when the ship sank, and con
sequently she went bodily down, and afterwards rose bottom
upwards. About thirty or forty women and children had
been put into her. Mr. Roberts went down with the ship,
but coming up again, he caught at a boat and was taken into
her. It was nearly empty, but they stayed " in the thick of
it " until they had picked up the passengers they brought
with them. There were lots of things floating about, but he
could not see half a dozen people. It was bright moonlight,
so that every object was plainly visible. It was they who
saved Miss Ross. Hers weCs the only woman's voice they

Boats make for Simon's Bay. 153
heard. Several even of the sailors were half dead from long
immersion, and had to lie down in the bottom of the boat.
They came across another boat, into which they transferred
some men, in order to equalize the crews. Some of these
men were so helpless that they had to be rolled over like
sacks of grain from one boat to the other. For some hours
the boats lay to, but they heard no sound, and therefore, at
daybreak, they made for Simon's Bay, which, as the south
easter was in their favour, they reached at half-past one in
the afternoon.
J. H. Perry, A.B. seaman, says he was on the look-out at
half-past seven in the evening, when there was a sudden
shock as if the ship had struck something, and then another
shock. There was not much noise attending the shocks.
He found the steering being altered until the ship was going
westward. The ship had heeled over twice. The crew
knew that something was the matter, but did not know how
much. The pumps were tried and a foot of water found in
the hold. At twenty minutes to eleven, when the water was
found to be coming in rapidly, orders were given for J:he
stoppage of the engines and the lowering of the boats. The
ship had been making westward as hard as she could. About
thirty women and children were put into the first boat, but
it had not got away when, at five minutes to eleven, the
ship went down. A second boat was being filled with women
and children, but he did not see what became of it. He got
into the cutter with others of the crew and picked up as
many persons as they could. The cutter was about two
boats' length from the ship when the latter went down bow
first. He could not say whether the dingy and captain's
boat were lowered or not. He was coxswain of the third
cutter, and it was his duty to get into her and take what
passengers he could find. There was no wind to speak of
There was no screaming or noise of any kind from the
passengers until the instant that the ship went down.
Mr. Grogan, the steward, who, curiously enough, was
second waiter on the American when she foundered, says
there was a bit of a scare for a moment when the ship struck,
but the alarm immediately subsided, and the passengers
went up on deck in a quiet and orderly manner. When they
found that the vessel was steaming at full speed, although in
a different direction, they seemed reassured. The boats
were provisioned, the women collected their trinkets, and at
half-past ten, when the condition of the ship was seen to be
hopeless, they prepared to enter the boats. The boats

154 On Board a Union Steamer.
might have been lowered before, but to do this they would
have had to stop the vessel, which the captain was taking
into Simon's Bay as hard as he could. Some of the women
were fainting when the ship went down, but almost every
body was silent and quite still until she was actually sinking.
The vessel went down very suddenly indeed, giving one
plunge only.
The passengers all speak in the highest terms of the dis
cipline of the crew. No doubt the number of the crew saved
is altogether disproportionate to the number of the passengers
saved, but this arises from the natural ability of sailors to
take care of themselves in such dangerous situations. No
advantage prejudicial to the passengers was taken of this
ability, however. Those of the crew who escaped had actually
been in the water and exhausted all their efforts to rescue the
passengers. There seems no reason to doubt that the appalling loss of
life was caused by an over-confidence on the part of the
captain in the strength of the bulkheads of his watertight
compartments. Those who understand navigation say that
while there was no water in the engine-room. Captain Man
ning is not to be blamed for believing that he could reach
port, and that the placing of passengers in boats at sea is
always attended with some danger.
Captain Domville, R.N., after returning from a search in
the locality of the disaster, made the following report to Mr,
Fuller, the company's manager at Capetown : —
" H.M.S. Dido, at Simon's Bay, Sept. 3, 1881.
" Sir, — I returned yesterday at 7 P.M., after a fruitless search
for the missing boats of the Teuton. As I informed you, I
left Simon's Bay as soon as steam was up. .It was then
blowing fresh from the SE., and although going full speed,
I did not reach the position off Cape Hanglip until mid
night, when the engines were eased, and blue lights and
rockets burned all through the night. At daylight a thorough
search was made with glasses, and I then proceeded slowly
towards Danger Point, on the supposed track the unfortunate
vessel returned on, occasionally steaming a little further out.
The weather was now moderate, and very clear. Objects
ought to have been distinguished at a good distance off.
When nearly up to Danger Point I steamed to Mudge Point,
and afterwards visited the village of Peterfontein and com
municated. Nothing had been seen or heard either of the
steamer passing, or boats, or wreckage. I gave a letter to

Report of Capt. Domville, R.N. 155
the field-cornet to send along the coast, asking him to warn
them of the loss of the steamer, and to communicate the
news of any boats or wreckage seen, by telegraph, from
Caledon. After leaving Peterfontein, I steamed slowly round
Walker Bay and Danger Point to Dyer's Island, where I
anchored for the night of the ist, and communicated with
the agent on the island in the morning. Nothing had been
seen or heard of the steamer or boats, so I left again, keep
ing a little further out, and steamed direct for Cape Point.
I then stood in to Cape Hanglip, and searched the shore of
False Bay, as far as Gordon's Bay, and then returned to this
anchorage. On both these days the weather was fine and
clear, and I am reluctantly compelled to think that there are
no more boats afloat, and by seeing no wreckage, I conclude
that what there was has been swept round Cape Point, and
some may be found on its shores. Should you, however,
think there is the slightest chance of life being yet saved, in
conjunction with Captain Kennedy, who is about to relieve
me in H.M.S. Briton, I will do everything that lies in my
power to assist you. I enclose a track chart showing the
coast visited. — I have the honour to be. Sir, your obedient
Servant,
" Compton Domville,
" Captain and Senior Officer!'
All the Cape papers express profound regret at the cala
mity. The Cape Times says : —
" Captain Manning seems to have blindly risked everything
on the bare chance of being able to reach Simon's Bay. If
Captain Manning were here to answer for himself he would
doubtless be put on his trial, first, for reckless navigation, and
then for the most inconceivable neglect in respect of the
measures taken for securing the safety of the passengers.
So near the shore, with wind and sea being what they were,
and nearly four hours having elapsed between the striking
of the vessel and her foundering, not a soul on board ought
to have been lost."
The Port Elizabeth Telegraph says that " the representations
recently made in the Cape Times respecting the lighting of
the South African coast will now probably bear fruit. After
the loss of the Queen of the Thames in Struy's Bay, east
ward of L' Agulhas, it will be remembered that some of the
crew waded off to her at low tide to rummage the luggage
and indulge in their favourite vice of drinking. In the Illus
trated News the vessel was depicted as almost 'high and

156 On Board a Union Steamer.
dry ' at low water ; so that if the ill-fated Teuton had been
piloted round that cape, all might have been saved probably.
During the discussion which ensued on the loss of the Aus
tralian steamer, it was clearly demonstrated that the Agul
has Light was so badly situated that it was often calculated
to ensnare and bewilder the mariner, instead of being a sure
guide and protector, so that a change in its site was strongly
urged. Now that an appalling disaster has petrified us by
its suddenness and magnitude, our sluggish authorities must
be spurred into the early correction of a serious error of posi
tion which has no apologist."
The report of the Court of Inquiry into the loss of the
Teuton : — The first four days were occupied with the exami
nation of the second, third, and fourth officers, the carpenter,
the boatswain, four seamen, one fireman, and Joseph Allen,
a third-class passenger, who lost his wife and three children in
the wreck.
The evidence of all these showed that the most complete
discipline and order prevailed on board the Teuton amongst
both the passengers and the crew. It also confirms the
fearful suddenness of the final crash and the plunge in which
the vessel foundered.
The ground-swell made it difficult to get the women and
children into the boat quickly. All those who eventually
saved themselves either first went down with the ship or
jumped overboard.
On September loth a telegram was received in Capetown
conveying intelligence that on the white sands, some miles
from Simon's Bay, a body had been picked up by a fisherman
who was looking for crayfish, the linen of which was marked
" M," and the studs of the shirt being black. It was known
that Captain Manning wore such studs, and this, combined
with the initial on the linen, conveyed the impression that
the body found was that of the ill-fated commander of the
Teuton. Immediately the news was received in Capetown
arrangements were made for identification and for paying
every respect to the corpse, whether it was that of Captain
Manning or of any other of the drowned who could be
identified. For this purpose Mr. F. Fuller, the general mana
ger of the Union Company, with Messrs. Steele and Watts,
proceeded to Simon's Bay. On the following evening a
telegram was received in Capetown stating that the body
found had been identified as that of Captain Manning, and
had been interred that afternoon. The funeral was attended
by Mr. Fuller, the general manager of the company; Mr.

Neighbourhood of Cape Agtilhas. 157
Van Der Riet, civil commissioner of the district ; Messrs.
Watts and Steele, officers of the company ; Mr. Runciman,
the agent at Simon's Bay ; and a large concourse of the
inhabitants. An appropriate address was delivered at the
grave by the Rev. Canon Baker.
From Table Bay to Cape Agulhas the coast of the Cape
Colony is bold and rocky, and from this point to Algoa Bay
several of the lofty mountain ranges which intersect the in
terior run, in places, close to the shore. From Cape Point
the appearance of the country is less forbidding, but from a
seaman's aspect it is among the less pleasing parts of the
world. Sharp reefs of rock run out here and there, almost
every one of which has a tale of wreck and disaster associ
ated with its name. The currents are also strong. The
Cape Stream, which is formed by the junction of the Mozam
bique current and those of the seas south of Madagascar,
deflected by the Agulhas Bank, doubles the Cape of Good
Hope, and there mixes with the waters of the South Atlantic.
Its mean velocity is about two miles an hour ; but sometimes
it will carry a vessel at its mercy one hundred miles in the
course of a single day. All these facts must be taken into
account in speculating over the circumstances which have
led to the present misfortune. Between Capes Hanglip
and Agulhas^ — -the" most southern extremity of the African
Continent — several of the bays are open and exposed, though,
like Walker's and Sandown's, they afford shelter in north-west
gales and have one or two little coves from which farm pro
duce may be shipped. Hence a vessel disabled in this quar
ter could hardly find shelter until False Bay was reached.
Danger Point, a well-known landmark, has a treacherous
rock lying to the east of it, on which, on the 25th of March,
1852, Her Majesty's ship Birkenhead struck. The Gunner's
Quoin, which is destined to have in future almost as evil a
notoriety, is another familiar landmark between Danger
Point and Cape Agulhas. So far the coast is unlighted.
On the southern tip of the Continent, at an elevation of
800 feet above the sea, there is a lighthouse, and east of
Agulhas is Ostrich Bay, where shelter for vessels may be
obtained in north-west gales, though in the sailing directions
for these shores seamen are warned to give it a wide berth
in south-easters. The entire coast is, however, a dangerous
one. During the winter wild storms sweep it, but even in
the finest weather any vessel caught off it runs a slender
chance, unless commanded by the most experienced captain,
intimately acquainted with the hidden rocks and shoals.

158 On Board a Union Steamer.
This advantage the Teuton undoubtedly had. Captain Man
ning was one of the most experienced Masters in the Union
Company's service, and there is no reason to believe that he
did not to the last merit the confidence so long reposed in
him by his employers and the many thousands of passen
gers whom he has conveyed to and from the Cape Colonies
during the last few years.
The wreck of the Teuton will recall to many the still more
dismal wreck of the Birkenhead, on Point Danger, in the
immediate vicinity, though a little to the south of Gunner's
Quoin. This ill-starred steamer was a troop ship, conveying
reinforcements td the Kaffir war then in progress. She was
hugging the coast in fine weather when she struck the Point
Danger rocks with such force that in twenty minutes she
broke into three pieces and went down, carrying hundreds
with her, and leaving many more struggling with the sharks
amid shattered fragments of the wreck. Altogether, out of
six hundred and thirty officers, seamen, soldiers, and boys on
board, four hundred and thirty-eight were drowned. But,
sad as was the loss in lives. Englishmen look back with un
alloyed pride on the order and regularity which attended the
terrible scene. There was no ugly rush to the boats, no
attempt at sauve qui peut, but from the time the ship struck
till she totally disappeared the strictest discipline prevailed.
" Every one did as he was directed," one of the surviving
officers wrote, " and there was not a murmur nor a cry among
them till the vessel made her final plunge." More would
have been saved had not the strong current carried the sur
vivors along the coast. They were bitten by sharks by
the side of their companions, who heard their last shrieks and
beheld them carried down beneath the water. Many more
were swept into the banks of sea-weed, and there either
entangled and drowned, or they became the victims of the
immense shoals of voracious fish that congregated near the
shore. Others, more fortunate, were enabled to reach land,
exhausted, naked, and shoeless, only to be compelled to
traverse an arid shore thickly planted with prickly shrubs,
and destitute of inhabitants, until they reached the farm
house at which they were succoured. The Queen of the
Thames, a saihng ship from Sydney, was, in March, 1871, lost
on a spit of sand not far from Cape Agulhas, but happily
her crew and passengers, to the number of three hundred
and fifteen, were safely landed. The cargo was, however,
sacrificed, and four seamen were drowned in a subsequent
attempt to rescue the ship's papers. The Abercrombie

Former Disasters on the Coast. 159
Robinson, with troops for Port Elizabeth, and the Waterloo,
with convicts for Van Diemen's Land — two hundred of whom
perished — were wrecked in Algoa Bay, thirty-nine years ago.
Many minor casualties might be enumerated from the dismal
records of this coast. We need, however, only mention the
Grosvenor, Indiaman, which in 1782 perished off the Kaf-
frarian shore, alluded to in subsequent pages ; H.M.S.
Sceptre, war-ship, of sixty-four guns, which in 1799 was
lost, with two hundred and ninety-one of her crew, in
Table Bay; the Ganges, East Indiaman, which in 1807
sank not far from the same spot. Thus the present disaster
does not, unfortunately, stand alone. Such is the sad story
of the loss of the Teuton. There is no doubt that perfect
order must have prevailed to the end, and that the crew and
the civilian emigrants of the Teuton were in courage and dis
cipline not unworthy to be compared with the soldiers on
board their forerunner in misfortune, the Birkenhead.
The reflections suggested by this disaster are such as
must occur to everybody, and need not to be dwelt upon.
Such calamities but tell once again the old truth of the
powerlessness of man when once he stands face to face with
the elements. Civilization, which gives him strength, at
times seems but to offer him as an easy prey. It concen
trates force and wealth, but it also concentrates danger.
The gathered treasures of a thousand hands may be de
stroyed by a moment's careless handling of fire, or a turn of
the wheel too little or too much may send the finest vessel
to the bottom. The greater our wealth and our power be
comes the more our cities and our ships are crowded with
treasure. Do what we will we cannot always be safe. No
care can always forestall accident ; no organization can make
an accident always harmless. Watertight compartments are
useful in ninety-nine cases ; in the hundredth they are
proved useless. There is no moral to be drawn from this
except the homely one of the need of incessant vigilance.
We cannot make shipwrecks impossible ; but we can make
them, by care and skill, indefinitely less frequent. Admiral
of the Fleet, Sir Thomas Symonds, G.C.B., has advocated
the fore and aft ship-dividing bulkhead, from stem to stern,
for the last three years. A large compartment filled in any
way sinks or waterlogs the steamship, whilst the fore and
aft bulkhead divides these large compartments into two
manageable and safe small compartments, besides enor
mously strengthening the structure.
The loss of the Teuton is one of those terrible events of

i6o On Board a Union Steamer.
which the periodical recurrence must be expected by a great
maritime nation, but which when they come always cause
the same shock of pain to every English heart. The follow
ing is a verbatim copy of the full finding of the Court which
inquired into the loss of the Teuton : — " The Court finds
that the steamship Teuton, under the command of Edward
Manning, left Table Bay about lo A.M. on the 30th of
August, 1 88 1, bound to Port Elizabeth, having on board
about 105 officers and men, including 20 coolies, and about
157 passengers, of whom about 95 were women and children ;
that the ship was sound and efficiently equipped ; that she
arrived at 2 P.M. at a point of departure due south of the
Bellows Rock, when and where the error of the compass
was verified under the direction of the captain, and that
subsequent courses and distances maintained were also
under his personal direction. The Court finds that these
courses and distances should have taken the ship one and a
half sea miles off the outermost sunken rocks off Quoin
Point, at about sixty miles from her point of departure,
which rocks extend one and a quarter miles off the point,
and which point is three and a half miles from the Bluff hill
of the same name, forming its background, and that the
ship should have arrived there very soon after seven o'clock,
and after dark. The Court feels no hesitation in pronounc
ing that the vessel struck on the known outermost rocks off
Quoin Point, at about 7.15 P.M. on the 30th of August, 1881,
and regretfully adds that it finds this casualty was attribut
able to the injudicious navigation adopted hy the captain.
The Court concurs in the propriety of the steps that were
immediately taken, and of the endeavour at that time to
reach a port. The condition of the ship became, however,
in the opinion of the Court, so altered and suggestive of
peril as indeed, at a considerable time before her foundering,
to manifest the impossibility of reaching a port, although,
for the want of evidence, the Court is unable to get any
clue to the mind of the captain on this point ; the. Court is
led, further, to find that it was a grave error of judgment that
delayed sufficient efforts being made to provide for the
safety of the lives in jeopardy, the deplorable loss of which
the Court cannot but attribute to this cause alone — namely,
either the failure to take, or the failure to see the necessity
for taking, steps that were available for this paramount
object. The Court finds that the ship foundered probably
at about 10.50 P.M., August 30, 1881, between north-west
and south-west, from Danger Point, and most probably

Cape St. Blaize. i6i
between five to eight miles from that point. Finally, the
Court finds that the steamship Teuton was lost on the night
of August 30, 1 88 1, through the default of the captain, and
acquits Mr. Robert Diver, third officer of the ship, who was
in temporary charge of the deck when she struck."
Next day finds us at daybreak rounding Cape St. Blaize
at Mossel Bay, and the small village of Aliwal, where only
the passengers bound for the port are landed, as a rule, but
where, although I have been on shore to sketch there twice,
I cannot say that the inducements to stay were overpower
ing. Most of the inhabitants in the district are apparently
engaged in ostrich-farming ; in fact, to show how uninviting
the place appears to the new-comer, one gentleman, who
had come out from England in order to land there and
proceed to George, was so disheartened at the uninviting
appearance of the little settlement, that although he landed
and went to the inn, within a few minutes he decided to
return with us, who accompanied him, on board, partly
tempted, I must say, by a pair of bright eyes which had
seemed to invite him to stay when we put off from the
gangway. At all these parts there is occasionally a difficulty in
landing when a ground-swell sets in, and it is therefore
dangerous to land, as you are not certain of being able to
return to your steamer, and the Union steamer waits for
no one, so you land at the risk of losing a passage, and, what
is more, forfeiting your passage-money and leaving your kit
adrift. The rocky ridge of hills which bounds the western side of
Mossel Bay is composed of crystalline quartz, intermixed
with silicious sandstone. On the ridge terminating at Cape
St. Blaize, the south-west point of the Bay, is a ligthhouse,
240 feet above the sea-level, which exhibits a flashing red
light, visible for twelve miles. Near to it, in the cliffs, is a
large cavern formed by an overhanging massive ledge of
rock, about three hundred feet above the sea. The sides of
this cavern are formed of a red sandstone, with a consider
able quantity of saline efflorescence and masses of salt
imbedded in a loose powdered state. Large nodules of marl
and grey clay are dispersed throughout the cave, which, falling
out, leaves large cavities. The mouth of it faces the sea, and
affords a magnificent prospect — to watch the surf as it breaks
on the ledge of rocks at the entrance, the constant noise of
it vibrating from the interior with an almost deafening roar,
with clouds of spray and foam thrown furiously against it.
M

1 62 On Board a Union Steamer.
Beyond, again, further to the west, is a remarkable formation
of rock, which cannot fail being noticed as the Union steamer
approaches from the westward. It resembles the walls of a
Cyclopean fortress, the regular disposition of the natural rock
giving it the appearance of some artificial structure. On
closer examination it is found to be a wall of quartz, shelving
so steeply as to be nearly perpendicular, sheer down into the
sea from a height of three hundred feet. It is split into
rhomboidal forms, and bears a resemblance to bastioned
works ; whilst a thick coating of scarlet byssus gives it an
appearance, from a distance, of brickwork. Quartz rock is
wont to assume these bizarre shapes along this coast ; whilst
the incrustation of byssus lends a splendid bit of local
colouring to the artist.
In connection with this wall-like structure are the uni
form rectilinear table-like plateaux displayed by the sand
stone formations of this coast. They present themselves to
the view in broad plain surfaces on the ridges of mountains
near the sea. Off the eastern point of Cape St. Blaize is a
rock of a very peculiar form, which is a good sea-mark for
navigation. It is formed of three distinct blocks, each of
which is superimposed on the others with curious regularity.
The beach at the head of the Bay is extensive, and composed
of fine sand and broken shells, among which good specimens
have been collected ; of course the majority of the coquillage
is broken. Here is to be found, at certain seasons of the
year, the paper nautilus, or " argonaut!' It w^as here that the
perfect specimen was obtained for which the sum of one
hundred pounds was paid by the British Museum. The
commoner shells comprise the splendid haliotis and the
superb turbois, with their granulated opercula, as though
studded with pearls; the strawberry shell {Trochus pictorius),
buccina, Tellinas, besides numberless pholades. The oysters
at Mossel Bay are first-rate. Both the Aloeferox and the
Aloe vulgaris, or medicinal aloe, abound here. It grows
from three to six feet high, has a moderately thick woody
stem, sending out its flowering tuft at the summit, whilst
the dead leaves form a thick covering of pendent thatch to
the stem.
The flowers assume the form of an upright spike, like
our foxglove, of a dense scarlet colour. The leaves are
fleshy, ovate and prickly : when cut they are thrown pell-
mell into a sheepskin and the liquor from them drained off,
boiled and evaporated in a copper ; the residual gum forms
the aloes of commerce. Besides the ubiquitous mesembry-

Lc Cap des Tempetes. 163
anthemum are many geraniums, amongst which the ivy-leaved
variety is conspicuous.
Leaving Mossel Bay without regret, we keep at some
distance along the coast against the strong Agulhas current
of warm water, an enormous body of which, running to the
south-west, skirts the coast of South Africa, and attains con
siderable velocity over that part between Port Natal and the
west. All along the coast we are in soundings, and the
water turbid. Here it depends a great deal on the time of
year as to whether the Union steamer meets with fair or foul
weather. The severity of the gales off these coasts on the
Agulhas Bank is well known to navigators, as also the
rapidity with which they succeed one another, and their
violence during the winter months, i,e., June to September.
Modern investigations by men like Horsburgh, and the
Dutch naval officers Jansen, Van Gogh, and Andrau, have
proved that the greater number of these westerly gales are
very circumscribed in their limits, thus partaking of a local
character, and so justifying the epithet of le Cap des Tempetes,
the home of the albatross.
" Tel I'oiseau du Cap des Tempetes
Voit les nuages sur nos tetes
Rouler leurs flots s^ditieux.
Pour lui, loin du bruit de la terre
Berc^ par son vol solitaire
II va s'endomir dans les cieux.''
The movement of these local storms is progressive from
west to east, and the ships nearest the coast have the wind
less strong than those to the south ; or, if they do experience
the full strength of the gale, it is of short duration. It there
fore frequently happens that the gale which is blowing at
sea for a lengthened period, is either moderate or not felt
near the coast. February is the most favourable month,
and July and August are the most unfavourable months, for
sailing westward. In spring (October to December), and in
autumn (April to June), gales are nearly equal in number,
whilst in the winter season (July to December), the gales are
three times greater than in summer (January to March).
The greatest number of gales are experienced where the
Agulhas current is deflected to the southward by the
eastern margin of the Agulhas Bank, and the struggle takes
place between the cold and warm currents of the sea, and
the cold and warm currents of the air, which go, as it were,
hand-in-hand. Rennell, the well-known geographer, was the
M 2

164 ' On Board a Union Steamer.
first to publish his * Investigations of the Currents of the
Atlantic Ocean and of those which prevail between the Indian
Ocean and the Atlantic! — a work, a labour of the last twenty
years of his hfe (1810-30), published in 1832 by his daughter,
which has not been surpassed by later research.
Our course is nearly due east, and we get good views of
the Outeniqua range, some 5,000 feet elevation, and at whose
base the Knysna forests, where wild elephants are yet to be
found, and where the Duke of Edinburgh slew a mighty
specimen, whose head and feet are noticeable souvenirs at
Clarence House, where the huge proboscis and tusks frown
over the main staircase, and the feet form curious umbrella
stands in the entrance hall. The coast, as far as Cape St.
Francis, is generally passed by night, whence at daylight we
cross St. Francis Bay, and sight Cape Recife's revolving
light. Here the Union steamer Dane, of 530 tons, one of
the first ofthe old Company's steamers, after having escaped
with difficulty, and not without damage, from the famous hur
ricane of May, 1865, in Table Bay, was lost, happily however
without any casualty. A new Dane of 875 tons replaced
her. Rounding this point, from which a nasty reef projects, on
one occasion, when it was blowing hard, we nearly had a
nasty accident : the rods which connect the tiller with the
wheel on the bridge of the steamer forward, are jointed and
run through iron bearings ; one of these joints happened to
catch a lady's train, and when the helm was being put hard
over, became jammed, dragging the lady's skirt, which had
to be cut off, but the steering apparatus was rendered, for
the moment, useless, and thus, at a critical moment, the
helm was powerless, when it was blowing hard from the
east, and the vessel within a few yards of the outermost
rocks, which, however, we luckily just avoided. It was a
narrow shave. The vessel gave a tremendous lurch in the
heavy sea, as a wave lifted her clear with the wind on her
broadside, and everybody on deck went tumbling into the
lee scuppers. I had reason to remember it, as my ribs came
in contact with a belaying pin, and a fair actress, the same
whose dress had been sacrificed, and her entrepreneur tumbled
over me. I should not have minded the first so much, but
the latter was objectionably heavy. Once round Recife
Cape, a few minutes' steaming sees the Union steamer
anchored in Algoa Bay, opposite Port Elizabeth.
In Algoa Bay, it is quite a toss up whether passengers and
cargo can be landed if the sea is at all rough ; and some-

South Africajt Ethnology. 165
times a delay of more than a day takes place before it is
possible to disembark. Of all the South African towns. Port
Elizabeth is undoubtedly the most English-looking, and the
main street is wide, and has handsome buildings. The
kind-hearted and active agent of the Union Company, Mr.
Tweedale, is sure to be the first off to the steamer on its
arrival, and speedily the lighters are alongside to convey the
cargo to the beach, where gangs of Caffres, Zulus, and other
African tribes, Fingoes, and all sorts, are in readiness to
unlade the boats, and convey the packages up to the stores.
There is no better place than Port Elizabeth, both on the
beach and on the railway works, for an ethnologist and the
anthropologist, and the traveller, with the aid of Dr. Fritsch's
work on South African races,* can find living embodiments
of all the characteristic types there enumerated. The
hotels and boarding-houses are inferior, but the club up on
the hill is a charming home, only the few bedrooms are too
sure to be fully occupied. Lucky the voyager is if he has
time for a gallop over the flat springy turf to Emerald Hill
and Bushey Park, the hospitable residence and property of
Mr. Lovemore, and rail to Uitenhage, just such another
charming old Dutch settlement as Worcester, chiefly
celebrated for its large woolwashing establishment. Such
streams of water, with the banks of the channels covered
with lady's-hair fern.
In this district the predominant features of the south
western flora gradually disappeared, the orders capparidece,
malvacecB, begoniacice, rubiacece, apocynacece, asclepiadece,
bignoniacecB, ascanthacece, musacece, cycadecB, and palmacece, and
many genera of leguminosea, dense bushes of dwarf forest.
Along the flats you observe quantities of the Aloeferox, and
other South African forms.
Leaving Algoa Bay, the steamer rapidly passes the rocks
called the "Bird Islands," from the quantities of jackass
penguins {Spheniscus demersa) which inhabit them, - and
anchors off Port Alfred, at the mouth of the Kowie River,
the nearest route for those bound to Graham's Town, and
along an uninteresting coast some seventy miles on to East
London, situate, like all the South African ports, at the
mouth of an inconsiderable river (the Buffalo River). The
landing from vessels lying in the open roadstead is often
most hazardous. Whilst scarcely a breath of air is moving
* Die Eingeborenen Siid-Afrik's, ethnographisch und anatomisch be-
schreiben. Von Gustav Fritsch. (Breslau : Hirt, 1872.)

1 66 On Board a Union Steamer.
tremendous rollers fringe the coast with fountains of spray,
and when a gale sets in from the south the huge waves are
terrific. Here we land passengers for King William's Town,
and proceed onward, coasting in deeper water after the Kei
River, along the precipitous sides of the plateaus of Kaffir-
land, averaging i,ooo feet altitude.
The course is now considerably to the north, and we
encounter the full opposition of the Agulhas current before
mentioned. This enormous body of warrh water, running to
the south-west, skirts the coast of Kaffraria, and is swiftest
between Algoa Bay and Port Natal. During the summer
months its effects are felt further to the westward ; some
times penetrating even as far as ten degrees west of the
Cape. During the winter months this current diminishes
in force and extent, and the cold water setting from higher
latitudes repels and permeates it readily. The meeting of
the warm and cold currents is frequently denoted by
broken, confused, and heaped-up sea, and a marked change
in the colour of the waiter, frequently conveying the idea
that the ship is in soundings. The temperature of this
warm current is 73|-° Fahr. in February, being 7° higher than
the ordinary ocean temperature.
After passing Gordon Bay we have pointed out to us the
site, near Waterfall Bluff,* where the Grosvenor was wrecked ;f
* In various places there are cascades of fresh water tumbling into
the sea along the coast. Sometimes extensive plains with Kaffir kraals
and even large game are pointed out by people in possession of extraor
dinary sight.
t Years before I had read when young Captain Marryat's boy's novel,
" The Mission," which was founded on the story of this wreck of the
Grosvenor, in 1782. {See Dodsle/s "Annual Register,'' vols. xxvi. p. 202,
and xxxi. p. 211.)
" The Grosvenor, East-Indiaman, was driven ashore near the river St.
Christopher's, on the African coast, about forty leagues to the eastward
of the Cape of Good Hope, on or about the loth October last, and on
the nth December four of her crew arrived at Moselle Bay, and gave
an account to the Council of the Dutch East India Company that the
Caffres had come down upon the people, carried off the female passen
gers, and had killed several of the men who attempted to protect them."
—{" Annual Register," 1783.)
In the " Annual Register," 1789, to which the Rev. A. S. Page, vicar
of Selsby, has referred me, I find the following intelligence brought by
a gentleman who was in Cape Town in April last :— " Last February, a
drummer, who had deserted sixteen years from the Dutch service sur
rendered himself to the Governor of the Cape, soliciting his pardon on
the truth of this story : — That he had seen two European ladies who
were then actually existing with the Hottentots in the interior parts of
the country, and that, with a proper force, he would engage to recover
them. The humanity of the governor, which shone so conspicuously on

Telegraphic Despatch to the Cape. 167
the weather and climate become hotter as we approach 30°
S. latitude, although we are still within the northern limit of
the temperate region, and eight hundred miles as the crow
flies from Cape Town, although we have had to traverse a
greater distance before we sight the bluff off Durban or Port
Natal, where we now sight a whole fleet of English trans
ports, rolling heavily whilst awaiting the lighters to relieve
them of their military stores, for the troops have already
landed. There is the Euphrates, just arrived from Bombay ;
but we soon learn by telegraph * that peace is to be made
consistently with honour, and later that a treaty has been
signed by the Boer leaders and the British Commissioners.
Natal Bay is by far the finest natural harbour on the east
coast of South Africa, being a land-locked basin of very
considerable area, which, although shallow in many places,
could be improved by dredging ; but unfortunately a sand
bar blocks the entrance, which during and after heavy
weather is very troublesome to cross, and often dangerous.
The town of Durban is situated two miles further up the
bay, and is connected with the point and shipping by a
a former unsuccessful search for the unfortunate persons that were
missing, by the wreck of the Grosvenor, was immediately excited. He
instantly dispatched 400 soldiers, with fifteen or sixteen natives, who were
consequently perfectly acquainted with the manners and language of the
Hottentots, in order to accomplish the release of these ladies from their
wretched state of savage existence. These two ladies being described,
are supposed to be some of the passengers who were cast on shore when
the above ship was lost. The party had not returned when the Kent,
Indiaman, left the Cape. The drummer is with the party, as a prisoner,
and expects pardon on his proving the veracity of what he has advanced
as above stated." — (Dodsley's "Annual Register," vol. xxxi. p. 211.)
* Telegraph Service to the Cape. — (To the Editor of the Daily
News.) — Sir, — In your issue of this date reference is made to the excel
lence of the telegraph service to the Cape, by which the Right Hon. H.
Childers was enabled to complete a correspondence between himself and
Sir George CoUey within sixteen hours. I desire to state that the aver
age time of transmission of all telegrams from the station near Sir George
CoUey's force was two hours thirty minutes, and the actual time from
Durban to London was fifty minutes for all Government messages. In
the concluding paragraph of the notice referred to you say : — " We are
authorized to state, that in cases where relatives of officers or men serv
ing in the Transvaal are in doubt as to the fate of their friends, a message
of inquiry will be transmitted without charge." What the company have
promised is that we are prepared to transmit free all messages from the
relatives of wounded or missing officers who are anxious to make
inquiries, if the messages are handed to us by the War Office, or any one
appointed by the Government to do so. — Yours truly, James Anderson,
Managing Director of the Eastern and South African Telegraph Com
pany (Limited). — 66, Old Broad Street, E.G., Feb. i.

i68 On Board a Union Steamer.
short line of railway : busy enough now is the scene. But
this hardly pertains to the deck of the Union steamer.
As we coast along Natal, the observer cannot help noticing
how all the rocks run parallel to the sea-coast, striking into
the Zulu country, and dipping steadily the one after the
other into high ground forming the watershed between the
Indian and Atlantic Oceans. The eastward, or seaward, belt;
about fifty miles in width, consists of ancient mica-schists,
resting on granite and gneiss, seen at the bottom of the
deeper valleys, the whole surmounted by the Table Moun
tain sandstone of the carboniferous age, forming extensive
plateaus, lying perfectly flat on a horizontal surface of clay-
slate, and broken by lines of fault into a series of steps,
plateau rising above plateau, with precipitous sides, to a
height of 2,300 feet between the sea and Pietermaritzburg.
Thesetable lands are covered with extremely poor soil, support
ing a dense grass vegetation, on which feed numerous herds of
cattle ; not a shrub occurs to enliven the endless uniformity
of the scene, broken only by the ravines formed by the
rivers cutting down through the sandstones to the granite,
and old rocks beneath, often forming precipitous cliffs several
thousand feet high, the vertical drop from the Krantz Kop
Mountain to the River Tugela being nearly 3,800 feet.
Beyond these can be seen the famous Drakenberg Moun
tain, the highest point of which culminates in the Mont aux
Sources, 12,000 feet above the sea, composed of the Dicynodon,
beds of the Triassic age, the Karoo series resting uncon
formably on the carboniferous Table Mountain sandstone
series. Mr. Griesbach has given to the Geological Society a
paper and good map, illustrative of the geology of Natal.
{Vide Nature, March 10, 1879.)
The illustration opposite is a reproduction of a pen-and-
ink sketch made by the author on board the famous Nyanza
steamer, which was then commanded by Captain Warleigh.
It was taken from the port quarter, and may serve to give to
the uninitiated a slight idea of the idle, lounging existence
led by passengers on deck aft during ordinary fine weather
in the tropics. A favourable breeze is blowing, and so the
square-sails forward and the huge stay-sail are set, whilst
the try-sail aft prevents the awning being spread. A rich
merchant of Cape Town and his wife promenade the deck,
dreaming of Adderley Street ; that is one of his governesses
playing at chess with a young Oxonian, who is doing the
modern grand tour, just fresh from college, and there is the
other governess leaning against the side of the vessel. The

Climate of Natal. 169
merchant has done wisely in bringing out his governesses in
duplicate, as one is sure to marry or at least get engaged on
the way out, as was the case in this instance. There is the
captain looking out of his deck cabin door, waiting until it
is time to take out his sextant to shoot the sun at noon. On
the right, the circular gratings round the capstan make a
convenient settee for reading purposes. Upright and promi
nent is the prima donna in sailor hat, with her rival admirers
on either hand — one the surgeon of the ship, and the other
a captain of the Union Company, but travelling as a pas
senger. Now the Nyanza has been sold to the Sultan of
Zanzibar, and is replaced by finer and larger vessels.
The signal station and lighthouse stand out boldly on the
bluff promontory, and we are fortunate if the tug-boat is
able to take us into the harbour over the dangerous bar,
nearly two miles across, with only five feet of water ; and
even then, on landing, it is a drive of some three miles before
we reach the actual town of D'Urban, and happy is the
voyager to wander among the grassy hills of Natal and
watch the honey-suckers chirruping among the scarlet
trumpet-shaped corollae of the Tecoma bushes. It all
depends on the season of the year as to the weather to be
expected in Natal.
The summer in Natal , is a season of copious rain, with
abundant and frequent cloud and moisture, and the winter
is relatively dry, &c., with excessive sunshine. The summer
is consequently cooler, in a material degree, than it other
wise would be on account of the prevalence of cloud and
abundance of rainfall ; and the winter has its temperature
materially raised from the constant occurrence of clear skies
and bright sunshine. The mean annual rainfall, according
Dr. Mann, is 3ri3 inches, of which twenty-eight inches falls
from October to March, and scarcely more than two inches
from May to August. Thunderstorms are frequent and
grand, occurring at the rate of seven per month in the sum
mer. The thermometer rarely rises above 85° in the shade,
unless a hot wind is blowing, when it mounts to upwards of
97°, according to the strength of the sirocco. The lowest
temperature recorded in winter is 29°, and the annual mean
is 63-3° Fahr,*
* " Natal ; a History and Description of the Colony, including its
Natural Features, Productions, IndHStrial Condition, and Prospects. By
Henry Brooks, for many years a Resident. Edited by Dr. R. J. Mann,
F.R.A.S., F.R.G.S., Superintendent of Education in the Colony." Demy
8vo, with Maps, Coloured Plates, and Photographic Views.

170 On Board a Union Steamer.
Along the road from the landing-place at " The Point "
to Durban are rows of trees with hedge-rows of Plumbago
Capensis, interspersed with grass patches and wild flowers,
but fewer butterflies than one would expect to see.
The small detached houses we pass are mostly wooden,
and a large percentage of them have small flag-staffs in
front. At last we arrive in Durban proper, and speedily
find our way to the club, where we are regaled on " shandy
gaff" or dry champagne according to taste.
Here the few remaining passengers who have hitherto
accompanied us disperse, some by rail to Pietermaritzburg,
and the Orange Free State.
Most of our military are bound for Newcastle, and the
talk of the colonists and soldiers alike is of the future
disposal of the Transvaal, and the prospect of peace being
maintained. Great confidence is, however, felt in the tact and firmness
of Sir Evelyn Wood, and the well-established discretion of
Sir Hercules Robinson, who had arrived by the Orontes.
The late address of Mr. Kruger to the Volksraad, assembled
at Heidelburg, gives earnest belief in the honour and recon-
ciliatory spirit of the British commissioners. It is only the
noisy and rowdy portion of the English community in the
Cape Colony and Natal who evince their displeasure at the
stoppage of further bloodshed by burning the British flag,
and the British lion in effigy ; and fortunately the Dutch
population have not taken to any reprisals on these ruffians.
Major Montague, of the 94th, who so gallantly held out his
post in the Transvaal, has told us how, in Durban and Natal,
the storekeepers were anxious for the war to last for ever,
as it sent up their goods to fabulous prices.
Will it be believed that even the clergy out here are also
in pugnacious controversy on the subject of ritual ?*
* " Ritualism in South Africa. — A ritual dispute has broken out
in the cathedral church of Pietermaritzburg. The Bishop (Macrorie), a
well-known High Churchman, is very much hurt at the action of the
Dean (Mr. Green) in introducing, against his protest and the almost
unanimous decision of the Synod, lights, vestments, and incense. It is
true that they are only used at the early celebrations, but, as the Bishop
pointed out to Mr. Green, their use at all in a congregation unprepared
for them, and for the most part ignorant of their symbolism, was most
unwise. The Dean defies the Bishop's authority on the ground of some
new statutes of the cathedral of his own drafting, which reduces the
Bishop to little more than what his lordship calls ' a confirming and
ordaining machine,' for he has not even the nomination to a single stall
or visitorial rights. The large congregation at the cathedral, where Sir
Bartle Frere and Lord Chelmsford attended in December, has been dis-

The Tablc-Cloth on Table Mountain. 171

CHAPTER VIII.
Leave South Africa — Homeward Bound — Loss of the Athens — Cape
Diamonds — Ascension — Les Lettres d'Outre-Mer — The Astronomer
and his Wife — Dew-Catchers.
It is time to retrace our steps from Durban, the Ultima
Thule of the large steamer, for if we wish to proceed farther
north we shall have to tranship into one of the smaller
coasting packets belonging to the same company, which
proceeds to Zanzibar. So we start homewards, laden with
bales of wool, compressed by hydraulic machinery into as
small a compass as possible, together with the smaller boxes
and cases, but far more valuable packages, of ostrich feathers,
and minute packets of Cape diamonds, heavily insured,
besides several tons of ivory from the interior. We bid
adieu to the Cape in the midst of a tearing south-easter, so
that there is actually a difficulty in getting the steamer out
into the bay, the atmosphere obscured by dust, whilst on
shore even the grit and pebbles are dashed in one's eyes.
Over the top of the flat Table Mountain, 3,600 feet above
us, are rolling massive vaporous clouds which pour down the
lee side like cataracts, — the phenomenon commonly known as
"spreading the table-cloth." The south-east wind causes a
mass of air equal in diameter to the breadth of the moun
tain to ascend on the windward side, which is inclined at a
steep angle to nearly 4,000 feet. The dilatation produced
by the rarefaction of the air at this altitude, together with
the condensation effected by the attendant coldness, causes
this curious formation of dense cloud on the summit ; as the
water suspended in the atmosphere becomes visible, the suc
cessive masses of water-laden air, gliding up the inclined
plane and pouring over the top, cause the continual forma
tion of cloud in fresh volumes. The upper portion of this
vapoury mass forms the flat table-cloth, appearing level and
almost motionless ; but on the lee side the thick waves of
cloud curl over and descend, torn in writhing forms until
they reach that level of altitude where greater density of
atmosphere, and a higher temperature of the air, impart such
persed, many going to the military chapel. The Bishop has addressed
a long letter to Canon Butler, his commissary, explaining the state of
affairs and disclaiming all responsibihty for Dean Green's conduct."

172

On Board a Union Steamer.

an enlarged capacity for carrying water invisibly, that they
are entirely dissipated and disappear. The effect of this
ascending column of aqueous vapour is to deposit a vast
amount of humid moisture on the windward side of Table
Mountain ; hence its peculiar flora, distinguished by that most
splendid of all terrestrial orchids, Disa grandiflora, gladiolus,
rushes of sorts, and numberless Hchens,
List of Trees and Shrubs Planted Out at the Cape.

Acacias, many varieties
Abutilon, boule de neige
„ striatum
„ Due de Malakoff
Adenandras of sorts
Adenanthera pavoniana
Arduina grandiflora
„ bispinosa
Bauhinia divaricata
„ capensis
Barringtonia speciosa
Benthamia fragifera
Backhousia lucida
Bocconia frutescens
Bougainvillea glabra
„ splendens
„ speciosa
„ spectabilis
„ lateritia
Buddleas, many varieties
Brugmansias of sorts
Callistemons, many varieties
Calodendron capensis
Camellias of sorts
Cantua dependens
Cassias of sorts
Castanospermum australe
Catalpa syringsefolia
Ceratonia siliqua
Cercis siliquas rum
Cestrums of sorts
Chorozemas of sorts
Clerodendrons of sorts
Combretum purpureum
Corynocarpus Isevigatus
Correa ferruginea
Crataegus of sorts
Daubentonia Tripetikna
Deutzia crenata flore-pleno
Dombeyas of sorts
Duranta Plumieri
„ Elhsii
Duvana nova
Edwardsia microphylla

Eranthemum pulchellum
Erythrina Crista-galli
„ Caffra
„ Corallodendron
Eugenia australis
Euphorbia splendens
Eupomatia laurina
Fabricia laevigata
Forsythia suspensa
Francisceas of sorts
Gardenias of sorts
Genista canariensis
Gnidia pinifolia
Grevillea robusta
„ Forsteri
„ Victoria
Grewia occidentalis
Habrothamnus of sorts
Hakeas of sorts
Halleria lucida
Hamelia patens
Hibiscus of sorts
Hydrangeas of sorts
Hypericum patulum
Indigofera tinctoria
Jasminums of sorts
Justicea carnea
Lagerstrbmias of sorts
Lagunaria Patersoni
Lantanas of sorts
Lasiandra macrantha
Leptospermums of sorts
Leucospermums of sorts
Mackaya bella
Magnolia fuscata
„ grandiflora
Malpighia urens
Melaleucas of sorts
Neriums of sorts
Ochra arborea
„ atropurpurea
Olea fragrans
Oxalis Plumieri
Pavetta Caffra

The Cape Flora.

17;

Pavetta lanceolata
Philadelphus grandiflorus
Pittosporums of sorts
Pleroma elegans
Plumbago capensis
„ zeylanica
Polygalas of sorts
Poinciana Gilliesii
Poinsettia pulcherrima
„ alba
Proteas of sorts
Punicum granatum
„ rubrum fl.-pl.
Robinia pseud-acacia
„ hispida rosea
Rondeletias of sorts
RusseDia juncea
Schotia alata
„ latifolia

Schotia speciosa
Skimmia japonica
Spartium junceum
Stillingia sebifera
Strelitzias of sorts
Strophanthus divergens
Sutherlandia frutescens
Swainsona Greyana
„ violacea
Tecoma capensis
„ stans
Templetonia retusa
Tristania conferta
Virgilia capensis
Weigela rosea
„ alba
„ amabilis
Wigandia caracasana.

Amongst climbers a few of the undermentioned sorts are
worthy of special mention, such as Bougainvilleas, Bignonias,
{Bignonia venusta, a rival to the former), Combretum purpur
eum, Chorozema spectabile, Ipomceas, Passifloras, Rhynchosper-
m,um jasminoides, Stephanotis floribunda (very fine), Tac-
sonias, Tecomas, Wistarias. List of Climbers Planted Out.

Bignonias, many varieties
Chorozemas of sorts
Combretum purpureum
Clerodendrons of sorts
Hardenbergia Comptoniana
Ipomceas of sorts
Jasminums of sorts
Mandevilla suaveolens
Maurandyas of sorts
Passifloras, many varieties
Physianthus albens

Rhynchospermum jasminoides
Stephanotis floribunda
Tacsonia ignea
„ moUissima
Tecoma capensis
„ australis
„ jasminoides
„• „ alba
„ radicans
Wistaria sinensis
„ alba.

Richard Johnson, Botanic Gardens, Cape Town.
It is difficult for those who have not experienced the force
of a south-easter to estimate the strength of the steady gale,
and one drawback to the entrance and exit from the Cape
Town docks is, that the broadside of a vessel is fully exposed
to the fury of these tempestuous storms. On one occasion
when I was on board, the engines broke down almost imme
diately after leaving the docks, during a stiff south-easter, and
luckily we had also cleared the breakwater, otherwise we
should have been drifted on to it by the severe wind. As it
was, we were enabled to anchor immediately clear of the

1 74 On Board a Union Steamer.
breakwater, until the temporary derangement had been
rectified. The tremendous storm which visited the Cape of Good
Hope on the 17th May, 1865, destroyed almost every vessel
that it caught in Table Bay. The mail steamer Athens,
belonging to the Union Steam Navigation Company, was
carried broadside upon the rocks at Green Point, between
the lighthouses, while endeavouring to steam out of the bay,
when all her anchors had parted. She had been making
signals of distress all day ; but it was impossible to help her.
It was seven o'clock in the evening when she was driven
upon the rocks, where she very rapidly broke up. The calls
for help of those on board could be distinctly heard upon the
shore, amid the roar of the breakers ; but there was not a
rope or lantern at the lighthouse, much less any rockets or
Manby apparatus ; and for two hours a continued wail of
anguish and appeals for help came from the steamer, which
could occasionally be seen lying on the rocks broken-backed,
but still above water, with masts standing, until after nine
o'clock. Fragments of wreck washing ashore then bore testi
mony that the ship was rapidly breaking up. About ten
o'clock the cries ceased, and thick darkness gathered over
the scene. Nothing remained of the vessel except her
engines and boilers, which have been carried some distance
from the place at which she is believed to have originally
struck, and nearer to the Mouille Point Lighthouse. All
the way from the reef to the breakwater the shore is strewn
with fragments of wreck ; even the masts and yards have
been snapped into short lengths ; and the lighter portions of
the ship have been literally smashed into match-wood. Next
morning two bodies were recovered, both very much bruised
from pounding against the rocks, and both were stripped,
with the exception of under-drawers, showing that before
taking their final plunge the unhappy men had calmly
prepared themselves for a last struggle for life. There were
no passengers on board ; but the master. Captain D. Smith,
Dr. J. Heath Curtis, the medical officer ; Messrs. C Downer,
T, Brown and — Baker, engineers ; and twenty-five other
persons, made up the list of the officers and crew ; and there
is no doubt that they all perished. — {Illustrated London News,
July 29, 1865.)
"Widespread havoc was displayed on the beach immediately
after the storm — no less than fifteen seagoing vessels, besides
many smaller craft thrown upon the shore, and some broken
to pieces, whilst others were partially or wholly dismantled.

Cape Diamonds. 175
At the same hour when the steamer Athens was driven upon
the rocks at Green Point, the barque City of Peterborough
was torn from her moorings at the other end of the bay, and
struck on the reef opposite the military hospital. The cries
of the crew for help could be distinctly heard, but it was
found impossible to render assistance. Attempts to commu
nicate with the vessel by means of Manby's apparatus were
made, but without success ; and before midnight she went to
pieces, all hands perishing, to the number of eighteen. Mr,
Joseph Wright, of Lincoln, the captain, had his wife and
child on board. — {Illustrated London News, August 5, 1865.
On taking stock of our passengers homeward bound, we
soon detect a difference to those who accompanied us on the
outward journey — Africanders, Doppers, thevc " frows" and
" kinderkitis," with interlarded, variegated oaths, truly exotic,
which are supremely refreshing after the commonplace in
digenous swearing. In the first instance, there is a greater
medley of languages : on rising, the various morning saluta
tions are in Polyglot, the Dutch predominating. " Soupjes "
of Cape Smoke are now in vogue. The talk is all about
diamonds and the latest new " rush " at Kimberley, We
learn about the discovery of the first South African diamond
by Mr. John O'Reilly, who found the gem in the hands of a
little girl who was playing with it on the floor of a farm
house in Albania, Griqualand West, where he was passing
the night.* This was in 1 867, just as things were at the
very worst in South Africa, whose colonists had come to
regard it, owing to a long series of droughts, as God-forsaken.
Stubborn local misgivings as to the stone's genuineness were
in due time set at rest when it was purchased by Sir P.
Wodehouse, the Governor of the colony, on the valuation of
the Queen's jewellers, Messrs. Hunt and Roskell, for ;^Soo.
Soon afterwards the startling news flashed through the country
that a diamond of over eighty-three carats had been found.
* The late Professor James Tennant, who taught us irreverent young
cadets at Woolwich Geology and Mineralogy in 1857-8, frequently
used to tell us of the probability of diamonds being found in South
Africa, basing his views on some similarity between its gravels and
those of Brazil ; and it is a fact that an accidental leaflet (published
for the use of his Woolwich and other classes), containing diagrams
of the various crystalline forms of diamonds, enabled Dr. Atherton of
Cape Colony to verify as a diamond the first pebble picked up and
alluded to in the text. Diamonds to the amount of some ^23,000,000
sterling in value have reached Europe from these South African diamond
fields. {Vide Proceed. Roy. Geographical Soc, April, 1881, p. 240.)

1 76 On Board a Union Steamer.
This was the famous Star of South Africa, which fetched
;^ II, 200.
Prodigious mining movements followed, the " rushes " to
the diamondiferous districts, whether river diggings or dry,
and the populous towns which sprang up on the favoured
spots. In spite of great difficulties, serious complications,
and conflicting claims, the new settlements flourished
exceedingly. We had now in a portion of South Africa, 600
miles from the colonial seaboard, and in a region which
before was producing nothing, a producing power which gave
them about ;^4,ooo,ooo per annum of raw material for the
markets of the world. It had already made the fortunes of
a great many people, given profitable labour to thousands of
white men, and taught 640,000 natives to work for wages.
We had four large towns established round the mining
centres, in which trade and commerce flourished to such an
extent that two years ago, when the last statistics were com
piled, i^i, 500,000 a year was paid for the carriage of goods
to and from the ports. The principal town had a munici
pality, the revenue of which amounted to over .£"25,000 per
annum. Its effect upon the Customs dues of the Cape
Colony and Natal had been that while the import returns of
Natal in 1870 were ;£429,527, they had risen to ;£"2,i76,356 in
1879 ; the import duties of the Cape Colony had increased
;£'5 ,000,000 during the same period.
The mining operations of the Du Toit's Pan Mine had
increased so much that the London and South African
Exploration Company, the proprietors of the mine, had been
compelled to lay out a site for a new town. To supply the
town of Kimberley and its mine with water, a water company
had been started with a capital of ;£"35o,ooo, the profits of
which would far exceed those of any other water company in
existence. The Diamond Fields found employment for three
banks. A tramway was about to be laid down, and the two
provinces of the Cape Colony were so dependent upon the
trade of the Diamond Fields that they were competing with
each other for the trunk railway line to connect the Diamond
Fields with the Cape Colony. Those railways would be the
means of opening up the coalfields which abound on all
sides. This industry had led to the revival in England of
that branch of art which had well-nigh died out here — the
diamond-cutting trade. It was useless to say any longer
that diamonds could only be cut in Holland. In Clerkenwell,
at the lapidary works of Messrs. W. Ford and Co., eighteen
mills were going, worked by steam, all employed in cutting

Livingstone's Opinions. 177
diamonds, and the work done by them — all English work
men — had been proved to be superior to that done on the
Continent. We also learn about the price of ostrich feathers and wool,
and the latest discussions in the Boers' Volksraad at Pretoria,
as to the ratification of the Treaty with the British. In this
last, we have to be careful of entering into political discus
sions, for the Dutch element is decidedly in the ascendant.
"What David Livingstone thought of the policy of dis
arming the Basutos, may be judged by what he wrote con
cerning the Griquas, i.e., the mixed race sprung from natives
and Europeans, generally of Dutch extraction, through
association with Hottentots and Bushwomen. These half-
castes of the first generation consider themselves superior to
those of the second, and all possess in some degree the
characteristics of both parents.
Livingstone wrote twenty-three years ago, — " If it had
been necessary to prevent supplies of ammunition from
finding their way into the country, one might imagine that
the exception should not have been made in favour of either
Boers or Caffres, our openly avowed enemies ; but neverthe
less, the exception was made, and is still continued in favour
of the Boers, while the Bechuanas and Griquas, our constant
friends, are debarred from obtaining a single ounce of
powder for either defence or trade ; such was the state of
ignorance as to the relation of the border tribes with the
English even at Cape Town  Sir George Cathcart,
apparently unconscious of what he was doing, entered into a
treaty with the Transvaal Boers, in which articles were intro
duced for the free passage of English traders to the north,
and for the entire prohibition of slavery in the Free State.
Then passed the 'gunpowder ordinance,' by which the
Bechuanas, whom alone the Boers dare to attempt to enslave,
were rendered quite defenceless. The Boers never attempt
to fight with the Caffres nor to settle in Caffre-land. We
still continue to observe the treaty. The Boers never did,
and never intended to abide by its provisions, for immediately
on the proclamation of their independence a slave-hunt was
undertaken against the Bechuanas of Sechele by four
hundred Boers under Mr. Peit Scholz, and the plan was
adopted which had been cherished in their hearts ever since
the emancipation of the Hottentots. Thus, from unfortunate
ignorance of the country he had to govern, an able and
sagacious governor adopted a policy, proper and wise had it
been in front of our enemies, but altogether inappropriate for

1 78 On Board a Union Steamer.
our friends, against whom it had been applied. Such an
error could not have been committed by a man of local
knowledge and experience, such as that noble of colonial
birth Sir Andries Stockenstrom ; and such instance of
confounding friend and foe — in the innocent belief of thereby
promoting colonial interests — will probably lead the Cape
community, the chief part of which by no means feels its
interest to lie in the degradation of the native tribes, to
assert the right of choosing their own governor."
" I hope," said Mr. Gladstone, in words which will be
studied rather than read, " I hope the Convention will shortly
be ratified. But this I can tell you. As we have not been
afraid of reproach at home, as we have not been afraid of
calumny in the colonies on account of the over-indulgence
which, as was said, we extended to the Boers of the Trans
vaal, so in what may yet remain to be done we shall recollect
and faithfully maintain the interests of the numerous and
extended native populations ; and we shall not be less faithful
to the dignity of this great Empire in the conduct of our
future proceedings." If there be one point in which the
honour of the country is directly involved it is the mainte
nance of freedom for the natives of the Transvaal. To
squabble for a small debt would be a paltry policy for the
English nation to pursue. To dispute with Mr, Joubert or
Mr. Kruger on abstruse points of international law would be
slightly ridiculous. To insist upon complete supervision
where it is not absolutely needed is inconsistent alike with
sound statesmanship and with common sense. How far the
Cabinet may think it necessary to insist that Mr. Hudson's
powers shall extend is a matter which the country will con
tentedly leave to Ministerial discretion. But to the natives
we have contracted obligations which we are bound to fulfil.
It is not to be tolerated that the inhabitants of a country
once part of the British dominions should ever be handed
over to slavery, so long as we are able to prevent it. The
Boer leaders may say what they please, and it is not neces
sary to dispute a good many of their statements. But we
cannot and must not now be satisfied with mere assurances.
The stipulations against slavery and its more euphonious
equivalents which were deliberately inserted in the Conven
tion with the assent of the Boer leaders themselves will
have to remain there. More than that, these provisions will
have to be obeyed. Meanwhile Mr. Joubert and his col
league will do well not to adopt a bullying tone. If we
should unfortunately have to coerce the Boers we should

The Legend of West Lodge. 179
certainly be thrice armed in having our quarrel just, and the
stain of blood-guiltiness would not be ours. That, however,
is an hypothesis which it is scarcely worth while to discuss.
The Boers may bluster, but they will not fight. What we
prescribe, that they will have to make the best of We need
hardly add, that the treaty was ratified when the echo of
Mr, Gladstone's speech reached Pretoria.
We soon lose lose sight of Table Mountain and its dense
table-cloth covering, and easily cover thirteen knots before
the trade-wind, and find ourselves back at the " Rock." Will
my readers be tired if they hear more of St. Helenan stories .'
For we take on board a young naval officer who is invalided
home, who relates his experiences when staying in the island.
The Second Lieutenant's Story.
" When I was last here in H.M.S, Danae, I started with
the doctor for a five days' cruise in the island. After
thoroughly exploring the eastern half, we arranged to spend
the next night at West Lodge, so as to be able to do the
western portion in as short a time as possible. As he
wanted to go to Plantation in the day, it was settled for
us to meet at West Lodge at 6 P,M., where I accordingly
arrived, jaded and weary, after a long day about Sandy
Bay. No doctor was to be seen, and I found out next
day that the faithless man — unworthy of the name of mess
mate — had accepted the Governor's invite for a bed at
Plantation. It is unnecessary to describe the house, as
your readers probably know it better than I do. Suffice it
to say that the principal portion consists of two rooms on
the right of the narrow hall, and one large back and two
front ones on the left. Essentially it is a four-roomed
building. At the back it breaks out into small rooms and
offices like other St. Helena buildings. So much for the
house. Our grub, etc., had been put in the front room on
the right, where my thoughtful boy had also provided some
bags stuffed with grass, and a huge heap of firewood.
" By the time I had finished execrating the doctor it
was pretty well dark, so shutting the front door, I started
a fire and stuck a candle on the narrow mantelshelf Tired
as I was, never was dinner more enjoyed, and never was
one-water grog more thoroughly appreciated. The fire
blazed merrily with great spluttering of fir cones, the candle
burnt with a clear conscience and no flicker, my pipe drew
to perfection, and the grass-filled bags proved Ai after a
little punching here and pulling out there. My spaniel
N 2

i8o . On Board a Union Steamer.
finished his chicken-bone supper and coiled himself up into
a big brown ball before the blaze. For myself, I felt
exquisitely drowsy, and the only bar to perfect happiness
was the absence of that abominable doctor. Thoughts at
length gradually merged into ideas, and the ideas into mere
sensations, till — I suppose — I fell asleep. A sudden start
into wakefulness showed the fire burning very low, and the
dog growling. I listened, but could hear nothing. Still the
dog growled. Turning to look round the place, to my sur
prise a shadow stretched along the floor, as though caused
by a man standing in the middle of the room. Thoroughly
aroused by the shock, I seized the candle and walked towards
it. Whilst doing so the shadow mounted up the wall,
stretched along the ceiling as though a man was really there,
and vanished when I reached the centre. Simultaneously a
cold, numbing shudder seized me, and I staggered back to
the fire. There was the shadow as before. Thoroughly
frightened, I threw an armful of wood on, and stood fairly
shivering. A bright blaze quickly sprang up and I kept my
eyes fixed on it, feeling the while that behind me was this
horrible, unearthly shadow. Mustering all my courage I
slowly filled a pipe, lit it, mixed and drank a stiff tumbler
of grog, and then tried to pacify the dog. All efforts were
of no use. He remained growling, his hair bristling and eyes
glaring in the direction of the shadow.
" A faint sough now arose among the trees, and passed
away, suddenly followed by a regular storm of wind. Quickly
as it came, so did it pass ; but scarcely had the rustling of
the oaks below ceased, than another rush simply made the
house rock again. Every crevice and cranny of the rotten
old structure contributed its wail to the shi-ieking outside
and around. The candle flickered, went out, and then, with
out an instant's warning, there hurtled down a roar of rain
such as I never before heard, even in the tropics. It fell on
the roof with one ceaseless resounding, solemn roar. The
fire began hissing, tbe blaze deadened, and in a few minutes
all was utter darkness. Still continued the roar of the rain.
Left thus, I dared not move. What there might be at my
back I could not face. Gradually, however, my will seemed
affected. Slowly, and by degrees, I felt compelled to turn and
gaze. Resistance was useless, I did so, and there — about
the centre of the room, in the blackness, were two small
bright sparks. Speedily others were born out of the gloom.
Dancing and scintillating in wild variety, ever changing in
colour, eddying and surging ceaselessly to and fro, they yet
all gradually merged into the twin lights, which thus con-

A Strange Story — its Credibility. i8i
stantly grew in brilliance. These at length commenced a
movement at once swinging and pulsating. More and more
madly did they sway, my brain dizzy and sick from the
velocity, till they suddenly coalesced, producing a globe of
light of which the brilliancy was insupportable. Swinging
and revolving higher and swifter than before, my head dazed,
and almost splitting with the strain, the globe then burst
with a crash as of immeasurable doom. My brain seemed
to receive a stunning blow, and all was blank.
" When I recovered consciousness many hours must have
elapsed. I had no watch, but the moon was now high in the
heavens, throwing a soft light into the room. Rain and wind
were alike gone. A sense of utter prostration was over me.
I scarce had strength to eat. Managing, however, to do so,
the sluggish circulation began again to tingle through my
benumbed hmbs. The wretched dog was still cowering in a
corner, and with a great effort I succeeded in bursting open
a window, and throwing him out. Gladly would I have fol
lowed, but the curious influence over my mind still continued,
and I felt that will it as I might — I could not. Turning out
the wet firewood I soon had a comfortable fire, and began to
flatter myself the manifestations had ceased. This was not
to be. Out of the calm still moonlight there suddenly rang
a most fearful wail. Shriek succeeded shriek, and all was
again silence. My blood curdling in the veins, I yet felt
compelled to follow where my mind led me, Down the hall
I went, through the back passage to a small yard. Bright
in the moonlight shone the tangle of blackberry, ferns, and
undergrowth that hemmed it in. Bright were the broken
rafters and stonework of the out-buildings, flecked by the
silver light, and black as Erebus were the shadows and shades
of the frameless windows. On an open patch of grass in the
middle was a weird and awful sight. Figures were there,
figures in the dress of the earlier part of this century. In
the centre stood, bound, a tall, well-formed mulatto, his naked
back standing out almost white in the moonlight. By him
was a white man wielding a terrible-looking lash. Stroke
followed stroke, but no sound broke the stillness. The
mulatto was impassive as a statue, though I could see the
great wales cross and recross till the blood spurted out in
jets. A moan turned my spell-bound eyes to a group stand
ing in the shadow. Dimly revealed in the obscurity were an
elderly man, a gentleman, supporting a fainting girl, and
evidently forcing her to watch the torture. At length the
mulatto totters and falls, and is lashed as he lies on the

1 82 On Board a Union Steamer.
ground. A groan follows and his executioner turns him
over. His eyes are glazed, and staring, his jaw drops.
Everything seems reeling. I catch at a post, and fall fainting.
" When I came to it was early dawn, and my dog was
licking my face. Vowing that West Lodge should never see
me again, I staggered into the house, made a fire for the
third time, ate and drank, and then went out to walk off my
stiffness. Thinking over the past night, which seemed either
nightmare or madness, my thoughts kept recurring to the
point that the centre of the Influence appeared to be the
middle of my room. Returning to the house, I carefully
examined the floor. In the middle there was a joint, where
two boards met. Though I had nothing but a\ strong clasp-
knife, it seemed advisable to attempt prizing the joint up.
To my utter astonishment the end of the board easily bent
up, though the nails appeared perfectly good. They were,
however, practically dummies, not penetrating into the joist.
Underneath was a pile of faded letters. These I took out
side and studied. They were all from a man evidently edu
cated, yet evidently not of high birth, and were all love
letters to one clearly in a superior condition. As I read them
the story seemed to shape itself in my mind. I saw the
petted household slave, the then — perhaps — overseer, loving
his master's daughter, and the frightful consequences of the
discovery of their mutual attachment. Whether this girl is
the original of the figure of a woman seen at times about
the grounds perhaps remains an open question. It need
hardly be added that the letters were burnt, and the phan
toms consequently — I hope — laid ; but it also need hardly
be added that I would not spend another night alone in West
Lodge for all the wealth of the Indies."
Should we happen to anchor off Jamestown in the early
part of the year we are pretty sure to hear something of the
"Rollers" at St. Helena. We certainly did in 1881.
I have been much surprised that no notice has hitherto
appeared in any of the journals, popular or scientific, of the
recent unusually grand display of the strange phenomena
known as the " Rollers " at St. Helena and at Ascension, and
as " Calemmas " at Fernando Noronha and on the West Coast
of Africa. Calemma is the Portuguese term.
From the accounts I received at the time, these rollers set
in from the N W. on Thursday, 1 3th January, with unusual
severity, but lulled somewhat on the following day, Friday,
only to recur with abnormal force on the Saturday, and
attaining their maximum strength on Saturday night, so that

Enormous Speed of Ocean Waves. 183
the spectacle on the Sunday was grand and magnificent,
whilst the weather was bright and calm. It was surprising
to see the spray of these deep ocean waves hurled by sheer
force (for there was no wind) like fountains over the huge
cliffs of Goat Pound Ridge and Horse Pasture, which rise
perpendicularly over 700 feet sheer out of the sea.
The force of these enormous billows was spent by Sunday
night, and gradually subsided into normal calm on the Mon
day. Fortunately but little damage was done to the wharf,
considering the violence of the waves (owing to its sheltered
position), and as no vessels were lying off Jamestown there
were no wrecks. No such tremendous display of rollers has
occurred at St. Helena since the year 1846, when on February
1 6th and 17th a number of ships were wrecked. {See Melliss'
St. Helena.)
Records of similar oceanic convulsions at St. Helena are
in existence, giving dates of their occurrence on January 16,
1711 ; April 5, 1715 ; in March, 1717 ; December, 1733;
April, 1743, and on other dates.
The origin of these waves, which are always simultaneous
with a cessation of the SE, Trade, has always been a matter
for discussion.
On this occasion, I would wish to draw attention to the
contemporaneity of these phenomena in the Southern tropi
cal Atlantic with the abnormal meteorological disturbance in
the North Atlantic; and the tracks of centres of low baro
meter on the International Chart during the above period
(i2th to 17th January, 1881) will be most interesting to study
in connection with the above. For simultaneous with the
cessation of the rollers in the South occurred the severe storm
and unusual tide in the North. An unusual cold wave was
registered in the North curiously coincident with the cessation
of the Trade-wind within the Southern tropic, and was prob
ably the cause of the phenomenal waves. I do not know
that any one else has suggested before this apparent connec
tion of the distant phenomena.
Mr. Scott Russell has shown the enormous speed at which
these great g'roups of waves travel over such abyssal depths
as are to be found in the deep Atlantic,
I have been unable to procure intelligence of the state of
the sea at Ascension on these days.
Normally the so-called rollers appear at Ascension a day
or two before they are recorded at St. Helena, and, according
to Captain Wilmshurst, R.N., they break on the NW. coast
of Ascension ; in opposition to this we have the accurate

184 On Board a Union Steamer.
notes and observations made by the present Astronomer
Royal at the Cape, whose wife, Mrs, Gill, distinctly says,
" From notes we made at Mars Bay, it is evident that the
rollers come up from the South, and we were able to warn
the people in garrison some hours before they made their
appearance in the harbour." ( Vide Six Months in Ascen
sion, p. 151.)
I give a few corresponding meteorological observations in
England, taken simultaneously with the occurrence of the
" rollers " here at St. Helena, to show how the severe weather
of those latitudes was reflected by wonderful physical dis
turbance of the South Atlantic waters : —
" 1881. January 14  13 ... 22 ... 17-5
„ 15  10 ... 26 ... 18
„ 16  9 - 27 - 18
» 17  10 ... 29 ... 19-5
Mean of four days .*. io'5 ... 26 ... i8'2
" It will be seen from the above that the average of the
four days ending January 17, 1881, was o-6° below that of
the four cold days ending December 26, i860, and 0'8° lower
than the four cold days ending December 25, 1870. As the
mean for the four days, January 14, 15, 16, and 17, 1881, is
i8'2°, the average temperature for the middle of January at
this place in 20 years' observations being 36'6°, the deficit in
the last four days is, therefore, no less than i8'4°. These
figures of intense cold require no further comment as regards
the late frost.
" I have registered a temperature below zero twice — namely,
January 20, 1838, minus 5°, and December 25, i860, minus
2°. The mean temperature of December 25, i860, 7°, finds
no parallel for cold in any records for one day in this
district. —
"THOMAS L. Plant,"
"Dover, Jan. i8. — The violence of the gale here, it is
said, has not been equalled since 1837. It is blowing from
about ESE. Throughout the morning it was blowing very
little short of a hurricane, and showed no signs of abatement
until after high water at one o'clock. It is blowing very
heavily this evening, but the fury of the gale has consider
ably abated.
"WOOLWICH, Jan. 18. — The water at the Royal Dock
yard was eight inches higher than the highest tide ever re
corded. Part of the mast-house was nearly three feet under

Contemporary High Tides in England. 185
water, the waves breaking against the doors and windows
with alarming violence. The yard was inundated for a con
siderable distance inland, and several Government barges
were wrecked, one unfortunately laden with about sixty tons
of preserved meat, the boxes in which it was contained float
ing away in shoals up the river. The Royal Arsenal was
also flooded, the fires in the forge being extinguished and the
roads blocked. The T-pier was covered with water at three
o'clock, when the tide had half an hour to flow. At the
town wharves the tide overran and swamped the many stores ;
but perhaps the most extraordinary exhibition of the power
of the waves, heaped up and propelled as they were hy the
heavy gale from the north-east which was blowing, occurred
at the town pier, which with its three massive barges, its
platforms and superstructure of waiting-rooms, ticket-office,
and store-room, was torn from its moorings and carried away
up the river, and was recovered only after the greatest exer
tions by the watermen, and moored alongside the wharf."
" The effect of yesterday's great easterly gale in abnor
mally raising the afternoon tide was so remarkable as to
deserve a passing notice.
" High water was 4ft. loin. above Trinity standard at Lon
don Bridge, at Westminster, 5 ft. — in each case 3in. higher
than the remarkable and then hitherto exceptional tide of
the ISth of November, 1875, which marked relatively 4ft. 6in,
and 4ft. 9in. above Trinity.
" "VTesterday's tide was also 5ft. abovfe the computed eleva
tion by the tables of the Hydrographic Department of the
Admiralty, so remarkable for their accuracy, but which do
not, of course, allow for or predicate the excess resultant on
gales. " Hitherto 3ft. to 3ft. 6in. has been the excess in rise over
the Admiralty estimate of those abnormal tides resultant on
great gales of wind.
"The tide was, therefore, 3in, higher than any recorded
tide, and the super-elevation above computation under autho
rity was I Sim in excess of any previously recorded spring
tide,
"J. B. Redman,
"Jan. 19, 1 88 1."
Note. — Doubtless, I contend, this abnormal cold wave, whose effect
was perceived over an enormous area of the North Atlantic, was coinci
dent with the remarkable oceanic phenomena observed at St. Helena.
The manifestation of the producing unknown force, probably electrical,
was identical. — S. P. O.

1 86 On Board a Union Steamer.
" Kew Meteorological Report of Weather in the Neighbourhood
of London during the Week ended Wednesday, Jan. 19,
" Rarely have we to register such intense frost and severe
weather as that experienced during these past seven days.
On glancing at the diagram it will be seen that the thermo
meter was as low as 20° early on Thursday morning, 13th
January,* and also that the frost gained in severity as the
week advanced; for by Saturday-)- the minimum recorded 10°,
and on Monday early the reading was down to 9° in air, and
on ground 7°. Such extremely low temperatures have not
occurred since January 4, 1867, when the minimum fell to 1°
or 31° below the freezing point. The weather was fine and
the nights very clear with but little wind till Monday
afternoon,^ when its direction shifted round to the east.
Thin stratus clouds soon covered the sky, and about 2 P.M. a
solar halo was observed. During the night the wind's force
rapidly increased, and the barometer, which hitherto had not
varied much, began to fall quickly. This it continued to do
on the following day (Tuesday), when we were visited by
one of the most severe snowstorms ever remembered to have
occurred. Snow commenced here between 9 and 10 A.M.,
and was accompanied by a terrific gale of wind, which lasted
without intermission all day. The anemometer at noon
registered sixty miles in the hour, but Some of the gusts
must have far exceeded this rate. As late as 7 P.M. it was
blowing an average hourly rate of fifty miles ; fortunately,
however, during the night it abated and the snow ceased.
To-day it has blown strongly from the north-east, and a good
deal of snow has again fallen. Barometer readings are low,
and the general conditions of the atmosphere seem to indicate
a continuance of severe weather. It is impossible to get any
idea of the average depth of the downfall, as, owing to the
extreme violence of the wind, the exposed places are com
paratively clear of snow, whereas the drifts against obstruc
tions are from 4ft. to 5ft, in depth. As is usual in cold, dry
weather, the electrometer has registered positive electricity of
rather a high tension throughout."
" Hampstead Heath : note of our lowest thermometer
readings on these northern heights, 400ft, above the Thames.
* Thursday, 13th January, Rollers set in at St. Helena.
t Rollers at maximum on Saturday.
j Rollers finish at St. Helena.

The Calemma. 187
The thermometers are verified, and free from condensed
alcohol : — 4ft. from ground in
1881. Night of Glaisher Stand. On Grass.
Deg. Deg.
'5  9
17  8

January 12-13
,, 13-14
» 14-15
„ 15-16
„ 16-17
„ 17-18

8  4
13  7
15  ¦ 8
24  20

The following fictitious story was written to illustrate the
appearance and effect of these mysterious rollers by an
anonymous author : —
THE CALEMMA.
By the Author of " A Strange Unconscious Phantasy."
" The surgy murmurs of the lonely sea.''
If there is one thing I pride myself on, it is my skill at the
g:ame of chess ; and the proudest trophy I ever won is a
silver cigar-lighter presented to the mess, the result of a
wager as to the solution of a problem out of the Illustrated
London News, my favourite newspaper henceforward and the
journal by which I swear.
I have found that on board ship chess is par excellence the
prince of all games, and besides passing the time and dissi
pating ennui, the pastime is decidedly improving to the
temper and to one's patience.
The chess-player soon learns the lesson inculcated by
Horace during the defence of the Sicilian or Muzio Gambits, —
" .lEquam memento rebus in arduis,
Servare mentem."
And most sailor-captains are good chess-players — at least,
so I have found to be the case on all the principal lines of
steamers during long voyages, such as the Peninsular and
Oriental, Les Messageries Maritimes, the Royal West Indian
Mail, the Union Line to the Cape, etc. Indeed, during the
pleasantest voyage out I ever had, I played game and game
every day until the end of the voyage with a passenger about
my calibre, leaving off exactly equal at the termination of
the journey.
But I must confess that although my chess-playing was
good and sound in theory (at least, so I flattered myself and
still flatter myself, being of a sanguine disposition), alas ! in
practice I too often found that I was at fault, and was seldom

1 88 On Board a Union Steamer.
a winner whenever I came across an antagonist who had
studied Staunton.
However, my pride still held its own in spite of the many
checks it received, and I always soothed my feelings with the
reflection that experiments will ofttimes fail. As confident as
ever, I still came to the scratch, and am as ready now as ever
I was to encounter all comers, whoever they may be, from
Harwitz to Blackburne downwards.
The consequence of my devotion to chess was that when
my battery received orders to embark for the rocky, dismal,
isolated station of St. Helena, I was able to congratulate
myself that, at all events, I should have plenty of time to
devote to the study of my pet hobby ; and what was my
delight on arriving in that smallest of British colonies to
find that the governor of the island was also an ardent
follower of Phillidor ; and as the colonial official business is
not very engrossing between the visits of the mail steamers
to the island, I was always sure of finding an antagonist
more than worthy of my steel, for I never won a single game
from my distinguished opponent during a residence of two
years on the island.
From my elevated position at the mess-house* I could
always note every morning when the Union Jack was hoisted
at the Castle, some seven hundred feet beneath, within James
town lines, denoting that His Excellency had arrived from
his private residence ; and after allowing a certain space of
time for official routine business to be disposed of, did duty
permit, I mounted my pony, and rode leisurely down the
steep zig-zag path under the lavas and basalt cliffs, always
sure of a royal battle, with a fair field and no favour.
During the hot season the pursuit of this game was especially
enjoyable, as there was not much temptation to be out of
doors under the vertical rays of the sun when in Capricorns,
and when, like Peter Schemil, one's shadow disappeared in
toto. His Excellency the Governor had one most painstaking
habit of jotting down every move of a game — a most desir
able habit, but one which I have ever been too lazy to attain,
although I have always been making good resolutions to do
so ever since. It is a practice which I can highly recommend
to all would-be players who wish to excel, or even attain
mediocrity, in this trial of skill.
Well, it was on one fine and unusually hot morning in
February 1 8 — that, having finished my letters for the Cape,
* Formerly Johnson's Observatory, now the Garrison Mess.

The Rendezvous on Steamer-day. 189
as the mail was due from England, I rode down to the Castle,
and found the Governor also expectant of the signal for the
steamer, and we were soon absorbed in our mimic battle on
the board before us, when we were aroused by the usual shout
in the street outside, which is so characteristically expressive
of the first flutter of the flag* announcing a steamer to the
north, and I was not sorry of an excuse of terminating the
game, hopelessly involved on my side by a surrender before
the inevitable checkmate occurred.
Outside Government House (or the Castle, as it is termed)
is the Post Office and Court House, and beyond the Library
is the scantily planted apology for a public garden. Here,
beneath the shade of banyan trees, is the rendezvous in all
times of public excitement, and we soon joined the usual
throng assembled, and talked over the latest scandal and
country news till, at the near approach of the Anglian
steamer, a general move was made to the quay, and almost
as soon as the report of the carronade on board announced
the letting-go of the anchor, reverberating up the long
valley inland, we were alongside in the governor's barge, and
saluting our friends and acquaintances on board, and of
course welcoming back those who had returned from visiting
Europe, and still more to criticize the new-comers and find
out all about them, and finally, if the steamer stayed long
enough, to organize some gaiety either on board or ashore.
Any variety is a godsend in a dull prison like St. Helena,
and great was our joy at discovering that the Anglian would
not sail till midnight, as there was a large quantity of stores to
be landed for the flax manufactory. Throughout St. Helena
the telegraph lines circulate like cobwebs, and it was soon an
nounced to the furthest inhabited limits of the rock that there
would be dancing on board the mail steamer in the evening.
The piano was already on deck, the chief officers had under
taken to arrange flags and clear the deck, and we went on shore
again to get our English letters from the mail-bags, and read
the newspapers till dinner-time. The sun sets at half-past
six in February in fifteen degrees south latitude, and the
darkness of night ensues almost immediately, but on this
occasion the nearly full moon had risen well above the Sugar
Loaf mountain, when all the available boats of the port were
pulling off laden with passengers, the dite of St. Helena
* The sharp eyes of the street boys in Jamestown can even detect the
signal-man on the look-out when he bends on the signal, so that the cry
of " Steamer-r-r ! " is often re-echoed in the town before the flag is at the
masthead.

190 On Board a Union Steamer.
society, all directed towards the starboard gangway of the
Anglian, whose illuminated awnings on deck gave evidence
of the gay doings to come, Terpsichore, whom Byron well
terms " the least a vestal of the virgin Nine," is the muse
most worshipped by the lady portion of the yam-stalk popu
lation ; and there is soon " a sound of revelry by night " as
the many-twinkling feet pursue their gyrations round about
the circumscribed portion of the deck, whilst the amiable
captain grimly smiles approval. There is the gallant com
manding officer of the garrison, devoted to the fair sex and
champagne, presumably a bachelor : there are whispers that
he has at least one if not more wives abroad. He is a good
specimen of the whisker'd votary of waltz and war when he
is not pursuing the wily partridge. He is ably supported by
his officers, who muster in force. There is the chief medico,
from the shores of Killarney, genial, and in riding-breeches
and enormous spurs. Look at that lady in a riding-habit,
dancing with the stout artillery officer, whose loud laughter
and stentorian tones are enough to shake the vessel's sides.
Fortunately she is not in a low dress, for
" Not Cleopatra on her galley's deck
Displayed so much of leg or more of neck."
An hour before midnight, the after-supper dances are kept
up with spirit, preparatory to leave-taking.
Whilst the revels are at their height, the Danube River
waltz proceeding as steadily and smoothly as if on terra
firma, a gradual list was perceptible, increasing, however,
with great intensity, till the port side was some feet higher
than the starboard, and dancers and spectators, passengers
and visitors, officers, civilians, ladies and chaperons, all are
slipped and huddled pell-mell in the starboard scuppers, as
the Anglian gave a tremendous lurch, whilst the whole vessel
was carried forward at such a pace as if the engines had
been started, until it was brought up with such a jerk by the
cable, as if it was tearing the bits out, although at least ninety
fathoms of chain were out; fortunately without parting. Such
a scene — such screaming, and fainting, and shamming amongst
the fair sex, whilst the rending of muslin was perceptibly
audible, mingled with clashing of spurs ; such swearing and
language from the rougher ; such a crash of crockery in the
saloons, as the vessel brought up and regained its equilibrium,
and remained as steady as it was before ; for the great, solitary
ocean-wave has no leader and no follower, leaves no hollow ;
it finds the water still and leaves it still ; it does not repeat

Pierie's Revenge. 191
itself The captain and officers of the ship went forward,
thinking the cable must have gone, and, amid much confusion,
the bell was rung, and the order given to clear the ship of
all those for the land. All the islanders knew what it was,
for this was a specimen of a solitary " roller," fortunately not
a large one, for such an ocean wave, with its enormous velo
city of translation, meeting a ship at anchor, which did not
possess much initial stability, if it struck her on the quarter
or broadside, would cause disastrous effect. The hullabaloo
among the boatmen at the steps can better be imagined than
described, as they thought this first big roller was merely the
forerunner of a periodical set of rollers called a Calemma.
But no ; the sea resumed its normal state of calmness, the
moonbeams were reflected from waters as glass-like as those
of an inland lake, and not a breath of wind ruffled the sur
face with so much as a catspaw —
" Oh for a soft and gentle wind, I heard a fair one cry.''
We shouted our good-nights to our hosts as we went over
the side, and as we formed a goodly party of equestrians as
we escorted our whilom partners up the winding paths and
under the shadow of the ominous Pierids Revenge, that sinister,
overhanging mass of basalt and laterite, which has always
reminded me of the celebrated hill which deterred Christian
in Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress": — " But behold, when he
was got now hard by the hill, it seemed so high, and also
that side of it that was next the way-side did hang so much
over, that Christian was afraid to venture further, lest the hill
should fall on his head : wherefore there he stood still, and
he wot not what to do." Unlike Christian, we wot well what
to do, for a second edition of supper was in waiting for us at
the mess-house above, where the iced champagne-cup was
being prepared, according to order, by Bullock, the faithful
mess-butler, as we cantered up the acclivity of Ladder Hill.
Of course whilst at the mess we discussed the curious big
roller wave which had so discomposed the dance on deck, and
we late arrivals in the colony were particularly curious as to
the cause, period, and frequency of these mysterious sub
marine upheavals or earthquake waves. One old islander
with us looked upon this solitary wave as a unique occur
rence, but thought it presaged a bad omen for the following
day ; others declared that the rollers always gave due notice
of a regular calemma, and that the wave that night had
seemed worse than it was from the people moving over to
the starboard and heeling the ship.

192 On Board a Union Steamer.
Meantime I had arranged with my young subaltern, a
handsome strapping young athlete, measuring a good two
inches over six feet in height, and well built in proportion, to
go with him the following morning on a fishing expedition at
the detached post in Lemon Valley, and which had to be
visited on duty periodically, so that we generally arranged to
combine duty with pleasure by making a day and sometimes
a night of it for a picnic fishing excursion.
After dancing and late supper, district fatigues were sub
stituted for drill parade, and the breakfast hour was not so
early as usual the following morning, so that the sun was
high before I started off, and a snorting hot day it was.
Not the least sign of tide-wind was apparent, and the flag
hung down listlessly from the staff at the fort,
I had sent on betimes my boy with a donkey and baskets,
with materials for substantial luncheons, as I was to call for
Jack, my sub., at Rock Cottage, up in the highlands, where
he lived with his wife and infant during the hot season, and
we were to rendezvous at Farm Lodge for some other fellows
to join us. All the fishing gear was kept in readiness at the
post, I was thankful to leave the scorching stony road, bordered
with prickly opuntias, past Half-tree Hollow, under High
Knoll, and get under the shade of the stone-pines and Port
Jackson willows, in plantation, park-like grounds, past the
house and its trim lawn, on which two huge tortoises are
basking, and stop opposite the front door to go through a
course of cross-examination from my lady {i.e. the ladhr of
the commanding officer), who, with arms akimbo, flushed face,
and strident voice, pumps me as to all that happened the
previous evening on board ship and subsequently. Was it
true that Miss So-and-so was actually overheard to propose
to Mr. Dash ? and was Charles B. screwed 1 and did the
Colonel sleep at mess 1 as his pony came home without him !
— and half a hundred such queries, to which I reply as
evasively as possible ; but I have a skilled cross-examiner,
and am plied with searching inquiries, until I am pumped
dry of all the scandal I can retail, for which I am rewarded
with a glass of sherry, on the strength of which I invent
some enormity of a scandal out of sheer malice, and see
pleasure glittering in the eyes of the beldame as she fancies
she has got hold of some real tit-bit of social faux-pas to
retail with improvements to her intimes after church service
the following day.
Meantime my pony has been browsing off the delicate

Cosmopolitan Vegetation. 193
trailing branches of the queer-shaped Elephant' s foot, or rather
trunk, at the doorstep ; has demolished several sprigs of
choice gardenia, fit for either bridal or funeral wreaths, and is
commencing to destroy some draccenas and strelitzias, before
I have finished my budget of improprieties, amidst interjec
tions and ejaculations " Is it really true .¦" Just like her !
Exactly what I thought she was ; and always so demure too !
Only fancy ! and is it true that Mrs.  had to be helped
out of the boat and could not sit in her saddle } No, really,
did she actually tumble in the street 1 Of course her husband
was not with her I " and so on. We have finished half a
decanter of sherry by this time, the lady taking quite her
fair share, ere I depart, happy to be released from such an
ordeal at any rate.
I muse on the vindictiveness of women among their own
sex as I pass through the iron gates of my lady's garden,
beneath the hugest of araucarias, and under a gigantic
eucalyptus, whilst the air is odoriferous with the sweet olive-
tree {Olea fragrans), past the broad-leaved aralias* and under
the pines, interspersed with hakeas and native gobble-gheer,-)-
which recall the wild woods of Broceliande and Vivien.
What did Merlin say .?—
" They that most impute a crime
Are pronest to it, and impute themselves
Wanting the mental range, or low desire
Not to feel lowest makes them level all."
At Rock Cottage, I find Jack ready to start, and with many
an admonition from his wife not to be too late, and to mind
and bring back some fish, we canter over the level ground
under a cooler atmosphere, as we are here nearly two thou
sand feet above the level of the sea, and through English-
looking lanes, between high banks, and hedges of blackberry-
bushes — now covered with ripe blackberries — and furze,
intermingled with buddleia and moon-plant, past the wide-
spreading yew-trees at Oaklands, the sloping coffee plantation
of Terrace Knowle, whose weeping cork-tree and flourishing
Strelitzia Regia are conspicuous ; under the avenue of oak-
trees, J at whose feet are clumps of beautiful blue agapanthus,
lilies growing in luxuriant profusion, till we halt under a
* Aralia papyrifera, introduced from Formosa ; native name Tung-
tsaou. f Psoralea pinnata.
X To show the size to which oak-trees (English oak, Quercus) grow at
St. Helena, Mr. Moss cut down, three years since, a tree whose trunk-
was sufficiently large to form the stern-post of a good-sized barque. O

194 On Board a Union Steamer.
columnar-like trunk of a fine Jubcea* palm-tree — the only one
of the island — in the yard of Farm Lodge, where we find our
youngest sapper awaiting us. Here, too, we discover that we
are only to have a third to join our company, as the previous
night's dissipation has upset the equanimity of some of those
who should have put in an appearance. Imprimis, the
colonel has not come to the scratch, but the last-comer has
seen him. It appears that, in spite of the bright moonlight;
after leaving the mess (he said there was a fog !) he missed
his way in the dark, till his pony took him, of its own accord,
to the door of Sydenham. Here the gallant colonel, having
taken the saddle off his pony, went to sleep in the verandah,
nor discovered where he was till broad daylight, whilst his
pony betook itself home without him. Farm Lodge is a good
point of departure for visitors to Lemon Valley, as it stands
on the head of a ravine, on the verge of the woodland and
mountain vegetation. Opposite is Mount Eternity, under
the scrubwood of which are the graves of former colonists,
but how, or when, buried here in unconsecrated ground, his
tory leaves no record that I am aware of
We sent our ponies home, as the road ceases at Farm
Lodge, whence only a narrow track leads down into the val
ley, the most dismal and desolate of all valleys. On its
eastward side, and on our right as we descend, there is a pre
cipitous wall of sharply jagged basalt rock, weather-worn
into most fantastic shapes, amongst which the most promi
nent is a columnar pile of boulders, bearing a faint resem
blance to a human figure with a cowl, and hence it bears the
name of " The Friar," and an absurd modern story has been
invented quite lately, and an attempt made to invest this
natural pillar with a would-be legendary tale of romance.
Modern invention of fictitious folk-lore is always to be de
precated. We would recommend the locality, however, to
Father Ignatius Lyne, should he ever feel inclined to turn
hermit. On the left, and in the centre of and dividing the valley,
which branches, is a ridge terminating in a stupendous pin
nacle one thousand feet high, on the very summit of which
is an old rusty piece of ordnance, yet mounted on its moul-
* Jubcea spectabilis has the lowest limit of all Palms, growing as far
south as 37°. " These Palms," says Darwin, " are for their family ugly
trees. Their stem is very large, and of a curious form, being thicker in
the middle than at the base or top. They are excessively numerous in
some parts of Chile, and valuable on account of a sort of treacle made
from the sap."

Desolation of Lemon Valley. 195
dering carriage and ruined platform. It must have cost the
artillerymen some care and a vast amount of manual labour
to have placed it in such a position.
Meandering through the valley is the bed of a stream, but
at this time of year (February) it is perfectly dry, and there
is not a drop of moisture obtainable. The stony sides of
this deserted vale of death are perfectly bare of green vege
tation. Withered gourds and dried leaves of Lagenaria, with
burnt-up plants of wild tobacco, remain to show that during
other seasons the rocky amphitheatre is not entirely destitute
of life ; and if we look closer under the crevices of the jag
ged masses of lava, you can detect tufts of dried-up ferns, of
species now undiscernible, which will spring up again in July
after their summer period of rest, and spread their fronds,
showing them to be a most lovely variety of cheilanthes.*
There is no sight or sound of animal life as the sun blazes
down, reflected like an oven from the sheer sides of scarped
cliffs above, and from the crumbling red laterite beneath, but
occasionally a wild goat, till then unperceived, disturbs the
stilly hot serenity of the silence by loosening a stone or rock
which falls from ledge to ledge and brings a lot of rubble in
its track. As we descend the valley narrows, and its sides
become even more threatening and precipitous, and more
care has to be taken as we pick our way along the devious
goat-track, until at length we have to watch each footstep
where the track leads round some projecting spur, over
hanging above, and rotten and slippery beneath, where a
false step would precipitate the unwary traveller, and dash
his bones headlong in the dried-up torrent far beneath. At
last we scramble down to this arid, boulder-strewn channel,
and pursue the remainder of the journey by following its
course. We are now in a water-cut gorge, or ravine, whose section
would form a V, whose sides are formed of layers of archaic
lava, like gigantic steps of different thicknesses and colours,
and separated by beds of decomposed laterite and agglom
erate, which here and there are at their natural angle, and in
other parts, where more exposed to atmospheric agency, have
been washed away, undermining the lava strata and forming
deep rifts and cavernous hollows, and we suddenly arrive at
the sea face, where the huge cliffs tower sheer fifteen hundred
feet above our heads, and frown dun and dull, without reflec
tion, against the deep turquoise afternoon sky, and before us
* Cheilanthes mult\fida (Swartz).
O 2

196 On Board a Union Steamer.
stretches a vast expanse of bright intense aquamarine deep
sea, perfectly still as a lake, and reflecting the gloomy tints
of the dark shadows under the hollow cliffs ; all was silent,*
the only animation imparted to the scene is that caused by
the frequent flight of the kittiwakes, white sea-birds, and
noddy-terns. In the lower part of the valley we actually
came across some water collected in pools from the drip of
the lower strata, whence perennial springs trickle, and there
are some shrubs, an almond-tree or two, and actually some
roses, and the ubiquitous hibiscus. We have now reached
the station, where a barrack, protected by a strong rampart,
dating from the days of the old East India Company, is still
occupied by a small detachment of gunners ; whilst on a
projecting rock is a half-moon battery of two 7-inch breech-
loading guns, situated one hundred and fifty feet above the
sea level. The bombardier in charge comes out to meet us,
and having given orders to have the luncheon prepared in
an empty barrack-room, we proceed with our official inspec
tion of stores, etc.
You may be sure that opening metal-lined cases and ex
amining cartridges, in a powder magazine cut out of the
rock on the face of a cliff which has been exposed to the
morning sun for half a day, is dry work enough, and as it
was well on in the afternoon before we had finished we were
only too glad to refresh ourselves, and after tiffin we were in
no hurry to do anything but read the newly arrived papers
on the cool beach, under the shade of the western cliffs, for
it was no good commencing to fish till later.
I suspect we all snoozed, more or less, till the thoughtful
bombardier had the water boiling for tea, when it was time
to prepare the fishing gear.
The gunners had already collected plenty of bait, both
crabs and cuttle-fish, and, as the sun got lower, we made our
way out to the selected station, a favourite spot on a ledge
of black basalt, much water-worn, and which forms, as it
were, a girdle at the immediate foot of the Cyclopean walls
with which nature has impregnably defended this ocean for
tress. From the promontory on which we now stood, we
could survey the whole north-eastern portion of the islet
trending past the valleys, whose entrances are marked by
small nooks and rocky bays, high above which the jagged
edges of the lofty plateaux between them cut against the
* " And we came to the Silent Isle that we never had touch'd at before.
Where a silent ocean always broke on a silent shore."
Tennyson {Voyage of Maeldune).

Fishing in South Atlantic. 197
clear atmosphere in peaks and pinnacles, with stupendous
sides here and there jutting out into the sea, their bases hol
lowed by everlasting regurgitation of this tideless* ocean.
This afternoon even this ceaseless movement of the great
deep seems absent ; but we are now thoroughly roused to
our work as the day grows cooler and the shadows deepen
in the purple clefts.
For our work it is necessary to be close to the edge of the
rock, and as low down to the sea level as possible, and also
as far out into the deeper waters as we can get.
Accordingly we climb out over rocks, the sharp and
round points torn and abraded, over low boulders and under
higher ones, an intricate labyrinth at the sea verge, as far as
we can, out to a ledge some forty or fifty yards from the
main cliffs, where formerly an ancient anchor is said to have
been placed as a holdfast, hence its name of "Anchor Rock."
Legend says that this anchor was washed away by an extra
ordinary storm in 1846 ; but we did not suffer any thoughts
of the anchor to discompose our thoughts.
We were intent on fishing, and even before sunset the
nearly full moon was already rising. We had fishing lines
and rods enough and to spare, sometimes using the rod and
sparing not the line, and it was nearly six before we settled
to steady fishing in the deep water, which is almost unfathom
able close in shore. At first our catch was very varied,
comprising the soldier, which is capital eating, rock gurnards,
and old wives {Sargus Capensis), the so-called " Jack " (a nice
fish, but which will not keep), and even a few of the delicate
small " five-fingers," and, of course, plenty of the beautiful
but useless " parrot " and " queen " fish. Later on we got
" yellow-tails," congers (horrid beasts !), " mursenas," and
other eels, the slippery " lather-coat," like soap and mullets ;
but the real sportforwhich we had chosen the moonlight fishing
began in earnest about nine o'clock, when the " bulls'-eyes,"
now in good season, began to bite in earnest. This is, perhaps,
the best fish to be got in the St. Helena waters, and is so
called from the peculiar, large, lustrous eye, which has the
appearance of the lens in a lantern. We managed to bag
some two dozen of these fellows, besides a " cavalley "or so, and
* There is so little difference in the tides at St. Helena that practi
cally there is no tide, the highest spring-tides being only two feet ten
inches, and the neap-tide one foot eight inches. The consequence is
that the water of the sea is continually exercising its abrasive power at
one and the same level, and has therefore more hollowing-out action
produced on a narrow line of the rock as hard as adamant.

igS On Board a Union Steamer.
soon after ten, we found we had had enough, and slackened
our energies a bit.
" Les solitudes d'eau sont lugubres, c'est le tumulte et le
silence," says Victor Hugo, but we did not find it so. Of
course during all this time endless chaff and noisy fun was
going on, until we were tired of laughing, and so, leaving our
gear on the rocks, adjourned to the barrack-rooms to supper,
and among the subjects of conversation you may be sure the
events of the previous evening were discussed with gusto.
Supper ended, we determined to have half an hour's more
fishing, so as to return up the valley whilst the moon was at
its highest.
In spite of the hour the clearness of the atmosphere was
such that the moonlit sea was almost as clear as in the day,
and as we recommenced our fishing but half-heartedly, for
most of us had had enough, some one mentioned the solitary
roller of the night before, and Jack jokingly said that if re
port was true a calemma was sure to ensue within twenty-
four hours of the first antecedent wave's appearance ; " and,"
said he, " it is now overdue if it means coming " (looking at
his watch) ; " and see how calm and still it is everywhere ! "
At that moment a loud holloa from landward and right
above us startled our equanimity, followed by a loud distinct
warning-cry from the half-moon battery 150 feet above us.
" Ca-lemma ! For God's sake come away ! The rollers are
setting in ! "
We started to our feet, and sure enough, far out to sea, to
northward, was a long line stretching across the horizon, like
a crystal streak reflecting the moonbeams as from a glassy
surface, and, at least to all appearance, a good mile distant,
but advancing, although slowly to the eyes, in reality swiftly
and surely, came the dread Atlantic wave — the awful
calemma. A dead silence fell upon the hitherto merry group, and for
a wonder no one swore. No words were deep enough, and
yet every one of us there hesitated. The same idea struck
us all, viz., that if we should be caught in the long labyrinth
of hollow rocks under the cliffs by the rising waters we
should be done ; there was no escape. It would take a
good quarter of an hour to get to a sufficient distance on
the shore, and the tide-rip would be on us in half that
time ; and, even as we thought, nearer and nearer came the
white streak, now no longer slender, but as a broad band,
silent and still, tipped with silver sheen above, niysteriously
dark in the hollow beneath, onward it came and onward. As

App7'oach of Earthquake- Wave. 1 99
fast as an express train, and far more resistless, towards us
moved the relentless wave, or rather, fortunately for us, a
group of waves.*
On our left was a huge outlying pinnacle of rock, under
the lee of which we had been fishing. The summit of this mass
of felspathic lava was nearly forty feet above the sea level,
but scarped and apparently inaccessible, — at least, we had
never contemplated attempting its ascent, as all our interests
had hitherto been directed to getting as near to the water's
edge as possible. We at once perceived that here lay our
only chance of safety. Atmospheric degradation had worn
crevices which could be utilized for escalade, and here and
there above were niches on which one could, perhaps, perch
like a statue, and besides were ledges, white with guano, the
home of the sea-bird.
With this brief coup doeil our spirits, which had received a
decided damper, speedily revived, and with an answering
shout of " All right ! " up we climbed, in far less time than it
has taken to describe our perilous situation. Our hands were
torn by the sharp edges of the volcanic rock, and we had
scarcely assembled, breathless, on a narrow platform, which
we found about two-thirds upwards on the landward (for
tunately the landward) side, and therefore in some degree
a sheltered corner, when the wave was present, almost
simultaneously. The last glimpse I had of the outer sea,
as I crouched under cover, was an enormous upheaving
rolling mass of water, a veritable smooth mountainous dark
cylinder of glass without a fleck of foam, but reflecting the
moonlight rays. We clung like limpets to the face of the
rock, and the next instant we were holding our breath, as we
were enveloped in solid sea-water, whilst a roar like thunder
re-echoed from the cavernous chffs. To our astonishment the
water came on to us from above, and not from beneath, as we
expected. The wave had passed beneath us without breaking,
and broke only against the face of the cliff and mainland, and
* Had it been a great single earthquake wave, it would have probably
caught us before we could escape, from the enormous velocity at which
such a wave is propagated : but it has been remarked by Professors
Stokes, Reynolds, Mr. Froude and others, that when a group oi several
deep-water waves advances into comparatively calm waters, the velocity
of the group is far less than that of the individual waves of which it is
composed ; in fact just half of their rapidity. The waves, in this case,
advance through the group, dying away as they approach its anterior
limit. The explanation given is that the group is formed by the super
position of two infinite trains of waves, of equal amplitude and of nearly
equal wave lengths.

200 On Board a Union Steamer.
it was the cataracts of reverberated spray which drenched us
in a Titanic douche. We had a minute's respite in which to
breathe and to take a fresh grip of the natural breakwater,
when a second, and, after as short another interval, a third
roller again assailed our fortress. The second, or middle
one, of this set of three waves was the largest, and the solid
wave itself actually approached within about two yards of
our feet. We were apprehensive now that yet larger waves
might ensue, although the first convulsion of the calemma
had passed. We must get higher if possible. Happily this
was possible to be accomplished, and we surmounted the
very summit of this outlying peak, where we found ourselves
in comparative safety, and able to exchange a few words.
" So this is what you call a calemma, is it .' " said Hal, the
young sapper.
" No," says Jack (an inveterate punster) ; " I call it a
dilemma, as far as we are concerned. However, never say
die ! I am sure we have been climbing like lemurs!'
" Ay, ay ! " said the sapper. He meant " Aye-Aye : " un
fortunately the "Aye-Aye" is not a lemur but a distinct
genus {Cheiromys).
Again broke the distant warning cry from the battery
above, and now from our point of vantage we could watch
with some nervous apprehension the rapid approach of a re
curring combination of watery billows. The breaking of
the previous rollers had churned the sea into yeasty froth a
considerable distance from the shore, but out at sea the same
impassable solemn calm reigned ; there were not even those
ordinary ripples which are observable on the normal ocean •
waters at rest.
Our isolated situation reminded me irresistibly of Victor
Hugo's hero Gilliat, on the Grand Douvre, and the illustra
tion by Chifflart representing him with an aureole of sea-
fowl fluttering over him : just so the terns and noddies were
now noisily disturbed and agitated above our heads, and we
could not but recall to rnind the fate of two officers of the
66th Regiment, who were washed away whilst fishing at
Turk's Cap, near Prosperous Bay, on the other side of this
island, in 1817.
We were greatly relieved to find that the waves did not
reach us where we had taken refuge, although we underwent
tremendous shocks from the floods of water, which dashed
up in stupendous fountains against the cliffs, rebounding on
to us in deluges of brine from a hundred feet above our
heads, whilst between us and over the rocky isthmus which

Metallic Battering of the Ocean. 201
connected our refuge with the shore a perfect chaos reigned
after each wave.
The force of these waves during a calemma may be im
agined from the following illustration of a comparatively
small breaker given by Scott Russell, resulting from a com
mon surface sea-wave. He says, " One cubic foot of salt
water weighing sixty-four pounds, four pounds is the six
teenth part of the weight of a cubic foot of wave. This
force could communicate a speed of two feet per second to
one foot of water in one second of time. Supposing, then,
a surface sea-wave four feet high and sixty-four feet long to
be attacked by such a wind, and taking the mass of one foot
section to be 128 cubic feet, it would have a speed of two
feet a second given to it in thirty-two seconds of time, or
about half a minute, and in little more than eight minutes it
would be raised to sixteen feet high and have a speed of
thirty-two feet a second ; it might become a violent breaker,
and might contain seven tons of solid water in each foot of
ridge length, which projected over an impediment, a ship or
rock, would deliver a stroke of twenty miles an hour speed
with a weight of seven tons. If it were ten feet wide along
the wave ridge it would deliver a shock of seventy tons at
twenty miles an hour, equal to the stroke of a railway engine
collision." If this is so for such an ordinary wave, what must
be the result of deep-sea waves thirty feet high in depths
like those around St. Helena I No wonder the adamantine
rocks of basalt at St. Helena yield to the continuous attack
of this metallic battering, far more severe than any human
bombardment. I say metallic advisedly, for it has now been
proved that the eminent chemist Dumas was right in his
assertion that water is a combination of metals.*
These were the largest waves, and for upwards of two
hours were we kept prisoners by recurring sets of roller.s,
gradually diminishing in size and strength, until a gentle
* Simultaneous announcements by M. Pictet of Geneva, and M.
Cailletet of Paris, of the liquefaction of oxygen, soon followed the news
that hydrogen and nitrogen had equally succumbed to the combined effect
of mechanical pressure and cold ; and, on January nth, 1880, M. Pictet
startled the scientific world with the information that he had succeeded
in solidifying hydrogen. This last triumph of operating skill is of special
interest as confirming the theory, entertained on chemical grounds, of the
metallic nature of hydrogen, M. Dumas is, therefore, right when he
says that in drinking a glass of water we introduce a metallic oxide into
our bodies. The experimental demonstration of the liquefaction and
respectively sohdification of the above-named gases has finally proved
that cohesion is a general property of all matter.

202 On Board a Union Steamer.
yama breeze set in, which, however, soon shifted and veered
till the proper trade-wind blew, clouds appeared in the
sky, and the smooth sea-surface was rippled with white
waves. After repeated bailings from aloft that all was safe, we
descended from our rock, sore, stiff, and wet through. The
temperature had fallen directly the trade commenced to
murmur through the valley, and we were not sorry to regain the
barracks at 1.30 A.M., half famished. Speaking for myself,
my legs ached consumedly as we retraced our steps up the
valley, as it is a long climb. Not many words were spoken,
for we wanted all our breath, as we leaned on our bamboo
staves up the gorge, but when we got on level ground we all
had our theories as to the origin of these waves.
The scientific sapper had been studying " Six Months at
Ascension," and held stoutly to the theory of Captain Evans,
the hydrographer, therein commended by the gifted lady
author, that these calemma rollers are caused by the displace
ment of whole continents of ice — not icebergs — following a
coast-line of some hundreds of miles in the Antarctic regions.
In the summer these become loosened by the heat of the
sun, and doubtless detach themselves in enormous masses,
the length of which is measured by many miles. Such
masses falling into the sea displace enormous volumes of
water, and thus a great submarine wave is created. This
wave propagates itself northward, invisible on the surface
till encountering a sloping obstacle, like that of the sub
marine side of Ascension or St. Helena, it rushes up the
face of the land and causes a breaker to rise from the calm
sea, having all the characteristics of the roller.
Mrs. Gill, who is not only a skilled but also a scientific
author, is fascinated with this theory, and has never heard it
explained away. But why, I would ask, are the rollers found
to approach St, Helena from the north ? and when the ice
bergs reach the Cape of Good Hope, why does not the in
visible submarine wave develop itself on the sloping sub
marine barrier of the Great Agulhas Bank } The famous
freebooter. Captain Semmes, noticed these tide-rips, as he
termed them, as far north as 5° N. lat. in long. 42° W. He
at first was inclined to attribute them to lunar influence,
but comes to the conclusion that as yet the causes of
these "great breathings of the sea" have eluded our re
search. Admiral Selwyn is disposed to think that the first record
we have of a big wave was in Father Noah's time, B.C.,

Admiral Fishbournc's Relation. 203
according to the Mosaic Pentateuch {vide first volume), which,
however, according to Colenso and other Zulu critics, was
not published for centuries subsequently.
The same nautical authority supposes that five subsequent
deluges have recurred from the same cause, which events he
does not name.
Among modern instances he quotes the subterranean up
heaval of the Chilian coast, in 1822, to an extent of eight
feet, which sent a wave of translation across to New Zea
land, and again in the submersion of Callao something of
the same sort took place.
The Admiral says : "At St. Helena there is a very curious
form of wave which comes in periodically, and in a measure
also at Ascension. It is a series of big waves coming in for
a day, setting in with awful fury, often in a perfect calm,
without any sufficient cause whatever, that we can see, and
they are perfectly local. They generally set in from the
eastward. We do not hear of any great disturbance having
occurred, but these rollers set in at periodical times with
devastating fury, very much of the character of the ground-
swell described by Scott Russell."
Admiral Fishbourne tells how he was once lying on the
coast of Africa in perfectly smooth water, with not a breath
of air ; the barometer went down very much, so much that
he felt it necessary to get the steam up ; but we had better
give his own words : —
" I walked up and down for hours, watching to see what
was coming, as the glass continued to go down. Finally I
saw a white line on the horizon. This was a solitary wave
rolling in about six feet high above the natural level, without
a hollow in front. My bow was to the wave, I therefore had
nothing to do except to steam ahead to keep the strain off
the cable. It came along with great velocity. A schooner
lay close to us broadside on. Her crew saw the wave coming ;
they lashed everything on deck, and then got in the rigging.
It nearly capsized her ; she made a dash at us, took away
my quarter-boat and stern-boat, carrying away her bowsprit
and foremast. There was only one wave that passed and
broke on the beach. I felt sure that a storm had passed
outside, and on examining some ships' logs, found that
two vessels had been in a circular storm, and one was dis
masted." But quite lately the subaqueous-volcanic theory has been
greatly strengthened by the observations of Captain Carl
Alexanderson, F.R.G.S., who, when steaming along the West

204 On Board a Union Steamer.
Coast of Africa on the 25th July, 1880, in lat. 6° 38' S. and
long. 12° 25' E., at a distance of seven miles off the land,
and during a heavy calemma, observed at 5 P.M., i ^' to east
ward, heavy breakers jumping out of the sea at half a dozen
different places, as if jerked out of a submarine volcano.
Such a phenomenon would well account for the causation
of calemmas. Appropriately enough, the shoal marked
on the official chart on this spot is named the Vesuvius
shoal. Darwin describes the great earthquake of February 20th,
1835, ill Valdivia, when H.M.S. Beagle, Captain Fitzroy, was
there, and its effects at Concep5ion : — " Shortly after the
shock a great wave was seen, from the distance of three or
four miles, approaching in the middle of the bay with a
smooth outline ; but along the shore it tore up cottages and
trees as it swept onwards with irresistible force. At the
head of the bay it broke in a fearful line of white breakers,
which rushed up to a height of twenty-three vertical feet
above the highest springs."
Their force must have been prodigious ; for at the fort a
cannon with its carriage, estimated at four tons in weight,
was moved fifteen feet inwards.
Captain Fitzroy noticed two explosions, one like a column
of smoke and another like the blowing of a great whale,
in the midst of the bay ; the water also appeared every
where to be boiling, became black and exhaled a sulphur- _
eous smell.
The rollers of the calemma are periodical at St. Helena ;
the worst having occurred in the years 1711, 1715, 171 7,
1733. 1720, 1737, 1743, and more lately in 1846. On 12th
November, in 1737, these earthquake (i") waves carried away
a large piece of iron ordnance from Chubbs' Rock, a demi-
culverin of forty-three hundredweight, which was afterwards
recovered in three, fathoms, and the same battery was split
and a modern gun washed away by a calemma in Feb
ruary, 1846.
It is a great pity that the systematic meteorological obser
vations which were made for a series of years at St. Helena,
commencing in 1841, ceased in 1845. Had these observa
tions been carried on until now, we should have had a series
extending over nearly forty years, and, in connection with the
observations at Ascension, many useful calculations of the
periodicity of these oceanic convulsions might have been
made, so that forecasts as to their approach could be signalled
as hurricanes are at Mauritius. It is sincerely to be hoped

Spray-Clouds, 800 Feet High. 205
that such a meteorological observatory may again be estab
lished shortly.*
As the poverty-stricken island of St. Helena has been
mulcted for nearly eight years to pay a pension of ;£'500 per
annum to an admiral who was its governor for only three
years, and as this pension has lapsed this year,-]- some portion
of the funds available from this source might with great pro
priety be devoted to the endowment of scientific meteorolo
gical research in this direction, greatly to the benefit of the
island and of the shipping on which the prosperity of the
island depends.

From the St. Helena Guardian, Thursday, January 20th,
1881.
" In the course of Saturday night, 15th inst, and Sunday,
we had a display of rollers such as has not been witnessed
for about twenty years, if, indeed, since the historical rollers
of 1846. Beginning to set in on Thursday, 13th, they
lulled on Friday, 14th, attained their maximum strength on
Saturday night, and by Monday their force was evidently
spent. The damage done is happily slighter than was to
have been expected — some of the wharf roadway was washed
away, especially at a point near the middle crane, where a
previously existing hole in the wall favoured the sea. A few
boats lying on the wharf were destroyed, and some four or
'five tons of coal washed out of the store of Messrs. Solomon
and Moss, situated at the end of the wharf Beyond this
the damage is but small. The sight on Sunday was suffi
ciently grand to account for the church having a small con
gregation. As each set of three or four big rollers came
surging in, the wharf was well nigh hidden under a boiling
race of waters, the spray mounting high above the cranes,
and the incessant roar of the magnificent seas adding to the
effect, while the intense heat and stillness of the day rendered
the scene even more impressive. Glancing along the cliffs
towards Lemon Valley gave a sight which can be imagined
from one fact : the spray clouds floated above Goat Pound
Ridge, which is 770 feet high. The mad turmoil of foam in
* " The most suitable localities for barometric observations for the pur
pose in view are insular stations far removed from the disturbing influences
of the large continents and near the equator, such as the Seychelles, St.
Helena, and Ascension." — F. Chambers, Meteorological Reporter for
India. t Through Admiral Patey's death.

2o6 On Board a Union Steamer.
the bay, the gigantic waves advancing with crests concealed
by the feathery smoke torn from them by their own motion,
the bursts of spray — high against the cliffs — descending like
majestic fountains, created a tout ensemble neither to be ima
gined nor described. We have seen fine surf in Sandy Bay,
when the spray came over the whole of the Horse's Head,
when the seas rolled over the ledges round the cliffs without
breaking, and the clouds of spray-mist floated inland so
densely that Sandy Bay Barn was only faintly to be seen ;
but those were toy waves in a basin compared with these,"
{Lieut. H. D'Arcy Breton, R.E., St. Helena)
So, after taking the mails on board at St. Helena, we
sight "The Cinder" on the third day after leaving the
" Rock," approaching it from the south-eastward. Green
Mountain, hidden with the clouds (which so tormented the
scientific expedition of which the unscientific account by the
astronomer's wife), alone looks inviting, for the bare, rugged
appearance of the major portion of the island is most unin
viting. Unlike St, Helena, which was found covered with
forests, and has now been denuded of its indigenous woods.
Ascension was discovered as a comparatively barren rock,
destitute of all natural useful vegetation, exposed to terrific
and injurious sea-breezes, but thanks to the industry of the
British sailors and marine husbandmen, it has been con
verted — certainly not into a Garden of Cymodoce, but, at all
events, into a state productive of a certain amount of useful
vegetables. In 1863 the population of the island was 550,"
and the freshwater supply was only one gallon per head.
Admiral Barnard took steps for utilizing the manure, which
at St. Helena is thrown into the sea, and introduced acacias,
buddleia, and vitex. Now there are even date palms, coffee
bushes, and custard apples, with furze bramble in the ravines
up on the heights. The para grass also grows well. Here is
Mrs. Gill's first impression when she anchored in Clarence
Bay, and the "Abomination of Desolation" seemed to be
before our eyes : — " A few scattered buildings lay among
reddish-brown cinders near the shore ; a sugarloaf hill of
the same colour rose up behind and bounded the view . . .
Nothing green, we said, exists or could exist here. Stones,
stones, everywhere stones, that have been tried in the fire
and are now heaped about in dire confusion, or beaten into
dust which we see dancing in pillars before the wind. Dust,
sunshine, and cinders, and low yellow houses frizzling in it all."
Such is a good description by the vivacious historian of
the Mars expedition ; and it fully expresses, in the fewest

Contrast of Ascension with St. Helena, 207
words, the impression conveyed by the first aspect of Ascen
sion. My own reminiscences call to mind deep indigo rolling
waves, a line of white breakers against a dazzling white-
bleached strand, and the ugly, dome-like cinder heap of
brickdust colour called " Cross Hill," rising up 840 feet, with a
zigzag path up to the signal post and flagstaff on the summit,
and halfway up the " Captain's Cottage." On the left, rough
lava rocks and a deep arid ravine bordered with peaks and
crater-chffs, terminating in Clarence Bay, Long Beach, next
the turtle ponds and red windmill. In the centre of the fore
ground Fort Thornton, the sole defence of the settlement,
on its bluff rock, on the face of which are the so-called " Tar
tar Stairs," coal sheds, a jetty and crane, and the few official
buildings which form the garrison town named George Town ;
more cinder and ash heaps and lava coast-line dashed with
spray. In the background, obscured partially with the trade-
cloud, is Green Mountain, a mild imitation of Diana's Peak,
the same height, but seven degrees nearer the equator and
proportionately less verdant.
The superficial contrast of Ascension with St. Helena is
very striking (Darwin). " At Ascension the surfaces of the
lava streams are glossy, as if just poured forth ; their boun
daries are well defined, and they can often be traced to per
fect craters, whence they were erupted ; in the course of
many long walks, I did not observe a single dyke ; and the
"^coast round nearly the entire circumference is low, and has
been eaten back (though too much stress must not be placed
on this fact, as the island may have been subsiding) into a
little wall only from ten to thirty feet high. Yet during the
340 years since Ascension has been known, not even the
feeblest signs of volcanic action have been recorded. On
the other hand, at St. Helena, the course of no one stream of
lava can be traced, either by the state of its boundaries or
of its superficies ; the mere wreck of one crater is left ; not
the valleys only, but the surface of some of the highest hills
are interlaced by worn-out dykes, and in many places the
denuded summits of great cones of injected rock stand ex
posed and naked."
Les Lettres d'Outre-Mer.
In the Notes, published in Nature of January 13, p, 254,
the last paragraph gives, as a fact, an announcement of " The
Simplest Post-office in the World" in Magellan Straits, as still
in existence.

2o8 On Board a Union Steamer.
At least fourteen years ago there was published a graphic
account of this unique establishment by the most eminent of
all living French writers, M. Victor Hugo, who introduces
the circumstance into his famous work of fiction, " Les Tra
vailleurs de la Mer ; " and ever since reading the account I
have wondered where the great author obtained his circum
stantial relation, which refers to the year 1823. Nor can I
believe that such a system of oceanic exchange ever really
was in existence, at least on the spot indicated, for a very
good reason ; that at the point indicated, viz., the neigh
bourhood of Port Famine, when the Beagle was there in
1834 {see Darwin's "Naturalist's Voyage," chap, xi.), "the
Fuegians twice came and plagued " the crew ; so that an
open barrel would hardly be safe. Darwin, also, who as
cended Mount Tarn, the most elevated point in this district,
would surely have mentioned this famous barrel post-office,
had it existed (!").
I am therefore curious to know whence the note in Nature
was compiled, but I fancy the account is apocryphal. That
there were, however, other oceanic post-offices somewhat
similar in principle is a fact in reality.
In 1673 Ascension was visited by the Dominican, Father
Navarette, who speaks of it then as the " Sailor's Post-office!'
" Mariners of all nations being accustomed at that time to
leave letters here, sealed up in a bottle, in a certain known
cranny of some rock, to be taken away by the first ship
which passed in an opposite direction " (Mrs. Gill's " Six
Months in Ascension," p. 61). And again in 1769 we find
the following extract : — " 1769, Febry. 3-4.
" Louis de Bougainville, Colonel of Foot and Commodore
of the Expedition in the Frigate La Boudeuse.
" Arrd, and anchored in the North-west Creek, or ' Creek of
the Mountain of the Cross!
" Anchorage, according to Abb^ la Caille,
7° 54' S.— 16° 19' W. of Paris.
Variation 9° 45' NW.
" Three creeks caught turtle.
" NE. creek. NW. creek. English creek SW.
" In the afternoon the bottle was brought to me which
contains the paper whereon the ships of every nation gene
rally write their name when they touch at Ascension Island.
" This bottle is deposited in a cavity of the rocks of the

Nautical Exchange Station. 209
bay, where it is equally sheltered from rain and the spray of
the sea. In it I found written the Swallow, that English
ship which Captain Carteret commanded, and which I was
desirous of joining.* He arrived here the 31st of January,
and set sail again on the ist of February; thus we had
already gained six days upon him, after leaving the Cape of
Good Hope. I inscribed the Boudeuse and sent back the
bottle." At page 4 of Melliss' "Account of St. Helena" (1875) is a
woodcut of the South Atlantic Post-office of 1645. Speak
ing of the island of St. Helena, Mr. Melliss says : —
" It became about this time — little more than a century
after its discovery — a resort of Dutch and Spanish ships, as
well as English ; and Portuguese authority seems to have
been lessened, through that power being interested in ac
quiring possessions elsewhere, and the island was for a while
deserted, though still used by the captains and crews of ships
as a South Atlantic post-office. It was customary to place
letters under huge boulders of stone, marked in a conspic
uous manner, so that the crews of ships returning from India
might obtain news from home. An interesting record of
this period is still to be seen on a rude block of lava measur
ing nearly five feet high and two feet six inches wide, which
has been preserved by being subsequently built into a large
mass of masonry in the Jamestown burial ground."
In the Galapagos Islands there is a bay named Post-office
Bay, which seems to indicate an analogous nautical exchange
station, I subjoin Victor Hugo's description, and shall be much
obliged to any of your readers who can refer me to any
account of the earlier voyagers whence this scene was derived.
'"Les Travailleurs de la Mer,' Edition illustr^e (1866).
Livre cinqui^me, ix.
" Renseignement utile aux personnes qui attendent, ou
craignent, des lettres d'outre-mer" (p. 91).
" Ne disiez-vous pas, Capitaine Gertrais, que la Tamaulipas
ne relachera point .¦¦ "
" Non. II va droit au Chih,"
" En ce cas il ne pourra pas donner de ses nouvelles en
route." " Pardon, Capitaine Clubin. D'abord il peut remettre des
d^peches a tons les bitiments qu'il rencontre faisant voile
pour Europe." * La Boudeuse caught up the Swallow, 25th February. P

2 1 o On Board a Union Steamer.
" C'est juste."
" Ensuite il a la botte aux lettres de la mer!'
" Qu'appelez-vous la botte aux lettres de la mer } "
" Vous ne connaissez pas 5a, Capitaine Clubin .¦• "
" Non."
" Quand on passe le detroit de MageUan."
"Eh bien.?"
" Partout de la neige, toujours gros temps, de vilains mau-
vais vents, une mer de quatre sous."
"Apr^s.?"" Quand vous avez double le cap Monmouth."
" Bien. Ensuite ? "
" Ensuite vous doublez le cap Valentin,"
" Et ensuite .? "
" Ensuite vous doublez le cap Isidore," *
" Et puis ? "
" Vous doublez la pointe Anna." *
"Bon. Mais qu'est-ce que vous appelez la boite aux
lettres de la mer ? "
" Nous y sommes. Montagnes a droite, montagnes a
gauche, Des pingouins partout, des petrels-temp^tes, Un
endroit terrible. Ah ! mille saints mille singes ! Quel
bataclan, et comme 5a tape ! La bourrasque n'a pas besoin
qu'on aille k son secours. C'est la qu'on surveille la lisse de
hourdi ! C'est Ik qu'on diminue la toile ! C'est li qu'on te
vous remplace la grande voile par le foe, et le foe par le
tourmentin ! Coups de vent sur coups de vent. Et puis
quelque-fois quatre, cinq, six jours de cape s^che. Souvent
d'un jeu de voiles tout neuf il vous reste de la charpie.
Quelle danse ! des rafales a vous faire sauter un trois-mats
comme une puce. J'ai vu sur un brick anglais, le ' True Blue!
un petit mousse occup6 k la 'gibboom ' emportd a tous les
cinq cent mille millions de tonnerres de Dieu et la 'gibboom '
avec. On va en I'air comme des papillons, quoi^! J'ai vu le
contre-maitre de la Revenue, une jolie goelett^, arrach^ de
dessus \e fore-crosstree, et tue roide. J'ai eu ma lisse cassee,
et mon serre-gouttiere en capilotade. On sort de la avec
toutes ses voiles mangees. Des fregates de cinquante font
eau comme des paniers. Et la mauvaise diablesse de cote !
Rien de plus bourru. Des rochers dechiquetds comme par
enfantillage. On approche du Port-Famine. Uk c'est pire
que pire, Les plus rudes lames que j'ai vues de ma vie,
* Sta. Anna Pt. is at entrance of Port Famine, but Cape S. Isidro is
passed to the south.

La Tasse de Thd du Diable. 2 1 1
Des parages d'enfer. Tout k coup on aper^oit ces deux
mots Merits en rouge : POST Office."
" Que voulez-vous dire, Capitaine Gertrais .' "
"Je vous dire, Capitaine Clubin, que toute de suite apr^s
qu'on a double la pointe Anna on voit sur un caillou de cent
pieds de haut un grand biton. C'est un poteau qui a une
barrique au cou. Cette barrique, c'est la boite au lettres.
II a fallu que les anglais ^crivent dessus : POST Office.
De quoi se melent ils .¦• C'est la poste de I'oc^an ; elie
n'appartient pas a cet honorable gentleman, le roi d'Angle
terre. Cette boite aux lettres est commune. Elie appartient
k tous les pavilions. POST Office, est-ce assez chinois 1
Ca vous fait I'effet d'une tasse de th6 que le diable vous
offrir'ait tout £i coup. Voici maintenant comment se fait le
service. Tout bitiment qui passe exp^die au poteau un
canot avec ses d6p^ches. Le navire qui vient de I'Atlantique
envoie ses lettres pour I'Europe, et le navire qui vient du
Pacifique envoie ses lettres pour I'Amerique. L' officier com
mandant votre canot met dans le baril votre paquet et y
prend le paquet qu'il y trouve. Vous vous chargez de ces
lettres-la ; le navire qui viendra apr^s vous se chargera des
votres. Comme on navigue en sens contraire, le continent
d'ou vous venez, c'est celui ou je vais. Je porte vos lettres,
vous portez les miennes. Le baril est bitte au poteau avec une
chaine, Et il pleut ! Et il neige ! Et il grele I Une fichue
mer I Les satanicles volent de tous cot^s. Le Tamaulipas
ira par la. Le baril a un bon couvercle k charni^re, mais
pas de serrure ni de cadenas. Vous voyez qu'on peut dcrire
a ses amis. Les lettres parviennent."
" C'est tres-dr61e, murmura Clubin reveur."
However, we land our few passengers, including a relief of
marines and married officers, who regard Ascension as a
pleasant and economical quarter, and also some bundles of
compressed hay for the few cattle which exist on the island ;
and, by permission of the naval authorities, ship on board
some huge live turtle, weighing six, seven, eight, I know not
how many hundredweight. Those who have the fortune to
be acquainted with the commandant on shore disembark,
should the rollers and danger signal permit.
The astronomer's wife tells us in her book how she was
landed when a heavy sea was rolling, whilst the precious
chronometers were left on board for calmer weather, and
how she wished she was a chronometer for the nonce.
Should the passing traveller be exceptionally fortunate,
P 2

212 On Board a Union Steamer.
and of rank and importance, or should she be of unusual
beauty and attractiveness, the only vehicle, a two-wheeler of
eccentric build, will convey the guests of the captain of the
Flora tender, to his residence at Cross Hill, or mounted on
ponies they may ride across a barren plain covered with piles
of clinker and black and brown cinders in heaps, along a
dusty road of four miles, parallel to which is the iron piping
which forms the Aqueduct from the mountain tops to the
Sahara-like garrison town under Traveller's Hill on our right.
At intervals we pass some half-dozen tanks, all inscribed,
sailor-like, with appropriate titles ; amongst which we notice
" Lady Hill Tank," " God be Thanked Tank," " Travellers'
Tank." Some day we shall see the Lady Hill Tank renamed
the " Lady Gill," in honour of the most illustrious of all the
lady residents who have graced this barren spot with their
presence, and, what is more, has done far more to make Ascen
sion familiar to the reading world. Now the road becomes
steeper as we commence the ascent and heavy gradient
known as " The Ramps," which ascend for two miles up and
roundabout, in and out, winding in intricate fashion to sur
mount the spurs, valleys, and ravines of the mountain regions.
As we ascend, we notice Fourcroya aloes and opuntias,
whilst we have a good view of the craters on either side. On
the left, to the north, are the Three Sisters, 1,459 f^^t high,
and a number of adventitious craters. On the right we look
down upon more elliptical, cup-shaped, and spoon-like craters,
and others of irregular crescent form like Saddle Crater,
with the lava fields beyond, including Mars Bay, the cele
brated sight of David Gill's Observatory in 1877.
Now we mount higher, and we reach Dampier's Spring and
Tank. Ferns make their appearance, and vegetation somewhat
similar to that of St. Helena, with buddleia and blackberry
bushes. At last we reach the Barracks and Garden Cottage,
the Paradisiacal oasis of Ascension, 400 feet below the
highest peak, clad with whin bushes, stags' horn {Lycopodium
taxifolium), and other mosses, such as the rare Dicranella
Ascensionica, first described by my friend Dr. Seemann, ferns
such as Asplenium erectum, Pteris flabellata, with the in
digenous scrubwood and gumwood bushes ; and beneath is
Breakneck Valley, south of the peak, with steep sides, on
which a few sheep vainly endeavour to obtain sufficient
nutriment from the sparse scattered tufts of grass.
Wherever there is the slightest chance of obtaining water,
there are tanks and cement "dew ponds." Two of these
circular wells are known as " The Brandreth Wells," after a

Island Beef. 213
lieutenant of that name who discovered a spring here in
1830, which yielded sometimes five tons of water per diem
throughout the year, but from half a century's tapping this well
has run dry, having found a fresh aperture, which was redis
covered by Lieutenant Cross, R.M., which supply in its turn
has ceased to flow. It is obvious that all these springs or
" drips " are intermittent, and require careful watching. The
construction of efficient catch-waters and drip-tanks is the
great problem at Ascension.*
Ascension is famed for its excellent turtle, at once the
only riches and productive supply bf the otherwise unpro
ductive island. This turtle is the " testudo mydas"{f) or green
turtle of authors, so called from the deep green colour of its
fat. Turtle is the one staple commodity of Ascension, and
its flesh is generally known in the garrison as " island beef"
Those turtles which are found frequenting the island are
the adult females, who land for the purpose of depositing
their eggs. The average weight of these turtles is about
seven hundredweight.
The season is from December to June, during which time
these amphibia come on shore after dark. They are said to
prefer moonlight nights, but in reality it is the human pursuer
who prefers the moonlight which renders these creatures
visible. These testudines crawl up the sandy beaches of the
island, and make large holes, by scooping up the sand
with their flippers ; they next deposit their eggs in the
excavation, and carefully cover them over with the sand
they have before excavated, and leave the eggs to be hatched
by the inartificial heat of the sun. Should these remarkable
animals be surprised whilst in the act of laying their eggs,
they are easily caught. " A person might tickle them without
causing any interruption, so intent are they on their occupa
tion," says Dr. Webster, the chronologer of Capt. Foster's
* An idea for securing a supply of fresh water in desolate tropical
islands devoid of vegetation, and with scanty or infrequent rainfall,
is suggested by the broad Banana-like leaves of the Urania speciosa,
the Traveller's Tree of Madagascar, which, upraised on a tall stem, are
well suited to intercept the rainfall. The notion is to erect on the hill
tops lines of artificial dew-catchers made in metal and in the resem
blance of the plant in question. The dew would be deposited on the
broad blades, which are to be arranged at such an angle that the moisture
shall trickle down, by means of channels and tubes, to a reservoir with
which all the dew-catchers are to be connected. In point of fact, the
notion is that of a number of rain-gauges of such a form as readily to
admit of the deposition and collection of dew and of rain. There is no
doubt that some such contrivance would be useful.

214 On Board a Union Steamer.
ship, the Chanticleer. The turtle lays from seventy to eighty
eggs at a time, and, it is said, repeats this operation two or
three times in the season. The eggs are an inch and a half
in diameter, and covered with a soft, leathery and but semi-
calcareous shell. The turtles are certainly the most perfect
of amphibious animals in existence, as they can sustain life
under water for unlimited periods without respiration. They
have wonderful tenacity of life and powers of abstinence.
They are of remarkable fecundity, and the male turtle is only
captured when in contact with the female on the surface of
the water.
However, it is time to return on board, and off we go
again. Steaming round the north-west coast of the island,
we leave behind no regrets as the propeller churns the water
astern, and we pass Pyramid Point and English Bay with
thoughts turned dinnerwards as the savoury odour of cali
pash, green fat, and calipee mingle with the appetizing trade-
wind. " Calipash hinc gustum languentem provocat ; inde
Novum ministrat appetitum calipee."
We now approach the line again, on the east coast of
South America, at the narrowest portion of the Atlantic,
nearly midway between Cape Palmas on the West Coast of
Africa and Cape St, Roque, where frequent volcanic phe
nomena, submarine earthquakes, troubled boiling waters,
scathing convulsions, accompanied with ejections of scoriae
and columns of smoke, are sometimes met with.* These
phenomena have been observed particularly in these spaces
of open sea, between longitudes 20° and 22° W., about half
a degree south of the equator, seeming to indicate, accord
ing to Darwin {Geological Observations on Volcanic Islands,
p. 105), that an archipelago is in process of formation
in the middle of the Atlantic, where a line joining St.
Helena and Ascension, if prolonged, intersects this slowly
nascent focus of volcanic action.f M, Daussy, in Comptes
* Captain Fergusson, of the ship Henry Tanner, in 1836, perceived
the sea violently agitated in lat. 0° 35' S. and 15° 50' W., i.e., exactly in
the line between Ascension and Cape de Verde, and picked up ashes
and pumice in the vicinity. {Journal of Asiatic Society?)
t " Of late it has been the custom to quote the so-called ' ridge,'
down the centre of the Atlantic, as indicating an extensive ancient land.
Even Professor Judd adopts this view, for he speaks of the great belt of
Tertiary volcanoes, ' which extended through Greenland, Iceland, the
Faroe Islands, the Hebrides, Ireland, Central France, the Iberian Pen
insula, the Azores, Madeira, Canaries, Cape de Verde islands. Ascension,
St. Helena, and Tristan d'Aeunha, which constituted, as shown by the

Problematical Miocene Atlantis. 215
Rendus* has given account of earthquake shocks repeatedly
felt by vessels passing over this disturbed area, which measures
about nine degrees from east to west, and three to four
degrees from north to south. The sea has been observed to
be powerfully agitated in the absence of wind, muffled sounds
heard from beneath, vessels struck as if by a bank or a rock,
and pumice found floating in quantities. In some spots islets
of sand or cinders and ashes, have been seen to rise above the
sea level, and have subsequently disappeared. In some, shal
low soundings are met with, and at other times no deep sea
soundings can be obtained. The water is disturbed by con
flicting, seething currents, and discoloration normally visible.-f-
recent soundings of H.M.S. Challenger, a mountain range comparable
in its extent, elevation, and volcanic character, with the Andes of South
America.' — {Geological Magazine, 1874, p. 71.) On examining the
diagram of the Atlantic Ocean in the Challenger Reports, No. 7, a con
siderable part of this ridge is found to be more than 1,900 fathoms deep,
while the portion called the ' connecting ridge ^ seems to be due in part
to the deposits carried out by the River Amazon(?). In the neighbour
hood of the Azores, St. Paul's Rocks, Ascension, and Tristan d'Aeunha,
are considerable areas varying from 1,200 to 1,500 fathoms deep, while
the rest of the ridge is usually 1,800 to 1,900 fathoms. The shallower
water is no doubt due to volcanic upheaval and the accumulation of
volcanic ejections, and there may be many other deeply submerged old
volcanoes on the ridge ; but that it ever formed a chain of mountains,
' comparable in elevation with the Andes,' there seems not a particle of
evidence to prove. It is, however, probable that this ridge indicates the
former existence of some considerable Atlantic islands, which will serve
to explain the presence of a few identical genera, and even species of
plants and insects in Africa and South America, while the main body of
the Fauna and Flora of these two continents remains radically distinct."
— ( Wallaces Island Life)
* Hydrographic. Note sur I'existence probable d'un volcan sous-marin
situd par environ 0° 20' de latitude sud, et 22° de longitude ouest, par
M. P. Daussy.
t It will be remembered that the propeller of the Union Steamer
American, was supposed to have been broken by some such cause. See
ante, p. 20. The late Mr. Andrew Murray, in his work "The Geographi
cal Distribution of Mammals," thinks that the origin of the Sargassum
or Gulf-weed in the mid Atlantic may possibly be accounted for by the
former existence of a Miocene Atlantis. He says (p. 33) — " If, instead
of assigning an almost historical date to a continental condition of the
area between Africa and the southern states of North America, such as
might realize the story of Atlantis, we could look back through the whole
interval which separates us from the eocene or cretaceous periods, we
might then indeed freely grant as geologists any amount of change that
may be required in the position of land and sea, etc."

2 1 6 On Board a Union Steamer.

CHAPTER IX.
Amateur Navigation— Hilarity of Passengers— Deep-Sea Sounding —
Funchal again.
" Deus abscidit
Prudens oceano dissociabili
Terras." — HORACE.
Since Horace's days things have altered ; the ocean, instead
of separating countries, actually brings them nearer to one
another. The ocean highway is far easier to traverse than
mountains, desert, or even cultivated flat country ; and lines
of steamers are far more economically conducted than lines
of railway. Neither is the ocean unsociable ; nothing tends
more to sociabihty than Hfe on board a Union steamer, for
instance, and people who were utter strangers at Cape Town
or Port Elizabeth are familiar after being a few days together,
and you hear them calling one another by their Christian
names ; only /to tern,, however, as in another day or two they
will pass one another in Regent Street or Pall Mall perfectly
oblivious of their former friendship.
The Prudens Deus of Horace has given over Conservative
practices and become an advanced Liberal in modern days,
and Neptune has provided the smoothest of paths for com
fortable travelling, and the safest of beds on which the tele
graph cables may repose, far safer than on the poles and
chimney stacks of civilized continents, where they are ex
posed to wind, snow, frost, and, worse than all, human mis
chief This prelude is by way of expressing the happy frame of
mind which pervades the homeward-bound steamer, and the
comfortable sociability which reigns supreme fore and aft.
There is no excitement this way on crossing the line, barring
the crowding now and then under the sloped awnings, when
some of those frequent tremendous downfalls of tropical rain
come down, as they always do sooner or later, in that region
of perpetual aqueous precipitation.
There is one passenger — an officer of the scientific corps
— who is always studying practical navigation. He always
finds the standard compass in error by his matutinal ampli
tudes, and his perfect chronometer is invariably several hours

The Magdalena Islands. 217
fast or slow when compared with those of the ship. He has
a pocket sextant, and by his calculations we ought to be
leaving Cape Town when we arrive at St. Helena, and by
his longitude we are calculated to be somewhere up the Niger
when we approach the Cape de Verde. For by this time we
are again coasting near African shores, and sometimes come
in view of the Magdalena Islands, famous principally as the
locale of the biggest " monkey bread-fruit trees, baobabs,"
called after their discoverer Adansonia digitata. These
enormous herbaceous plants, which must be classed, in re
spect to their floral parts, with the same natural family to
which our edible asparagus and onions belong, attain gigan
tic development, and are undoubtedly — according to both
Humboldt and Endlicher — among the largest and most
ancient inhabitants of our planet. In 1747 Adanson observed
here baobabs 29 feet in diameter, 70 feet high, and a spread
ing top measuring upwards of 180 feet across.
The bold calculations of Adanson* and Perrottet assign
to these Adansonias, which were measured by them \see
Humboldt's " Illustrations to Physiognomy of Plants "] an
age of 5,150 or even 6,000 years, which would make them
coeval with the builders of the oldest Pyramids, or even with
Menes, and would place them in an epoch when the Southern
Cross was still visible in Northern Germany.
As we approach the Cape de Verde it is not unusual for
the captain of the steamer to take deep-sea soundings, which
operations are interesting and novel should the passenger not
have had a previous opportunity of witnessing. The deep-
sea lead is carried right forward and the vessel slowed, so as
barely to forge through the water, and the lead dropped
from the bow reaches the bottom perpendicularly under the
stern, and specimens of the ooze, mud, coral, sand and
broken shell, according to the bottom, are brought up ad
hering to the tallow at the bottom of the lead. Capt. H. C
St. John, R,N., when sounding in June, 1875, from H.M.S.
Sylvia, near Omae Saki, got 200 fathoms; the next cast was
just over 1,000 fathoms: this shows what sudden dips are
to be found in ocean depths. I have by me specimens from
* Adanson found trunks having a diameter of thirty-two feet, on which
sailors — French and Dutch — had carved their names in characters six
inches long. One of these inscriptions was of the fourteenth century,
whilst others were of the sixteenth century. From the depths of these
cuts, which are covered with new layers of wood, and from a com
parison of the thicknesses of those trunks whose ages were known,
Adanson computed the enormous ages quoted above.

2i8 On Board a Union Steamer.
this locality brought up from Heaven knows how many
fathoms, and found inexhaustible objects for the microscope
therein. There are various other mechanical contrivances
for taking these deep-sea soundings, all more or less based
upon the construction of the patent log ; the best of which
are Walker's Harpoon-sounding machine and Massey's
patent sounding machine, but all these involve stopping the
vessel. Lately, however. Sir Wm. Thomson has invented a
most ingenious method of sounding, which can be performed
when going at full speed, by his Navigational Depth Gauge,*
* To be able to take flying soundings — that is to find the depth with
out stopping the steamer — in any depth up to 1 50 fathoms, is a matter of
the greatest importance. Sir W. Thomson has succeeded in making it
easy to do this by the aid of his pianoforte steel wire being substituted
for the antique hempen cord. At the end of this wire, which is uncoiled
by an ingenious apparatus fixed over the stern of the steamer, is an
a.ppa.ra.tus termed a. pressure gauge. This pressure gauge consists ofa
small glass tube, open at the lower end, but closed at the top. As this
descends, the water rises in the tube, compressing the column of air.
In order that a permanent record may be left of the maximum height to
which the water rises, the interior of the tube is coated along its whole
length with starch in which red prussiate of potash has been dissolved,
and just at the mouth of the tube are placed a few crystals of sulphate
of iron, which are held in position by an outer guard tube. The water
which rises in the tube carries with it a little sulphate of iron in solution,
and so leaves a permanent record of its height by staining the tube with
Prussian blue, and so records the depth attained. This system has been
thoroughly tried, and its success fully established. Sir W. Thomson has
since substituted chromate of silver laid on by albumen, instead of green
vitriol solution. {Navigation. By Sir W. Thomson.^
Read what Sir James Anderson says : " The recent wreck of the
Teuton near Quoin Point with the loss of 200 lives ; the wreck of the
Tararua on the coast of New Zealand on the 30th April, involving the
loss of 120 lives ; and the stranding of the Macedonia in the Mull of
Kintyre on the 30th of May last will, I hope, be a sufficient apology for
calling attention to the importance of the only remedy for reducing the
number of such calamities.
" I do not propose to criticize the cause of the loss of these steamers
further than to say that neither they nor any ocean steamer which has
been stranded in my day need have been lost had the lead been freely
used. I emphasize ' freely ' because isolated soundings at long intervals
are just as apt to mislead as to give warning of danger, unless the sound
ings are such as to indicate the immediate proximity of rocks or shoals.
" A single cast of the lead, for example, may give a depth of water
corresponding to the depth anticipated from the estimated position of
the vessel upon the chart, and the same depth may and very often does
exist close to the shore in positions which must wreck the ship if the
course which would be quite safe with the assumed position is continued.
" In such cases, and I maintain they are frequent, a single cast of the
lead is a real danger, as it may confirm the estimated position, and yet
the ship may have drifted into some other place by any of the subtle
causes which are so likely to escape observation or be unduly estimated,

Sir James Anderson on Soundings. 219
We pass close enough to espy the shipping at the French
port of Goree, before we steam past the promontory of Cape
Verde, with its lighthouse on the summit, and another light
on a projecting reef of rocks, some of which project well
out of the waves, and others more dangerously just awash
are indicated by the white surf which is thrown up by the
ground-swell. If passed in the daytime, numerous fishing
boats of frail and unstable proportions are passed, manned
by swarthy Senegambians and Kroomen.
The Cape de Verde islands, are a group of fourteen islands,
belonging to the kingdom of Portugal ; they are situate 320
miles west of Cape de Verde. They are of volcanic forma
tion, mountainous, rocky and badly supplied with water.
The channels between them are generally navigable ; and
such as a faint and unknown surface current, a drain of wind on the
broadside of a large ship, or an almost imperceptible deviation in the
course steered.
" From any of these slight causes a steamer may be two to five miles
out of her reckoning in a single night's run. If this is as incontestable
as I believe it to be, then all approaches to any coast in foggy or hazy
weather or dark nights must be a positive danger without the precaution
of a free use of the lead, and by this I mean that the coast should
always be approached upon a given line of soundings. That this line of
soundings should be steered for as definitely as any light or headland is
steered for in clear weather, and if the exact soundings anticipated upon
any given course are not confirmed those obtained will be found upon a
line parallel to the course steered either on one side or the other of it, and
thus indicate the position of the ship with sufficient accuracy to avoid
disaster. " I should have hesitated to write thus positively upon the duty of
sounding persistently and systematically had the old deep-sea lead and
heavy line been the only suitable appliance, although many successful
commanders of steamships owe what is called ' their luck ' to the free
use of the lead, not only when it seemed to be a matter of precaution in
a fog, but even when the sky was cloudless and land in sight, as a matter
of experience, and with the object of being familiar with the colour of
the bottom as well as the depths ; but since the invention of Sir William
Thomson's sounding apparatus there is no longer any practical difficulty
involving the necessity of a whole watch to haul in the sounding line,
reducing the speed of the ship, and often encumbering the deck to the
inconvenience of the passengers.
" In my judgment no ship can at the present day be called a well-found
ship which is not supplied with the modern appliances for sounding,
and no ship is properly navigated where their use is not seriously
attended to.
" I consider this question of sufficient importance to deserve the
attention of every one interested in the safety of our mercantile marine.
If sounding regularly, whenever a ship is in such depth of water as not
to necessitate reducing the speed to any serious extent, were made com
pulsory by managers, underwriters, or the Board of Trade, in my opinion
we should hear of very few steamships being stranded."

2 20 On Board a Union Steamer.
the passage eastward of the group, generally taken by the
Union steamers, is clear of danger ; the depth midway to
Cape de Verde being 1,950 fathoms, mud and shells. In
this passage, and to the north-east of the group, the sea
is generally discoloured. This muddy water is probably
caused by the alluvial sediment washed from the coasts of
Africa. Our course is now altered, as we have passed the most
westerly limit in our route, and yet we still feel the climate
warm whilst between the mouth of the Senegal and Cape
Blanco. I wonder how many Cape Blancos there are in the
world .' Wherever the unimaginative traveller goes, he is
sure to name the first white point he sees Cape Blanco.
After leaving Cape Blanco the thermometer descends gaily,
and everybody is more or less frisky, and dancing is impera
tively demanded. The hitherto perfunctory digestive march
of pairs up and down the deck is now brisker. Colour comes
into the cheeks of the fair ones lately so listless, and eyes
sparkle more brightly. Appetites increase to the verge of
voraciousness, and the dishes, before untasted, are now
emptied and require replenishment. Raffles and gambling
are on the increase in the smoking-room, and sweepstakes
on the day's run, on the hour of the arrival at Madeira, and
on every imaginable object or subject possible, are got up.
Of course there is a concert, and again we are regaled with
"Nancy Lee," and the " Midshipmite," and other favourite
sea ditties of Stephen Adams, with " H.M.S. Pinafore," the
" Pirates of Penzance," and all is as gay as possible. On
deck the Africanders are airing their karosses, and bargain
ing about diamonds and ostrich feathers. At last we see
Teneriffe, the Ayadyrma of the extinct Guanches, and, ac
cording to the learned Professor Ideler, the Atlas of the
Islands of the Hesperides, described by Strabo, Ptolemy,
Pliny, Solinus, and Hanno as the Atlas Mountain /«r excel
lence of old Homer and Hesiod.
If we are fortunate to pass close enough we distinguish
the rugged rocks of Guajara, on the edge of the vast plateau
of the Elevation crater, a few clouds along the 3,000 feet
level, and the huge Peak shining in the setting sun. As we
pass away to the North, we distinguish the Port of Orotava,
the Peak of Teyde, wild mountain ravines, and grand glens,
over whose rocks are solitary Euphorbia bushes, terraced
gardens, and vineyards, and huge cliffs, until the whole scene
dissolves in the dim twilight, and next morning we are sur
prised to find a land-bird or two fluttering about the rigging.

Madeira Reminiscences. 221
blown off the Salvagees islands and rocks which are on our
port quarter.
On the Friday, eight days after leaving Ascension, we
anchor for a brief period at Funchal, and get the latest
telegrams from England, and newspapers, which are eagerly
devoured ; although we have only left South Africa a fort
night before, we find that — thanks to the telegraph — we
have news some nine or ten days later than when we left,
and we are all excited as to the conditions of the treaty, as
yet not ratified by the Volksraad. When once the treaty has
been ratified on both sides* by honourable opponents we may
be sure that further bloodshed can be avoided, and therefore
will be in all probability. Of course a lavish expenditure of
coin is laid out on rubbish in the shape of lace edging and
feather flowers ; whilst wicker-work chairs, tables, and settees
are piled in every available corner, till we wonder that the
gracious captain and civil first officer do not clear them sum
marily away. Here is a recent sketch of the place.
" It is difficult to imagine a more delightful sight than that
which opens to view on slowly steaming into the road
stead at Funchal. The little town nestling at the foot of a
semicircular amphitheatre of hills dotted with pretty white
villas and many residences of more pretentious character, the
bright green vineries, the sugar-cane plantations, the lovely
sky reflected in the clear green waters which wash the shores
of as healthy and picturesque a place as lies within the
bounds of the temperate zone, make up a perfect picture.
The first man who mounts the deck when the steamer comes
to anchor is probably cheery Mr. Reid, whose portly frame is
remembered so well by all who have known Madeira during
the past quarter of a century, and who releases the traveller
from all trouble about luggage, customs duties, etc. He owns
the three largest and almost the only hotels in Funchal, viz.,
Reid's, Santa Clara, and Myles'.
" After settling down at one's new quarters, which, by the
bye, are invariably surrounded with beautiful gardens, pro
ducing flowers that can only be seen at Madeira, where the
warm and sunny sky raises them quickly, and in every
variety, and which serve to decorate daily the dining and
other apartments of the house, a pleasant morning's ride over
the mountains or down the ravines by which they are inter
sected will be found very enjoyable. Sometimes skirting a
hillside by a path often not two feet in width, perhaps the
* The treaty has of course since been ratified.

222 On Board a Union Steamer.
visitor is inclined to look somewhat nervously at the pre
cipitous slope at hand, down which he and his horse must
inevitably roll should he miss his footing ; but there need be
very little fear on this point. Only give the brute his head,
and you may safely trust the rest to him. Madeira horses
are wonderfully strong and sure-footed, which is of much
consequence where the roads or paths are steep and slippery,
being firmly laid down with small smooth stones, rather
larger than, but in shape each resembling, a sheep's kidney,
which no doubt has given rise to their being termed " petrified
kidneys." There is scarcely a pavement to be found in the
place, the entire width across the road from one house to the
other being laid with stones of the description in question.
To those not accustomed to them, these roads make walking
very fatiguing.
"From November to March, a period during which, in Eng
land, the climate is unfavourable to persons in failing health,
Madeira is full of visitors, any number of whom may be met,
borne along in a hammock or a bullock cart, but whose
attenuated frames, and the hectic flush on the otherwise
deadly pale faces, only tell too well the malady to which the
poor sufferers have fallen victims. In addition to the fatigue
of walking upon these smooth round stones, is the total
inability to discover more than a mile of fairly level ground.
In fact, the island is nothing but a conglomeration of
mountains. Like the men of the brave old Duke of York,
we must march up the hill, and then march down again.
" One favourite excursion from Funchal, but one which,
although not more than three miles, occupies a considerable
time, inasmuch as it is uphill the whole way, is the Convent.
The visitor generally starts in a bullock-cart, without wheels,
being drawn along sleigh-fashion, for there are hardly any
wheeled conveyances in the island, and soon finds himself
ascending through lovely gardens, pretty vineries, and dense
sugar plantations, until he reaches the Convent, which is
situated some distance from the summit of the mountain,
from which there is a magnificent view of the capital and the
roadstead. With regard to the building itself, it has nothing
to distinguish it from others of the same kind in all parts of
the world. After partaking of some refreshment comes the
return, but generally one must exchange the slow bullock-
cart for a wooden box, also, like the bullock-cart, without
wheels, about five feet long by three feet wide, with a rim of
some six inches high surrounding the sides. This novel con
veyance, in which it is imperative to sit firmly, is drawn by

The Last Pack of Cards. 223
one man and pushed from behind by two or three others, and
the route being down a slippery hill, it rushes down at the
rate of some twelve or fourteen miles an hour. Occasion
ally an accident occurs, but the casualties are few and seldom
severe. " The greatest pests of Madeira are its beggars. Here
seems to be the feeding ground of the halt, the maimed, and
the blind, and the lovely country seems to stand in painful
contrast with the dreadful amount of disease and deformity
to be found here ; not even in Italy is it worse, and that is
saying a great deal. Excellent accommodation has been
provided at Funchal for visitors in the shape of a club house,
to which, upon proper recommendation, the traveller can
be admitted as an honorary member for a trifling subscrip
tion. "Who is there who has ever been so fortunate as to find
leisure enough to visit Madeira who does not look back upon
his trip with pleasure .¦• The charming valleys, the cloud-
capped mountains, the lovely views to be obtained in which
ever direction the visitor may look, have a charm which
cannot often be equalled, and cannot, so far as we know, be
surpassed. The climate, always deliciously soft and balmy,
never too hot nor too cold, is well suited for the invalid or
the man whose brain has been overworked, and who is
anxious to find a sanitarium where he cannot run back to
town in a few hours, even if he tried. On arrival at Madeira
one can live cheaply and well. For three sovereigns a week
it is possible, at the best hotels, to obtain excellent board
and lodging, including in the former a capital breakfast,
luncheon, and a table d'hdte at six or seven o'clock."
Leaving Funchal and the San Lorenzo light, we pass familiar
Porto Santo, and the spirits of all are of such a pitch that " high
jinks" of all sorts are carried on ; and the evenings are so
cool that hot whisky-and-water is in demand, with lemons
and sugar and the whole material for punch-making. Pea-
jackets, ulsters, and sealskin jackets are the order ofthe day.
All sorts of English mufti and shore-going clothes are
looked up. Curios, mementos, and odds and ends are
packed with difficulty into portmanteaux which seem to have
grown smaller or shrunken, so as to hold next to nothing.
The steward smiles expectant as he hands you your last pack
of cards, the amount totalled up outside, and people now begin
to talk (at least the bachelors do) of what they are going to
order for their first dinner on landing, which said menu is sure
to include oysters and beefsteak. All this betokens that we

2 24 On Board a Union Steamer.
are near the Channel, and sure enough we pass the lights of
Ushant in the night, and next morning the red streaks of the
Eddystone are on our starboard bow, and when we finish
breakfast we pass Picklecombe Fort on the port beam, its
grim embrasures and iron shields contrasting with the smiling
slopes of pine and magnolia on Mount Edgecumbe.
We are in English waters at last. There is the breakwater
to our right, and ahead is Drake's Island, the Hoe and the
Citadel, the VictuaUing Yard and Devil's Point, and the
Union Jack, the best colour in the world, flying in the breeze.
The tug from the shore is at the mooring as soon as we are,
to receive the mail bags which are already on deck, and April
sunshine and showers alternately disclose and obscure the
distant moors, suggestive of the Dart and its trout streams,
and of glens full of bluebells, violets, daffodils, and prim
roses. Those who are young and impatient land at Millbay, and
scurry off to smoky London ; but older hands enjoy the treat
of arrival in England as connoisseurs enjoy a glass of exqui
site vintage, and linger over their pleasure. It doubles the
enjoyment to proceed onwards up the Channel in the same
old ship. One always feels a certain regret (at least I ever
do) in parting from the temporary floating home where one
has made often friends and seldom foes. Again, an old
stager like the writer has always calls upon his friendship ;
to help the friendless- — or almost helpless — ladies with chil
dren to see to, and help in the docks and customs, sick to
attend to, and a hundred little trivial offices of kindness and
attention to show, so that it seems almost like desertion to
quit the good Union steamer at Plymouth. Therefore the
following day finds us off St. Alban's Head. It is real
enjoyment greeting each successive home headland : there
are the Old Harry Rocks and the dear old Needles. But
why need we describe more .' Every cockney even knows
the familiar scenery up the Solent and Southampton Water.
There is the last hurry-scurry at the custom-house, the
impatient rush to catch the last fast train, and in another hour
or two we are walking down the shady side of Pall Mall ; and
the porter at the club, as he hands a small accumulation of
letters, little thinks that in such a short interval of absence
we have been to Durban and back On Board a Union
Steamer. Before leaving the vessel I am handed a parcel, which,
being opened subsequently, contains a few pages of MS.
in a lady's handwriting. The story told therein is so lifelike.

The Manuscript. 225
and characteristic of society at St. Helena, that I cannot
resist appending it for the amusement of passengers on
board a Union steamer.
I may add that the author was born in the midst of the
scenery she describes so well, and is now a resident in the
Cape Colony. The reality of the story is not confined to
the scenery : the dramatis personce are recognizable to those
most interested. It is entitled " A Sketch Abroad."

PART II.

A SKETCH ABROAD.
By the Author of " Nothing Else."
" Stand by there ! Get your cable out, and your anchor
clear ! " Such were the commands roared out by the captain
of the Union Company's ship Celt, as he stood on the bridge
(not at midnight though) to the officer on duty, as that vessel
on her homeward passage steamed into the harbour of James
town, St. Helena, for the purpose of dropping the Cape
mails for that island, together with sundry goods and certain
" live stock," the last mentioned bearing reference neither to
sheep nor cattle, but Colonel and Mrs. Crampton with their
daughter and niece.
" Ay, ay, sir ! " responded the officer.
" Stop her ! Let go ! " shouted the captain.
Splash went the anchor, with a quiver that was felt from
stem to stern ; rattle, rattle, rattle, went the cable, and the
vessel, like a bashful maiden, made an attempt to go forward,
and finding a check on her inclinations, bowed her head in
obedience and stood still.
Scattered over the deck, beneath the cool awning, were
various groups of passengers ; some languid still with the
nausea of sea-sickness ; others, glad of any little break in
the monotony of the voyage, planning a trip on shore, and
a visit to the prison and tomb of the world-famed emperor,
who, like a caged lion, here languished out his life, and after
having conquered nations, and parcelled out kingdoms like
toys, was forced to lay down his glory on this smallest lap of
earth, — this speck of land in the vast ocean. There was the
doctor's sprightly little Irish wife trying to make up a " party "
to hire a conveyance.
" Do come with us, Mrs. Seymour ! Anything for a little
change and amusement," says the doctor's wife cheerily.
" Oh ! dear me, I could not make up my mind to ascend
that great mountain in the heat," replied Mrs. Seymour lan
guidly. "I pity poor Mrs. Crampton and her charming
daughter, who are to be exiled in that horrid little place for
the next three years ; it is really lamentable that such nice
Q 2

2 28 On Board a Union Steamer.
polished people should be cut off from all society ; for Mrs.
Crampton says she can never allow Bella to associate with
colonial girls, they are so ill-bred — so shoppy. She would be
quite spoiled for English society by such contamination."
" Oh, indeed ! " replied the doctor's wife good humouredly.
" I must be more fortunate than most people, for I always
manage to meet with nice pleasant acquaintances wherever I
go ; and I always find it wisest to look on the bright side of
things ; by so doing, one rubs along more easily. So I can
not induce you to accompany us .'' "
" You are very kind, but you really must excuse me," said
Mrs. Seymour.
Mrs. Crampton and her daughter Bella now sailed up
towards them. The former was a military lady of about
forty years of age ; very tall, very straight, and, public
opinion said, very handsome. Her black eyes were keen and
piercing, and seemed to look you through. Her black hair
was carefully twisted up in the most elaborate chignon, and
her white taper fingers were so overladen with costly rings
that it set one wondering if her " pater " had been a vendor
of jewels, and if that accounted for her aversion to any one
or anything " shoppy " — so prone is frail human nature to be
uncharitable. Her daughter was mamma's facsimile : in
fact, as her papa often observed, "his wife's youth was
renewed in their daughter." Her stature was tall and com
manding, her wavy hair black as the raven's wing, her eyes
were like jet, veiled by long drooping lashes, her nose was
aquiline, her mouth correct, her teeth white and regular.
The contour of her face was oval, her complexion dark and
clear, while her well-shaped head was gracefully poised on a
pair of sloping shoulders, and she glided along with the air
and mien of a princess.
" Where is Minnie .¦" " inquired the doctor's wife.
" I think she must be helping her uncle to look over the
luggage," replied Mrs. Crampton. And the doctor's wife
moved away in quest of Mrs. Crampton's niece.
" What a shocking prospect for you ! " said Mrs. Seymour
to Mrs. Crampton and her daughter, motioning with a languid
gesture towards the shore, as she made room for them on the
bench she occupied.
" Dreadful, is it not \ " repHed Mrs. Crampton. " I really
do not know how we are to muster courage to land under
those awful-looking cliffs. They look as if they would fall
at any moment. Captain Dashwood tells me, however, that
there is an apology for a little verdure and civilization in the

Jacob's Ladder. 229
interior of the island ; but I suppose we shall die of sheer
ennui, or go melancholy mad, or something else equally
dreadful, before the term of our banishment is over, unless
the colonel can prevail on some military ' Howard ' to
exchange with him."
Captain Dashwood, who by general consent had been
dubbed aide-de-camp to the Cramptons, now joined the group
and took his part in the general commiseration of the " Cramp-
tonian Exiles." He was a smart dapper little fellow, with the
cleanest of well-shaven chins, and the neatest thing out in
moustaches — bandolined to the vanishing point ; while Beau
Brummell himself could not have been more faultless in his
attire. With the sauciest of twinkles in his merry brown
eyes, he said, " It was indeed too bad in the home authorities
to condemn you to a fate like this, Mrs. Crampton. They
had better have sent you to Siberia ; where, at all events,.
you would escape being eaten up by rats and white ants, as
you are almost sure to be here, unless you turn the tables
and eat them. The natives live on cockroach curry and
watercress. No meat to be had, except wild goat, for love
or money ; and no fruit but blackberries and a thing they
call bilberry, which is sure to poison you if you eat too
many." " What is that about wild goats .¦• " inquired a sweet girhsh
voice ; and the captain turned round to reply to Minnie
Crampton, the colonel's niece.
" I was only wondering. Miss Minnie, how you will be able
to live on wild goat."
" Oh ! is that all 1 I shall manage very well. I shall ima
gine that it is venison, and then it will taste quite as good,
you know. I mean to be quite happy at St. Helena."
" And how will you manage about ascending ' Jacob's
Ladder t ' It is the only mode of getting up the ' hill of dif
ficulty,'— true bill, and there are more than 600 steps to
mount ; " and as he spoke he pointed to the huge rugged
mountain called " Ladder Hill," on account of the ladder
which scales its steep side almost perpendicularly.
" Why, I will do as Jacob did," replied Minnie. " I will
lie down at the bottom and take a nap. I should say from
appearances I will not have to look very far for my pillow."
" No, that you won't," replied the captain, " they are roll
ing down from the hills above day and night, so that your
slumbers will be unpleasantly disturbed if you dwell in the
valley." " I'll live in the country, then," said Minnie defiantly.

230 On Board a Union Steamer.
" Live in the country ! " exclaimed the captain, holding up
his hands with well-feigned horror. " Then I shall hear some
day that you were lost in the fog that is continually sweep
ing over the mountains, and having blindly walked to the
edge of a precipice, had met with an untimely end by falling
over it. Or else that you were blown away to sea ; for as
soon as it has done blowing from the east, it commences to
blow from the south, and so on till it has gone round every
point of the compass, and then commences over again. Then
how you will travel about I don't know, for the St. Hclenians
all ride nightingales."*
" Nightingales I I declare. Captain Dashwood, you are
too bad. I have wasted my time in vain on the dullest of
pupils. I give you up as incorrigible," said Bella.
" Oh ! now don't say that. Miss Bella. You have made an
indelible impression, I assure you."
Minnie turned away, apparently to observe the visitors
who were now surrounding the vessel in boats. She was, in
every respect, a striking contrast to her cousin. A petite
thing not five feet high, her figure and feature small and deli
cate. She could lay no claim to regular beauty, but a bright
ness there was about her that followed wherever she moved,
as though she had caught stray sunbeams as they fell, and
compelled them to be her guard of honour. Her curly hair
was a crown of golden glory — her soft eyes were violet blue
— her complexion dazzlingly white and pure — whilst at each
corner of her wee, rosy mouth, a dimple stood sentinel. Her
disposition was a happy combination of good nature, good
sense, and spirit ; a sort of girl who was sure to make friends
everywhere. " I say, Dashwood, are you going with us .? " inquired the
doctor, coming over to him, " because our boat is ready."
" Yes, doctor, I'll be with you in a minute." Then, advanc
ing to Mrs. Crampton, the captain said, " I mu.st bid you fare
well, Mrs. Crampton. I hope you will survive the horrors of
your exile. Good-bye, Miss Bella ; do not spoil the lustre of
your eyes by weeping over your fate. All things come to an
end, and so in due time will your term of banishment, and
you will once more be restored to that ' world ' that mean
while deplores your loss." Approaching Minnie, who was
standing a little apart at the side of the vessel, evidently
bent on exploring the fathomless deep with her bright eyes,
* Donkeys in St. Helena are called nightingales, their vocal powers
being so peculiarly sweet.

The St. Helena Regiment. 231
he said, lowering his voice as he extended his hand, " Au
revoir. Miss Minnie."
A deep blush dyed her cheek, and she shot one quick in
quiring glance at the speaker, but said not a word.
" Where is the colonel .? " inquired the captain, looking
about him. " Ah ! I see, looking after the luggage ; " and he
went along the deck to speak to him.
" So I cannot persuade you to drop your anchor at St.
Helena for a while, Dashwood } " inquired the colonel.
" Ah ! you see, colonel, I am not sufficiently inured to
hardship to venture," replied the captain.
" By Jove ! it was an infernal shame to send us here. I
asked for a better station, not a hole like this," grumbled the
colonel. " Well, colonel, there is one consolation for you; this 'hole'
was the prison of a renowned warrior before you."
" And his grave too," retorted the colonel, swallowing the
bait. "Yes,, true ; but even so he had the satisfaction of being
exhumed and conveyed to a more congenial atmosphere, and
experienced benefit from the change, no doubt; and surely a
grateful nation would do as much for you. Well, I really must
not detain the doctor any longer ; his patience must be
well-nigh exhausted, so good-bye, colonel ; " and off he went
down the companion-ladder into the boat, where the doctor
and his wife awaited him.
" I say, Dashwood," said the doctor, as they shoved off
from the vessel's side, "you have had good exercise for your
creative powers lately."
" Cest sentiment pour faire passer le temps',' replied the
captain carelessly. " One must do something, you know."
" I have no patience with Mrs. Crampton and her absurd
stuck-up notions," said the doctor's wife ; " and she has made
Bella her counterpart. I only hope dear little Minnie wil
not be spoiled amongst them."
"Look here, Dashwood, if it is possible for you to be
serious, tell us have you ever been in St. Helena 1 " inquired
the doctor.
" Yes ; when quite a youngster I went out to join the St.
Helena Regiment, with the full intention of impressing the
colonial ' Goths ' with my superiority ; but I was taken down
a peg or two before I had been there very long ; and I don't
mind owning the fact that it did me good."
"What sort of aplace was it, then?" inquired the doc
tor.

232 On Board a Union Steamer.
" Delightful ! I never was happier in my life than I was
during my sojourn among the 'yam-stocks! "
" Yam-stocks ! Now, Dashwood, that's some more of your
chaff," said the doctor.
" No, really," said Dashwood. " The people call them
selves yam-stocks. I suppose it was first given them as a
term of opprobrium, because the people crop up as plentifully
as do the yams ; or, as they call them at the Cape, ' Pig
Lilies ; ' while we in our aristocratic conservatories at home
cherish the same plant under the cognomen of 'Arum.' I never
heard but one old gentleman object to being called a yam-
stock, and that was solely on the ground that ignorance had
induced the people to adopt it, being unaware that the yam
in question was not indigenous to the island."
" Well, a bad reason is better than no reason at all," said
the doctor laughing ; " perhaps ' Hellenese ' would suit them
better ; though I should say ' Attic salt ' was precious scarce
there, eh .' By the way, whcf was the governor of the island
when you were there .¦"'
" Colonel  . His wife was a charming person, and made
everything so pleasant for both old and young. They were
both highly respected. The nicest girls, the jolliest hops and
picnics, made St. Helena a place of pleasant memories to
me," said Dashwood.
" Then the wild goats and cockroach curry were pure in
ventions .' " inquired Mrs. Sperie.
" Unique creations of a fertile genius, madam," responded
the captain.
" What is the island like t " inquired Mrs. Sperie.
" Why, let me see," said the captain, for a moment at a loss
for a simile. " Like an emerald set in pearls and rubies.
Lovely ; it surpasses my powers of description at all events.
Something like the kernel of a nut, though ; you have no idea
what it is like till you crack your nut, and get at the inside.
Strangers calling at St. Helena generally suppose that there
is nothing to be seen but the Emperor's house and tomb ;
and merely go to Longwood, and straight back to town. But
this is a great mistake. They should always stipulate with
the drivers to take them by Plantation, Casen's Gate, Sandy
Bay Ridge, Halley's Mount, and then to Longwood, and
thence to town, when they may form a correct idea of the
island, not otherwi.se."
" Well, you will lose whatever credit you may have had in
St. Helena now," observed Mrs. Sperie, " for the Cramptons

Poverty in St. Helena. 233
are sure to be overbearing, and they will give you up as their
authority for everything they assert."
" I daresay I can weather that storm by remaining to
defend myself," said the captain quietly.
" Do you mean to say you intend to remain at St. Helena.'"
exclaimed Mrs. Sperie in amazement. " Why, you said good
bye to the Cramptons."
" Yes, I know I did," said the captain coolly. " I want to
surprise them among the Goths, It will be such fun to hear
the old lady going at them, she is sure to tread on their
toes, and if she does she'll get her colours hauled down, I
know." " Cool, that, by Jove ! " said the doctor. " I suspect the
fair Bella has not sighed in vain, after all .'' "
" Perhaps not," said the captain, and immediately turned
the subject. " I wonder how the poor little Rock is getting
on now .' Many years have elapsed since I bid adieu to it.
I say, my man (to the negro boatman), who is your governor

now

? ¦

" Sambo no like mention him, massa. Got ear like one
partridge." " Don't you like him .' "*
" Berry bad, massa ! Lib heself, no like see anybody else
do de same. Tink berry good ting spose one big fish swaller
he up, all same Jonah dat de bishop tell de darkies bout turra
day. Spose you ask he ' How he like St. Helena for lib in } '
he say ' Berry bad place.' Spose ask he ' How like de
peoble .' ' he say ' More bad ; no lady, gentleman got.' He no
got one good word for anybody, anyting. Peoble no like
him too. Turra day massa gubner he gib gran ception
[Sambo meant reception] Queen's buf day. Hi ! hi ! hi !
Long time him stan up look for lady, gentemen to come ! No
lady, gentemen come tall. Hi ! hi ! hi ! Massa gubner he
say for scuse lady, genteman, all influenza got. Hi ! hi ! hi I
^Berry good scuse dat ar ! "
""" St. Helena was a nice place when I was here some twelve
years a'g®,!' remarked the captain.
" St. Helena seen plenty change since dat day, massa ;
peoble berry poor now. Eberyting berry dear ; peoble all
going way to Diinin Fields."
" Why is it that the island has become so poor in a few
years .? " inquired the doctor.
* This cannot refer to the present governor, who is most popular.
Most likely the reference is to the late Admiral Patey, who did nothing
but harm to the island.

234 On Board a Union Steamer.
" Sambo not know, massa. Some peoble say de blight
done it ; some peoble say de Jews ; some peoble say de
penny a ton done it ; and some peoble say de gubner. Massa
gubner he say fore he come out here de Queen sen for him,
tell him St. Helena too much spence, mus cut de peoble
down, gib him one mowing machine for mown down de
peoble wid. One good ting he soon go way now. Sambo
berry glad."
"Take care, Mrs. Sperie," cried the captain, "you will
get a lap full of crabs ; " for Sambo, so intent on venting
his indignation on the powers that be, was yawing the boat
about. Mrs. Sperie looked innocently over the side of the boat
in expectation of seeing a shoal of those red-stockinged
crawlers, and said, " Where ^ I do not see any."
Dashwood enjoyed her perplexity a moment before he
explained that he had merely meant to warn her of the spray
that was splashing over the boat.
They now neared the landing-place, and Dashwood, being
well up to the knack, sprang lightly on shore. The doctor
took the rope and followed him.
" Now, Mrs. Sperie," said Dashwood, " stand steady and
hold this rope, and as the boat rises to the steps take my
hand and spring."
Mrs. Sperie heeded the caution, and was landed safely on
the shores of St. Helena.
Here we will leave the trio, and return to the Cramptons.
The two girls stood at the vessel's side, watching with
varied thoughts and feelings the receding boat in which
Captain Dashwood was making his way towards the shore.
The colonel and his wife stood apart on another quarter of
the deck, and thus spoke Mrs. Crampton : —
" Well, my dear, I must say that I do not think Captain
Dashwood has acted up to what he led us to believe his
intentions were."
" My dear," replied the male better half, " I always told
you not to make too sure of the captain. He is a gay, care
less fellow, always bent on enjoying himself, and a regular
flirt." " Don't tell me, James. I can make use of my eyes as
well as most persons. I had every right to expect what I
did." Well knowing that it was useless to argue the point, the
colonel let the matter drop, and said, " Come, my dear, the
captain is at leisure now, and we may take leave of him.

Landing at Jamestown. 235
Our luggage is all in the boats, and I have only been waiting
this opportunity. Come, girls." And the whole party went
in search of the captain, whom they found in his private
cabin on deck.
" Good-bye, captain. Many thanks for your kindness and
attention to us during the voyage," said the colonel, cordially
shaking the sailor's hand. " I hope we shall have the pleasure
of meeting you again some day."
" Good-bye to you, colonel. Good-bye, Mrs. Crampton.
Good-bye, Miss BeUa. Good-bye, Miss Minnie," said the
captain. To the latter he added, " We shall miss you sadly.
I fear the sunshine will depart with you."
" Oh no, captain," said Minnie, " I shall lay my commands
on a few stray sunbeams to remain behind, just to keep me
in your mind. Be sure you come to see us whenever you
call at St. Helena," and then she followed her aunt and
uncle, with her cousin, down the vessel's side into the
boat, " Oh, what a dirty boat ! " said Bella, gathering up her
skirts for fear of contamination.
"All in keeping with St. Helena, my dear," echoed her
mother. Minnie threw herself down, regardless of the consequences
to her pretty pique costume, and pulling off her gloves
amused herself by dipping her little white hand into the blue
waves, as after riding the crest of one billow the little boat
sank into the trough of another, almost burying itself beneath
the water. She was secretly wondering what those two
words might mean as applied to herself — au revoir — and if
she should ever — ever, ever — see him again ; striving hard
to convince herself that it was best that she should not.
" Oh, James, do you mean to say we must land under those
horrid cliffs ? Look ! they are going to dash us on the
rocks. Why don't you stop them ^ " shrieked Mrs.
Crampton. " Sit still, missie, all right," cried the boatman.
" Oh, those dreadful overhanging cliffs ! They will certainly
fall on us," cries Bella.
The distracted colonel tried to pacify their fears in vain.
" Now den, massa," said a darkle on shore, handing the
colonel a rope as he spoke. " Take dis, and when she rise
up, you spring on de steps."
Thus the colonel got on dry land. Bella and her mamma
kept uttering little shrieks, and declaring it was impossible
to land, so Minnie set them the example, and taking the rope

2^6 On Board a Union Steamer.

in one hand and the proffered hand of the darkie with the
other, sprang lightly and safely on shore, Bella came next, and
after several futile efforts she was dragged up from the boat.
" Now den, missie, no be fraid ; gib me you han and take
de rope. Now spring."
Mrs. Crampton took the rope, but could not bring herself
to place her delicate jewelled fingers in the horny grasp of the
negro ; she sprang, it is true, but, alas ! too late. The reced
ing wave drew the boat from the steps, but instead of landing
on the shores of St. Helena, she found herself unexpectedly
at a fashionable English watering-place.
As a matter of course, now followed a deal of shrieking on
the part of the terrified girls, who were wringing their hands
on the shore, and on that of the lady, who, in a most undig
nified position, was kicking in the water ; but as she held on
for dear life to the rope — no longer despising the aid of a
darkie — she was at last safely pulled out of the unwelcome
" bath " with no worse injury than the fright a good ducking
had given her ; and thus she was landed.
The news flew like wildfire over the little island — the
commandant's wife was drowned at the landing-place. No,
the commandant's wife and daughter were both drowned.
No, the commandant and his niece were drowned. No, they
were all drowned. How horrible ! And thus the ball was
pitched to and fro ; for any tit-bit of news, or any catastrophe
that could create a little excitement or diversion, was eagerly
hailed by the islanders, who, like most people in isolated
positions, or like a polite nation now almost blotted out from
the map of nations, and only remembered by antiquaries,
school lads and lasses, " Delighted to hear and to tell some
thing new!'
The news is generally conveyed from one place to another
orally, by means of black messengers of both sexes, who go
to and fro between the town and the dwellings of the gentry
which are scattered over the country. The inventive powers
of these geniuses being unrivalled, they are sure to make the
most of every story, be it good, bad, or indifferent. Every
household is possessed of one of these indispensable appen
dages, who are periodically dispatched to town ostensibly to
convey thereto farm produce, or to procure therefrom pro
visions, for the carriage of which they are always accompanied
by one or more of those much back-bitten and smitten animals
whose synonym among men is " fool," though why this should
be surprises me, for the donkey is the wisest of animals, as I
could prove.

Cabbage Tree Road. 237
At last, however, the little Cramptonian episode, after hav
ing been alarmingly increased, highly coloured, rounded off,
trimmed, framed, and glazed — a process that after all is only
illustrative of that " development " we hear so much about
in this wonderful nineteenth century of ours — came down to
its level, and was sold for its worth, being knocked down by
the auctioneer's hammer to Ella Marsden, as she was stopped
in a canter on her spirited roan through the Cabbage Tree
Road that skirts the mountain peaks towards Sandy Bay
Ridge, where, the weather being superb, and she a yam-stock
every inch of her, was independent enough to be enjoying
her own society, not even accompanied by that proper or
improper appendage, a groom. There were gates to encounter,
and with a practised hand she swung them open, and gaily
cantered on her way. She never essayed to leap them,
for even a Galway jumper would have hesitated at a leap
which a " thrifle " too far one side or the other might land
him some six or seven hundred feet below his starting
point. In a canter round a sharp turn Ella came suddenly upon
Captain Dashwood, who, at rather a slower pace, was making
the best of his way towards the Retreat, Ella's Maison
Paternelle, for the Marsdens were old friends of his, and he
had a very distinct recollection of the spirited Ella, whom he
at once recognized in spite of the lapse of so many years, and
sharply reining in his steed, he took off his hat and saluted
her thus : —
" Whatever be your name now, it was Miss Ella Marsden
twelve years ago."
" It was and is the same," replied Ella ; " but I really
must confess that your memory has the advantage of mine."
" Perhaps you can remember a certain race on Dead Wood
Plain with 'Verdant Green,' who was mounted on Lord
Dundreary .' and when the beast backed and landed him in
a prickly pear hedge, the only consolation you gave him was
to admit that he was more to be pitied than St, Paul, who
had only one thorn in the flesh, eh .? "
Ella extended her hand, while her ringing laugh sounded
through the still valley, as she exclaimed, —
" What a resurrection ! Why we thought you had told
your last fib, and died long ago through sheer chagrin at
finding that your wit was not as exhaustless as the national
debt, on which occasion I said, ' Alas ! poor Yorick,' etc.,
for you are certainly Lieutenant Dashwood or his ghost."
" Captain Dashwood, at your service ; and how are the

238 On Board a Union Steamer.
good folks at home .-' I was just on my way to see them.
Can I count on the old welcome .¦" "
" Indeed you may," replied Ella ; " papa will be delighted
to see you again, and so will mamma. But what possessed
you to come by this road ; have you forgotten the way .' "
" By no means," replied the captain ; " it must have been
magnetic attraction, or the desire to sharpen my wit in the
clear mountain air before I exposed it to yours ; or, more
likely than all, it was the remembrance of the penalty you
once exacted by pressing me into service in the minage,
because I would call at such unseasonable hours, that gave
me wholesome warning not to incur the same fate a second
time, for it is scarcely noon even now," said the captain,
Ella laughed as she called to mind what a droll figure the
gay lieutenant had cut in her pantry, with a large pinafore
over his regimentals, and a basin between his knees, concoct
ing a cake that she was in the act of making, when he pre
sented himself sans cMmonie in her domain.
" I see you don't forget old times," she said, " and in that
you are an exception to the general rule. I am heartily sick
of the people that come here now-a-days ; and after making
a convenience of us go away and have not a good word to
say for the island or its inhabitants. The poor little Rock is
much changed since you were here ; we are going down hill
fast. Mamma wanted me to call and inquire for these new
people who came in the steamer yesterday ; they met with
their deserts at all events. We heard that the boat over
turned with them at the landing-place. Serve them well
right. I do not doubt but they are another set of stuck-up
cockneys who never saw anything so good as St. Helena
before in their lives. Some people have travelled a long way,
and yet finished their education in St. Helena, although they
despised it. I made myself so hot arguing the point with
mamma, whose kind heart needs very little to enlist her
sympathies, that I was obliged to come out for a canter, and
endeavour to shake off my ill-temper in the Cabbage Trees ;
so that accounts for my being here. I happen to know from
some friends of mine at the Cape, of some very impertinent
remarks made about St. Helena by Mrs. Grampton, or
Frampton, and that excited my ire."
" The name is Crampton," said the captain, correcting her ;
" and it is all a mistake about the boat turning over ; " and he
recounted the little affair as it really was enacted, as seen by
himself from Munden's Point.
Ella clapped her hands in glee as she said, " Well done I

TJie Bashful Captain. 239
she had her desert at all events. You have told me what
papa, mamma, and the daughter are like ; what of the
niece .¦" "
" I could not attempt to describe her," he replied ; " but I
know you would like her, and she needs a friend."
" How so } I suppose she is treated as the poor rela
tion .? "
" Nay ; I cannot say that, but you will soon find out what
I mean. She is an orphan, and has been brought up entirely
at their expense, and being a very grateful little body, she
has an overwhelming sense of what she owes them, and so
forth. And, and  " he hesitated.
" Go on," said Ella. " You have begun, and might just as
well tell me all now as later."
" So I may," assented the captain, making a cut at a fine
young tree fern, and decapitating it as he spoke.
" What is that mischief for >. " inquired Ella. " Pray hand
me your whip if you have no better use for it than that ; we
have destroyers enough here already. And pray whose head
may the poor tree fern be supposed to represent .'' Now,
please, we will proceed on our way, and you can tell me your
story as we go."
For once in his life the captain was really bashful. " You
see," he said apologetically, " I have been a sad flirt."
" Spare yourself the trouble of telling me what is so well
established a fact ; tell me something new," said Ella.
The captain continued : " The Cramptons and I were
stationed together for some years at the Mauritius, and after
I had been acquainted with them for a couple of years an
aunt of mine died and left me a tidy little fortune, and, to
crown the whole, about six months since the death of my
cousin left me heir apparent to an estate and title in Somerset,
with an income of ;^io,ooo a year. Miss Bella Crampton
was all the rage with our fellows, and I went in for a
share of flirting as well as the rest, but I no more dreamt of
falling in love with her than I would with the statue of Diana
in my great-grandfather's museum. But I am afraid they
did not look on my attentions in that light. About three
months ago the colonel's niece, having completed her educa
tion, came out to join them, and then, I — I  " The
captain again hesitated.
" There, that will do," said Ella. " It wants very little dis
cernment to see what a nice little rod your vanity has pickled
for your own chastisement. As there seems to be a redeem
ing feature about the new set, however, I \vill be an obedient

240 On Board a Union Steamer.
child for once, and to-morrow I shall go and call upon them.
They are staying at Maldivia, are they not .¦' "
" Yes, so I understand. One favour I must beg of you to
do me, and that is to mention casually that you had seen me,
and that I informed you I had missed my passage, and was
waiting for the following steamer, will you } "
" Well, yes. I don't mind obliging you so far. Now, then,
here is a nice level road for a gallop. I want to see if you
have forgotten how to ride ; " and shaking the reins of her
steed they set off at a canter, and an hour later arrived at
the Retreat, where the captain was cordially welcomed by
his old friends.
The rest of the day was spent satisfactorily to all parties.
When good Mrs. Marsden had retired to rest that evening,
she remarked to her husband that she was much pleased with
the improvement in their young friend, and glad to hear such
a good account of his prospects in life. " He was such a boy,
you know, when Ella refused him years ago ; but now it
might be quite another thing."
" So it will, Mrs. Marsden. Good night."
Ella rode into town, accompanied by her father, the day
after their meeting with their old friend Captain Dashwood,
who had taken up his quarters at their house. Her object was
to call on the Cramptons. The day was sultry ; the very air
quivered lazily to and fro, as if it were too much trouble to
get up a breeze. The sky presented one speckless vault of
azure. The ocean beneath reflected back the hue it had
borrowed in redoubled brilliancy. The scanty herbage that
was here and there to be seen in patches on the steep sides
of the abrupt, iron-bound mountains that rose high on either
side of the little town, looked faint and weary of the existing
state of things, for it was the middle of February, and the
sun was blazing in dazzhng glory, as if exulting in his power
to subdue as well as to revivify all nature. Such being the
state of things without, Ella found it very pleasant to enter
the cool, neat garden that surrounds Maldivia, and to pause
for a moment under the delightful green trellis of grapes to
inhale the perfume of the fragrant Loquat, and then pass on
to the house under the waving shadows of the graceful cocoa-
nut, palm, and date trees.
To her inquiry " Is Mrs. Crampton at home } " the domestic
answering in the affirmative, she found it still more agree
able to enter the cool verandah that protected the front and
one side of the dwelling from the scorching rays of the
tropical sun. The verandah being tastefully festooned with

Fair Minnie Crampton. 241
passion and other vines, only admitted a pleasant semi-light
into the pretty drawing-room which opened on to it, and in
which Ella found Mrs. Crampton already engaged in some
light skirmishes with the "Goths," who, generalizing the
homely proverb that early birds find all the worms, had
endeavoured to be the first to sip the cream of the society
of these aristocrats, with the benevolent intention of leaving
the skim-milk for later birds to slake their thirst at.
With a rapid glance Ella took the whole party under her
surveillance, and recognized each individual before she had
been formally introduced. No need to tell her that the
stately dame who, at her entrance, half rose from the chair
that had the honour of supporting such a burden, and with
an apology for a bow re-seated herself, was Mrs. Crampton.
Nor did she require to be informed that the young lady, " in
form and feature beauty's queen," who rose to her full height
and extended the tips of her taper fingers to her, was the
divine Bella ; and it was even less difficult to identify the
little fairy, who suddenly appeared before her like a subdued
fiood of sunshine, so bright yet soft her presence — so noise
less her movements, as she glided about attending to the
wants and convenience of every one — her simple, soft muslin
robe, relieved here and there by knots of pale blue ribbon, so
well becoming her fair and delicate complexion — as Minnie
Crampton, even before her musical voice had said, —
" Let me give you this seat. Miss Marsden. You will find
it so pleasant to sit opposite to the cool green curtain that
the passion vine has made, and to hear the ripple of the
water over the shells and stones of the rockery ; " and she
resigned to Ella the pleasant seat she had occupied. " Let
me give you this comfortable arm-chair, Mr. Marsden. I will
place it here for you, so that you may enjoy the air without
a draught." And turning again to Ella, " You must have
found it very hot for your ride. Miss Marsden } "
" Extremely so," replied Ella. " This is one of our sul
triest days ; there is great consolation in the fact that it will
not last long."
" How is that .' " inquired Minnie. " I thought we were
just in the latitude to have the full benefit of whatever the
sun could do in the way of grilling."
" He gets tired of the exertion," replied Ella ; " and when
he finds he can't consume us entirely he veils the light of his
countenance behind the clouds that the friendly trade-winds
waft to us. Then, after the sultriest day, we have at night
such copious dews (you have no more idea of what a drench-
R

242 On Board a Union Steamer.
ing tropical dew is in England than we in the tropics have
of what a frost is), and with the morn all nature awakes to
renewed life and beauty."
Mrs. Crampton had engaged Mr. Marsden in a conversa
tional inquiry as to the most desirable locality in the island,
and the possibility of their procuring a suitable dwelling.
Now it so happened that Mr. Marsden had on his hands a
delightful residence for which he was desirous of finding a
good tenant, and having given this piece of information, it
was agreed that Mrs, Crampton and the colonel should drive
up to inspect it.
Turning to Bella in a tone of indifference, Ella said,
" There is a fellow-passenger of yours in the island who
missed the steamer, and is obliged to wait for the next, is
there not .? "
" I do not know, I am sure ; we did not mix much with the
passengers, so that I hardly know any of them," replied Bella
languidly. " Oh ! then I daresay you will not know him ; it is Captain
Dashwood," While addressing herself to Bella, Ella was furtively
observing the effect of her information upon Minnie, who
was striving in vain to give her attention to a handsome,
well-dressed lady, who was questioning her minutely about
the mysteries of point lace, the intricacies of which she had
just begun to explore. Those two last words had been ring
ing in her ears — au revoir — and at the first mention of a pas
senger left behind, her suspicions were roused ; she nervously
clasped and unclasped her hands in the endeavour to conceal
her agitation, but when the name that was ever in her
thoughts was carelessly mentioned by Ella, the quick crim
son tide rose till cheek and brow were rosy red. Seizing
up a magazine to hide her confusion, she began in real
earnest to explain point lace in all its complications to
Mrs. Fulton.
As for Bella, she was completely electrified out of all alti
tude and propriety, and from a listless lump of affectation
was suddenly transformed into an attentive listener and sharp
questioner. " Good gracious ! you don't say so .? Captain Dashwood !
why of course we know him ; he is a most intimate friend of
ours. How do you know that he was left behind t " she
eagerly inquired.
"From the best authority," replied Ella, "he told me so
himself"

An Old Acquaintance, 243
" What are you saying about Captain Dashwood, Bella, my
dear .' " inquired her mother.
" He lost his passage by remaining too long in the
country," explained Mr. Marsden, " and I for one am right
glad, for it is seldom one meets with so sincere an old
acquaintance." " Is he an old acquaintance, then ."• " inquired Mrs, Cramp
ton. Mr. Marsden blessed his vitality as well as that part of him
that was immortal, adding, "I should think so. I have known
Charlie Dashwood ever since he was a mere lad."
" Indeed ! " said Mrs. Crampton, " where did you make his
acquaintance .¦" "
" Here, madam, in St. Helena. I have never been off the
island in my life. He belonged to the St. Helena Regiment ;
and after it was broken up* he joined some other regiment."
" Oh ! then I suppose it was the charm of the society he
met with at your house that cost him his passage } " said the
lady insinuatingly,
" Oh, dear no," replied Mr. Marsden, wholly unconscious
that Mrs. Crampton was dissecting him in her cool, pleasant
way. " We saw nothing of him until yesterday."
" How very extraordinary ! we always found him such a
very prudent man. But of course, after having remained so
long in the island, he must have many other friends besides
yourselves," surmised Mrs. Crampton.
" I believe," replied innocent Mr. Marsden, " that of all
the acquaintances he formerly had here only ourselves re
main." Mrs. Crampton paused for a few moments, and mentally
ran over her chances. It was evident, then, that this was
the only danger that at present menaced the hope she
once more entertained. Whether or not was it wise to be
friendly with these people .-" was the question. The reply
to her next inquiry settled it.
" I forgot where you told me the captain was staying ? "
Mr. Marsden had said nothing hitherto of the captain's
locality, but he now informed Mrs. Crampton that he was
living with his family.
" Oh, how pleasant that must be ! Being amongst a lot of
young people is so nice, and the captain is so lively. I think
you have a large family .' "
* The St. Helena Regiment was broken up in 1864. The author
remembers when the few remaining officers of the regiment took their
passage home in the Orontes in February, 1865. R 2

244 On Board a Union Steamer.
" No, indeed," replied Mr. Marsden, " my family at present
only comprises my wife, myself, and daughter."
Having gained all the information she required from this
quarter, Mrs. Crampton now turned her attention to Ella,
whom she addressed in her sweetest tones.
" And have you never left St. Helena, my dear .¦' "
" Never," replied Ella laconically.
"How very circumscribed you must feel yourself; and
what a very contented, happy person you must be, to have
so little ambition as to feel satisfied in so small a sphere ! "
" Not at all. If Eve had only been content with Paradise,
she would not have bequeathed such a chapter of miseries
to her hapless sons and daughters," replied Ella, laughingly.
" Which leads me to infer that you are quite content with
your little Eden, my dear .' " said Mrs. Crampton.
" I did not say so," returned Ella. " On the contrary, the
height of my ambition is to be rich and travel all over the
worid." " I must be careful here," thought Mrs. Crampton, " a
poor, ambitious girl is dangerous." " It must be dull for
you, living so much alone without young companions. My
daughter and niece will be delighted to have the pleasure of
your society whenever you feel inclined to pay us a visit."
Ella expressed her thanks, and soon afterwards rose to
take leave. Mr. Marsden said that as Mrs. Crampton was
coming up to inspect Hill Croft, they might as well make a
picnic of it.
" Delightful ! " said Mrs. Crampton, " So kind of you to
think of it. Would to-morrow be convenient to you .'' "
" Oh yes, quite so," replied Mr. Marsden, and so it was
arranged that the whole party should come up to the Retreat
on the following day,
" I am so sorry that the colonel has missed the pleasure of
seeing you ; he is away inspecting the Ladder Hill Barracks,
Should he be unable to come with us I will bring my daughter
and niece. Good-bye, good-bye."
" Be sure you come," were Ella's parting words to Minnie.
As soon as Ella and her father were beyond hearing, Mrs.
Crampton began to make inquiries about them of Mrs.
Fulton, a St. Helena lady, who, though kind in intention,
was rather too loquacious.
" Very nice people our late visitors appear ; do you know
much of them .' "
" Oh yes," replied Mrs. Fulton, " I have known Ella Mars
den since she was a baby, and a better girl never lived. The

Change of Circumstances. 245
Marsdens' circumstances are very different now to what they
were some years ago, when Ella's old admirer Captain Dash
wood was here."
Mrs. Crampton felt that the ground she was venturing on
was getting dangerous, so she said, " It looks so nice and
cool under the trellis in the garden, I will walk out with you
a little. Minnie, will you get my garden hat .-• Thanks, dear.
Bella, my love, you had better lie down awhile, this heat
overpowers you. We will get into the country as soon as
possible on your account. Minnie, come with me, my dear."
Minnie put her coquettish little Dolly Varden on her
golden head, and silently followed her aunt and Mrs. Fulton,
plucking stray roses as she went, and wantonly shedding
their scented petals on the pathway in her absent-minded
ness. " Are our late visitors well-connected people .' " inquired
Mrs. Crampton.
" Yes, Mr. Marsden 's father and brothers were all distin
guished men. Mr. Marsden was well off once, and he pos
sesses many estates in the island now, which once brought
him a handsome income, but he always lived up to it, and
year by year the value of landed property has decreased,
and now it is nothing but an incumbrance to its possessors,
keeping them here when they would rather seek better fortune
elsewhere," " And their circumstances are so changed 1 " said Mrs,
Crampton, musingly.
" Sadly so ; they could not exist at all if Ella did not work
so hard,"
" She works hard, does she ? Poor girl ! " said Mrs.
Crampton, " Oh yes," eagerly continued Mrs. Fulton, who looked upon
Ella as a perfect model. " She keeps lots of poultr>', which
she disposes of; has a dairy, and supplies customers with
butter ; and then she has a sewing-machine and takes in
work, and by dint of constant industry she manages to keep
clear of debt. She is an excellent girl, and clever too ; it is
a thousand pities she should not marry well, though I don't
know what the old folks could do without her."
" And so you think Captain Dashwood is an old admirer .' "
said Mrs. Crampton.
" I am certain of it," rephed Mrs. Fulton ; " he left St.
Helena because she refused him. Ella's spirit was very high
in those days. No thought of trouble had then darkened he*
path, and yet she fits into her place now as quietly as if she had

246 On Board a Union Steamer.
been inured to such hardships all her life. I am sure I hope
the captain may be unchanged, and that he may propose
again with better success ; " and after having, in the fulness
of her heart, expressed this good wish, she also departed.
" How very disagreeable ! A sort of farmer-milliner's
girl that one is forced to pay court to," ruminated Mrs,
Crampton, whose fears were by no means allayed by the
gossiping communication of Mrs, Fulton, "I must endure
- it for a time, however, with good grace, for of course they
will do their best to secure so desirable a match."
" Well, how did you get on .'' " was the inquiry of the cap
tain, as he assisted Ella to dismount on her return home.
" Oh, as well as could be expected," she replied.
" How are they .? "
" Now, why don't you say what you mean — how is Minnie .'
Well, I must own she is a little darling, and, as far as I could
judge, in perfect health and spirits. Warrior mater is as stiff as
a ramrod, and as pleasant of speech as a creaking door hinge.
The Belle .¦¦ Well, she is divine — a veritable Calypso ; and,
while I think of it," said Ella, mischievously clapping her
hands, "this is Calypso's Isle, and you are Telemachus, fairly
caught this time without hope of escape, for there is no sage
Mentor to come to the rescue. It just serves you right for
acting the Butterfly. You are to marry the Belle, most
assuredly, so resign yourself to your fate."
" I had better commit suicide at once, then," said the cap
tain, " for I shall be sure to do so after such a calamity. I
shall go for a ride, and take Dunlop's leap by accident."
" Do I " cried Ella provokingly. " It will be so novel !
exciting ! romantic ! and give one something to talk about
for the next six months."
" Ella ! Ella ! do come here," called Mrs. Marsden from
within the house in a troubled tone of voice, for her husband
had just informed her of the intended invasion of the Visi
goths on the morrow, and she was in the greatest state of
consternation to know how they could possibly provide any
thing suitable to the palates of such fine folk on such notice.
" Coming, coming, mother mine," replied Ella ; and, turn
ing once more to the captain by way of consoling him, she
said, " Prepare for the worst, for Calypso is coming to
morrow, supported by Venus and Cupid, and, better than all,
by a strong-minded mother. Eucharis will be in attendance!
Please don't destroy all my poor flowers " (for the captain was
switching away at the harmless shrubs) ; " I shall need some
to-morrow to enliven Calypso's Grotto." And then she ran

Light-Hcarted Ella. 247
up the steps and across the verandah into the cottage, and
exchanging her riding-habit for a cambric robe, over which
she tied a large apron, she betook herself to the all-important
task of catering for the morrow, on which serious matter she
held a consultation with her mother and Mrs. Williams, the
cook. " Don't worry yourself so, mamma dear," said Ella ; " leave
everything to me, and just take your knitting and sit down
cosily in your arm-chair and entertain the captain."
" What ! and leave you to do all the drudgery, my child.
Besides, I would make a poor substitute with our friend."
But Ella was determined, and carried her point as usual.
She knew that those little matters worried her mother by
painfully reminding her of their altered circumstances, so
she settled her comfortably in their pretty little drawing-
room with her work, and then returned to complete her
arrangements. This little drawing-room and her mother's
bedroom were Ella's peculiar care, and here she had col
lected every little luxury and convenience that their limited
means, loving thoughtfulness, careful management, and self-
denial could procure, or tasteful arrangement and ornament
effect. Few entering these rooms would have dreamt of the
constant struggle against poverty that was carried on in
Ella's own little sanctum, where early and late she toiled
over work that brought such a paltry remuneration, in order
to keep those two ever-stretching ends from going hopelessly
asunder. Well for Ella that she was light-hearted. Her happy ten
dency to make the best of everything carried her over many
a high hill of difficulty. For one moment that day, while
her mother bewailed their altered circumstances — when
necessity compelled them to consider what they could afford
to give their guests- — the thought had crossed her mind that
she had acted wrongly in years gone by to have disappointed
her mother's hopes by rejecting Captain Dashwood for
another, who had proved himself wholly unworthy of her
regard, and when misfortune had come upon them had
meanly withdrawn from his engagement. For one moment
a regretful thought of what she might have been able to do
for her mother's comfort as Dashwood's wife, crossed her
mind. Only for a moment though ; quickly casting aside a
contemplation so mean as that of accepting a man for his
wealth when she would have rejected him without it, she
was glad she had acted so fairly by him. A happier fate
was in store for him, she hoped, and she would use every

248 On Board a Union Steamer.
just means to aid him in attaining it. She was in high spirits,
too, for now there was a chance of letting Hill Croft, and
lorty pounds a year was almost wealth to contemplate. So,
like a sensible, true-hearted girl, she set herself at once to
what lay nearest to her hand to be done, knowing full well
that the faithful performance of trivial duties went to make
up the sum of the great duty of life. Well for us all if,
instead of too often bewailing circumstances that were
beyond our control, we set ourselves with cheerful earnest
ness to the discharge of whatever duty lay nearest to our
hand. Ella returned to the kitchen to complete her arrangements
with the cook. " Take down that ham and have it boiled,
Mrs. Wilhams."
" I tought dat ar was for Miss Thompson .¦' 'Tis a prime
good one, de bes you cured last winter ; you get tirty
shillings for dat. Miss Ella," said the black cook, remon-
stratingly. " Never mind Mrs. Thompson, just do as I tell you. Get
a nice pair of chickens and stew them, and boil some eggs
hard for me, for a pie. And get a pair of the best table
fowls for roasting, and have your oven heated for me in about
an hour's time. Call Jimmy in from the garden to help you.
Tell him to leave weeding that piece of potatoes till to
morrow. And take this basket with you, and tell him to
fill it with peaches from that large white peach-tree by the
rock spring. Mind he brings the best, and tell him to make
all the haste he can, too, for I am waiting."
" Heare, you Jimmy. You'se got to gib over dat weeding
to wonst," cried Mrs. Williams.
" You gar long wid you ! Who say so } " inquired Jimmy,
rising to his feet and coolly scraping the mire from his
digits. " Miss Ella, to be sure ; and she's in a prime hurry too, no
mistake." " Oh, she allers in a hurry. What I got do now, den .? "
" Take dis basket, get de bes peaches you can find from
de tree by de rock spring, and make hase too."
"Here, gib me de basket. How much more you goin
talk .' Dat allers de way. Jimmy do dis, and fore Jimmy
can finish dat, 'tis Jimmy do someting else. Never see sich
a people." And off he went, grumbling to himself all the
way. Holding out'the basket at arm's length he says, " Got
to git a lot of peaches enny >, How you goen to hold a lot,
I shoyld like to know .' Where's you handle gone to t

Jimmy's Appreciation of Comfort. 249
How I goin to take you up in de tree widout one .' I'se
a good mind to run away, only I know I shall git nutting
to eat. Never see sich a fool as I is, to be sure. If I only
was a kind of a feller as had his understandings clear, I
might been gone to de diamen feals fore dis."
Arrived at the spring he stops to wash the dirt from his
hands, and thus apostrophizes the cool stream that ran
sparkling and clear as crystal down the face of a rock some
ninety feet above him. " What you allers runnin for, I should
like to know 'i Seems to me dat you like de sound of you
own voice werry much. Drip, drip, drip, all de day and all
de night long. Eber since I can remember anyting, you'se
been singin de same song. I should like to choke you, I
should. What you sayin, eh .' Spose de trees and flowers
you make grow all round you can understan you talk enny }
Tink you say to Jimmy, ' Quick, quick, quick ! ' Spose I mus
hase too ; " and crossing the stream he pauses again at the
foot of the great peach-tree, that rose to the height of twenty
or thirty feet from the ground, and casting his eye on the
windfall of fruit that lay scattered on the grass he says,
" Spose I pick dese up, and tell Miss Ella dey is fresh
garrered .' No fear, she'd know werry well I was telling a
lie. Dare say she's watchin me all de time."
So he proceeds to climb the tree, and seating himself
securely in one of the forked branches he fixes his basket in
another, and commences leisurely to pluck the ripe fruit that
is within his reach. "Why all de bes of you allers grows
on de tips of de branches. Spose you'd like to see Jimmy
break his neck reachin after you enny .'' No fear ; Jimmy
no fool for you," and breaking off a thin, long branch, he
pulls off the twigs and leaves, allowing a strong hook to
remain at one end, and with this he draws the ends of the
branches safely within his reach, and robs them of their
golden burden till his basket is quite full ; he then leisurely
proceeds to moisten his mouth with some of the tempting
fruit. Jimmy was a sort of being who always made himself as
comfortable as possible under existing circumstances, and he
was doing this now ; and certainly could not have chosen a
more delightful locality, nor seen a more lovely prospect of
verdure than that which lay around him, though it is a thing
much to be doubted if he possessed the power of appreciat
ing the beauties of nature. Whether or no, this was the
scene he might have revelled in if so disposed.
The spring was in a shady dell, surrounded by trees,

250 On Board a Union Steamer.
flowering shrubs, dog-roses, nasturtiums, wild convolvulus,
and geraniums. Issuing from the midst of this luxuriant
growth, it rippled away to the edge of the high rock, at a
short distance from which it had struggled into life, and
coaxing along with it ferns, grass, weeds, flowers, and vines,
had formed them into many-hued graceful festoons, which
fell over the upper edge of the rock, or hung in long delicate
wreaths over its surface, and there, far out of reach of the
ruthless spoiler's hand, thus swung in perennial beauty
unmolested, while the rippling nectar trickled down, down,
down, till it fell on the soft green carpet beneath, and
collected its scattered forces once more in a basin that it
had hollowed out for its own convenience, ere it went on its
course through the valley — verdure marking its track — to lose
itself in the vast deep.
A little to the left of this spring was a curious natural
cave or grotto, to which Ella, in one of her romantic moods
in bygone days, had given the name of Calypso's Grotto.
This had been her favourite resort in idle hours, and thither
would she hie with her books ; for in the hottest day this
sylvan retreat was always cool. Around it grew beautiful
trees in profusion. The weeping willow bent its long, grace
ful branches down to kiss the life-giving stream ; the
magnolia imparted its fragrant breath to the gently stirring
breeze ; the feathery bamboo gently murmured a thanks
giving that the lines had fallen to it in such pleasant places ;
the margossa, with its massy emerald foliage, lent all its
powerful aid to exclude the burning rays of a tropical sun.
There flourished in rich profusion huge trees of the beautiful
Japonica — red, white, and variegated — adding brilliancy to
the scene, while ever and anon, as the breeze trembled
through their branches, a mimic snow storm of petals was
cast to the earth. The rustling, scented leaves of the tall
eucalyptus whispered a strange, never-ending gossip to each
other of the zephyrs that courted them ; while the aristocratic
Norfolk Island pine, essaying to follow the example of the
builders of Babel, looked neither to the right hand nor to the
left, but year after year added another story to its structure
as symmetrical as the last, and seemed as if the attainment of
heaven itself would alone satisfy its ambitions. The weary
traveller, falling unexpectedly on this lovely spot, might slake
his thirst at the crystal font, and appease his hunger in the
peach-tree, as Jimmy had done. He was now descending
to terra firma with his basket. A little later he sauntered
into the house, and thrusting his head in at the pantry

Making Peach-Tart. 251
door, where Ella was hands deep in pastry, said, " Here you
is. Miss Ella, I'se brought de bes I could find of de
peaches." " Put them down. What a time you have been, to be
sure ! " said Ella ; " and now go and help Mrs. Williams to
pluck the fowls."
Presently the pantry door opened again, and the captain's
voice, " Mayn't I come in .' "
" I don't care. You may if you like," replied Ella ; " but
you must work if you do. I don't encourage idlers here."
" All serene ! " said the captain, " I'll work like a galley
slave. What shall I do.?"
" Peel these peaches for me," replied Ella.
"What beauties! I am afraid I shall eat more than I
peel." " Fill me this dish, and then you may eat as many as
you like," said Ella, handing him a tart-dish that she had
just lined with sweet paste.
" There you are ! " cried the captain triumphantly, as he put
in the last peach that the dish would hold. " I had a finger
in that pie, at any rate. What can I do now .' "
" Get me a bunch of young peach leaves, as you are so
bent on being industrious," replied Ella.
" Certainly. May I inquire the purpose to which they are
to be applied .-• I am of an inquisitive turn of mind, as you
know." " They are to flavour custards with," Ella informed him.
" Done at last," said Ella presently, as she put the finish
ing touch to the chicken-pie, and delivering the raw edibles
to the culinary skill of Mrs. Williams, she departed to make
a little alteration in her toilette.
Ella was stirring betimes in the morning on which they
expected their guests, to superintend the clearing of her
long forsaken grotto, in which they purposed to spread the
lunch. She cut away a little of the superabundant growth
of the granidilla, one of the passion vines that she had
trained over its entrance. It was flourishing in wild
luxuriance ; its bright, glossy leaves relieved by contrast
with its white flowers and purple egg-shaped fruit, which it
brought forth profusely and spontaneously.
About noon the guests arrived. A single chaise conveyed
the august mamma and the divine Calypso to the Retreat ;
but no colonel, and — what was far worse — no Minnie.
The poor captain's spirits sank fifty per cent, as he heard
Mrs. Crampton tell Ella that a severe headache had detained

252 On Board a Union Steamer.
heir niece a prisoner at Maldivia. This was true ; poor Min
nie, with an ache at her true little heart, had all night been
maintaining a conflict between her inclination and what she
considered her duty. " To be or not to be } " she had asked
herself again and again, and in the morning she pleaded
indisposition as an excuse for not accompanying her aunt
and cousin.
" Oh you naughty deserter 1 " said Mrs. Crampton, playfully
tapping the crest-fallen captain on the arm with her parasol.
" I suppose you were afraid to face me after drawing so vividly
on your imagination in your description of St. Helena and its
inhabitants .' Why, the more I see the more charmed I am with
this lovely little oasis of the South Atlantic." Then, as if
by accident, she drew Ella aside, leaving Bella to the dis
comforted Telemachus, while she said, in a tone of voice loud
enough to reach their ears, " While I think of it. Miss Mars
den, Mrs. Fulton, a friend of yours, told me you had such
delicious fresh butter for sale. I should be so glad to become
a customer." Ella, though she could not but feel the implied impertinence,
valued it at its worth, and calmly inquired, " What quantity
would you require .' "
" Three pounds a week. What is your price for it .' " in
quired Mrs. Crampton.
" Two-and-eightpence a pound," replied Ella. " I will
send it to you on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, if that
will answer 1 "
Receiving an affirmative reply, she coolly turned round
and said to the captain, " You see I shall grow rich by my
dairy yet ; I have just secured another customer."
" I am glad to hear it," he replied. " Excuse me, ladies, I
will apprise Mrs. Marsden of your arrival," and he left the
trio on the lawn, for Mrs. Crampton had said it was a pity to
go indoors when it was so lovely without.
Mr. and Mrs. Marsden presently made their appearance,
but the captain did not return with them. After a time Mr.
Marsden proposed that they should go over and inspect Hill
Croft, adding, " I dare say the captain has got the start of us."
Mrs. Marsden excused herself from accompanying them,
and the four set out, Mrs. Crampton and Mr. Marsden taking
the lead and the girls following.
" How do you like Captain Dashwood ">. " inquired Bella.
" Very much indeed," replied Ella cordially.
" He seems to make himself very much at home with you,"
remarked Bella.

Calypso's Grotto. 253
Ella utterly disdained subterfuge of any kind, so she
quietly remarked, " People generally do when they pay for
their board and lodging. But, apart from that, he is an old
friend." " A lodging-house keeper, too ! " mentally ejaculated the
horrified Bella.
They arrived at Hill Croft, but no sign of the captain did
they see. The house was duly inspected and fully approved
of by Mrs. Crampton, who took it then and there for a
twelvemonth, and desired that it might be made ready for
them to move into as early as possible. This bargain con
cluded, to Mr. Marsden's infinite delight, they returned to the
Retreat. " We shall be sure to find the truant at the grotto helping
your mother, Ella," said her father.
Ella was by no means so sure, but she said nothing.
Thither they wended their way, and there found Mrs. Mars
den, who had laid out an ample repast in this sylvan retreat,
but no Telemachus was there ; and what could enliven
Calypso's solitude without him .''
Mrs. Crampton was in raptures of delight at the beauty
of the spot. Nothing could be more rustically beautiful.
Such a charming idea to have called it Calypso's Grotto ! So
classical ! But in spite of her efforts to appear at ease, her
quick glances were turned this way and that in search of what
they were destined not to see — that day at all events. As
for Calypso, she was decidedly out of temper, and' disposed
to quarrel with Venus, Cupid, and the whole Olympic host
together. Nemesis alone excepted.
Ella exerted herself to the utmost to please and entertain
their guests, and pointed out to them whatever she thought
might interest them in their neighbourhood. Later in the
afternoon she robbed her garden to procure a lovely bouquet
to send Minnie, and also packed up a basket of delicious
peaches, " Just to tempt her," she said, " to come and taste
them from the tree,"
Mrs. Crampton was most pressing for Ella to spend a few
days with them. " I am sorry I cannot offer you a room to
yourself, but if you will not mind sharing Minnie's, we shall
be so delighted to have you."
Ella knew full well that the august mamma only intended,
in vulgar phrase, to make a " cat's-paw " of her, but she
secretly enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing that, however
well Mrs, Crampton might play her cards, she held the one
that was to win the odd trick in her own hand. Besides, all

254 On Board a Union Steamer.
opposition on her own part was useless, for her mother at
once accepted the invitation for her, and it was arranged
that Ella should spend the following week at Maldivia.
It was late when Mrs. Crampton, by a reference to her
watch, declared that they must take their leave. Such a
delightful day as they had enjoyed. She had no idea time
had flown so quickly.
Ella was superintending the honours of the tea-tray when
the truant captain reappeared. She felt desperately inclined
to tease him, but, perceiving that something was seriously
amiss, she controlled the mischievous desire, and forbore to
make any remark on his conduct. Not so her father, who,
on the captain's first entrance had been indulging in a cheap
excursion trip to the land of nod, and presently waking up
and seeing him exclaimed, " So there you are ! Where on
earth have you been to .' Had any one told me that Charlie
Dashwood would abscond when youth and beauty were in
the way, I could not have believed them."
The captain laughed uneasily, and said he had been obliged
to see after some business, and adroitly turned the subject,
By-and-by Mrs. Marsden informed him of Ella's intended
visit to Maldivia.
When the tea had been imbibed, and the bread-and-butter
and sundries discussed, and the fragments of the repast duly
cleared away, Mrs. Marsden took her easy-chair and her
knitting, while Mr. Marsden faced her in another with his
newspaper, but the genteelest of snores soon betrayed their
total inability to carry on either of their employments. Ella
had seated herself at the piano, at which she was by no means
an indifferent performer, playing with taste and execution,
though she was entirely self-taught ; and as her heart went
with the music, and she never thought of attracting admira
tion, she never failed to give pleasure. After playing for
some time Ella paused, and the captain, who had been seated
on the sofa teasing Gip, Ella's little terrier, who disputed
possession with him, rose, and coming to her began to tender
his apologies for what must have appeared so rude in him
to have decamped in the unceremonious way in which he had
that day done.
" You should tender your regrets to Calypso, not to me,"
said Ella. " You took her appetite away with you wherever
you went to, and the delectable things I took so much
trouble to prepare yesterday were wholly unappreciated in
consequence." " Confound Calypso ! " said he, with more fervour than

Friendly Council. 255
politeness, " I wish she were at the bottom of the deep
blue  "
" A mermaid, and you a merman, eh 1 How nice ! " said
Ella laughing.
" Miss Ella, do, I beg of you, be serious. I want to ask
your advice."
Ella took up the knitting that was lying idly on her
mother's lap, and declared her willingness to listen.
" You are going to stay at the Cramptons' next week, and
I want you to be kind enough to exert your influence with
Minnie to induce her to look more rationally on the subject
I broached to her to-day."
" I expected as much," said Ella. " Rather precipitate, was
it not ?"
" I don't exactly know what I intended to do when I left
this," continued the captain, " I was so disgusted at Mrs.
Crampton's manner to you, and I really believed she had
left Minnie at home purposely ; but I was wrong there, she
remained of her own accord to avoid me" he added, a little
bitterly. "Do you wish me to know all that transpired .? " inquired
Ella. The captain replied in the affirmative.
" Then tell me coherently. You were at Maldivia to-day,
and saw Minnie Crampton alone .' "
« Yes."
" You informed her  .' "
" In the first place that I had come to see the colonel on
business^that wasn't true — but will do very well for a blind
for Mother Carey. I then made her an offer of my hand and
fortune. My heart she has."
" And she .' " inquired Ella.
" Refused me point blank."
" Good," said Ella.
" Good ! do you call it } I call it very bad," said the
captain. " I say good again. Her reasons .' " inquired Ella.
" Ah ! now I know that you will agree with me, that she
should not sacrifice herself for the sake of that egotistical
lump of affectation, her Cousin Bella."
" Before I reply to that question, tell me the view that
Minnie takes of it."
The captain winced visibly as he said, " She considers that
I paid such marked attention to her cousin, that she has
every right to suppose I intended to make her an offer of

256 On Board a Union Steamer.
marriage, and, at all events, she refuses to listen to my suit
unless her cousin rejects it."
" She is a true-hearted girl, and perfectly right. I am not
disappointed in her," said Ella.
" The very nobleness and unselfishness of her conduct but
makes me love her the more, and curse my own folly," said
the captain.
"I see no other honourable course than that she has
pointed out to you," replied Ella.
" And can you possibly advise me, while my heart is com
pletely Minnie's, and while I know that but for this hateful
obstacle I might win her, that I should tie myself to one who
only weds my estates, title, and banker's account V said the
captain bitterly. " "What but life-long regret and misery
could result from such a union V
" Those things should have met with your consideration at
an earlier stage in the affair, and then you would have been
saved this awkward dilemma. Suppose now, instead of the
heartless girl you deem Bella, that she were really attached
to you ?" inquired Ella.
" Oh ! that would alter the case certainly, but as it is, it is
my money bags, not myself, that form the attraction, I know
full well that had I as a poor man made her an offer of
marriage, I should have been rejected with scorn," reasoned
the captain.
" Well, I don't see that your argument alters the case. As
a man of honour, I see no course for you but to make an
offer of marriage to Miss Crampton, and abide by the con
sequences." " I wish I were a poor man, then," said the captain ; " I
might stand a chance of getting clear out of it."
" Come now," said Ella, who really pitied him in her heart,
" I think I can promise you that Bella will reject your offer.
At least, after the test she shall be put to she would never
accept you unless she really cares for you, in which case you
will be more than ever bound to marry her, and make her a
good husband too. The mail from England will arrive while
I am at Maldivia ; call the day afterwards and make your
offer, and be prepared to hear strange news concerning your
own affairs. I will only consent to aid you on condition of
your pledging yourself to do this."
" I will. I suppose there is no help for it," said the captain.
He could gain no information from Ella as to the means
she would employ to test Bella's sincerity. But never did
hopeful swain more earnestly pray that the queen of his

Effects of Ill-Rumoui. 257
heart might prove true, than did Charlie Dashwood that the
fair Bella might be false.
The following week Ella went to the Cramptons'. She had
to endure the twitting of all her acquaintances on the reap
pearance of her old admirer. Sly inquiries as to " When it
was to be .'' Who were to be bridesmaids i"' and " Oh ! my
dear, it is easy to tell what attraction brought the gallant
captain back to St. Helena." But Ella only laughed, in
tensely enjoying the little surprise she had for the world in
general, and the Cramptons in particular.
In due time the English mail arrived, and scarcely six
hours after the letters had been delivered, it was known to
everyone in the island (as a strict secret, of course) that poor
Captain Dashwood had lost his entire fortune, which had
been invested in a bank that had smashed, while the old
uncle from whom he expected to inherit the title, estates, and
ten thousand a year, had married his housekeeper, who, by
way of gratitude, had presented him with an heir.
Here was a sudden downfall ! The gallant captain was
rather stunned by this sudden change in the countenance of
the fickle jade Fortune, but, on the whole, he bore the blow
with manly fortitude.
That same evening Mrs. Crampton had a visit from Mrs.
Fulton, with whom she had a long whispered conversation.
The next morning Ella received a long letter from her
mother, telling her of the captain's misfortunes, and dwelling
much on the noble and manly way in which he bore them.
After breakfast, Mrs. Crampton invited Ella to take a stroll
with her in the garden, just to see if there was any ripe fruit.
" Have you heard the news of poor Captain Dashwood's
misfortunes, my dear .' " she inquired.
" Yes," replied Ella ; and producing her mother's letter,
she read it to Mrs. Crampton.
" Poor fellow ! I am so sorry for him. But how fortunate
for him to have made such a wise choice in a wife, for, as you
have been so inured to hardships, you will not mind the loss
of fortune. Being such an old attachment, change of cir
cumstances would not affect your regard for him, would it,
my dear .-'"
" Certainly not," replied Ella warmly. " I always esteemed
Captain Dashwood for himself, not for his fortune."
A little later on the same day a peculiar smile was on
Ella's countenance as she heard that the Captain and Bella
were alone in the drawing-room, and more subsequently that
he was closeted with the august mamma. S

258 On Board a Union Steamer.
" Of course, my dear Captain Dashwood, it was very right
of you to make known to me what has transpired between
yourself and my child," said Mrs. Crampton in her sweetest
voice, " but had you acquainted me with your intention at
first, I might have spared you the pain of a refusal from
Bella, knowing so well that her feelings towards you are
those of friendship, but nothing more. Indeed, had we
dreamed that there was any more serious intention on your
part, we should have discouraged your attentions long since. I
shall ever feel a friend's interest in your welfare, and hope soon
to hear of your having made a wise choice in a good wife,
and with your personal attractions and unexceptional pros
pects, you will be sure to succeed. If there is anything else
I can do for you at any time, pray command me. Good-bye.
God bless you !" And with this motherly benediction, the
gallant captain received his dismissal.
Striving hard to assume the melancholy cast of countenance
proper to his circumstances, the captain encountered Ella as
he was passing through the garden, and was very near for
getting all propriety, and laughing outright. At a warning
gesture from Ella, however, the laugh remained in an
incipient state.
" Will you ask papa to ride over to ' Fairyland' to-morrow .'"
she said, " and I will meet him there, to see if we can make a
bargain about the Venetian blinds for ' Hill Croft.' If you
are not too indisposed, you may accompany him if you hke."
" Thanks," said the captain, " you may rely upon me.
Good-bye." Meanwhile Mrs. Crampton had sought her husband, " My
dear James, how thankful I am that you were absent when
Captain Dashwood called the other day. We should have
been placed in such an awkward predicament had you given
your consent to his addressing Bella. Now everything has
passed off pleasantly. Of course I appeared profoundly
ignorant of his change of circumstances, but I must say I
felt rather astonished that he did not allude to it himself ;
scarcely honourable of him. How fortunate that I was well
informed ! "
" I am very sorry for what has transpired. Charlie Dash
wood deserved better treatment atyour hands ; but youwomen
have queer notions of what is honourable," said the colonel.
" I am disappointed, but let us drop the subject, and never
return to it. Poor fellow ! "
" Oh, Bella ! you rejected him only because he is poor ! "
The speaker was little Minnie, who had been striving hard

Rejection of Dashwood. 259
not to think, not to wish, but quietly to do her duty. She
strove to consider Captain Dashwood as Bella's intended
husband, and when she heard of his misfortunes, in the
truthful innocence of her pure little heart, she supposed that
her cousin would only be drawn nearer to him by this trouble.
When Bella sought her after her interview with the captain,
she clasped her hands tightly to still the quick beating of
her heart, and tried to steady her voice that she might say,
" I wish you every happiness." Good little innocent ! she
could conceive no greater happiness than that of comforting
her lover under his misfortunes ; so that when Bella coolly
told her she had rejected the man she pretended to care so
much for, merely because he had lost his wealth, and she had
no idea of linking her fate with that of a beggar — and a half-
pay captain was not much better — she totally forgot how
much worse her position would have been had Dashwood
been Bella's accepted lover, and was full of indignation that
one whom she had set up on the throne of her guileless
young heart, should have been so slighted.
" How absurdly romantic you are, Minnie ! " said Bella
laughing. " Do you think that girls of the nineteenth cen
tury are likely to tie the strangling halter of poverty round
their necks for love } Why, I could spend his half-pay
comfortably for him in jewels, and what would be left for
bandoline, etc. .? "
Silly little Minnie I she had a good cry all alone, in her
own room, blaming herself for having exposed her hero to
such insult.
Ella coming in some time after, lifted her head up from
the arm of the chair on which it had rested, saying, " Minnie,
Minnie, is it the fortune you weep for .? "
" Oh no, Ella, it is not that ; but was it not my fault that
he met with such treatment .>' "
" Your fault .? No, you silly little goose. He deserved
some punishment for acting a part that his better nature dis
dains, and he got it too, and I do not pity him ; no, not a
little bit. You need not look at me so imploringly. Come,
dry your eyes. I want you to go for a long ride with me
to-morrow. You know you have seen nothing of St. Helena
yet, so I mean to lift the veil to-morrow, and drop you in
Fairyland." Nothing more was said about it that evening, but the next
morning at breakfast Ella turned to the colonel and said, —
"You will not be afraid to trust Minnie with me for a ride
to-day } I have a nice quiet steed for her." S 2

26o On Board a Ufiion Steamer.
"Oh, dear no," replied the colonel. "You are such an
expert equestrian that I should not have the least fear, and
I am sure Minnie will enjoy a ride immensely. Where do
you purpose going .-' "
" To Fairyland," Ella informed him,
" So you have a dwelling for the little people here," said
the colonel. " Take care you don't encounter Oberon, and
lose yourselves altogether."
Soon after breakfast the two girls left Maldivia on horse
back. They took the Ladder Hill Road, and found it sultry
enough until they had passed the barracks and reached Red
Hill, then the breeze met them, fresh and invigorating, and
the country suddenly opened to their view as if by magic.
" Oh, how lovely ! " exclaimed Minnie in ecstasies. " Let
us stop a minute."
They reined in their steeds and contemplated the pros
pect before them at their leisure. Far away to the left, the
most distant points discernible were Banks's Ridge, Flag
staff, and the mass of rock from its peculiar formation called
The Barn. Then the Racecourse and Deadwood Plain.
(Longwood, the residence of the great Emperor, and his
tomb in the next valley, were concealed from their view by a
long mountain ridge, for the most part thickly covered vrith
trees and shrubs.) The extreme point of this ridge over
looked James's Valley, and from it a very pretty view of the
town was visible. The centre part of it was called Halley's
Mount, in honour of the great astronomer ; who, from that
elevation, once made an observation of a transit of Mercury.
This part of it was densely wooded, and in an open space
just under Halley's Mount was the lovely dwelling called
Prospect ; justly so named on account of the extensive and
beautiful view that it commanded. Continuing still upwards
in a southerly direction, this ridge merged itself into that
known as the Cabbage Trees, so called on account of an
indigenous shrub that grows profusely there, and in the close
tufts of whose leaves a resemblance is discernible to that
homely vegetable. These high peaks were exquisitely green ;
their summits densely clothed with a tangled mass of fern-
tree, string-wood, dog-wood, and cabbage-trees, while smaller
ferns of infinite variety and beauty — with wild fuchsias,
white bells, blackberry, and a variety of small plants — formed
a dense undergrowth that was almost impenetrable.
The highest of those peaks was called Diana, and when
the clerk of the weather intended to be disagreeable, he sig
nified the fact to the divinity who sat there, and she gave

The Militaiy Playground. 261
due warning to her votaries by drawing her nightcap over
her ears or, in, other words, by burying her head in a fog.
Now intervenes another mountain spur, and yet another, and
then upon a knoll midway between the valley and the high
ridges stands Oak Bank, the bishop's residence, a pretty,
comfortable dwelling, well sheltered by wood, and irrigated
by mountain streams, pleasingly diversified by sloping mea
dow and shady copse, where sleek cows were contentedly
chewing the cud of their own reflections, and young colts
were kicking up their heels and charging their sober dames
at full tilt ; where groups of indispensable donkeys^ — who
having received academical honours in the same college in
which Balaam's ass took his degree — were full of self-im
portance, and holding consultations as to what was best to
be done to keep the island from going from bad to worse,
and giving the whole world the benefit of their cogitations,
in prolonged and sonorous oratorical harangues. The long-
eared gentlemen gave a unanimous vote against flax-growing,
wisely surmising that though Mother Earth might be com
pelled to bring forth the flax in its crude state, no mean por
tion of the burthen would fall upon their shoulders as beasts
of burthen to fetch and carry, while they would not even
have the satisfaction of a sly bite at the protuberant leaves.
No ! far better stick to cabbages and turnips. And I don't
know if any of us argue much more unselfishly than these
sage betes were doing ; we generally vote for that which
suits us best. Here, too, the stately pheasant, secure for
awhile from fear of intrusive sportsmen, steps about with a
regal air, and regales himself on blackberries and bilberries,
and woos his love forth from the shady copse to partake of
the feast.
Ella explained all these things to Minnie as she turned
about in her saddle, indicating the various localities with her
whip as she described them with her usual rapidity.
" What is this curious mountain, surmounted by a round
tower, surrounded by such extensive fortifications > " inquired
Minnie. " That .' Oh, that is High Knoll, one of the signal sta
tions, whence, by means of flags, any important event is
made known. It is also the military playground."
" Military playground 1 What could they play at on the
steep sides of that rugged mountain > "
" Oh ! my dear, they play at building fortifications, and a
nice expensive httle game it is too."
" Ella, you are too bad. What can you mean .? "

262 On Board a Union Steamer.
" Why, I mean this, that while we are almost at starving
point — while nothing can be done to alleviate the distress
one meets with on all sides — and while one hears of nothing
but 'cutting down,' that thousands can be found to fling away
on a useless piece of work, that at best may make a very
good drying ground for the laundry women. Mrs. Grundy
says that it is for the special convenience of the women and
children in the event of the whole world making war on St.
Helena. I, for one, however, shall decline to avail myself of
their kindness, preferring a quick death by fire and sword to
a slow one by starvation. I love that queer old tower, though;
it is a fine place for a good breeze. I have slept up there on
a wild night, and imagined myself on the briny deep, with
wind and wave to sing my lullaby."
They now rode on in silence till they reached Plantation
House lodge gates.
" Who lives there .'' " inquired Minnie.
Ella drew a long face, and began to — I fear to shock
your nerves by writing it in English, dear reader — elie siffla,
" Oh, no ; we never mention her." After performing a few
bars she paused and said, " You must excuse me, this is such an
aristocratic neighbourhood that one is emulous of doing some
thing extraordinary. The powers that be shut themselves
up in there. I must say one thing for them, though, they
keep the place in splendid order, and it is a lovely spot, but
I am in bad odour with the said powers, and never go to
Plantation in consequence. But you are sure to see it shortly.
We waste time, however. See, here is our pretty little coun
try church, raised of late years to the dignity of a cathedral,
and dedicated to St. Paul, There is a lovely ride round
that road to our right, but our way lies straight on, and a
fine road it is for a canter, so off we go."
And off they did go, only pulling up again as an obstacle
presented itself in the shape of Casen's Gate, which Ella
swung open, and after proceeding a little further on, turned to
her left into a winding zigzag road that ascended to Fairyland.
Minnie was enraptured. She had never seen anything so
lovely, and everywhere the beautiful deep blue sea. It was
like an elegant tableau set in azure.
As they drew near their destination they perceived two
horsemen, evidently bent on attaining the same spot from
another direction.
" Why, I declare, there are: papa and Captain Dashwood,"
said Ella, coolly ; and as she spoke the two gentlemen came
to meet them.

Scene at Fairyland. 263
Leaving Minnie to her papa, Ella appropriated the captain,
to whom she said, —
" Well, and what have you got to say for yourself, you
heart-broken swain of yesterday .-' "
" How can I thank you .¦" " replied the captain fervently.
" No need to thank me at all," replied Ella ; " checkmating
Mrs. Crampton has been quite a pleasant little break in the
usual monotony of my life. You need not undeceive Minnie
about the misfortune, etc. It will not do to shift the scenes
too quickly ; the players will get foggy and forget their
parts. And now play yours." And galloping up to her
father, she said, —
" Papa, as we have a little business to transact here, we
must entrust Miss Crampton to the captain's care awhile.
We won't be long, my dear," said Ella kindly to Minnie.
Thus the captain and Minnie were left to entertain each
other. When they arrived at the house they dismounted,
and giving their steeds in charge of an ebony waiter, pro
ceeded on foot to the summer-house, whence the captain
informed Minnie that a lovely view was to be had ; and
charming they doubtless found it during the two bhssful
hours that were occupied in its contemplation.
No, dear reader, I will not tell you what they said to each
other. How in the world can it interest you .' Milez-vous de
vos affaires. At the expiration of the above-mentioned time,
Ella and her father came to search for them, Ella taking care
to give them timely warning of their approach by a pro
longed coo-00-oo-ee ; that echo repeated till weary of the fun,
and it died away in the distance. This warning was
certainly well-timed, for at that very moment the captain's
arms encircled the httle fairy's form, and her head lay
lovingly on the soldier's breast.
""Well, Minnie, what do you think of Fairyland V inquired
Ella, with a mischievous glance at the blissful pair.
" Oh, it is deHghtful ! " she replied ; and then catching Ella's
eye, the tell-tale colour suffused her cheek.
" Of course the captain has enlightened your understand
ing on the titles, dignities, and affairs, public and private, of
our Sandy Bay Hons ? " inquired EHa.
Minnie was forced to own that he had not.
" Very remiss of him, certainly. Do you see that huge
conical rock that stands alone on that narrow ridge beneath
us 1 It is called Lot. Whenever I contemplate it I am
inspired with an ardent desire to have Colenso here and
drive him at the point of the bayonet over it. He would

264 On Board a Union Steamer.
find our Lot rather a stiffer hill of difficulty to surmount than
he affects to find that gentleman's wife."
" He would bark his shins pretty well over the exercise, if
he did not break his neck into the bargain, my dear," said
her father. " How can you bs so cruel .'' "
"Are you acquainted with Colenso 1 " inquired the captain.
" He is one of the most fascinating men of his age ; and,
by general consent, most benevolent."
" Add ' the most dangerous,' and I will agree with you,"
said Ella. " Fascinating ? Yes, truly. And, with a syren
like voice of sweetest melody, to what is he luring ten
thousand unthinking hapless beings .? What would you say
to me if, while you were trusting yourselves to this structure,
I had hired workmen to undermine its entire foundation ?
Why, certainly, that you had a design on our Church. It
appears as if he would destroy the vitality of our Church by
a doubt of our Lord's Divinity ; and in its stead what can
he offer us but a lifeless corpse i So man, the moth, it seems,
is not afraid, — ' To span omnipotence, and measure might.
That knows no measure, by the scanty rule and standard of his own.
That is to-day, and is not, ere to-morrow's sun go down ! '
But see ! while I have been chattering that soft, fleecy
cloud has stooped lower and lower, and the distant peaks,
on which but now the sun was shining so brightly, are
concealed from our view. The sun is shining there still,
only the intervening cloud obscures our vision, and thus the
light of truth ever shines, though sometimes overclouded by
the mists of doubt and difficulty raised by man to effect its
overthrow ; and thus it must burn on, and eventually burst
ing through every obstacle, shine with mild fervour into
the souls of the faithful, while it blinds those who have
striven to effect its extinction, just as that fleecy cloud has
been dispersed. See ! all is clear again. But I did not
intend to sermonize, only to inform you that the zeal of
the St. Helenians induced them to commemorate Lot, as
well as his hapless wife, whose fate is also celebrated here.
The long shaft of rock that stands on that distant ridge is
Lot's Wife, There are excellent ponds below her, and
abundance of fish ; and when the old lady is hungry she
only has to cast out her angling line and catch an 'old
wife,' or a jack, or soldier, and laying it on her bosom the
sun will fulfil the office of cook for her. Those two sharp
points on the next ridge are called the Asses' Ears ; though

The Lady of Bamboo Grove. 265
what became of the fabulous animal's body, tail, and leg.s,
or the pons asinorum by which he attained that elevation, I
can no more tell you than could the fat Claimant, Roger
Tichborne, himself"
" How charmingly cool and pretty those white ouses
and cottages, surrounded by gardens and orchards, look ! "
said Minnie, pointing to various dwellings that lay nestled
cosily in pH»tty green nooks of the vale beneath them, or
stood perched on slight elevations, studded with larger
forest trees. Not a valley but had its own rippling brook and
running stream, its course marked by bananas, whose green,
fan-like leaves were ever flapping to and fro, while the
stems were often bent by the weight of their huge bunches
of fruit, so delicious and nourishing when ripe ; while close
along the margin of the water grew the yam in profusion.
" Ah, yes," said Ella, with a sigh ; " it makes my heart
ache to think how those estates have changed hands during
the past few years. They were all the residences of gentle
men once ; now they are mostly owned by blacks, poverty
having driven their owners one by one from the island. Do
you see that far one to the left of the valley — as we are
looking at it — with a nice lawn in front, well sheltered by
trees and large clumps of feathery bamboo } That is
Bamboo Grove, and there lives one of the sweetest old
ladies who ever blessed this rugged world by her gentle
virtues, sweet, consistent. Christian example, and patient,
uncomplaining endurance of a long life of constant vicissi
tude and disappointment ; one beloved by young and old,
whose life is now drawing towards its close, and whose
humble faith in a Saviour's all-sufficient atonement seems
to become clearer and firmer the nearer that the day of
dissolution approaches ; one whose humble, unostentatious
life has been spent, both in example and precept, in forward
ing her Divine Master's cause ; one ever ready to minister
to others, and to work as long as her hands retained their
power to carry out her will ; and who now, with cheerful
patience, listens for the joyful summons to come home."
"Come, Ella," said her father, "you are giving us all a
fit of the blues. I propose that we return to the house and
recruit exhausted nature with the lunch that has long been
waiting for us."
Ella hastily brushed away the moisture that had suffused
her eyes, and acknowledging the good sense of her father's
advice, voted that they should immediately follow it, and
the whole party proceeded at once to the house, where, in

266 On Board a Union Steamer.
truth, a tempting repast awaited them — cold chicken-pie,
ham, a blackberry tart and cream, cheese, bread and fresh
butter, peaches, figs, and bananas, were tempting even to the
appetites of the lovers, who had the good sense to enjoy
them too.
" I only see the watercresses," said Minnie, pointing to a
plate of freshly-gathered ones. " What became of the wild
goat and cockroach curry 1" <
" The wild goats ate all the cockroaches and committed
suicide the very day you landed, of course," replied the
captain. When lunch was over Mr. Marsden said it was getting
late, and they had better proceed on their journey.
'' May I return to town with you } " inquired Dashwood,
aside, of Ella.
" Preposterous ! Certainly not. You want to drop the
curtain too suddenly altogether, and spoil the effect of the
whole play. A little patience, most noble captain ! I am
coming home to-morrow, and, as I fear Calypso will not
deign to share my sylvan retreat, I must prevail on Eucharis
to do so. And now let us be moving ; as I intend to return
to town by the Retreat, you must content yourself with
taking leave of us there. I want Minnie to see the view of
the bay from Sandy Bay Ridge, that is one of my reasons
for going that way ; so mind you point it out to her."
They mounted their steeds, Ella and her father taking the
lead ; the captain and Minnie, by no means anxious to
shorten their journey by hurrying the pace of their quadrupeds,
following slowly ; while Ella, on the contrary, availing her
self of every morsel of cantering ground, soon lost sight of
them altogether. They drew up for a minute on the top of the
ridge to gaze back on the lovely valley that lay beneath
them, and Mr. Marsden said, —
"We have left our companions a long way behind, my
dear. Shall we wait for them .¦" "
" No, papa dear," replied Ella. " I think they will be in
finitely more obliged to us if we leave them to entertain each
other. Let us hasten home. I want to see mamma, and
will wait for them there."
" Is the captain caught at last, then .? " inquired Mr.
Marsden. " Something very like it," repHed Ella. " But not a word
of that till you hear it elsewhere;"
Urging their horses onward, they soon arrived at the
Retreat, and Ella, throwing the reins on her pony's neck.

Filial Affection. 267
resigned him to Jimmy's care, and ran into the cottage in
search of her mother, whom she found busy in the dairy
over her cream pans,
" Well, mother mine," said Ella, coming unperceived be
hind her and clasping her arms round the good lady's neck,
" I have been running away too long from you, and leaving
you all the work to do."
" Good gracious, my child, how you startled me ! " said the
astonished Mrs. Marsden, letting the cream-spoon fall with a
crash into the milk-pan. " I was just thinking of you, but
did not anticipate the pleasure of seeing you. How well
and handsome you look ! " she continued, with pardonable
motherly pride surveying Ella.
" Do I ? " said she laughing, and kissing her mother. " It
must be the effect of the aristocratic atmosphere I 'have
been breathing of late, I suppose. I just rode home with
dear papa. I am so glad he has succeeded in letting Hill
Croft. It has put him in such good spirits. I will now ven
ture to spend the money I had saved from my sale of
poultry last year, and get him that new plough that he had
set his heart on. I was only hoarding it for fear of greater
necessities, and by the end of the quarter my new fresh-
butter customer shall give you a new merino dress, and the
prettiest cap you can imagine, ma mkre!'
" How you run on, my child ! As if you did not need
every sort of thing yourself ; and you talk of spending every
farthing on others. Why, I am sure that last new dress of
yours has been turned and dyed, and cut and altered, till you
must be sick of it ; and you want a new riding-habit too."
" I'll have them all in good time, mamma, rely on it," said
Ella, seating herself on one of the casks that stood there for
sour milk. She continued with a sigh, " Do you know,
mamma, I am afraid I am fast growing miserly. I never
thought I could have hoarded money as I have lately done.
My heart has often reproached me about that plough. I be
lieve poor papa has dreamt of nothing else for the last six
months ; always longing for it ; and I having cash enough
all the time to buy it for him, and yet not telling him so.
Poor old father ! Never mind, he shall have it now. We
shall grow rich again- yet, mamma ; and then you need not
work so hard at that knitting. (Ella always pretended that
her mother earned so much by knitting antimacassars ; for
she fretted so at seeing Ella work, while she could do so
little, that she desired this Httle employment for her mother,
declaring it most lucrative, and not unfrequently purchasing

268 On Board a Union Steamer.
the work herself just to satisfy her mother's desire to be use
ful, while she pretended to have pressing customers.) " I
have not told you yet, mamma, what brought me here this
afternoon, I have come to tell you that I intend to return
home to-morrow, and to bring a guest with me,"
" I shall be glad to have you again, my child ; but do not
hurry to return on my account. I manage very well ; and
Mrs. Wilhams is very attentive."
" Nay ! my mind is made up. But may I bring the
guest .? "
" It is not the fine young lady who was here the other day,
is it 1 " inquired Mrs. Marsden, dreading that it was Bella
who was going to inflict them with her presence.
" No, mamma ; it is her cousin. A very different person,
and one I know you will like very much. She will be here
directly with Captain Dashwood, and I want you to invite
her yourself"
" I will, pertainly, my child, as you wish it."
" How has the captain been getting on since I left } " in
quired Ella.
"Why, my dear, he is a complete enigma to me, and
really seems much happier since he lost his fortune than he
was in its possession. I fear," said Mrs. Marsden, shaking
her head, " he has no idea of the value of money."
" Perhaps he will soon have some one to enlighten him on
that important point," said Ella laughing.
Here Gip's bark announced the arrival of some one.
" This must be the captain and Minnie," exclaimed Ella;
and going out with her mother she found that it was even
they. Mrs. Marsden invited Minnie — who at once took her heart
— to return with Ella, and spend a little time with them.
To this request Minnie blushingly acknowledged that she
would be dehghted to accede if her uncle and aunt made no
objection ; and then, as it was getting late, Ella hurried their
departure, and the two girls set off alone for Maldivia.
" My dear," said Mrs. Marsden that night to her husband,
" do you think there is anything between Ella and the cap
tain } I cannot quite make them out."
" I am pretty certain we shall have a wedding soon, in
which the captain will figure prominently ; but Ella will not
be the bride. Wait a bit, my dear, and you will see," replied
Mr. Marsden.
"Well, Miss Marsden, I am really surprised to see you back
again," said the colonel, as he assisted the two girls to dismount

Dashwood's Explanations. 269
on their return. " Your Fairyland is devoid of Oberon,
then t "
" By no means," replied Ella. " We met Captain Dash
wood and papa there, and so we rode round with them
to the Retreat. I find I have been too long away. I
don't Hke leaving my mother alone, so I have promised to
return home to-morrow, and I hope you will be good enough
to allow Minnie to accompany me, and remain with us until
you take possession of Hill Croft. Will you } "
" Certainly, certainly ; if Minnie would like it, and you do
not mind 'Ae trouble," replied the colonel. " We shall be
very sorry to lose your society."
" Yes, indeed, we shall," said Mrs. Crampton in her sweet
est tones ; " but Oberon being in the question, we would not
for worlds oppose your desire."
Accordingly, on the following day, Ella and Minnie de
parted for the Retreat.
A week later Captain Dashwood again made his appear
ance at Maldivia, and, Mrs. Crampton and Bella being ab
sent, had a long interview with Colonel Crampton. The
good colonel was astounded when he comprehended that
the gallant captain desired of him his niece's hand in
marriage. With unfeigned astonishment he exclaimed, —
" My dear fellow ! though we do live in the age of speed, I
scarcely imagine the affections can be so quickly transferred,
and yet lay claim to any stability or sincerity. I know that
a disappointed man often rushes headlong into matrimony
out of sheer bravado ; but I should be sorry to sacrifice
Minnie to such a fate. She is the orphan child of my only
sister, who was very dear to me. Both parents died in her
infancy. She is a sweet, good girl, and I could never pardon
the man who wciuld trifle with her happiness."
" My dear sir, I honour your caution, and no man could
more fully appreciate your niece's worth than I do. You
need be under no apprehension as to my entire devotion to
her ; " and then, after obtaining a promise of secrecy from
the colonel, he told him of the reasons that had actuated his
late proceedings.
The colonel was much moved to hear how gratefully and
unselfishly his little Minnie had acted.
" As matters have turned out," he said, " I am very thank
ful that Bella did not care for you. My little Minnie is a
noble, brave little girl, and richly deserves the happiest lot.
But you have been candid with riie, Dashwood, and I feel
it my duty, however painful, to be equally so with you ;

270 On Board a Union Steamer.
although the subject I must broach is one of great pain to me
— one long since buried in the grave. In the first place, you
know that Minnie is portionless .¦" "
Dashwood signified that this was a matter of total indif
ference to him.
And the colonel continued, — " I had an only sister once ;
a sweet young thing, who, when I went out to India, was the
very counterpart of what dear Minnie is now. Her name
was Rosa. "We were both left orphans while young, and were
brought up by an old maiden aunt, who accepted the charge
of us only because her pride would not let her leave us on
the parish. She gave us both the best education that money
could procure, but she never showed us the least love or sym
pathy. The only companion for whom we cared was a
cousin, who was even poorer than ourselves, and whom we
used to meet by stealth, as my aunt forbade our holding any
intercourse with him. When I attained the age of manhood
my aunt made up a match between myself and my wife, who
possessed a handsome fortune. I entered the army and went
out to India, and I endeavoured in vain to induce Rosa to
accompany me thither, but I knew full well that it was her
attachment to our cousin that prevented her doing so. After
my departure my aunt discovered this preference, and set
about rooting it out by every harsh means in her power. I
had been about four years in India when I heard of my
cousin's death, and soon afterwards received a wild, inco
herent letter from Rosa, hinting at some dire disgrace, and
of putting an end to her life. I obtained leave, and hurried
to England, and found my poor little sister so changed I
would hardly have known her."
The colonel's voice was husky with emotion, and he
brushed away the tears that had gathered in his eyes ere he
continued, —
" I then discovered that my sister had been married at a
register office to my cousin. Fear kept her from making a
confession of this to my aunt, and husband and wife con
tinued to meet by stealth. Strive as he might, Howard
could not obtain any situation that entitled him to more
than a mere pittance, and when the time was drawing near
when my unhappy sister expected to become a mother,
rendered desperate by continued disappointments, he appro
priated moneys that were entrusted to his keeping in order
to pay for a passage to Australia, to which place he intended
to carry Off his young wife. Before they could set sail, how
ever, the robbery was discovered, and Howard was appre-

Exchange of Confidences. 271
hended. He committed suicide, not daring to face his trial,
or the sight of Rosa's agony. Rosa was heartbroken. I
carried her away from the presence of my aunt (who only
added gall to bitterness by continually upbraiding her with
the disgrace she had brought upon herself) to a little village
in the south of France, where soon afterwards her child — my
little Minnie — was born, and the death she longed for
embraced her. I placed the little orphan at an excellent
establishment under the care of an amiable Protestant French
woman, who had educated Rosa. Good Mrs. Martelle will
ingly undertook the charge, and well she fulfilled the task.
I, of course, returned to India, but even from my wife did I
conceal the true story of Minnie's parentage, and I must say
that so far from complaining of this unexpected addition to
our family, she gave her a welcome, the kindliness of which
has never decreased. My little girl has well repaid our care.
Did she but know the truth, how doubly thankful she would
be, for her pure, unselfish conduct ! God bless her ! "
" Amen to that," said Dashwood. " She never shall know
the truth. Let this secret rest between you and me, colonel.
It can make no change in me. And now, will you give her
to me } "
" God bless you, Dashwood," said the colonel, grasping the
young man's hand. " Ay, that I will. She is yours, my boy.
Of course you told her of the change in your circumstances V
he added.
" If you allude to a report that was spread about my loss
of fortune, title, and estates, yes. She heard the full account,
and firmly believes it. I am only too thankful that it was
set afloat, . as it has proved the sincerity of my darling's
attachment." Perceiving the puzzled expression on the colonel's counte
nance, Dashwood continued, —
" In marrying your niece, my dear sir, I give her the title
of Lady D., making her mistress of one of the loveliest
estates in Somerset, with a net income of ten thousand,
besides my aunt's fortune, which is all safe and sound."
The colonel was astonished, but at length recovering him
self, he said, —
" I, too, am glad that the report was spread. As you say,
it has proved Minnie's unselfishness of character more fully
than ever." He mentally thought of another reason. " I am
sure I wish you joy, my dear fellow, from my heart ! "
" The report is generally believed, and I have never con
tradicted it," continued Dashwood, " and I wish it to remain

272 On Board a Union Steamer.
so, therefore I must beg of you not to speak to the contrary.
I am reserving this as a surprise for my sweet little bride on
her wedding-day."
The colonel willingly gave the required promise, and then,
beaming with happiness, rode up with Dashwood to the
Retreat, to congratulate Minnie.
At the entrance gate of the neat and well-kept avenue that
led to the Retreat stood Minnie Crampton, watching for her
lover's return. Her sweet young face, radiant with innocent
love and happiness, peeped forth from beneath a most becom
ing little Dolly Varden, whose delicate blue ribbons were
intermingled with her golden hair, and gently waving in the
breeze, while her light blue muslin robe was softly rustling
as the wind played around her. She looked like some fair
guardian angel. All fear of opposition to her desires — if she
had entertained any — were quickly set aside by the sight of
her uncle's happy countenance as he approached her and, dis
mounting, affectionately embraced her, and placing her hand
in that of Dashwood, told her that their union met with his
entire approbation. Then, leaving the lovers to themselves,
he proceeded alone to the house to pay his respects to Mrs.
Marsden, and completely charmed the old lady by his plea
sant, friendly converse.
Dashwood became the most exemplary husband who ever
lived, and never in his life flirted again.
What ! dear reader, have I closed my tale too soon .-• What
more can I say .¦¦ All the rest of the events that followed .¦•
How the happy wedding-day came round, and the bishop
performed the ceremony. How the palm for beauty was con
tested between the two handsome bridesmaids, Bella Cramp
ton and Ella Marsden. How the captain's title and wealth
only became known when registering the names. How the
fair young bride wore her honours with the usual sweetness
and modesty. How the warrior mater, elegantly arrayed in
purple silk and Maltese lace, glittering with jewels, though
never more utterly confounded in her life than by the revela
tion then and there made, and overwhelmed with regret at
her own false move in the game, yet conducted herself with
admirable good sense, and uttered her protestation of delight
more loudly than the rest. How the most elegant d^jellner
was given at Hill Croft, to which all the dite of the island
were invited, with the usual accompaniment of bride cake
and popping of champagne corks ; whilst the neatest little
speech ever heard was delivered in set phrase by the lord
bishop himself How Dashwood surpassed himself in return-

Adieu to St. Helena. 273
ing thanks on behalf of himself and his bride. How the
bride and bridegroom drove off amid a shower of white satin
slippers, one of which was sent with so true an aim that it
hit the tip of the bridegroom's nose. Serve him right for
imitating Lot's wife I
Now all these things, are they not written in the book of the
old Rock chronicles t where aU the particulars may be found,
if there has sprung up no Donovan to erase them.

Conclusion.
Extract from the private diary of Mrs. Crampton:— "I
consider Ella Marsden a very bold, masculine girl, devoid of
manners and good breeding, and wonder what James can see
in her to admire .' I shall encourage no further intimacy with
her, and as soon as ever the term for which Hill Croft was
hired has expired, we will remove to a more desirable part of
the island. As for Mrs. Fulton, without exception, she is the
most gossiping mischief-maker under the sun. As far as the
island is concerned, I must candidly confess that it is lovely,
yet I shall be glad to leave it."

Ella's private diary, March 30th, 187- : — "Yesterday,
with sincere regret, I bade adieu to my dear friends. Lord
and Lady D  , who departed in the mail steamer for
England, carrying with them a large share of sunshine that
had lately beamed, on my life. And now I must return to
the humdrum of life once more. The hungry cry of my
young ducks and chickens beneath my window warns me to
return to stern reality. Courage, Ella ! No path but that
of duty lies open for you, therefore be brave. Excelsior ! "

Lord D  's private diary : — " U.S.C ship African. We
yesterday looked our last on the receding shores of the little
island whose memory will be ever dear to us, for there I won
the very sweetest little wife that ever blessed the lot of man,
and there dwells one of the truest and noblest of her sex,
Ella Marsden, to whom we both feel that we owe a debt of
gratitude we can never repay. We tried, in vain, to induce
her to accompany us on a visit to England, but she has too
Spartan-like a sense of duty to be lured from its path by any
promise of selfish enjoyment. We still entertain the hope
that at some future time we shall have the pleasure of wel
coming her amid the grey old walls of our picturesque
castle." t

27:

APPENDIX.

The Union Steamship Company has recently entered into a con
tract with Messrs. Aitken and Mansel, of Glasgow, to build another
steamer for the Cape mail service, which this company has now
conducted for twenty-four years. This will make the fifth large
steamer being built for the company. Her dimensions are : length,
377 feet; breadth, 47 feet; depth, 33 feet 6 inches; and estimated
tonnage 4,400 tons. She will be fitted with every modern appliance,
and, like her sister ship the Mexican, will have the whole of her
first-class accommodation forward of the engine and boiler space,
thus ensuring to first-class passengers the quietest and most airy part
of the ship. It is anticipated that she will be ready for service
before the end of 1882. Mr. James Laing, of Sunderland, is con
structing a steamer of larger dimensions and greater power than any
yet employed in the Cape Mail service. The leading dimensions of
the Mexican are to be — Length, 377 feet; breadth, 46 feet 6 inches ;
depth, 32 feet 6 inches ; and her estimated gross tonnage will be
4,200. The unwonted breadth of beam given to this vessel will, it
is expected, not only ensure great stability and comfort, but unusual
space in the passenger accommodation. The vessel is to be fitted in
the same manner as the recent additions to the Union Steamship
Company's fleet, and will be provided with every modern appliance
for safety and convenience. Like the other three vessels which have
been constructed for the company, she will comply in all respects
with the Admiralty requirements in regard to water-tight bulkheads
and provision for trooping or naval service. She is the fourth ship
which the Union Steamship Company have contracted to be placed
in the mail service this year. The Spartan and Moor have been
built by Messrs. James and George Thomson, the builders of the
Arab and the Trofan, and the firm who have recentiy launched for
the Cunard Company the Servia, the largest vessel afloat except the
Great Eastern. The Spartan and the Moor a.ie now at work. The
Athenian is being built for the Union Steamship Company by
Messrs. Aitken and Mansel, also of the Clyde, and is expected to
be delivered soon after the Moor. These five vessels represent an
aggregate tonnage of nearly 20,000, and an estimated horse-power
of about 19,000. This last steamer will make the forty-second
vessel purchased and built by the Union Steamship Company for
their Cape Mail service.
T 2

276

Appendix.
Being Built for this Company.

Length.

Breadth.

Depth.

Tons.

Horse-power.

Spartan (compld.)
-Moor (completed) ,
Athenian. 
Mexican 
New Ship 

ft. in.
365 0
365 0
365 0
377 0
377 0

ft. in.
43 0
45 6
45 6
46 6
47 0

ft. in.
32 6
32 6
32 6
32 6
35 6

3750
.3700 3900
4200 4400

3700
3700 3700
40004000

Fleet.

Name.

Tonnage.

Hohse-powek.

I. New Steamer building 
2. Mexican 
3. Athenian 
4. Moor 
5. Spartan 
6. Trojan 
7. Pretoria 
8. Arab 
9. Nubian ... . 
10. German 
II. Durban 
12. Anglian 
13. Asiatic 
14. Danube 
15. African 
16. Roman 
17. Natal 
18. Union  

4400 4200390037SO 36503554
3199
317030913028
28742274
208720382019 1850 734 "3

40004000 37003700
3700370030003000 1800
2650
2800 1400
HOC
1200
14001200 523 60

Total 

49.931

42,933

' The following Passages have been made from Port to Port, in
cluding stoppages : —

Name.

Out.

Home.

Arab ... 
Durban 
German 
Pretoria 
Trojan 

Days. Hours.
19 19
19 7
19 8
18 16
20 8

Days. Hours.
18 16
i8 9
19 0
18 13
19 10

LOSS OF THE CELT OFF SIMON'S BAY.
{Lloyd's telegram. 1875.)
Cape Town (per telegraph, Madeira, March 2). — The Celt (Union
Steamship Company's Steamer), hence for Algoa Bay, stranded off
Quoin Point, and will become a total wreck. Vessel bilged ; part
of cargo will be saved, but in bad order. Mails and passengers

Appendix. 277
transhipped on board the Zulu (Union Steamship Company), ard
landed here this morning. {Another telegram.)
Madeira, March 2. — The Celt steamer, from Southampton for
the Cape of Good Hope, was lost on the 7th of February in Long
Bay, Quoin Point, and is a total wreck. Passengers, crew, mails,
and baggage saved.
The first of the two telegrams which we print above is the more
trustworthy. Quoin Point is on the east of Cape Town, in lat.
about 35° S., long. 19° 30' E., and the Celt would appear to
have gone ashore there soon after leaving Cape Town in prosecution
of her outward voyage, and on the way to Algoa Bay. She was an
iron screw steamer of 2,112 tons, and sailed under the command of
Captain G. E. Bird, for Cape Town, Algoa Bay, Natal, Mozambique,
and Zanzibar. Her date of departure from England was the sth of
January.
THE LOSS OF THE CELT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE " TIMES."
Sir, — I have just heard that a telegram has been received from
Madeira, stating that the Union Company's Steamer Celt has been
wrecked at Quoin Point, to the westward of Cape L' Agulhas ;
passengers and crew all saved. My object in addressing you is to
enlist some action on the part of the Government here as to the
position of L'Agulhas Lighthouse. When a member of the Legis
lative Council of the Cape, I carried a motion appointing a Com
mission to report on the position of L'Agulhas light, and also as to
the necessity of erecting a lighthouse on Cape St. Francis, near
Algoa Bay. The position of L'Agulhas light I always considered
as a trap to all vessels rounding it, whether from the eastward or
westward. The light being so low down on the land, is frequently
obscured by mist ; a heavy surf always breaking on the point, with
spray and mist flying about, all tend to obscure the light Vessels
from the eastward rounding the Cape, if they happen to be about
five miles from the shore, are prevented seeing the light by an
intervening hummock, which said hummock, or hill. Sir Thomas
Maclean, late Astronomer Royal at the Cape, always advocated as the
proper position for the lighthouse. '
Since my arrival in England I have discussed this question with
Captain Digby Murray, of the Board of Trade, Mr. Gray, and
Admiral Bedford ; the former gentleman, from practical experience
as commander of the ship, Hoghten Tower, which was in great dan
ger off L'Agulhas, will corroborate all I have said on the subject.
For my part, all I can say is that every underwriter having a risk
on vessels rounding the Cape ought to insist on the trap being re
moved. The ribs of many a fine vessel are to be seen there to this
day. It is rather singular that, when collecting evidence about the

2/8 Appendix.
position of L'Agulhas Lighthouse, and also as to the necessity of
erecting a lighthouse on Cape St, Francis, the commanders of the
Union Company's steamers gave most valuable evidence as to the
object of my motion in the Colonial Parliament.
I have not heard whether the Celt was lost at night or not, and
my remarks are therefore based upon her having been lost while
the light was burning ; but I am convinced the accident must have
occurred at night. Yours truly,
William Fleming.
The Loss of the " Celt." — No further intelligence has as yet
reached Southampton respecting the wreck of the Union Company's
steamship, the Celt, beyond that published in The Times of yester
day, which was brought to Madeira by the Edinburgh Castle steamer,
of Messrs. Donald Currie and Co.'s line, which vessel left the Cape
on the loth of February. The Celt left Southampton on the 5th of
January and Plymouth the 6th, arriving out at Table Bay on the 3rd
of February, after a very tempestuous passage. After discharging
her Cape cargo she left for Algoa Bay, and was on her passage up
the coast when the disaster occurred of which the telegraphic
announcement has just come to hand. The Celt was built for the
Union Company in 1865, by the Millwall Iron and Shipbuilding
Company, and was last year lengthened and improved at Glasgow,
to meet the growing requirements of the Cape trade, this being
only her second outward voyage since the alterations were made.
She was an iron screw steamer, 335ft. long, 34ft. 7in. beam, and
25ft. depth of hold, fitted with compound engines of 300 horse
power nominal, and 1,300 indicated, and her registered tonnage
was 2,112. Her commander, Captain G. E. Bird, is an officer of
great and lengthened experience, formerly in the General Screw
Shipping Company and other services, and has been in the Union
Company's service about three years. The Celt would have left
Table Bay in regular course on the 2 sth of February, with the
homeward Cape mails of that date, but for this disaster, and
would have been expected at Plymouth and Southampton about
the 22nd inst. It is understood that the Union Company, who
do not underwrite their own vessels, are covered from direct loss
by insurances on the Celt in various marine offices. On arrival
out at Table Bay, on the 3rd ult., the passengers by the C«// pre
sented Captain Bird with an address of thanks for the great
kindness and attention they had received, and the seamanlike skill
displayed during the violent storm experienced in the Bay of Bis
cay, of which the following account, taken from the Cape Argus
of the 4th February, will be read with interest : — "The Celt arrived
here yesterday morning from England, after an unusually tempest
uous passage. Between Plymouth and Madeira the weather was
terrific, and it is a marvel that the vessel weathered the storm as
well as she did. For the first week heavy southerly gales were

Appendix. 2 79
experienced, and everything on board was thrown into the most
complete confusion. A couple of days after leaving, a tremendous sea
struck the ship, and came on board bodily, driving in the whole front
of the poop, filling the saloon with water, while a telescope was
doubled up as if it had been a piece of wire. The tops of the sky
lights were washed off, and tarpauhns carried away from the hatches.
The servants of the company, as well as the passengers, had to set to
and bale out the saloon, which was literally swimming with water,
and presented a most ruinous appearance. The captain's cabin was
also smashed and the chronometer cases filled with water. For a
long time the vessel continued to ship seas fore and aft, and so bad
was the state of things that most serious apprehensions were enter
tained as to her safety. The engines were kept going as slowly as
possible, and planks, sails, and other things were called into requisi
tion to make good, as far as possible, the havoc that the water kept
making. While the gale was at its worst no fresh-water was ob
tainable, as no access could be got to the tanks. The consterna
tion and alarm of the passengers may be easily imagined, and many
of them seemed to have given up all hopes of ever reaching land.
Madeira was reached on the 14th January, and thence to Cape
Verde Light north-east trades were experienced. From the Equator
to Cape Town moderate head winds and head seas. With all her
vicissitudes the Celt has not made such a bad passage, taking all
the circumstances into consideration, and she had certainly made
good her name of being a capital sea-going boat, while the passen
gers speak in terms of the highest praise of both Captain Bird and
his officers."
March 7. — The Colonial mail steamship Edinburgh Castle, Captain
Penfold, belonging to Messrs. Donald Currie's London line, arrived
here this morning after a rapid passage of twenty-three days and fifteen
hours, including twelve hours' detention at Madeira. The Edin
burgh Castle brings particulars of the wreck of the Royal mail
steamer Celt, which left Table Bay at 4 p.m. on the 6th ult. for
Algoa Bay, and ran ashore at 4 p.m, on Sunday at Long Bay, near
the boundary of Ratel River and Hazelwraal. All passengers and
the mails were safely landed, but not cargo. The ship was over on
the port side, bilge broadside on, and had fourteen feet of water in her
hold fore and aft. The Survey arrived at Capetown from the wreck
at 5 a.m. on the nth inst., with the passengers. The officers and
crew remained by the ship. The wreck was to be sold on the 17th
ult. The passengers speak in high terms of Captain Bird's manage
ment after the vessel struck. The ship went on shore during the
second officer's watch. The weather was fine and clear. The
following is from the log of the steamship Edinburgh Castle on her
voyage from Algoa Bay to Cape Town : —
"At 5.15 p.m. on the 8th February sighted a vessel on shore
about one mile from Quoin's Point, having the blue ensign flying
and the Union down ; supposed to be the steamship Celt. We pro-

28o Appendix.
ceeded towards her, and upon nearing shore fired guns to attract
attention, and hoisted the signal ' Do you want assistance ? ' but no
notice being taken of our signal, we proceeded on our course. At
6.25 P.M. the vessel was lying broadside on to the sea, which was
breaking heavily outside of her."
The Edinburgh Castle brings a large cargo and ;£'6,ooo in specie.
The Mails.
The Union Company's Royal mail steamship European, Captain
J. D. Jeffries, sailed from Southampton yesterday with mails for
Ascension, St. Helena, Cape Town, Algoa Bay, and Natal. Seventy-
three passengers (including Viscount Mandeville), jewellery value
;^S°°i ^iid a full cargo. She embarks supplementary mails at
Plymouth to-day, and will call at Madeira for outward telegrams.
Cape Town, Feb. 16. — The most noteworthy topics since the
departure of the last home mail are the stranding of the Union
Steamship Company's steamer Celt, and the arrival of the United
States' steam corvette Monongahela, with the American party of
the Transit of Venus expedition. Upon receipt of the telegram
stating that the Celt had gone ashore off Quoin Point, between
Hazell'sFarm and Ratel River, Messrs. Anderson and Co. despatched
an express to the scene of the wreck empowered to do everything
for the comfort of the passengers, whose luggage was fortunately
rescued, and who behaved with great presence of mind. The Celt
was over on the port side, and bilged broadside on. Her lower
hold was soon filled, water rising and falling with the tide. All
cargo to leeward in the lower hold was much damaged. A survey
was immediately held, and the ship condemned as a total wreck.
The weather was very fine, but there were not enough boats to
discharge the cargo. The Celt went ashore in the second officer's
watch. All speak well of Captain Bird's management after she
struck. Other telegrams were received by Messrs. Anderson and
Co., stating that the Royal mail steamer Zulu left Port Elizabeth at
10 P.M. on the Sth, taking two lifeboats, two warps, and twelve men
to the wreck. When the ship struck they were steering SW., and
going full speed at ten knots when the shock was felt, without any
warning, on some low shelving rocks in shallow water, there being
but eight feet at the bows. The engines were stopped and reversed
immediately, but she could not be got off. She ground on the
rocks for some time, and then settled over. Had she been got off
she would most probably have foundered, and gone down in deeper
water. The Sth inst., which was Sunday, was spent in getting sails,
provisions, and passengers' luggage ashore. Tents were rigged up,
and the passengers made comfortable. In the afternoon the Edin
burgh Castle was sighted, and a boat's crew pul off for her, but with
out being noticed. It is supposed that the small boat was not seen,
as the Edinburgh Ca.y//(f reported afterwards that on seeing the wreck
she at once steamed towards it as close as prudence would permit, it

Appendix. 281
growing dark at the time. The ship heads ESE. in shallow water,
protected by a high headland, which prevents the south-east gales
from playing upon her. The United States steamer Namaqua left
for the wreck this morning, and the ship, etc., are to be sold by
auction to-morrow (17th). The Za/a brought the C^/A passengers
to this port, and most of them left again for Natal by the Royal mail
steamer Kafir on Thursday afternoon. An official inquiry will be
held in a few days in Cape Town.

THE NAMAQUA. 1876.
disasters at sea.
The Walmer Castle, which arrived in Plymouth on Saturday,
brings the following particulars relative to the loss of the Union
Company's steamer Namaqua at the Cape. She was a compact,
well-found little steamer of between 200 and 300 tons burden, and
commanded by Captain Gibbs. She left Table Bay for Port Nolloth
on the 28th of March, with two passengers, and cargo valued at
about ^2,100. On April 7 it was reported that she had been
wrecked at 3 o'clock on the day following her departure, in the
neighbourhood of the Greene River. The Union Company there
upon sent the steamship Zulu to the scene of the disaster. The
precise spot where the wreck lies is Island Point or Morell Island,
about 180 miles from Table Bay, and forty or so south of Honde-
klip. The Namaqua, as seen from the sea, was high and dry, lying
broadside on to the shore, across a ridge of rocks stretching out
from the mainland some 500 yards or more. She was completely
cradled and wedged in, the sea breaking upon her from the west
ward. Her position was perfectly upright, but though high water at
the time, the propeller and keel could be seen distinctly, and it was
almost inconceivable how she could have got piled up on to such a
berth. Not a soul was on board, nor was any flag or signal seen,
but several tents had been rigged up on the mainland, and a number
of persons, for the most part natives, could be plainly seen running
about and gesticulating. A landing was effected with no small diffi
culty, owing to the heavy surf The boat came back, however, as it
went, without either the captain or the crew, who, it seems, had pro
ceeded on to HondekUp overland, and were to leave for Cape Town
that moming in the schooner Luna. Nothing is as yet known 'as to the
circumstances of the catastrophe. The wreck has been abandoned,
and sold by the resident magistrate for the sum of ^^5, the pur
chasers being Messrs. Lageso and Pilkington joindy, who had also
arranged to land the cargo for the benefit of the underwriters. As
the steamer Hes there it would seem to be no very great trouble or
difficulty in landing the cargo and saving a great portion of her
ship's belongings.
The Mails.
An official investigation has been held in Capetown as to the

282 Appendix.
cause of the loss of the Union Company's Royal mail steamship
Namaqua. The judgment of the Court, which is regarded by the
Cape papers as too severe, is that the loss was caused by the wrong
ful act or default of the captain in the navigation of the vessel, and.
that his certificate should be suspended for two years. As the vessel
was in actual charge of the captain at the time she went ashore,
they did not consider the second officer, whose watch it was, could
be held in any way responsible for what had occurred, and his cer
tificate was therefore returned.
Capetown, May 10. — The Standard and Mail says that a memo
rial, signed by all the influential commercial men in town, and other
inhabitants, has been forwarded to his Excellency the Governor,
asking that the extremely severe sentence of the Court of Inquiry,
in the case of the wreck of the Namaqua, upon Captain Gibbs,
should not be confirmed.
The Loss of the " Namaqua." — The Plyraouth correspondent
of the Pall Mall Gazette telegraphs : —
" Information has been received at Pl)miouth of the result of a
Court of Inquiry concerning the loss of the Cape mail steamer
Namaqua, which ran ashore in a fog on the western shore of the
Cape. Great recklessness was displayed by Captain Gibbs, whose
certificate the Court suspended for two years. Even though surf
was reported to him, he kept on full speed without keeping a look
out or taking soundings."

THE EUROPEAN.

disasters at sea.
The large English steamship, the loss of which off Ushant on the
night of the 5th inst. was reported in The Times of yesterday, turns
out to be the Union Steamship Company's mail steamer European,
which left Cape Town on the 13th of November, with the home
ward South America mails. Happily, however, it will be seen,
from the letter of the Chairman of the Company, and the reports
which reach us from other sources, that no lives have been lost
either among the passengers or the crew, and that the mails are
also saf^. Much anxiety would have been allayed if we had been
able yesterday to give the name of the steamer lost. We are
informed that the Southampton agents of the Union Steamship
Company knew at least as early as Thursday evening that it was their
steamer, the European, which had foundered ; if so, the public have
a right to complain that this information was withheld.
The exact spot where the European was wrecked is said to be
north of the Isle of Ushant. Probably she struck on the rocky
islet of Keller, at the north-west of Ushant, or on the causeway of
rocks called the Chaussee de Keller, which extends more to the
westward — a very serious danger to navigation. Ushant is surrounded

Appendix. 283
by rocks, many of which scarcely reach the surface of the water at
high tide, and are, of course, undistinguishable except in clear
weather. Within the past two years five large English steamers have
been vTecked in the vicinity of this island. In May, 1875, the
steamship Cadiz, bound for London with lead and wine from Spain,
struck on the Staone rocks, a few miles to the south-east of Ushant,
and became a total wreck. Two months later the Royal Mail
Company's steamer Boyne, homeward bound from the West Indies,
struck on a rock off Molene, a few miles more to the east, and quite
nine miles away from the spot where it is supposed the European
has been wrecked. Towards the end of the same year the steamer
Ville de Bilbao, bound from Liverpool for Havannah, with a cargo
of Manchester goods of great value, ran on a rock and sank in the
Plateau de la Helle, a little more to the northward. In the present
year the iron steamer Rosario, homeward bound with lead, was
wrecked on the island of Ushant itself. In each case the casualty
was asserted to have occurred in a fog. In no other weather could
a steamer be stranded in that neighbourhood, unless a very in
sufficient look-out was kept. At the north-east extremity of the
island is a lighthouse, 8sft. high, and rising 272ft. above the level of
the sea. On the summit is a strong white hght which can be seen
for eighteen miles in clear weather. At the north-west end there is
a revolving light, 223ft. above the sea, and that hght can be seen for
a distance of twenty-four miles in bright weather. In thick weather
a fog trumpet, which can be heard for a distance of three miles, is
sounded every ten seconds, and, except the Rosario, all the steamers
we have mentioned were wrecked beyond the range of this fog-horn.
These steamers, however, were lost between Ushant and the main
land — a distance of fifteen miles ; the European has been lost outside
the island.
It is the custom for homeward-bound mail steamers from Madeira
to make Cape Finisterre, the northernmost promontory of the
coast of Spain. Thence they shape their course in a direct line to
a point about eight miles westward of Ushant, and from that point
they make for the Start. This enables them to cut -a corner and
save time ; but Ushant, with its outlying reefs, is such a serious
danger in their path when the night is thick and dark, that the
greatest care is necessary to avoid it. In a fog a captain frequently
gets out of his reckoning, and, with the wind against him, cannot
hear a fog-horn until he is too near to avoid the danger from which
it is intended to guard him. These perils, in the case of the
European, were all aggravated by the strong westerly wind which
had been blowing for two or three days previous to the disaster, and
had caused a strong current to set in to the Bay of Biscay. Thus,
no doubt, the vessel was driven nearer in shore than was known on
board, and it may be she came upon the rocks either before her
position had been ascertained, or too late for the mistake to be
remedied. Unless a wider berth is given to Ushant in future by

284 Appendix.
passing steamers, it is to be feared that we shall hear of more
wrecks on this rocky and almost inaccessible island.
The European sailed from Algoa Bay early in November, 1877, with
twenty-nine passengers, the mails, and a cargo consisting of 2,000
bags of wool, and a large number of diamonds and ostrich feathers.
She left Madeira at 6 a.m. on the morning of the 30th ult., and was
due at Southampton on Thursday morning. On Wednesday night,
during thick and heavy weather, she struck on rocks ofif Ushant,
and soon went down in deep water. The ship's boats were launched
immediately the nature of the accident became apparent, and all on
board were safely landed at Brest either on the same night or early
the next morning. The first telegram received at Southampton
yesterday was one from Her Majesty's Consul at Brest, reporting
that twenty-nine of the crew and ten passengers had landed there,
and the reraainder were expected to arrive shortly in four boats.
Subsequently the second officer of the European telegraphed that
he had landed at Porsporder, with twenty-three passengers and the
mails. These two telegrams accounted for thirty-three passengers
saved, and as it was known that when the European arrived at
Madeira she had twenty-nine passengers on board from the Cape, it
was very naturally inferred that she must have shipped four at that
island. A later telegram from Captain R. W. Ker, the commander
of the ship, reported that all lives were saved, as also were the mails.
Beyond this little information has been received as to the time or
the circumstances of the wreck. One of the earliest telegrams from
Her Britannic Majesty's Consul at Brest requested directions as to
the disposal of the rescued passengers, and orders have been given
to forward them to their destinations.
The ship is regarded as a total loss, but steps are being taken to
save the cargo, which is valued at ^^i 20,000, and is insured chiefly
in London. The diamonds she carried were stowed in the mail-
room, and, it is believed, have been saved with the mails. The
European was originally built for a Marseilles Company, and was
called the Europe. From them she passed into the hands of Mr.
John Ryde, who sold her a few years ago to the Union Steamship
Company. She was a three-masted screw-steamer of 2,272 tons
gross, 1,466 net, and was built in the Clyde in 1869. She had two
compound inverted direct-acting engines, of 350 nominal horse
power, built in 1872. She held a Board of Trade passage certificate
for carrying 193 passengers, and was classed 9S Ai at Lloyd's,
valued at over ^^ 40,000, and was insured principally in London.
TO THE editor OF " THE TIMES."
Sir, — I have the pleasure to inform you that a telegram from the
captain of the European has been received, in which he states that
all the passengers, crew, and mails are safe.
Yours faithfully,
B. S, Phillips, Chairman U. S. Company.
December gtA, 1877.

AppC7idix. 285
Our Southampton correspondent writes, under date December
II, 1877 : —
" Part of the crew of the Union Company's mail steamship Euro
pean, which was wrecked on Wednesday night, December 6, off
Ushant, arrived here this morning by the South Western Company's
steamship St. Malo, Captain Alix, from St. Malo, to which port they
had been forwarded by the British Consul at Brest. This detach
ment numbered thirty-six, all told, including Mr. Hanratty, the doctor
ofthe European, Mr. Anderson, third officer, Mr. Clark, fourth officer,
Mr. Busser, boatswain, and Mr. Baker, carpenter. The others were
firemen and sailors, a few of whom had their bags of clothing with
them, saved with difficulty from the wreck. No written narrative
had been prepared by any of them, but the subjoined particulars of
the disaster were elicited in conversation with some of the survivors
aboard the St. Malo. It may be mentioned that there seemed to
be the most perfect accord in the main features of the several state
ments, varying only in such minor details as may naturally be
expected in cases where the memories of the different persons are
the only data on which to depend. There was also complete
unanimity of opinion as to the excellent discipline maintained on
board the European in the few trying minutes which followed the
vessel's striking, and the good order in which all the boats had
been kept ready for any emergency. When the boats were filled
and got away from the ill-fated vessel, they were officered as follows ;
— Captain Ker, the gig or mail boat ; Mr. Stephens, first ofiftcer, the
starboard lifeboat ; Mr. Martyr, second officer, the port lifeboat ;
Mr. Anderton, third officer, the starboard cutter ; Mr. Clark, fourth
officer, the port cutter ; and Mr. Baker, carpenter, the third cutter.
When the thirty-six now arrived left Brest for St. Malo on Saturday
morning there were twelve more of the crew there. They were
going to leave at ten o'clock the same night, and will come across,
together with some or all of the passengers, by the steamer leaving
St. Malo on Monday night, and , due at Southampton on Tuesday
moming. Captain Ker, the commander of the European, was also
then at Brest.
" Mr. Hanratty, the surgeon of the European, says that there
were thirty-one passengers on board, including three shipped at
Madeira. After leaving that island the weather continued fine
throughout Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. Early on Wednesday
morning it became thick and hazy and no observations could be
taken. The steamer struck at a quarter past eight that evening,
about a mile, he believes, to the westward of the lighthouse. The
doctor was in the smoking-room talking to some of the passengers,
when he felt a tremendous crash. He did not know where the
captain was at that time, but he had been talking with them a few
minutes before. The boats were all lowered immediately, as it was
reported that the vessel was fiUing very fast. Captain Ker was
doiiig everything he could in the trying circumstances. There were

286 Appendix.
five lady passengers and three children who were first got into two
of the boats, and then followed the gentlemen passengers and the
crew as they could. There were six boats in all. The mails
were got out and placed on the bridge of the steamer, and some
were saved. The captain was the last man to leave the ship. The
sea was smooth at the time of the disaster. The doctor was in the
third officer's boat, and also Mrs. Rogers, the stewardess, there
being twenty-three in all in that boat. They had nothing on board
to eat or drink. They rowed about all night, and eventually they
were picked up about nine o'clock on Thursday morning by a French
lugger, and landed at Brest about one o'clock in the aftemoon.
The steamer went down head foremost about fifteen minutes after
she stmck. There was no time for most of them to save anything
except what they stood upright in. At Brest the third officer mus
tered hands, and found there were then there twenty-nine of the
crew and ten passengers, including three ladies and two children.
The fourth officer's boat was also picked up by the same lugger,
named La feune Florestine, that boat containing three ladies, two
children, one male passenger, and ten of the crew. After giving
pratique the doctor went with the captain of the lugger to the Con
sulate, and gave particulars of the wreck, and the Consul telegraphed
to the Board of Trade and to Lloyd's. The Consul sent the crew
to a hotel, and the passengers and officers to the Grand Hotel.
The Consul had received news of other boats having landed on the
coast, but none of the people in these boats had arrived at Brest,
when the doctor and those with him left at seven o'clock on Satur
day morning. They arrived at St. Malo at six o'clock that evening
in time to reach the steamer for Southampton. Mr. Macgregor, the
Consul at St. Malo, took charge of the party on their arrival there,
paid them every attention, and saw them all on board the St. Malo.
Mr. Walter Clark, fourth officer, said, that the European struck
at 8. 20 p.m. on, he thinks, the Bovar rock. All the boats were at
once manned, and the ship went down head foremost in seventeen
minutes from the time she struck. Everybody was saved, with the
most, if not all the mails. The six boats kept together for some
time, separating once or twice, and Mr. Clark, in company with Mr.
Anderton's boat, kept out to sea, thinking that a safer course than
to make for the land in the dark. Mr. Clark's boat once grazed on
a rock, and he pushed it off with his hand. Wreckage from the
steamer was floating about, and they occasionally saw a light, but
could not reach it. They also saw the chief officer's boat, which had
at first stood in for the land, but ultimately adopted the same course
as Mr. Clark did. In the moming they set sail, and his boat was
ultimately picked up by the French lugger. La Jeune Florestine, and
they were landed at Brest. Mr. Clark picked up from the European's
deck one bag of mails just as they were leaving the steamer, which
he threw into the boat and gave up to the Consul on landing. The
ship struck heavily forward and seemed to be ripped right up. The

Appendix. 287
most perfect order prevailed, and Mr. Clark did not hear a single
scream. They mostly lost everything. One young lady managed
to save her money, and a few of the crew saved their bags.
Mr. Anderton, the third officer, said the weather was fine crossing
the Bay, with very little wind, but overcast. She proceeded all
well till Wednesday evening, when they made Ushant light at 8.10
P.M. on the steamer's port bow, at which time, and previously during
the day, the weather was very thick, lifting at intervals. Directly
they made Ushant light Captain Ker ordered the helm to be put
hard-a-starboard. Within five minutes of making the light the vessel struck heavily
forward, with such force that the ship was tom to pieces from bow
to midships, and the rocks were sticking through into the storeroom,
and the storekeeper said he sat on one of the points of the rocks.
The ship then took two heavy lurches and became steady. The
stem then lighted itself high above the water, and the ship made a
plunge into deep water. Only about twenty minutes elapsed from
the time she struck before she was out of sight. During this short
interval all the passengers and crew were safely got out into the
boats. The boats kept well together during the night, with their
heads to sea. Two other boats (those of the captain and carpenter)
were picked up by the French lugger Cecile, and taken into Brest.
In conversation with the boatswain and the carpenter of the
European, they expressed their belief that the vessel struck on the
Saints' Rocks, off Ushant. The weather was thick and rainy, with
light winds, all day on Wednesday and during the evening. Sound
ings were taken a few minutes before eight o'clock, after which the
vessel resumed full speed. About a quarter past eight she struck,
when a heavy grinding was first felt on the starboard bow. They
made the light two points on the port bow, when Captain Ker
ordered the helm to be put hard-a^starboard in order to clear, and
this brought the light three or four points on the starboard bow.
She stmck almost directly afterwards, about fifteen minutes past
eight The Captain then ordered the carpenter to sound the wells,
to ascertain what water she was making. He found water in the
fore compartment, but none anywhere else. The wells were sounded
a second time in about five minutes, when the water was found to
be increasing very much in the fore compartment, and also in com
partment No. 2, but there was none aft. The carpenter told the
captain he believed the ship was going down fast, and the captain
immediately ordered his and the other boats to be got out. There
were nineteen persons in the carpenter's boat, and all the other
boats were lowered and got safely away. The ship went down soon
afterwards, head foremost, and in less than an hour everything was out
of sight. After she had strack, and had slid ofif the rocks again, sound
ing showed a depth of nineteen fathoms under the stern, and under
her bows no bottom was found at a depth of twenty-five fathoms. They
could see the Ushant lights at the time the ship struck, apparently

2 88 Appendix.
four or five miles ofif, but the weather was so thick it was difficult to
judge the distance. They had left the ship about ten minutes when
the boilers blew up with a great noise and commotion, and pieces
of the wreck continued to come in contact with the oars of the
boat. Four of the boats were picked up at nine o'clock in the morn
ing by two French chas se-mar tes, and two of them were afterwards
swamped and lost while towing behind, but all the people were safely
on board. Had the boats not been in order, ready to be used at a
moment's notice, great loss of life could not have been avoided, the
time being so short ; and as it was, the saving of every life was
wonderful. Part of the mails were landed at Brest.
Another of the crew states that the weather was misty when he
went on watch at eight o'clock on Wednesday night. The first he
heard was a call, " Light on the port bow ! " The captain was then
on the bridge, and ordered the helm to be put hard-starboard, which
brought the light round a little on the starboard bow. Orders were
then given to " Stop her," after which the steamer went ahead slowly,
the helm being still starboarded. The light then looked to be above
them. After two or three minutes the vessel struck on the rocks
under her bow. The engines were then again stopped and re
versed, and orders were given to clear the boats and get the mail
out. Captain Ker was perfectly cool and collected throughout.
In other portions of his narrative this seaman generally corroborated
the others.
It appears, from the several statements recorded above, that much
uncertainty prevails among the people arrived here as to the exact
locality where the disaster occurred, and an opinion is entertained
by experienced nautical judges that the European struck on the
Ushant rock itself There can no longer be any doubt as to the
vessel being a complete wreck, that happily no lives were lost, and
that the greater part of the mails have been saved.
A Reuter's telegram dated Brest, December 9, says : — " The
crew and passengers of the European left to-day for England."
A Lloyd's telegram says : — " The European sank one mile from
Point de Pera, West Ushant, in a depth of thirty-five fathoms. Salvage
said to be almost impossible. Weather improved. Salvage of
wreckage being looked to."
The Secretary of the Union Steamship Company informs us that
every arrangement has been made by the Union Steamship Com
pany for the conveyance of the wrecked passengers e'yi-European by
rail and steamboat from Brest to Southampton. He also states that
the ship was fully insured. Disasters at Sea.
Our Southampton correspondent writes under date December 11,
1877 :—
" The remainder of the officers and crew of the wrecked mail
steamer European, and also twenty-one of her passengers (eighteen
adults and three children) arrived here this morning from St. Malo

Appendix. 289
on board the South-Western Company's steamship South- Western,
Captain Williams. The other passengers of the ill-fated vessel have
gone by way of Paris and other routes from the scene of the dis
aster. The following is a list of the European's passengers who
came by the South- Westem : — Mr. and Mrs. Hare and three children,
Mr. Sneath, Mrs. Scully, Mrs. and Miss Bauden, Miss Jeston, and
eleven miners, viz., Messrs. John Lobbs, R. Ellison, J. Cumow,
E. Chudly, S. WiUiams, T. Robinson, J. Smith, G. Young, W.
Bowyer, C. Harvey, and T. Ball. The officers and crew of the
European brought by this steamer are : — Captain R. W. Ker, com
mander ; Mr. Edwin Stevens, chief ofificer; Mr. Joseph Martyr,
second officer; Mr. Tro tman, chief engineer; Mr. Penman, second
ditto; Mr. McGrady, third ditto; Mr. King, fourth ditto; Mr.
Edmunds, chief steward ; and thirty-six of the crew, making in all
forty-four, Mr. WaU, who was despatched to St. Malo by the Union
Co.mpany to make all necessary arrangements in reference to the
passengers and crew, also arrived by the South- Western.
" Captain Ker states that the European was wrecked on the
Basse Meur Rock, the extreme south-west point of the island of
Ushant. " A gentleman passenger from Cape Town by the European, in
the course of a conversation, said that the weather was fine all the
way from Cape Town to Madeira. Everything went well on
board — the discipline of the ship was splendid, and the captain
and all his officers behaved admirably, and in any case of the
slightest difficulty the captain was most attentive in looking to it.
From the time of leaving Madeira the weather continued fine until
Wednesday, when it was very thick, and he believes there was no
sun at all during that day. The weather continued thick until dark.
About eight o'clock in the evening he was in the smoking-room in
the fore part of the ship. The first thing he heard was a shout
from a man on deck ' Breakers ahead ! ' when he looked out and saw
breakers on the starboard bow almost straight ahead of the vessel.
He could see no rocks. In a second or two the fog lifted a little,
and he then saw a light. There was no confusion whatever during
the whole time, which was a great blessing, as all the boats could
not have been got out if there had been. He heard the ship
ground, and was nearly knocked down by the shock. He ran into
the saloon, put on his hat and coat, and went on deck. He then
heard the order given to lower the boats, and he can imagine
nothing more perfect than the order which prevailed everywhere.
Nobody seemed to be excited, and the ladies behaved nobly. He
got into the port lifeboat, commanded by Mr. Martyr, the second
officer, who behaved in the most gentlemanly manner the whole
time they were in the boat. About ten minutes after they were in
the boat the boilers blew up, and the vessel must have gone down
completely. This was about twenty minutes after she first struck.
There was only one lady. Miss Jeston, in their boat, which contained U

290 Appendix.
twenty-four in all. They stood out to sea all night, and made in
for the land towards dawn. They were picked up ofif Porsporder
by a French smack and taken into that place. They received the
greatest kindness imaginable from the inhabitants, who sheltered
them in their homes, supplied them with food and clothes, dried
what they had on, and, in fact, treated them most kindly in every
way. They arrived at Brest on Saturday and were sent on to St,
Malo, and thence to Southampton. It is now ascertained that the
diamonds shipped by the European have been recovered. They
were contained in registered letters, which have been received at
the Post Ofifice. Ninety-seven of these letters have been despatched
to the provinces. There were 104 letters in a bag for London ;
sixty have been identified and forwarded to their destinations, and
fourteen have been beaten into a pulp, while the diamonds from
them were loose in the bag."
Cape Town, Feb. 19, 1873. — The Union Steamer Kafir was
wrecked near Cape Point and some natives were drowned. AU the
cargo and a portion of the Natal and Zanzibar mails were lost.

The Mails. 1873,
The Wreck of the Mail Steamer " Kafir." — The most excit
ing event at the Cape has been the wreck of the Royal Mail
steamer Kafir in the neighbourhood of the Cape of Good Hope.
The Kafir left Table Bay at half-past one on the 14th of Febraary,
The weather was fine ; there was a fresh breeze from the west, and
the steamer had not been long out of dock before she was bowling
along with steam and sail. At half-past five, when she had been
only four hours out of dock, she struck, it is supposed, on a small
reef known as the Albatross Rock, and situate about eight miles
from the Cape, on the Table Bay side, and about half a mile from
shore. It is said by the officers, however, that she did not strike
on the Albatross Rock, but one altogether unknown, and that the
ship was three miles from the land at the time of the accident. It
took twenty minutes' hard steaming to reach the land after she
strack. The ship struck the rock, quivered, and hesitated for a
second or so, and then a wave lifted her over the reef, and speedily
she proceeded on her course. The shock was not a severe one,
indeed it was so slight that the first impression conveyed to some
on board was that the engines were racing. This was, however, but
momentary ; astern the water was discoloured as if a mudbank had
been disturbed, and, strange to say, for the first time broken water
was seen. There was not a heavy break on the reef, not much
heavier than the feather top between the ship and the horizon. The
truth was soon known — in a few minutes the first compartment was
full of water, and the ship settled down rapidly at the head. Her
bottom beneath the two first compartments had, it was believed, been

Appendix. 291
torn away. It was feared she might sink in deep water, so the
engines were worked up to their highest pitch and the nearest land
steered for. The coast is a wild and forbidding one, with few
places where boats can land ; a dangerous coast for many a mile,
with splits of rock and patches of sand and vast fields of seaweed.
The Kafir touched bottom at last at a considerable distance from
the shoal, and as she settled to her last berth aU her weather boats
were smashed by the heavy rollers which came thundering in.
Promptly the boats were lowered with the women and children, and,
splendidly steered through the seething surf, the people were landed
after great difficulty. One boat was disabled, but the other two
returned to the wreck and commenced by taking those men who
could not swim. The discipline on board was excellent The
orders were given with calmness and firmness, and were well obeyed.
The two boats again effected a landing, but darkness and the rising
of the sea prevented them going back again that night. An awful
night was spent by those on board, some fifty in number, and by
those on shore. The women and children on the beach had but
scanty clothing ; no sails or tents, or anything which could be rigged
up for shelter, had been landed. Fires were made of the parched
bush which grows on the sandhills, and round the small fires groups
sat shivering, while a keen wind blew and rain fell heavily. On
board the wreck the men ate their dinner, and it was hoped that
the strong hull would last for some hours against the battering of
the waves. But at half-past ten the vessel parted amidships, and
the bow swinging round formed a breakwater for the stern portion,
which drifted much nearer to the shore. On the bow were some
natives of Zanzibar; among them was the man who had gone
through Africa with Stanley, and had been left at the Cape in con
sequence of ill-health. This man was supposed to have been
drowned with four others ; but early in the morning he was found
very snugly lying under a tent made of a blanket, with a roaring
fire before him.
One native seaman swam ashore at midnight, conveying the
news that the mainmast had gone overboard, and that the
vessel had parted in two. Throughout the night the men on
the wreck nestled together for warmth, in the captain's cabin,
holding on to the ropes tied to it If this cabin had been less
strongly built it must have given way against the battering of the
waves, and then these men must have been swept into the sea. The
cabin held bravely, and with daylight came the hfeboat Four trips
were made between half-past four and eight o'clock, and then aU
hands were safe on shore. The news of the disaster reached
Capetown at nine p.m., and the representatives of the Company
did all in their power to alleviate the distress. Captain Hoets pro
ceeded that night to Simon's Bay, and Captain Anderson went
down early on the following morning as surveyor. At eleven
o'clock at night Commodore SuUivan ordered the Danae, Captain
U 2

292 Appendix.
Purvis, and, if necessary, the African, tug, to proceed round the
coast and see if it was possible to render assistance. With the first
twinkle of day the Danae proceeded, but the Kafir had gone to
pieces many hours before. From Simon's Town a waggon with
provisions, and accompanied by Mr. Runcieman, Mr. J. Black, and
Captain Byron, started immediately on the receipt of the news, and
joyfully was the assistance hailed. The women were put into the
waggon, refreshments were given them, and the men who had worked
in the boats and were cramped by the cold were revived with a
moderate aUowance of liquor. When daylight came these gentle
men from Simon's Bay gave helping hands, and what they did will
not be forgotten. Fishermen vied with sailors in saving life, and in
launching the lifeboat through the narrow creek so happily found
on this rock-bound shore. An inquiry is now being held into the
cause' of the disaster.
The Loss of the " Kafir." — A telegram, received from
Madeira, dated yesterday, states that an inquiry has been held at
Capetown in regard to the stranding of the Kafir steamer near
Cape Point, on the 14th of February, and has resulted in the sus
pension of the captain's certificate for nine months.
The inquiry was held by the Resident Magistrate of Capetown,
assisted by Captain Campbell of H.M. ship Flora and Lieutenant
Halifax, H.M. ship Danae. The judgment ofthe court was that
the certificate of the late commander of the Kafir, Captain Ward,
should be suspended for nine months.

WRECK OF THE GROSVENOR. 1782,
The whole records of the disasters at sea do not perhaps furnish
such an instance of protracted sufferings, and perilous adventures, as
those which the crew of the Grosvenor, East Indiaman, encountered
during a period of 1 1 7 days. The vessel sailed from Trincomalee,
in the island of Ceylon, for Europe, on the 13th of June, 1782.
On the 3rd of August, Captain Coxon, her commander, considered
himself a hundred miles from the nearest land ; but on the follow
ing day the ship struck on some rocks within 300 yards from the
shore. To save her was impossible, distraction and despair were
seen on every countenance, and the utmost confusion prevailed.
Those most composed were employed in devising means to gain the
shore, and set about framing a raft of such masts, yards, and spars
as could be got together, hoping by this expedient to convey the
women and chUdren and the sick safe to land. In the meantime a
Lascar, and two Italians attempted to swim ashore with the deep-
sea line ; one of the latter perished in the waves, but the others suc
ceeded. By means of a small line, a large one, and afterwards a
hawser, were conveyed to the shore ; the natives, who had crowded
to the water's edge, assisting the sailors. The raft being finished, it

Appendix. 293
was launched overboard, but a nine-inch hawser by which it was
held broke, and the raft driving on shore Was upset, by which three
men were drowned. The yawl and joUy boat were no sooner
hoisted out than they were dashed to pieces. Several seamen
gained the land by the hawser, and others were left on board, when
the vessel rent asunder, fore and aft. In this distressing moment
they crowded on the starboard quarter, which happily floated
into shoal water, by which means every one on board, even the
women and children, got safe on shore, except the cook's mate, who
was intoxicated, and could not be prevailed on to leave the ship.
When they had assembled on shore, they got some hogs and
poultry which had floated from the wreck, and made a repast. Two
tents were made of two sails that had been driven ashore, under
which the ladies reposed for the first night. Next morning the
natives, who were quite black and woolly-headed, came down and
began to carry ofif whatever struck their fancy ; but plunder seemed
to be their only object.
A cask of beef, one of flour, and a leaguer of arrack, were found
and delivered to the captain, who, on the morning of the 7th,
called the survivors of the shipwreck together, and having divided
the provisions among them, said that as on board he had been
their commanding officer, he hoped that they would still suffer
him to continue his command. A unanimous cry of " By all
means ! " was the reply. He then informed them that from the
best calculations he could make, he trusted to be able to reach
some of the Dutch settlements in fifteen or sixteen days, as he
intended to make for the Cape of Good Hope.
Thus encouraged, they set ofif cheerfully ; for
" Hope
Is such a bait, it covers any hook ; "
and they were therefore unwilling to damp their courage by melan
choly forebodings. Mr. Logic, the chief mate, having for some time
been ill, was carried by two men in a hammock slung on a pole ;
and in this laborious occupation all the men cheerfully shared.
A man of the name of O'Brien, being very lame, remained behind,
saying it was impossible to keep up with his shipmates, and he
would therefore endeavour to get some pewter from the wreck
and make trinkets, to ingratiate himself with the natives. The
whole company now set forward and soon met about thirty of the
natives, among whom was one Trout, a Dutchman, who had co»ii-
mitted murder, and had fled from justice. On learning the course
they were travelling, he recapitulated the difficulties they would
meet with, and gave them some good advice ; but could not be
prevailed on to conduct them to the Cape. The next day they
were stopped by about 400 of the savages, who, after pilfering and
insulting, at last began to beat them. Concluding that they were
marked for destruction, they determined to defend themselves

294 Appendix.
to the last extremity. After placing the women, chUdren,
and the sick at some distance, under the protection of about
a do2«n of their number, the remainder, consisting of eighty or
ninety, engaged their opponents for two hours and a half, when,
getting possession of a rising ground, they forced the natives to a
sort of compromise. Several of the company cut the buttons
from their coats and gave them, with other little trinkets, to the
natives, who then went away and returned no more. In the night
they were obliged to sleep in the open air, and to make a fire
in order to keep ofif the wild beasts, whose howlings continually
disturbed them. A fresh party of the natives came and
plundered them, seizing the gentlemen's watches, and examining
the hair of the ladies, to see if diamonds were concealed in it
They also took away what was then of more value than diamonds,
or the gold of Ophir, the tinder-box, flint, and steel, which was an
irreparable loss, and obliged them to travel in future with fire
brands in their hands.
After journeying together for some days the provisions brought
along with them were nearly expended ; and the fatigue of travel
ling with the women and children being very great, the saUors began
to murmur, and seemed every one determined to take care of
himself. Captain Coxon, with the first mate and his wife. Colonel
and Mrs. James, the purser and several other officers, as weU as
seamen, with five of the children, agreed to keep together and travel
as slowly as before. Captain Talbot, Mr. Shaw, and Mr. Trotter,
the second and fourth mates, with the remainder of the seamen,
including John Hynes, being in all about forty-three, went on before.
A young boy. Master Law, a passenger seven or eight years old, crying
after one of the men, it was agreed to take him with them, and to
carry him by turns whenever he should be unable to walk
Both parties felt great pain at the separation, as they had little
hopes of meeting again; but next morning early the advanced
party having- waited all night by the side of a river for the ebb
tide, were overtaken, and the whole party once more united, to
their great satisfaction. Two days after they again separated,
thinking that by traveUing in separate bodies they would be less
likely to excite the jealousy of the natives ; the party with the second
mate, which may be designated Hynes's party, as from him the nar
rative is principally derived, travelled several days through untrod
den paths, crossing rivers two mUes broad, and frequently obliged
to climb the trees to explore their way. Wild sorrel and shell-fish,
of which the supply was often very scanty, were their only food,
until a dead whale, the liver of which only could be eaten, furnished
them with a more substantial though not more agreeable meal, and
a supply for some days. The party now resolved to proceed
inland, and after advancing, during three days and nights, through
a fine pleasant country, in which they saw many deserted villages,
they came to a river which they were unable to cross ; Captain Tal-

Appendix. 295
bot was so much fatigued that he could not proceed with the rest
of the company ; and his faithful coxswain remained with him behind.
Neither of them was ever heard of after. Master Law was stiU
with Hynes's party, having born the fatigues of the journey in the
most miraculous manner.
Another dead whale having been discovered, the party, with the
assistance of two spike-nails which they had burnt out of a plank,
cut part of it, which they took in bags along with them ; a dead seal
was another seasonable supply, and was carefuUy husbanded. This
party had been severely treated by the natives, and had lost five of
their number, including the carpenter. The command of the com
pany now devolved on the steward, as well as the care of the chiki,
whom he treated with great tenderness.
On arriving at a viUage, they obtained a young bullock, in ex
change for the inside of a watch and a few buttons. They killed
it with one of the lances belonging to the natives ; and dividing
it in pieces, distributed them by lot. The skin was also cut in
pieces, and those obtaining portions of it made them into shoes.
This was the only instance of the party being able to get any
sustenance from the natives, except that the women sometimes
gave the boy a little mUk. A sandy desert next occupied them ten
days in passing, during which no natives were seen ; but they after
wards came to a small village, where they got a little milk for the boy,
and afterwards part of the flesh of some sea-cows and sea-lions
which were hung up to dry in one of the huts. Two rivers were
crossed, and they now reposed two days, in hopes of their com
panions coming up. But ten days afterwards they discovered, by
some small pieces of rags scattered here and there on the way, that
they were before them. Entering a large sandy desert, where little
wood or water was to be seen, they observed written on the sand
at the entrance of a deep vaUey, " Turn in here, and you will find
plenty of wood and water." This direction they hastened to obey,
and saw, from the remains of fires and other traces, that their
companions had rested in a recess.
The sight of thirty or forty elephants terrified them, and they
were continually harassed by the natives, who kiUed one of their
party, and wounded John Hyne.s. The cooper died with the fatigue ;
and soon afterwards the little boy Law, whose tender frame, which
had bome so much sufifering, at length sank under it. This was an
afiflicting circumstance for the whole party, who shed a tear of sym
pathy over the youthful victim. They now began to suffer much
from thirst, as no water could be obtained, and several of them died.
Their number was now reduced to three — Hynes, Evans, and
Wormington, the b(5atswain's mate, who earnestly importuned his
companions to determine by lot who should die, that, by drinking
his blood, the other two might be preserved ; but this the others re
fused. They soon after came up with four of the steward's party,
who appeared to have suffered as much as themselves. One person

296 Jippendix.
soon afterwards died; and the remaining six journeyed onwards
until they at length reached a Dutch settlement, where they were
hospitably entertained by one Roostofif, who lived about three or
four hundred miles from the Cape of Good Hope. RoostofF- im
mediately ordered a sheep to be kiUed, on which they breakfasted
and dined ; and then another Dutchman, named Quin, who lived
about nine miles distant, brought, a cart and six horses to convey
them to the Cape. It was on the 29th of November that they
reached Roostoff's dweUing, having been 117 days occupied in
their weary journey.
They were now forwarded in carts from one settlement to another
to Zwellendam ; and during the whole day, wherever they passed the
night, the farmers assembled to hear their melancholy story, and,
moved with compassion, supplied them with many articles of which
they stood in need. As a war then existed between Great Britain
and HoUand, two of the men were sent to the Governor of the
Cape, while the rest remained at Zwellendam. The Governor, hear
ing their story, humanely sent a party, consisting of one hundred
Europeans and three hundred Hottentots, attended by a great
number of waggons, each drawn by eight oxen, in order to save such
articles as could be secured from the wreck, and to rescue such of the
sufferers as might be discovered, or in the hands of the natives.
Beads and trinkets were sent to ransom them, if necessary.
The party met with no interruption from the natives for some time ;
but they afterwards obstructed the progress of the waggons, and the
Dutch were obliged to travel further on horseback. Only twelve of
the wretched sufferers, including seven Lascars and two black
women, could be found ; and these, with the six sailors who at first
reached the Cape, were sent to England in a Danish ship.
The fate of this unfortunate company and the belief of their
being alive, excited great commiseration; and in 1790 another ex
pedition was fitted out to go in quest of them ; but without success,
although the reports of the natives induced the belief that some of
them were still Uving.

DESCRIPTION OF KELWAY'S ELECTRIC LOG.
Kelway's Electric Log is made in two forms. In the first (a
towing Log) it consists of a rotator or screw, with a train of wheels,
similar to the well-known Massey's or Walker's Log, great care,
however, being taken in making the vanes of the rotator in the form
ofa true screw of accurate pitch, thus securing, -with the assistance of
extreme accuracy in the mechanism and adjustment of all moving
parts, an absolutely correct measurement of the distance the Log,
and therefore the ship, has passed through the water. The second
form of Log also consists of a rotator and train of wheels, tlie whole

Appendix. 297
of which, in a compact form, is lowered down a sniall tube, the top
of which is carried above the water-line of the vessel, the bottom of
the tube being open to the water. The rotator projects below the
bottom of the vessel, with its axis in a hne with the keel ; a simple
provision being made for the rotator being automatically discon
nected from the train of wheels when the vessel is going astern.
On entering port the Log is hauled up the tube.
To the spindle of the " mile " wheel of the Log there is attached
a second wheel having eight ratchet teeth, into which teeth works
the end of a lever, the other end of which extends into a water-tight
compartment — the passage of the lever into this compartment being
made water-tight by means of a flexible gland of india-rubber or
other suitable material. The lever being actuated by each tooth on
the ratchet wheel, which makes one complete revolution in a mile,
eight electrical contacts, or completion of the electric circuit, are
made by the inner end of the lever in each mile. Each contact
causes an electro-magnetic step-by-step apparatus of a simple cha
racter to move a pointer forward one graduation before a dial, upon
which there are eighty graduations. Eight graduations representing
a mile, the dial is so marked, viz., from i to 10 miles, a smaller dial
within the other being graduated and marked for too miles. The
pointers can be re-set to zero at the pleasure of the ofificer without
hauling the Log in-board. Any number of indicators can be actuated
by the one Log in the water, thus allowing the Engineer to have a
constant record of distance run and to know the then speed of ship.
Each indication of the Log is made known by the stroke of an
electric-bell, which, being placed within hearing of the ofificer of the
watch, tells him, by sound, that the Log is working accurately.
The communication is made through insulated wires, the electricity
being derived from a simple battery capable of being used for many
months.

KELWAY'S NAVAL RANGE-FINDING SYSTEM.
Instruments required. — Kelway's Log and Calculating Instrument.
Director. i 2
3  .
In the accompanying diagram let the arrow indicate the course of

298 Appendix.
a vessel, A a fort, or other fixed object b the position of the ship
at the time the log has given an indication and bell, and when, by the
"director" now used for gunnery purposes in the Navy, a bearing of
the Fort has been taken. You have, therefore, l a b c. After a
reasonable interval, according to speed of ship, the ofificer with the
" director " will keep his instrument aligned on the object a, and
stand by to stop and read ofif the bearing (angle) on the instant of
the second indication of Log. He will, therefore, now have l a c b.
Given l a b c, a c b, and the base line b c (253 yards, viz. ^ of a
knot as measured by Kelway's Log) find the side a c — the distance of
Fort from ship at the second bearing. (Trigonometrically this
would take too long to be of practical use ; therefore Mr. Kelway
has devised an instrument for mechanically and almost instan
taneously working this problem out, and also the other distances, as
shown in the diagram.) The position of c in reference to a being
determined, it is evident that the distance of point d (which repre
sents the position the ship will be in at the 3rd indication of Log),
from A can be known, while the ship is steaming towards the point
D, and (with K's instrument) before she gets there, enabling the
gunner to elevate his gun in time to fire it, instantaneously on the
vessel's arrival at the firing-point. Obviously this can be repeated
at E f G, &c. The advantage of being able to keep the vessel at full
speed is apparent, as there is less Ukelihood of the ship being hit by
the projectiles from the fort

KELWAY'S NAVAL JUDGING-DISTANCE DRILL.
Instruments required. — Kelway's Log and Chart of proposed
(I) (2)
movements of ships. Director. (3)

In the accompanying diagram let i represent a target dropped

Appendix. • 299
overboard at an indication of the Log, the ship steaming due N.
At the second indication of the Log, represented in the diagram at 2,
the ship will have passed through the water one-eighth of a knot,
or 253 yards, from the target ; at the third indication the distance
wUl be 506 yards. Immediately the third indication is given the
ship's course wiU be altered to NE., and on the fourth indication
of Log the distance of ship from target will be as shown by the
dotted line, and so on, at 5, 6, 7, &c. At these points on the chart
the actual distances will be written, which distances will be arrived
at from actual measurement on a chart, or plain piece of paper,
to scale. The officer in command wiU, therefore, manoeuvre his
vessel according to the courses laid down on the chart or diagram,
and at the sound of each Log bell will know the then distance from
the target, and instruct his men accordingly.
A number of these charts will be supplied to ships each differing
from each other, the officer instructing the men selecting the one to
be used without its number being communicated to the men being
driUed. This is to prevent a possible " fudging " of answers.
Each man would be supplied with a paper upon which he would
require to write his answers, so that the others could not benefit by
overhearing. These papers, containing the man's name, would be
returned to the ofificer in command, who would apportion to each the
number of marks due for correct judging, and who would be able to
select the best judges of distance. These should, in my opinion, be
formed into a special judging-distance class, the pick of which would
be utiUzed, say one for each gun, for giving distance in an action.
The men should be trained in judging the distance from ships as
well as targets, and the practice should be made by the men looking
through the sights of their guns. This system permits of vessels being
used as the objects.
In these days of rapid steaming it is essential that the commander
of a vessel should at any moment know the distance traveUed, and
the then speed of his ship, the " near enough " system of navigation,
peculiar to a previous age, being manifestly unfitted to the present
time, when voyages of thousands of miles are timed to minutes,
and the dividends of Shipping Companies are dependent on the
closest attention to economical working; not the least important
item in the case of steamers being that of coal. An accurate distance
measurer, accessible to the captain of a vessel at any moment, is
supplied by Mr. Kelway's inventions for improvements in Logs.
These improvements consist —
(i) In conveying by means of electricity to a counter (or tell
tale), on deck or elsewhere, the rotations of a Screw
Log in the water, as commonly used, viz., towing astern.^
(2) By adopting and placing a new form of Log (also electri
cally connected) in proximity to the vessel's keel, and in
such a manner that the rotator always works in water of
the same pressure or density, free from the disturbing

300 Appendix.
influences usually caused at the stern of the vessel by the
action of its propeller, etc.
The Patent Logs hitherto used are liable to mishaps by fouling
wreckage, seaweed, refuse thrown overboard, or being destroyed by
sharks, which mishaps are unknown on board until the line is hauled
in, thus often resulting in the loss of a record of many hours' run.
Numerous shipmasters have discarded them in favour of the old-
fashioned Log, used in connection with a sand-glass, often under
totally unreliable and inconvenient conditions. That such a primi
tive contrivance should be still used on board vessels is repugnant
to the spirit of the age.
The system of applying these inventions for the purpose of Range-
finding in Naval Gunnery has not only stood the test of scientific
investigations but has been practically and successfully demonstrated
on board Her Majesty's gunboat Skylark. That there is great room
for improvement in Naval Gunnery is admitted by high authorities,
and is evidenced by the circumstances of the action between Her
Majesty's ships Shah and Amethyst and the Peruvian ironclad
Huascar. An officer on board the Shah, in a letter to the Times,
says : " The greatest disadvantage we laboured under was that,
owing to the Huascar having the inshore position, we were but
seldom able to ascertain her proper distance." The action lasted
for two and a half hours. The Shah fired 241 and the Amethyst
190, in all 431 shots. The Huascar was hulled four times by 9in.,
twice by 7in., and stmck in various places by eight other projectUes,
making in all only 14 hits, or but 2^ per cent Neither of the
English ships' hulls were hit. The inventor's system can be applied
in actual warfare, and it provides for the introduction of a naval
judging-distance drill, corresponding with that existing in the army.
The late Mr. WiUiam Froude, F.R.S., reported to the Lords
Commissioners of the Admiralty, on Mr. Kelway's invention, as
follows : —
" If Mr. Kelway has made a workable electrical arrangement for
communicating the motion of a Screw Log to a counter in board, he
has effected a most valuable improvement, and one which I should
recommend their Lordships to encourage." 
" I am confident that with such an arrangement applied to a good
Screw Log (not necessarily of so large a size as those I have men
tioned), not merely results valuable to navigation may be secured,
but that experimental results as to the speed of vessels might be
obtained much more correctly than by measured mile trials. Indeed,
with the help of such a screw to measure the speed, I believe that
the relation of horse-power to speed could, for each speed, be
determined with a single short run, with far greater accuracy than is
obtained by means of six long runs under the present system." . .
" I am convinced that a good Screw Log would amply repay its
cost, and I should before this have strongly recommended their
Lordships to construct one, but that the design Mr. Brunei and.

Appendix. 30 1
myself had had under consideration was not on all points satisfac
torily decided." 
" Mr. Brunei and myself have since been scheming an arrange
ment in which the electrical contact was to be made within a
hermetically sealed box, which appears to be the line Mr. Kelway
has been pursuing, and in which I understand he has succeeded."
Since the issue of this report, Mr. Kelway's system has been
successfully applied by the Portsmouth Dockyard authorities, and
tried on board H.M.S. Shah, Thunderer, Iris, Alberta, &c. The
completion of an Admiralty Standard instrument, for scientific steam
trial purposes, has been entrusted by the Admiralty to Mr. H. M.
Brunei, C.E.
An eminent engineer writes to the Representative of a Foreign
Govemment as follows : — " The inquiry I am engaged upon does
not, therefore, afifect the value of Mr. Kelway's invention, about
which I have no doubt  Mr Kelway's principle will, I
think, certainly be used. ... I think the principle an exceed
ingly good one, both for a Screw Log for steam trial purposes, and
for a Screw Log for voyages."
The late Mr. W. Froude, in a letter to Mr. Kelway, wrote : —
" You are the first in the field, and it is only right you should have
priority. . . . The electric action of your apparatus was un
faUing." The Elder Brethren of the Trinity Board say : —
" With reference to the invention for improvements in apparatus
for ascertaining the rate of vessels and flow of streams, models, and
descriptions of which you have been good enough to submit for the
consideration of this Board, I am now directed to state that,
although the Elder Brethren foresee many difficulties with such an
arrangement from galvanic action, floating bodies, or from marine
growths, both animal and vegetable, they doubt not but that these
difficulties may eventually be overcome, and the apparatus found to
render very important service."
{A recent improvement obviates the suggested difficulties above
referred to)

LLUSTRATION OF THE EFFECT OF OCEAN CURRENTS.
From "Etudes de la Nature.''
" Mais, pour ne rien omettre sur un objet si essentiel &, la naviga
tion et a' I'dtude de la nature, et pour lever toute espfece de doute
sur I'existence de ce courant septentrional en ii€, nous nous
arreterons a une observation simple, mais Ue'e a un ^vdnement
trfes connu dans I'histoire. Cette observation est d'autant moins
suspecte, qu'eUe est rapportee sans intention de favoriser aucun
systfeme,'par un voyageur qui n'etait ni homme de mer ni naturaliste,
et qui n'en tira d'autres consequences que celle qui concernaient sa

302 Appendix.
fortune et sa libertd. C'est celle de Souchu de Rennefort, secretaire
du conseil souverain de Madagascar, sortant des iles A§ores le 20
juin 1666, lors de son retour en Europe.
" Depuis 40 jusqu'a 43 degres, dit-il, on vit des m^ts rompus,
des vergues et des hunes de vaisseaux, qui firent juger qu'il Itait
arrive un epouvantable debris. On apprehenda le choc de ces
pieces dans la gorge de ' la Vierge de Bon-Port^ vieux batiment
pourri et facile k ouvrir. II a ete su depuis que ce fracas venait du
combat qui s'etait donne entre les Frangais et les HoUandais d'une
part et les Anglais de I'autre. Ce qu'il eiit ete bon \ ceux qui
s'etaient embarques de savoir plus tot"
En efifet, le vaisseau de Rennefort, oh I'on ignorait que la France
fut en guerre avec les Anglais, eut le malheur d'etre pris et couie k
fond par une fregate anglaise, 'k la hauteur de Guernsey, dix-huit
jours aprfes cette observation, c'est-k-dire le 8 juUlet.
Cet epouvantable debris, disperse sur la mer dans un espace de
3 degres ou de 75 lieues, provenait du plus terrible combat qui se
soit donne sur cet element, entre les Anglais d'une part et les
HoUandais de I'autre. II commenga le 11 juin, et dura quatre
jours. La flotte anglaise etait composee de 85 vaisseaux de guerre,
et la flotte hoUandaise de 90, coramandes par Ruyter. II y avait i
peu prfes de chaque cote 21 mUle hommes et 4,500 pieces de
canon. Les Anglais y perdirent 23 vaisseaux, dont la plupart furent
bruies ou couies \ fond, et les HoUandais 4 seulement ; mais il n'y
eut gufere de vaisseau qui n'y laissit ses m§,ts en tout ou en partie.
II y perit de part et d'autre k peu prfes 9 mille hommes. Les
historiens de chaque nation s'eievSrent, suivant I'usage, la gloire de
leur flotte jusqu'au del. Ce qu'U y a de certain, c'est que 9 miUe
corps d'homme mutiies et demi-briiies, abandonnes aux requins et
aux chiens de mer, donnbrent aux monstres marins le spectacle
d'une ferocite qui n'a d'exemple que dans le genre humain ; et que
ce nombre prodigieux de hunes, de vergues et de mats flottans,
meies de pavilions k croix rouges et blanches, allbrent apprendre
aux barbares de toutes les plages meridionales de I'Ocean Atlantique
comment les puissances qui vivent sous la loi de jesus vident entre
eUes leurs dififerens.
— Ces debris furent certainement portes plus loin que les Agores.
II est probable que dans cette saison il en flotta une bonne partie
jusque sur les cotes et les lies occidentales de I'Afrique. Or, c'etait
precisement pour la traite des esclaves en Afrique que I'Angleterre et ¦
la HoUande se faisaient la guerre. Ces puissances avaient com
mence dbs I'annee precedente leurs hostilites sur les cotes de
Guinee et dans les iles du Cap- Vert, k la raine de ces pays. Je
suppose done que ces debris du combat d'Ostende vinrent passer k
travers les iles du Cap- Vert, et prfes de celle de Saint Jean, qui est
si peu frequentee des Europeens que les Portugais I'appeUent Brava
ou Sauvage. Ses bons et hospitallers habitans, suivant I'Anglais
Roberts qui en fit une si douce experience, sont si humbles, qu'ils

Appendix. 303
regardent les hommes de leur couleur comme soumis par I'ordre de
Dieii meme au joug des blancs. lis se confirment dans cette
opinion en voyant la balance du commerce europeen, dont un des
bras ne presente k I'Europe que des biens, tandis que I'autre, charge
de maux, pfese sans cesse sur la malheureuse Afrique. Mais quand,
du sommet de leurs rochers, k I'ombre de leurs cotonniers et de
leurs bananiers. Us apergurent le long de leurs paisibles rivages ce
train efifroyable de matures, de vergues, de galeries, de poupes, de
proues k demi-brfliees, teintes de sang humain et meiees de pavilions
europeens, ils virent alors le fleau des maux de I'Afrique se relever
et peser k son tour sur I'Europe ; et a cette reaction de calamites,
ils reconnurent sans doute qu'une justice universeUe gouveme par
des lois egales toutes les nations du monde.
Un roi de France, dit-on, faisait jeter k la rivifere les corps des
malfaiteurs avec ces lugubres ecritaux : " Laissez passer la justice du
roi." Les Chinois et les Japonais punissent de la meme manifere
les pirates qui infestent la navigation de leurs fleuves. Ainsi les
debris de ces vaisseaux de guerre qui avait tant de fois repandu la
terreur dans I'ocean Atlantique, etaient emportes par ses courans ;
et leurs grande courbes noircies par le feu, rougies par le sang
humain, et devenues le jouet des flots de I'Afrique, disaient bien
mieux que des ecriteaux aux habitans opprimes de ses rivages :
" O noirs ! voyez maintenant passer la gloire des blancs et la justice
de Dieu."
Ce serait un cal cul digne, je ne dis pas de nos politiques
modernes, qui n'estiment plus dans le monde que I'or et la puissance,
mais d'un ami de I'humanite, de rechercher si la traite des nfegres
n'a pas cause autant de maux k I'Europe qu'k I'Afrique, et quels sont
les biens qu'eUe a produits pour ces deux parties du monde.
II faudrait d'abord mettre dans la balance des maux de I'Afrique
les guerres que ses puissances se font entre elles pour avoir des
esclaves k vendre aux Europeens ; le despotism barbare de ses rois,
qui, pour remplir cet objet, livrent leurs propres sujets ; le caractfere
denature de leurs sujets, qui, k leur exemple, mfenent quelquefois k
ces marches inhumains leurs femmes et leurs enfans ; la plupart des
contrees maritimes de I'Afrique rendues desertes par I'emigration de
leurs habitans emmenes en esclavage ; la mortalite d'un grand
nombre de ces miserables qui meurent dans leur passage en
Amerique, par la mauvaise nourriture et le scorbut, les travaux
excessifs, la disette d'alimens, les coups de fouet et les supplices
qu'ils eprouvent dans nos colonies, et qui les font perir la plupart de
misfere, de chagrin et de desespoir. Voila sans doute bien des
larmes et du sang repandu- pour I'Afrique ; mais la balance des
maux sera au moins egale pour I'Europe, si I'on met de son cote la
navigation meme de I'Afrique, dont le mauvais air emporte les
equipages des nos vaisseaux tout entiers, ainsi que les gamisons de
nos comptoirs en Afrique, par les dyssenteries, le scorbut, les fifevres
putrides, et surtout par ceUes de Guinee, qui tuent en trois jours

304 Appendix.
I'homme le plus robuste. Ajoutez k ces maux physiques les maladies
raiorales de I'esclavage qui detruisent dans nos colonies de I'Amerique
les premiers sentiments de I'humanite, parce que Ik oh il y a des
esclaves il se forme des tyrans, et I'influence de cette depravation
morale sur I'Europe : joignez aux maux de cette partie du monde
ies ressources des travaux champetres de I'Amerique enlevees k nos
bourgeois et k nos propres paysans, dont un grand nombre chez
mous languit de misere faute d'occupations et de proprietes ; les
guerres que la traite des noirs fait naitre entre les puissances mari
times de I'Europe ; leurs comptoirs pris et repris ; leurs bataUles
navales qui enlfevent des neuf miUe hommes a la fois, sans ceux qui
Testent blesses pour toute leur vie ; leurs guerres qui, comme une
peste, se communiquent a I'interieur de I'Europe par leurs aUiances,
¦et au reste du monde par leur commerce : on avouera que la
balance des maux de I'Europe egale pour le moins celle des maux
•de I'Afrique. Quant k la balance des biens, elie se rfeduit de part
«t d'autre k fort peu de chose. On ne peut pas, en conscience,
compter dans les biens que les habitans de I'Afrique tirent de la
vente de leurs compatriotes, nos sabres de fer dont ils s'estropient,
nos mauvais fusils dont ils se cassent la tete, et nos eaux-de-vie qui
leur font perdre la raison et la sante ; tout se reduit done k peu
prfes pour eux k des miroirs et k des sonnettes. Quant aux biens
qui en reviennent k I'Europe, il y a le sucre, le cafe et le coton que
TAmerique nous donne par le travail des esclaves nfegres ; mais ces
produits bruts et informes ne peuvent entrer en aucune comparaison
avec les fabriques perfectionnees et les recoltes en tout genre que
tireraient de ces memes campagnes des cultivateurs europeens libres,
heureux et intelligens.
II me semble que si cette balance de maux si pesans et de biens
si legers etait presentee aux puissances maritimes et chretiennes de
I'Europe, elles reconnaitraient k la fin qu'U ne suffit pas d'avoir banni
I'esclavage de leur propre territoire pour rendre leurs sujets heureux
et industrieux ; mais qu'il faut encore le proscrire de leurs colonies,
pour le bonheur de ces memes sujets, pour celui du genre humain
et pour la gloire de la religion. —
Ces debris, epars dans 75 lieues de mer, venaient de douze miUes
au nord-ouest d'Ostende, oil se livra le combat naval ; et ils etaient
portes jusque sur les lies Agores, d'oh sortait le vaisseau de Renne
fort quand il les rencontra. Ostende est par le 5 1° degre nord, et
les Agores par le 40% beaucoup k I'ouest. Les premiers de ces
debris etaient partis du nord-ouest d'Ostende le 11 juin, date du
commencement du combat, suivant la lettre de Ruyter et I'histoire
de France, et Us se trouvaient prfes des Agores au plus tard le 20 du
meme mois, comme on doit le conclure de la relation de Rennefort,
quoique sans date journaliere. Ainsi, les courans du nord les
avaient charies, en neuf jours, k plus de 27s lieues au sud, sans
compter le chemin considerable fait k I'ouest, ce qui fait beaucoup
plus de 34 lieues par jour.

Al>peiidix. 305
Ce n'etait sflrement pas le vent qui chassait ces debris vers le
sud-ouest avec tant de rapidite : celui qui regnait alors leur etait
contraire. Le vaisseau de Rennefort, qui venait k leur rencontre,
n'avait eprouve d'autre vent que celui qui le poussait vers le nord-
est ; et Ruyter ne parle dans sa lettre que des vents du sud-ouest,
qui soufl9ferent pendant le combat. D'ailleurs, ainsi que nous
I'avons dit, comment le vent aurait-il prise sur des corps k fleur
d'eau ? lis ne pouvaient pas etre non plus charies au sud par les
marees, qui vont au nord sur nos cotes : c'etait done un courant
direct du nord qui les entrainait au sud, malgre les marees memes,
et un peu k I'ouest par la direction du canal atlantique. Done le
courant atlantique porte au sud en ete, malgre la pretendue action
de la lune entre les tropiques, et il ne doit son cours, dans cette
saison, qu'k la fonte des glaces septentrionales.
Ces deux observations si authentiques confirment de plus que les
iles sont aux extremites des courans, ainsi que nous I'avons dit
aUleurs. Linschoten, qui avait sejoume aux Azores, remarque que
les debris de la plupart des naufrages dans I'ocean Atlantique, sont
jetes sur leurs cotes. II en arrive de mgme sur celles des Bermudess
des Barbades, etc. Ces corps flottans sont portes k des distances
prodigieuses, regulierement et alternativement, comme les courans
memes de la mer. Ainsi les graines de la Jamaique sont chariee,
en hiver jusqu'aux Orcades, k plus des 1,060 Ueues du sud au nord,
et k plus de 1,800 lieues de distance, par le flux du Pole sud ; et
sans doute les graines fluviatiles des Orcades sont portees en ete
sur les cotes de la Jamaique, par le flux du pole nord. Ces memes
correspondances doivent regner entre les vegetaux de HoUande et
des Agores. Je ne connais aucune des graines des fleuves de la
Jamaique, mais je suis bien sur qu'elles ont les caractferes nautiques
que j'ai observes dans celles de toutes les plantes fluviatiles. Ainsi
voici une nouvelle confirmation des harmonies vegetales de la nature
sur remigration des plantes. On peut appliquer celle-ci k I'emigra
tion des poissons qui font de si longues traversees en pleine mer,
guides sans doute par les graines flottantes des plantes fluviatiles,
pour lesquelles ils ont par tout pays un goflt de preference, et que la
nature fait croitre sur les rivages pour servir particulibrement k leur
nourriture. II me semble que les hommes poun-aient, par le moyen des
courans alternatifs des mers, entretenir parmi eux une correspon-
dance regulifere et sans frais, dans toutes les parties maritimes du
globe. On pourrait, je crois, exploiter par leur moyen ces vastes
forets du nord de I'Amerique et de I'Europe, composees en grande
partie de sapins qui pourrissent inutile.ment pour les hommes sur
ces terres desertes. On les abandonnerait pendant I'ete, en trains
bien assembles, d'abord aux courans des fleuves, puis k ceux de la
mer, qui les apporteraient au moins jusqu'k la latitude de nos cotes
depouiUees de bois, comme le cours du Rhin amfene tous les ans en
HoUande un train prodigieux de bois de ch6ne exploite dans les
X

3o6 Appendix.
forets de I'AUemagne. Les debris du combat naval d'Ostende,
portes' si rapidement jusqu'aux Agores, montrent I'etendue des
ressources que la nature nous presente dans ce genre. La geogra
phic peut aussi en tirer le plus grand parti. Christophe Colomb
doit aux effets de ces courans la decouverte de I'Amerique. Un
simple roseau d'une espfece etrangfere, jete sur les cotes occidentales
des Azores, fit conclure k ce grand homme qu'il existait d'autres
terres k I'occident. II pensa encore k tirer parti des courans de la
mer au retour de son premier voyage; car, etant sur le point de
perir dans une tempSte, au milieu de I'ocean Atlantique, sans pouvoir
apprendre k I'Europe, qui avait meprise si long-temps ses services et
ses lumiferes, qu'il avait enfin trouve un nouveau monde, il renferma
I'histoire de sa decouverte dans un tonneau qu'il abandonna aux
flots, esperant qu'eUe arriverait tot ou tard sur quelque rivage. Une
simple bouteille de verre pouvait la conserver des siecles k la surface
des mers, et la porter plus d'une fois d'un pole k I'autre. Ce n'est
point pour nos superbes et injustes savans, qui refusent de voir dans
la nature ce qu'ils n'ont pas imagine dans leur cabinet, que j'entends
si loin I'application de ces harmonies peiagiennes ; c'est pour vous,
infortunes matelots. C'est de I'adoucissement de vos maux que
j'attends un jour ma plus durable et plus noble recompense. Peut-
etre un jour quelqu'un de vous, naufrage dans une ile deserte,
chargera les courans de la mer d'annoncer la nouvelle de son
desastre k quelque terre habitee, et d'en implorer du secours. Peut-
etre quelque Ceix, perissant dans les tempetes du cap Horn, leur
confiera ses derniers adieux ; et les flots de I'hemisphfere austral les
apporteront jusque sur les rivages de I'Europe, pour consoler quelque
nouvelle Alcyone.

ZEUGLODONTID^. *

Zeuglodon cetoides of Owen is a great fossU Whale, with pecu
liarly formed teeth ; according to Giebel, it is intermediate between
the Whales and the Seals. The teeth give some countenance to this
idea, appearing, when looked at transversely, to be formed somewhat
on the plan of those of the Seal ; at any rate, more so than on the
plan of the teeth of the Dolphins ; but its character is at once settled
by its possessing a single nostrU with an upward aspect above and
near the orbits, being the usual structure of the spout hole in
Whales, and by its immense bulk, seventy feet in length ; either of
which goes far to prove it a cetacean. The entire skeleton has been
obtained from the miocene deposits of Alabama ; so that we know
nearly as much as we can ever expect to do of this creature. Its
head was long and narrow. The teeth indicate a carnivorous diet,
and Professor Owen points out that their mode of succession con
forms more to the general mammahan type than to that of the
* The following illustrations are courteously supplied by the publishers of
Nature.

Appendix. 307
living cetaceans ; certain teeth displacing and succeeding each other
vertically. The first teeth were found at Malta, and are preserved
in the Woodwardian Museum at Cambridge. Remains have since
been found at various places in America. These were described by
Dr. Harlan under the name of Basilosaurus, the king of the
Saurians, he having taken it for a reptile. Arkansas, South Carolina,
and Alabama are the American districts in which its remains have
been met with. Respecting this creature. Sir Charies Lyell says
that its colossal bones are so plentiful in the interior of Clarke
country as to be characteristic of the formation — an eocene white
rotten limestone. The vertebral column of one skeleton found by
Dr. Buckley at a spot visited by him, extended to the length of
nearly 70 feet, and not far ofif another backbone, nearly 50 feet long,
was dug up. He obtained evidence during a short excursion of so
many localities of this fossU animal within a distance of ten mUes as
to lead him to conclude that they must have belonged to at least
forty distinct individuals.* To tbis family probably belongs a new
genus, Pontogeneus priscus, described by Leidy from a cervical ver
tebra, and of which remains have been found in Louisiana and
Carolina. ZeUGLODONTIDjE. Eocene.
Zeuglodon {Basilosaurus) cetoides, Owen ) Malta, Alabama,
„ {macospondylus, MiiUer.) j S. Carolina, Arkansas.
„ {Seratus, Gibbes.) \ Eocene.
„ {brachyspondylus, MiiUer.) | S. Carolina.
Pontogeneus priscus, Leidy. \
Zeuglodon pygmalus, MiiUer. ) ¦^''•
Andrew Murray's " Geographical Distribution of Mammals," pp.
216, 341.
At page 30 an allusion is made to the possibility of the mythical sea
serpent being a real animal allied to the order Zeuglodontia (Owen).
As the subject is interesting, the arguments of the eminent
palaeontologist, Mr. Searles V. Wood, of Martlesham, near Wood-
bridge, are herewith appended (see Nature, vol. xxiii. p. 54) : —
In August, 1848, H.M.S. £)cBdalus encountered ofif St. Helena
a marine animal, of which a representation appeared in the Illus
trated News of the latter part of that year. It is thirty-two years
since I saw this figure, but I recollect that it was one of a blunt-
nosed animal with a neck carried about four feet above the water,
which was so long as to present the appearance of a serpent ; and I
remember that Prof Owen, in combating at the tirae the idea that
this was a sea serpent, pointed out that the position of the gape in
relation to the eye, as shown in the figure in the Illustrated News,
was that of a mammal, and not that of a reptile ; in consequence of
which he argueff that the animal seen was probably only a leonine
* Lyell, "Elements of Geology," 6th Ed., 1865, p. 308.
X 2

3o8 Appendix.
seal, whose track through the water gave an illusory impression of
great length. This idea, however, seemed to me untenable in the
face of the representation in the Illustrated News ; but it was
obvious that to afiford the buoyancy necessary for the support above
the water of so long a neck (estimated on that occasion at sixty feet,
though only the part near the head was actually out of the water),
the submerged portion of the animal could not have had the shape
of a serpent.
Two or three years after this, on reading the description of
Zeuglodon cetoides, from the Tertiary (probably Upper Eocene) for
mations of Alabama, it struck me that the animal seen from the
Dcedalus may have been a descendant of the order to which Zeuglodon
belonged ; and I have ever since watched with interest for reports
ofthe " great sea serpent"
Three years ago the following appeared in the newspapers : —
" Borough of Liverpool, in the County Palatine of Lancaster to wit.
" We, the undersigned captain, officers, and crew of the barque
Pauline (of London) of Liverpool, in the county of Lancaster, in the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, do solemnly and
sincerely declare that on July Sth, 187s, '^^ l^t. 5° 3' S., long. 3S° W.,
we observed three large sperm whales, and one of them was gripped
round the body with two turns of what appeared to a huge serpent.
The head and tail appeared to have a length beyond the coils of
about 30 fee|, and its girth 8 or 9 feet. The serpent whirled its
victim round and round for about fifteen rainutes, and then suddenly
dragged the whale to the bottom head first
" George Drevar, Master.
" Horatio Thompson.
"John Henderson Landells.
" Owen Baker.
"William Lewarn.
"Again, on July 13th, a simUar serpent was seen about 200 yards
ofif, shooting itself along the surface, head and neck being out of the
water several feet This was seen only by the captain and one
ordinary seaman, whose signatures are affixed —
" George Drevar, Master.
" A few moments after it was seen elevated some sixty feet per
pendicularly in the air by the chief officer and the following able
seamen, whose signatures are also affixed —
" Horatio Thompson.
"William Lewarn.
" And we make this solemn declaration, &c.
" Severally declared and subscribed at Liverpool aforesaid, the
loth day of January, 1877, before *
" T. S. Raffles, J.P. for Liverpool."

Appendix.

309

The locality here specified was about thirty mUes ofif the northern
coast of Brazil.
In this account I thought that I recognized the grip of the whale
by the long neck of the attacking animal, the appearance being
confounded into the double coU of a serpent by the distance and
motion of the objects ; but in face of the general ridicule which has
been attached to this subject, and being without any assurance that
the declaration so purporting to be made was genuine, I did not
venture to ventilate my long-cherished idea. A relative of mine,
however, just returned frora India, chancing to say that two of the
officers of the steamer in which she went out had on the previous
voyage witnessed an immense animal rear its neck thirty feet out of
the water, and that a sketch of the object had been instantly raade,
and on reaching port sent to the Graphic, I obtained the number of
that paper for July 19th, 1879, and I enclose a tracing of the figures
in it, which are accompanied by the foUowing statement in the
Graphic : —
" The accompanying engraving is a. fac-simile of a sketch sent to us
by Capt. Davison, of the steamship Kiushiu-maru, and is inserted
as a specimen of the curious drawings which are frequently for
warded to us for insertion in the pages of this journal. Capt
Davison's stateraent, which is countersigned by his chief officer, Mr.
McKechnie, is as follows: — 'Saturday, April sth, at 11. 15 a.m..
Cape Satano distant about nine miles, the chief ofificer and myself
observed a whale jump clear out of the sea, about a quarter of a

Fig.

raile away. Shortly after it leaped out again, when I saw that there
was something attached to it. Got glasses, and on the next leap
distinctly saw something holding on to the belly of the whale. The
latter gave one more spring clear of the water, and myself and chief

3IO

Appendix.

officer then observed what appeared to be a large creature of the snake
species rear itself about thirty feet out of the water. It appeared to
be about the thickness of a junk's mast, and after standing about
ten seconds in an erect position, it descended into the water, the
upper end going first. With my glasses I made out the colour of
the beast to resemble that of a pUot fish.' "
As I have not been able to find any description of the skeleton of
the Zeuglodon, I venture to draw attention to the subject through

Fig. 2.
your columns, in the hope that among your many readers in
America this letter may attract the notice of some one who will tell
us whether what is known of the osseous structure of Zeuglodon
cetoides is or is not consistent with the representation in the Graphic.
The remains of this cetacean, supposed to be extinct, indicate,
according to Sir Charles Lyell, that it was at least seventy feet in
length,* while its great double-fanged but knife-edged molars show
that it was camivorous ; and as we are not so far reraoved from the
period of the Alabama Tertiaries as to render it improbable that
members of what must once have been a great order of carnivorous
cetacea, totally distinct from the orders of cetacea hitherto known as
living, may still survive, I have braved the ridicule attaching to this
subject so far as to invite attention to it
The second of the two figures in the Graphic shows the long-
necked animal to possess the cetacean tail, and its head there seems
to have been turned from the observer, so that the underside of it
only is presented. The first figure shows that the whale had been
seized on its flank by the powerful bite of its aggressor, and that to
• He observes, in the third edition of his Manual of Elementary Geology (185 1),
p. 208, that he visited the spot where a vertebral column of this length belonging
to Zeuglodon had been dug up.

Appendix. 3 j i
escape from this it had thrown itself out of the water. Having
succeeded in this object, the second figure shows the aggressor
rearing its head and neck out of the water to discover the direction
which its prey had taken, in order that it may follow it up ; and so
far from the charge of curious drawing made by the editor of the
Graphic being justified, the representation of the whale can be at
once recognized as fairly correct ; while that of the tail of the
unknown animal (which probably prompted this charge), so far frora
being curious, forms an iraportant piece of evidence as showing the
aniraal in question to be cetacean. „ ,, -i-n t
^ Searles V. Wood, Jun.
Martlesham, near Woodbridge, September 27th.
P.S. — Since sending to you the above I have again seen my
relative, and find that the cut in the Graphic of July 19th, 1879,
is not that of the instance observed frora the stearaer in which,
she carae home, which was the City of Washington, but of a
separate instance which occurred to another ship. I have not been
able yet to procure the Graphic containing the figure of the animal
seen from the City of Washington, but she teUs rae that it was
pasted up in the saloon, and represented only the head and long
neck of the animal, which was raised to a great height out of the
water, and near to the ship ; and had been drawn for the Graphic
by a lady passenger iramediately after the occurrence. These
repeated and independent notices of the same long-necked aniraal
are, however, the more confirmatory of its existence.
I find that Prof Owen, in his article on Palaeontology in the
Encyclopadia Britannica (vol. xvii. p. 166), in giving a description
of Zeuglodon cetoides, says that " the skull is very long and narrow
and the nostril single," that Dr. Harlan obtained the teeth on which,
correcting Harlan's reptihan reference of them, he founded the
order Zeuglodontia, from the miocene of Malta ; and that the teeth
discovered by Grateloup in the miocene beds of the Gironde and
Herault, and ascribed by him also to a reptile under the narae of
Squalodon, are those of a smaUer species of Zeuglodon. The remains
of Squalodon, along with those of the shark with huge teeth, Car
charodon megalodon, and of numerous cetaceans assigned to orders
all stUl living, and of which some, such as Delphinus, belong to
living genera, occur in the " Sables inferieurs " of Antwerp ; which,
though long called miocene, are by M. Vandenbroeck regarded as
older pliocene, and as the base of that series of deposits of which
the middle and upper divisions are respectively represented by
the coralline and red crags of England ; and with these " sables
inferieurs " the so-called miocene of Malta, in which Zeuglodon is
associated with Carcharodon, is probably coeval. Dr. Gibbes {four.
Acad. Nat Sc, 2nd ser.; vol. i, p. i43)> figures and describes teeth
of the Antwerp species of Carcharodon from both the eocene of
South Carolina and the miocene of Alabama. These various refer
ences bring the Zeuglodonts, with their Carcharodon associates, down

312 Appendix.
to a late geological period, during which they co-existed with
Delphinian prey ; and of this prey the whale in the woodcut
(which looks like a Grampus) seems an example.
It is most likely that Bishop Pontoppidan, a copy of the English
(1755) edition of whose work I possess, concocted his two figures
(one of which is that of a huge snake undulating on the waves, and
the other that of a serpent-like animal with pectoral flappers or fins,
resting almost on the surface of the sea, with head and tail erect out
of the water like the letter (J; ^.nd spouting water or steam from its
mouth in a single column), from accounts given him by Norwegian
seamen, some of whom had seen the animal in the position in which
it was observed frora the Dcedalus, and others in that in which it is
represented in the cut as seen from the Kiushiu-maru ; for in the
long narrative which he gives of the descriptions received from
observers at numerous times, some of these agree with the one, and
some with the other, though both of the Bishop's figures represent
only preposterous conceptions of his own.
[The animal seen from the Osborne, and figured in the Graphic
of June 30th, 1877, as the " sea serpent," is quite a dififerent thing
frora the one in question, and may have been a manatee!\
In consequence of my letter in Nature, vol. xxiii. p. 54, the sub
editor of the Graphic was kind enough to send me the number of
that paper containing the engraving of the animal seen frora the
City of Baltitnore (not City of Washington, as I had raisunderstood),
and which is that of April 19th, 1879. The sketch from which this
was taken was sent by Major H. W, J. Senior of the Bengal Staff
Corps, with the following description, viz. : —
" On January 28th, 1S79, at about 10 a.m., I was on the poop of
the steamship City of Baltimore, in lat 12° 28' N., long. 43° 52' E.
I observed a long black object abeam of the ship's stern on the star
board side, at a distance of about three-quarters of a mUe, darting
rapidly out of the water and splashing in again with a sound dis
tinctly audible, and advancing nearer and nearer at a rapid pace.
In a minute it had advanced to within half a raile, and was distinctly
recognizable as the veritable ' sea serpent.' I shouted out ' Sea
serpent ! sea serpent ! call the captain ! ' Dr. C. HaU, the ship's
surgeon, who was reading on deck, juraped up in time to see the
monster, as did also Miss Greenfield, one of the passengers on
board. By this time it was only about soo yards ofif, and a little in
the rear, owing to the vessel then steaming at the rate of about ten
knots an hour in a westerly direction. On approaching the wake of
the ship the serpent turned its course a little away, and was soon
lost to view in the blaze of sunlight reflected on the waves of the
sea. So rapid were its movements that when it approached the
ship's wake I seized a telescope, but could not catch a view, as
it darted rapidly out of the field of the glass before I could see
it. I was thus prevented from ascertaining whether it had scales
or not, but the best view of the monster obtainable when it was

Appendix. 3 1 3
about three cables' length, that is about 500 yards distant, seemed
to show that it was without scales. I cannot, however, speak with
certainty. The head and neck, about two feet in diameter, rose
out of the water to the height of about twenty or thirty feet, and
the monster opened its jaws wide as it rose, and closed them again
as it lowered its head and darted forward for a dive, reappearing
almost immediately some hundreds of yards ahead. The body was
not visible at all, and raust have been some depth under water, as
the disturbance on the surface was too slight to attract notice, although
occasionally a splash was seen at some distance behind the head. The
shape of the head was not unlike pictures of the dragon I have often
seen, with a bull-dog appearance of the forehead and eyebrow. When
the monster had drawn its head sufficiently out of the water it let
itself drop, as it were, like a huge log ofwood, prior to darting forward
under the water. This motion caused a splash of about fifteen feet
in height on either side of the neck, much in the shape of a pair
of wings."
The italics in the foregoing and in the account of Captain Cox
are my own.

Fig. 3. — The animal as seen frora the City of Washington.
The engraving being a large one, of which the foreground is formed
by the deck of the steamer, I have copied and send with this that
portion of it which shows the animal ; and in this it should be ob
served that besides the splash rising round the neck " like wings,"
the separate splash at some distance behind the head is also shown,
the position of which corresponds to that where the cetacean tail
occurs in the figure sent by the captain of the Kiushiu-maru, which
accompanied my first letter. The foam around the neck, I think,
raay be due to the splash of the humeroid paddles which a cetacean
should possess.

Fig. 4. — The animal as first seen from H.M.S. Dadalus.
The sub-editor of the Graphic has also been kind enough to

3^4 Appendix.
obtain for me tracings from the three figures given in the Illustrated
News of October 28th, 1848, of the animal seen from the Dadalus.
From two of these I have made the accompanying reductions to
one-fourth (linear) of the originals ; and the head portrayed in one
of these (as seen when the animal passed close under the stern
of the Dcedalus) is evidently not reptilian, but mammalian ; and
it seems to bear out the "buU-dog appearance of the forehead
and eyebrow " which Major Senior describes in his case.

Fig. S- — Head of the animal as seen when passing under the stem of the
Deedalris.
From the Times of September 24th, 1879, I cut the following
notice : —
" Capt. J. F. Cox, Master of the British ship Privateer, which
arrived at Delaware breakwater on the 9th inst. from London
says :— 'On the 5th ult, 100 miles west of Brest (France), weather
fine and clear, at s P-M., as I was walking the quarter-deck, looking
to windward, I saw something blcuk rise out of the water about
twenty feet, in shape like an immense snake about three feet in
diameter. It was about 300 yards from the ship, coming towards
us. It turned its head partly frora us, and went down with a great
splash after staying up about five seconds, but rose again three tiraes
at intervals of ten seconds, untU it had turned completely from us
and was going from us with great speed, and making the water boil
all round it. I could see its eyes and shape perfectly. It was like
a great eel or snake, but as black as coal tar, and appeared to be
making great exertions to get away from the ship. I have seen
many kinds of fish in five dififerent oceans, but was never favoured
with a sight of the great sea snake before.' "
In this account we have almost a duplicate of that of Major
Senior in the dropping of the aniraal with a great splash into the water
prior to its darting forward under it ; while the boiling of the water
around, which is so inconsistent with the motion of a snake in water
(which I have more than once seen), evidently resulted from the
strokes of the cetacean taU, and possibly also from those of the
paddles, as in the case witnessed by Major Senior. The black
colour also is described in both cases.
Capt. Drevar, the statutory declaration of whom and of several of
his crew I quoted in ray former letter, has written to me, and sent
me a printed account (which he says he has circulated) of the con-

Appendix. 3 1 5
flict which he witnessed, and of the subsequent appearance of the
animal rearing its long neck out of the water. This is satisfactory
as showing that the declaration I quoted was no hoax, as I feared
it might have been ; but Capt. Drevar rejects with disdain my sug
gestion that the animal he saw was not a serpent, though I pointed
out to him that nothing having the form of a snake would possess in
its submerged portion the buoyancy necessary to enable it to elevate
so great a proportion of its length out of the water.
Judging from the figures which accompany this and my previous
letter, it appears to rae that the external forra of the aniraal must
resemble the weU-known Plesiosaurus, if we imagine the hinder
(femuroid) paddles of that Enaliosaurian to be absent, and a
cetacean tail to be present in their stead. Since in the direction
of the Porpesse the cetacean in external forra so closely simulates
the fish, so it may in another direction simulate this Mesozoic marine
saurian, or the gigantic Elasmosaurus of the American Cretaceous
formations, of which a nearly perfect skeleton is described by Prof
Cope as forty-five feet in length, the neck constituting twenty-two of
this length.
Whether, through your circulation, any light on this subject, so
far as the character of the skeleton of Zeuglodon cetoides is concerned,
may be forthcoming from American palaeontologists remains to be
seen ; but there ought, I submit, to remain no longer with naturalists
any doubt that a hitherto unknown group of carnivorous cetaceans,
with necks of extraordinary length, inhabit the ocean.
It seeras to rae also most probable that the conflicts which have
been so often witnessed (and which Mr. Pascoe in his letter in
Nature, vol. xxin. p. 35, says he hiraself twice witnessed), and re
ferred to the Thresher, have been attacks by the animals in question
upon whales.
Searles V. Wood.
Martlesham, near Woodbridge, September 27th.
" With head uplift above the wave, and eyes
That sparkling blazed : his other parts besides
Prone on the lood, extended long and large,
Lay floating many a rood : in bulk as huge
As whom the fables name of monstrous size,
Titanian or Earth-born, that warred on Jove ;
Briareus or Typhon, wliom the den
By ancient Tarsus held ; or that sea beast
Leviathan, which God of all his works
Created hugest, that swim the ocean stream ;
Him haply slumbering on the Norway foam.
The pilot of some small night-foundered skiff.
Deeming some island, oft as seamen tell,
With fixed anchor in his scaly rind,
Moors by his side, under the lee, while night
Invests the sea, and wished morn delays. " — Paradise Lost.

3 1 6 Appendix.
Mr. Searles V. Wood writes to me since (Oct. i6th, 1881): —
" The only thing which I have to add to what I have already said
on the subject is, that I have found a figure of Koch's restoration of
the skeleton of Zeuglodon macrospondylus, and this is totally dififerent
to what I conceive the animal so often seen by raariners to be ; as,
instead of a long neck, it is represented with one so short that the
head alraost touches the scapula ; and, instead of a cetacean tail, it
is shown with a pair of hind lirabs and a long slender tail behind
these. "You wiU find the figure in Pictet's "Traite de Palseontologie"
(i8S3), and at the same page a figure ofthe complete head is given,
which corresponds very well with that of the animal seen from the
Dcedalus. Carl Vogt also, in his "Geology and Palaeontology"
(vol. i. p. 698), gives some particulars of the skeleton of Zeuglodon.
The order of Zeuglodontia raust have had raany genera, and raany
allies also, as the fragmentary evidence of ancient life which geologists
have hitherto been able to collect bears a smaller proportion to the
whole of the forms of aniraals which have existed, than the contents
of a cottage garden bear to the vegetation of the world ; and I there
fore think it likely that some of the gigantic marine carnivora, of
which the Zeuglodonts and their allies forraed only one branch, may
have possessed long necks {and be represented by living animals),
just in the sarae way that of the two known branches of the fossil
marine reptiles the Enaliosauria — one, the ichthyosaur genus, has a
neck so short that its great head is continuous, as it were, with the
body ; and the other, the plesiosaur genus, has a long neck, just as
the animal seen from the steamers naraed in my letter appears to have
had. " In one of ray letters to Nature, I alluded to the aniraal seen from
the Osborne (and figured in the Graphic oi the 30th June, 1877),
also in Land and Water (I believe of corresponding date, or there
abouts), as having been probably a manatee ; but, on referring again
to the description given of it by the officers of the steamer, I see
that the dimensions (if any reUance is to be placed on this descrip
tion) are so much beyond any attained by the largest known manatee,
that it cannot have been that animal.
" It is, however, very curious that the figure given of it in the
Graphic and in Land and Water answers precisely to what such an
animal, as Koch represents Zeuglodon macrospondylus to have been,
would appear like if it had its head and shoulders and its fore
paddles out of the water. There is great doubt, however, as to how
far Koch's restoration of Zeuglodon is reUable, and it is thought by
Pictet that it was raade up from the remains of two individuals.
StUl, as he gives the cervical vertebrae, the shoulder girdle, and part
of the fore paddle in strong instead of dotted lines, I infer that he
got those parts of the restoration from the actual bones found.
" I sent proof copies of my letters to two of the leading palaeon
tologists in the United States, in the hopes of eliciting something

Appendix. 3 1 7
from them as to the skeletons of Zeuglodonts, said to have occurred
so numerously in Alabama, but without success. " Searles V. Wood.
" P.S. — As most men-of-war now carry Nordenfeldt or other
machine guns, it is to be hoped that if any one of thera should
repeat the experience of H.M.S. Dcedalus, an effort to kill the
animal will be made."

THE OBSERVATORY, CAPE TOWN. (Page 137.)
This building is situated about three and a half miles from Cape
Town, on a flat sandy heath. The central part of the building is
allotted to the instruments, and the two wings form the residences
of the Astronomer Royal, who is under the Lords of the Admiralty
at home, and his assistants.
The present building was erected in 1829, under the superin
tendence of the then. astronomer, the Rev. — Fellows, at an expense
to the Government of _;^3o,ooo. By some raeans the large mural
circle sent out frora England received an injury, which raaterially
affected the very delicate observations. Mr. Fellows, after a tedious
perseverance, in consequence of the disagreement of the observa
tions, arrived at the conclusion that the axis of the instrument had
received a permanent injury. Before he had come to this conclusion,
in 1830, sickness deprived him ofthe services of his assistant, Capt.
Ronald, and the astronomer was therefore left, unaided, to do the
best he might with the transit instrument. In this emergency he
was relieved from much difficulty by the affection and intelligence of
his wife. Mrs. FeUows undertook the circle observations, while he
was engaged with the transit A very little instruction sufficed to
render her perfectly competent for this task; and the Cape
astronomer, like Helvetius, had the pleasure of finding his best
assistant in the partner of his affections. Astronoraers have
ever been fortunate in the devotion of their wives; witness,
for instance, the successful expedition for the observation of
Mars, at Ascension, in 1877 ; as, also, the Teneriffe experiraent
above the clouds by another Scotch astronomer. Unfortunately,
Mr. Fellows died on the 2Sth July, 1831, in the forty-third year of
his age. FeUows was succeeded by Henderson, who retired in
January, 1834, when the late Sir Thomas Maclear succeeded to the
ofifice, which he retained untU he resigned in 1870, being succeeded
by Mr. E. J. Stone, the present Radchfife observer at Oxford. In
February 1S79 Dr. David Gill was gazetted to the appointment
which he now holds : —
"Mr. David GUI obtained his first experience in practical
astronomy in the observatory at Aberdeen, and in a private observa
tory which he erected in the same place. Mr. Gill was so fortunate

o

1 8 Appendix.

as to be associated with Lord Lindsay in the designs and details of
the large observatory founded by that nobleman at Dun Echt in
1870, taking the position of chief of the staff. He thus becarae
engaged in the organization of the expedition to the Mauritius, fitted
out by Lord Lindsay for the observation of the transit of Venus, on
which occasion advantage was taken of the circumstance of a
helioraeter forming part of the equipment, to determine the sun's
distance by raeasures of the planet Juno, being the first trial of the
method, and attended with satisfactory results ; the details of this
work were published by Lord Lindsay as the joint work of himself
and Mr. Gill. In c6nnection with the same expedition, Mr. Gill
arranged and personaUy conducted the whole of the chronometric
and telegraphic longitude determinations connecting Berlin, Malta,
Alexandria, Suez, Aden, Bombay, Seychelles, Reunion, Mauritius,
and Rodriguez. It was whUe engaged upon these operations that
he undertook, at the request of the Khedive, the measureraent of
the first base line of the geodatic survey of Egypt In 1877 Mr.
GiU laid before the Royal Astronomical Society a proposal to deter
mine the sun's distance by'^^ioraetric observations of the planet
Mars about the very favourable opposition of that year. Lord
Lindsay lending his helioraeter for the purpose. The proposal
met with the support of the Astronomer Royal and CouncU of this
Society, and was further aided in its execution by a grant from the
Government funds in the hands of the Royal Society. The island of
Ascension was fixed upon as a favourable station for these observa
tions, and Mr. GUI proceeded to Ascension in June, being occupied
there about six months in the necessary preparations and carrying
out of the scherae. In proof of the importance attached to this
attempt to obtain a reliable value of the solar parallax, and the
interest felt by the leading astronoraers of dififerent nations in his
work, it may be mentioned that, on asking for aid in the accurate
determination of the positions of the stars observed with Mars, his
request was cordially acceded to at the following observatories : —
Greenwich, Oxford, Liverpool, Albany, U.S.A., Berlin, Cambridge,
Mas., Cordoba (the national establishment of the Argentine Re
public), Konigsberg, Leipsic, Leyden, Melbourne, Paris, Pulkova
(the Imperial Observatory of Russia), and Washington."
The results of this expedition have been pubhshed by the Royal
Astronomical Society this year, entitled " A Determination of the
Solar Parallax from Observations of Mars, made at the Island of
Ascension in 1877, by David GUI, LL.D., Her Majesty's Astronomer
at the Cape of Good Hope."

Appendix. 3 x 9
SHIPWRECK OF THE LADY HOLLAND IN TABLE
BAY.
See page 1 74. Wreck of Athens.
In "The Life of Alexander Duff", D.D., LL.D.," by George
Sraith, CLE, LL.D., we find the record of another serio-comic mis
adventure, which is noticed in the Athenceum, as follows : —
" Dr. Smith's account of Duffs shipwreck on his first voyage to
India. The passage occurs at the beginning of the work, and cannot
be forgotten to its end. Some of Dr. Duff's fellow-voyagers, we are
told, were God-fearing people, but, ' as is often the case on the long
voyages, several of them were not even on speaking terras. To
introduce a raoUifying element, Mr. Dufif [then twenty-four] was
accustomed daily to have a nuraber of them in his cabin, to whom
he read portions of the history of India and other works. Now
[the ship having just grounded] all, oppressed with the conviction
that they were speedily to appear before the Judgraent Seat of God,
became suddenly reconciled, shaking each other by the hand. . . .
All responded, clustering round hira [young Mr. Dufif], while the
missionary poured out his soul in fervent supplication.' Presently
one of the ladies cowering round him noticed the absence of a
certain colonel, ' a most affable and courteous man,' and a ' general
favourite,' but whose indifference to the things which concerned his
soul had, from the first, made him the special object of the prayers
of his Evangelical fellow-passengers. ' Let us not,' was this lady's
most Christian appeal to the other ladies with her, ' allow him to go
down without aft least his knowing it! So two or three of them
entered his cabin, and, finding him sound asleep, ruthlessly awoke
him, and dragged him into the cuddy, where, seeing everybody
shivering and shaking in the scantiest of clothing, and finding what
had happened, he burst into a rousing bacchanalian song. This
was too dreadful ; and the only explanation of the gallant colonel's
conduct the passengers could oflfer, and which Dr. Sraith has inad
vertently accepted, is that he had taken a ' copious ' draught of
brandy before retiring to his cabin, and had not slept ofif its efifects
when the Lady Holland, at ten o'clock on the night of February
13th, 1S30, bumped on the rocks off Table Bay. To plain raen
of the world it is clear that the ' affable and courteous ' old colonel
was the true hero of this scene, and not those who, in spite of their
being God-fearing people, were induced to be commonly polite
towards each other only by their dread of impending death.
" It was considered a remarkable incident of this shipwreck that
after the passengers had been safely landed, DufiPs copies of
Bagster's quarto Bible and of the Scotch Psalter were washed on
shore. All were deeply affected by what they regarded as a message
from God, and, led by Dufif, they kneeled down along the beach,
and there spread out the precious books on the white pebbles
and returned fervent thanks to Heaven."

320 Appendix.

DR. HALLEY. (Page 71.)
Capt. Sir Frederick Evans, R.N., F.R.S., Hydrographer ofthe
Admiralty, delivered a lecture before the Geographical Society,
March nth, 1878, on the Magnetism of the Earth, in which he
thus alludes to Halley : —
, Towards the close of the century, Halley, one of the most
distinguished raen of science of the day, presented to the Royal
Society two papers [1683 and 1692], the first giving a theory of the
variation of the compass ; the second, an account of the cause of the
change of the variation of the needle, with an hypothesis concerning
the structure of the internal parts of the earth. Halley subsequently
added materially to the observations made by the old navigators —
on which his theories were based — for the Government, recognizing
the value of his labours, gave hira a ship of war and a commission
as a naval captain to command her, in order to make a voyage
of research. On the corapletion of this voyage, which embraced
both shores of the Atlantic, Halley compiled a magnetical chart,
including also the Indian Ocean, wherein the variation of the
compass was shown by a system of connecting lines, drawn through
the positions where equal values had been determined by actual
observation. This proved a valuable adjunct to navigation.
Hereafter I shall have to refer to the remarkable hypothesis
advanced by Halley, concerning the magnetic condition of the
earth, and of the causes of the changes in the direction of the
needle at the sarae geographical position ; sufifice it here to say that
on this subject, in coramon with all those who have studied the
matter even to the present time, he was sorely perplexed. Halley
foresaw that the rainds of many generations would be exercised in
arriving at a sound theory, and wisely appealed to " all masters of
ships, and all other lovers of natural truths," dUigently to make
observations of the compass variations in all parts of the world, and
to communicate them to the Royal Society, " in order to leave as
complete a history as may be to those that are hereafter to compare
aU together, and to complete and perfect this abstruse theory."
Halley's appeal was not in vain ; those glorious navigators of the
eighteenth century — Wallis, Carteret, Cook, D'Entrecasteaux, La
Perouse, Vancouver — were diligent observers. Their results, with
those of their no less worthy predecessors in the seventeenth
century — Davis, Baffin, Keeling, Narborough, Tasman, Dampier —
have been in later tiraes coUected by the able and dUigent Nor
wegian magnetician, Hansteen, and embodied by him in a series of
magnetical charts (dip and variation) for several distinct epochs,
ranging between the years 1600 and 1787.
The active mind of Halley was drawn, as one of the first, to the
probable nature of the causes : coUecting such observations of the
variation of the compass as had then been made, and projectiug

Appendix. 3 2 1
them on polar maps, he found that the convergence of the several
directions of the needle led to two points in each hemisphere. On
this he enunciate^ the proposition " that the whole globe of the
earth is one great magnet, having four magnetical poles or points of
attraction ; near each pole of the equator two ; and that in those
parts of the world which lie near adjacent to any of these magnetic
poles the needle is governed thereby, the nearest pole always being
predominant over the more remote." Halley saw, as he confessed
with despair, the difficulties attending the proposition " as never
having heard of a magnet having four poles," but there were the
facts manifested by the earth, and he was too sagacious and sound a
philosopher to pass them by. He accordingly propounded a theory,
which, however fantastic it may now appear, and perhaps did at the
time he wrote, has nevertheless within it the fire of genius, and raay
probably yet be found to contain some sparks of truth. To account
for the four poles, and at the same time for the secular change of
the variation, he conceived that the earth itself might be a shell,
containing within it a solid globe, or terella, which rotated indepen
dently of the extemal shell, each globe having its own magnetic
axis, passing through the common centre ; but the two axes inclined
to each other and to that of the earth's diurnal rotation. It is not
difficult to follow the movements of the consequent four imaginaiy
poles in solution of the problem.
Hansteen, working at the same problem a century after Halley
[1811-19], and rauch on the same lines, carae nearly to the sarae
conclusion with regard to the four poles of attraction ; and he
rendered justice to Halley by recognizing hira as the first who had
discovered the trae magnetic attraction of the globe.
Sir Edward Sabine enunciated his views on these secular changes
in the clearest manner in 1864-72.
An ardent admirer of the genius, and no less of the sagacity, of
Halley, he, in part, follows Halley's views, and considers that two
magnetic systems are directly recognizable in the phenomena of the
magnetisra of the globe, the one having a terrestrial, the other a
cosmical origin 
. . . " There can be no doubt that Halley and Hansteen
analyzed their facts with skUl, and that their deductions were borne
out by those facts." . . .
. . . — " The inferences appear to me (Sir F, Evans) to lead
to the conclusion that raoveraents, certainly beyond our present
conception, are going on in the interior of the earth ; and that, so
far as the evidence presents itself, secular changes are due to these
raoveraents, and not to external causes : we are thus led back to
Halley's conception of an internal nucleus or inner globe, itself a
raagnet, rotating within the outer magnetized shell of the earth.
" We need not here pause to discuss the probability of this fanciful
conception of the old philosopher. , . .
" Such are the facts ; and how are we to interpret them ? Which-
Y

32 2 Appendix.
ever way we look at the subject of the earth's magnetism and its
secular changes, we find marvellous complexity and mystery ; lapse
of time and increase of knowledge appear to have thrown us farther
and farther.back in the solution. The terella of HaUey, the revolving
poles of Hansteen, and the more recent hypotheses of the ablest
men of the day, all faU to solve the mystery."
Halley's labours in connection with thermometrical science should
also be noted.
In 1692 Halley pubUshed in the Philosophical Transactions,
1692-3, p. 6so, a treatise " On the expansion and contraction of
fluids by heat and cold, in order to ascertain the divisions of the
thermoraeter, and to make that instrament in all places without
adjusting by a standard."

ST. PAUL'S SCHOOL.
Halley's name is on one of the shields which adorn the waUs of
the great school-room : —
Edmund Halley,
Eminent Astronomer,
Obiit 1742.
LAYS OF THE SEVEN HALF CENTURIE.S.
A Poem recited at 350/A Apposition, 1859.
Fifth Jubilee, 1709-1759.
' ' And Halley's compass thro' the seas.
By paths unerring brings,
The barks that ride on Southern tide
With healing on their wings,"
Sixth Jubilee, 1759-1809.
"See his silver tresses streaming
With the dews of boundless space,
Halley's comet sunward gleaming,
Guides the march of England's race. "
Seventh Jubilee, 1809-1859.
" Five times hath the comet of Halley
Looked out from the night of the past,
Yet the sail of the Fisherman's galley
Is not seared by the centuries blast.''
By Rev. Herbert Kynaston, D.D., lale High Master.

INDEX.

Adansonia, 217.
Agulhas, Cape, 143, 147.
„ Current, 163.
„ Light, 143.
Albatross, 163.
Aldabra, 115.
Algoa Bay, 164.
Allington, Capt., R.N., 40.
Amateur Navigation, 216.
American, Loss of, 31.
Amphitrite, 28.
Anglian, The, 189.
Apparition vouched for, 83.
Aralias, 193.
Araucarias, 79.
Ascension, 206.
Athenian, The, 2.
Athens, The loss of, 175.
Atlantic, North, 36.
„ South, I.
Atlantis, The Miocene, 33.
Avon, H.M.S., 30.

B
Baobab, 217.
Baranco, 16.
Barometer, 186.
Barometric Observatory, 205.
Bay, Algoa, 164.
„ Biscay, 11.
^, False, 139.
„ Simon's, 140.
BaUard, Capt., 27.

Basco, 13.
Bates, H. W., 14.
Bayeux Tapestry, 69.
Bell-Buoy, 4.
Belt, Thos., 36.
Bermuda Cedar, 42.
Benthal Deeps, 35.
Bernardin de St. Pierre, 301.
Birkenhead, The, 158.
Black, William, 9.
Blackburne, 188.
Boxer, H.M.S., 40.
Briars, The, 41.
Buckland, Frank, 29.
Burial at Sea, 120.
Burnand plagiarized, 93.
Byron, Lord, 121.

Cabbage Trees, 43.
Cabbage-Tree Walk, 43.
Caldera, 16.
Calemma, 187.
Calenture, 119.
Calshot, 4.
Canary Isles, 16.
Cap des Tempetes, 163.
Cape Blanco, 220.
„ Colony, 175.
„ de Verd, 217.
„ St Blaize, 161.
„ Palmas, 25.
„ Flora, 173.
Captain, Loss of the, 12.
Carey, Name of, 11.

324

Index.

Carrington, Colonel, 139.
Celt, Loss of the, 140.
Challenger, The, 12, 37.
Chambers, 205.
Chess, 187.
Cinchona, 44.
Cliff End Fort, 5.
Coanza, The, 23.
Collision, 49.
Columbus, 19, 306.
Comet, 29.
Compass, 71.
Congo, The, 26.
Consignment of Wives, 124.
Continent sunken, 33.
Crocodile, H.M.S., 129.

D
Dartmoor, 6.
Deadwood, 54. •
Deason, T., 51.
Death on Board, 119.
Depth Gauge, 218.
Debacle, 17.
Desertas Islands, 15.
Dew-catchers, 213.
Diamonds, Cape, 175.
Diatomaceae, 16.
Dickens, Charles, 127.
Dolphin Rise, 35.
Domville, Captain, 155.
Doughty, Captain, 129.
Doveton, Miss, 227.
Drakenberg Mountains, 168.
Drake Island, 6.
Drama afloat, 125.
Dufif, Alexander, 319.
Duke of Edinburgh, 164.
Durban, 167.

Eliot, George, 128."
Embarkation, i.
Empress Eugenie, 54, 117.
Encyclopaedias, 67.
Engineers, Colonial, 93.
Ethnology, 165.
European, 10, 282.
Evans, Sir Frederick, 320.
Exotic flora, 43, 62.
Experiments, Magnetic, 56.
„ Pendulum, 56.

Earthquake, 20.
East London, 165.
Eddystone Lighthouses, 6, 7.
Electric Log, 296.

Fennel, 13.
Ferns, 17.
Fiddles, 9.
Field, Governor, 64.
Finisterre, 12.
Firebrand, H.M.S., 24.
Fishbourne, Admiral, 203.
Fishes, 197.
Flamsteed, 61.
Fleet of Union Company, 275.
Flora of Cape, 173.
Floras, Insular, 42.
Forbes, 65.
Forecast, 9.
Foster, Captain, 213.
Froude, 13.
Funchal, 13.

G
Ganges, 159.
Galapagos, 115.
Gegenschein, 29.
Ghost stories, 82, 88.
Gigantic Tortoises, 1 1 5.
Gideon, 41.
Gill, David, 318.
Gill, Mrs., 58.
Goat Pound Ridge, 20J.
Godman, 14.
Golden Hill Fort, 5.
Gomera, 17.
Goree, 219.
Gorilla's Head, 13.

Index.

325

Gray's Verses, 9.
Gray, Professor, 38.
Grosvenor, Loss of the, 292.
Guanches, 16.
Guardian, St. Helena, 205.
Giinther, Dr., 1 5.

H
Hakeas, 193.
Halley, Life of, 58, 320.
Halley's Mount, 64.
Harcourt, 14.
Hector, H.M.S., 2.
Hilarity of Passengers, 2Z0.
Hooke, 65.
Hooker, Sir J., 37, 42.
Horace, 216.
Horses, Native Breed, 57.
Humboldt, 65.
Hutts' Gate, 51.
Hydrographer Royal, 320.

I

Icebergs, 133.
Icthyology, 15.
Illustrated London News, 187.
Indigenous Flora, 37.
Iodine, 15.
Isandlana, 39.
Isobar, 9.
Isogonal Curves, 74.

J
Jamestown, 40.
Jeffreys, 35.
Jelly Fish, 129.
Johnson's Observatory, 61,
Josephine Bank, 12.

K
Kafir, Wreck of, 290.
Kaffraria, Coast of, 166.
Keating, Quartermaster, 81.
Kelway's Log, 13.
Keppel, Captain, 30.
Knysna Forest, 164.

Laboratory, 3.
Ladder Hill, 39.
Lady Holland, The, 31.
Lancashire Farmer, 9.
La Plata, 27.
Las Cases, 38.
Las Palmas,
Leave-Taking, 3.
Legend of West Lodge, 179.
Lemon Valley, 56, 205.
Library, Ship's, 127.
Life of Halley, 63.
Lighthouses, 219.
Line, Crossing the, 27.
Literature, 89, 127.
Livadia, 12.
Livingstone, 177.
Logs, 12, 13.
Longwood, 40.
Lunar Rainbow, 13.

M
Machico, 13.
Madeira, 13.
McCarthy, Justin, 123.
Magdalena, Islands of, 217.
Magellan, Straits of, 210.
Magnetic Research, 61.
Manning, Captain, 156.
Manuscript, 225.
Mareschal, Major, 52.
Maskelyne, 61, 65.
Massey's Log, 13.
Medusae, 29.
Mellis, 209.
Meteorological Station, 205.
Mirzapore, 5.

326

Index.

Missionaries, 124.
Miss Misanthrope, 123,
Mitchell, 34.
Montholon, 20.
Montague, Lieutenant-Colonel, 170.
Moon, 125.
Moss, 41.
Mossel Bay, 161.
Munden's Battery, 40.
Murray, Andrew, 37.
Mythical Atlantis, 33.

N
Namaqua, The, 43, 281.
Napoleon I., 32, 81.
ni., 33-
» IV., 33-
Natal, 169.
Neck and Neck Race, 5.
Netley Hospital, 204.
Needles Rocks, 5.
Neptune, 27.
Newfoundland, 44.
Northumberland, H.M.S., 20, 64.

O
Observatory, Cape, 317.
„ Disestablished, 61.
„ Johnson's, 61.
Opuntias, 192.
Old Wives, 197.
Oliver, Captain, 80.
Orion, 29.
Orontes, H.M.S., 27.
Ostriches, 57, 137.

Palmas, Cape, 25.
Palmer, Major, 87.
ParaUax, 65.
Parkins and Gotto, 107.
Passages, Rapid, 130.
Paterson, Mr., 24.
Patent Logs, 13.

Peak of Teneriffe, 17.
Pendulum Observations, 56.
Persiflage, 105.
Petrel, 11.
Phormium, 62.
Pierie's Revenge,
Picklecombe Fort, 6.
Pico Ruivo, 15.
Plagiarism, 93.
Plants, Cape, 173.
Pontogeneus priscus, 307.
Popoff, 12.
Port Elizabeth, 165.
Porto Santo, 13.
Pretoria, The, 131.
Precedence, 9.
Prince Henry, 13.
Prince Imperial, 33.
Pritchard, Professor, 59.
Propeller of American, 20.
Pressure Log, 13.

Q
Quartermaster Keating, 81.
Queen Anne, 75.
Queen Victoria, 52,
Quinine, 43.
Quoin Point, 145.

R
Ram's Head, 6.
Rasca Point, 17.
Radley's Hotel, i.
Rapid Passages, 130,
Red to Red, 9.
Richards, Commodore, 129.
Ridge, Atlantic, 214, 351.
Rigaud, Professor, 59.
Rise, Dolphin, 35.
Ritualism, 170.
Robinson, Sir Hercules, 170.
Rock Cottage, 193.
Roebuck, Captain, 125.
RoUers, 205.
Ross, Sir James, 35.
Ross, Miss, 148.
Rowe, Sir Samuel, 24.

Index.

327

Sabine, Captain, 56.
Saint Helena, 32.
Sandy Bay, 43.
Saturday Review, i.
Scandal, 192.
Sea-Serpent, 31, 307.
Seemann, 34.
Senegal, The, 24.
Scott Russell, 203.
Selwyn, Admiral, 202.
Sketch Abroad, 227.
Signalman, 189.
Simon's Bay, 140.
Smeaton, 7.
Solomon, 41.
Soundings, 37.
South Africa, 171.
Southampton Water, 224.
Steamer stopped, 129.
Steward, 223.
Stories, Whalers', 45
Strelitzias, 193.
Sunday, 11.
Swearing, 97.
Swift, 119.

Table Bay, 171.
„ Mountain, 171.
Telegraph, 53.
Telegraphic Despatch, 167.
Teneriffe, 17.
Tennant, Professor, 175.
Tenniel's Cartoon, 87.
TereUa, Halley's, 322.
Testacea Atlantica, 14.
Teuton, The, 140.
Thalassidroma, 11.
Thalassius, 16.
Thalassography, 35.
Theory of Atlantis, 33.
Thompson, Sir WiUiam, 13.
Thomson, Sir Wyville, 12.
Thresher, 30.
Torrinhas Peak, 15.
Toynbee, Capt, 29.
Trade Winds,

Transit of Venus, 65.
Tragic Event, 39.
Translation, Wave of, 201.
Trincomalee, The, 2.
Turtle, 214.

U
Uitenhage, 165.
Unger, Professor, 33.'
Union Company's Fleet, 275.
Uramberg, 64.
Urgent, H.M.S., 28.
Ushant, 10, 282.

Variation of Compass, 71.
Varuna, The, 39.
Venus, Transit of, 65.
Victoria, Fort, 5.
Victoria, Queen, 52.
Victor Hugo, 209.
Vigo, 12.
Vivien, 193.
Volcanoes, Submarine, 214,

W

Waddington, 65.
Wait, Captain, 23.
Walker's Log, 13.
Wardell, Capt., 39.
Warren, Lieutenant-Colonel, 82.
Waves, Speed of, 183.
Weather Chart, 9.
Winds, Trade, i6.
Wire-bird, 41.
Wives of Missionaries, 132.
Whaling, 45.
Whitesand Bay, 6.
Wollaston, 14.
Woodcot, 49.
Wreck of Grosvenor, 292.

328

Index.

Yama-Breeze, 202.
Yam-stocks, 237.
Yon, 89.

Zeuglodont, 30, 306.
Zodiacal Light, 29.
Zoophytes, 16.

Woodfall & Kinder, Printers, Milford Lane, Strand, London, W.C.

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