Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1833-07-04
From the Ries~end Compiler.
MRS. MORREIL.S NARRATIVE

Nstrausc OF voyage 10 tho Ethiopic and
South Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Chinese
Sea, and North and South Pacific Ocean, In
tho years 1929, 10, aud IL, by Abby Jane
Morrell, who accompanied her husband.
Capt Benjamin Morrell, Jr. of the schr. An
tarctic; small octave, New York, J. l. J.
Harper. A pretty parade Of Seas aud Oceans
these TO have been visited by lady before
her twcnty-6fth yesr, aud to quote from the
titIc-pagc,
by fondness rather than by prudence led"
This volume is dedicated by tho authorcss
to her country women. who will doubtless
welcome il rs every thing coming from la
dy should be. pretty portrait Of q rather
pretty female accompanies the volume. This
Of course Is the authoress.
We extract q description Of the .7ibairo,s
as n specimen Of the work
Turning from look at the noun.
tains, and extending your gaze over
the ocean, q sea-bird Of equal size and
larger wing may every day be SEEN
The Albatross is remarkable in his
habits as we'll 80 in size. lie is web.
footed bird, resembling in some de-
gree the domestic goose. The bill is
more hooked than that Of the goose.
The great length Of wing gives the al.
batross superior swiftness in its flight
to all other sea. birds; and, large as he
is, he skins with the fleetness of a
swallow over the water, catching every
thing that comes in his way. lie is
great feeder, aud sometimes acts the
glutton TO such an extent as to be east.
ly taken while resting on the smooth
surface oil the sea. 1t is amusing 10
watch his flight after the flying fish.
he poises, scales, and turns so adroitly.
The aibatross appears TO have no regu-
lar home, but courses over half a world
for his food at different seasons Of the
year he is not only found at the Cape
Of Good Hope and on the North West
Coast, but also at times in the Austral
seas. He flies SO easily that he clears
himself Of a storm by rising above it,
and keeping himself there until the
whirlwind has passed away. The al
batross is tame, but not courageous,
for he is often beaten to deathby small.
er birds, and makes but feeble resist
ance. The extent of their wings, when
spread. is ten or twelve feet in general,
but they grow to a much larger size.
They are never taken for food, even
by the Indians they are too coarse and
oily for food for any thing. The alba
tross is seldom killed by American or
European sailors; they have some su :
perstition that it betides i'll luck to kill
them. Perhaps this may arise from
the fact that this bird has often visited
vessels farther from land than any
others, and, as the sailors say, has
taken more pains to board them than
all the rest OF the feathered tribe
Some Of the largest Of these birds have
been killed. and brought to this country;
bat in general their lives are spared,
for il requires q very brave man to op.
pose superstition entertained among
the mariners, as all th. misfortunes Of
the voyage are always charged upon
any violence done to q settled preiu-
dice. Ignorant men will more readily
do violence to positive command Of
their Maker than 10 fixed error of the
imagination. Coieridge. the poet, has
made much use Of this superstition in
his poem called the Rhine of the An
eient Mariner.