American Republican and Baltimore daily clipper. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1844-1846, 1845-05-28
For the American Republican,
AN INCIDENT.

.lIessrs EdtorS,-l believe that it is Boz who
makes the observation, that 'if the Divine pow
er were to grant the wish. so generally express
ed by majority of Englishmen, by their well
known imprecation, on nearly every occasion,
that one half of the nation would be afflicted
by blindness whether the universal Yankee
gathering" would or would not, under the same
rule, be similarly visited, leave to the decision
of Others but the observation was recalled to
my memory whilst listening to the story OF a
sailor who composed one of the crew of our
barque, then speeding steadily, before the infiu-
euce of the delightful breeze of the southeast
trade winds, on her voyage from Rio de janet
70 to New Orleans, and who was, as is usual,
amusing and gratifying group of his comrades,
slowed costly around and in sundry snug cor
ners near the fore-toe-g gallant forecastle, with
''frst rate yarn" shall not attempt to repeat
his language in technical terms, convinced that
there is nothing more annoying than to peruse
the miserable jargon generally put forth by wri-
tiers, dramatiss especially, as the ve.itable Ian
guage of seamen. lie composed, 1t appeared,
one of the crew of a barque, then trading on
the coast of the Pacific, term sgnifying either
fair dealing or smuggling, as opportunity offers:
and himself and comrade were ashore one
Sabbath, while the vessel lay at anchor Oft Ma
zatlan; and after the execution Of various plans,
and exhaustlnG every available source of plea
sure or of enjoyment, not neglecting paying
sundry visits TO the miserable looking cabarets
of the still more wretched looking individuals
who deal out arguadiente, or potatons distilled
from the career root, proceeding almost uni
versal despite the eXertions OF the tee-totallers,
they were about returning on board, when an
elderlg native whom, from description, should
Judge must have been something akin to Cali
BAN and who had been imbibing inspiration
with them, insisted, by expressive gesticula-
tions, (for as my acquaintance Sam had spent
nearly all his life on the ocean wave, where the
school-master is otener abroad than on shore,
he could not naturally have been expected to
be possessed of any great intimacy with "the
tongues on their accompanying him.
All things on shore are much the same to
sailors-so making practical commentary OH
the observation Of Dickens, in goes the party
to his house; shantee, would however, have been
the more appropriate word. Dinner was pre-
sumed to be ready, "ior," says Sam, "there
was three or four little round things on the ia
BILE, that must, thinks L. have been tin once;
couldn't tell just then, for they were like some
cooks gallies, no very particular color" here
Sam louked aslaunt at the cook, the men all
iuuShh5 HOait iiy3 Wnilo tiidt wy hlIuiy HiHSohi
a copper-coored, good looking Lascar, who was
enjoying his T. p. crammed with the weed, of
Brazilian growth, smelling of unutterable odors,
removed his pipe, looked grand, but said moth
ing "they beat" says he, "the crockery of
the old lady in the Alabama Pine Swamp, who
didn't care what color her cups and saucers
were on, so they didn't show dirt. Well, there
was nothing else on the table, "a strong accent
on the first syllable,) noth-ing that could see.
Thinks ], here's 60; where the thunder can
the grub be. Nothing to be seen but an old
iron pot, three or four queer-looking stools,
lot of green leaves, tin pan, and the woman,
with me and my chum staring at each other,
wondering what was to come. After while
the old apparatus motoned us to sit at table. |
did, for, thinks ], here goes, who cares, d-n
my eyes. My chum was modest; however, he
soon sat at table too. The old fellow iabbered
a little to the woman, and she put kid of
monstrous large beans on the table tell you
what, I've eat all sorts of beans, and I've known
every sort, Il ought, for made voyage once
from New Orleans to Rotterdam in thunder
ing old down-east ship, and the skipper fed us
OH nothing but beans but | never did see such
large beans. Couldn't speak WORD either of
us, so as to understand each other SO he talked,
and made all sorts of motions, and nodded,
and asked my 'chum' what we should do, for