Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-12-24
V / N I'd I G. A II @ II.
S TAUN ON +:
letters from California.

The following letters were requested for pub
| LEGATION; and we take pleasure in laying them
| before ourreaders because line from those
distant wanderers is read with interest, particu-
| larly from those who went from cold Augusta"
JAS w. MORRISON, is the son of Mr.. Joseph
Morrison Of Waynesborough, and sailed for Cal
tornia in the ship Alhambra. The public, will,
OF course, make all proper allowance for the i'm
PROJECTIONS in such correspondence, as the wri-
tiers do not know that their letters will be made
the subject of criticism, beyond those friends for
whose qualification they were intended:
VALPARAISO, Chill, August H. 1s49.
| My DEAR PARENTS
After apassage Of AZ days from Rio ia
metro, we have arrived safe and sound in this
port, having NOW performed by far the most per-
lous portion OF our voyage | have no fears
whatever with regard 10 the safety of our pas
sage from this place to San Francisco, which,
with good luck, we shall make in 35 OF 40 DAYS.
| must confess that did entertain some appre-
henslon for our safety while rounding Cape
Horn; for we encountered some very rough
weather and hard times while doubling this far
famed and dangerous Cape. 1t is considered by
navlgators as one OF the most dangerous and diff
ficult places in the world to round. Before reach
ing Rio lanelro, which we left on the 26th of
June, and from which | wrote you two letters,
we had encountered no rough wea1her-we
knew nothlngo gales and storms and of ship
ping sea. Some OF our passengers had the Gu
rloslty and desire 10 experience storm at sea;
their curiosity was soon satisfied after leaving
Rlo-scarcelya vestige OF it remained when we
had been out some 10 or - days and We're op-
posite to, or las seamen say off the mouth of
| i Dl,fo 4 Il
days OF tempestuous weather; and here we first
received the iniatory lesson OF what it took iQ
constitute gale of wind.
Here, too, it was, that witnessed for the first
time; q scene, at cnce, novel and melancholy
a burial at sea-a poor old man sewed up in can
vas with weights tied to his feet and tossed o.
yerboard into the deep and briny sea- He was
a very old and feeble man, from Mississippi, Ia
boring under the Consumption, who had been
advised to take the voyage for the benefit Of his
health, but his disease had become too deeply
rooted and his constitution loo much impaired
to encounter the hardships and cold into which
we had then arrived His widow is still aboard
and designs continuing her voyage to San Fran
cisco. Until we reached LAT. SO or $40 and en-
countered the gale OF which have spoken, we
had fair weather and favorable wind, and ever.
that gale was small matter comparatively
speaking While lying short distance TO the
Northward of the Falkland Islands we expert
enced a most terrific gale which lasted about 48
hours. 1t was during this gale that we found
out how to ship at sea. After severe gale like
this was) continues few hours, the sea becomes
| very rough-the waves run mountain high and
the ship ''lays TO" (as they say,) that is, she
points her bow to the windward and lays as
we'll as she Gan in the trouehs of the sea- riding
up one minute and down the next, rendering it
difficult for one to lie down, sit down. stand up
or even cat; and while this state of things lasts,
there comes an occasional high sea tumbling O.
yer the sides of the vessel not unfrequently find
ing its way through the hatchway into the cab
in. Hundreds OF hogsheads Of water would
come over in this way at time, causing every
heart to shudder with fear, When these waves
would strike the sides OF the ship it would some
times appear as though we should be lost, but
thanks 10 q riercifnl Providence, our staunch
built ship with good officers has weathered eye
ny gale and storm in safety without having re-
ceived any material injury. This gale occurred
about the middle fully, in lat $50. About the
18th July we hove in sight of the western coast
of the Falkland Islands. Nothing could be seen
in the distance except the snow-clad semmits
of the mountains. 1t was about this time that
the cold became SO severe that we could do
without stove no longer, and accordingly we
had one put up. We SHOULD, indeed, have had
fire sooner, for the 18th of July, which we spent
in lat. So; was very cold and disagreeabIe day
Notwithstanding the stormy and diSagreeable
character OF the day, we had the Declaration OF
Independence read, and the stars and stripes
raised to the mast head and cheered while be-
ING raised. In order to account for this cold
weather during the summer season, YOU must
recollect that on this side Of the Equator it is
winter while on the northern side it is summer.
We were some or 10 days rounding the Horn,
| bo hood ,ufode nd
counter nearly all the time. During this period
we had another very severe gale of wind which
lasted about 36 hours. 1t was second edition
of the gale North of the Falkland Islands. The
only way that could keep from freezing or
falling down was to lie down and pile Oh or 5
blankets and brace myself against the side Of the
ship in order to keep steady
We We're IN sight of the bleak and barren
rocks of Terra del Fuego On the 9th of July.
These were covered with snow, and a more
dreary and lnhospitable looking country Inever
saw. While rounding the Cape we had snow
and hail nearly every day. You may form scme
idea OF the cold by comparing it to the climate
of Maine or Canada in the middle of winter
On the lst OF August we considered ourselves
perfectly clear OF Cape Horn, being in lat. Sc
and long so. We then turned OR course to the
North and consequently the weather became
gradually warmer We had began to flatter our
selves win the idea that we should have no
more gales but we were destined to have ano-
Their more severe (if possible) gale than we had
seen. This third and last very heavy gale last
ed only about "a hours. Scarcely any of these
heavy gales last longer than SO or 4s hours.
must acknowledge that during the continuance
OF these three heavy gales felt some alarm for
our safety; but was not half as badly frighten-
ed as some OF our passengers TOR had pre-
sentiment that our old ship was destined to
come through safe.
After the last gale occurred, off the straits Of
Magellan, ON this side, on the 5th, we had fair
weather and coed wind all the way to this
place, which we reached on Sunday the 18TH
Valparaiso is rather poor place compared with
lilo Janeiro. It isa Spanish city and contains d
population Of about sc, 900 inhabitants 1t is the
principal seaport town of Chill, and consequent
~ place OF considerable trade. There is hut
one respectable street in the city, and that lies
along the harbor for II or miles The rest
ofthe city is scattered about all over the sur