Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1850-10-03

Ihe following communication in reply to
"A Wanderer," is, as will be seen, from the
Purser Of the Philadelphia, Young man well
known in this CITY We were not aware, in
publishing the communications of our worthy
correspondent. that should be drawn into a
controversy in regard the subjects discussed :;
but having given place to -. I. G.'s'' criti-
cisms upon the Philadelphia. her accommoda-
tons, &c, as the publisher of an impartial
journal, we cannot in justice withhold reply,
If the grounds taken by the former are contest
ed. And here we must be permitted 10 say
that our California correspondent is not apt to
make such broad mistakes, though he, like all
Others, may sometimes err in Judgment.
At Sea, Sepf. ID. 1850.
FRIEND NEWMAN During my last visit to
New York, received from some unknown
friend two copies of the eastern Times"
containing letters from y. T. G." under the
caption of "a Wanderers Notes. | was
much surprised on reading them at the numer-
our mls-statemenis made, and the wrong i'm
pressions given, but more especially at the un-
provoked attack upon the characters and stand
ing of several individuals who fell under the
ban ofyour correspondents displeasure With
your leave and wishing Justice done to the in
dividuals alluded to, will make a short re-
view of your correspondent letters, taking up
the different subjects as they come in course,
hoping 10 give your readers the truth not the
tlphfV of s.yrapIs-ar - ~
here let me say that the accounts given by these
''letter writers are worthy of but very little
confidence, more especially when the writer is
en- route for California, as every thing is look
cd upon in false light. The ''yellow vision
throws all else into the shade, causing what
once appeared bright and beautiful, to wear
sombre hue. Avarice outstrdes even the
common decencies of life. and he who has once
been looked upon by his neighbors and friends
as worthy the name of gentleman, :" becomes,
IN every sense as equally worthy the appella-
uon of ''bear, savage and barbarian Of
course these remarks are not applicable to all
alas, they set well upon the shoulders of far
too many. But TO the wanderers notes. -
He commences by saying that he who buvs
storage ticket will find that even that bears
he upon its very face; that it promises YOU
'some creature sustenance," &c. SC Now,
how can this be, when the ticket, with all It's
wlckedness and lies, is but a more recelpt for so
many dollars, the amount of the passage money
from one port to anotherl There may be a
hidden meaning 10 some of the words a ''spir-
Itual sense obivous to all but s'wanderer's''
eye, but which even the orignators of the tick !
cts themselves, have not been able to discover. |
1t is true, that in the ''Companys" advertise
ments, the "fare" of steerage passengers is !
mentioned, specifying that they will be allowed
the same kind of provisions as are given to the
ships crew. Now every one who has lived in
a seaport town knows that ''saiIors' fare con-
sists of salt beef, salt pork, hard bread, tea and
coffee, with (as mere favor) a small allow
ance of vegetables. In many ships the latter
named articles are not allowed and a sailor
considers himself fortunate, who finds upon
leaving port, that he is to have his small allow
ance of potatoes and onions. And now for the
''sustenance" furnished the steerage passen-
gers on board the 'Phiadelphia" Salt beef
and pork two, and oftentmes three kinds of
fresh meats, three timcs dag; vegetables, both
soft and hard bread butter, sugar, rice, tea
and coffee, with almost daily additions of
smoked fish, cheese, &c, &c, in order to
suit all tastes and all appetites. That this is
50, know from personal daily inspection, it
being one of the duties appertaining to my of
fee, to see that every effort is made to crafty
the passengers in this particular What say
you, hard working men of Maine, seated at a
table, loaded with the articles above named,
would you turn away with unsatisfed appeiites
as from the ''haseless fabric of vision!''
From the ''tickets," the ''wanderer" de-
scends upon the ship. Hear it ye shipwrights
of the city of brotherly love. Ye, who last
winter reared structure and launched it forth
upon the waters, that was pronounced by all,
to be ''superior in model and fnsh.'' Hear
itye ''two hundred souls" who in March last
were saved from watery grave from the fact
that the ship proved herself to be "staunch
bnilt vessel and ''capital sea boat" Hear,
all ye, the parting tribute Of a ''wanderer. -
"Uncouth in model, rough in finish, uneasy in
in the sea, slow in motion, and dirty from stem
to STERN In relation to all these charges,
save the one relating to dirt, if the opinions of
good and competent judges can be at all relied
upon, they are without foundation. For man
who Is no Judge in nautical matters, who never
before made voyage at sea, and whose whole
lie mas been spent in matters not appertaining
TO sea tarlng life; for such an one to set him
self up as authority, prasing this and censur-
ing that, with all the confidence of >. conno;s-
seur, is, to say the least, AMUSING if not ab-
surd. To the charge of the ships beipo dirty
would say that it was so, and on this or ,,r
other ship, could it be otherwise, when three
hundred sea sick passengers were continually
striving, from one end of the voyage to the
other. to prevent its being otherwise'
And now, from inanimate, he turns his at
tention to animate objects
The "wanderer'' will certainly make no claim
to gallantry, for he commences first upon the
ladies'. He thinks he sees on board, the lady
of California bg-bug, and he is ready to fall
down and worship, but discovering his mistake
L. I,,,l with