Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1853-12-30
Eor De Dcmoerat and Sentinel.
BELFAST, IRELAND, Dee. s, Isl


old adaee. and, thank Providence, l have found
that Of my journey. Here 1 am, comfortably
seated in coed room, in good Hotel, in the
greatest commercial city in Ireland, and am
free TO confess teat my first impressions of this
island arc very favorable. Never yet have I seen /
s more picturcsQue-moro fertile-Inore lovely |
country than that portion Of the g Green Isle
through which have jourreycd; and can well
conceive why her children are so strongly attach |
cd to her-why it is that, no matter how much |
fortune may favor them and providence smile
upon them, they can never forget . cid ireland.
Our trip was pleasant and speedy. On the
Goth of November, we sailed from New York in
the Steamship Pacific, (as good vessel as ever
plowed the Atlantic and arrived at Liverpool on
the morning of Wednesday the 18th of December,
having accomplished the voyage in ten days and
sixteen hours Throughout the whole period OF
cur sea-fariug the weather was pleasant, and but
once did :. old Nep' show his temper. That was
on Saturday the Cd ult. For q time the sea ran
high, and the wares rolled over our ship, but,
owing to the fact that l was slightly sea sick, l
did not witness the grandeur Of the scene.
Speaking Of sea sickness reminds me that, as
you, readers, live - high and dry" you know
nothing about what mean Well, I will ex-
plain as I can from nay experience, what
the affection is like Imagine, then, the feelings
of an individual suffering with violent headache
and burning fever, after having taken about
haIf-a-dozen enetcs, and then multiply all these
sensations, (Which, by the way, you will con-
clude are not pleasant by ten, aid you will ar
rive al tolerably correct idea of what this dread
ed disease IS like. All this, however, VIII not
ell s.-f
bear in mind that q sea sick individual receives
no sympathy. No, not e whit His best friends
will laugh at him; and the most consoiing thought
he can have is that ne will yet have chance 10
! laugh ct them. During the continuance Of the
hOrTid plague, you forget all fear, and feel and
express en utter Indifference to fate. You would
just as soon be in a storm as caim-just be as
willing to sink as swim.
! It is amusing to watch the approaches of this
sickness. Although like the measles, every
! body has it once" yet no one will admit that
| they feel it5 symptoms, OF dread its attacks
You meet your friend in the morning, inquire IS
to health, and are told that he felt better.
/ \ ftcr while you see him Walking with hurried
! step, and carefully avoiding everyone likely TO
/ speak 70 him. His coHutenance elongates, the
! corners Of his mouth slightly witch, and its
| al 1s2'' with him, deCidedly. Speak 10 him
/ then, and you catch It. With cuIse', not loud
but deep, you ere referred TO warm climate and
you might as well attempt to stop the paddle
wheels as aIiay his wrath
Our ships company was pleasant, and time
| few rapidly. We breakfasted at 3, had lunch
at ,, diaed ut and took tea At in the e7ening.
The intermediate hours were occupied with prom
eucd;ng, talking, singing and euere an} whist
playing. 4 number cf ladies were on board,
and although none Of them would have served
for q model of venus, yet they were good looking
and agreeable. They were light hearted and So
ciabe, and the voyage would have been far more
tedious without them.
The masculine portion Of orr passenger list
was composed Of every species Of the gsaus homo,
from every cline. American, English, Spanish,
German, Turk and Swiss, wera there, and pre-
sented an array as interesting as well could be
found. Some smoked, some drank, some swore,
some danced, and some ''did nothing" The ma
ijority OF them were p B. IS and as parted with
them with the thought that never on earth could
we meet again, did 50 with regret.
As I said before yge landed at Liverpool on
Wednesday morning, and found the city a dirty,
foggy, muddy, oyer-cro7yded miserable looking
place. The streets were crowded with poor cabs
and drays drawn by still poolo. horses, and
thronged by filthy, halfclad, vulgar men, wo-
men, and children. / saT more misery and
wretchedness there in The SIX hours l remained
in It. than have seen in my whole life in the
cities of the United States. The buildings are
not to be compared in point Of architectural beau
ty with those of our own country, and there is
not a street in the city but what is a labyrinth.
Her docks are curiosity, crowded as they are
with thousands of vessels Of every description
from e7ery land but notwithstanding her com
mercial greatness and wealth, 1 would sooner,
ten thousand times sooner, live in any town III
| Pennsylvania than in her most gorgeous palace.
We left Liverpool at 4 clock, z. ~, and pro-
ceeded by railway to Fleetwood, trading town
situated on the Irish channel. The road we traY-
elled passed through a manufacturing country,
and the scenery upon it was beautiful Numer-
Gus towns and villages were scattered through the
country, and the high chinneys and buzzing
loomes bespoke the occupation ofthe inhabitants.
0coas9naJIy yy tT @ Eas @ TsGR PsaTn8 sye t enc no
where did we see such broad plains and extended
forests as those which break the monotony of
railway travel in America.
At Fleetwood we took passage on steam boat
direct for Belfast, but as it was night, we saw
nothing Of the coasts we skirted, or the Isle of
Man which we passed, and only found ourselves
on deck in the morning to catch in the distance
the glimmering lights which marked the terini-
nation of our journey. Never was l happier than
when the boat rounded the peir of the harbor
and when I stepped on shore felt that nothing
could again so thrill my heart only the con-
sciousness that the soil beneath my feet was