Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-11-29
m Miscellaneous.
MRS. FARNHAM's VOYAGE TO
CALIFORNIA.

In a work recently published, gives the following
interesting narrative Of some of the difficulties oil
her voyage out.
"The voyage to California has been the begin,
ming Of suffering to thousands of quiet home bred
people and the continuation of 1T to as many whose
previous experiences had been moIe Varied, SO that
having had no wonderful escapes, or startling adj
ventures. il need barely be said OF ours, that II
was common. place enough in the carly part-made
wearis1me by the slowness of our vessel, and in
siderable by the dreadful quality Of the water fur
nished us nearly all the time after the first few
hours out of New York. There we're twenty-five
passengers. including my two sons and their nurse
This person was a young woman, OF about eigh-
teen or nineteen, in whom, from her peculiar
traits of character, and some circumstances IN her
previous history, | felt a strong interest. She was
extremely ignorant Of everything which her own
keen powers of observation, exercised in a very
limited sphere, had not taught her and being
wholly unknown to every other person on board
the vessel. were entirely dependant upon me for
should surround her.
w were but a few DAYS at sea, when the stew.
ard begged her tn assist in laying and clearing the
tables, ect, and upon her asking nv consent, |
told her that when she could oblige them, without
leaving her own work undone, / was quite willing
she should do so. | did this be cause it is a prin-
ciple with me to train all young persons, and my
own children rs well, never to refuse to accommo-
date others when they can do so without neglect
ing a paramount duty. But / soon found we were
dealing with parties from whom no such faith or
good will was ever to be expected. The girl was
gradually withdrawn, more and more, from my
service and influence; her daily lessons, which
Miss Sam psou and myself were giving her, were
soon neglected and we had not, | think, been
more than u month or six weeks at sea, when it
was made known that the steward-a lazy, lying
worthless creature-a mulatto. had proposed mar
riage to her. l expostulated very earnestly with
her, but the captain, on every OCCASION, when al
fusion was made to them, encouraged it to the ut
most.
There was a good deal of i'll feeling provoked
between him and the passengers before we reach.
ed St GATHERINGS by his refusal TO put into that
place, when his doing so had been expressly stip-
ulated in agreeing for passage and when, in con-
sequence Of the bad water, it was II bundrediold
more necessary that he should do so than we before
imagined 1t could be.
"a ramonstrance, signed by all the passengers
save one, had been laid upon his table one evening
when we were one OF two days north of st. Catha-
rine's, which he thought fit TO heed so far as to
change his course, aud stand in, but with a great
deal Of proane protest. And as this paper had
been drawn up by myself, and was sent in in my
handwriting, it greatly increased the anger he had
all along felt toward me, and which | had never al
lowed him to d~issipate by abusing me, as he had
the rest of the passengers.
ARRIVED at St. Satherine's, he took especial
pains to make the position Of his lady passengers
as uncomfortable as it we'll could be, and as he
never named women but to depreciate them in the
coarsest terms, and was, in his best temper, desti-
tute of that respect for them which argues some
what of refinement in the rudest, and Of nobility
in the meanest, so in his ill-humor. he was re-
strained by no scruple. The coarseness he had
exhibited on the voyage was now turned to malice
but it could not greatly affect US. For our resour'
es on that shore were confined to a single family
(of which only the husband was American anC
to the hills and wales adjacent to the anchorage 81
it was comparatively a trihing matter what repor
he should give of us.
"We were fortunate. too in meetiug at this plac
a party Of English gentlemen. also bound to Ca
ifornia, whose civilities contributed much to tn
pleasantness of our stay. They had seen some
what of the country before our arrival, and yer
kindly showed us its best points, as far about tn
anchorage as we could walk, there being no othe
means of locomotion within our reach. We re
manned nine days at St. Co tharine's during whic
my unfortunate protege resisted the urgent er
treaties of her dark lover to go ashore and b
married and, before we weighed anchor, sh
made me half a promise that she would not MARI
till we reached California. On our arrival G
Valparaiso, however, she informed me that if
would have a nurse for the rest of the voyage,
must procure one there, as she was going to b
married, and come up as stewdardess. l had b'
fore said all. in the way of remonstrance, that
could, and when she told me this, sickened
heart of the whole disgusting affair, | only said,
have no power to prevent your doing as 20
please l am grieved that you will be deaf to a
the reasons | have urged against the step, and WI
disregard the doubts that you have confessed to n
but | can do no more | ought to remark, tht
between St. Catharine,s and Valparaiso, almo
the whole of her time was spent In the service
the ship, There were many days that We did n
see her face and this was the more unjust and o
pressive to me because that was, in many respect
the hardest part Of our voyage. We we're witho
fire the entire time, though amply provided wi
all the means for having it-a very severe priv
ton to the ladies and my children, as we cou
only warm ourselves by exercise, which the roug
ness of the weather often prevented the most re
olute OF us from taking.
"At Valparaiso, the marriage took place at t
house of the English clergyman, Rev. Mr.. Ar
strong. / engaged a Chilli woman to finish {
VOYAGE with me, and took her ON board the d
before the shiptsailed. The captain had been
formed in the consul's Office, by Miss SampsC
two DAYS before that | had made such an arrant
ment, and he expressed no objection to 1t; /
knowing his willingness to disoblige ME, h
twice myself consulted the acting consul, NJ
Morehead being absent at the time, as to any p
liminary steps it might be necessary for me to ia
and was as often assured that there was nothr
whatever to be done ; that women left that cOu
Try as they did our own, whenever it suited the
to do 30 ; that the passport law applied only
men, for the protection Of creditors, but never
females of any condition and that, having arran
ed for the passage of n servant, l was not ev
bound to notify him of my intention to take
second. when the FIRST one fit my service. I
woman was on board the vessel, and seen by h
engaged in my rooms tweniy-four hours before
sailed. When he came on board the last time,
called the passengers upon deck to answer TO tn
names. When all answered, he inquired W no t
woman was. and though he addressed the inqu
to no one personally, | replied that she Was
servant.
"Have you any passport for her" said he.
NO. | replied, Mr.. Samuels told me | neeG
none
"Then she must 90 ashore he said. 4 shol
subject myself to a heavy penalty to take her wi
out one. Mr. addressing his mate, put 4
woman. and her things, in the boat came of
and send her ashore
But l said, / will 90 with her and get a pi
port. l cannot go to sea without a servant
"There is your old servant was the insolent
ply you can have her. You can't get a p
port under three days. Put her into the boa