New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-20
New91ork DAILY Gribnnre
Bayard Taylor in Northern Europe
VIII.
A WINTER VOYAGE OF THE BALTIC.


When we went on board the little iron Swedish
propeller CJi Johan last Monday mOfD,og, We
had alieacy paid for our passage and chosen out
berhs. What was our oism1y, af,er climb ny
over hills OF freight on deck and creeping dom a
nauov coupan'op-vsy, 10 find the cah.n chock
full of bales Of wool and barrels Of butter. There
was little pantry adjoining it, with a frendy
stewaidess therein, who, 10 snsser u my inqui-
rits, assured Us that We would probably be placed
in but. AZ er further search found the captain,
Who was experimenting the loading Of more freight,
and who also stated that be would put US INFO a
but. Let me see the but, then" demanded,
and We were little relieved wien we found /. TO
be a state-rOom, containing two Of the narrowe.t
Of buLks. There was another hat opposite, Oc.
copied by two more passengers, all that the steam
er could carry and all we bad, except short deck
passenger, who disappeared at the commencement
Of tie voyage, and was not seen again until its
close.
The dsy was clear and cold, the low hills around
L1beck were covered With snow, and the Trsve
was already frozen over. We lef. at noon, slowly
breaking our way down the narrow and winding
river, which gradually widened and became clearer
Of ice as We spProa ,hed the Baltic. The deepen
ing Of the channel between Ldoeck and Tfave-
n tiLde, distance OF twelve to fifteen miles, cos.
million of marks (sbout $500, 0O0), AMI still the
large STEAMERS which run to Cronstsdt in the Sum-
mer are obliged TO remain at the latter place.
When we reached there il was showing fast, aud
and mUrky chaos hey ond the sandy bar concealed
the Baltic. The town is a long row of houses
fronting the water. There were few inhabitants to
be seen, for the bathing guests had long since
flown, and all watering places have funereil air
after the season is over. Our fellow passenger,
jOvial Pole, insisted on going ashore to drink a
last glass of Bayarian beer before leaving Germany,
but the beverage had been so rarely called for that
it had grown sharp and sOur. and we hurried back
uDsatlsfed.
A space about six feet square had been cleared
out among the bu,ter-kegs in the cabin, and we sat
dOwnto dinner by candle-lght, at o'clock. Swedish
customs already appeared, in apreminary dccanter
of lemon.c oored brandy, thimble-full OF which
was taken with a piece of bread and sausage, be.
fore the soup appeared. The taste of the lsnor
wa, sweet, upctuous and lot agreeable. Our party
consisted of the Captain the chief officer, who was
his brother -in-aw, the Pole. who was second
cousin of KOsciusko and had name consisting OF
eight consonants and two vOwels, grave young
Swe with a fresh NOrse complexion, and our
two selves. The steward, Hileebrand, and the 81.
lent stewardess, Marie, were our attendants and
purveyors. The ships officers were rather slow
Al. IL ali saif n
and Indifferent; but the Pole, who had been con-
d,mned 10 death at Crscow and afierwsrd Invented
cheap gas was one of the jOllIest fellows alive
His German was full of funny mistakes, but he rat
tied away with ss much assurance as if il had beeu
bis native tongue. Before dinner was over, we
were all perfectly well acquainted with each other.
Night had already set in On the Bilic; n);h'ng
was TO be seen but snow; the deck was heaped
with fire. ght; the storm blew in our teeth; and the
steamer, deeply laden, moved slowly and labo.
ricusly so we stretched ourselves on the narrow
hunks in our hut, and preserved delicate regard
foi our equilibrium, even in sleep. In the morn
ipg The step cliffs of M6ep, Danish island, were
vi,ible on our left We looked for Riyen, the last
stronghold Of the worship of Odin in the Middle
Ages, but raw mist rolled down upon the sea, and
left us advancing blindly as before The wind was
s,ropg and cold, blowing the vapOry wa'er-smoke
in long trails across the surface OF the IL
was not long, however, before sone dun white
CLEANS through the mist were pointed out as the
shores OF Sweden, and the Carl johann slackaned
Der speed to snas pace, snufiiog at headand az
ter btadland, like dog of the scent, in order to
find her way into Ystad.
A lift of the fog favored US at last, and We ran
into the little haIbor. l walked the contracted
hurricane deck at o'clock, with the sunset already
flushing the west, looked on the town and land,
and thought of DR.. Kane. The mercury had fallen
to 1Go, foot of snow covered the houseroofs, tho
low, undulatDg hills all Wore the same monotonous
no.coor, and the yellow-bsired people on the pier
were buttOned up close mittened and fur capped.
The csptain telegraphed 10 Calmar, our next port,
and received an answer that the sound Was full OF
ice and the harbOr frozen up. A custom-house
officer WHO took supper with US on board, informed
us OF the loss of the steamship Umea, which was
cut through by the ice near Sundsvall, aud sunk,
drowning fifteen penons; ap'easant prospect for
our further vcysge-and the Pole would have will
itely Landed at Ystad if be could have found M
veyance 10 get beyond it. We had twelve tuns OF
coal to take on board, and the work proceeded so
slowly that We caus ht another snowstorn so thick
and binding ,ha. We dared not venture out Of the
barber.
On the third morning, rev .heless, We we're
again at sea, having passed BOrnholm, and were
beading for the southern end Of the Island Of
Oald. About noon, as We were sitting huddled
around the cabin.stoye, the steamer suddenly
stopped. There wssa hurried movement OF feet
| ~, srbssd "a c,v-snd we rushed On deck One OF