Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1858-10-28
0rasshoppers Ahoat.

Lieut.. IIabersham IN his last letter 10 the mi
adcphia Ledger describes singular scene on the
river Pei-lIo, China:
Look over the side of our little vessel for mo
ment and see what strange appearance the WI"
ter has As far the eye can reach ahead, as
term and on either beam. you see nothing but
Rrasshoppers with here and there patch OF wn
ter They arc nearly all alive too, kicking out
with their thin wiry legs in every direction. AMI
stopping to indulge in II passing fight ns they ne
cessarily butt up against each other For the
last few miles we have steamed through these lis-
ing fields, and through the coming eight it will
be the same Has wide -preading freshet swept
them from their meadow haunts, or, has n lorna
do thus cnst them upon the bosom of the stream
| cannot answer this question us we 60 up, but II
YOU will imagine three days passed, and we upon
our return in the Antelope " i'll tell yon Well
The Antelope being nearly M long rs the river IL
wide. and the latter being full Of short turns. We
suddenly find ourselves fgoing Mt full speed
twisted violeHtv against. and upon the abrupt
inclination Of tho of bank. \ regular case
Of shelving" n ship. Tho shock is so great
that the vessel goes almost on her beam
ends, and we must catch at ropes TO avoid doing
the same.
A heavy roller created hy the violent twisting
of the ship washes up the feet Of some ot the Chi
ne~e who watching us from the bank. and
then returns splashing against our side. The old
ship rights heavily and sticks Unfortunately it
is high tide, and we do not get aloat again for
twenty-five hours In the meantime we amuse
ourselves by abusing "a river with such uncivili-
zed bends, and by solving the "grasshoppcr'
question: We are NOW close to the bank and can
that 1t is actually swarming with them. See
that bare legged ChinAman he steps along, how
they hop by the dozens out Of his way, aud how
they all hop in the same direction-toward the
river. Here they come by the millions. More
thickly than wheat is cast n field, are they
spread over the overhengng bank and thin slips
of muddy beach, Hero they come in one wide
spread and progressive swarm--not in patches
but in one vast field They come until at the un-
ruffled edge of the water and then after monen-
tary pause, either wade leisurey ont oftheir depth
or hop boldly over six or eight inches Of water
and commence striking ont like good fellows for
the opposite bank.
Soon they tire, and stop, as it were, to rest
Then they start out again. but seem now to he in
doubt To the exact course. Next follows the
''buttiag' and passing fights" and finally they
are drktea cat Of sight by the ebbing tide. This
you will not be aware of, however, unless you keep
your eye upon some particular one, for, rs the
current washes them away, other members of the
advancing army step in and take their places
Then there is another direction in which YOU ma,
see them--look at the air! See the swarms of a
larger species which. with their buzzing double
wings are swiftly around and over US. At time,
they are 10 thick that with u long paddle yor
may strike down one at every blow-all bound il
the same direction across the river. At lengt
the question" is arswered. They have eaten VI
all the substance on the south bank Of the river
and in migrating across it to other feeding ground
on the opposite side, have lost their reckoning ar
now "backing and filling" about without any ap
parent object, and will, in all probability. sool
lose their lives also. Let us 70 up the river.