The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-04


swell Supper was now ready, but the antici
patton OF storm made my mother sick already
We children, however, ate heartily, went to bed
and slept all the more souudy for being wei
rocked. The next morning, what a storm
Duncan took me up to see it, and brought mt
down again 1t seemed to me that the wave.
rose up like two hills on each side of us. Their
they would come rolling down, as though the
would swallow up the ship in a minute but i'm
mediately she would rise up above them. For two
days and three nights, we lay there, rocking
with furled sails. During that time, the joll,
boat, hen-coop, and part of our bulwarks, were
carried away. A few days after, we discovered
a wreck to our right. The hull was completely
submerged. One naked mast alone stuck III
out of the water. The sight created an intense
excitement Were the passengers drowned
Might they have escaped in their long-bo
Or might they now be floating about on planks
to drop of one by one and feed the sharks
| The captain could see by his spy-glass thai
there was nothing but naked timbers; the Jolly
boat being gone, it was not convenient to visit
her. and We held on our way
The days and nights passed slowly by, count
| ing up weeks, and many a longing eye was
stretched towards the west, to catch glimpse
OF land. Oh, how eargerly it was looked for
AT length some of the passengers began to
|
the wide waste of waters, and was wandering
round like a child in the forest. Some pro
posed to degrade him, and put the first mate
IN his place. They knew, or they might have
known, that they had not power TO do SO, and
that he had power to put them in irons, had
such talk reached his ears. But the subject
furnished them with matter of exciting CONVEX.
saton, and relieved the tedium of inactivity.
| Perhaps that was all they wanted.
Time and again fog-bank would deceive
the inexperienced eye of the passengers, and a
cry of " land" would bring all idlers on deck to
return again disappointed. One day, after such
false alarm, the steward was down, and nv
mother asked him what land it was which they
had seen to-day. He answered, "Land Fly.
Away" She expressed iocular hope that
when we reached America, it might not be an
America Fly-Away." But such it really
proved. When we got to Philadelphia, West.
ern Pennsylvania was the place of promise. In
Western Pennsylvania, it was Ohio In Ohio,
| Illinois, farther West, and so on to the West
ern sea. Those who seek a comfortable home.
can find it almost anywhere in this world; those
who seek undiluted happiness, must chase it in
Land Fly-Away.
One morning, as | woke up, | heard my
father say, Ionder is what l like to hear"
1t was the rafting of chain cable on the
deck, as they took it to adjust it ON the anchor
There were few who had much appetite for
breakfast that morning. About ten o'clock.
the man at the masthead called out, Gland
ahead!" and in the afternoon we discovered
the tops of the trees on Cape Henlopen. The
passengers now all seemed like old friends,
who had met after long absence, simply be-
cause they were rejoicing in common joy
One told the fears he had secretly INDUCED,
that they would never see land: another affirm.
ed that he always knew they would reach it
about this time. One gave play to his imagi-
nation in conjectural descriptions of America ::
and another talked ,incoherently about the
country they had left behind. All seemed like
men half intoxicated. That night pilot came
on board, and we expected soon to see Phla
delphla. But were doomed to another dis.
appointment Delaware Bay was full of float
ing ice, and the report was that the river was
frozen up. 1t was now January, 1882, and the
been experienced for twenty years We lay
there till the captain received letter from the
owners of the vessel, directing him to repair
to New York. In the mean time boat came
from the Delaware shore with fresh provisions
which were by this time much needed 1t was
brought by an old man and his two sons.
While the young men were dealing, the old
gentleman was stepping around; and my moth
Ell thought she would improve the opportunity
of learning a little more about America.
Among other questions, she asked him if it
were true, what she had heard, that the Amer-
can women did not work much. He had Just
enough of liquor in him to make him loaua-
cious, and he assured her it was even so. sour
women" said he, care perfect ladies. They
cannot wet their finger, and zoe indulge them"
She often laughed at it afterwards, when in the
| backwoods she saw these ladies take the wool
off the sleeps back, and scarcely allow it once
! to pass through the hands of the men, till it
was manufactured into comfortable clothing.
! Perhaps there is more truth in what he said
now, than there was when he said it.
A few days after, we were safely moored at
New York. The ground was covered with
snow. The sun was shining bright. We were
surrounded with Ships where the sailors were
| hosting the lading out of the holds, accompa-
nying their labor with their merry songs.
could not hear the words but thought it was
all about the glory of America. The city of
| New \ ork stretched before me in all its beau
ty. Sleighs with their jngiing bells we're dash
ing along the streets, and here indeed was the
long-lookedfor America. My father went out,
and found some of our friends in the city.
The next day our goods were inspected, and
we were prepared to leave the rocking Ale
|
to take us to bis house. / willingly grasped
his offered hand, and walking down the plank
with beating heart, set my foot on the land
of apples and sugar.
Here, for quarter of century, have had
enough to eat, enough to drink, and plenty of
work. If have met with many disappoint-
ments, it was only because my expectations
were too extravagant. My bread, it is true,
has not always been buttered, nor my pathway
strewed with flowers. My bed has not always
been of down, nor my sky free of clouds yet
to say that my journey, on the whole, has been
a pleasant one, is only doing justice to my
adopted country. ! have travelled through
ten States of the Union, and resided in four.
/ have associated with many kinds of people,
and found something to admire in them ALL l
have found the Yankees social and courteous,
the Germans true to their word, the Scotch
upright, and the Irish warm hearted. / have
found, by experience, that he who eats piece
of dry bread to day, expecting pie tomorrow,
and he who lends his last half dollar to neigh
Dor, not doubling but he will return it as soon
as wanted, may both be disappointed. But
still it is better to cherish kindly feelings to
our cost, than purchase security by gloomy
forebodings. The world is bad enough; still
there are some good men in it, and will al
ways imagine that | am one, and my nearest
neighbor another. Friendly reader, you had
better do the same; and, with this advice, bid
you good-by!
| CALL OF A PAsToR-THRILLING INCIDENT
We learn that the congregation of Emanuel
Church (Rev. DR.. Johns, pastor) extended q
unanimous call to Rev. DIR. Newton, of Phila-
delphia 1t is said that DR.. N. occupies po-
sition ia Philadelphia very similar to that DR..
Johns did in Baltimore, and his people there
being so warmly attached to him, and his field
| of labor being so vast that he has been COM