Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-08-15
From Harper's Weekly.l
THE "GREAT EASTERN"

o success here would not be true. She has certain
ly attracted great deal of attentionmore than any
other ship that ever anchored in the bay OF New
York She has been VISITED by several tu.dred
thousand people, who have paid their money to see
her. Her enormous size, her wonderful structure.
her colossal capacity her huge engines, her marvel
GUS internal arrangements have each and all elected
the admiration not only of the crowd but OF those
who are best fitted to judge of such matters. AT the
same time it would not be correct to say that she
has been success, or that we part from her with
much regret.
For the fact is that, from first to last the great
ship has be n mismanaged-most wantOnly mis-
managed-by those who had her in charge From
the hour she crossed the bar at Sandy Hook, and
received on board the visitors who went to meet her
at Mr.. Grinners invitation, to the present moment,
the aim of her managers seems to have been to en-
deavor to disgust our people with the Ship her own
ers, directors, officers and agents. And, whatever
they have done in other respects in that particular
they have succeeded admirably.
Of the feelings of the visitors who boarded her in
the lower bay, on the 2Sth June last do not care
to say anything; time may come, perhaps, when
something may be said the subject but that some
thing must be said by the American consignees-
At the time, not a word of complaint was uttered,
even by those who had the best right to feel annoyed
for every body wanted the big ship to have fair
chance and to achieve the object for which she came
here-namey, to make money by exhibiting herself
But week had not elapsed before the kindly feel
ing of her friends was again damped Judicious
suggestions from experienced quarters with regard
to the exhibition were met by cool replies that the
directors knew their business. and did not need
American advisers So the exhibition was opened;
and the system followed being, in every particular
distinctly English, il was and deserved to be, fail
ure There were silly features about it. and there
were disgraceful features. No lady could go on
board without sacrifice Of modesty, which appear
ed to have been ngeniously contrived, and which
was heartily relished by men in the employ of the
ship. This shameful Inconvenience has never been
thoroughly removed, though attention has been
called to it than once, and the proper remedy
suggested. The ship as dirty as vessels are in
the Thames, and many lady visitor paid for her
visit with the loss of her dress Pacards of almost
an insulting character to the visitors hung in var
GUS places; the demeanor of the officers and crew
that of potentates suffering outcasts to approach
their footstool, while they were in reality mere me-
malls of British spectators who were the glad recr
tents of American dollars. To all friendly remon
strances the Englshmen's answer was the same:
"We managed matters so in England and do you
expect to come here to be taught p 1t was mere
waste of breath to try to convince them that Amer
lean ladies did not like either to spoil their dresses
or to be forced into indicate positions before the
eyes of parcel of grinnns satyrs, and that when
American gentlemen paid their money to show
they considered themselves entitled to ordinary civ
ility on the part of the showmen
After time, the obvious failure of the exhibition
compelled the managers to adopt suggestion which
ha! been urged upon them from the first by their
American friends; the price of admission was re-
duced, and, in consequence the show began to
draw. In the course of few days more tickets
were sold in day than had been sold in England
in week. Still the show was rendered as ncon-
venient as possible. Visitors were passed one by
one through turnstle which it required some dex-
terty to turn it seems that the Englishmen had no
one whom they could trust to take the tickets with
out mechanical check. The inconvenience of this
arrangement when ten and fifteen thousand persons
were crowding on board in the of few hours.
can be conceived. Children were charged half
price; every half hour the throng arrested and
delayed several minutes by an angry discussion
about ages between the Briton who kept the stile
and the parent of some well grown child On board
the officers continued to illustrate the well known
politeness of John Bull as our artist says, Adams
bears were fools to them Still, the directors made
money; which was what they wanted.
Last of all came the Cape May expedition This
was widely advertised, and the -S10-loudly
proclaimed 1t was not till the day of sailing that
it became generally known that the $40 did not in
clude food, or bedding the use of wash-room,
or any thing but mere Storage passage. If an
American ship had pcrpetrated such an act, the
British papers would have RING with abuse of
Yankee swindling" When the ship sailed, mat
tiers were far worse. Not only were the passengers
not provided with food at the expense Of the ship,
but they couldn't obtain any by paying for it
There was nothing to eat and hardly any water to
drink on board; twenty-five cents for glass of wa
ter without ice were freely paid bv gentlemen who
had had the misfortune to take ladies with them
Not only berths not provided by the directors
but money couldn't hire them. Most of the passen-
gers slept on the decks. on the cabin floors in hen
coops, any where. 1t rained in the night, and
many-lnen and women-wcre drenched as they lay
helpless. The managers could not be found the
stewards are said to have been drunk the walters
were saucy and independent and openly declared
that they would wait on till they had been
paid in advance In one word, sooner had these
Englishmen succeeded in encing several hundred
of our unhappy countrymen into their clutches on
board their ship than from the highest to the low
ext, they all fell to plundering and outraging them
! like very Arabs or Druses.
| One is almost inclined to wonder that some OIL
these fellows have not ocen treated to coat of tar
and feathers
So the story ends for the present It is time. II
is time, too, VIC think, that the Great Eastern-or
at all events, her directors, officers and crew-went
back to Their own country. They are charming
people; but we have them, and paid our mon
! Cyl and we need say no more about it. In England
perhaps, they are the right men in the right place
If zoe had ship like the Great Eastern we should
tryto put at least one or two people on board who
had tue manners Of gentlemen and the c;vility o
Christians But let them pass When Trenchmen
Germans Italians, Spaniards, Russians, and Oren
tails say-as they all do-that they hate Englishmer
because Englishmen are rude, coarse boorish, mean
and pg-headed, we Americans are apt for cousin
ships sake to stand up for poor old John, and pu
in word for him. But we don't think it likely
that any of the Americans who have experienced
the tender mercies of the Great Eastern will hav
much to say in Johns behalf hereafter.
AN INDIAN FUNERAL. "A Fort Riley correspond
ent of the Pttsburg Dispatch, gives description o
an Indian funeral:
There was procession Of wagons, draw
mostly by small Indian horses called ponies. Tb
first wagon contained rough coffin and six oil
thuo. H. i, SC H. Ill