The Portland daily press., 1862-08-07

/ fer all comments till another time.
| From our own Correspondent.
Letter from ssDown East,
| Edsfport the jumping of pldce-.John Neal
The splendid Steamer Ne,c EngiaRd-her
officers and appointments.
EAsrPoRr, August /. 1862
We have often heard particular localities
spoken Of as the -jumping of place. and here
without doubt, we have found il, for geograph-
/ ically, we are standing on the extreme eastern
/ poiat OF land belonging to the United States.
| Turning directly westward the same beneficent
I government extends its case over a territory
three thousand miles in length, including the
eastern States with all their vast commercial
and industrial interests; the West with its
I prairies-the granary of the world; and the
almost uninhabited and unknown regions be-
tween the Mississippi and the Pacific. That
is our country. That Is the country which
our fathers dedicated to freedom and human
progress forever. Alas. that its sky should
be darkened with the storm of revolution, and
that even now great political curse entailed
upon us by the founders Of our government
| il war. What was thought by many would be
an advantage and a blessing, is threatening our
very existence. On the east from where l
stand, Passamaquoddy bay stretches as far as
the eye can reach, which with its numerous is
lands, is said TO compare fayorably with the
bay of Naples. They belong to the British
crown, whose political sages and aristocrats
4 LII.
But probably the reader would like to know
| how we reached this extreme point of Yankee
civilization and refinement. Be it known,
therefore, that yesterday morning the steamer
New ENGLAND, started from Boston on her first
trip to Eastport and st. John. BY special in
vitation, we represented the Press among 9TH
er guests, and at half past four o'clock we
found ourself on board at the Railroad wharf.
In half an hour we started. The city never
looked more beautiful than it did as we passed
down the harbor, and the boat, moving along
slowly as if to exhibit her fine proportions to
the critical denizens on shore, soon passed out
by the fort and into the magnificent bay be-
yond. We like especially, this arrangement of
starting early; it gives passengers an oppor-
tunity to the beautiful islands, in Casco bay,
any personal acquaintance, but still from boy
hood we have known something of him and
before dark, and that is worth trip to East
port at any time. The boat was crowded with
passengers, and for more than an hour there
was general hustle on board, procuring tick
cts and state rooms, looking after baggage,
and making preparations for the voyage. Ev-
erything soon settled down as calmly as the
sea beneath us, and before sunset we passed
Seguin, whose head was covered with night
cap Of fog!
We recognized but one passenger on board,
and that was John Neal, Esq. We never had
his works. He belongs to generation of
American authors that have nearly passed
away, but their works will live long after the
fugitive and trashy literature of our own day
is forgotten. We well remember his connex-
ion with Weld, (now an honored Episcopal
clergyman,) in editing the old Boston Galaxy.
What delight they took in throwing hot shot
at each other. All their warfare, however, did
not lead to any rebellion; they both handled
heavy guns, but unlike Berdan's sharpshoot-
ers, the heavier their shot, the greater their
concord. As he passed us we could not help
repeating several lines from his Ruins Of
Goldau." We read that poem with thrilling
interest never to be forgotten while standing
upon those ruins a dozen years ago.
We had just passed Seguin, when the fog, in
heavy masses, began to roll in from the east
ward, and through the whole night we were
advised of its presence by the screaming whis-
tie which warned the neighboring vessels of
our presence as often as every five minutes,
and in tones that grated very harshly on our
drowsy censorium! The sea was smooth, and
the boat walked the water like thing of
life" and we swept on towards the east-the
place oflight-leaving me rmads, and nymphs
and naiads all alone in their glory behind us.
This boat is one Of the most elegant and
thoroughly made steamers that was ever put
on this route. She was built under the SUI
pervsion of Capt. J. b. Coyle, with whose en-
ergy and capabilities the travelling public have
long been acquainted. The hull is built as
strong as wood and iron can make it, and fifty
feet of her bow is enclosed in a water-tght
compartment, provision which adds greatly
to her safety. She is supplied with Ingersolls
metallic life boats and lfe-preservers, and her
saloons are elegantly furnished, and the most
brilliantly lighted ofany have ever seen. For
/ ward of the ladies' saloon, on the main deck
there are two large state rooms fitted up to
accommodate families. She has accommoda-
tons for three hundred passengers. For the
especial comfort of travellers she has well
stored larder, and her table d'hote is equal to
| the best hotels in Portland or Boston. She
registers about nine hundred tons, and her en-
gines, of sixteen hundred horse power, are ca
/ pable of propelling her fourteen knots an
hour. To her gentlemanly and intelligent en-
gineer, Mr.. Johnson-a Portland boy, by the
wayne are indebted for the privilege of eX-
aiming her machinery. We noticed one
thing that was new to us, n register to num-
Der the evolutions of the wheel during the voy-
age; there was also new apparatus for man
aging the valves, very useful. Besides this, her
officers are just the men for their places; they
are intimately acquainted with the coast, they
are courteous and gentemanly, and have an