The Iowa transcript. (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1858-1866, 1865-09-06
Among the Wntcr~pOuts.
BY NATHAN D. URNER.

Not many weeks ago, read in Dublin
paper the following marriage notice.
"On April -, at st, Patrick's Church.
North Bridge, by the Rev. Dir. O'Ncl. Miss
Theresc Wallingford OF this city to Michael
Kelley, Esq, of Killarney Hedge The
bride il granddaughter Of Admiral Dcs-
seaux, formerly of the French navy, who
it will be remembered, persisted with his
daughter, Mrs. Wallingford on board the
sloop of war La Trrenr, which was over
whclmcl by water-spout in the South Pa
cifc some twenty or thirty years ago
The words, .'it will be remembered, gives
the present generation Of lrishmen credit for
longer and better memories than seems to
me consistent; but, in substance. the state
mcnt at the conclusion of the notice, is cor
rect, and the pcrusal of il revived in my own
mind the untading recollection OF the most
momentous experience of my life.
was an eye witness Of the melancholy
affair lcoull almost have thrown bis
cult ON board the La Terrear. when she was
in her death grapplc with fate; and not very
many months after it occurred had the
mournful honor of imparting what | had
seen to the Countess Of Dcssaux. widow Of
the Admiral and mother Of the unhappy
lady who persisted with him, and grandmoth-
er Of the young bride whose name is men
toned in the marriage notice just quoted.
shall never forget the silent anguish Of the
grand and elegant old lady, rs she sat with
me in the library of her elegant chateau at
Vincennes, and heard the terrible thrilling
recital that fell from my lips. She must
have repeated it many times to her orphan
grand daughter. then lsping babe at her
knee, but she could not have told it with the
viydness and dstinctncss Of one whose brain
the actual and visible tragedy must forever
haunt like an awful dream; and it is with
the desire that this narrative may meet her
eyes that propose to re-transcribe it here
in my American home.
In the year 1889, was Assistant Surgeon
on board Her Majesty's Frigate, Arethusa.
Homeward bound from the Yellow Sea
squadron, on the 18th of January Of that
year, we were well on our way to Cape Horn
having left the Marquesses group two days
astern, with stiff and favoring breeze. We
had been accompanied ever since leaving the
coast Of Japan, by the French sloop Of war,
La Terrenr, between whose officers and some
of our own, quite lively acquaintance had
sprung up, while we lay together for water
or fruit at one or another of the numerous
islands Of the great South Pacific Archipela-
60. Admiral Dessaux was on board, having
shifted his blue pcnnant to La Terrew in or
der to return home in her. lie was ri
diculously stiff and pompous old gentleman,
and most Of US stood almost as much in awe
of him land his rank as did his own officers.
But the Admiral was accompanied by his
daughter, whose angelic loneliness almost
redeemed her sire from the disfayor with
which he was generally regarded, despite the
apparent reverence inspired by his noble
birth and high position. Though barely
twenty-five, she had been the wife of an
English East India official, Major St. George
Wallingford, for FIVE years, and was now re-
turning TO France for the benefit Of her health
and to meet her little daughter whom she had
left ut convent there year before. Even
the word .sbeautiful," conveys but dim idea
of the heavenly loneliness Of this lady. Sin
gularly devoid of pride or any apparent con-
siousness of her own beauty, she walked
earth like its queen, and the deck Of her
fathers war-ship like goddess from the
deep. The dusky islanders regarded her as
brief visitant from beyond the stars, and
hid their faces before her radiant approach !;
our officers and crew loved and rcverenced
her, and those Of her own nation would prob
ably have died for her with infinite rapture.
Whenever we looked at the vessel which bore
her, we did SO with an unconsiously prayerful
feeling which it would be difficult to describe
but which was certainly inspired by the no.
Illness and beauty with which she irradiatcd
our lives.
The two vessels were Of such equal speed,
and the weather so fine that there had scarce
ly occurred between them an interval OF
twenty five knots from the time we first put
to sea in company.
4 10 day already mentioned, we had kept
Nell together until shortly after eight bells,
when the wind suddenly died away, and left
us almost utterly becalmed. The change Of
weather was the more noticeable from the
fact that we had had such prosperous sailing
weather thus far during our voyage, and all
hands had congratulated themselves on the
prospect Of . speedy run home, or, at least
to the Brazilian squadron, where we enter
tanned strong hopes Of finding letters await
ins us.