New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-10-25
rlfty Year. IN .he Now worla.
NUMBER THIRTEEN.

Il ing the West Indian archipelago, and came in
sight of Cape SANTANA, the eastern part of the is
land of ST. Domingo This was on Thursday, the
Goth of June 1876 at about II o'clock meridian,
Being in latitude Of 20 degrees North, we sailed
due West along the coast of that island nearly in
sight of its mountainous scenery, but yet not close
enough to distinguish anything on its shores. That
4 country having since that time undergone no i'm
provement whatever, we may well surmise that
no change in its outward appearance has been
wrought; consequently the same wild, uucultvated
aspect which it then presented-all the sloping ac
II cliytiesbeing covered with dense forest growth
are still to be hef1eld as when we sailed along in
the aforementioned period.
We have already made mention Of the appa-
rent great Gains which we experienced in the
II middle of the ocean, and after what's called the
region of the swimming islands, or the fucus or
sargasso sen weeds (11er de sargGsso) is
. traYersed; the trade winds would, however,
n again be reinforced when we were nearing the
West Indian clusters, after which they would no
longer be perceptible. For we must observe thBt
our vessel had all her studding sails set but when
coming in the vicinity of Hayt, the captain would
take in, OF the slightest appearance of squalls
from afar, these supernumerary aids, which might
indeed, be of great assistance, under the regular
prevalence of the eastern winds, but would be-
come somewhat dangerous under the sudden aud
violent gusts of summer squalls into which we
were now entering. The approach of such a
thunder squat, in the West Indian and Mexican
gulf stream waters is, indeed, a very beautiful
though sometinl a very dangerous spectacle. The
sudden appearance, Or the surprising CELEBRITY
of these thunder clouds, that from afar, upon the
4 borderof the horizon, seem greater than mans
hand, have in fact, the capacity of acting as by
magical power. But old scattering men are not to
be capght by their innocent appearance on a
| cloudless calm and beautiful sky. The moment
they discover these sinister messengers, who as it
were, carry the fures in their sides, they use the
preeaution above indicated of taking in the stud
ding sails; for in but short space Of time it is all
that the vessel will be able to sustain, under the
| violence of the unclaimed winds, to keep a
few Of the Indispensable sails in order to hold
on her course. Aye, when we say it is a
beautiful spectacle to see these furious, sud
den wind blasts come over the RULED sea eX-
panse, we mean that this tossing sea uproar all
at once following the greatest calm and mirror
like placidity Of the ocean, is something
stirring to our imaginative faeulty-something
4 pleasing by these abrupt contrasts, and hence
multiply the impressions by the seemingly pas
sionate outbreaks of nature. But as fast as these
threatening thunder clouds or squalls come on
as fast they pass by and leave the ocean, as it
were, almost relapsing into its former state of
catnness, when the sudden tumnlt has subsidized
as by the turn Of an enchantment. OF these thun-
der clouds and storms we had, indeed, a great
many, and they lasted us through the whole month
of June, and continued even after our arrival in
New Orleans, during the greater part of the month
~ n. e
Mexico, and in the vicinity of the two Cayenne
islands, near jamaica we saw a number of large
sea turtles swimming in those waters apparently
quite unconcerned
Our crew and mariners had, however, no chance
Of catching any of these appetising amphibi,
whilst we had succeeded in hooking couple of
| dolphins and even respectable looking shark.
| As for the former, we were reminded by the old
habitues Of the to notice the beautiful change
of colors Of this inhabitant of the deep waters,
whilst gasping their last breath upon deck before
expiring, and if the seven colors of the rainbow
constitute the single beam Of light, or the unde
vided solar ray, we may then conclude from this
example of the change authorizations of all these
several coors in that creature of the ocean, that
pure light as parhtoned among the various
natural productions, is eminently conspicuous in
would confirm the creed or belief of some of the
aaatarn 1,aran tbeoogies that the heavenly igbt
a. nrtTnitive celestial emanation 1nineiing
i With the terrestrial or planetary substance
has NOT been able to nreserve its wboIa
or entire snbstantiaIitv. and exbibits itsalf
therefore a. broken Or disupited IN the several
egoyements which We d. beboId in the tbree
regions Of the animal vegetable and mineral
Kingdoms Of the mundane sphere. As for the
shark. IL being no table meat excent the tender
mart Of its tail which the doetor-tl1at X the
cook-eIatmed for bis norton Of the snoils he was
aaain cast overheard no doubt. this time. to feed
his avn ravenous speeies that now we're following
onr vessel There we're also variety If t,atar
snouts visible almost every day mon The wide
aea ocean with occasional night or moon rain
bows. as the officers of the shin. who had the
NIGHT watch. did assure ns. Besides these natural
4 nhenomena 81. FIm,s fire would aocomnanv H.
q vessel throughout her yoyare which the mariners
Il nretena IN sav is 4 nropitops sion or favor
!, of the supernatural agencies. The nonnIar
beliefs take date from IN time Of the
Phnniean,s NAVIGATION Ana sepr u be rootaa in