The New York herald., 1866-09-05
yoYsss Of TINE REQ. WHITE AND GLUE.
-aateresting Letter from Captain Fitch 20
Major =. Brcvoort.

nIuj0r =. BrevO0rt.
GRzEs HyrHE, Eng, August 20, 1855
Esrsr,Ep FRIEsD-I take pleasure in sending you
these few lines to let you know that am once
terra frma. We arrived here yesterday Sunday after
passage Of forty dayshe hardest fortyone days
of my existence We have made but harbor since
arrived In the English Channel We stopped at Mar
gate on Thursday last and lay there foryeght hours
The place where lay is twenty miles below Lon
don We do not intend TO take the ship mp to London
until we make preparations for her exhibition.
cannot give you full description OF the voyage;
there Is space In letter for that can only give
you some idea Of it minutcly We had heavy westerly
gales and much fog and rain nearly all the passage We
were capszed four times will give you description
of the last and hardest time in that connection On
Saturday, the l1h of August We had our longitude
nearly up and looking out for Ushant which
is the northwest Of France. We took gale
from the westward that night II set in thick with
and fog AS were steering for the coast had to
keep tho craft idchanncl not knowing posi-
tion, having no chronometcr At seven A. NJ on sun
day the gale had increased TO hurricane but fair
and we were running before it, AZ eight A. NJ heavy
her hir beam ends that the opsa ards the Ice
side wcre we'll under the water In fact II we bad had
anymore canvas would have turned keel up
2bopt that lime IL did not look much like seeing London
&must confss After three heavy had washed over
her nianaSed get her before It. and she rghtcd again.
The water was up my neck IN the cockpit when she
wa. on her bceH end eeSat lll9en minutes previous
70 Ibis saw als Shark, at least fifteen feet In length
Had the shark been fifteen minutes later II might have
takon me for its breakfast You may imagine my hor
yor about this time when thought OF the shark and
strange to say, saw the same shark not haf hour
after. ~-.r-Ass
will not dwen longer on this subject,
but will give you an account Of the dog
She. seemed 70 mourn her home
sbe whole passage. After VIC left Margate
she vas taken with its whether from the effects Of
being taken on shore the hotel with cannot say
but she died whep arrived in the river Thames with
in fort miles Of London Of Sunday, the 10th Of August
Thas Snds tic history Of the poor dog.
am almost laid up with rheumatic pains, which have
been Contracted by being continually wet For twenty.
ono days never had dry shr. 10 my back aud never
saw tho sun set during that time My watch WAS
completely ruined by being drenchcd with salt water.
In short everything, clothing aad ALI was spoiled. We
have wen suit of decent clothes 70 wear all OF
our garments being covered with wet mould and mdew
No ono Can imagine the snnerings and hardships we
have passed through II can only be known by expe-
xience We had timc frcm the fourth day out after
my watch ruined by sea drcnching me. l bad
the In my pocket at the time. The water pene
srated works and stopped The only time we had
was by observation
cannot say much more this time, as feel more like
going under tho Doctors hands thar like writing Yours
truly, F. L. FITCH