Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1868-05-14
A Sailing Voyage to Europe.
M y


This is the letter that was to have been written
during the voyage. The why and wherefore it
was not, you will comprehend long before you
have flushed readingit. "Ihe spirit was willing
but the flesh was very weak" in fact not only
two weak but three weeks, and more.
hardly know how to describe the misery |
have gone through since saw my letter 90 on
board the tug "America.' of Cape Henlopcn,
one thing is certain; | am creature Of fewer
wants now than was month ago wanted
sea voyage have had It'll wartcd to see
storm at sea! have seen it, several times
thought it would do me good to be sea-sick.
Well do MT know about the good, but fortune
kindly favored me in that wish also. 1t has al-
ways been my hope at some distant day to own
Yacht Now feel II I could settle down In Col
orldo or Montana at least Il Thousand miles from
the ocean on every side could be perfectly hap
py. The causes which led To the above changes
OF mind were simply these: Twenty-one days OF
sea-sckness-ninc Of which were passed con-
SANITY In my BERTHA steady rain up to last Sun
day only varied by hail and sleet; several severe
gales of wind; onions, cockroaches, and other
things too numerous to mention. VIII make
out sort of journal from memory The letter
| by the tug had not put mile OF salt water be-
tween it and myself before Neptune claimed his
| prey, and was forced to submit, q will not say
| rrhcttully,1 IIluuc u laSb btTuRDlC
on deck until the shades OF night drove Inc below.
| This was the 18th.
The 2Ist, n heavy gale, blowing during 36hours
from sixteen different points Of the compass, and
may suppose from rom TINS ,n W srn seq c %s
Friday night until Sunday morning, and so SICK!
| Tuesday 2ith.-Got up and dressed for the first
time, said interesting operation taking from u TO
II O'clock, Including, OF COURSE, time to rest and
refresh myself after picking up and putting ON
any article Of clothing. ate II bit of herring fol-
| dinner, considered myself improving fast, and
next day went to the table for the first time. The
Steward placed just before me II dish OF onions!
| retired to my state room.
The 2slh.- We passed the line of the thanks,
about 100 miles South got on deck for the
first time.
2gth.-Another gale and again sea sick. Hove
to, and lay about four hours, till The worst had
passed.
3Uth-Saw Ship, Barquc and Brig, all bound
Eist. We were struck Mt noon by heavy squat
which carried the Mizzcn Cricket sail out OF the
bolt ropes and tore several others before they
could ba iurled. 1t continued to blow until
night, when the gale became terrific, and we had
to heayc to again. and lay until the next evening,
the sea- during that time, Capt T., said, running
as high us he ever had seen it. ! enjoyed once
more thu pleasure of sea sickness for orty-eight
hours.
The 7,h of April we had another gale. In the
evening we shipped tremendous sea- on our
weather beam, which swept clean and clear ovei
the vessel, anu tuC spray Wct WV poP san
yard, (inOre than tIty feet above the waier).
The sth.-In green pdter! This news brushed
away the last remains Of my sea sickness, so thai
our first day in soundings was the last OF my
trial. And now came one OF the most agsiavuiinl
that had happened since We left Philadelphia
9 In the afternoon the West wind that had brough
us so far died out and left us bccalned for sevrri
hours about 10 miles South vi Cape Clear Inn
not being enough, us 1t seemed, 1t began 10 bio"
from the East, and there we We're stuck in thu
!, mouth of the channel, and nothing to be dom
i but try and beat against it, which process wolllt
!, put off our arrival in Liverpool another week
y y even more than that If 1t blew hard.
One Of the barques we saw showed THE 20 4
old Yankee Flag, and salnted our own; thl
being the only vessel which had passed nc,'
enough to lis during the voyage 10 cSclians
these clvilities.
IL The 10th we saw IL or more sail around Us
}, but all ut n distance.
g Saturday l1lh, which is to-day, us Orpheus
II Kerr wotld say, and The first really pleasant da
we have had during the voyage. We arc ENJOY
inc real American May Day, and ! have y
doubt tliat lhc wretch who wrote A Life on til
+ Ocean Wave" based his experience on just sue
1t weather. It he did, ssshtll in future consid,
T. him only as foolish dupr u victim OF misplace
confidence, and not as a miserable swinalel
rs which character have assigned him tor thrt
10 weeks past. We arc now 81 miles south oil III
a. Head OF kinsae. and it is in sight IRON the tol
ie to the sailors eyes, but not, alas, TO mine thoug
in | have straiacd them hard enough can asstli
u.
blessed land. l haye one consolation; II hay
g. not as vet seen the Emerald Isle, have see
,e some of the natips. This morning. one OF IL
t. many fishing boats which we saw IN all dire
NJ tons around us, got within mailing distance, aI
70 made known their business by shouting $ Arrat
ar Captain darlant and isn't is some fish ye'
es afther wanting" Receiving reply IN the q
of irmative, they soon came alongside, and III
he having been thrown them, sent on board tW
ne buckets of fine fresh msckeri, for which th,
got in exchange :" little mite of salt mate,
OF bread, some tay, tcibacky and sugar, 7
wv which they were proiuse in thanks and "G'
H. bless yez." This event gave me n lille surpris
ny / had supposed the first foreign language that
~ should hear would be Antwerp Dutch, hut inslei
~ / was treated to the true Celtic. Every man
IL board spoke Irish and they kept up great iabb
ho amongst themselves. The boat which Capt.
l., said was a fair specimen of its class, was era
If looking thing, with neither deck nor covering
/" any kind, and yet the poor fellows had been o
eight days, and in that time caught about "
hundred fish! Hard work for living. Tht
me sails were of deep red, dyed with a kind
Inc bark to prevent their becoming mouldy-and Il
ny gave them very peculiar appearance. lnste
ny, of name, there was painted on bow and ste
20 ~. gls." Another of the same family, WIN VIM
IAN in tho afternoon came to beg "a dhrop of
rd- crathur" was -. 101." If ever saw gcnui
us Paddy from Cork no" saw him then: Thu
ing was no sort of doubt to the Cct. On being t.
M, said "Oh, and its from the West Injees We
. then" So much for knowledge of Geograpt
April 12th.-By way of change we had anotl
sweet little rain this morning and though II
ers oE,y cloudy, The day bears strong rcsembal
nth to New England November as yesterday did
! of Delaware May. Still as with 1t all, we hav
ing South wind, which is taking us on our wa,
1ni- will not complain. We can just sec tho Salt
Islands. my first sight of land, a low, dark STR
Is ON the horizon. If the wind holds we shall re-
D Of tho Tuskar Rock at o'clock, and be off He
lher head. at sunrise Tomorrow Still u VIII not
to count the chickens too early, as have lear
ated by sad experience. but we have one comfor
rive has become possible to sit down and use but
foot to brace ones self with, while before II
full necessary to use both and one hand. Mo-
leave It for any candid person 10 decide Is Il
fish, any romance or pleasure Qeaving sea-siekl
sters ont of the question altogether,) in being UNI
to sit. to stand, or lie down without holding
and holding tight, too2 do MT see IL.
i'm April l3th.-The proverb 10 good one, q
over to halloo before we are out Of the wood, am
~. we are not vet in Liverpool do not know tn
*, !, have any right to feel as happy as do, 81