Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-02-08
ACROSS THE OCEAN.
New York 90 Liverpool per Steamer PALMYRA
j. &. Covers Daily journal.


Two o'clock in the afternoon tho
royal steamer Palmyra, one Of the
famed British Line of Cunards, leaves
New York for Liverpool, and at least
one aboard who never was at sea and
never out of sight of land. There
appears something daring in a first
voyage upon the deep, and something
fearful in the thought that but
plank separates you from eternity
On the earth many chances for life,
on the sea but one. The weather
clear and middling cold, wind from
the west. For two hours only the
tall dQmes and church steeples of
New York are in view and q distant
plat OF land. The setting sun ap-
pears brighter than | have ever seen
1t, and the reflections uhon the water
are glorious. Already the vessel
gently rocks and | am not without
tears of the usual initiation--ses
sickness, though as yet nothing of
The kind is telt. The ship register
shows that near 100 officers and sea-
men arc employed on this boat
Burning fluid is not used for lights,
and the halls and cabin saloons are
heated with steam conducted through
pipes. The officers wear blue uni
forms, gilt buttons and gold colored
trimmings.
Friday, Dec. "a.
The morning is clear, winds from
the northwest, and sea rolling. The
forenoon dress warmly for the MP
per deck. Am seated by the pilot
house, sheltered from the sweeping
wind and where the sun gives few
degrees Of warmth. A middle aged
Engllfh gentleman, returning from
his first visit to America, comes
round and offers acquaintance by re-
marks upon the weather, favorable
sail, &c, and am GLAD to reciprocate
sociabilities. He ia filed with ideas
about America. Has son in Da.
kota, a brother at Fox Lake, Wis,
and some other relations In other
parts. "May yet remove to America,
but have noticed from a newspaper
that lard titles are often in doubt
1t is never so in England" / ex-
planned, by saying there are occas-
ionally disputed titles, but not one
in two hundred are ever proven
defective, and that if man
will employ lawyer to investigate
titles before purchasing he never
need fear any defects. A dozen
sea birds follow she PdLRyrG on the
look out for garbage thrown out by
tho cooks. 1t is said they follow q
vessel from shore to shore. Several
barqIes and schoonors are SEEM
The water whirls and boils, and
road of white foam is left in our rear.
The speed is eleven knots per hour.
Christmas day, Dec. 25.
The day is clear and never u
brighter Temperature at noon 48o.
Wind from the southwest. Mild
weather is anticipated until we enter
the Irish channel, where "contrari-
ness is law Of nature" says the
man at the wheel. The Portuguese
gentleman in company with me, and
who resides at one Of the Azores,
Capt. Mechado Antonio de Henriques,
is delighted with a speedy voyage to
Liverpool, and says we may stop
two days at Madrid in addition to
the four days allotted for stopping at
Lisbon and still be in time for the
steamer that sails for the Azores.
The Christmas dinner is superb and
served in English style We have
prairie chicken, turkey, duck, plum
and currant pudding. large wine
cake, monument Of jcll, with the
Britanic and American coats of arms
and the two national flags joined
he words "Peace and Union Forever"
IN n wreath Of evergreens dessert Of
oranges, figs, grapes, and otter fruits
with the usual display Of nuts. All
the cabin passengers are English.
except the Portuguese captain and
myself, in all numbering about twen-
ty. | bad always understood that
the English men were extremely re-
served, but the reverse appears on
this boat. They are more forward
and communicative than any com
pany Of American travellers | have
ever met. ascertain that most of
the passengers have been visiting
America in view of settlement, and
they think Of making their future
homes at Albany, Troy and other
towns in New York. There are 20
Storage passengers aboard
Sabbath, Dec. &c.
Weather exceedingly fac. Relig-
ious services at 1890, Episcopal, the
Captain Of Palmyra officiating. All
aboard invited, including steerage.--
About 100 present, quite filling the
saloon. Twelve o'clock lunch there
after, and malt beer tho beverage,
pint ut each meal being common.
Though 3 liquor saloon is all the
while open ! do not see any drinking
except at meal times, and then only
malt beer and occasionally wine.-
Smoking but little INDUCED in. As
we steam toward the east several
hundred miles each day, the true
time is kept according to longitude
by 1aily moving forward the dial
hands Of the clock, usually from Is
to p minutes each day. Passengers as
sembls in clusters for conversation
America and what is there to be adj
mired or condemned are the subjects
Tho Alabama settlement il discussed.
and the unanimous agreement is that
England is right-the rest of the
world in the wrong. Do you think
America wants Canada ? was ask-
ed. YES" replied, "but when
depopulated and delivered as wild
land" The Cunard steamers num-
Der about thirty, and are owned by
eight or ten men, chiefly at Glasgow,
some one remarks. They cost half
million each and one leaves each
continent daily. The shortest trip
was recently made in eight days
from Liverpool to New York-usu-
ally made in ten to twelve days
Tho Rr;t;sh ,,ovarpo,apf allnue on