Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-01-06
Correspondence of t ie Boston Journal
The AngIo-Americau Funeral Con-
VOy.
SAILING OF THE " MONARCH" WITH
GEORGE PEABODY's REMAINS.
PORTSMOUTH, England, !
December II, 1869. {


e There are three Portsmouths in th
English speaking world which strike m
/ as being very much alike in characteristic
a dullness and cheerfulness for stranger
i Here is one in merry England which i
sad colored and dull enough to give one
melancholic congestion; New Hampshire
in New England, has one which might b
improved as to cheeriness and Virgins
has the orowner But "as dull as navy
: town" ;s proverb, I believe; and on'
Z must go into the docks and along the har
Dor here to see signs of that intense lift
and discipline which to-day makes Eng
land mistress of the waves Ill.
= The funeral convoy which is to convey
the remains of George Peabody to oul
New England shores has been the subject
of many mortifying delays, and the pro
gramme has been utterly changed fron
the first The intention was to have the
Monarch, finest of English ron-olads, sal
, on the goth of last month. Then came
our Governments announcements that an
escort would be sent and the delay was
very material, At last the Plymouth was
detailed from her Mediterranean cruise tc
come into the foggy port of Portsmouth,
and be ready to sail at once in company
tie craft came in after a magnificent run
from Lisbou, the pilot put her aground
twice; and so the departure of the convoy
positively announced for the Sth, was
postponed until tho 11th,. this time tc
allow the Plymouth moment for repairs
/ The preparations for this convoy are, on
both sides, somewhat incongruous with
(the idea of the funeral escort. There is
no doubt that another international con-
test is in progress, and the convoy may 90
4 faster than ever funeral procession did
before. Those interested in naval mat
.ers talk of nothing but the sailing and
steaming qualities OF the respective crafts
and England has, in choosing the Mon
arch rs the specimen to send to America,
shown her willingness to convince the
Yankees that her power is great on the
water. This letter will certainly reach
you two, and possibly three weeks before
the Monarch and Plymouth anchor in a
New England port and l know our East
ern people, as we'll as those of the whole
country, will be interested to visit the
magnificent war vessel which has sailed
to America on an errand of peace and sor-
row. AT this time, it is positively uncer-
| tain whether the Monarch will arrive at
/ Boston or Portla.d. The English seem
rather in favor of the latter port indeed,
| have heard numbers say that they did
not think the Monarch could enter Boston
! harbOr safely. But larger vessels have
made safe entrance. The convoy will
take a sOutherly course, and will possibly
stop at Madeira. 1t is understood that
it was desired by the relatives of Mr..
Peabody that the convoy should not ar
rive at New York, as there would be
likely to be too much parade there. They
wish the reception of the dead "Bene-
factor of the Poor" to be unostentatious
in every respect, and as quiet as were his
acts of chaFty.
PORTsMoUTH-AN ENGLISH NAVY YARD,
Portsmouth in summer is one of those
coekney watering places with which the
Englishman contents himself. II e goes
down from London in the morning ex-
press-gets sea-sick in Casual mans
boat in the harbor-pays trebly exorbitant
prices for tea and toast at the principal
hotel, and goes back firmly convinced
that he has had a day at the seaside.
The town struggles along the harbor's
edge in the most pitifulIy disarranged
manner In fact, it is nothing hy itself,
and +hreo OF four towns, consolidated into
one parish, make up population of no.
600. The Notifications around the whole
parish, as one might say, are glorious;
and there are one or two old gates and
moats which are curious and very artistic.
There are always several companies of
soldiers drilling here and there, which
makes the town look something like a
French frontier garrison; ever prepared,
as if withstanding a siege From the
railway station it is at least mile to the
harbor and across a desolate common, on
which here and there looms up huge,
palatial hotel, looking gloomy enough in
this foggy December. The inhabitants
are small shopkeepers, and naval and mil
itary officers, with their underlings.
There are no such signs of life and hustle
as one sees in an American community of
100000 inhabitants one little Pedling
tonian morning paper comes around about
ten o'clock, the hour when the officers are
breakfasting, and when the beggars come
out to beg. The amount of misery in one
OF these English seaport towns is distress
ing "Navvies, out of work, and actually
clad only in shirt and pants, in this pierre
ing, provoking weather,
solicit jobs all about the port. If they
have not a written certificate of their
characters-no matter though they be
starving-they are quickly turned away,
and are liable to arrest for trying to gain
an honest living. The soldiers principal
occupation, when off duty, is to stand on
the sidewalks and improve their acquain-
tance with the servant girls. In the
summer Southsea is, like the Isle of
Wight, rather fashionable as a residence,
and American as well as English families
find their way there. In winter the town
is barren, and there is generally little do
ing in the harbor and docks.
But my visit here has shown me what
tremendous difference there is between
an English and American navy yard and
government port. This is especially no
tieeable now because of the great effort
England is making to put her navy into
better shape than that of any other power.
One might fancy "perfdious Albion"
about to go to war with some foreign ma
ton, by wandering through the Ports
mouth yard.
The harbor is fine, and sail around
that portion of it near the dock yard Is
picturesque. There is training ship"
anchored there, in which seven hundred
lads are educated to the service, and not
far from it is one of those gigantic four
deckers, relics of the last century, which
makes the song about England's wooden
walls stir up such heroic echoes. 1t is
the ship on which Nelson fought his fa-
nous fight, and where he fell, clinging
to Hardy's arm, and murmuring, kiss
me-" This relic of the battle of Trafal-
gar stands in the port as monument,
and incentive to naval valor. 1t is in
habited by only marines enough to guard
it. and few old sailors, who take pride
in showing the decaying marks OF the
"great battle" /
I took "casual' man to row me about
the port. and was amused at his garru-
lous chatter concerning the Peabody fu-
neral. "They was hexpectin' OF I'm
down this mornin, sir" said he mysteri-
ously, "but e didn't come. Ifancy there
hean nipb ah,ut f;ftv thousand people as |