Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1873-01-29
- MEMPHIS TENN: WEDNESDAY EVENING" JANUARY 49, 1873

never now be able 10 see, as the Dreeu
is extinct Steam and iron armor ended
the career Of those glorious ships, in
which Nelson sailed up TO the forts ni
Copenhagen, and there remained until
the forts cried pecdrii The same
also in which he and the gallant
Frenchmen struggled so often for the
supremacy Of the sea. What splendl ID
sight il was 10 see one OF those majestic
floating castles strip for battle, fold her
more delicate pinions and put them out
of harms way; chain the yards aloft,
and cast loose and provide" for the
bloody business Of war. Go down on the
main deck, where most blood was spilled
and the hardest work done, and glance
along the line Of weather.beaten old
salts and hardy young tars, full OF cour-
age and pride, and watch them handle
the ten thousand pound guns; see the
boarders assemble TO undertake that
most desperate of all enterprises-the
driving an enemy from his own decks
with thirty-inch broad-swords. See all
this, l say, and you will have witnessed
something to be remembered to your
dying day.
The news of our orders TO the
Islands was welcomed fore and aft, as
everybody hated our present duty and
station. SO when the boatswain sounded
his call and his ten mates each re-
peated it, and then with their united
eleven voices summoned all hands, up
anchorl" there was general joy and good
feeling all over the ship. The crew
tumbled up with will, and in few
minutes put the vessel under canvas.
Though the wind was blowing directly
into the harbor, we soon worked out,
and by sunset had got an offing and
spread our huge wings to the favoring
gale which sped us away to the south
ward.
If the reader will pardon a slight di-
gression, will here endeavor to impart
little information, and at the same time
explain the work which made our great
Tennessee Sdudnt, Commodore Maury,
famous throughout the world. A ship to
make a quick and prosperous voyage
must not always shape her course direct
ly from port to port, even though the
wind at the time of her departure be
favorable. To explain this apparent con-
tradiction, we will take the passage about
to be described as an example Along
the coast of California a strong north
west wind prevails which extends off
shore three or four hundred miles, and
continues its course to the latitude Of
thirty north, when it dies away and you
fan" into the northeast trades (the
trade winds prevail between the attitudes
of thirty degrees on both sides Of the
equator), or in some instances the wind
hauls gradually around from northwest
to northeast, and you have no calm
weather. Now if you follow this current
of wind, keeping within its limit, you
will be surely carried into the trades,
which will as surely send you rapidly to
your destination; but course shaped
on a direct line will run you out of
this current in three or four days,
possibly less, and long before you
are in reach of the trades. When
out of this current, you viii have battling
and variable winds, with not force
enough to send you fifty miles a day.
Here you will roll about in an easy, lazy
way and lose ten days or couple of
weeks, as much time, fully, as the ordi-
nary duration Of the voyage when sailed
in the right track This actually occur
red to the clipper ship Syren in 50. She
was thirty-one days making the passage,
when | did it at the same time, in small
schooner, in fourteen.
To prevent such mistakes, Commo.
dore Maury "bazed out plain paths
across every ocean by constructing his
wind and current charts, which give you
the force and direction of the winds for
every month in the year; which charts
we're constructed from the recorded ex.
periences of ships which had previously
sailed over the localities 1t is true
that this was a very simple thing to do,
so also was the discovery of America;
likewise is it easy to make an egg stand
on its smaller end-when you know how.
Although we had not Maury's wind
and current charts--for they were not
ready for some years afterward-yet we
knew the way, and followed it closely,
so that in FIVE or six days we were in the
latitude of Hile, the port to which we
were bound. The wind was as strong as
usual in those seas, and with royals and
studding sails allow and aloft, we ca
reered away to the west. Not an incl
dent occurred Of any moment, except
the burial at sea of one of the crew, for
which We came by the wind and hove
TO until the burial service had been
said and we had committed our brother
to the deep. We dropped the body into
the water, sewed in a hammock with q
couple of 92.pounder shot at the feet,
and filed away again. We we're eager to
make the land, as several cases Of seurvy
had made their appearance. The Island
of Hawaii. the largest and most southerly
of the cluster, would be seen first, and
if the weather was clear when we neared
J il, Mauna Kea or Mauna Loa would ap-
pear in view hundred miles before we
reached the shore. But there was little
chance Of clear weather, as it rained GER
tainly every day on that side of the Is
land, aud often two or three times. A
French navigator, in his directions
for approaching Hilo, our port of desti.
nation, observed that the best mark OF
the place was dense cloud and rain
sauall steer for the center Of it and you
will have your place. Sure enough one
Afternoon we made the rain squall and
steered for it, aud sure enough when the
cloud had exhausted itself and cleared
Of, there was our port. Our captain
was a bold and cool navigator, and al.
though his ship drew twenty-five feet OF
water he did not delay for pilot. The
bow gun was fred and the Jack set at
the fore, but We did not stop our motion
I but went right to eur anchorage, con
venient 10 the landing places. Anchor
ing, furling sails, mOoring, getting the
boats clear for service and numerous
other things incident upon the arrival ol
a vessel from sea is too exciting 10 allow
one much time TO look about. Bat for
tunafely, il does not take long 10 do such
a thing on q man-of-war; therefore, Ions
/ before dark the young officers crowded
tha noon deck and horsa black 10 see