The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-04-20
.,rrr.x raoM SOUTH AMERICA E'E !

w -. From SOUTH AA isi' a'- \,
xn ,,rp rruRs From HohE-THE ptstAiun
~ Tsp SOUTHERN HEhrsPssERE-"sAlL.
sS;,-S rur SEAS OVER THE GULF
,sTRxAN-ITs CAusE-A SYLVIA A. ''A 1'--
TONE ISLANDS IN THE SKA
,r-onn wandering correspondent o. a,e DISPATCH
49, Rio DIR JANRaRo, BRAZIL,
2 -. February &c, 1874. }
Soon after the arrival OF the AM LIT a
,,,s;s steamer from New York at TINS p yh,;,h
package was placed in nay nsnas, "rtbe
a,pon opening / found to De s cnn fr;end,
weekly Dispatch sent nae oy ar NJ Sor Sawr
r, ,ras fhe first copy 1 had seen ioi ~"
1! ~ and the idea Of once more enjoying
Ino" as, CITY thousand miles from nome"
1910 ~ thai had learned to look upon as "
ill meal for nearly three years-cah 10
ho,tsr imagined than described. ie
atrsnoe land, surrounded by strange races
nd iistenipg to language incomprenensi.,
Hia 70 Christian care, | felt that naa iou'.u
. friend inLeed--one who carried me Daon ,:t ~
Tho DAYS of Aud Lang Syne-and iele I'M ons
eTc,aimiug with the exile OF hum, quo
1910 in ferris. nostrf non plend tdoo'H.
"a neealess to say that read every ~oFa
a. - even the incompatible bishops VI
1he worthy commercial edltor. voc
hooked over its familiar pages was
-..o,,,snded of a promise I had made to write
= q lerier. and give some OF the signts
,,,;g,t see In foreign chimes. In compliance
.r;fh this promise enclose short synopsis
nf an. eyentfu cruise, which may NOT DC un-
interestipp to your many readers, partictl-
larlarly as It relates to service when may,
owing to q probable rupture between our
country and foreign power, whose lnau-
manity has so recently merited the eXecra-
fions OF all civilized nations, be called upon
ut anv moment 10 take more actlVe par
than mere spectators.
e LEAVING HOME. So.
On the 9th of November, 1873, steamed
out of port in the United States on Doara
The United States man-of-war MononganeR'
thoroughly equipped, and destined lor q
three Years cruise Ia the South fac'nc
ocean. We left port just in time 10 mss
- orders" which would have probaoiy SEM
,,s to look after American interests ID LUG
SsEver Faithful Isle," as the day aiter our
<Jerarture the news arrived at home OF Tue
can,1,re and murder of the crew OF inc
Tamons Vireinius ut Santiago de CIoa. LUIS
alan in the face Of the sovereignty Oh our
ronntry fell like a thunderbolt upon the
eoeonle' and there was as hurrylng saddilnS
IF sieeds in our navy-yards for the protec-
sion Of the national honor rs there was 10
fhe pursuit of the Lochinvar; but Whlte
This excitement was rife in the land, We, lg-
Sorant of its existence or us cause were
plougbipg the waves OF old ocean, on
peaceful errand to our destined station.
Az coon as we had reached 3 good ION"
inc In the dim distance, the hoarse noies Oh
1he boatsBsin and his mates calling "all
hands make sail" ran through the ship, aud |
aeon the snow.white duck fell in great nakes
from the wards, were " sheeted home" ana
xhe swelling canvas catching the fresh SOUTH
vest wind. our noble ship "healed i" over
a streak or two and was soon buffetlng the
iucreasipg swell Of old ocean at rate OF nine
knots per hour. 1t was then that we more
fully realized that innate amor pdf'7G when
fhe Creator has implanted In the bosom OF
ali bis creatures. and which fixes the heart
OF each individual to his native soil BY an
inyinclble magnet, that belongs equally to
the natives of icy Greenland and the burn
Ing sands Of Africa. We had left home and
with prospective absence of three
long, weary years, that seemed almost an
eternity, and as the sun slowly settled be-
hind the western horizon, shutting out from |
gaze the dim landscape, l could but recall |
those sad bu: beautiful lines OF the great
poet:
= Alden, adieu! my native shore, fades DER the |
The night winds sigh, the breakers roar, and |
shrieks the wild sea-mew;
Ton sun that sets upon the sea, we follow In his |
Farewell awhile to him and thee, my native land |
Good night"
THE GULF STREAM.
The day after leaving port we reached the |
Gulf stream-that great river in the sea, |
which has been prettily termed the "pulse |
of the ocean," Its presence was indicated |
by its sharply defined edge, differing in color |
from the literal waters of the ocean, By
large quantities OF sea-weed floating on its |
surface, aud by the temperature of the water, ]
which was almost warm enough to cook an
egg. FL
It is useless to state the many surmised
causes or peculiar characteristics OF this re-
marksbie body of water, suffice it to say that
1t has been, and probably ever will remain,
q mystery to the sayants of the age. The most
cause, however, and the one which
comes nearer the bounds Of reason and
philosophy, has been given BY one OF VIZ
ginia's noblest sons-the immortal. Maury-.-
whose laborious research and wonderful
genius has benefited the commercial world
to an extent almost iDcalcuabie; ana
vet this great benefactor Of mankind
he who has "blazed" the ocean as q
highway, and with his "wind and current
charts" has dotted the trackless waste with
signboards as plain and unerring as those OF
= turnpike, is denounced as q chartatan,"
~.an impostor," by those who were not
worthy TO touch even the hem of his gar
ment. Immortal sailor thou whose mighty
genius has enriched the worlds knowledge
with treasurA Invaluable, art as far above
fhe lnetty. malignant shafts hurled at thee as
fiie towering peakseof the Andes are above
&he riyulets which muTmur at their base.
Thy name and memory will be fresh and
green In the hearts Of grateful nations long
after Shy calrfmniators have disappeared IN
, obssurity and oblivion. This great hydro
rrapher, after detailing in nervously-elo-
1uent language description of this stream,
@says:} "@
In the present state Of our knowledge
concerning this wonderful phenomenon we
> can do little more than conjecture. But we
have two causes in operation which we may
safely assume are among those concerned in
producing the Gulf stream One of these
is In the increased saltness of its waters after
the strade winds have been supplied with
Rapor from it. be it much or little. The
other 10 in the diminished qudntun1 Of salt
which the Baltic and the northern seas con-
tain. -----'t
The Haters of the Baltic are nearly fresh ;
they contain only about half as much salt as
Sea.water does generally. Now, here we
have on one side the Gulf Of Mexico and the
Caribbean sea with their waters of brine; on