The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1878-06-13


Wealth and People OF Various Countries
Graphically Described.
Mrs. Brassey, wife of Mr.. Thomas
1: Brassey, NJ. p, has written an interesting
and obstructive book, in which she de.
{ scribss, in graphic manner, the multi
/ plicity of. scenes witnessed and incl
dents. met with in q tour around the
world. The lady was accompanied BY
! her husband and a few intimate friends,
and travelled in . commodious yatch,
well manned by trusty seamen.
The Sunbeam, sailing from the
Thames, set out on the Est Of July, 1876,
and steering westward by the Isle of
Wight, suffered some rough weather In
getting into the Atlantic. On the 18th
there was q cry of a "sail on the port
beam,n button investigation it proved to
be an abandoned vessel tossed abouton'
the ocean, with masts gone. and the sea
washing over the, haif-broken-up deck.
This unfortunate derelict was visited sit
had been laden with wine, of which sew
eral cask were carried away, and thenlt
WAS seft to! lis fate; though had time per-
mitted to take the hulk into port 8 cop-,
siderable salvage might have been real
lied, The party Rere beginning to set
tie down. At meals there; was much
pleasant talk, Ms. Rrasseys read and
wrote 8 good deal, and learnd Spanish
one of fthe gentlemen taught the chill
a dren, and the ecommissariat department
was satisfactory. The land first reached
was MADEIRA. At Funchal, the vessel
dropped anchor; and with jaunting
abcutto see the island, there was astay
of several days. Many friends came on
board before. departure. and "all ad.
smired the yatch very much. particularly
thesy various cosy corners in sthe deck
house, s.
On the 26th July, off for the Canary
Islands; and these being reached, there
was an, expedition on horseback to the
Peake of TeneriFe.a Tremendous as was
: the ascent of the mountain which rises
IL ,466 feet above the level of the sea,
Mrs. Brassey did not shrink from the
undertaking. She, however, did not
attempt to climb the cone of $50 feet,
composed as Is is of hota aches, into
which the feet siHk mt every step,
while sulphurous vapors pour from the
various fssures. View from the sum-
NIT magnificent. 0f the picturesque
! scenery drawings and photographs were
taken. Tenerife being e1austed, of
went the Sunbeam, still holding in 3
sotthesly direction By the- Cape de Verde
Islands. :. :, ;,
Rio de Jansrio, on the coast of South
Amarica, was reached on August 5lS.
The eye everywhere was struck with the
4 brilliant .colors of the humming birds,
flowers and butterflies. Palm, orange,
lemon, and. citrons trees were among the
+ cotamoa obi rs Of vegetation: a yaria-
ton inths general amusement consisted
of voyage mp. the River Platte and q
Journey on the Pampas. Splendid coun-
try, and well farmed, but under what an
infiiction-the locust. Of these terri!
ble creatures Mrs, Brassey heard o good
deal, and she longed 70 see them, and
her wi1h was .gratifed. she: says :5in I
the course of our ride We saw IN the dis
tant sky what looked very much like q
heavy purple ithunder:cloud, but which
the experienced pronounced to be:
sworn Of locusts. It seemed impossible;
but as We proceed they met Us, first
singly, and then in. gradually increasing
numbers, until each step became posi-;
lively painful, owing to the smart blows
!; we received from them on our heads,
faces and hands. As the locnsts passed
between us and the sun they completely
obscured the light; q little later, with
! the SUMS rays shining directly on their
( wings, they looked like golden cloud,
such a. one sometimes, sees in the trans
formation scene in a pantomime."
The Sunbeam set of in its course
south1ard on Septamber %. While ly-
ing down to rest after breakfast, Mrs.
Brassey was summond to come on deck
to see ship which had signalled being
ON fire. Aboat being dispatched to dis
cover the condition OF affairs, the vessel
was found to be the Monkshayen, sixty
days out from Swansea, bound for Val
paraiso, with cargo of smelling coal,
which had taken fire by the spontaneous
ignition of gases. AS it was evident
that the unfortunate ship could not be
saved, prompt assistance was given IN
bringing the crew on board the Sun
beam. The poor fellows, says Mrs.
Brassey,. "were almost wild with JOY at
getting alongside another ship, after all
the hardships they had gone through,
and in their excitement they threw over
board many things which they might as
we'll have kept, IS they had taken the
troublet to bring them. Our boat made
: three trips altogether; and BY. .halt-past
six we had them safe on board, with most
of their effects, and the ships chronome-
ters, charts and papers.
While we were at dinner the ship was
blazing like. tar-barrel." The unex-
pected addition of the crew of the. Monk
shayen to those on board the Sunbeam
proved a trial on the commissariat, but
the difficulty was overcome. The incon--
yeniepce was fortunately for only o few
days. The limani, one of the Pacific
Compapy's mail steamers, came in sight
on Che route for England, and to this yes
Sc. the crew of the Monkshaven were
consigned.
On the 9th of October the Sunbeam
WIS off the coast of Patagonia; the rug.
ged mountains of Terra del Fuego rose
on the sky. and now the yatch shaped
its course for the Straits of Magellan.
To get through these tortuous narrows is
reckoned one of the clever feats in navi-
cation. There are many snnken rocks
10 be avoided, and the natives scattered
about the coast are not to be relied on.
The narrow channels we're got through
on Ghe 18th October the sun pierced
through the clouds and the broad Pa
c:ic was in view. What q triumph in
navigation to have piloted "the yatch
through the straits, for it would do
credit, not only to an amateur, but to
professional seaman Sails were hoist
ed; and now begins what we deem to
be the most amusing part of the work
for after touching at Valparaiso, the
yoyaging was among the groups of
Islands which, dotting the Pacific, lie
basking il the profase beauty of the