The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-08-23
.ASResniniscence.

III
schooner Weymouth, Captain Couch. II
was a voyage not without sits ups ana
tlowns--its pleasures and. its discomtorts,
but more noted for its duration than any
other thing. We were Just t,centy.one aag q
from Richmond to New York-nearls three rec
times as long as some voyages from LONDON
10 New York. II wasin the month @ oe-
tober, and, although we hailed ifom = s'cu-
snond we had to come to anchor at Staten
island and wait the pleasure Ok the officer TO
view crew and passengers aud ascertain our
condition Of health before we could be per-
mitted Ia go ahead towards Gotham OF com.
municate with the shore. And this mol
w;,hstanding that Richmond was never
known to have had d case of yellow-fever'
The precaution was chiefly directed at Nor.
folk: but that city had been wonderfully
exempt for years from the dreaded disease,
and did not have.a case for eighteen years
afterwards. But those were days When
quarantine was carried to an Assure eA'
IRENE, and commerce was subject 70 man!
useless obstructious on account OF tnelh
All vessels coming from south OF Cape
Charles had to wait for the health oihcer al
the New York quarantine, ground.
The Weymouth was Of the regular line al
Ian s. PAxsos's) that piled between hich,
mond and New York. Her voyages hac
been uniformly short, and twas not oeeli'ee !.
necessary for her to take large amount o.
provisions for a voyage. We had iresn
meat only for a day or two, ana Tue. re-
mainder of the supplies consisted OF hara'
tsck salt beef. and cheese, together with
coffee. But on passing out from the Cnesa.
neake we encountered chat violent ana
Ione-Iasting storm which detained US a.
sea for period, during which we acqu'reu
nm amount OF sailors knowledge ana eA'
perience that fall to the lot OF re" iaho'
lubbers. With this we Will not pore Tue
reader, and will only remark that having
dr;ste6 under bare poles far down the coast,
the storm finally was sufficiently supaaed
~ enable the schooner to make sail, and we
begun our northeast course towards sc"
York. The first land we sighted was tue
coast OF New Jersey, where we were as
tonished at the number Of landlords that
took refuge upon the schooner. Inc "'no
was not violent, but sufficiently strong 10
carry of the birds which were not cautious
to keen out OF danger. They were treateo
by the sailors in the kindest manner, ana
tho man who should have injured one OF
them would have been in danger OF peing
cast into the sea; for the sailor is nfln De-
lever that cruelty to an animal that IN stress
OF weather seeks the vessel for refuge wouiu
bring disaster upon it. Is not tins a sort Oh
intuitive principle Of humanity: IL sug-
yests a moral that is not inapplicable to the
..theory aflc practice" Of quarantine.
The evening of the twentieth day out we
reached quarantine before Staten Island.
There, at bali past on bot October eve
ming. we saw the health-officer leaving a
vessel he had examined, not far from us,
and signalled him. But he paid no atten-
ton to US, and was rowed ashore in his
comfortable boat. So we settled down IN Il
state OF mind bordering upon despair. We
were hungry to degree never BEFORE
known to us. Cheese and bread-eyen
/" harp-tack dad given out; we had Gomez
without sugar. Indeed, we had had no conee
after the storm sat in; for the caboose had
been lashed down and fires extingulsheo,
and we had nothing save hard, raw salt-beef'
which we had gnawed upon most earnestly
to but little satisfaction. Many time we
sincerely regretted that we had not the teeln
of rodent, that we might make some i'm.
preston upon that beef. Wearied ana
worn by the long voyage, and the heavinS
and pitching OF the sea, and almost dying ZOE
something to eat, we looked upon that beaitn-
officer as he was borne placidly along to the
shore with yindictiveness we never feit
before or since. With an Enfield rifle anu
minie-ball we could have picked OH MS
fingers, OF, what would have been more
agreeable, his nose, or have dislodged one
of his eyes. We watched him until he land
ed, and then sank down upon the deck in
despair. =.
Never was man more heartily "cussed -
than was that health-officer by those on
board the Weymouth that evening. The
night was passed In dreams of food and
crystal streams, varied by bloody assaults
mon health-otficers who were endeavoring
70 rob us OF our delicious food.
Morning came upon languid and long
inc community that had hardly energy to
move, but lived in hope of.speedy relief
from slow death. The sun rose bright,
but oh, how slow! 1t seemed that the
abominablc and hated health-officer would
never come. But as time always brings
the worst as we'll rs the best OF things, that
autocrat at last came. He proceeded lei
surely and gravely-the man who has you
in his power always proceeds that way-to
bis business. This be finally ended, and
giving us a ssc.can bill" he departed, to
our supreme satisfaction.
Hunger whets the sensibilities mos! keenly,
and that morning we believe that we shifted
the odors OF fried ham and :" beefsteak and
inguns," and much breakfast-table fra
GRANGE, across the wide surface that lay be.
tween us and Staten Island. Like the
beasts in the menagerie, we were animated
by the shifting. and moved about eagerly in
expectation OF the sumptuous breakfast
which the captain had gone ashore TO bring
to us.
At last it came, and it required all the
self-control our civilization had taught lis
10 enable us to wait civilly and advance de-
corously to the table. But this we all dlo'
and such an earnest and deliberate setting