Morning journal and courier., 1883-10-16

ferent ones, some to walking the breezy deck, some 50 reading or letter writing, and some to sleeping the time away. I wrote letter to New Haven friend, and made the remark that it was the best soxt of time to write, for there was none of the accustomed ca- reening of the ship to make the hand un- steady. Little did we, at that time, suppose that although we should get to Rotterdam on Thursday, it would be in so eventful and roundabout way.
 At two o'clock those who happened to be below were excitedly told that two or three queer looking Dutch boats had come along side and we supposed one of them contained the pilot, who had not until that time made his appearance We hurried on deck and looked with curiosity at the boats, open boats about twenty-five or thirty feet long, immensely heavy and solid, with large sails of reddish brown canvas. The sailors too, with their honest, stoiid faces and outlandtsh dialect and their huge unpainted, clatter1nR wooden shoes, excited our attention as something novel and unique. We had scarcely time to notice these and were straining our eyes to try and make out something of the conversation that was be- ing carried on between the captain and the pilot when we were told to get ready iEl- mediately to leave the steamer by one of these boats, which was pluneiDg about twelve Or fifteen feet below us as we looked down at it over the ships rail. We hur- AAG64T RAChCU N14ot Wdo AyAAS AOOoS HI O0A staterooms and in three.quarters of an hour were all in the boat, sailing before fresh breeze towards the Holland coast. There were about thirEy-five of us in all, the cab in and steeraRe passengers huddled in to. gether along with our luggage. The trans fer from the steamer to the open boat was somewhat exciting although every one was perfectly calm and collected. The women and children had a strong rope tied around them just under the arms to make 1t safer for them to climb down the swinging lad der to the boat but the men clambered down as best they could. The waves dashed vigorously over the sides of the boat upon us as we tackled about to get to land, but that was all the inconvenience we suffered. In fact the friend who had been my fellow traveller in crossing the ocean and I said to each other that we rather regretted, seeing we were in shlpwreck, that we could not have had @ little more danger so as to have made 1t more of an adventure. AS our boat went skimming through the waves sailor youth sat in the forward part of the boat singing to the breeze some lugubrious Dutch monotony, and the whole scene was so exhilarating in it's novelty that the dispcsi- tion to join in was by no means wanting.
 In not more than an hour and half we reached the little hamlet of Burghsluls. AS we approached sailing along by the first Holland dike we had ever seen, we could see men, women and children running along the top of the dike towards the landing place to see what had happened to bring such boat load of people to their unfrequsnted harber. At the top of the dike we were met by the whole population, all gazing upon us as curl osities. They followed us to the little public house and remained in groups outside while we went in to try and get something to eat. What enhanced the oddity Of the whole scene was the inability of any of us to say anything to these people or they to us. All we could do was to laugh and smile at each other. We were all surprised to find so very great diff ference between the Dutch and the German languages. It would have been greatly in- convenient had not the doctor, who was with us, and one or two of the others, been able to converse In the language of this little out of. .the-way Holland settlement. l suppose if we had made 8 journey on purpose we could hardly have found such 8 purely primitive spot as Burghsluis, a place which Fancy few Americans have ever heard of Upon sign over the door of the little inn was this sim- pie word, Hetschepperschuis," which is sample of the language.
 From Burghsluis we set out just ct dark for three hours ride to the little city of Zierikzee, another place not widely known to Americans. We made cur progress from BurRhsluis to Ziarikzee through the darkness of She evening in cavalcade of one great barouche-like carriage and four hay carts. Aside from the sympathy we felt for the captain and officers of the steamer and our regret at the probable loss of the good ship, VIC could pot but enjoy the situation, and we started up the echoes of the low lying fields and the dikeg and canals by col lege song or two as VIC rode along. Our ac commodations ct the 'tHetel Van Oppen' in Zierikzee were more than simply good. They were almost luxurious compared with what we expested. Tho spacious rooms, the cano- pied beds, the shining old mahogany, the half-past nine o'clock tea of delicious cold roast beef with all the suitable aocompani- ments, gave the impression of a quiet mode of living that was genuinely solid and sub stantial. What surprised us, especially at Zierikzee, which we supposed hundred years behind the times, was to find upon our arrival local newspaper lying upon the table containing telegraphic account of the disaster to our steamer. It had happened in sight of a neighbozing lighthouse, from which the telegram had been sent.
 On Thursday morning at $50 little steamboat started from Zierikzee for Rotter- dam, and sailing for six hours, sometimes by canal and sometimes by river, through Hat lying but interesting scenery, by sleepy ham lets and thriving towns, past handsome resi- dencss surrounded by charming groves, and very often the proverbial windmill looming up in the landscape, we at last reached the fine old city of Rotterdam, and here will close my letter, which Is already getting to tedious length. M.