Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-10-12
e He
Evening Capital.
MONDAY. oCToBER 12, 1856.
Flend children.


In letter to the London Telegraph
describing his trip from San Francisco
TO the Hawaiian islands. George Agus-
tus Sala mliles.The Australia was in
tested by 4 small but determine gang
OF what Ismay term tieud children
American children / am sorry to
say. And l am sorry TO add
that thew were all the children Of
saloon passengers. There were several
well-enough conducted babies 10 the
stecraae, and q few tolefablo toddle-
kins In the intermediate cabins; but a
more exasperating set OF little despera-
does, male and female, than the first
class brats it would be difficult 10
imagine. am passionately fond of
what Leigh Hunt used to call s'the
small infantry who 90 to bed by day
light, Z and know that love and
fancy that | understand the pretty
ways of ordinary children; but when
the "small infantry" assume the as
pect OF so many diminutiye zaptiehs
and Bashi-B azouks in miniature; when
they decline to 60 TO bed by daylight,
or by lamplight either, until they are
driven like sheep into their hunks;
when from sunrise to supper-time they
never desist from their impish tricks,
the ..sInaIl infantry become to you
objects, not Of tenderness and SYM
pathys but Of terror or horror. The
leader of the gang was an attenuated
girl-demon OF about 8 or 10. She and
the sailow-faced little goblins whom
she led made our lives miserable. They
ran races in the saloon; they made
raids on tho stewards pantry; they
blocked up The companions; they wor-
ried the cooks in the galley; they
raised connections in the forecastle;
shey sprawled about the hurricane
deck, stopping up with yells OF exulta-
ton the ventilators which should have
given a little air to the hapless passen-
gers sweltering in the cabins below.
They perched on the taffrail, and were
in continuous peril of tumbling over
board; they hung on the rigging, and
made Gordian knots OF carefully cooled
ropes; they burst into the smoking
room, aud disturbed the quietude of
the live gentlemen who were constant
lyplaying poker in that divan; they
run Between the legs and all but des-
troyrd the equilibrium of the smoking
room stewardwho periodically brought
''driuks'f 10 the i've pokef-players;
they overturned the deck chairs and
made holes in the awnings; they derid-
ed rebuking quartermasters, and spoke
TO the man 1T the wheel--and all this
they did, not in the exuberance of in
fantile animal spirits, but ina sheer
spirit OF warton thrbulence and "cus-
sedness, wholly unchecked by their
mnmnlas or other female relatives, who
were either too seasick or too lazy to
look after and control them. Our cap
tain was shocked, but he had the
navigation of his ship to attend to. The
pursdf had never seen such children,
lie averred -sinco the last run from
Frisco to Sidney should say; the
doctor admitted that his small COM
patriots were just little worse than
Australian .larrikin children; tho
American lady doctor and her sister
botn unmarried ladies-were scandal
ICED ut the ill-behavior of this troop of
small pirates OF the Pacific, and sug-
Rested spanking all around as =
cure for the evil; but it was not until
late in the voyage, we had had one or
two good ssfiortherss and .ssouther-
" buster is to say, stiff gales
with n heavy sea running--that sea-
sickness came to our aid, and, for
awhile, partially paralyzed the activi-
~ Of these imps OF the ocean.