Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1889-11-16

Or glorious trees, whence they
Wreath chapters for the neck and hand"
The ancient Irish bards were forever singing
of by Brazil (or BreassiD as an ocean hidden
land of perpetual sunshine, with noble
streams, mountains and Wales, filed with
perennial verdure, where there was neither
care nor decay. The tabled Keltic heroes,
like Ossine MacFion, were transported by
country of perpstual youth and island of the
immortals. Compensation in the sad fate of
King Arthur at Camelford came in the bear
ing away by tender hands of his hurt soul
and wounded body to the "island valley of
Avillon," from whence he shall "come
again" and give reign Of justice and peace
to his beloved England. Tasso, of pathetic
memory, in his glorious "Gerusalsmme Ii
berata" locates the sensuous wiles of the en-
chantress, Armida, over Rinaldo, when the
latter ought to have been back there with
Godfrey shying rocks at the heads of Pa
gans over the walls of old Jerusalem, as be.
ing wrought in "the Happy Isles, the Fortu-
nate" placing the islands even so late as
1870, to the west and south Of Gibraltar.
The Egyptians also believed in, and sang of,
similar island paradise of which Plato
makes Cretias tell the story, as having been
received through his grandfather from So
lon, who gathered its particulars from the
priests of Egypt. The fabled and vast At
lantis of all these nations fancy may have
had existence and disappeared; or it may
have existed in magnificent proportions, and
its location be still marked by those islet
minarets which, like the fine, lone towers of
crumbling castles, mutely tell of a wondrous
olden splendor and power. This conjunc-
ture is at least an interesting one, and gains
no little fascination when a glance of your
eye, sweeping in a northwesterly direction
over your map from Cape Bayador, on the
northwest coast of Africa, encounters as
possible broken links in a former mighty
continental chain, first the Canary Isles. then
the islands of Madeira, and beyond, for
hundreds of lailes raising their cloud kissed
peaks from sapphire waves, whose lustrous
gems of sunny verdure and bloom, the
Western Isles, or the islands of the Azores.
There are many pleasant ways. for those
not dreading a wholesome sea voyage, OF
reaching the Azores. There is line of
steamers and one of packets from Boston.
Certainly one line from New York, whose
vessels trade with Mediterranean ports, land
passengers on their way. You may get eve
ry month or SO staunoh sailing packets from
quaint old New Bedford, that single Ameri-
can seaport town which still believes in
American ships and American seamen.
fhar fOn n
ing the orange, or winter, season secure pas
sage by sailsr or steamer almost any day of
the week. While from Lisbon the govern
ment mail steamers of Portugal depart for
the Azores with regularity on the first and
fifteenth of every month. Being at the old
city of Nantes, on the Loire, and but a few
miles from the Bay of Biscay, had choice
only, so all wise authorities urged, of Lisbon
or Southampton for port of departure; but
coming upon some delicious oranges wrapped
in tell-tale corn husks at one of the frait
stalls of Rue du Calvaire, played the COM
mercial and maratime detective along the
quays from Nantes to st. Nazaire, and found
for know those oranges came not from
the Maderias, but the Azores, surely as
"Bourbon" could be traced to, Kentucky and
not to Maine-a jaunty Breton brigantine
just ready to set sail for Ponta Delgada, the
capital Of st. Michael, and the chief city Of
the Azores. Its captain, a good natursd
soul, broad, bushy and benign, nothing 10th
and freedom of his tiny cabin, with passage,
for just one hundred francs, agreeing to set
me down safely at Ponta Delgada, wAither
he was bound for . second cargo of oranges,
provided fair winds prevailed, within ten
days; and within as many hours We had lost
sight of the noble lighthouses of st. Ma
zaire, and. on seuthweaterly course. had
- rsHA AnI khA spr{r Nf GAo3 a. init
terrs, when night shut out the land, which
came not again to sight until the gray peak
of Pico, one Of the Azores which rises over
seven thousand feet above the sea, on ths
morning Of the fifth day of eur voyage, wa,
seen as but q tiny spsek on the far western
horizon.
It was a curious voyage with these old
| were found among them. Their vile soul
! wine which they consumed by the gallon
| their garlic, cavaire and salted fish, theil
| white bread OF wheaton rock, their stew
| and soups, and coffee black a. ink, and theil
| cooking above decks In the old utensils o.
| two centuries age, at all hours Of day ani
| night, after the manner of the picturesque
Cuban coasters once knew, are all Of unsa
worry memory. But the good Fellowship be
| tween master and men, the utter lack of tn,
| bowling brutality under the guise of sdisoi
| pline" upon American vessels, the constan
urbanity between fellows, and polite humili
| ty of captain to seamen, with their splendid
| physique, tho picture making dress ant
grouping of the crew, their curling hair
| fine, glossy boards, tremendous chests ani
frank, free, sunny faces ever turning to on
| in respectful Difference or pleasant smile
were all like nelodious verse to an enchant
ing idyl Of the sea.
In that pleasant voyage there was also TIM
to get together some advance notes upon tn
| Azores; and because there is little to fnt
about these islands in books, some facts from
these notes are worth settling down here in
telligibly and briefly: The Azores, name'
from the acor, or hawk, are nine islands ly
ing in an extended group whose general di
rection ranges northwest from st. Mary, tn
southernmost island lying In the latitude o
Gibraltar, about three hundred and fft
miles northwest, to Corvo, the northernmos
island, in the latitude of Philadelphia. Th
nine islands comprise three groups. Th
southwestern contains st. Mary with thirty
six square nailes and nine Thousand peopl
st. Michael, the largest Azorean island, wit
two hundred and twenty-four square mil,
and about one hundred and twelve thoussn
inhabitants; and the Formieas, or Ants,
group Of exposed rocks, hidden from vie
by fogs and exceptionally dangerous duriI