Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1909-04-17
THE LONG AGO AND THE LATER ON
AnEx of Years. of By GeoreeT Bromey

days. but from the time we left there
in 1892 until 1886, never saw single
person who had been there, and then
it happened that while at dinner in
Tien-tsin an English gentleman was
telling Of an adventure he had had in
Angro Pequena Bay, and / really felt
that I had found a long-lost friend;
and we had a lively time telling each
other what we knew about 1t.
The sealing ground was on the
southwest coast, about four hundred
miles from Cape Town, where the
coast was for hundreds of miles an
unbrolen sand desert. At that time
the only inhabitants were a tribe of
Beach Hottentots, whose chief SUBJ
sistence was the whale carcasses that
drifted ashore during the busy whal-
ing season. The chief of the tribe was
known as Ichaboe, after whom the
famous guano island was named ard
strange as it may seem, the product
of that island, Notwithstanding that
left Ichaboe without dollar. and he
wouldn't have known what it was, had
he come into possession Of one.
We were on the coast two seasons,
and secured two thousand skins. Dur
ing one of our trips to the Cape for
supplies, the news came that Victoria
had been proclaimed heir apparent to
ing at Cape Town was something Won
derfuL As the men were given leave
to go ashore and join in the festivi =.
ties, I invested in a large invoice of
Cape wine, and for the first time in
my life, / experienced a sensation Of
getting jolly well full. Just here 1 an
reminded that the same thing occur
red at the coronation OF Queen Vic
toria in 1887. I was then a boy on
board the packet ship Sampson, lying
in st. Katherines Dock, London.
Again the crew had a days liberty,
and again I gave an exhibition of my
patriotism by being overcome from
the exhiliarating effects OF English
ale; and yet, during all the years of
Her Majesty's reign, no acknowledge
ment OF my efforts in her honor was
ever made, thus showing that mon
arches, as well as republics, are some
TIM s uhgrateful.
After two whaling seasons, we
weighed anchor in Angro Peddena Ray
and headed for a final "Home again,
from a foreign shore" The passage.
which was not without adventure was
made in fifty-fve days. We passed
close to the Island of st. Helena, and
as the remains of the Emperor Napo-
leon had not been removed. the island
was an object of deep interest.
1t so happened that General Andrew
ddckSOn anu dIllNCU III lily AdblNe
town on the same day. and the double
honor was just about all the little
city could stand. II the general had a
larger opinion Of his own importance
than I had of mine. he did not seem
to show IL.
In 1925 the first cotton factory in
that part of Connecticut was erected
at Norwich Falls, and put I'm opera
ton by a company formed for tho puf
pose of manufacturing cotton cloth.
The president Of the corporation was
Mr.. William G. Gilman, father of Dan
| iel Cote Gilman. the first president of
the University Of California. and after
ward president of Johns Hopkins uni
versity Of Baltimore. The fl tory vas
| looked upon as a great blessing, as It
! gave employment to a large number ~
men, women and children, and all
Of them Americans, with not one for :
| eigner in the employ. The factory
stood at the head Of Yantic Cove,
which emptied into the Thames river,
and during the short days Of winter