Year: 1860

--HudiBrGs


1t was mild, showery morning on the
14th of May, 1860, that the brig John
Butler, on board of which we were, left
her dock at New York and anchored off
the Jersey Flats From this point we en-
joyed the pleasantest and decidedly most
satisfactory view of the great commercial
city and its environs. The many white
sailed vessels and finely painted steamers
plying in and out the North and East Riv-
ers and between the bright green undulat-
ing slopes of Staten and Long Islands, pre-
sented picturesque and animated scene,
quite in contrast with the dark walls and
stately steeples of the city which arose be-
yond.


More delightfully."- refreshing nothing
could have been. In fact, the fine air and
characteristic scenes of New York Bay
amply repaid the Inconvenience of remain
ing all day in sight of the great metropo-
lis, without being jostled in its streets or
snuffing the peculiar atmosphere that per-
vades it.


On the morning of the goth we sailed
out of the Bay, passed Sandy Hook, and
were at sea. The sky was clear, and the
ocean calm Betwixt the novelty of being
at sea for the first time and the dread of
that sickness which all landsmen fear but
know to be inevitable, | was kept in state
of moderate excitement, which effectually
annihilated those sentimental sorrows which
one is expected at such times to entertain.
The first vessel we met coming in was the
Porto Plato, from this city, and owned by
a German firm on the corner of Broadway
and Wall street, New York. Her cargo, |
have since learned, consisted principally of
mahogany and hides.


Our mornings were passed mostly in
studying the Dominican language, which,
as nearly as can analyze it, is compound
of Spanish, French, English, Congo, and
Carribbean-but, of course, principally
Spanish. The afternoons were spent in
fishing and catching Sea-weed, watching
the fying-fsh, or in looking simply and 81
lently on the bounding sea, which was
in itself an infinite and unwearying source
of irrepressible delight A comparatively
quiet sameness characterized the voyage,
with bright clouds pencilling the sunset
sky, fresh breeze stifening the sail, and
the ship gliding smoothly over the buoy
ant waves, the sensations were at times
exceedingly exhilerating, and even su-
premely delicious. But there were no
dead calms, no terrific storms. To-day
was the pale blue sky above, and the deep
blue ocean rolling everywhere around; and
tomorrow the sky was equally as fine, and
the same dark, heaving ocean as boundless-
ly sublime. Had there been a storm, if
only for description sake


But the poetry ceased. We were now
in the latitude of the regular trade-winds,
with which every man is supposed to be
as certainly familiar as he is with a school
book OF the way to church. Where were
the windsf Wanting g-from the south
and east whe n they should have been from
the west, and gtce VerSa. AS for their re-
puted regularity, they were no more regu-
lar than sinner at prayers. -Four success
sive days we averaged about one mile an
hour, and this was in the trade-winds For |
the honor of all concerned, however, l will |
say ION the point blank oath of our cap
tain) that such thing never occurred be-
fore, and. as he expressed it, "mightn't be
again in thousand years" thought of
an old man who once went travelling, and
when he returned he was asked what he
had learned. He said, simply, II was a
fool before, but by travelling found it out"
The astounding thunder-storms you hear
about in the West Indies were all gone be-
fore we got here; SO were the whirl-
winds.


After a sail of twelve days, long, dim,
blueish outline, as of cloud four hundred
miles in length, stood out above the waves.
Soon, with glass, could be distinguished
the regularly rising table-lands and lovely
green valleys, the dark mountains standing
in the background. l was at once agitat-
ed with all the anxieties of hope and fear.
We were approaching the eyentful shores
of Santa Domingo, embracing as it does
the Dominican and Haytien republics.
But, however thrillingly interesting its
past history may have been, the practical
question was whether the present state of
affairs here would not be found unsatisfac-
tory, and the climate hotter and less heal
thy than was desirable, or whether the
luxuriant indications of opulence and ease