286
NOTES AND QUERIES. [12 s. vi. JUKE 12. im
widely than I ever intended, I feel that I should
spend next winter in explaining why I did not go
and that it is the lesser evil, even after more
delays than beset Lord Anson, to go than to
excuse myself from going. I hope the public
in whose "behalf it is made will appreciate the
sacrifice.
We left Liverpool this morning under the most discouraging circumstances, it had blown hard all night, it rained in torrents and the steamer which should have brought us to the ship being late, we were left for nearly an hour in a heavy rain on the landing stage to the great detriment of our tempers and luggage. We are 150 in all, the majority Americans, some Canadians, some English, some French, Spanish and Germans. My friend Oliphant has already made me acquainted with Mr. Ross the Speaker of the Canadian House of Assembly and through him I know Mr. Zimmerman the proprietor of the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls, Mr. Macbeth also a large Canadian landowner and Mr. Johnstone the son of a Liverpool merchant, who, though an Oxford man, is qualifying himself for his father's business by visiting .his customers in Brazil, Cuba &c. Mr. Ross on* first reaching the ship secured me a place at the Captain's table and the agent Mr. Burgess informed me to my great delight that though I had only paid for a single berth I was to have a State Room to myself.
So far all was well, but the weather was abomin- able, it blew as even the sailors admit, half a gale, and this was varied every hour by violent squalls with rain which lifted the windward (starboard) paddle fairly out of water. However, I determined to resist as long as possible, lunched at 1, dined at 4, stood champagne to our table, had tea at 8 and supper at 10 by which time I was glad for more reasons than one to go to bed where I slept soundly enough.
Sunday, 28th. There can be no doubt that the rapid succession of meals during the day is the best preventive of sea sickness. The stomach poor thing stimulated into unhealthy activity requires to be constantly supplied and gets weak and qualmish the instant it is empty. Thus it is that the morning is always the worst time, and he is a good sailor indeed who can dress de- liberately and go on deck before breakfast. As yet, I cannot manage this and was obliged this morning to eat dry toast very ruefully in bed, and even taste some weak brandy and water before I was able to huddle on my clothes and get on deck. I found the weather much the same as yesterday, the wind plainly rising but the sea rather less heavy as we were under the lee of the South coast of Ireland which we hugged pretty closely from the Tuskar Light all the way to Cape Clear. It is very high and bold with yet higher mountains inland, but without as far as I could see a single town or village on the shore. We dined to-day very magnificently just as we approached Cape Clear, and dinner was not long over before we felt the loss of the land which had so long befriended us. We had scarcely cleared the Fastnet Rock beyond Cape Clear when we were open to the long unbroken swell of the Atlantic. The change of motion was immediate. Not nearly so distressing as in the little Channel steamers, it had to be borne for a much longer time, and as it was its effects were so far imme-
diate that we had a very scanty muster at tea--
time and by 9 o'clock I was glad to turn in.
Michaelmas Day. All night long the gale
continued to increase, and the ship lay over so
much that being on the windward side I could
hardly keep in my berth. The lamps which are
kept outside the state-rooms and light them
through ground glass, are put out at 12 o'clock
so that until daylight one is in profound darkness
and lucifers are properly forbidden. It was
unpleasant therefore about 4 this morning to-
hear when a sea struck the ship all my traps that
I have thought secure come down with a crash and
remain until light came grinding about the floor.
Happily there was not much harm done, but the
aspect of the room did not suggest early rising
and I lay still till the steward came at 9 o'clock to
bring my breakfast. Even then I could not get
up and after trying to dress was obliged to lie
down again, so that dressing by instalments, it
was 2 o'clock before I could get out. Nor was
the aspect of affairs then promising, the wind at
north-west was so far favourable that we could
carry sail, but the sea was so violent that no onfr
could stand without holding on. Very few
passengers, and these mustered very disconso-
lately at the lee of the funnel, and wondered how
long the gale was to last. My stay was brought
to an end by the loss of my hat which after a long^
peaceful residence in my dressing room at S.I.
\i.e. t Serjeants' Inn] went on a cruise of his own..
I managed however, to come again for tea and
begin to believe as I write this at 10 o'clock that
the weather is moderating. We had run at noon
to-day 176 miles from the Fastnet Light which is
an average of about 10 miles an hour.
Tuesday, 30th. This was a most deceitful day.. The night was so much more calm that I felt quite well as soon as it was light, and after a good. wash and shave (the first) turned out an hour before breakfast where almost all the passengers mustered. Scarcely was it over however before the wind rose again, the sea was up directly,, the deck was soon untenable from spray and before 12 o'clock I was obliged to go back to my cabin which I did not leave again that day. The noise of the sea was incessant, and the motion of the ship so great that I could scarcely keep in my berth. I was not sick, however, though I should have been if I had not lain down, and, was able to eat a good dinner and breakfast on the follow- ing day.
Wednesday, October 1 . Worse even than yester- day. The gale which had never left us since we started was more violent than ever and the waves quite magnificent. A very small party at dinner and scarcely anybody able to keep the deck, so vio- lent was the motion and so incessant the storm of spray. I turned in early for really there was no temptation to stay up. In the night we shipped one very heavy sea which smashed the bulwarks forward, and almost washed the people out of the cabins on deck. For what seemed a minute by the watch, the way of the ship was altogether stopped.
Thursday, October 3 [2]. We only made yesterday 97 instead of 240 miles and appear- ances to-day are no better. The sea is so heavy that we can only work the engines at half speed, and even with this we shipped a sea just after- breakfast which washed the two look out mea
