02 VOYAGE TO AMERICA

Chapter 2 VOYAGE TO AMERICA

JAMES PHILLIPS kept a diary of his voyage to America, which lies before us as we write. The ink has long been faded, but the book, with its conscientious and painstaking entries in round hand, is not only interesting, as illustrating the working of a boyish mind under circumstances altogether exceptional, but possesses a pathos of its own, as a revelation of a singularly honest and ingenuous character. We can hardly describe the voyage to New York better than by giving a series of extracts from this boyish diary : —

’’Jan. 12th, 1851. — It has now been eight days since we left Madras. We have had small showers of rain, once in a while, and a considerable breeze. Yesterday we were going at the rate of eight or nine miles per hour, but to-day we are going at the rate of six or seven. We had a considerable motion in the ship yesterday, and we were very sick, and could not get out of our beds either to go to dinner or anything else. I had a very bad headache yesterday, which has not gone off yet, but we had school to-day as usual. Our lessons are History of England, of which we read four pages, and then answer all questions on it, spell long words, and parse a few sentences, then we learn our Greek lesson, and after we have said it, or sometimes before, we have to go to dinner. After we come from dinner we have a little recess. When Mr. Bacheler goes to dinner we write in our copy-books, in which he has set some Greek copies, then we go up on deck with him. After being there a little while, the tea bell rings, and after tea we remain on deck a little longer, and then come down into our cabin, and have worship. We all, namely, Mr. Bacheler, Mrs. Bacheler, John, Maria, Albert, and myself, read four verses each all round, and then Mr. Bacheler prays, and after worship, John and I read a chapter in the Bible, and when we have said our prayers we go to bed."

"Jan. 17th. — It is rather rainy to-day. We have now been out twelve days without seeing land, and expect to be another month before we get to the Cape of Good Hope. A gentleman, the fourth mate of the ship, told us yesterday that we may expect rainy weather for three or four days longer, and then we shall have some fine weather. I have had a very bad headache to-day. I wish it had been a pleasanter day, for it is my birthday. I am twelve years old to-day. I so wish I were at home."

"March 2nd. — After sailing forty-two days we arrived at Cape Town, but we saw land about a week before we anchored. We had a very strong contrary wind for several days before we entered the bay, and at last it blew so hard that we had to stow away all sails."

"On the 17th Feb. there was a calm, so that we only went about a mile an hour. We were only about eighteen or twenty miles off, and so in the evening a little breeze springing up we got in at about eleven o’clock. The next morning after breakfast we went ashore with Mr. Bacheler and Albert."

"April 28th. — We expect to be in dock at London in two or three days more. We took a pilot from the Scilly Islands on the 23rd inst., but we were not in sight of land when he came on board. Yesterday morning we saw England. It looked so very beautiful through our port. We could see the houses so well, although so far from land. Yesterday evening we passed Plymouth Harbour from which the people went to settle in America, and named the place where they landed, Plymouth, in the State of Massachusetts. We have a fine fair wind now, and are going fast, so we hope to have a steamer to-morrow to take us into dock. I saw the Eddystone Lighthouse yesterday evening, but we were a great way off, and I could not see it very distinctly."

" May 8th. — We took the steamer Goliath on the morning of the 29 th April, and about nine o’clock that night we anchored near Gravesend, a small town about twenty-one miles from London. On the following morning we arrived in dock about ten o’clock, and in the afternoon went to a boarding-house in Queen Street, Cheapside. On the way we saw a great many things, so many beautiful shops and houses, all ornamented with pictures and glass ornaments. We only remained at Cheapside four days and then removed to lodgings in Museum Street, Bloomsbury."

" May 24th. — We have seen a great deal of the city since I wrote last. The gentleman of the house has a boy about two years older than we are, who has been very kind to us ever since we came here, and has taken us all about the city, and shown us all the curious things and places in London. He took us to St. Paul’s Church, but we did not go all through it ; and he took us to see Buckingham Palace, where the Queen of England lives ; and we saw the Duke of Wellington’s place, which has got iron shutters up. It was because the people once threw stones, and broke his glass shutters, so the Duke, wishing to teach them respect for their great people, ordered iron shutters to be put up. Now the people are ashamed of themselves, and wish to have them taken down ; but the Duke will not do it. After we had seen it, we went to see Hyde Park, and had a good run on the nice fresh green grass. It was the first time we had been on the grass for four months or more. Since that we have been out almost every day. We have been with Mr. Bacheler to see the new House of Lords. It is one of the most beautiful houses in London. It is ornamented on all sides by pictures and all sorts of paintings. I was astonished when I went into it. In several places there are statues of people, all so beautiful, and finished off so nicely. After we had been through the House of Lords, we went to see Westminster Abbey, one of the oldest places in London, built by Henry III. nine hundred and eighty-eight years ago. We saw the tombs of a great many of the kings of England. We also saw the tomb of Mary, Queen of Scots, Cromwell, and General Wolfe, who died in a battle with General Montcalm at Quebec. Also a great many more of whom I have read in history. We have been to see the Crystal Palace, or the display of industry of all nations of the year 1851. It is one of the beautifulest houses in England, and is all glass and iron. It is being broken down now, and I hear it is to be built again next year in a place in the country, about ten or twelve miles from London. We have not been yet to see the Tower, where so many kings and queens of England have been murdered ; but I think we will go before we leave London."

" May 29 th. — We are now on board the ship Ocean Queen for New York, on our voyage to America, where we hope to find the dear friends and relatives with whom we are going to remain and go to school. When we were on board the ship Barham, the midshipmen and sailors used to tease us, and call us Yankees, and some of them used to swear over it ; but here everyone is American, so no one can tease us."

"June 11th. — I am sorry to say that the breeze has quite failed us. It kept leaving us by little’s for the last three or four days, and now has entirely left us. It is perfectly a dead calm now, and we are scarcely going at all. We saw a great many sharks plying about to-day ; they almost always are seen in calm weather. I also hear that yesterday there was a large whale in sight ; some said that it was alongside, and quite near to the ship."

"June 14th. — I think we have got a fair breeze now, in fact, it sprang up after I wrote last, but, very unfortunately, was a foul one ; but it has taken to getting better and better every day, and thought, I suppose, to become a good one. We have got a fair one now, and one thing more would make it all right, and that is, a good strong one, to take us on at ten or twelve knots an hour. Yesterday was Sunday, and Mr. Bacheler had prayers in the saloon or dining room, as he did last Sabbath. The captain has asked him to have worship every Sabbath. A great many of the steerage passengers attend, so that the room is almost crowded. I like this ship a great deal better than the English ship Barham. They give us much better food here. On the Barham they gave us nothing but slops for breakfast, such as sago, and no kind of meat, but bread and butter and jam. But here they give us meat for breakfast, bacon and eggs, mutton chops, beef and mutton, boiled eggs, and such things, which they never thought of giving us on the Barham. They also give us a great deal better dinners here than on the Barham, for all of which things I like this ship a great deal better."

’’June 23rd. — I am glad to say that we have caught a very good, fine, fair breeze now, and are going about eight or ten miles per hour. I think that the captain said we were near the Banks of Newfoundland. For the last three or four days we have had a very great fog, so great that we could not see more than twenty or thirty feet from the ship. The fog reminds me of home, where some days we used to have them ; but the captain tells us that there is a fog here most of the year round. Newfoundland Bank, a place so celebrated for its fisheries, is, I think, very well named. This morning I was one of the first passengers to go on deck, and when I was there I heard a great shout among some of the people forward, and seeing some of them looking into the water, I looked and in a minute I saw three great whales spring up at once from the water, and dive down again very near the ship’s side. They seemed to be in chase of one another. They kept about the ship for nearly a quarter of an hour, and then disappeared. I also saw a great many porpoises leaping in the water. Sometimes eight or ten of them would leap up at once. I should think that I saw about fifty or sixty before breakfast, all astern of the ship. We also saw flocks and flocks of Mother Carey’s chickens flying round about the ship. We are in shallow water now. The mate told me that it is sixty fathoms deep ; and the captain says that if we go on at this rate we shall be quite clear of the Bank by to-morrow morning."

"June 28th. — We have not got a fair breeze now, but it has been a very fine and sunny day. It was also a fine day yesterday, and being Sunday, Mr. Bacheler had service up on deck. There were a great many fishing boats in sight ; some were anchored, and others were going to the Bank to fish. The captain thought that we might get some fish, and Mr. Smith and Mr. Macfarlane, the first and second mates, started at once, but unfortunately they caught none. Mr. Smith has an excuse for not catching any, and said he could never succeed in fishing on Sunday. He also remarked that there was no harm in fishing on Sunday provided you caught none ! "

"July 7th. — We have a fair wind now, but I am sorry to say that there is very little of it ; but still we hope it will grow stronger this evening. The 4th July or Independence Day was last Sunday. A great many fishing boats passed us ; I counted fourteen in less than an hour. They did nothing on Sunday to celebrate Independence Day, and somehow or other it was forgotten on Monday. On Tuesday morning Mr. Smith told me that they were going to keep the 4th July to-day, so he gave instructions to have the American flag hoisted. When all the gentlemen and ladies came on deck they wore a piece of red and white ribbon on their coats or hats. In the afternoon the second mate called the sailors up, and they all sang a song. Afterwards one of the ladies led them in giving three cheers for the American flag. In the evening there was a dance on deck."

" July 9 th. — We took a pilot yesterday, and he said we were 115 miles from New York, and would perhaps reach it to-morrow. We passed several ships off in different directions. I heard them say to-day that a steamer will take us in tow from Sandy Hook to New York."