parture, numerous shoals of porpoises were discovered, gamboling in the waves, and playing round the ship, being visible several feet below the surface, and darting like lightning through the water. One of the passengers, who was formerly an expert whaleman, and is perfectly acquainted with every fish that swims the ocean, planted himself with a harpoon in the bow. He soon hurled his weapon with unerring dexterity, and a large porpoise was hoisted upon deck. One day while we were at dinner, word came below that a large whale was along side the ship, within a few rods. We all rushed upon deck, and had several fair views of the monster, as he stretched himself upon the surface and threw up torrents of water. His length was estimated to be about seventy feet, and his enormous bulk furnished an image of "That sea-beast, Leviathan, which God of all his works Created hugest that swim th' ocean stream." The The process of speaking ships, was to me novel and interesting. The first we spoke was the Lord Sidmouth from Quebec, bound to Plymouth. It was just at twilight. Both were fine vessels and standing upon the same course. Corinthian, being the fastest ship, came close alongside, and passed the other with great dignity, affording merely time to make the usual inquiries and exchange civilities, Such an incident, trifling as it may seem to those on shore, is extremely gratifying at sea, after one has gazed day after day upon the solitary ocean. Three or four vessels are now in sight. To one of them the Captain hoisted his colours on the mizen peak. The signal was promptly answered by a display of "the meteor flag of England." The utmost courtesy prevails on such occasions, and the hearty good will, with which the masters wish each other pleasant passages, has something in it beyond a cold formality, exposed as they are to common dangers, and often standing in need of mutual assistance. Thus have I given, more in detail than was anticipated at the commencement, the history of my adventures upon the ocean, which are scarcely less voluminous than those of Telemachus; yet prolix as my letter is, it contains but a small proportion of the incidents recorded in a dairy of thirty pages. The day has declined since I began to write, and another charming evening finds us bounding over the billows, under full sail : "The weary sun hath made a golden set, LETTER II. ARRIVAL ON THE COAST OF IRELAND-KINSALE-CORK COVE OF CORK. July, 1825.--At half past three o'clock on the morning of the first of July, land was dimly descried through the clouds and mist, which obscured the horizon. The report soon circulated through the ship, and called the passengers from their births to the deck: for although our voyage had been neither long nor tedious, the sight of the shore was welcome. To some of us the interest of the view was heightened by novelty; and to others, by the ties of kindred and country, as the distant hills of the Emerald Isle were beheld swelling above the sea, and the breeze came, charged with fragrance, from sweet-scented beds of the shamrock. In a word, every living thing on board appeared to participate in the gladness of the moment. The first land we made was Mizen Head, and the high ground in the vicinity, forming the southwestern part of the Island. So accurately was the ship's reckoning kept, that it did not vary three miles from the Captain's estimate. By eight o'clock we were opposite Cape Clear, which is a bold promontory, with a light-house upon its summit, in a very conspicuous situation. As the wind was fair and the sky clear, the ship ran within a few miles of the shore, affording us by the aid of the glass a full and perfect view of every object along the coast. A large number of boats and small vessels covered the Channel, frequently sailing close under the cliffs, to the very bases of which the sea is in most places navigable for the largest ships. A whale-boat, with a crew of seven miserably clad and dirty fishermen, boarded us off Cape Clear, and supplied us with fresh fish, eggs, and new potatoes, taking in exchange, pork, beef, bread, and a bottle of rum, prized above all the other articles received in the way of barter. This crew furnished a specimen of the rudest portion of the population of Ireland. Their language was scarcely intelligible; and they had made but little progress in civilization. The aspect of the island for some distance after making Cape Clear, is rude, barren, and solitary, the high hills being composed of naked rocks and wastes, exhibiting neither tree nor shrub, and but little vegetation of any kind. Farther up the Channel, the appearance of the country greatly improves, the sloping highlands being laid out into regular fields to their very tops, covered with verdure, and bordered with flowers, which were visible through the glass from the deck of the ship. It is, however, a rugged, precipitous, and inhospitable coast, with few buildings in sight, and those apparently inaccessible. The cliffs are in many places abrupt, craggy, and cavernous, with here and there insulated rocks rising above the water at some distance from the shore. At about 12 o'clock we arrived opposite the cliff, on which the packet ship Albion was wrecked. It is a memorable spot, and every passenger manifested an eager curiosity to examine the rocks, which proved fatal to so many of our countrymen, and caused so much affliction. We were near enough to have a distinct view of the precipitous ledge, which is more than a hundred feet in height. On one side is a sandy beach, and on the other, a small bay or inlet, indenting the coast. Had the ship providentially drifted a few rods on either hand, the passengers and crew would probably all have been saved, as the bank slopes to the water's edge. But such was not the destiny of the melancholy wreck, which drifted to a point were no human aid could be afforded. Two transports, filled with troops to the number of about twelve hundred, were wrecked near the same place a few years since, and the whole perished. A large hole was dug in the earth, and officers and men found a common grave. More respect was paid to the remains of the passengers who were lost in the Albion. Their bodies were numbered and decently interred side by side, at a little distance from the fatal cliff. It has been my good fortune to become acquainted with Mr. Gibbons, of Kinsale, and Mr. Mark, the American consul at Cork, both of whom witnessed the wreck of the Albion, and did every thing in their power, for the preservation of life and property. They have given me minute descriptions of the awful scene. Most of the particulars were, however, publicly stated at the time; and I have no wish to revive the sorrow which this afflicting event occasioned in our city and country. In the course of the forenoon, a pilot-boat came alongside the Corinthian, and offered to take us ashore at the Old Head of Kinsale. As the sea was tranquil, the landing convenient, and the passage up the Channel to Liverpool might be protracted and tedious, six of us concluded to accept the offer, unwilling as we were to desert the ship, until she had reached her port of destination. After making our arrangements, and shaking hands with our fellow-passengers, who in feeling had become as one family, among whom the utmost cordiality and even attachment prevailed, we debarked at 4 o'clock in the afternoon and made for the harbour of Kinsale, at the distance of seven or eight miles. As the wind blew off the shore, our crew, consisting of four Irishmen, were obliged to row the whole way, which they effected without difficulty by the aid of a bottle of brandy, a sip of which was proposed by the pilot, as a premium to his subalterns for pulling manfully from point to point. Our passage was sufficiently slow to afford us a very fair view of the lofty promontory of Kinsale, close under the brow of which the little boat glided along the waters. The summit is smooth and green, crowned with a handsome light-house, which is seen at a great distance up and down the Channel. In many places the cliffs are tremendous, with deep caverns in the rock, which is of secondary formation. At one point, a fissure wide enough for the passage of a boat, was observed to extend quite through the projection, on a level with the water. It is a fine place for smuggling and if reports be true, the natural advantages of the coast are not neglected. Back of the headland, the hills are covered with groups of Irish cottages, and the fields exhibit marks of a high state of cultivation. On the heights are several of those castles in ruins, which are so common all over the Island. As these were the first we had ever seen, their rude, crumbling, and fantastic forms were regarded with an eye of eager curiosity. The harbour of Kinsale is easy of access, the water deep, and completely land-locked by the eminences projecting on both sides of the river Bandon, on the left bank of which the town is situated. On the right, as you enter the basin, is Fort Charles, a very strong and expensive work, commanding the harbour, and at present garrisoned by a regiment. On the opposite side are the ruins of an ancient fortress, where James the Second landed with an army from France, at the time he was driven from his own country and sought to regain his throne, occupied by William of Orange. In the year 1690, the fort was stormed by the Duke of Marlborough. It was a severe and bloody conflict, the Governor of Ireland being killed in the breach. In 1660, it was captured by the Spaniards. The work is now a mere ruin, with its dilapidated ramparts mantled with ivy. Immediately after passing the point on which it stands, the town of Kinsale opens on the view, at the distance of only a few rods, standing upon an acclivity so steep, that the roofs of the houses on one street are on a line with the basement of those above. i he heights are planted with trees, and many of the houses have gardens in front, presenting a picturesque and romantic prospect from the basin, which spreads before the town and is covered with boats and vessels. Ships of war may ride to the very doors of some of the houses; and we were informed that the officers on deck sometimes converse with the ladies at the windows of their drawing-rooms. The town of Kinsale, having a population of eight or ten thousand, bears all the marks of decay, many of its buildings being in a state of dilapidation, and its narrow, dirty streets filled for the most part with crowds of poor and miserably clothed inhabitants, who once depended on the fisheries and the troops for support, both of which sources are now in a great measure cut off by the unaccountable failure of the former, and the removal of the latter. We were thronged with a host of mendicants, from the moment of landing, till our departure from the place. There is, however, considerable wealth among a certain portion of the inhabitants, and many of the houses are splendid. The little we saw afforded us a favorable specimen of the hospitality of the better classes towards strangers. They took much trouble to point out to us whatever was worth seeing, and to trace the history of the town, which is of great antiquity. The family of Lord Kinsale is celebrated in its annals, being descendants of De Courcy, so renowned for feats of strength and 3 VOL. I. |