| I. | |
| A state of bliss—Cabin passenger—Honey-hunting—Sea-life—Itseffects—Green horns—Reading—Tempicide—Monotony—Wish forexcitement—Superlative misery—Log—Combustible materials—Cookand bucket—Contrary winds—All ready, good Sirs—Impatientpassengers—Signal for sailing—Leave-takings—Sheet home—Underweigh. | [13] |
| II. | |
| A tar's headway on land—A gentleman's at sea—An agreeable trio—Musical sounds—Helmsman—Supper Steward—A truism—Helmsman'scry—Effect—Cases for bipeds—Lullaby—Sleep. | [20] |
| III. | |
| Shakspeare—Suicide or a 'foul' deed—A conscientioustable—Fishing smacks—A pretty boy—Old Skipper, Skipper junior, andlittle Skipper—A young Caliban—An alliterate Man—Fisherman—Nurseries—Navy—The Way to train up a Child—Gulf Stream—Humboldt—Crossing the Gulf—Ice ships—Yellow fields—Flyingfish—A game at bowls—Bermuda—A post of observation—Men,dwellings, and women of Bermuda—St. George—English society—Washingdecks—Mornings at sea—Evenings at sea—A Moonlightscene—The ocean on fire—Its phosphorescence—Hypotheses | [25] |
| IV. | |
| Land—Abaco—Fleet—Hole in the Wall—A wrecker's hut—Bahama vampyres—Light houses—Conspiracy—Wall of Abaco—Natural Bridge—Cause—Night scene—Speak a packet ship—A floatingcity—Wrecker's lugger—Signal of distress—A Yankee lumberbrig—Portuguese Man of War. | [42] |
| V. | |
| A calm—A breeze on the water—The land of flowers—Juan Ponce deLeon—The fountain of perpetual youth—An irremediable loss tosingle gentlemen—Gulf Stream—New-Providence—Cuba—Pan ofMatanzas—Blue hills of Cuba—An armed cruiser—Cape St.Antonio—Pirates—Enter the Mexican Gulf—Mobile—A southern winter—Afarewell to the North and a welcome to the South—The close of thevoyage—Balize—Fleet—West Indiaman—Portuguese polacre—Landho!—The land—Its formation—Pilot or "little brief authority"—Lighthouse—Revenue cutter—Newspapers—"The meeting of thewaters"—A singular appearance—A morning off the Balize—Thetow-boat | [55] |
| VI. | |
| The Mississippi—The Whale—Description of tow-boats—A package—Athreatened storm—A beautiful brigantine—Physiognomy of ships—Richlyfurnished cabin—An obliging Captain—Desert the ship—Gettingunder weigh—A chain of captives—Towing—New-Orleans—Amystery to be unraveled. | [64] |
| VII. | |
| Louisiana—Arrival at New-Orleans—Land—Pilot stations—Pilots—Anecdote—Fort—Forests—Levée—Crevasses—Alarms—Accident—Espionage—A Louisianian palace—Grounds—Sugar-house—Quarters—An African governess—Sugar-Cane—St. Mary—"English Turn"—Cavalcade—Battle-ground—Music Sounds of the distant city—Landin New-Orleans—An amateur sailor. | [73] |
| VIII. | |
| Bachelor's comforts—A valuable valet—Disembarked at the Levée—A fair Castilian—Canaille—The Crescent city—Reminiscence ofschool days—French cabarets—Cathedral—Exchange—Cornhill—Achain of light—A fracas—Gens d'Armes—An affair of honour—Arrive at ourhotel | [87] |
| IX. | |
| Sensations on seeing a city for the first time—Capt. Kidd—Boston—Fresh feelings—An appreciated luxury—A humanmedley—School for physiognomists—A morning scene in New-Orleans—Canalstreet—Levée—French and English stores—Parisian andLouisianian pronunciation—Scenes in the market—Shipping—Adisguised rover—Mississippi fleets—Ohio river arks—Slave laws. | [96] |
| X. | |
| First impressions—A hero of the "Three Days"—Children's ball—Lifein New-Orleans—A French supper—Omnibuses—Chartres streetat twilight—Calaboose—Guard house—The vicinage of a theatre—Frenchcafés—Scenes in the interior of a café—Dominos—Tobaccosmokers—New- Orleans society. | [108] |
| XI. | |
| Interior of a ball room—Creole ladies—Infantile dancers—Frenchchildren—American children—A singular division—New-Orleansladies—Northern and southern beauty—An agreeable custom—Leavethe assembly room—An olio of languages—The Exchange—Confusionof tongues—Temples of Fortune. | [117] |
| XII. | |
| The Goddess of fortune—Billiard rooms—A professor—Hells—Arespectable banking company—"Black-legs"—Faro described—Dealers—Bank—A novel mode of franking—Roulette table—A supperin Orcus—Pockets to let—Dimly lighted streets—Some things notso bad as they are represented. | [127] |
| XIII. | |
| A sleepy porter—Cry of fire—Noise in the streets—A wild sceneat midnight—A splendid illumination—Steamers wrapped in flames—Ariver on fire—Firemen—A lively scene—Floating cotton—Boatmen—Anancient Portuguese Charon—A boat race—Pugilists—Ahero | [137] |
| XIV. | |
| Canal-street—Octagonal church—Government house—Futureprospects of New-Orleans—Roman chapel—Mass for the dead—Interiorof the chapel—Mourners—Funeral—Cemeteries—Neglectof the dead—English and American grave yards—Regard ofEuropean nations for their dead—Roman Catholic cemetery inNew-Orleans—Funeral procession—Tombs—Burying in water—Protestantgrave-yard. | [145] |
| XV. | |
| An old friend—Variety in the styles of building—Love forflowers—The basin—Congo square—The African bon-ton ofNew-Orleans—City canals—Effects of the cholera—Barracks—Guard-houses—Theancient convent of the Ursulines—The schoolfor boys—A venerable edifice—Principal—Recitations—Mode ofinstruction—Primary department—Infantry tactics—Education ingeneral in New-Orleans. | [158] |
| XVI. | |
| Rail-road—A new avenue to commerce—Advantages of the rail-way—Ride to the lake—The forest—Village at the lake—Pier—Fishers—Swimmers—Mail-boat—Cafés—Return—An unfortunatecow—New- Orleans streets. | [171] |
| XVII. | |
| The legislature—Senators and representatives—Tenney—Gurley—Ripley—Good feeling among members—Translated speeches—Ludicrous situations—Slave law—Bishop's hotel—Tower—Viewfrom its summit—Bachelor establishments—Peculiar state ofsociety. | [178] |
| XVIII. | |
| Saddle horses and accoutrements—Banks—Granite—Church-members—French mode of dressing—Quadroons—Gay scene and groups in thestreets—Sabbath evening—Duelling ground—An extensive cottonpress—A literary germ—A mysterious institution—Scenery in thesuburbs—Convent—Catholic education. | [186] |
| XIX. | |
| Battle-ground—Scenery on the road—A peaceful scene—Americanand British quarters—View of the field of battle—Breastworks—Oaks—Packenham—ATennessee rifleman—Anecdote—A gallant British officer—Grape-shot—Youngtraders—A relic—Leave the ground—A last view of it from the Levée. | [196] |
| XX. | |
| Scene in a bar room—Affaires d'honneur—A Sabbath morning—Host—Public square—Military parades—Scenes in the interior of acathedral—Mass—A sanctified family—Crucifix—Different ways ofdoing the same thing—Altar—Paintings—The Virgin—Femalesdevotees. | [207] |
| XXI. | |
| Sabbath in New-Orleans—Theatre—Interior—A New-Orleans audience—Performance—Checks—Theatre d'Orleans—Interior—Boxes—Audience—Play—Actors and actresses—Institutions—M. Poydras—Liberality of the Orleanese—Extracts from Flint upon New-Orleans. | [219] |
| XXII. | |
| A drive into the country—Pleasant road—Charming villa—Childrenat play—Governess—Diversities of society—Education inLouisiana—Visit to a sugar-house—Description of sugar-making,&c.—A plantation scene—A planter's grounds—Children—Trumpeter—Pointer—Return to the city. | [229] |
| XXIII. | |
| Leave New-Orleans—The Mississippi—Scenery—Evening on the water—Scenes on the deck of a steamer—Passengers—Plantations—Farm-houses—Catholic college—Convent of the Sacred Heart—Cagedbirds —Donaldsonville—The first highland—Baton Rouge—Itsappearance—Barracks—Scenery—Squatters—Fort Adams—Waypassengers—Steamer. | [245] |
THE SOUTH WEST.
I.
A state of bliss—Cabin passenger—Honey-hunting—Sea-life—Its effects—Green horns—Reading—Tempicide—Monotony—Wish for excitement—Superlative misery—Log—Combustible materials—Cook and bucket—Contrary winds—All ready, good Sirs—Impatient passengers—Signal for sailing—Under weigh.
To be a "Cabin passenger" fifteen or twenty days out, in a Yankee merchantman, is to be in a state as nearly resembling that of a half-assoilzied soul in purgatory, as flesh and blood can well be placed in. A meridian sun—a cloudless sky—a sea of glass, like a vast burning reflector, giving back a twin-heaven inverted—a dry, hot air, as though exhaled from a Babylonian furnace, and a deck, with each plank heated to the foot like a plate of hot steel—with the "Horse latitudes," for the scene, might, perhaps, heighten the resemblance.
Zimmerman, in his excellent essay upon Solitude, has described man, in a "state of solitary indolence and inactivity, as sinking by degrees, like stagnant water, into impurity and corruption." Had he intended to describe from experience, the state of man as "Cabin passenger" after the novelty of his new situation upon the heaving bosom of the "dark blue sea," had given place to the tiresome monotony of never-varying, daily repeated scenes, he could not have illustrated it by a more striking figure. This is a state of which you are happily ignorant. Herein, ignorance is the height of bliss, although, should a Yankee propensity for peregrinating stimulate you to become wiser by experience, I will not say that your folly will be more apparent than your wisdom. But if you continue to vegetate in the lovely valley of your nativity, one of "New-England's yeomanry," as you are wont, not a little proudly, to term yourself—burying for that distinctive honour your collegiate laurels beneath the broad-brim of the farmer—exchanging your "gown" for his frock—"Esq." for plain "squire," and the Mantuan's Georgics for those of the Maine Farmer's Almanac—I will cheerfully travel for you; though, as I shall have the benefit of the wear and tear, rubs and bruises—it will be like honey-hunting in our school-boy days, when one fought the bees while the other secured the sweet plunder.
This sea life, to one who is not a sailor, is a sad enough existence—if it may be termed such. The tomb-stone inscription "Hic jacet," becomes prematurely his own, with the consolatory adjunct et non resurgam. A condition intermediate between life and death, but more assimilated to the latter than the former, it is passed, almost invariably, in that proverbial inactivity, mental and corporeal, which is the well-known and unavoidable consequence of a long passage. It is a state in which existence is burthensome and almost insupportable, destroying that healthy tone of mind and body, so necessary to the preservation of the economy of the frame of man.—Nothing will so injure a good disposition, as a long voyage. Seeds of impatience and of indolence are there sown, which will be for a long period painfully manifest. The sweetest tempered woman I ever knew, after a passage of sixty days, was converted into a querulous Xantippe; and a gentleman of the most active habits, after a voyage of much longer duration, acquired such indolent ones, that his usefulness as a man of business was for a long time destroyed; and it was only by the strongest application of high, moral energy, emanating from a mind of no common order, that he was at length enabled wholly to be himself again. There is but one antidote for this disease, which should be nosologically classed as Melancholia Oceana, and that is employment. But on ship-board, this remedy, like many other good ones on shore, cannot always be found. A meddling, bustling passenger, whose sphere on land has been one of action, and who pants to move in his little circumscribed orbit at sea, is always a "lubberly green horn," or "clumsy marine," in every tar's way—in whose eye the "passenger" is only fit to thin hen-coops, bask in the sun, talk to the helmsman, or, now and then, desperately venture up through the "lubber's hole" to look for land a hundred leagues in mid ocean, or, cry "sail ho!" as the snowy mane of a distant wave, or the silvery crest of a miniature cloud upon the horizon, flashes for an instant upon his unpractised vision.