The passengers felt that they were utterly at the mercy of the "powers that were," and could enforce nothing by legal means. I got eight biscuits for 23 lbs., and about 4 lbs. of oatmeal for 5 lbs. No one gets what is promised. The "three quarts of water daily," is only two quarts at the commencement of the voyage,-what it may be by the middle or end of our trip, it is not very easy or profitable to guess. wish pound to have paid at the eleventh hour, for "poop accomodation," where the people seem pretty comfort. able, though of course bad is the best, and my situation provokes contrasts that may not involve entire truth in the inferences. At any rate the "poop" passengers have cabins thoroughly divided, have their food cooked by the captain's cook, and come much better off for provisions. It is now blowing very hard and I can scarcely write. We have this morning left the coast of Wales on the east, and no land is in sight. The wind since we left England, has been plentiful, but so contrary, that the vessel makes little progress on her way down the Irish Channel, although she drives at a great speed. We have been veering and tacking ever since the sails were set, and are not 100 miles from Liverpool. It is a delightful day. The wind is singing a song among the sails, the ropes are dancing and the vessel is sailing through a sea that seems to be a moving mass of emerald, with scintillations of diamonds sparkling all around us in the sunlight,-while the vessel's prow in its course, throws the waves aside and breaks them up into spray, that seems like animated coral net-work, and showers of the purest pearls. Such is the aspect of nature, but I am sitting with my back to the starboard bulwark. The dirty little children are playing and making a noise all round me, and doing seemingly impossible things with dangerous means and appliances, just as though they were still ashore. They suffer nothing from sea-sickness, unless their stupid parents keep them below, enjoying their lugubrious looks by a sort of sympathy, which people seem to require when miserable themselves. They can keep their feet on deck while their elders are rolling and tumbling about; or if they do roll and tumble, it is because they choose to do so, in memory of their habits ashore. Poor little creatures! They have no regrets for homes left behind, no fears for dangers to come. They are happy, and at any rate have enough to eat, for parental love, that most beautiful of human instincts, secures that to them, even though parents themselves suffer; God bless them, they are full of life and spirits, because the sun is shining on them. The rough hard sailors too, that salute their elders with comprehensive imprecations on their eyes if they get in the way, lift the little children up and put them gently aside, with an awkward grace, that is as beautiful to see as it is comical, and altogether the young ones are as valuable a part of the ship's cargo as anything on board, for they keep up my sinking spirits, and perhaps the spirits of many a one beside. On Monday night and this night also, there was an attempt on the part of a few choice spirits, to entertain an audience of part of the passengers, with conundrum telling and singing. There were but few good original conundrums, the selection being mostly from Punch, the Family Herald, &c.; but the singing was excellent: one gentleman, a poop passenger, is a capital comic singer; the best good feeling seemed to animate all. My efforts to help in the amusement were well received. The entertainment took place on the after deck just beneath the quarter-deck. This, however, made no difference to me, for I was not unpleasantly reminded of being a steerage 66 passenger. The cabin passengers are however roped off" from the others, and had any snob chosen to have ordered me "forward," to my own part of the ship, I must have obeyed, for proper notices, tending to exclusiveness, are pasted up. A lady broke the ice on Wednesday night, by volunteering a song, which was much better sung than could have been done by most amateurs, especially had they been suffering from sea-sickness, which has been raging among all of us. I was very sea-sick this morning, on an empty stomach, which made the accompanying stomachache very acute. Afterwards, when I had eaten a biscuit, I was seized with sickness by inhaling the heated atmosphere of the cooking "galley," in passing, but the effect was not so painful, and I soon recovered for the day. Sea biscuit seems the best diet at present. My preserved meat, when boiled with rice, seems to provoke retching. Any preparation of oatmeal is worse. It is mortifying to me to have so much oatmeal. I cannot make use of it. "Stirabout," to my palate and stomach, is horribly nauseous. Gruel is an abomination, and always made me sick. Oatcake is bitter and unpleasant. Two very decent Irish girls have made me some, and baked it. I have it now in my provision barrel, and cannot tell what to do with that or the rest of the meal. I gave the young ladies some soup which I made with some preserved mutton, biscuits, rice, lemon, and salt, and which I could not eat, because it provoked sickness. I am glad to find that my popularity is considerable. Some of the numbers of Punch which B- gave me, have been very thankfully accepted by one of the cabin passengers, and I promised to lend him some more when he had read those. He, and indeed nearly all, are very civil. My worst annoyance is the as yet undiscovered thieves among the steerage passengers. Losses which would be trivial on shore, are serious under present circumstances. On Tuesday my fishing-tackle was stolen. I secured it to the bulwark while I went to stir my rice, which was cooking. I was gone about two minutes, but during that time some one removed it. On Tuesday night, while I was asleep, my tin washing-bowl was made off with. This is quite a calamity, as I must now borrow from whosoever will lend. The young Irishwomen lent my little saucepan this morning to some boy, whom they did not see again. I thought my furniture was going somewhat too fast, and started round the ship to search for it. I discovered it with a part of the handle removed, round which I had placed a ticket with my name and the number of my berth. Had I not scratched my initials with my knife on the side of it some days ago, I could not have identified it. It is very disagreeable to have to lock up all sorts of things with food, but this I am constrained to do. I would advise any one going from England on a long voyage, to take a separate box or barrel for their cooking utensils, water-can, &c. I have but one barrel, for which I paid 16d. in Liverpool, near the docks. There are scores to be bought fitted for emigrants, with padlocks and keys; they are very suitable, being the same as those the Americans send their flour in, and the flour being emptied, the barrels are left clean. A poor girl has had a miraculous escape to-day. She tumbled down the hatchway, a depth of fifteen feet, was taken up swooning, but received no other hurt than a sprained ancle and some bruises. She was in the way of the sailors, and got an awkward push, accidentally. The carpenter has served out the tea and sugar today, and the quantity and quality are both very satisfactory. Thursday, August 14.-I have crawled out on deck almost prostrated with the tremor attendant on sea-sickness, to breathe the fresh air. I am seated on the roof of the "hospital," which, by-the-by, is tenanted with disabled ropes and worn-out sails, &c. [Long may it continue so.] My back is supported by the side of the inverted jolly-boat, and my cushion is a coil of rope. I am very ill. The vessel is heaving to and fro, as well as sideways, and I am so languid that it is a great effort on my part to write. Others, as bad or worse than myself, are lying and sitting around me, basking in the sunshine. We are still beating about the Irish Channel, with a deal of canvas set, making but little real progress through the heaving waters. It is only the sunshine that makes existence bearable. I went back to my berth this morning ill, because I could neither eat nor stay on deck. It was raining spitefully, and the sailors were swabbing the decks. A few days ago I got a bucketful of water dashed over my legs, so this morning I got out of their way altogether. In consequence of my severe illness, I lost my allowance of water this morning, not being on deck when my number was called. This is a dreadful privation. The carpenter will give out no more till to-morrow morning. The event of the day has been the discovery of two more stowaways," a young man and a small lad, both of whom have been severely rope's-ended (i. e. beaten) by the first mate, who, on catechising them, found that they had been hidden in the forecastle, where the sailors sleep and eat. Some of the seamen are supposed to have been cognizant of their concealment. The elder of these two miserable objects, upon being asked how he should earn his living, stated that he had been to sea before. The mate has set him to work, and the poor wretch is scraping something or other over my head. The boy-little more than a child-is to be shoe-black, or anything, during the voyage. Both were lashed with the rope till the tears started plentifully down their cheeks. The excited mate nearly came into collision with an Irishman, who very imprudently took their part, and tried to justify their concealment. It appears that the one who is scraping above me had requested to be allowed to work his passage, but this was refused. The mate recognized him as a former applicant for this favour. As I write, I am watching the curious evolutions of some small brown birds, somewhat like ducks, on the water, but more quaint looking. They are diving about hither and thither, and seem to be perfectly at home, though we are fifty miles at least from any land. The sailors declare that they do not go near the land at all, even to build their nests, but that must be an error of the nautical mind. The sailors say also that these birds may be seen when vessels are three or four days' sail out in the Atlantic. It is very amusing to watch the groups stretched lying, or sitting, or lolling about the ship in all parts. I think that the Irish have an inborn habit of grouping themselves in picturesque forms. Several of the clusters of them near me, would, if painted just as they are, be faultless in what painters call composition." 66 Friday, August 15.-While we were, on the evening of this day, amusing ourselves with singing and the like, death was amongst us. I heard, on going to my berth, about 9 o'clock, that a child died. It will be thrown overboard. A sailor is sewing the corpse in sailcloth, while the poor unfortunate mother is 'keening," with her body nearly prostrate. Nearly every voyage is attended with loss of life. One of the apprentices tells me that the mortality on the last voyage but one before this, was dreadful. No less than fifteen people having died,-amongst them the largest and most healthy-looking man in the ship. The doctor whom they had, an Irishman, bled him, but could not stop the bleeding, and so the man bled to death. But this is a specimen of the whole system. Passengers are not cared for so much as cattle would be; indeed, the loss of cattle would lead to loss of money, while the passengers may die, as the carpenter says, "if they like," and no jury troubles itself about them. [During the intervening days, between August 15th and September 2nd, our emigrant friend was so ill, that he was unable to keep up his diary, but on the latter day he made amends, by the entries that immediately follow, in which he graphically pourtrays the horrid cruelties inflicted on the poorer class of emigrants, and the sufferings consequently endured by them.] September 2, 1851.-Somewhere in the Atlantic. I sit down once more, my dear wife, to convey to you from the scene about me, my impressions of it. The realities surrounding the spot whence I write will certainly make the picture more faithful than it might be if I waited to get on shore before I attempted it. I am among a drove of half-civilized and more than half-starved Irish people. The sounds, sights, and odours are all alike hideous. I myself am as much like a skeleton as you can conceive a living and moving person to be. I have not eaten anything but boiled rice and sea-biscuit for a week, and these articles by themselves are so indigestible, that I am compelled to take medicine every two or three days. My strength is so far gone, that I am barely able to get anything cooked, as I cannot compete for precedence at the cookinggalley with some five hundred people, all striving to prepare food in a galley" where there is not room for above thirty. I get scarcely two quarts of water per day, and that is mostly stolen from me by fellowpassengers, while I am breathing fresh air on deck. 66 A gleam of sunshine has just struggled down the hatchway, near the spot I write from, and exhibits the miserable steerage-passengers in and about their "berths," like rabbits in hutches, one set over another. All is filth, noise, and discomfort. The only reflection which bears up my spirits, is that you are still in your clean and decent home, far from the horrors of such a scene as this,-a scene which you shall never witness. If, upon my landing, I should not have a chance of sending for you, so that you might come over in a steamer, and be treated like a human being, I will return rather than compel you to pass a single day in such a pandemonium. There is not even a decent separation of the sexes; men, women, and children are huddled pell-mell together. Three children have now died since we embarked, and several people are in the "hospital-cabin" on deck, sick with brain and typhus fever. Indeed I know not whether I shall live to send you this, for as I cannot eat oatmeal without vomiting directly, I have to give it away to those who can, and thus I part with half the solid food allowed me. The water is so impure that if I make tea I can scarcely drink it. We are sure to be another fortnight on the sea, and it is chiefly my fervent love for you, and unquenchable hope of better days when you shall have joined me, that keeps me either alive or in my senses. To make things worse, my weakness exposes me to the annoyances of a set of ruffians among the lowest of the Irish passengers, from which the good will and respect of the more decent passengers fails to protect me. I am pelted at, hooted, and mobbed very frequently, in malicious sport, and unless I could bribe the ship's officers, I could not get any redress. A woman was cruelly beaten till she was black and blue, yesterday, by the ship's carpenter. Her offence was refusing to go, when ordered, along with the rest of the passengers on deck, while the ship was being fumigated. Her children were ill of measles, and exposure to the air was calculated to be fatal to them. The carpenter, however, dragged her towards the hatchway, beating her with a stick as he went. Another woman has since lost a child ill of measles, in consequence, so the women say, of exposure yesterday on deck. It is certainly necessary that the people should be away from their berths while the smoking is going on; but I should have thought that the risk of life might have been avoided. There seems, however, no consideration among those in authority over us, for our real comforts or even safety. For instance :-on two occasions, the carpenter, who gives out provisions, chose to think it unworth the trouble to open a cask of rice to serve the remainder of passengers with their allowance when he had about fifteen berths to serve about forty or fifty people, be it observed. I was one of those who went short, but that did not distress me, as I brought aboard 12 lbs. of rice with me. We were each time promised "double allowance next time." Now I could have dispensed with medicine altogether, had I been supplied with a little more flour. I therefore asked the carpenter and the doctor to give me some extra flour, instead of the double allowance of rice due to me. My request was refused, both alleging, that if I wanted it, I might on the next occasion have three allowances of rice, but no extra flour. And thus I am kept in bad health by them. They have served none of the molasses. The quantities of everything served (except tea and sugar, which is of the coarsest sort), are grossly deficient,-not more than two-thirds of the amount we are legally entitled to. There is, however, no redress, unless the passengers return to England, wait till the same captain is in that country, and then cite him by an action at law, for breach of contract. Such is the treatment of emigrants on board ships sailing under the American flag. My decided advice is, that any person going from England to America, shall sail if possible in a steamer, even though the passage-money is more, and that if they must go in a sailing vessel, they choose one that is British, and under the British law. The steamers go in one-half the time, or less, and supply the passengers with more provisions, cooking those provisions for them free of extra expense. 66 The remainder of our friend's Diary is nearly devoid of general interest, but our readers who have conned over the preceding extracts, will by this time have acquired a sympathy for the promising young man who penned them, that will crave some further information concerning him, and it affords us no little satisfaction to be enabled to add, as a sequel to the preceding gloomy narrative, some more pleasant facts. On his arrival in New York he obtained work at his trade almost immediately. His exact words are, "I got work within twelve hours of landing,-at good wages." And in another private letter he says, My wages are fully one-sixth more than in London, and work is constant." We ought also perhaps to add, that his wife is about to follow him. We know not how this has been accomplished, but an old saw affirms of all things, that "Where there's a will there's a way," and wedded love has probably suggested to the emigrant's wife, that as she is relieved of all attendance on her husband-has no dainty dinner to serve up, or choice tea to prepare; no shirt-buttons to sew on, and few stockings to darn, that her else idle time might be so employed as to aid in bridging over the broad waters of the Atlantic Ocean, and facilitate the re-union that both of them so ardently desire, LOOK UP! "Look up!" cried the seaman, with nerves like steel, As skyward his glance he cast, And beheld his own son grow giddy, and reel Slid down at once from his perilous place, "Look up!" we cry to the sorely-oppressed, The other bewilders the aching brain "Look up!" meek souls by affliction bent, Look up, and in faith, to the firmament, "Look up!" sad man, by adverses brought Play not with the bane of corrosive thought, "Look up!" great crowd, who are foremost set For years of allotted strife. Look up, and beyond, there's a guerdon there "Look up!" large spirit, by Heaven inspired, To follow, and hail with triumphant song JOHN CRITCHLEY PRINCE. To ask a favour of one who loves is to give more than to receive. But why in love alone is this an exception? why is there no enlightened world where all human requests would be considered favours, and the asker be thanked rather than the benefactor? Printed by Cox (Brothers) & WYMAN, 74-75, Great Queen Street, London; and published by CHARLES COOK, at the Office of the Journal, 3, Raquet Court, Fleet Street. THE PHILOSOPHY OF LUGGAGE. BY ELIZA COOK. "WHY, you don't mean to say that there is any philosophy in luggage," said a very free and easy friend of ours, as he came in and caught our roughest of "copy" books in a state of exposure, with merely this heading to a bit of gossiping prose which we intended to commit. "Yes we do," was our somewhat quick reply, as we snatched the leaves out of his hand, in not the most lady-like manner possible. Our impertinent friend went on utterly denying that philosophy could in any way be connected with "luggage," and indulged in that sort of smile which expresses a confirmed consciousness of superior wisdom, a sort of smile which is not pleasant, when we know the party to be formed of metal originally intended to be cast into a great spoon, but that a lucky compound of gold caused to be turned into a "great gun." We were cognizant of the gentleman having large "Firmness," huge "Combativeness," and homoeopathic quantities of "Ideality," and "Causality," so we prudently refrained from offering any logical or abstruse elucidations of our notions touching the affinity between physiological ethics and practical packing-up, and soothed him into a belief that we were still a rational being, by dint of a superlative glass of Madeira and an unusual degree of attention to his prosy dissertation on the advantages of a war with Russia. We should as soon have thought of bombarding the pyramids with pop-guns, as of imbuing him with our speculative mental analogies, so we behaved uncommonly well while he stayed, but thought his foot had by far the most music in it when he went "down" the stair. However, he had destroyed our mood, and we flung the poor copy-book on one side until this moment, when having vainly tried for some ten minutes to put a dozen round apples into a square parcel, we are induced to have our say out about the Philosophy of Luggage. There is much of desirable comfort, ingenious tact, and worldly knowledge mixed up with all travelling appurtenances, whether we move about with a large family over the whole continent, or carry a roll of music into the next street. We have seen more than one united party of pleasure broken up into silent [PRICE 14d. sulks or savage opposition, for want of a little philosophy in the luggage department. What an immense amount of irritability and anxiety may be spared, by the use of an extra strap or the omission of a delicate band-box! Let us here declare, for the private benefit of our lady friends, that, from all we have remarked in our locomotive experience, we honestly believe that there exists a natural antagonism between a man and a band-box. It is not only a fair and open intolerance that abuses and denounces the object of hatred before the whole world, but it exists even in a private and vindictive malice, that would vent itself in an unseen kick or sinister shove, when the owner of the helpless thing was not by to defend it. When we are collecting a pile of luggage in the hall, ready for some marine Paradise or inland Eden, the portmanteaus and trunks are brought together steadily enough, but only let us trust that varlet "Tom" to bring down a band-box, and so sure does he insist on placing it in most dangerous contiguity between a couple of smashing carpet-bags, or else begins to whistle some very lively tune, and employs the bottom of the band-box as a sort of "staccato" accompaniment on every stair, and when the traps are all gathered together, somehow the band-box is sure to be the thing that our brother tumbles over. He looks at it with most aggravating contempt, and we hear a muttering, in which the words "bothering rubbish " are very audible. We are obliged to plead for it with modest energy, and eat very humble pie,- -an edible which always disagrees with our stomach, by-the-by, for he might be revengeful, and the thing is weak and unprotected. Then comes the cabman, and with the greatest coolness, he positively "flings" the band-box on one side, until the other packages are fixed; at last, he " supposes that thing is to go inside;" we hardly like to mention the small private fact that we have been a sort of pendulum between the front window and well-staircase meanwhile, in order to satisfy ourselves that the band-box was still in existence,-but at last we see him put it inside, and if by any chance he has any bag or basket over half a hundredweight within reach, we are prepared to see the said bag or basket lumped right on it. Let the number of travellers be two or four the poor band-box is sure to be "in the way on the seat; it is the Pariah of our appendages, and of course, must be carried on our lap. Then comes the railway porter, who is most respectful to all that "can't be hurt;" but woe betide the band-box that you entrust to him, we are always obliged to "keep it with ourselves," and if all the seats are full, and the box too big to go under the seats,—which it always is, --why our journey is not quite so unencumbered as it might be. We seriously advise all women who value peace and independence in their wayfaring, to abjure band-boxes. We never think of employing such an agent now, since our experience convinces us that the stamp of misfortune is set upon it. We have travelled with gim-crack toys and ornamental glass without a derangement of the numerous family in "Noah's Ark," or a fracture of the crystal threads, but no sooner did we venture on a "band-box" than "Melancholy marked it for its own." Nevertravel with a band-box, ladies. Hide your evening-caps or best bonnets in some solid, enduring frame-work,-have an iron-chest, a plate-chest, a sea-chest, a tea chest, an "old oak-chest," or any chest in the world, so that it bears no relationship to the milliner's receptacle, have nothing that resembles a bandbox, or every masculine hand laid on it will contrive some spiteful and insulting injury. Exercise your philosophy on this point, and you will never repent it. There is often a deal of trouble and embarrassment incurred by the very desultory and promiscuous manner in which the extraneous articles in travelling are expected to find their way from London to Liverpool. There is something particularly awkward and slightly impeding in having to arrange and carry an unlimited number of sticks, umbrellas, parasols, coats, rugs, and nobody knows what, about a railwaystation or pier-head. We lately met a party of three ladies and two gentlemen, who had arrived at dusk at Blackwall Station from Ramsgate; their trunks and carpet bag were disposed of without anxiety, but the perplexing and wild state of excitement over four umbrellas, three parasols, two walking-sticks, three cloaks, two coats, three Scotch plaids, one shawl, three baskets, and a large bundle of sea-weed, was indescribable, to say nothing of an unruly spaniel attached to a string, who persisted in twisting and rushing about in the most contrary directions possible. As for keeping the things together, the attempt seemed impracticable. William was shouting to Emily to know if she had his fur coat; James interrogated William as to the whereabouts of his silk umbrella; Ellen was slightly frantic touching a missing Tweed; and Sophy was making a desperate snatch at any article looking at all like one of their things, alternating her vigilant activity with a sudden smack and energetic shaking bestowed impromptu on "that tiresome dog Fido." Half-a-dozen plums would keep tumbling out of a basket, and the sea-weed would keep tumbling out of the bundle, while we stood amongst them rendering what help we could, and thinking that a little practical philosophy would have prevented a deal of bad temper and considerable perturbation of mind. It was a fine autumn day, and if William or Sophy had secured the miscellaneous matters with a yard or two of cord and a strap, comfort and independence might have been preserved. Another fallacy in which many people indulge, is that of bringing something home with them, which might be procured within reach of an errand-boy. We shall never forget encumbering ourselves with six pounds of butter from Exeter to Bayswater, and on a frying dog-day, too; it was no laughing matter, -the comestible being somewhat carelessly packed, and ourselves entertaining a natural horror of grease. The trouble it gave us from the station to the larder was beyond the usual small vexations of life,-what with being almost in a melting state, the porter letting it fall on the rail, and the friend who came to meet us resolutely sitting down on it in the cab,-why, no wonder that we hated the sight of butter for a month! We were fool enough at another time to bring "specimens" from Derbyshire, and positively had to purchase a portmanteau for the accommodation of lead-ore, sulphate of barytes, and "Blue John," all of which we could have got cheaper and finer in London. We know better now, and never indulge any fancies likely to interfere with our Philosophy of Luggage. We refuse "toffee" at Everton, cakes at Banbury, water at Cologne, and bonnets at Paris. Talking of Paris, we lately had some friends, consisting of three gentlemen and two ladies, returning from that gay capital to England, and it appeared that the gentlemen were extreme advocates for the "philosophy" we are now discussing, they had a contempt for custom - house annoyances, and entreated the ladies not to "smuggle" the most trifling thing,-denounced gloves and lace as feminine rubbish, and talked very big of the folly of risking impertinence and detention for the sake of useless trumpery. The ladies promised, and kept their word, the custom-house officers passed them without leaving a suspicion attached; but alas for the strength of manhood! each of the gentlemen was detected with such an unwarrantable number of cigars carefully concealed, that loud altercation and seizure of the "useless trumpery" resulted, affording the ladies ample room for sly allusions to masculine weakness and masculine Philosophy of Luggage. That there is philosophy in luggage, we are convinced; we have known people who travelled with unnumbered boxes and bags, and yet were without essential comforts, and we have held pleasant company with those who had extremely compact arrangements, yet needed nothing. Some persons are as diffuse and unmeaning in their packing, as in their conversation. We have seen a bit of top-string put round a chest of two hundredweight; we have seen an address left on a valise indicating that it was to be sent to Bristol, when the owner fully intended it at the present time to go to Cambridge; we have seen hampers burst open at the most awkward moment, and parcels "come undone," when it was impossible to do them up again, whereat the "lords of creation" generally "get in a way," and make speeches as sharp as their razors. Somehow, men seldom put up heroically with trifling annoyances. They can look a bankruptcy in the face with the courage of a lion, and often bear the death of a wife, who brought them ten thousand pounds, with Spartan resignation; but give them an ill-cooked dinner, ask them to wait for you five minutes, or let a parcel, as we have stated above, run restive in their hands, and one might think a linchpin was |