FROM LONDON TO AUCKLAND.

New Zealander, Volume XXIV, Issue 2613, 21 March 1866, Page 4

FROM LONDON TO AUCKLAND.

BEING THE. DI A I I V OF A PASSENGER BY THE SHIP ‘ULCOATS.’ (COXTINIKO.) From March ot.li to March 17lh. Here we arc, in splendid weather, and with Maderia in sight, though full SO miles dis-

tant. Doming down Channel, we had a fair wind, and ran along at a magnificent pace ; sighted the Land’s Fnd on the 9th, and from that until to-day', have seen no signs of terra fir ma. We have had a good deal of sickness on board ; but all arc quite Veil now, and pretty comfortable under the circumstances—quite as much so as I anticipated. Having got into warm weather, ■we are all anxiously looking out for fish, but at present, with the exception of a few porpoises, we have seen none. Yesterday, a shoal of these latter crossed the hows. A couple of seamen immediately went into •the martingale under the bows, and one of them struck at the (ish with a harpoon, but missed ; in the afternoon, another shoal crossed .the bows, and this time we had more success, ns the boatswain hit a porpoise with a tremendous thud, the harpoon going clean through him. After some difficulty he was hauled on board, and proved to be about five feet long', wei'diing perhaps a hundred weight and a half. His blubber was soon stripped off, and the gentleman cut up and distributed among the crew and passengers. The flesh was ■very dark, of a close grain, and apparently very tough ; hut never judge by appearances, for no rump steaks could be more tender than was the flesh of this porpoise. It was the least hit strong, but with butter and pepper formed an agreablc change from salt, beef and pork. Some of the people ■would not eat the meat; but others made pies, roasted it, and otherwise cooked it, and many declared they had never dined better in their lives.

Saturday, March 18lli. Poll in with, and signalled, an American brier, from I’io to Genoa. She was under all sail, while we were staggering along under courses and topsails. In the evening the men and passengers fraternised, and did a good deal jn the singing line. Our butcher is a young fellow about twenty years of ago, and one of the most amusing characters that f ever came aerosc. lie is going out to Auckland to make his fortune there—if he can—and like two nr three others (passengers’ cook and two stewards) has paid £8 to be allowed to work his'passago out; but there’s one thing, he don't kill himself with hard labour. When a song is called for he is generally the first to oblige. lie knows pretty well all the comic songs out, and being himself a comical fellow and one of the thinnest and most lantern-jawed on board, be generally catis's great amusement. We are now on tbe borders of the trade winds—the winds are “breeding,” now blowing from one quarter, now from another, and now dying quite away. We are is the region of the Canary Islands, and there is a heavy ground swell on, causing the ship to roll considerably, which results in several of the female passengers turning sick, and an alarming destruction of ■crockery, &e.

Sunday, March 19ch. —When f awoke 'this morning I found the ship was rolling heavily ; and going on deck 1 learned that -Tenoviff o was in sight. Looking over the quarter tn leeward I saw’a heavy bank, or series of banks of clouds Stretching away -one over the other far up into the heavens. At first I could discover no land through the dense masses, hut continuing to gaze, I could at last see the high land of '1 eneriffe, said to bo five and forty or fifty miles

off. The fore part of (lie day passed off quietly, the ship standing on under all ordinary sail (the stnnsails were taken off on Friday night) before the breeze, which to-day was light but variable. In the morning, service was held in the cabin, which most of the passengers attended. In the afternoon a brig, which had been in sight since daylight, rapidly drew up to us, and was about to pass us, when tiic breeze freshened, or, rather, it seemed to leave her and come to ns, and we walked away Jfrom her like hauling in a line. Later, floweret, we were becalmed and she was favoured, and by sunset she was nearly out of sight. In the evening a bit of a quiet trow occurred, as has been the case every Sunday since we have been on board. In our part of the ship among the married people is a Mr. 13 e, a Mr. C hj, a Mr. C e, and several others, who, with their wives, wished for an evening service ; and the first Sunday evening we were on board, while lying off Dungeness, a religious meeting was held down stairs in our department of the vessel. The meeting was quiet and orderly enough for some time, the parties present conducting themselves in the orthodox manner ; but when it was over, one of the intermediate passengers, a Mr. J n, stated that be would not be annoyed by their “ psalm-singing,” and last Sunday be and several more did all they could while the religious meeting was being held to annoy those present, especially the speakers, taking them off as much as possible ; and woe to the poor devils if they happened to make a mistake in their grammar ! Well, after the meeting -was over on that occasion some of the "Irishwomen (of whom there are about five on board) kicked up a shindy, and the husband of one had to give her a good -thrashing to keep her quiet, when the captain was called down, and, after a long palaver, things became somewhat quieter. To-night while the meeting was being held J n was worse than ever, going into his berth and knocking with a hammer to every note that was sang, while the chief steward, who was in the hospital (next to ,T n’s berth), dressed himself, and every time J n gave a drive with his hammer the “poor sick steward” dashed a chain or a bunch of keys against the side of the hospital. (Resides J n and the steward, there were a number of men from the second and third class compartments, who came down at J n’s invitation, kicked up a deuce of a row with their feet and one or two pannikins, so that altogether there was a pretty pandemonium. After service, ns may be supposed, there was a wordy war, J n declaring that that was the hist time they should congregate before his door, and they retorting; so I expect before we get to Auckland there will be a bit of a shindy among the lot. As fur J n, he ought to have gone first-class ; he is too big a man to bo in the steerage, and tries to ride the high horse, lie and I have had a few words, which resulted in his messing by himself, so there are now but six in our mess instead of eight.

Monday, March 20th.—Coming on deck this morning found the ship walking along a little better, with her stunsailsout on both sides. We were going along about six miles an hour, and Tenerifle was out of sight from the deck. Day passed ort quietly. Beautiful sunset. Begins to get rather warm below in the berths. March 21st. —Rose at fie to see the sun rise. Fine sight, but not so beautiful as sun-set. What astonished me was the rapidity with which the orb of day arose from the water. 1 had b-en watching for it before the rising, and had turned my head for not more than a minute and a half or two minutes, and on looking round what was my amazement to find the ball of fire half way out of the water, and in another minute the ship was in the full blaze of sunlight. In the afternoon had a little bit of larking, some of the passengers throwing hemp, pieces of dough, &c., at one another. One piece of soft dough struck Mr. .1— n, when ho took up an iron belaying pin and declared that he would let it fly at the head of the first man who threw at him again, “ and he did not care a damn whether he killed him or not. This is the man who is so fond of playing practical jokes upon others. Another young fellow was going to “knife” anybody who touched him; and a third would knock any man’s brains out with an iron bar if he was molested. This he said because one of the young fellows threw a bundle of wet feathers at him while singing upon tli-* forecastle. So wc seem to have a few desperate spoils on board, and if a little of their hot blood is not let out befoto wc get to Auckland I shall be very much mistaken. In the evening the men went aft and'asked the captain for tobacco, when he let them have half a-pound a piece, which he told them must last a fortnight; but this don’t suit Jack, and as soon as the half-pound is done they are going aft for more. The owners are afraid of letting the men draw too much on the voyage out to a good colony, as they generally bolt when they get there, and so the owners consider they lose so many drawn stores. At four o’clock the ship was going five knots; at nine o’clock p.m. she was going 7.L We were now within the limits of the wind termed the variables. Latitude about 24 2 N., lon. 17 = W. ( To he continued .)