154 FIRST JOURNEY IN EUROPE. [1839, 



could to keep dry. The only thing I saw worthy of 

 notice as we went down the Thames was Greenwich 

 Hospital, of which I will perhaps send a print. I 

 should add also chalk cliffs, for I never before saw 

 rocks and hills of chalk. In the afternoon, as we had 

 fairly got into the Channel, a thick fog came on. The 

 captain lost his way and seemed in fear that he 

 should run the boat upon the Sands, so he 

 dropped anchor about five in the afternoon. We 

 were to have arrived at Boulogne at nine that 

 evening. But as I saw there was no great chance 

 of our moving for some time, I set about making 

 amends for my loss of sleep the previous night. I took 

 possession of two thirds of a hard sofa, and, wrapped 

 in my cloak, was soon in a comfortable doze. I awoke 

 late in the evening ; and such a sight as there was be- 

 fore me ! It seems that there were no accommodations 

 for sleeping on board, or next to none, and the passen- 

 gers, men, women, and children, were indiscriminately 

 but thickly strewn over the sofas, chairs, and even 

 over the whole floor, with portmanteaus, great-coats, 

 and whatever they could find for pillows, attempting 

 to secure such rest as they could, some sixty persons 

 or more crowded into a space not larger than the cabin 

 of one of our ferry-boats. . . . 



But I was too drowsy to mind it much, and soon fell 

 asleep again, but awoke in the morning with swollen 

 eyes and complaining bones. The boat was moving 

 again, and it was raining as hard as ever. The dis- 

 tant coast of France soon came in view, and at half 

 past ten we were landed at Boulogne. We were es- 

 corted to the custom-house ; what baggage we had 

 brought in our hands was closely examined by the offi- 

 cers, an ill-looking, vagabond set ; our passports were 



