Wreck of the Paramatta — Unpleasant Fellotv-passengers. 44^ 



parent that it was vain to hope for a pleasant voyage. No- 

 thing was heard on every side but politics, and it may be left 

 to the reader to guess in what tone they would be discussed, 

 when Frenchmen, heated with visions of la gloire milUaire^ 

 were the principal spokesmen. 



Early the next morning we were near the reef, which had 

 disabled the largest and finest of the Company's ships, that 

 had just cost £140,000. The unfortunate ship had struck the 

 reef when running 1 1 knots an hour, and now lay on her star- 

 board side on the reef, having careened so far over that her 

 port paddle-wheel was quite clear of the water. A committee 

 on the spot having decided that she must be entirely dis- 

 mantled before even her bare hull could be got off the reef, it 

 was resolved not to detain the 31agclalena, it being thought 

 desirable tliat she should as speedily as possible make her 

 way to Southampton, so as to enable the directors at once 

 to determine what course to adopt, before the sailing of the 

 next steamer.. Our captain was furnished with a general 

 account of the accident, together with a sketch by the head 

 engineer of the position of the Paramatta, and with these the 

 Magdalena was permitted to take her departure. 



The voyage threatened to be long and tedious, though at- 

 tempts were made to enliven the mornings and evenings by 

 music, and an occasional dance on deck. The former might 

 have been made very agreeable, had not the chef d^orchestre, 

 who was second steward, ventured on playing his own composi- 

 tions as often as possible. To please the susceptibilities of 



