ROUTE FROM THE CAPE TO MAURITIUS. 105 



In the conrse of the passage the Mississippi spoke her Britannic Majesty's steamer Styx, 

 thirteen days from Simon's Bay, bound to Mauritius. She was under sail, her engine having 

 been disconnected, and tlie wheels, with all their buckets, allowed to revolve by the movement 

 of the vessel through the water. She made tolerable way, but drifted niucli to leeward. The 

 English war steamers frequently, by a simple arrangement, disconnect their engines for the 

 purpose of saving fuel. This process of connecting and disconnecting is accomplished in a few 

 minutes. In American naval steamers it is almost impossible to disconnect the engines, and 

 the only practicable mode of using the sails exclusively is by the removal of the immersed floats- 

 This requires moderate weather for its accomplishment, and the time necessary for doing it is 

 about two hours, and double that time is required for the readjustment of the floats or buckets. 



It must be acknowledged with mortification tliat our navy is in many respects very backward 

 in availing itself of some of those improvements in steam vessels which have been already 

 adopted by other nations, and even by private enterprise. Since the construction of the 

 Mississippi and the Missouri, the two first ocean war steamers introduced into our naval service, 

 and for a time esteemed the finest in the world, there has been less progress in the building of 

 such vessels than our position as a nation would seem to demand. Most of the maritime 

 powers of Europe and many companies, and even private individuals, have put afloat such vessels 

 as it must be acknowledged but few of our steamers could fairly compete with in excellence ot 

 ' construction and equipment. The San Jacinto, Saranac, Fulton, and the Princeton, may be 

 pointed to in illustration of these remarks. 



At half-past nine o'clock, on the morning of the 18th of February, the Mauritius was first 

 seen from the deck, bearing N.N.E., and at noon the Mississippi was nearly abreast of Cape 

 Bravant, having passed in sight of Grand Port, the scene of the memorable action in August, 

 1810, between an English squadron, under the command of Captains Pyne and Willoughby, 

 and a French force, under Commodore Duperie. In this engagement the English were worsted, 

 having lost nearly all their vessels. The battle was fought within the coral shoals which form 

 the harbor of Grand Port, the batteries on the shore taking part in the action, which was 

 prolonged several days. 



Early in the evening, the pilot having boarded the Mississippi near the mouth of the harbor, 

 anchored and secured the steamer for the night at the outer, which are termed the Admiral's 

 moorings. Next morning the pilot returned to the ship, bringing with him several launches, 

 manned by natives of Malabar^ who, with the assistance of the crew of the Mississippi, 

 completed her moorings, which was a process requiring much time and labor. All vessels 

 entering the harbor of Port Louis are secured by frigates' chains attached to mooring 

 anchors, and brought on board, one at each bow and one at each quarter. This operation 

 is entirely under the direction of the pilots, who with their launches, warjjs, and numerous 

 hands, are constantly occupied in mooring and unmooring the various vessels as they enter or 

 leave the harbor. Vessels are moored head and stern, with their bows to the southeast, the 

 direction from which the hurricanes usually come. As these generally blow directly out of the 

 harbor, they are accompanied with very little sea ; but such is often the violence of the wind, 

 that the strong moorings give way, and the most destructive results ensue, the vessels being 

 dashed against each other, and the shores strewn with wrecks. It is rarely that these gales 

 blow into the harbor, but when they do, a tremendous sea is thrown into the little port, and 

 the strongest moored and best found vessels can hardly escape disaster. 

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