THRKE DAVS A>D TIIRKE NIGHTS ON BOAKU A STKAMEll. 113 



lived happy and contented for two years — so very comfortable, indeed, tlmt 

 they got discontented, and thought they would be better elsewhere ; that 

 three years ago they had gone over to Scotland, where her husband had 

 not succeeded in getting constant employment, and that he had a few 

 months ago gone back to his native place, leaving her in Scotland ; 

 that she had subsisted by her needle, and by washing linen, and ma- 

 naged to keep her family, consisting of two boys and a girl, besides the 

 one at her breast, from starving; that her husband had sent for her, 

 and that she was now on her way to meet him ; that her whole stock of 

 money had been four shillings and tenpence, three shillings of which 

 she had reserved for her fare, and laid in a stock of provision and cor- 

 dials for the voyage with the remainder. She said, if once back to her 

 native place, that no power on earth would ever force her to leave it ; 

 that we saw her condition, but we could not imagine wliat she had suf- 

 fered the night before, and was then sufiering, — daring the previous 

 night, she had been in the steerage, sitting upon the floor with her 

 children around her, sick, wearied, and ill-natured ; that having no one 

 to protect her, she had been much annoyed by her fellow-passengers, 

 until she had threatened to break the skulls, of some of them with an 

 empty bottle she held in her hand ; that when the morning came, and 

 her fellow -passengers went on deck, she had gatheied her children, and 

 placed them below the table where she was sitting, and having taken 

 up the slop pail, she believed she would have been sick was it 

 not for the fear she had of her fellow-passengeis, but that the sea in all 

 its fury below, and the wind whistling above, was not so frightful as 

 her present unprotected state. We sat for nearly an hour listening to 

 her tale. We gave her another bottle of porter and a few shillings ; 

 and when we rose to come way, we left her, to ajijjearance, the only 

 waking eve in that crowded steerage. The old women were sleeping 

 on the effects of the tea, and the Bacchanalians were snoring upon that 

 of the poteen. The poor mother alone was waking, attending to her 

 children, and thinking of their father, enjoying, doubtless, bright and 

 beautiful dreams of the future amid the phantoms that hope would not 

 fail to raise, notwithstanding the misery and wretchedness wiiich was 

 strewed around the parent. 



After the sun had set, we found the fog increase so much as to pre- 

 vent our attempting the channel in that state of the weather ; and as 

 Landach Bav lay before us, we entered, and came to anchor amid a 

 great many lights — some of them, it is true, but dimly seen in the fog, 

 but serving to tell that there were others there in the same condition. 

 We rode very smoothly iu the bay, notwithstanding the storm blowing 

 outside, and dinner was soon on the table. After dinner we got on 

 shore, and found a good many sailors, captains, &c. strolling about the 

 few houses. A piper was sent for ; we took possession of a house that 

 had no lock upon the door, and in a little all thoughts of the sea and its 

 dangers were gone. We were dancing like as many crickets, and the 

 only thing we wanted to make us happy was a few more of the lairer 

 eex, as the greater part of us had to make partners in the dance of those 

 of our own sex. About ten o'clock at night, we repaired on board our 

 own vessel : where the other dancers went to we cannot tell — we sui)pose 

 on board their own vessels — we never saw anv of them before nor 



M. M.— No. 2. 1 



