ENGLISH CHANNEL. 43 



we imagined (as the dull-eyed said) darker spots of wood and 

 lighter spots of houses, and which we called Ireland. We saw 

 also at some distance the steamer which left Liverpool the 

 day before for Cork. She was very long and low, and more 

 clipper-like in her appearance than our sea-going steamers of 

 the same class. At sunset we were out of sight of land again 

 and driving on at a glorious rate, passing rapidly by several 

 large British ships going the same course. 



I was up two or three times during the night, and found 

 the captain all the while on deck in his India-rubber clothes, 

 the mate on the forecastle, look-outs aloft, every thing draw 

 ing finely, and nothing to be seen around us but fog, foam, 

 and fire-flashing surges. At three o clock this morning, John 

 called me, and I again came on deck. It was still misty, but 

 there was LAND dark and distinct against the eastern glow 

 no more &quot; imagination.&quot; It was only a large, dark ledge of 

 rocks, with a white light-house, and a streak of white foam 

 separating between it and the dark blue of the sea ; but it 

 seemed thrillingly beautiful. In a few minutes the fog opened 

 on our quarter, and disclosed, a few miles off, a great, sublime 

 mountain, its base in the water, its head in the clouds. The 

 rock was the Skerrys ; the mountain, Holyhead. Very soon, 

 high, dark hills, piled together confusedly, dimly appeared on 

 our right dimly and confused, but real, substantial, unmis 

 takable solid ground none of your fog-banks ! These were 

 on the island of Anglesea. Then, as the ship moved slowly 

 on, for the wind was lulling, past the Skerrys, the fog closed 

 down and hid it all again, and we went below to dress. 

 When again we came up it was much lighter, and the brown 

 hills of Anglesea were backed up by the blue mountains of 

 Wales distinct against the grey cloud behind them. Soon a 

 white dot or two came out, and the brown hill-sides became 

 p;reen, with only patches of dark brown ploughed ground 



