FROM LONDON TO NEW YORK. 253 



National Gallery in London, and this sea recalled 

 his, and I appreciated more than ever the artist's 

 great powers. 



These storms it appears, are rotary in their wild 

 dance and promenade up and down the seas. " Look 

 the wind squarely in the teeth," said an ex-sea-cap- 

 tain among the passengers, " and eight points to the 

 right in the northern hemisphere will be the centre 

 of the storm, and eight points to the left in the south- 

 ern hemisphere." I remembered that in Victor 

 Hugo's terrible dynamics, storms revolved in the 

 other direction in the northern hemisphere, or fol- 

 lowed the hands of a watch, while south of the equator 

 they no doubt have ways equally original. 



Late in the afternoon the storm abated, the fog 

 was suddenly laid, and looking toward the setting 

 sun, I saw him athwart the wildest, most desolate 

 scene that it was ever my fortune to behold the face 

 of that god. The sea was terribly agitated, and the 

 endless succession of leaping, frothing waves between 

 me and the glowing west, formed a picture I shall 

 not soon forget. 



I think the excuse that is often made in behalf of 

 American literature, namely, that our people are too 

 busy with other things yet, and will show the proper 

 aptitude in this field too as soon as leisure is afforded, 

 is fully justified by events of daily occurrence. 

 Throw a number of them together without anything 

 else to do, and they at once communicate to each 

 other the itch of authorship. Confine them on board 



