156 MEMOIR OF FLEEMING JENKIN 



of the thing was that the ship had been spoken to 

 civilly and had kindly undertaken to do everything 

 that was necessary without any further inter- 

 ference. I have a nice cabin with plenty of room 

 for my legs in my berth and have slept two nights 

 like a top. Then we have the ladies' cabin set apart 

 as an engineer's office, and I think this decidedly 

 the nicest place in the ship : 35 ft. x 20 ft. broad — 

 four tables, three great mirrors, plenty of air and 

 no heat from the funnels which spoil the great 

 dining-room. I saw a whole library of books on 

 the walls when here last, and this made me less 

 anxious to provide light literature ; but alas, to- 

 day, I find that they are every one bibles or prayer- 

 books. Now one cannot read many hundred bibles. 

 ... As for the motion of the ship, it is not very 

 much, but 'twill suffice. Thomson shook hands 

 and wished me well. I do like Thomson. . . . Tell 

 Austin that the Great Eastern has six masts and 

 four funnels. When I get back I will make a little 

 model of her for all the chicks and pay out cotton 

 reels. . . . Here we are at 4.20 at Brest. We leave 

 probably to-morrow morning, 



' July 12. Great Eastern. — ^Here as I write we 

 run our last course for the buoy at the St. Pierre 

 shore end. It blows and lightens, and our good 

 ship rolls, and buoys are hard to find ; but we 

 must soon now finish our work, and then this letter 

 will start for home. . . . Yesterday we were 



