LETTER NO. IV 



On Board of Bark Victoria, off Hamburg, near Gliick- 



stadt. 



June 6th, 1851. 

 My Beloved Ones:— Floating at last! I have been on 

 board the " Victoria" since the second of this month, 

 though we did not leave the Hamburg harbor until a 

 quarter to six yesterday afternoon. I am informed that 

 there are fifty-seven steerage passengers and six cabin 

 passengers on board; of all these only ten are bound for 

 San Francisco, the others will stop at Valdivia or Val- 

 paraiso. My first impression of my fellow-passengers 

 leads me to believe that I struck a very companionable 

 crowd. There are some from Wiirtemberg, Baden, Hesse, 

 Saxony and comparatively few from Prussia. As I ex- 

 pected they are mostly good middle-class men of some 

 education. "We have also a few women and children on 

 board. There is already a certain spirit of harmony 

 among the passengers, which seems to increase as the 

 hours roll by. Among the cabin passengers we count a 

 Dr. Donner— member of one of the oldest and most re- 

 spected of Hamburg families— who is booked for Val- 

 divia. Of course we do not know each other by name 

 just yet, but it strikes me that the way to mutual appre- 

 ciation is being paved rapidly, as every one on board is 

 seemingly bont upon studying how he can contribute to 

 that harmony and happy condition, which are so desira- 

 ble on a long and uncertain voyage like ours. As our 

 staunch vessel had previously attracted my attention, so 

 now do the passengers seem to add to the contentment 

 T feel on board the ship. The crew also is well chosen. 

 There are seventeen of them: The captain, first and sec- 

 ond mate, carpenter, cook, eight experienced and two 

 younger tars; also two apprentices. A fine body. 



73 



