86 EAST PRUSSIA TO THE GOLDEN GATE 



lowered again. The next morning found the weather 

 very disagreeable and rough, and the air thick. It was 

 the 17th of June; we steered toward the channel and had 

 the satisfaction of seeing the high coast of Calais about 

 one o'clock, though at a distance of many miles. The 

 wind commenced to lessen and changed more toward 

 the North. At half-past two we sighted the coast of Eng- 

 land near Dover, when we realized to our great relief that 

 we had entered the Pas de Calais, leaving behind us the 

 North-Sea with all its storms and dangers. 



"While, my beloved ones, I have taken you clear to the 

 English channel, you have not heard anything of my 

 mode of life, how I am lodged, what I do, or eat or drink. 

 I therefore hasten to give an account of all that which 

 in reality does not undergo much change during the 

 whole voyage. During our trip through the North-Sea 

 and channel, we were not well settled on account of the 

 sea-sickness which had to be considered. 



The steerage of the Victoria is a room about seven feet 

 high, forty feet long and taking in the whole width of 

 the ship. Light and air are admitted through the two 

 entrances, the large middle-hatch, near the main-mast 

 and the steerage-way near the cabin. The bunks of the 

 passengers are to the right and left, arranged four in a 

 cell, two by two, one above another. As we were only 

 fifty-seven passengers, having twenty cabins at our dis- 

 posal, we managed to make things as comfortable as pos- 

 sible by placing two or three in a cabin. The walks 

 were narrow as the boxes and other effects had been 

 piled up in the middle of the steerage alongside of the 

 cabins; we utilized them, however, as tables, benches and 

 chairs. The illumination at night was produced by two 

 lanterns which sufficed to make correct estimate of the 

 dimness and the thickness of the air, which might at times 

 have been cut with knives. My laundry-articles and other 

 necessities for the trip were in a small bag and a still 

 smaller box of about 1% cubic feet. One learns to be 

 satisfied with little on trips like my present one. Thus 

 much of our common lodging place: our mode of life is, 

 of course, similarly monotonous. 



