GERMAN STEAMERS. 205 



afternoon of May 29, not without deep regret at 

 quitting a country where I had spent twenty of the 

 most enjoyable days of my life. The only occupants 

 of the first-class saloon were a German gentleman, 



Mr. Z ; his wife, a delicate Peruvian lady, who 



remained in her cabin during most of the voyage ; five 

 children ; and a maid. I found a good clean cabin, 

 which had been reserved for my use, and before long 

 a tall, handsome man of pleasant countenance intro- 

 duced himself to me as Captain Willsen, commanding 

 the Rhamses. 



The steamers of the German Cosmos line, of which 

 this is, I believe, a fair example, differ in many 

 respects from the great English ocean steamships 

 which conduct most of the intercourse between Europe 

 and South America. They are mainly destined for 

 cargo, the accommodation for passengers being com- 

 paratively very limited, and of scarcely half the 

 dimensions, being of rather less than two thousand tons 

 displacement by our measurement. In our passenger 

 ships speed is always the foremost consideration. In 

 accordance with the national temperament, the German 

 steamers set slight store on that object ; safety and 

 economy are the aims constantly kept in view, and 

 the consumption of an increased quantity of coal in 

 order to gain a day would be regarded as culpable 

 extravagance. The especial advantage which they 

 offer to every traveller in this region is that, owing to 

 their light draught, they are able to traverse the 

 narrow and intricate channels of Western Patagonia 

 between the mountainous islands and the mainland ; 

 while to sea-sick passengers the object of avoiding 



