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lewis m. gbist, proprietor, j ^tt Jntrepenirent Jfamilj etos paper: $oi % |jromoti(m of % political, Social, ^griralinral anil Commercial Interests of l|e Sont|. | terms?$3.00 a year, in advance. VOL. 24. YORKYILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, JULY 18, 1878. IN~Q. 39. pbetia. ! From the News and Courier. THE AZOB'S TERRIBLE TRIP. mr. a. b. william8' detailed history of the voyage. Sierra Leone, May 30, 1878.?You all' know how the Azor, with her experimental load, left Charleston amid the sounds of "The Gospel ship is sailin'" and "We'r boun' for the promis' land," sung from the bark's decks,1 and reechoed from the Pocosin and Allison. The last sounds of Charleston heard by the emigrants were the notes of "The Sweet Bye and Bye" from the excursionists aboard the Pocosin. It is customary in letters similar to j this to give over two or three pages of "reflections on leaving our native i land," as if anybody cared a snap what your reflee- j tions were. We, aboard the Azor, had our reflections, and very grave ones, on leaving our j Dative land. We retlected whether or not we ; were destined to be sea-sick, and to what ex- ; tent. Doubts on the point were speedily and decisively decided after crossing the bar. One by one the passengers fell, until, with one or two honorable exceptions, everybody was down. But surely such a good natured and philosophical set of sick people was never before seen. The steerage passengers would each, between the intervals of his or her own attacks, laugh at and imitate with grotesque J gestures and words of some unfortunate comrade, amid the uproarious hilarity of the others. The few who were not affected seemed , to witness the sufferings of their fellows with exquisite eujoyment. The hours passed thus , until bedtime, when most of the passengers "turned in." A few, however, preferred | catching what breeze there was by sleeping on . the decks. There was little application for t or dissatisfaction concerning the food that , evening. I think most of the passengers were much | disappointed in the ocean. They had evi- , dently expected to meet with waves about a hundred feet high, ornamented with piscatorial banquets of whales, leviathans, sharks, mermaids, sea cows, and all the real and , mythical monsters of the deep. They were, therefore, somewhat disgusted at the ripples , which sparkled in the sunlight in every direc- *? tion, and the fish which declined showiug themselves in any direction. . The morning of the second regular day, found everybody languid, feeble and disposed ' to fasting. Despite sickness, however, amusement could be found, for one way, in watch- . ing the arrangement of society which even so soon began to take place. The cabin passengers composed the elite?the cremede la cremc. The quarter deck composed the "West end" . of the Azor, (she was steering east) and there the foot of the plebian who lived and moved and had his being in the lower strata of the steerage, could not tread. The captain, the two mates and I, the only white souls aboard, . represented those frayed ends of society ashore who are tolerated everywhere, and welcomed no where. At 12 o'clock on Monday, April 22, it was announced that we were NINETY MILES FROM CHARLESTON BAR, j win or haAn hfiralmpd dorinc a lar?e DortioD ] "" "6 ? ? o o i of the uight All traces of land had faded from sight, and I felt some curiosity to see how the sentimental, or love of home, would display itself. Careful observation, however, failed to discover an indication of either of those feelings. When the strip of mist, representing the land of these people's birth and bringing up, which coutained all the memories, sweet and bitter, of their past lives, and ? on which their friends and kin yet remaiued, was fading from their sight forever, there was no development of any feeling other than a slight interest in the distance from them at which it could be seeu. Every witling and witless wight who has ever been to sea has exhausted his literary abilities in describing the developments of seasickness. It is unnecessary, therefore, for the description to be gone into, especially as my appreciation of the humorous features of the performance is as yet slight. Suffice it, therefore, to say that the affliction was generally remarkably well borne. The passengers of tho Azov had been forewarned, and seemed to have made up their minds to submit with equanimity. I wou d take this opportunity to give notice that, having been rocked in the cradle of the deep, I am prepared to sell out my stock in that article of furniture on extremely moderate terms, the subscriptions having been (very) fully paid in, and no dividends having as yet been drawn. The second nautical day terminates at noon on Tuesday. During that day we made 134 i miles, having had a light wind nearly abeam, and steering northeast. This put us 224 miles from Charleston bar?the "miles" referred to being nautical ones, a fraction longer than the statute measurement. On this day the captain and mate weut vigorously to work reducing THE ISSUING OF FOOD AND WATER to a system. Messes were formed among the noeonn/toro nnnto ir?Trs nr fpAm ton tw CCU UCV/ft a wuvwiuiug ??viu vvu , to twenty-five persons each. Some man was < appointed to draw cooked provisions for each f of these messes, two meals a day being allow- 1 ed, at about 11 A. M. and 4 P. M. These pro- ' visions were taken from the general store, and I cooked in the galley. One of the emigrants ' assisted the ship's cook each day, the African j < potentate engaged for that purpose having | absconded in Charleston. As soon as the food I was cooked, the name of the head of each j' mess was called from a list, and he was given | prepared food sufficient for his party, which it j' was his duty to divide equally. The food was ; generally not good. There was a superabun-!' dance of meal, flour and rice and a good , i quantity of meat, the latter being pork and i salt beef. The flour, however, was coarse and i black, and the meal seemed to give general j ] dissatisfaction, being freely stigmatized as i "kilu-dried stuff, only fit for hogs to eat." The j rice, too, was broken and dirty, requiring ' < much cleaning. The meat was enough to last i when carefully doled out. All of it, except five barrels, belonged to the "six months' j stores," intended by the emigrants for their | i support in Liberia until the first crop is made; j ' but it was of necessity used on the voyage.; < Of this matter I shall have more to say here-11 after. The supply of molasses was so scant i that it could only be issued occasionally as a 1 treat. In the haste and confusiou generally I < prevailing about the galley, the food was al- j most invariably ill-cooked, causing much 1 complaint, and doubtless, suffering, to persons whose stomachs, made delicate by sea-sick- 11 ness, loathed the coarse and badly prepared : food which might have been eaten with toler-11 able relish at another time under the influence j of exercise and health. A significant remark was that made by one of the emigrants : "I ate a piece of that fat bacon, sir, and huDg : over the ship's side for two days." Each | steerage passenger received about a full pint! of cooked rice, corn and wheat bread, of each ; about as much as is contained in an ordinary j < baker's loaf, and some two square inches of! meat at each meal. There was therefore no j < danger of starvation. The supply of coffee was small, rendering an extensive dilution necessary. Tea there was in plenty, but the emigrants were not generally drinkers of that beverage. What are technically known as "medical comforts," consisting of small quantities of good spirits and wine, sago, arrowroot, &c., were entirely absent. Wheu stira- i i ulants were needed for the sick, the slender private stores of the captain or myself had to be called on. I THE CABIN PASSENGERS, i of course, fared differently. They h d their meals in the forward saloon, having a comfortable table, chairs, napkins, knives and forks, &c., while those in the steerage had , nothing of the sort. The fortunate ones in j the cabin had also a cabin boy and steward to j wait on them. Of course the ration system did not apply to them, they partaking of their : food at a general table, as at a hotel. The j captain, the two mates and I took our meals : in the after saloon, getting the same food that, the cabin passengers had. Indeed, I think > some of them used to watch us closely to make sure that we did not have the advan- j tage of them either in quantity or quality of "grub." Our salt beef was usually made intn. kool> /"lfnnnin nmrtncr Rpafariuf folk as lv v.? CJ o I "mystery,") while our bacon was carefully boiled, cooled and sliced. We had also an occasional roast or broiled fowl, generally good biscuit or bread, butter, potatoes, codfish, baked beans, curry, every now and then, and rice, with an invariable dessert of pies, puddiog, or hot cakes and syrup. We had two meals a day. Other advantages that the aristocracy of the Aior possessed were pickles, vinegar, a limited supply of fresh water to wash in and a plenty to drink. There should have been a good supply of vinegar for everybody, for it would have rendered much of the food and the water greatly more palatable; but there was only a small cask aboard, and it was a scarce luxury among the people in the steerage. The latter were required to perform their ablutions in salt water, (when they did perform them,) and were allowed three quarts of the beverage per adult. From this was subtracted a sufficient quantity with which to make coffee and tea. Each adult received about a quart and a half a day. It was issued as early as possible in tbe morning. Capt. Holmes tried all imaginable ways in makfi the food "po" as well as possible. having it made into general stews, <fcc. Now, [ expect most of us have seen the time when rice, meat, meal aud other etceteras, well hoiled together and seasoned, would have been relished; but these people took a curious antipathy to it, and would have none of the mess. However bad the supplies may have been, it seems as if any sane person, out at sea with all the possibilities of a long voyage before him, would refrain from wasting them. !iTeL I've seen nearly enough bread, meat and rice which would have looked eatable enough to a starving man, thrown carelessly or angrily over the Azor's side, to feed all aboard if her for a week. On this second nautical day of the voyage, Tuesday, the "good order" of the quarter leek was treated to that most cherished and relished of all things by good society everywhere, a mild scandal involving matrimonial infelicity. Among the good society aforesaid was a light colored missionary of youthful aspect, who wore a meek expression of countenance and a tall bat. He had a wife of ibout his own age and color, and from the [irsc there were indications of war between ;hem. On this evening he summoned her to ittend with him a prayer meeting in the iteerage, and upon her declining, went below into the forward saloon, from whence, in a Few moments, his voice came through the sky light ia dismal groans and tervent prayers, to je delivered from the power of this "tormenthg woraan.,r After this he rushed up, and ' damping wildly about the deck, speaking sitter words of his spouse, and fiercely clutchng his hair, like an Othello with the black martially washed off. This incident, of course, urnished material for much gossip and grave noralizing, and was a perfect windfall in the vay of a social event. I went down to THE PRAYER MEETING ind wished, for the first time, that the News md, Courier was a "picture" paper, that I .vas an artist, and that the scene could have seen reproduced in all of its strange picturisqueness, even were the other two conditions "ulfilled. The loner, low apartment, with its jrowded bunks, was dimly lighted. About ;ach of the three lamps, placed against the two hatches and the foot of the foremast, was dustered a group of men bending over tat- j iered hymn books, and singing with full j strength. From the serai-darkness around, I :ame voices of all varieties, joining in the j :amp meeting refrain, while the half-dressed forms of men and women were dimly to he seen, leaning forward, listening and participating, the benches were crowded with others similarly engaged, and the children slept soundly through it all, bundled up in a wonderful diversity of ways in bed. The ladder ind doors and windows of the main hatcbaouse were crowded with other faces and forms, and at the foot of the former stood the preacher. When the hymn was over, all tieads were generally bent in prayer, the devotions being led either by the miuister or some promineut man in the congregation (for this is but a sample of scenes often repeated.) The preaching was launched into the darkness when the time came, most of the preacher's audience being invisible to him. On almost all of these occasions I was fervently prayed for; oue brother revealing by a little extra plain language the probable inspiration of this portion, when he said, in tones of passionate pleading, "Bless the Reporter. Oh! help him not to write any lies to Thy glory, and the advancement of Thy work." Though the grammatical construction of this sentence rendered it somewhat dubious, it was easy to discern its meaning. This minister brought along in charge of, the A. M. E. congregation is a fair specimen j of his class. I think, from close observation, j that he is a man of really earnest piety, who j does his best according to his lights. But the j lights are so dim. He lacks entirely the education and training which many colored ministers?especially in the cities?possess. He 3eem8 barely able to read and write, mispronouncing the simplest words, and producing paioruny ludicrous enecis m tuw must smciuu momenta. With crude, twisted and half de- i veloped ideas and reasonings on subjects, he j covered up and hopelessly confused what meaning he had, with a flood of misapplied,1 miscalled, and confounded words. To the observer who thiuks a moment there j is something peculiarly saddening in this. ; This man is a representative of those chosen \ expounders of the plan of salvation who 1 taught, and doubtless believed, in '76 that < servants of God could only work and vote for Chamberlain, and that his political opponents I constituted the world, the flesh and the devil. ' Is not this most literally the leading of the i blind by the blind ? Heaven only knows j what diverse, tangled and mistaken ideas and ' theories these poor darkened minds do extract from the shapeless mass of confused words, , sentences and metaphors hurled upon them j by their teachers. The negro's intensely de- j votional nature is distracted and wanders until nearly every one acquires a separate belief ; and doctrine, some of them as horrible and . gross as can be. It seems to me that the j managers of the L. E. A. could do better than feed these unfortunate involuntary prodigals ' on theological and doctrinal husks, which satisfy the natural craving for a religion with- ! out strengthening the spiritual life which is to be the negro's greatest incentive and aid to civilization. For a preacher who can teach his people sound, simple Christianity, there is work to do among these emigrants. While we are told that from the mouths of babes j and sucklings shall proceed wisdom, I don't believe it was ever intended that those perBous or their grown-up prototypes, should furnish a steady intellectual diet for men and women. The third nautical day closed at 12 o'clock on Wednesday, April 24. The Azov has made good use of the fine breeze of the preceding twenty-four hours, and scored 214 knots, or miles, thus bringing her total run to 438 miles in three days, and putting her on !he average required to make Monrovia in twenty-five days?144 miles per diem. On this day the captain and mates raided on the steerage and had every piece of bedding brought on deck and spread out in the sun and wind to be aired and ventilated. The quarters were then THOROUGHLY CLEANED OUT, the floors being scraped, and everything thrown open to admit fresh air. The selection of officers for the Azor really seems providential, for not one sailor in a hundred would have taken the unceasing pains to secure health and cleanliness that Capt. Holmes and his mates, Messrs. Home and Thatcher, did. One of the greatest obstacles that they had to contend against was the wonderful indifference displayed by the passengers themselves on the subject. It was only by the most unremitting begging and driving that they could be induced to "clean up" around their own berths, and in many instances even those meaus failed. So it was throughout the passage. They were not rebelious or illnatured, but their inaction appeared to result solely and simply from a profound indifference and aversion to trouble. Of course there were some honorable exceptions. The Shaw and Reeves families from Georgia, Clement Irons of Charleston, who voluntarily surrendered his cabin passage for which he had paid, and went in the steerage to make room ; William Adams from Lancaster and a few others set examples worthy of imitation, cheerfully dott?Uft*A?*A?i aoamA/) nnnonooo t<n f a malm flia Illg THJOtCTCI OCCIUCU HtVVtOOOIJ UV luunv IIUV voyage a success; Dever grumbliDg, and always looking at the best side. Early on the trip the steerage had begun to assume the the appearance of the plantation quarter so familiar to all Southerners. Scraps of rags, bones, pieces of bread and "chunks" of rice lying about; dirt and grease about the floors, and "piccaninies" crawling about over it all; and the old man or woman sitting around, munching, smoking and "jawing.' Against all of these things did the officers perpetually war. On the evening of the third diay, the missionary and his wife fought on the quarterdeck. The skirmish culminated in a running battle, lasting to the cabin door. Here tbe affair was stopped, good society gathering in a body on the field, where Mrs. Missionary gave, in panting tones, an account of the fray, while her spouse contemplated her visage with his head on one side, weariug a critical air, as if he rather thought that another thump on the left eyebrow and a touch of a scratch on the starboard side of the nose, would lend the work an artistic finish. The pair were reconciled, however, and retired on their laurels. At noon on Thursday we had made 206 miles, making the total for the four nautical days 644, giving a full average and something . A I P IV _ * - J 10 spare, a oura jer 01 craiis were sigiueu, although none came near enough to speak. The eager outlook for marine monsters was rewarded by the sight of a whale blowing away off to windward. He did not, however, create half the excitement that a poor, tired little land bird, which had probably been "ETffvvn on shore, did. It alighted on the spanker boom, and flew about the ship amid many expressions of wonder and delight. The idea that it was a good omen sent especially by Provideuce seemed to strike the popular mind at once. The little creature was assiduously fed and petted, but disappeared during the evening. Probably not one of the passengers had ever read or heard of "Ye rime of ye Ancient Mariner," hut the mysterious taking off of the little visitor was received with as much genuine gloom probably as was displayed by the companions of Mr. Coleridge's hero. Always aftewards, whenever there was a prospect of anything like "dirty" weather, this matter was generally recurred to with solemn head shakiugs, expressive of evil forbodiug. My own theory is that the bird was taken for food to the "mariner's hollow," but which mariner's hollow it is difficult to say, all the mariners appearing to me to be in a habitual state of hollowness, albeit well fed. The only MoeeB of the exodus, however, a huge black cat of the captain's bearing that cognomen, was generally suspected of the crime, getting into bad odor thereby, and being regarded as an emissary of the devil. During the day ending at noon on Friday, April 26th, we made 155 miles. Total distance 799 miles northeast of Charleston, 79 miles ahead of the required average. During most of this time there had been fresh breezes, and as we were steadily working northward, there had been no suffering from heat after tho first two nights, which had been very unpleasantly close and hot in the steerage. Sea sickness still lasted, although A GENERAL RECOVERY from that malady bad begun. The weather had been generally fine and sunshiny, and general health was good. It was announced, however, that two children were dangerously sick below. The decks and the tops of the different houses made splendid lounging places, and the emigrants, having begun to feel better, and being tired of looking at the water, usually lay about in a confusion by no means beautiful, most of the men sleeping on their backs the entire day. As recovery progressed, the Exodites, liice their exemplars of Israel, became more and more discontented with food, water and surroundings, and murmured, especially when certain developments, which this narrative will hereafter develop, were made. I myself could not but coufess a longing for the flesh pots of Egypt as embodied in the sofi boiled eggs, buttered toast and beefsteak of the Pavilion ; also remembering with regret that at that hostelry there was no necessity for holding fast to your soup plate to prevent its drifting down to leeward, and becoming a nameless and shapeless wreck against the butter dish. During Friday night the wind shifted to the east, and finally dead ahead, driving the Azor to the north. She, however, made 112 miles, bringing her total to 911, and keeping her still ahead of her average. The" head winds continued all during Saturday, still driving her north, and occasioning may relapses to the sick, dashing bright hopes, and reducing victims to the depths of despair. There was one man, however, who was not reprostrated. That was the man who owned and operated the accordeon. On Saturday evening he produced the article and opened up. He was not particularly well acquainted with its manipulation, and his music was mostly of an experimental nature. He would grind along at random until some note was stumbled upon that bore the semblance of something he had heard before. Carefully learning how ihis was done, he would feel around until he found something to fit it, and so go on building up a tune, a note, a bar and key at a time. Sometimes the foundation, or some other important part, would be forgotten, and then the entire structure would tumble, with a wild squeak or hollow groan, a disastrous and melancholy ruin. During Saturday night the force of the head wind increased, obliging the furling of all light sails, and keeping the vessel constantly careened, and still driving her north of her course. On Sunday morning THK FIliST DEATH occurred, being that of a four year old da ughter of William Johnson. The child had been ailing when brought aboard in Charleston, and had steadily grown worse during the whole time. A few moments before its death, the minister was summoned, and it I was baptized "Amelia Johnson." Very soon j after breath had left the little body, it was j prepared for burial, and that saddest of all j funerals, a funeral at sea, was arranged for. A plank seven feet long by two wide was laid across the end of a barrel, one end projecting over the lee (port) gangway rail. A folded American flag was knotted around this plank, and that much of the simple preparation was complete. One by one and in knots, the emigrants gathered about this suggestive object, I until all were crowded around it, observing J a profound silence, and watching with cuj rious eyes for the completion of the, to them, novel ceremony. The cabin pasrengers gathered on the poop overlooking the scene, and the neighboring shroudc and rigging were filled with other spectators. In a few minutes two sailors came up from the steerage, replacing their needles in their cases with a business-like air, and then two or three men stumbled up the ladder bearing the shapeless canvas bundle containing the corpse and the large stone wrapped with it at its feet. The body, in this sea coffin, was laid upon the plank and the flag spread over it, a sailor standing at each side. One by one the men who stood about took off tbeir hats, and the crowd clustered closer as the minister came forward and proceeded to read the Methodist burial services. At the words, "We commit this body to the deep," the flag was lifted, the inside ends of the plank tilted up by the sailor, and the body slid off into the water, which boiled and surged against the vessel's side, sinking immediately to its resting place "till theseagives up her dead." Then the crowd slowly dispersed. THE 8AME SCENE was repeated later in the same day, Shellevy Adams, an infant son of William Adams, dying that evening. He also was christened a few minutes before his death, which was attributed to dysentery. Apropos of these deaths, I must speak of a matter that strikes me as being an outrage. In giving the particulars of the arrangement for the first voyage of the Azor, the managers of the Exodus distinctly stated that a physician from Washington would accompany her, and that statement was published in the News and Courier. NO PHYSICIAN from Washington or anywhere else could be found among her passengers. The law requires the presence of oue aboard emigrant ships, and George Curtis was used to clear with. I am informed that the Rev. B. F. Porter assured the Customhouse authorities ~ ? j .L- c that uurtis unaersioou me prnuuoe ui ujcuicine, having studied it in bis youth. He knows about as much of medicine as a street car mule. During the whole voyage be was prowling around 'tween decks with a small ; book called "the mariner's medical guide" in one hand, and all sorts of compounds extract- ; ed from the medicine chest in the other. Even the book was given him by the captain. 1 I feel very confident that he was unacquainted ' with the symptoms of the simplest diseases, . and my idea is that he went almost entirely by guess-work. When he bad formed some opinion as to what the disorder was, he would 1 refer to the book ; and treat it thereby. He used continually to be consulting the captain as to what be should do. I was called in to one or two of the consultations, but my medi- ' cal knowledge being"acquired principally from a fence somewhere, and consisting of a , vague idea that Tutt's liver pills were good for something or another, I was subsequently, and wisely, ignored. This thing seems to me to have been either a deliberate crime, and a very grave one, or equally criminal careless- 1 I >ioft nf t ho monncrprs of t.hfs exo- I 1JCOD U1J IUU J/u? v w? kmv dua. It is horrible to think of A BLUNDERING IGNORAMUS J ' I like this man having charge of the health of | some three hundred people, a large majority ] of whom were women and children. It is , only Heaven's mercy that there are not even j more deaths to record. Capt. Holmes, while possessing considerably more knowledge of , the simpler diseases than Curtis, of course ( could not be expected to be able to cope with | anything of a complicated nature. So there we all were, entirely at ihe mercy of any pes tilence that might arise. I am certain that | the more intelligent of the passengers agreed j with me in my estimate of the "Doctor's" skill. | I don't think he was ever allowed to experi- , ment on any one in the cabin, and I know , that his practice (and it literally was prac- i tice) was a laughing stock on the quarter | deck, where he was generally known as "cal- , omel and jalap," that being his favorite pre- ( scription. He adminisitered it to Johnson's child, which died in convulsions. Its death j was attributed to worms, although he was in j doubt as to whether it was that or cerebro j spinal meningetis. Of Dr. Curtis, too, I shall have more to say hereafter. The log showed on Sunday at noon that ( we had made 144 miles that day, making a | total of 1,055, and leaving us still ahead of ' the necessary average. In addition to the 1 funeral services already mentioned, .egular ' onminoa mprp holit t.wirft on Sundav. beint? largely attended. On Monday, 28th, the log pcored 125 miles, a total of 1,180. Still slightly ahead of the average. On this day THE FIRST BIRTH took place, being that of a boy, (reported to be a fine one,) to the wife of Ned Clark, a steerage passenger. Mother and child both flourished from the first. We bad by this time been driven into about 39 north latitude, being about the latitude ol? Cape May, and two degrees further north :han the captain had intended going, he having proposed to run only as far up as Baltinore, latitude 37. As soon as the head wind s bated the vessel's course was changed, and she went into her long southeast stretch. On Tuesday, 29th, we made two hundred and fourteen miles, gaining a trifle south, the wind having shifted somewhat, and making a total for the nine days of one thousand three hundred and ninety-four miles We were still ahead of the required average, but lost considerably by being becalmed during j Tuesday night, only making seventy-two miles | to Wednesday at 12 o'clock. The sea dur- , ing nearly ill of Wednesday lay like a sheet | of flexible glass, only disturbed by a heavy j butquiet sw ell, which rolled abeam, producing, as heavy swells generally do, a most unpleasant effect, keeping the vessel rocking violebt- ' j ly. During the evening, however, a brisk I ; breeze carae up, just forward of the quarter, i and the Azor went bowling along before it, running on her port side, keeping everybody < and everything drifting to leeward, making 1 the holding of one's self in a bunk a process ' requiring considerable sciet ce, and adding to j the difficulty of the problen bow to stow six ' feet of anatomy comfortably in five feet eight 1 inches of bunk, which I hi.d been eudeavor- < ing to solve from the beginning. The wind [ continued to freshen until i . became 1 A LIGHT GALE, ! and the vessel tossed on the waves at a great , rate. The royals, and stay, top gallant and upper topsails were taken in one by one, and the pumps were Bet to work. Wednesday ! was the regular "bed-airing" day, but the ' spray aud wind obliged the hasty taking in of : all such furniture. The emigrants had great 1 fun at 6rst coaxing their luwary fellows to stand near the windward jjangway, and get well "soused" by the water, which now and < then came dashing over the rails. Much di version wan also caused by the loss of several < bats, which took to themselves wings and flew away, that being the only thing about them suggesting riches even in the most remote manner. (By the way, I believe nearly every man aboard the Azov lost head gear at some stage of the voyage, and a collector of curiosities in the way of ancient and dilapidated tiles, might have reaped a rich harvest had he been in our wake.) Towards night, however, when the vessel careened so much as to dip up water through her lee scuppers, and the wind still freshened, many of the passengers became first anxious, then timid, and finally thoroughly frightened. The doors of the hatch houses were closed and everybody sent below. A driving rain had set in, and neither in the lowering sky above nor in the rushing water beneath, was there any comfort. I took a walk through the steerage on Wednesday night and found everybody nervous and disposed to be sick. The nervousness and sickness both increased, and on Thursday morning they had become almost universal. We scored 213 miles Thursday at noon with what sail we carried, bringing the total run to 1,679 miles. Daylight brought anma nnmfnrf hut thp winH Bt.ill hlflW freflhlv. with occasional light squalls, which brought rain and kept everybody indoors. Thursday night the blow had reached its height, and there was GENERAL DARK FOREBODING and dismay. The minister organized a prayer meeting 'tween decks, and another scene was presented which beggars description. While the wind whistled and howled through the rigging, and the water surged against the sides, and waves now and then came down on the decks with a "swish-h-h," the people Bat in the dim light below, listening and shivering. They evidently supposed that they were going through a great storm, aud asked many questions based on that belief, greatly to the amusement of the sailors. When service was begun, fear gave place to or combined with religions enthusiasm, and some persons in the congregation became perfectly frantic, rolling about the floor, shrieking, calling out hoarsely that they were prepared for death, and professed their willingness to be taken at once, ejaculating over and over, "Jesus, come now ! come right now 1" A few really displayed courage of a high order, for they were firmly persuaded that they were menaced by great danger. They took matters very coolly, sayiog that as they had to die sometime, they were willing to do it then if necessary. In the midst of shouting, leaping, clapping and rolling, the Captain came down, and by a few words of quiet assurances stilled i Ml the excitement which seemed necommg wilder every moment. During the night a squall blew the jib from the bolt ropes, tearing it to tatters. On Friday morning the sun shone out genially, and everybody cheered up and quieted down. At noon the log shewed 216 miles run?total, 1,895?still ahead of the average. The wind kept up briskly, though not too much so to alllow the setting of all sail. Then there was a great comparing of experiences, thoughts and feelings during the blow of the previous two days. One man said , that what he feared was that "the boat would turn over," while another had apprehended ' that if "she kept rocking so much she'd burst ; open." Of course many funny things could , be told of the sayings of the passengers, but such things lose their flavor without a reproduction of the negro dialect, and that has always seemed to me in bad taste. While on ' Win subject ttilnfc a minute. Quppeae any ufyou had, intentionally or unintentionally, broken a man's spine, wouldn't it be a horrible thing to wince and laugh at the unfortunate cripple's contortions and gestures? We white people are certainly responsible in a great measure for the deprivation of the negro of his educational backbone, and, aside from the general broad rule that it is not a , genteel thing to ridicule the misfortunes and deformities of others, this mimicry of the dar- , AOMA An nAn! O 1 1 ? Ko A r? T*Q nc> I acjr occiuo wu uuiuc mtu cc^tumnj wuu , from us. I know that this aside is a sort of cross between a sub-editorial and a Sunday- , School story, but it's true nevertheless. The second Saturday out passed off without 1 any particular incident. The fore deck was enlivened during the morning by a fight be- , tween the cook and an emigrant, during which the former doused the latter with hot water. This was the second affair of the kind that the chef de cutinc had been engaged in, and both parties were severely reprimanded by the captain. Nobody was hurt. As usual, 1 several craft were sighted at greater or less ; distances. It may be mentioned here, that throughout the voyage the Azov never failed to pass any craft steering in her course, thus demonstrating that her sailing capacities are at least considerably above the average. At 12 o'clock on Saturday, the log registered 200 miles. Total 2,095 in the thirteen days, an average of 161 miles aod a fraction per diem. ( Sunday seemed to be A FATED DAY. On the third Sunday died Anna Maria Sigler, an unmarried daughter of Boatswain TP QKo i*7 o o onntYiof nf j CJlglCI, Ui JUUgCUCIU. UUt n ho HUUKIIVI v. George Curtis' patients. He attributed her death to a cold caught while suffering from 1 measles. The unfortunate woman had cer- ' tainly been very imprudent, having gone on deck a few days before her death with ' what was apparently a case of measles on 1 ber. On the morning of her death she was ( administered coffee with an infusion of gin- ' ger, a Dover's powder, and Friar's Baisam. What before, it is hard to say. After her ' death, it was ascertained that she had been 1 confined only a day or two before coming aboard, and had exposed herself to the dan- ' gers and discomforts of the embarkation while 1 in that delicate condition. This with the mea- < ales, probably formed a complication of disor- ' ders with which Curtis coped about as intelli- 1 gently and effectively as I could have done. Of ] course there is no telling how far the three 1 deaths are attributable to his malpractice. ' [ know that after this affair, Capt. Holmes 1 put his veto on any further independent prac- ' tice by this "physician," and refused to allow 1 bim to dispense any more medicines except 1 under his supervision. The News and Couri- ' ir has always given this scheme a perfectly * fair showing before the community. I hopo * therefore that the colored people will heed 1 what is said now, and believe that it is dicta- 1 ted by no prejudice, but by a knowledge of 1 facts. B. F. Porter willfully and ? \ DELIBERATELY MISLED THE COLLECTOR by assuring him he "knew" that George Cur- i tis was capable of acting as ship's physician, t ind he also wilfully and deliberately sent the j '< Azor to sea with the health of her three hun- : ired passengers in the keeping of a man of ( whose competency he either knew nothing ; or j ^ knew enough to doubt. The same person and ?ome of his assistants sent the Azor to sea hav- j ing reason to believe that she had measles ] iboard of her, and they assiduously sought to j conceal, and did conceal, that matter from the j Customhouse authorities. I have said noth- j ing, and, in any charges or statements that | I may make hereafter, will say nothing, ex- j cept what I can establish in a court of justice j if need be. The dead woman was buried with the usual j ceremonies on the day of her death, her young infant being taken charge of by its grand pa- l rents. This Sunday was the first that the ex- ^ istence of I MEASLES ABOARD , was definitely known, although there had ] come rumors of it from the steerage on pre- < vious occasions. Indeed it had been suspect- < ed before we left Charleston, but the matter 1 was promptly hushed up. The intelligence t caused no panic, every one seemed to realize immediately that there was no escape, and to resign themselves to whatever might come. The log on Sunday showed 130 miles. Total i 2,231. The weather was now beautiful, and i EVERYBODY WAS RECOVERING from sickness and despondency. The emi-1 grants became more cheerful and active as i they felt better and had grown more accus-: tomed to their new surroundings. Appetites also improved, and, arrangements for assisting the cook being perfected, the cooking became more tolerable, and the issue of rations better regulated. It was now a source of pleasure and amusement to go to the galley and watch the distribution of food. The bread, if made of black flour, was now thoroughly cooked and sweet, a little molasses was mixed with the corn bread, rendering it quite a dessert, and every means was taken to gratify the varying tastes of those who respectively preferred "fat" or "lean," and beef or pork. The mate, Mr. Home, would sit at the galley door and call out his list, the mess system being abolished, and each bead of a family would come up with a pan, plate or bucket, and have his allotted portion rapidly served to bim as it was passed out. First would come into the utensil a large portion of boiled rice, from the big iron pots; on top of that great "hunks" of meat, as specified, and then the appropriate quantities of corn and wheal breads, and molasses cake, with occasionally a taste of molasses for everybody in a separate cup, and always a potfull of coffee of varying strength. A perfect jewel of a mate this was, too, with a pleasant word of badinage for everybody, producing many broad grins and guffaws, and casting a cheery influence over the whole performance. There is no doubt that the almost uniform good humor which prevailed through all the discomfort, was largely due to the never failing pleasantry and inexhaustible good temper and spirits of this officer. From this time, cheerfulness was the prevailing order of things. After their meals were completed the emigrants generally dispersed ABOUT THE DECKS in the sun. Probably one-half could read and about a fourth could write. These fortunate ones would lie about poring over bibles, learning hymns by heart, or studying over old geographies, histories, newspapers or slates. Pleasant to relate, some would gather around them a few of their uneducated fellows, and laboriously instruct them in the rudiments of the three "R's." Others would lie on their backs staring at the blue sky and wbite clouds, constructing, nobody knows what, grotesque r\rt of] i-ia m a att* A /mi hf 1 aaa liAinanap aninnin/v toonco iu a.j, uuuu? , <-ujlug the atmospheric architecture as iotensely as those whose buildings, similarly erected, are more symmetrical and fair to look upon. Then there were others who would gather about the rails, and alternately look out for sails, whales, Portuguese men-of-war, bunches cf sea-weed, dying fish, and the fragments of old wrecks, which, now and then floated by, and indulge in repartee and jest, which, if not polished, were generally harmless and provocative of much mirth. The women and children generally sat about gossiping and laughing, plaiting, combing and arranging each other's hair. This last seemed to be a favorite amusement, and before we reached the end of the voyage every head was decked with countless little pig-tails, tied up with strings, and drawn so tightly that it was a matter of wonder to me how the possessors managed to shut their eyes. The sick, too, generally revived under the iraproving 1 nntlSSees, SHa TffSHeFS 16oked deci- ' dedly better in every way. Good society on the quarter deck passed its time very much in the same way ; even the one or two chronic grumblers there having, at last, agreed to give the others "a rest." The younger portion of good society usually gathered about the wheel in the evening and amused itself by singing Sunday-school and other hymns: "The ninety and nine," "I is done," "In the sweet bye and bye," "Rescue the perishing," &c., the music sounding very sweetly when heard at a little distance. The log showed on Monday 61 miles, the bark having been becalmed nearly the entire 24 hours. Total 2,292. About this time a Baptist congregation was organized 'tween decks, the Methodists having previously had it all their own way. Robert Williams seemed to take the lead in this movement, and generally, on one or two nights in the week he and his assistants used to be heard below, exhorting, singing and praying. "&4t-il - 4-Ua nnino a n/\ma J.no irieiuuuiBi icauci tuuu iiiio paiuo lu wuio and state to me that a discourse, delivered on the previous evening, was from one of the Baptists, and not any of his flock's doings. He evidently thought that I intended burlesquing the whole affair. That persons have burlesqued, and, in a feeble way, attempted to make "fun" of, the utterances of a, man striving to teach the Word of the Almighty is one of the shames of the press, and shows what a false, vulgar and insane idea some of its contributors have in mistaking irreverence for wit, and idiotic imitations of well-meant words for humor. The remarks already made regarding the Methodist leader will apply equally to this other. A particularly loud and enthusiastic singing, a night or two after the formation of this congregation, was caused, I was told, by a woman present having professed conversion. I looked anxiously thereafter to see how the ordinance of immersion sould be performed aboard a ship running at an average of six knots per hour, expecting to be furnished a choice "Fatal Accident" thereby, but it was postponed. On Tuesday we made 145 miles. Total, 2,437. On Wednesday George Curtis distinguished himself in another role by having a violent altercation with his wife, during which she jlaimed that he struck her. The cabin boy, with wide opened eyes, summoned the captain with the announcement, "Dr. Curtis and his wife fighting," and good society was stirred to ts very depths. The wife had certainly, as far as 1 could see, conducted herself in the most exemplary manner, and I am inclined to ihink that the gorgeous fraud of a "Doctor" was in fault. I earnestly urged, at that time, is a measure of public safety, that the Doctor ae thrown overboard with a jar of calomel ind jalap suspended from his neck. The cap;ain, however, contented himself with a reprimand and caution. It seems unfortunate that ;be Missionary and the "Doctor" sent out with this first expedition should each have leen fit to beat his wife. During Wednesday we made 172 miles. Total 2,609. On Thurslay the usual weekly sweeping, cleaning and liring was had. On this day, May 9th, and he eihgteenth day out, while in north latitude 32 deg. 4 min., and longitude 29 deg. 28 min., A SUDDEN DEATH nkiorlrytfo MflUfin ncrorl 43 VAflrn /ViL U I 1 V-U JV/VW A'AMWW M f MgVV* ?W J WM*?y I ihe wife of William Mason, of Abbeville, had ust recovered from her sea sickness, and had eft her bunk for almost the first time. Upon -eturning to it, she suddenly fell in a fainting it, but was subsequently revived. In about jalf an hour, however, she began to sink rapdly, and soon passed into a state of insensiaility, from which it was impossible to arouse 1 aer. The body retained its warmth for an i aour or two after action of the heart had leased, and hopes were entertained that death aad not actually occurred. These were subjequently given up, however, and the body ivas lowered into the sea that evening with ;he usual ceremonies. Death was attributed j .0 some affection of the heart. It seems a curious fate that this woman, who for forty-three rears had passed her life in the quiet of the jountry, knowing no world beyond the prejincts of the township or county, should find 1 ler grave beneath the waves of the Atlantic, i ;bree thousand miles from anywhere previous ly within her ken. Her husband was generally sympathized with, as he was a hard working and amiable man. He acted as assistant cook during all the latter portion of the voyage, and performed the duties very satisfactorily. On Thursday the log scored 159 miles. Total 2,768 in eighteen days. Still ahead of the average necessary to make Monrovia in the time promised. On Friday, nineteenth day, we made 144 miles, the exact average. On this day THE FIFTH DEATH occurred, being that of Whitfield Smallwood, aged 23, the son of Jackson Smallwood, of Edgefield, S. C. His death was attributed to measles, that disease having become quite prevalent between decks. He also was buried with the usual ceremonies. Saturday, May 11th, was the twentieth day out, and the log showed 132 miles, the wind having been light and variable. It was the habit every day when the solar observation was taken at noon, to gather around and get the exact time of eight bells, or 12 o'clock. < All who had watches had carefully set tbem by St Michael's clock before leaving Challeston, and kept tbem at that time, the object being to note the difference between the time of Charleston and Monrovia. As we progressed eastward, we, of course, gained, and the change was watched with much interest. Indeed, these watches did seem a sort of connecting link with the shore left behind. The owners would look at them when the ship's clock, for instance, indicated 10 o'clock A. M., and say "it's 7 o'clock in Charleston, and so and so's doing so and so." Then when the sun set, the time in Charleston would be noted with much curiosity. This was a sweet comfort. I could sit on the Azor's quarter deck and think at certain hours of friends and familiars far away. When the bell tolled midnight, on Saturday night, I could think, "Now it's 9 o'clock in Charleston, and t*,o policemen are lugging Rachel Mazyck out of Elliott street to the Guardhouse, to recover from her regular weekly drunk ; the Orderly Sergeant has just given orders to put all the tramps together in cell 8, so as to make room for a pickpocket, two inebriates and an amateur pugilist with a club slash across his head; and there'll be a gorgeous "Clubs and Stars" report for the News and Courier on Monday. Such are the sweet reminiscenses and delightful reveries of a newspaper man. The event of Sunday, May 12th, was tbe FORMATION OF A SUNDAY-SCHOOL, a young man named Moultrie taking charge as superintendent. Quite a number of the children attended, and were divided off into classes. A considerable number of tracts, papers, &c., were distributed among them. Services were also held by the two different denominations at different times during the day, tbe Baptists appearing rather to outnumber iUaim iLlf IymaAI* MAn a afvanna tUCIl iTIClUUUIOt UlCtUiCU. VT itU ? OUUUgu persistency tbey one and all refused to heed suggestions that the services be had on deck, but seemed to prefer crowding down into the narrow, close and dark space below. Indeed, there were some who, I verily believe, did not come on deck during the entire voyage, but lolled in their bunks all the time. The log this day showed only 72 miles, the Awr being on the verge of the trade winds, and encountering the light winds generally prevailing there. On Monday the log showed sixty-one miles. Total in twenty-two days 3,177 miles, being iust a fraction ahead of the required average. *a:t! tJKuas Hud uyiuis llitie Begun to IflOk rorward to the speedy termination of the journey, and calculations were made that Monrovia would be reached by Thursday. These bright hopes were dashed, however, by the captain, who, in answer to eager inquiries, informed the passengers that the vessel bad been driven so far, and kept so long, northward of her course by the almost continual headwinds, that she was still a full thousand miles from "the haven where she would be," and could not be reasonably expected to reach that point before Saturday. From this point I believe the passengers were COUNTING THE MINUTES. The longing for the sight of some green thing; for some break in the weary monotony of "sea and sky, sky and sea; the dreary sea and sky again;" for something solid on which to rest .the foot, seemed to be most intense. Some gratified this feeling in a simple way by posting themselves up in the bow, sitting there all day long, and straining their eyes before them to catch the first glimpse of the shore. On Tuesday the log showed 125 miles. About noon, however, the wind came in briskly, almost abeam, and the bark responded well, skimming smoothly along with all her sails well filled. The Aaor, by the way, is a remarkably easy runner, pitching very little, and going through the waves with a motion that can only be described by the word "sliding." The weather was now becoming decidedly warm again, and the steerage was unpleasantly close. While the passengers had "waked up" on some subjects, their indifference on others was discouraging in the extreme. Some of them, as I said before, would persist in lying around below, and keeping their children there, thus making the atmostphere continually close and disagreeable, instead of going on deck and allowing the air to be purified against the inevitable pollution of the night. The captain bad disinfectants and various substances of a fumigating nature distributed about in the steerage quarters several times during each day and night, thus keeping the atmosphere what seemed to me to be barely endurable, but which many of the passengers seemed to find very comfortable. Not even the glorious tropical moon, which made us seem to be floating down an endless track of mellow, sparkling, liquid light, could tempt these people from the dark stifling quarters below. The very demon of perversity seemed to have taken possession of them. Then again, none of them seemed to have the slightest desire for or annreciation of exercise. Thev seemed to regard my walks on deck as caused either by a terrible restless aud uueasy conscience, or a mild form of lunacy. They couldn't understand it. I never saw, of all that 300, a single one higher in the rigging than the foot of the ratlines, and only one or two there, except one young man whose leg became entangled in a rope, causing his elevation about twenty feet up the foremast. Some lusty yelling proclaimed the situation of this unlucky emigrant, and he was released, while his fellow passengers fairly fell down and rolled over and over in their spasms of laughter at the mishap. I interviewed the emigrants quite generally on THE OBJECTS OP EMIGRATION as soon as they were strong enough to undergo the process. My conclusion is that there is no cause or reason which can be called general. The grievances complained of and the hopes entertained were almost invariably of a local or personal nature. Some were going because they thought they would have a better chance to "rise in the world" with a generous and cheaply procured soil and perfect Bocial equality with their neighbors; others were tired of "renting" or "working out," and wanted to be their own masters ; others complained that the farmers were banding more and more firmly together to keep down the wages of the laborer; others could give no good reason for going, falling back on the old talk of "Ku Klux," "Night Hawks," and "politioal persecutions." Some assigned nearly all of these reasons, others some, others none. One of the most intelligent of the Georgia emigrants said that it was becoming such a general practice for farmers in that [continued on fourth page.]