In Conclusion We May Say That The
American Association Will Meet In Philadelphia On September 3rd, And
Those Who Have Not Had Enough Of Science At Montreal Can Enjoy Another
Week Of It At The Quaker City.
The Philadelphia Committee have sent a
cordial invitation to the members of the British Association to attend
their meetings, offering to do the utmost in their power to make the
visit at once pleasant and profitable.
This will be a red letter year in
the history of both Associations.
Letter No. 1.
_Thursday, August 21st, 1884; on board "PARISIAN," - getting near
Newfoundland._
My beloved Mother. - I sent you some lines from the train on Saturday
16th, and a card to Clara after we arrived on board. This is a capital
ship, and lucky for us it is so, for we have had a regular gale. I
little thought it was possible that I should dislike any sea as I do
this Atlantic! It has been dreadful weather - grey in the clouds above
and waters beneath, and blowing hard, without anything to brighten the
vast waste of waters, and I have heartily wished myself away from it.
This truly humiliating state of things will cause you to triumph over
me, no doubt! I became uncomfortable and headachy and could do nothing,
nor bear to stay in the saloon, and the drawing room, such as it is, is
taken possession of by the men, who lay themselves down full length on
the seats and leave no room for any ladies, so I have stayed in my
cabin. Dr. Protheroe Smith has been quite a comfort to me. He is such a
good man, and so pleasant, and has given me things to read, and relates
interesting medical and religious experiences. While I write, an
enormous wave has dashed against my port light and given me a flash of
darkness. Hedley has been rather ill, but has never quite lost his
appetite. Gibson and the two others have held out well. Evelyn has been
in her berth since Monday, when it began to blow, but she has not been
really ill. John and Dick have braved the storm on deck, and say the
sight of the waves from the stern was magnificent, but I don't care for
this kind of awful uncomfortable magnificence, which makes me feel a
miserable shrimp, whose fate it is to be swallowed up by these raging
waves, and who well deserves it. So I only made a feeble attempt to get
to the deck on Monday, and was glad, to leave it in half an hour when it
rained. I went down to the drawing room to look at some men playing
chess, but as the others stared at me as if I had no right to be there,
and the motion was very bad, I had soon to leave ignominiously. Mr.
Barrett has entertained me with some ghost stories, well authenticated
and printed for private circulation. I have begun writing this to-day
because there seems some chance of posting it on Saturday or Sunday,
when Sir Leonard and Lady Tilley and two sons are to be landed at New
Brunswick as we pass down the Straits of Belle Isle, I think. I shall
not see your birth-place as we shall be too far off.
_Friday, 22nd._ - I went upon deck after breakfast in a great hurry
to see an iceberg. I was greeted with great kindness by every one after
my three days' seclusion, and thoroughly enjoyed the day and the ocean
for the first time. It was very cold but clear and sparkling, and there
was no motion to speak of; after the gale, and the great hills and
valleys of the Atlantic roll in a storm, it seemed impossible it could
be so smooth; but we are to have every experience of weather, as a fog
came on and we steamed very slowly and blew fog signals for an hour!
However, the sun broke forth and lifted the curtain of fog, and within a
quarter of a mile we saw a beautiful iceberg twelve or fifteen hundred
feet deep, they said, and so beautiful in its ultra marine colouring.
The shape was like a village church somewhat in ruins. Miss Fox, a
sister of Caroline Fox, is on board and sketched the icebergs and the
waves during the storm very cleverly. They were also photographed by Mr.
Barrett and a professional. After dinner we were all on deck again and
watched for the lights on the coast of Labrador, which mark the entrance
into the Straits of Belle Isle, and at last a twinkle caught my eye and
we all greeted it with joy! Isn't it wonderful that a ship can be
steered across that vast expanse of water straight to this light, in
spite of clouds and storms and without the sight of sun or moon or
stars? If I was teaching a class I should quote this as a good
illustration of "God's mysterious ways." We wander on through all the
changes, and chances of this mortal life, and we don't know the why, or
when, or where, but at last we see the lights of heaven looming on our
horizon and are at the haven where we would be. Then we realize that all
the time He was guiding us by ways that we knew not! In the evening we
heard an auction amusingly carried on, though I did not approve of the
gambling connected with it; and then Mr. Barrett gave a short account of
apparitions, and there was a discussion.
I am now writing after breakfast on Saturday and we expect to reach
Quebec on Sunday night. It will be a dreadful disappointment if we don't
see the first view, which is so fine, by daylight. We entered the Gulf
of St. Lawrence last night (Friday). I give you a list of our saloon
fellow passengers and you will see that I knew a good many of them
before.
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