Melville Journal Of a Voyage

Thursday Oct 11th - After a detention of three or four days, owing to wind & weather, with the rest
of the passengers I went on board the tug-boat Goliath about 12½ P.M. during a cold violent storm
from the West. The “Southampton” (a regular London liner) lay in the North river. We transferred
ourselves aboard with some confusion, hove up our anchor, & were off. Our pilot, a large, beefy
looking fellow resembled an oyster-man more than a sailor. We got outside the “Narrows” about 2
O’clock; shortly after, the “tug’’ left us & the Pilot. At half past 5.PM, saw the last of the land, with
our yards square, & in half a gale. As the ship dashed on, under double-reefed topsails, I walked the
deck, thinking of what they might be doing at home, & of the last familiar faces I saw on the wharf
— Allan was there, & George Duyckinck, and a Mr McCurdy, a rich merchant of New York, who
had seemed somewhat interested in the prospect of his son (a sickly youth of twenty bound for the
grand tour) being my roommate. But to my great delight, the promise that the Captain had given me
at an early day, he now made good; & I find my self in the undivided occupancy of a large state-
room. It is as big almost as my own room at home; it has a spacious birth, a large wash-stand, a
sofa, glass &c &c. I am the only person on board who is thus honored with a room to himself. I
have plenty of light, & a little thick glass window in the side, which in fine weather I may open to
the air. I have looked out upon the sea from it, often, tho not yet 24 hours on board.

Friday Oct 12th - Walked the deck last night till about eight o’clock; then made up a whist party &
played till one of the number had to visit his room from sickness. Retired early & had a sound sleep.
Was up betimes, & aloft, to recall the old emotions of being at the masthead. Found that the ocean
looked the same as ever. Have tried to read, but found it hard work. However, there are some very
pleasant passengers on board, with whom to converse. Chief among these is a Mr Adler, a German
scholar, to whom Duyckinck introduced me. He is author of a formidable lexicon, (German &
English); in compiling which he almost ruined his health. He was almost crazy, he tells me, for a
time. He is full of the German metaphysics, & discourses of Kant, Swedenborg &c. He has been my
principal companion thus far. There is also a Mr Taylor among the passengers, cousin to James
Bayard Taylor the pedestrian traveller. He is full of fun — or rather was full of it. — Just at this
moment I hear his mysterious noises from the state-room next to mine. Poor fellow! he is sea-sick.
As yet there have been but few thus troubled, owing to pleasant weather. There is a Scotch artist on
board, a painter, with a most unpoetical looking only child, a young-one all cheeks & forehead, the
former preponderating. Young McCurdy I find to be a lisping youth of genteel capacity, but quite
disposed to be sociable. We have several Frenchmen & Englishmen. One of the latter has been
hunting, & carries over with him two glorious pairs of antlers (moose) as trophies of his prowess in
the woods of Maine. We have also, a middle-aged English woman, who sturdily walks the deck, &
prides herself upon her sea-legs, & being an old tar.

Saturday Oct 13 - Last evening was very pleasant. Walked the deck with the German, Mr Adler till
a late hour, talking of “Fixed Fate, Free-will, foreknowledge absolute” &c. His philosophy is
Colredegian: he accepts the Scriptures as divine, & yet leaves himself free to inquire into Nature.
He does not take it, that the Bible is absolutely infallible, & that anything opposed to it in Science
must be wrong. He believes that there are things out of God and independent of him,— things that
would have existed were there no God: — such as that two & two make four; for it is not that God
so decrees mathematically, but that in the very nature of things, the fact is thus. ——— Rose early
this morning, opened my bull’s eye window, & looked out to the East. The sun was just rising, the
horizon was red; — a familiar sight to me, reminding me of old times. Before breakfast went up to
the mast-head, by way of gymnastics. About 10 o’clock A.M. the wind rose, the rain fell, & the
deck looked dismally enough. By dinner time, it blew half a gale, & the passengers mostly retired to
their rooms, sea sick. After dinner, the rain ceased, but it still blew stiffly, & we were slowly
forging along under close-reefed topsails — mainsail furled. I was walking the deck, when I
perceived one of the steerage passengers looking over the side; I looked too, & saw a man in the
water, his head completely lifted above the waves,— about twelve feet from the ship, right abreast
the gangway. For an instant, I thought I was dreaming; for no one else seemed to see what I did.
Next moment, I shouted “Man overboard!” & turned to go aft. The Captain ran forward, greatly
confused. I dropped overboard the tackle-fall of the quarter-boat, & swung it towards the man, who
was now drifting close to the ship. He did not get hold of it, & I got over the side, within a foot or
two of the sea, & again swung the rope towards him. He now got hold of it. By this time, a crowd of
people — sailors & others — were clustering about the bulwarks; but none seemed very anxious to
save him. They warned me however, not to fall overboard. After holding on to the rope, about a
quarter of a minute the man let go of it, & drifted astern under the mizzen chains. Four or five of the
seamen jumped over into the chains & swung him more ropes. But his conduct was unaccountable;
he could have saved himself, had he been so minded. I was struck by the expression of his face in
the water. It was merry. At last he drifted off under the ship’s counter, & all hands cried “He’s
gone!” Running to the taffrail, we saw him again, floating off — saw a few bubbles, & never saw
him again. No boat was lowered, no sail was shortened, hardly any noise was made. The man
drowned like a bullock. It afterwards turned out, that he was crazy, & had jumped overboard. He
had declared he would do so several times; & just before he did jump, he had tried to get possession
of his child, in order to jump into the sea, with the child in his arms. His wife was miserably sick in
her berth. The Captain said that this was the fourth or fifth instance he had known of people
jumping overboard. He told a story of a man who did so, with his wife on deck at the time. As they
were trying to save him, the wife said it was no use; & when he was drowned, she said “there were
plenty more men to be had.” —— Amiable creature! — By night, it blew a terrific gale, & we hove
to. Miserable time! nearly every one sick, & the ship rolling, & pitching in an amazing manner.
About midnight, I rose & went on deck. It was blowing horribly — pitch dark, & raining. The
Captain was in the cuddy, & directed my attention ‘‘to those fellows” as he called them, —
meaning several “Corposant balls” on the yard arms & mast heads. They were the first I had ever
seen, & resembled large, dim stars in the sky.

Sunday Oct 14 - A regular blue devil day. A gale of wind, & every one sick. Saloons deserted, &
all sorts of nausea noise heard from the state-rooms. Taylor, McCurdy, & Adler all in their berths
— & I alone am left to tell the tale of their misery. Read a little in Mrs Kirkland’s European tour.
Like it. She is a spirited, sensible, fine woman. Managed to get thro’ the day somehow, by reading
& walking the deck, tho’the last was almost as much as my neck was worth. I forgot to say that
shortly after the loss of the crazy man (a Dutchman by the way) some of the steerage passengers
came aft & told the Captain that there was another crazy man, an Englishman in the steerage. This
morning, coming on deck, I saw a man leaning against the bulwarks, whom I immediately took for
a steerage passenger. He stopped me, & told me to look off & see the steamers. So I looked for
about five minutes, — straining my eyes very hard, but saw nothing. — I asked the 2d Mate
whether he could see the steamers; when he told me that my informant was the crazy Englishman.
All the morning this poor fellow was on deck, crying out at steamers, boats, &c &c. I thought that
his mad feelings found something congenial in the riot of the raging sea. In the evening, he forced
his way into the dining saloon, & struck the Steward, who knocked him down, & dragged him
forward. We have made no progress for the last 36 hours; wind ahead, from the Eastward. The
crazy man turns out to be afflicted with delirium tremens, consequent upon keeping drunk for the
last two months. He is very earnest in his enquiries after a certain Dr Dobbs. Saw a lady with a copy
of “Omoo” in her hand two days ago. Now & then she would look up at me, as if comparing notes.
She turns out to be the wife of a young Scotchman, an artist, going out to Scotland to sketch scenes
for his patrons in Albany, including Dr Armsby. He introduced himself to me by mentioning the
name of Mr Twitchell who painted my portrait gratis. He is a very unpretending young man, &
looks more like a tailor than an artist. But appearances are &c. ——
Monday Oct 15 - The gale has gone down, & we have fine weather. By noon the passengers were
pretty nearly all on deck, convalescent. They seem to regard me as a hero, proof against wind &
weather. My occasional feats in the rigging are regarded as a species of tight-rope dancing. Poor
Adler, however, is hardly himself again. He is an exceedingly amiable man, & a fine scholar whose
society is improving in a high degree. This afternoon Dr Taylor & I sketched a plan for going down
the Danube from Vienna to Constantinople; thence to Athens in the steamer; to Beyroot &
Jerusalem — Alexandria & the Pyramids. From what I learn, I have no doubt this can be done at a
comparatively trifling expence. Taylor has had a good deal of experience in cheap European travel,
& from his knowledge of German is well fitted for a travelling companion thro Austria & Turkey. I
am full (just now) of this glorious Eastern jaunt. Think of it! — Jerusalem & the Pyramids —
Constantinople, the Egean, & old Athens! —— The wind is not fair yet, & there is much growling
consequently. Drank a small bottle of London Stout to day for dinner, & think it did me good. I
wonder how much they charge for it? I must find out; & not go thro’ the sad experience that
“Powell” did (as he says)

Tuesday Oct 16 - Beautiful weather, but wind against us. Passengers all better, & quite lively;
excepting young McCurdy with a touch of the ague, and a lady, who seems quite ill. Read little or
nothing, but lounged about. The sea has produced a temporary effect upon me, which makes me for
the time incapable of any thing but vegetating. What’s little Barney about? Where’s Orianna?

Wednesday Oct 17 - Fine weather, quite warm & sunny. The decks lively, the ladies lively, the
Captain lively, & the ship now going her course. Spent a good part of the day aloft with Adler, in
conversation. In the evening had a sort of concert. An Irish lady, an opera singer they say, leading
off with a guitar & her voice.

Thursday Oct 18 - Delightful day, & the ship getting on famously. Spent the entire morning in the
main-top with Adler & Dr Taylor, discussing our plans for the grand circuit of Europe & the East.
Taylor, however, has communicated to me a circumstance, that may prevent him from
accompanying us — something of a pecuniary nature. He reckons our expenses at 400.

Friday Oct 19 - No events; spent the morning in lounging & reading; and after a hand at cards,
retired.

Saturday Oct 20 - Newfoundland weather — foggy, rainy &c. Read account of Venice in Murray.
Cleared up in the afternoon — passengers played shuffle-board on the quarter-deck. For the first
time promenaded with some of the ladies — a Mrs ——— of Monmouthshire, England, & a Miss
Wilbur (I think) of New York. The former is flat: the latter is of a marriageable age, keeps a diary &
talks about “winning souls to Christ.” — In the evening for the first time went into the Ladies’
saloon, & heard Mrs Gould the opera lady sing. There was quite a party — the saloon is guilt &
brilliant, & as the ship was going on quietly, it seemed as if I were ashore in a little parlor or
cabinet. — Where’s Orianna? How’s little Barney? — Read a chapter in Pickwick & retired pretty
early. Towards morning was annoyed by a crying baby adjoining.

Sunday Oct 21 - Rainy — near the Banks. Can not remember what happened to day. It came to an
end somehow.

Monday Oct 22 - Clear & cold; wind not favorable. I forgot to mention, that last night about 9½
P.M. Adler & Taylor came into my room, & it was proposed to have whiskey punches, which we
did have, accordingly. Adler drank about three table spoons full — Taylor 4 or five tumblers &c.
We had an extraordinary time & did not break up till after two in the morning. We talked
metaphysics continually, & Hegel, Schlegel, Kant &c were discussed under the influence of the
whiskey. I shall not forget Adler’s look when he quoted La Place the French astronomer — “It is
not necessary, gentlemen, to account for these worlds by the hypothesis” & c. After Adler retired
Taylor & I went out on the bowsprit — splendid spectacle. —— It came on calm in the evening, &
we await a favorable shift of wind.