n legislator of the Cape; a broad-shouldered but retiring
astronomer; also a kindly Cape merchant; and a genial English banker,
with their respective wives and families. I had the good fortune to sit
in the midst of these at meals, close to Captain Hewat, who is
unquestionably, what many of us styled him, a "trump." He is also a
Scotchman. There was likewise a diamond-digger, and another man who
seemed to hate everybody except himself. There were also several
sportsmen; one of whom, a gallant son of Mars, and an author, had
traversed the "Great Lone Land" of British America, and had generally,
it seemed to me, "done" the world, with the exception of Central Africa,
which he was at last going to add to his list. There were also troops
of children, who behaved remarkably well considering the trials they had
to undergo; and numerous nurses, some of whom required more attention
than all the ladies put together.

You will now, no doubt, expect an account of romantic adventures on the
deep, and narrow escapes, and alarms of fire, and men overboard, and
thrilling narratives. If so, your expectations are doomed to
disappointment. We fished for no sharks, we chased no whales, we fell
in with no slavers or pirates. Nevertheless we saw flying fish, and we
had concerts and lectures; and such delightful perambulations of the
decks, and such charming impromptu duets and glees and solos on retired
parts of the deck in moonlight nights, and such earnest discussions, and
such genial companionship! Truly that voyage was one of those brilliant
episodes which occur only once in a lifetime, and cannot be repeated;
one of those green spots in memory, which, methinks, will survive when
all other earthly things have passed away.

I will write no more about it, however, at present. Neither will I
proceed in what is usually considered the natural manner with my
epistles--namely, step by step. Arrivals, cities, travelling, roads,
inns, and all such, I will skip, and proceed at one bound to that which
at the present moment is to me most interesting, merely remarking that
we reached Capetown, (of which more hereafter), in November,--the South
African summer--after a voyage of twenty-five days.

I am now sojourning at Ebenezer-Hobson's residence on the Karroo.

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Note 1. Near the Tower of London. The South African traffic is now
carried on chiefly through the Ea