Many
Had Not Tasted Food Since Their Embarkation, And None Had Been Able To
Take Breakfast On The Morning Of Their Arrival.
And here, for the benefit of future travellers, it may not be amiss
to say, that a small medicine-
Chest, which had been packed in a
carpet-bag, was detained at the custom-house; and that the following
day we experienced some difficulty in getting it passed, being told
that it was contraband; indeed, but for an idea that the whole party
were going on to Bombay, and would require the drugs for their own
consumption, we should not have succeeded in rescuing it from the
hands of the Philistines. The day was too far advanced to admit of
our getting the remainder of the baggage examined, a mischance which
detained us a day at Havre, the steamer to Rouen starting at four
o'clock in the morning.
The weather was too unpropitious to admit of our seeing much of the
environs of the town. Like all English travellers, we walked about as
much as we could, peeped into the churches, made purchases of things
we wanted and things we did not want, and got some of our gold
converted into French money. We met and greeted several of our
fellow-passengers, for though little conversation, in consequence of
the inclemency of the weather, had taken place on board the Phenix,
we all seemed to congratulate each other upon our escape from the
horrors of the voyage.
The gale increased rather than abated, and we now began to entertain
fears of another day's detention at Havre, the steamer from Rouen not
having arrived; and though we were very comfortably lodged, and found
the town superior to the expectations we had formed of a sea-port of
no very great consideration, we had no desire to spend more time in it
than we could help.
Havre appears to carry on a considerable commerce with India, several
shops being wholly devoted to the sale of the productions of the
East, while the number of parrots and monkeys to be seen show that the
intercourse must be very extensive. The shops had a very English
air about them, and though the houses were taller, and rather more
dilapidated in their appearance, than they are usually found at home,
they reminded us of familiar scenes. Hamlet was announced for the
evening's performance at the theatre, and but for the novelty of
dining at a table d'hote, we might have fancied ourselves still in
England.
The Hotel de l'Europe is the best in Havre; there are several others
very respectable, and more picturesque, from the ancient style of the
building: all were full, intercourse with Havre being on the
increase. English carriages were arriving every hour; the steamer from
Southampton brought an immense number of passengers, and travellers
seemed to flock in from every part of the world. We were amused by
seeing a well-dressed and well-mannered Russian lady, at the table
d'hote, fill her plate half-full of oil, and just dip the salad into
it.
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