On The Previous Day, While Driving About
The Town, Our Progress Had Been Suddenly Arrested By One Of These
Officials, With An Inquiry Whether We Had Any Thing To Declare.
He was
satisfied with our reply in the negative, and allowed us to proceed.
A
gentleman afterwards asked me whether, in my travels through France,
I had not observed that the police was a mere political agent,
established for the purpose of strengthening the hands of the
government, and not, as in England, intended for the protection of the
people? I could only reply, that we had lost nothing in France, and
that property there appeared to be as secure as at home. Certainly,
the interference of the gens-d'armes about the baggage, and the
continual demand for our passports, were very vexatious, detracting in
a great degree from the pleasure of the journey.
We found the rate of porterage excessively high; the conveyance of our
baggage to and fro, as we passed from steam-boats to hotels, proving,
in the aggregate, enormous; the whole went upon a truck, which one
man drew, with apparent ease, and for a very short distance, we paid
nearly double the sum demanded for the hire of a horse and cart in
London, from Baker Street, Portman Square, to the Custom House.
Upon getting on board the Megara, we found that the mails were in
the act of delivery, and that the vessel would start without delay.
We had now to take leave of the friend who had seen us so far upon our
journey, and to rely wholly upon ourselves, or the chance civilities
we might meet with on the road. Our spirits, which had been so gay,
were much damped by the loss of a companion so cheerful and ready
to afford us every enjoyment within our reach, and we in consequence
thought less of the danger to which we were shortly afterwards
exposed, the pain of parting being the paramount feeling.
There is always some difficulty in getting out of the harbour of
Marseilles, and the natural obstacles are heightened by the want of
a superintending power. There is no harbour-master, to regulate
the movements of vessels, and to appoint their respective places;
consequently, there is generally a great deal of confusion; while
serious accidents are not unfrequent.
Before we got under weigh, I saw my old acquaintance, Hussein Khan,
the Persian ambassador, go on board the French steamer, which was
anchored within a short distance of us. He was received with all the
honours due to his rank; which, by the way, was not acknowledged in
England; and his suite, whom we had seen lounging at the doors of the
cafes the evening before, made a gay appearance on the deck.
We got foul of one or two ships as we went out, and just as we left
the harbour, the clouds, which had threatened all the morning, burst
upon us in a tremendous storm, accompanied by thunder and lightning.
The rain came down in torrents, sweeping along the decks, while a
heavy squall threatened to drive us upon the rocks, which we had
admired so much as the guardians of the port. In this emergency, we
were compelled to drop our anchor, and remain quiescent until the fury
of the elements had abated. The storm passed away about midnight, and
getting the steam up, we were far away from Marseilles and la belle
France before morning.
The Megara belonged to a class of steamers built for the government
upon some new-fangled principle, and which have the art of rolling in
any sea. Though the waters of the Mediterranean were scarcely ruffled
by the breeze, which was in our favour, there was so much motion in
the vessel, that it was impossible to employ ourselves in any way
except in reading. In other respects, the Megara was commodious
enough; the stern cabin, with smaller ones opening into it, and each
containing two bed-places, was appropriated to the ladies, the whole
being neatly fitted up. We found some agreeable fellow-passengers; the
only drawback being a family of three children. In consequence of the
cabins being thus occupied, we could not preserve the neatness
and order which are so essential to comfort, and which need not be
dispensed with even in a short voyage.
Our commandant, Mr. Goldsmith, a descendant of the brother of the
poet, and who appeared to have inherited the benevolence of his
distinguished relative, was indefatigable in his exertions to render
us happy. He had procured abundant supplies for the table, which was
every day spread with a profusion of good things, while eight or ten
different kinds of wine, in addition to ale and porter, were placed
at the disposal of the guests. Nothing, indeed, was wanting, except a
French cook. No single meal had ever disagreed with us in France; but
though partaking sparingly, we felt the inconvenience of the heavy
English mode of cookery.
Amongst the attendants at table was one who speedily grew into the
good graces of all the passengers. A little fellow, eight years
old, but who did not look more than seven, placed himself at the
commandant's elbow, who immediately upon seeing him exclaimed, with a
benevolent smile, "What, are you here, Jemmy? then we are all right."
Jemmy, it seems, was the boatswain's son, and no diminutive page
belonging to a spoiled lady of quality, or Lilliputian tiger in the
service of a fashionable aspirant, could have been dressed in more
accurate costume. Jemmy was every inch a sailor; but, while preserving
the true nautical cut, his garments were fashioned with somewhat
coxcombical nicety, and he could have made his appearance upon any
stage as a specimen of aquatic dandyism. Jemmy would be invaluable on
board a yacht. His services at table were rewarded by a plateful of
pudding, which he ate standing at the captain's right hand, after
having, with great propriety, said grace. The little fellow had been
afloat for a year and a half; but during this period his education
had not been neglected, and he could read as well as any person in the
ship.
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