200 extra.
The vessel is dirty beyond measure, from the soot, and with the
difficulty of copious ablution and private accommodation, is almost
worse, to a lover of Indian habits, than the journey to Bombay from
Agra upon camels.
No civility is to be got from the officers. If they
are not directly uncivil, the passengers are luckier than we have
been. They declare themselves disgusted with passenger ships, but do
not take the proper way of showing their superiority to the duty."
The only officer of the Berenice who dined at the captain's table
was the surgeon of the vessel, and in justice to him it must be
said, that he left no means untried to promote the comfort of the
passengers. It is likewise necessary to state, that we were never
put upon an allowance of water, although, in consequence of late
alterations made in the dockyard, the vessel had been reduced to
about half the quantity she had been accustomed to carry in iron tanks
constructed for the purpose. Notwithstanding this reduction, we
could always procure a sufficiency, either of hot or cold water, for
ablutions, rendered doubly necessary in consequence of the atmosphere
of coal-dust which we breathed. Not that it was possible to continue
clean for a single hour; nevertheless, there was some comfort in
making the attempt.
There were eight cabins in the Berenice, besides the three
appropriated to ladies; these were ranged four on either side of
the saloon, reaching up two-thirds of the length. The apartment,
therefore, took the form of a T, and the upper end or cross was
furnished with horse-hair sofas; upon these, and upon the table, those
passengers slept who were not provided with cabins. Many preferred the
deck, but being washed out of it by the necessary cleaning process,
which took place at day-break, were obliged to make their toilettes
in the saloon. This also formed the dressing-place for dinner, and the
basins of dirty water, hair-brushes, &c. were scarcely removed from
the side-tables before the party were summoned to their repast. The
preparations for this meal were a work of time, always beginning at
half-past one; an hour was employed in placing the dishes upon the
table, in order that every thing might have time to cool.
The reason assigned for not putting Venetian blinds to the cabin-doors
was this: it would injure the appearance of the cabin - an appearance
certainly not much improved by the dirty sail which hung against our
portal. The saloon itself, without this addition, was dingy enough,
being panelled with dark oak, relieved by a narrow gilt cornice, and
the royal arms carved and gilded over an arm-chair at the rudder-case,
the ornaments of a clock which never kept time. All the servants, who
could not find accommodation elsewhere, slept under the table; thus
adding to the abominations of this frightful place. And yet we were
congratulated upon our good fortune, in being accommodated in the
Berenice, being told that the Zenobia, which passed us on our way,
had been employed in carrying pigs between Waterford and Bristol, and
that the Hugh Lindsay was in even worse condition; the Berenice
being, in short, the crack ship.
Every day added to the heat and the dirt, and in the evening, when
going upon deck to inhale the odours of the hen-coops, the smell was
insufferable. When to this annoyance coal-dust, half an inch deep,
is added, my preference of my own cabin will not be a subject of
surprise. With what degree of truth, I cannot pretend to say, all
the disagreeable circumstances sustained on board the Berenice were
attributed to the alterations made in the docks. Previously to these
changes, we were told, the furnaces were supplied with coal by a
method which obviated the necessity of having it upon deck, whence the
dust was now carried all over the ship upon the feet of the persons
who were continually passing to and fro.
Occasionally, we suffered some inconvenience from the motion of the
vessel, but, generally speaking, nothing more disagreeable occurred
than the tremulous action of the engines, an action which completely
incapacitated me from any employment except that of reading. The only
seats or tables we could command in our cabin consisted of our boxes,
so that being turned out of the saloon at half-past one, by the
servants who laid the cloth for dinner, it was not very easy to make
an attempt at writing, or even needle-work. Doubtless the passengers
from Bombay could contrive to have more comforts about them. It was
impossible, however, that those who had already made a long overland
journey should be provided with the means of furnishing their cabins,
and this consideration should weigh with the Government when taking
money for the accommodation of passengers. Cabins ought certainly to
be supplied with bed-places and a washing-table, and not to be left
perfectly dismantled by those occupants who arrive at Suez, and who,
having previously fitted them up, have a right to all they contain.
The miserable state of the Red Sea steamers, of course, often
furnished a theme for conversation, and we were repeatedly told that
their condition was entirely owing to the jealousy of the people of
Calcutta, who could not endure the idea of the importance to which
Bombay was rising, in consequence of its speedy communication with
England. Without knowing exactly where the fault may lie, it must be
said that there is great room for improvement. In all probability, the
increased number of persons who will proceed to India by way of the
Red Sea, now that the passage is open, will compel the merchants, or
other speculators, to provide better vessels for the trip. At present,
the price demanded is enormously disproportioned to the accommodation
given, while the chance of falling in with a disagreeable person in
the commandant should be always taken into consideration by those who
meditate the overland journey.
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