ship.
It was then - if at any time - that the eye moistened and the heart melted with regret at the thought of looking for the last time on one's native land; which, although associated with remembrances of sorrow and suffering, was nevertheless consecrated by many ties of endearment. Then, too, it was that many would be ready to exclaim with the poet
"Farewell England! Blessings on thee,
Stern and niggard as though art;
Harshly mother, thou hast used me,
But 'tis agony to part."
A truce, however, to moralising! The President was on her way down the river, and before the sun had gilded the western sky she had anchored off Gravesend, where the second night was quietly passed. On the morrow an exchange of pilots was made, and all hands were piped to weigh the anchor and unfurl the sails. The landsmen were called upon to assist, with the shout of encouragement, "Now then, bear a hand all you strong men who want to get to America!" I have never forgotten the measured tramp of the sailors as they paced the deck, rope in hand, and singing the words, "Hurrah and up she rises, early in the morning." Equally well do I remember the plaintively musical voice of the second-mate, while heaving the lead and singing out the several depths as the ship sailed over a piece of shallow water. This was indeed so impressive as to suggest a musical composition which I afterwards set to Jessie Hammond's "Mariner's Grave," the first stanza of which was as follows :-
"I remember the night was stormy and wet,
And dismally dashed the dark wave;
While the rain and the sleet cold and heavily beat
On the mariner's new-made grave."
On board an emigrant ship during fearful storms
"Windy and wet" with a vengeance was the night which succeeded the brilliant day on which the musical accents in heaving the lead made such an impression upon my mind. The wind backed and blew "great guns," the rain descended heavily, all landsmen were ordered below, all lights were forbidden in the steerage, and the hatches were battened down. It was a terrible night; and as the big ship rolled immensely in a heavy sea-way, it was as much as all of us could do to hold on to our berths. At peep o'day, however, the storm appeared to have greatly abated, whilst the gradual steadying of the vessel denoted that we were getting into smoother water. Then was heard a splash and a running out of the cable, which gave rise to the exclamation of an old traveller, "Thank God, we have got to Spithead!" But how great was our disappointment to find, on the hatches being removed, that the ship, unable to weather the storm, had put back to the Downs, over which it had so saucily sailed on the preceding afternoon. The weather remained squally all that day, and the number of vessels seeking shelter increased immensely; but as evening approached the sailors had a notion that the gale had nearly blown itself out, and an order was given to set certain sails and weigh anchor. The order was obeyed with alacrity, and for a time the President bowled away in a jaunty style under a small spread of canvas. But the storm, which had only slightly abated, began again to increase, and in beating to windward the ship was found to be making leeway in dangerous proximity to Beachy-head. Again the pilot's order was obeyed to put back to the Downs. Another terrible night had been experienced. The screaming of children, the nausea of the sea-sick, the prayers of the pious and the horrible swearing of the Tonbridge giant, were all mingled in one confused din; and with many persons the second night of the storm, like the first, was one of intense anxiety, amounting almost to despair.
"All in the Downs the fleet was moored," and those who were able to get up on deck of the President, which once more formed a part of that fleet, aspirated a sigh of relief as they looked around and saw themselves again in comparative safety. After a few hours the gale died down, and a complete calm set in, during which a noteworthy incident occurred. Among the hundreds of vessels at anchor were several fishing-boats, some of them probably hailing from Hastings. From one of these a punt, with an old fisherman and two younger ones, came alongside, when, after a dealing of some of the passengers with the piscatorial merchants the following colloquy took place between the "old salt" and the second mate:-
"Where's the Cap'n?!
"Gone down to Portsmouth by rail as far as it will take him."
"Who sails de ship, den?"
"Why, the Pilot, you old Ninny!"
"Where's de Fust-mate?"
"What's that to you?"
"I want to see him."
"You can't; he's busy."
"Where's Second-mate, den?"
"Stands before you; what do you want with him?Q
"How many hands aboard?"
"Twenty, and two ducks."
"Not enough for big ship like dat. Jes like you Yankees; ought to have forty. Be ye gween to try it agin to-day?"
"We think of it if there comes a puff or two of wind."
"You no call to fear; you'll have anuf o'dat before to mor' mornin'; there's a wusser gale comin' than there's bin yet; you mark my words."
The old fisherman's words were duly marked as he desired by one at least of those who heard them, and that one was the present writer, his after experience making it impossible to do otherwise. Some light, but fitful breezes, which the sailors called "cat's paws" succeeded a brief continuance of the calm, and these in turn were followed by a steadier and stronger breeze and a lurid glow in the western sky. A score or more of the large vessels began to weigh their anchors and spread their sails, all of which vessels were soon out-stripped by the President, whose speed was such as to make it appear that the craft before her were sailing backwards. Something was said about taking the French course, which I found to mean the keeping well away from the English coast. The Channel was still in a disturbed condition, and the wind, while backing again to southward, showed signs of an increase of power. In a short time another furious gale burst upon us, and a repetition of battening down the hatchways was resorted to. The ship rolled and pitched to a greater extent than in the two previous storms; the wind howled through the rigging; the noises on deck were alarming; the sorrow and sickness of the passengers increased; the boxes, hampers, pans, pots and kettles, tumbled from side to side with every lurch of the ship; and amidst all this din and confusion I was thrown out of my berth on to the floor among the commodities and utensils just then in full riot. Unlike most of the other passengers, I had not been seized with sea-sickness, but I suffered quite as acutely from a so-called determination of blood to the head - a complaint to which I had been subjected in earlier years. How far this was accountable for my unfortunate precipitation and prostration it would not be easy to decide, but I remember that even in my then febrile condition I was sufficiently rational to be able to extricate myself from the peril that awaited me between the sharp angles of many movable objects with which my body came into contact. Without a light of any kind, I raised myself on my feet, and was in the act of climbing up to my (uppermost) berth, when I was beaten down again and crushed beneath the weight of two or three sacks of potatoes which, having been stacked in a corner by the Canadian exiles, were displaced by the violent motion of the ship. To my first ailment was then added an injured spine, and I remembered but very little after that until some few days had elapsed, when I found myself in bed at Portsmouth, and under medical treatment. I learnt, however, that the gale having backed to the eastward whilst it increased in violence, any attempt to get back to a place of refuge in that direction would have been abortive, and that therefore, the ship, after having her double-reefed sails split into strips, rode with almost "bare poles" before the gale to a safe anchorage at Spithead. I was further informed that a woman had been killed on board, and that several persons had been bruised or otherwise hurt. My case was considered to be serious, and as soon as the sea moderated sufficiently for boats to venture out of the harbour, I was sent ashore with some others (perhaps the dead woman among us), accompanied by the Pilot. My consciousness having been re-established, although still suffering from debility, I was led to a stable behind the inn that had served me for a temporary refuge, to see if my "things" were all right. Alas! they were all wrong. My companions (the brothers Foster) had, doubtless, done their best in pointing out to the ship's steward or carpenter the hampers and boxes that belonged to me, and these, or most of them either accompanied me or followed me to land. But when I came to take stock of them, I found many articles were missing, whilst the hampers containing my large store of provisions were all saturated with salt water. The ship, while at anchor, was undergoing some necessary repairs, and I was told that I might retake my berth on board, or might go by another ship, ten days hence, belonging to the same company. Failing that, my passage money would be forfeited. The surgeon who had been attending me strongly advised me not to proceed further on the journey, "for," said he, "irrespective of the injury to your back, you have incipient jaundice without sickness, and I have known several similar cases in which a long sea voyage has proved fatal." Acting upon his advice, I set out to return home by short but tedious stages. My first day's journey was by waggon from Portsmouth to Havant, where I rested at night. On the next day I travelled by the same conveyance to Chichester, where I was transferred, "bag and baggage," to another carrier, who took me on to Littlehampton, where I again put up for a night The third day and night found me travelling from Littlehampton via Worthing, to Brighton, where I began to feel myself a little more at ease, if not more at home. I was next taken charge of by Mr. Elgar, with whom I was well acquainted, and whose van, running between Brighton and Hastings, was almost exclusively laden with what, not inaptly, might be called the salvage of my unfortunate wreck. As pre-arranged, this was conveyed to the end of the journey, whilst, after traveling a distance of sixteen miles only, I alighted at the village of Chiddingly, where I had relatives, some of whom had previously journeyed to Hastings to bid me farewell. Nothing was known there of my disaster, and when the door was opened to me my altered appearance was antagonistic to recognition. As might be supposed this soon gave place to surprise and commiseration; and under the fostering care of an aunt and her family, a short time sufficed for a visible improvement, although from that day to this the effects of the injury have never been entirely eradicated. It was during this brief period of enforced idleness at Chiddingly that I first learnt that the series of storms which I had encountered had been as violent on land as in the Channel and that the sea, impelled thereby, had destroyed the parade walls to a serious extent, as described at the commencement of this personal narrative. A letter is now before me, from which the following is an extract:-
Hastings, August 3, 1839."
"Mr. and Mrs. Morris request me to write to you to say how sorry they are - as we all are - that you have been so ill, and how pleased they will be at your return. We thought enough of you in the terrible storm, which continued at Hastings for five days. Your brother and I wrote conjointly to Portsmouth to implore you to return, not venturing to hope that we should be successful; but happily, in one sense, your mishap, which we hope is not serious, will be the means of restoring you to us. You may be sure that we shall unpack your luggage with much greater pleasure than we had in packing it.— "J.C."
The letter from which the above quotation is made bears the postage figure of 6d. to Hailsham, and an additional 2d. for its further conveyance to Chiddingly. It also bears the familiar impression of the Hastings stamp, which it was my privilege or my duty to manipulate many thousands of times; a circumstance that will lead me to the promised description of the post-office system in general, and of the Hastings and St. Leonards Post-office in particular, before the Penny-post plan, which has now at the time of writing existed for 63 years, was introduced by Mr. (afterwards Sir) Rowland Hill. For descriptions see Chapter XXII, page 216.
I will now descant briefly on the institution with which St. Leonards as well as other parishes, was concerned - yclept, the Union Workhouses with its Board of Guardians. It was in the month of February, 1839, that the asylum at Cackle street afforded relief to 32 old or infirm people and 26 able-bodied men and women, thus presenting a noteworthy contrast to the 908 recipients of relief at the time I am writing. How the population of the Union must have grown during such forty-two years, or how much other conditions must have changed for the worse to have produced such a deplorable increase in pauperism! But that which is still more to be regretted is the present large number of lunatics chargeable to the Union. That there should be 69 of these poor creatures - exceeding by eleven the whole number of indigent but sane people who had to be relieved in 1839, is a subject for very sad reflection. The Clerk to the Board of Guardians who has since died at the age of 72 after a long and faithful service of about 32 years, must have had comparatively little to do in the year 1839. No wonder that, as I then knew him, he could find time to produce some pretty drawings and colored sketches, as well as to exhibit some bold caligraphy (sic) and generally good specimens of penmanship. Nor is it surprising that at that period he could find time to devote to his South-Australian Emigration-agency. Apropos of this agency, the following short extract from a letter received in Hastings may be even now not altogether void of interest. "The ship Metcalfe has arrived at Sydney after a passage of 106 days. The emigrants by this ship are a very desirable body and have all obtained immediate employment. Too many of such persons cannot be received; for if really of good character, especially domesticated women, they can all get good situations in respectable families. Equally desirable are ploughmen, shepherds, and country labourers of all sorts."
But another letter, more applicable to the Board of Guardians, was received on the 6th of February from the Poor-Law Board, informing the Guardians that Mr. Bond, proprietor of the Cinque Ports Chronicle, had complained of the Union advertisements being sent to the Brighton Guardian, and not given to the only local paper that was published. A discussion followed, in which the chairman (Mr. Beck) urged that mischief might result if reporters were admitted to the meetings. Apart from such admission, Mr. Putland held it to be a right thing not to go to another town for what could be had at home; and as they had a local paper, he was sorry the advertisements were not given to it. Mr. North, however, differed from the views of Mr. Putland, and thought that as it was necessary to give the advertisements the greatest publicity, the Guardians had done perfectly right. Here seems to have been a case in which was illustrated the saying that the best of men must sometimes err in judgment. Seeing what up-hill work it was to establish the first newspapers in Hastings for the want of that commercial reciprocity which in the shape of advertisements is as essential to the existence of the one as to the business progress of the other, one would have thought that Mr. North would at least have recommended the advertisements being given to the Hastings paper as well as to that of Brighton, especially as he had complained of the latter's attacks upon himself. It may be concluded that for the lack of such support the Cinque Ports Chronicle, like its predecessor the Iris, came to grief, after the former in its struggles for life, had more than once changed its printer, publisher and politics. There was, however, at a later period of the year, an advertisement which at the time was regarded as a very important one as it helped to exonerate Messrs. Harman and Putland (Surveyors of highways) from a grave offence laid to their charge by the irrepressible Mr. Troup. It was inserted at the cost of Mr. Putland, and the wording of it was as follows :-
"Saint Mary Magdalen, 27th November, 1839 - At a Vestry of the parish of St. Mary Magdalen, held at the Warrior's Gate Inn, on Wednesday, the 27th day of November, 1839, pursuant to due notice given thereof, to examine the accounts of the Surveyors of the Highways for the years 1836, 1837 and 1838; Mr. William Moon, Chairman. It appears to this vestry that the sum of £6 13s., charged in the accounts of the surveyors of the highways for the years 1836 and 1837, as having been paid for repairing a carriage damaged by the state of the road, has not been paid; and that the sum of £2 6s. 3d., the balance which appears in the said accounts to have been due to the Parish, has not been paid. And it further appears that there are arrears of rates, uncollected, for the same year, amounting to more than the above sum of £8 19s. 3d., which have been charged to them; and it is therefore resolved that the surveyors for that year shall pay over to the present surveyors the sum of £8 19s. 3d., which appears to be due from them, as afore-said; and that the present surveyors shall pay to the said surveyors, for the years 1836 and 1837, the sum of £9 13s. 9d., which has been charged to them, and which, it appears, they have not collected. Resolved, that the said sum of £9 13s. 9d. shall be discharged from the rate made in November, 1836.
— William Moon, James Murdoch, James Smith, W. Hunter, W. Holloway, Stephen Pilcher, John Austin, George Roberts, Henry Hughes, Charles Fuggle, George Lamb, John Hughes, J. Wellsted, Geo. Head, John Pearson, S. Stubberfield, Edward Pilcher, Henry Hook, Joseph Beck, H. Chandler."
Mr. Troup and the Overseers - Address to the Queen
It should be explained that the subject had caused much excitement, and that the above resolution had been referred to at a magisterial meeting before which an investigation took place. Mr. Harman stated that the Bench having suggested the propriety of a vestry meeting being held, such meeting accordingly took place, when it was found that instead of the surveyors being indebted to the parish, it was the reverse. A list of "supers" was shown -
