The steamer on the Atlantic side was small, ill-supplied, dirty and crowded. The deck was nearly all occupied by a house containing, besides the ship’s offices, only state-rooms. Passengers were not allowed access to the top of this house, and the cabin, or “saloon,” below deck, was used as the breakfast, dining & tea room of five different sets, viz two of the first and two of the second class and one of servants and children. There was, consequently, no place for passengers out of their little state-rooms, and the cabin of the second class, except the very narrow deck space at the sides and astern of the house on deck. Here first and second class consequently crowded. There was never room for walking for exercise, while the only seats provided by the ship were some plain deal forms with cut backs. Many of the passengers had, however, brought camp chairs with them. It was as bad by night as by day, for the weather being warm, many slept on deck rather than go to their close berths, bug infested and otherwise foul.

The price of passage (for those in the deck-state rooms) was at about the same rate for distance run, as that on the Cunard line to Liverpool, but the fare, attendance and service of all sorts was not to be compared with that of the Cunard line. The servants were good natured, [73]industrious, patient, but unskilled, undisciplined, and being very few in number, greatly over-tasked. Those who were most free with money naturally secured most of their attention, and all others, especially the obviously poor, suffered correspondingly. We left New York in the height of the fruit season, the weather being still hot, and ran for the tropics. No fresh fruit was provided even for the first day’s dinner. There was a bar at which for a few days poor peaches & apples were sold at an advance of a thousand per cent on New York prices. For a few days we had ice in the water-pitchers at dinner. The waiters were not allowed to furnish it to sea-sick passengers. A piece of gold sent the butcher, however, brought us a good supply surrepticiously sent to our state-room, morning and night. Others purchased ice-water at the bar at half a dollar a glass. The engine was known to be weak, and the ship poorly provided. It was the hurricane month and we were bound across the hurricane seas. A ship master, going as passenger, said that if we met a hurricane, we could not possibly live in it fifteen minutes. Passengers told of various rudenesses and impositions which they had suffered at the office of the line in New York. One, anxious for his comforts at sea, had been plainly told in answer to an enquiry:

“The object of the owner’s to make as much money out of the line in a short time as is possible. That is the whole of it. The ship will be provided accordingly. He don’t care for your comfort. He wants your money and he will give just as little as he can for it. The line is well enough provided to fill the ships with passengers and that is well enough for his purpose.”

“Then I suppose, if he could make more money by sinking a ship load he would do so?”

“I’ve no doubt he would.”

Whereupon the enquirer, having an engagement in San Francisco compelling him, bought his ticket, and became one of four hundred who would stand their chance for the trip. One other, a Frenchman, told me that he had called at the office to see if he could procure a state room to himself, and had offered the price of two berths for it. The proposition had been insolently refused and he had concluded not to take the steamer; upon mentioning it to his bankers, however, they had obtained the state room at the price of only one berth. That, at least, was all that he was called upon to pay, he added, as if he suspected that it had cost his bankers something which they did not choose to mention. Two passengers told me that they were induced to take this vessel at considerable sacrifice, rather than wait for another, because they were repeatedly assured in the most confident, exact & circumstantial manner at the office, that by taking her they would reach their destination by a connecting South Pacific steamer three weeks earlier than they otherwise could. We had favorable weather and made better time than could have [74]been expected of the vessel, but arrived three day’s too late for the intended connection and these passengers were obliged to wait weeks for another, at an unhealthy, tropical, half-barbarous seaport. They could just as well have spent ten—perhaps twenty—days of the time at home, taking the succeeding steamer, (and in one case, at least, it would have been with very great business advantage), if it had not been for the recklessly false assertion with regard to the usual time made by the Atlantic steamer which they received from its owner’s appointed spokesman. These are trifles to former experiences which Californians relate when they are mentioned. They are amused when the present sufferers swear ferociously over their petty grievances. Nobody proposes to do anything but swear, and “the gentlemanly foreigner” asking:

“What is this fellow whom everybody is cursing as a miserable liar & swindler. Why is he allowed to continue in his wickedness?” is answered:

“When he came to New York he was no better than a common laborer, being hardly able to read and write & having not a dollar of capital. But it must now be admitted that he has done more to advance civilization by the cheapening of water-communication than any man living. His reward is a property of millions of dollars and the power of ruining anyone who dares to undertake a competition with him in many cases, as in this. He is one of the most renowned of our Merchant Princes; with better right to that name than most who bear it, for [he] has a frightful power where he chooses to use his wealth against good government, as it is asserted that he frequently finds it for his supposed interest to do, and notwithstanding he is still illiterate, his taste atrociously bad, and his reputation what you see, he has been received with respect at European Courts and proud blood flows in the veins of his grandchildren. Few men are so much despised, feared and hated. Still fewer have done as much good service in the world without doing more harm. We must take the evil with the good.”

“They say he would let us all go to the bottom of the sea, if he should see it to be his interest to do so.”

“What fools are we, then, if we let it be for his interest to do so. Let us hope that if we do go to the bottom, those we leave behind will have got wisdom thereby.”

“Ah that is the American plan!”

“Yes, I suppose it is.”

“It is a costly one.”

“Yes; to individuals; but to all—on the whole—not as costly as yours, perhaps?”

There were about four hundred passengers, one half distributed between first and second class, and the rest, steerage. Of the latter, two thirds were Irish, the rest chiefly German. Of the first and second class, [75] rather more than half the adults were American born, nearly half of them women, and about one third of all were children. One third of the whole were Germans; one tenth English, Scotch, Canadians and German Jews—not more than half a dozen Irish, male & female. The captain did not associate with the passengers at all. It was not till after we had been several days out that I saw him, when he was pointed out to me at dinner but not at the head of the table. The wheel-house being forward, the officer of the deck & the captain, when on deck, takes his station on the upper deck near it, and I did not see an officer in the after part of the ship, where the first and second class passengers congregate, while we were at sea. These passengers thus formed a community subject to no active government. There were some printed rules of the ship—such as are usual on ocean steamers—but they were neither enforced nor voluntarily regarded, except as they accorded with individual convenience. For instance matches were drawn, pipes smoked and candles kept burning after the prescribed hour in the state-rooms. To all appearance there was the most absolute liberty, even to anarchy, as much so as if we had been a drifting wreck and the officers had deserted us. The pleasantest acquaintances that I made on the ship were in the second class (nominally, really the third, as there were two grades of prices for the first) and we were so thrown together that I did not know that they were of the second class till after we got upon the Pacific. How different this absence of government and of class guardianship from the good order and discipline of a British steamer?

But there was a much more striking difference in the general manner and habits of the passengers when on deck. No traveller could have failed to be aware of it, and I could perceive that some of the foreigners were excited and amused and at the same [time] quite disconcerted by it. People did not seem to be aware that they were travelling, or that they were among strangers. The scene on our crowded deck, on a fine day, differed scarcely at all from that upon a harbor steamboat in New York where the passengers are all neighbors of a community chiefly of farmers. The women who were not ill, were dressed in ordinary home morning dresses, not in travelling costumes, they had their work baskets and bags about them and were sewing, when not prevented by care of their little children. The large majority of men, women and children could not have appeared more free from all constraint or thought of what was required under the circumstances, if they had been in their own domestic apartments, offices, shops or smoking rooms. I did not see the ceremony of an introduction while on board. There were a good many young men and a good many young women, some of the latter with and some without their parents. I never perceived the slightest appearance of guardianship. It was clear that the mother, in every case, thought her girl knew enough to take care of herself, and the young people enjoyed themselves according [76]to their tastes. Much passed which I do not think was in good taste but it was entirely from want of good taste in individuals and did not interfere with the rule of general good nature and good naturedly considerate conduct, not studied or of rule, but spontaneous and unconscious.

One fact must appear almost incredible to an Englishman. Two of the prettiest young women, not over eighteen, were going out to join their families in California. They were not related to each other and they had no relative on board. They had apparently been placed or had placed themselves under the escort of one of the single men on board before leaving New York. He attended them at the table, brought their chairs and shawls when they were disposed to sit on deck, visited them in their state-room when they were ill, sang with them, and was generally the leading personage in their company during the first week. They were gay, romping girls, yet full of school-girl-life, and able to enjoy rather rough fun. Their escort was a man of essentially coarse, rude tastes and habits upon which, of course, he put a certain restriction when with them, yet yielding more than fully to their bent. At length, one day, in the midst of the crowd on deck, he was led in a bantering conversation to an action which was essentially rude and uncivil. I witnessed it and saw clearly that it occasioned discomfort to one of the girls. She at once laughed off any appearance of annoyance however, and appeared to consider that she had fairly brought it on herself. It brought no immediate change in the apparent relations of the members of the party and they were together at dinner. It seemed, however, that the girls that night concluded that they had made a mistake, for the man, next day, changed his seat at the table, nor from that day to this, (a fortnight afterwards), has he been seen speaking to them. The girls chose a new escort—a bachelor, but one of much more trustworthy civility and delicacy, who has attentively looked after their comfort ever since. That he or anyone else could be tempted by their “unprotected condition” and carelessness to deliberately insult them or plot their ruin, has certainly never occurred to them. It is clear that if he should do so, they would be able to take care of themselves and if they needed help would not hesitate to call for it. That he or some of the other young men may wish to marry one of them is quite likely—but it has plainly never occurred to them nor to their parents, nor to any of the American passengers that they are not quite able to manage in that case for themselves. It is nearly certain that they must soon have accepted lovers and these of their own choosing even if they don’t find them on the ship. Why should they not find them there? if they naturally come in their way.

That someone should ask for them, what a man’s property and prospects may be, before they should allow themselves to become in danger of loving him, they would probably regard as an insulting proposition. Nor have they any fear that they will not be able to judge well [77]enough whether he is worthy of their love from his bearing and manners and account of himself. And yet these girls do not lack essential modesty or dignity of manners upon occasion. They have a perfectly natural and healthy balance of instincts, as far as I can see.

It will be seen that this illustrates the peculiarity in which the social character of the community of passengers is distinguished from that of the English steamers—they conduct themselves as they would in their own houses. They are domestic, carrying the familiarity and confidence of neighbors with them. There were plenty of surly, uncompanionable men and disagreeable women; they couldn’t be more so, very well, within their own walls,—perhaps the sea aggravated their malady—but the rule was—spite of the much-accursed, bad provision of the ship for our comfort—the greatest good nature. It was, nevertheless, very dull. There were few entertaining people; nor did many seem to care for entertainment. There was no gambling, betting was confined to a very few young men, old travellers; I did not see card-playing nor any games until after we got upon the Pacific, and hard drinking was confined to three or four men. Smoking was general with the men, and was practiced everywhere. Careless, rude men smoked among and to windward of sea-sick ladies and nobody interfered. If they chose to be rude, it could not be helped. But it was chiefly the foreigners who took unpleasant advantage of this liberty. As a rule the comfort of the women was deferentially regarded. There was much singing—generally poor enough and of very little else than negro and war-songs.

Matters likely to lead to heated discussion seldom were talked of. Once I heard a ranting Copperhead, coolly, carefully and respectfully argued with by a California lawyer, and once three others, one an evident low, trading politician, the other two Irishmen of the worst class, talked loudly, insolently and very profanely of the war and politics, keeping a number of men and women awake, after midnight, but they agreed perfectly among themselves & with the Times in regarding Fernando Wood as the leading Statesman of America and holding Lincoln to be far more an enemy of the country than Jeff Davis. We have now been four weeks together, and I have not yet heard a quarrelsome word, nor any heated debate, nor have I heard a whisper of scandal, nor seen the slightest disposition to look for material for scandal-mongering. I have seen no man snubbed or toadied; no woman ridiculed behind her back. How far from possible would this be with a travelling company of English people, two hundred in number, paying from £25 to £50 each for their passage and first, second and third class thrown together with artificial barriers? (The difference of accommodation was in the sleeping arrangments and the table-provision.) I am told that the character of the company varies very much in different trips. Ours was undoubtedly an unusually quiet one.

[78]

Aspinwall, which we reached on the morning of the eleventh day from New York, is the Atlantic terminus of the Panama or Isthmus Rail Road. It is entirely a newly built town, the principal objects of interest (not of nature) being the bar rooms. A substantial church is building and this was [the] only decent or respectable thing about it. The filth, rubbish and rubbishness of the whole place was atrocious, and showed the meanest arid most improvident management. I regretted that the name of New York merchants of such high standing should be so disgraced.