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MY TRAVELS 
 A FAMILY STORY 
 
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 EDWARD F. HACKETT 
 
MY TRAVELS 
 
 A FAMILY STORY 
 
 By 
 MARIA HACKETT 
 
 Edited hy Her Son 
 
 O "» * 
 
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 ALBANY 
 1919 
 
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 Copyright, 1912 
 Edward F. Hackett 
 
 LC Control Number 
 
 tmp96 026004 
 
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INTRODUCTORY 
 
 A Family Story 
 
 This is not a family history. Family 
 histories are invariably dull and of interest 
 only to a few who have a belief in, and are 
 proud of, their pedigree. It is the story 
 of the mother of a family who led a very 
 eventful life and traveled many thousand 
 miles, at a time when to meet with a trav- 
 eled person was exceedingly rare. 
 
 My mother's travels began in 1828 and 
 lasted till 1854. The first trip was her 
 wedding journey, 18,000 miles on a sailing 
 ship. Shortly after her marriage her hus- 
 band gave up his business in Ireland and 
 thought that Van Diemen's Land would 
 be a fine place for a young man with capi- 
 tal. He had no difficulty whatever in 
 prevailing on his bride to take the trip. 
 Indeed, as she often told me, she would 
 have gone to any part of the world with 
 him, so much in love was she; and really 
 I am not quite sure that she knew where 
 Australia was, or cared, for that matter. 
 
 [v] 
 
I^IY TRAVELS 
 
 Her whole married life was a honeymoon. 
 She survived her husband many years; he 
 died in 1847 and she mourned him and 
 spoke lovingly of him until she passed 
 away in 1887. 
 
 Her travels had always been a source of 
 intense joy to her many children. She 
 liked to be drawn out and at the slightest 
 suggestion would drop into a reminiscent 
 mood. Particularly were we delighted with 
 the ''Pirate Story/' which the gentle 
 reader will find duly set forth. And then 
 the description of the crossing the line, at 
 which time all discipline on board ship 
 was relaxed and the ruffianly crew had it 
 all to themselves. How we did enjoy these 
 stories. Then one day some one suggested 
 that if she would write them out and have 
 them printed, others than the family would 
 be interested, and the Sunday Press of 
 Albany, of which the late John Henry 
 Farrell, the late Myron H. Rooker and the 
 late James MacFarlan were the proprie- 
 tors, gladly accepted the articles as they 
 appeared and printed them in the paper. 
 The story was well received at that time, 
 
 [vi] 
 
A FAMILY STORY 
 
 the early seventies, and the articles were 
 collected and printed in a cheap form. A 
 desire to have them appear in a form more 
 suited to their interest is the reason for 
 this edition. 
 
 Edwd. F. Hackett. 
 
 Albany, N. Y., August 26, 1912. 
 
 [vii] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL. 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 Traveling Nearly Half a Century 
 Ago — Recollections of Scenes and 
 Places — Slavery in Brazil — An 
 Encounter with Pirates. 
 
 It has been my lot, during a life of sixty- 
 eight years, to have met with some start- 
 ling adventures, visited many places, and 
 traveled around the world, at a time when 
 traveling, with the best accommodations, 
 meant hardship; when steamboats were 
 unknown, and life on shipboard a dreary 
 imprisonment. Many persons may have 
 traveled more than I, many may have met 
 with more adventures, and be better quali- 
 fied to give entertaining descriptions of 
 their experiences, but few (and especially 
 ladies) can have had such varying for- 
 tunes — such happiness, and trouble, and 
 
 [1] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 care — as I have met with. I trust that my 
 readers will be interested in the following 
 recital, and that they will make due allow- 
 ances for the rambling character of the 
 sketches. 
 
 On the 30th day of April, 1828, imme- 
 diately after my marriage, I sailed from 
 Cork, Ireland, with my husband, on board 
 the good ship Coronet, Captain Daniels, 
 bound for Hobart Town, Van Diemen's 
 Land, a pleasant little bridal tour of 18,000 
 miles. 
 
 "We had some thirty-four cabin passen- 
 gers, made up of the usual number of 
 good- and ill-natured people, all of whom 
 were assessed the large price of $400 the 
 trip, with the privilege of furnishing or 
 paying for one's provisions. To select 
 provisions for a six months' voyage was a 
 task which housekeepers can readily imag- 
 ine, and was a serious drain on one 's purse. 
 
 There was the usual amount of seasick- 
 ness for the first few days, although the 
 weather was very fine, and in eight days 
 we arrived at the Canary Islands, shortly 
 after we sighted the peak of Teneriffe, and 
 
 [2] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 on the 10th of May we landed at Funchal, 
 the capital of Madeira. 
 
 On account of the great surf, the pas- 
 sengers had to be taken on shore on the 
 backs of the sailors, and the ladies being 
 treated precisely the same way, the landing 
 was anything but dignified. 
 
 We were surprised to see so many Eng- 
 lish people in bad health, many of them 
 being in the last stages of consumption, but 
 on account of the mildness of the climate 
 it had long been the resort of those who, 
 from lung diseases, were obliged to leave 
 their native land. 
 
 My husband, fortunately, understood the 
 language, and we added a large quantity 
 of wines and fruits to our stock on board 
 ship. The best quality of Madeira wine 
 was then fourteen cents per bottle. Bur- 
 gundy, five cents a bottle, and fruit very 
 cheap . Vehicles called ' ' palanquines, ' ' 
 some carried by men and some drawn 
 by oxen, were the common mode of 
 conveyance. 
 
 "We soon set sail for Ascension, a wild, 
 rocky, miserable place in the middle of the 
 
 [3] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 ocean. It is an English settlement, and 
 all ships stop there for water. We availed 
 ourselves of the opportunity to add turtles 
 to our stock of provisions, and for many- 
 days our first course was turtle soup. On 
 leaving Ascension we passed through shoals 
 of fish so thick as to somewhat retard the 
 speed of the vessel, and also encountered 
 large numbers of fiying fish. 
 
 On the 18th of August, we landed at Rio 
 de Janeiro, Brazil, one of the finest harbors 
 in the world. There were at that time 
 twenty-four line-of-battle ships, twelve 
 French and twelve English, all at anchor, 
 besides many vessels from different nations. 
 It was really a splendid sight. While pass- 
 ing through the harbor we were hailed by 
 the captain of one of the men-of-war, who 
 inquired, through a speaking trumpet, if 
 there were any passengers from Cork on 
 board. Our captain answered, '^Yes," say- 
 ing that Mr. and Mrs. Hackett and the Rev. 
 William H. Brown, a Protestant minister, 
 were among the number. A boat was 
 immediately lowered, and Captain Hayden 
 came on board. He proved to be a particu- 
 
 [4] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 lar friend of mine, whom I had not seen for 
 years, and invited my husband and me to 
 his house at Bota Foga, where he treated 
 us with the greatest kindness. 
 
 Rio is not a particularly desirable place 
 in which to live; it is intensely hot; very 
 little fresh meat, no ice, no potatoes or 
 vegetables except yams, something like 
 sweet potatoes. Pineapples were abundant, 
 and oranges, luscious and large, made up in 
 a way for the scanty supply of vegetables. 
 We tried three of the best hotels, and at 
 last sat down to a regal repast of dry 
 bread and tea, without milk, which was the 
 best fare that could be got. Bananas, 
 pomegranates and limes were very plenti- 
 ful. The oranges were so large that the 
 juice of one would fill an ordinary sized 
 tumbler, and they could be bought for 
 about six cents a dozen. The lemon and 
 orange groves were beautiful, and we fre- 
 quently walked through them, enjoying the 
 fragrance. 
 
 The most revolting sight possible to con- 
 ceive was the slave market, and the condi- 
 tion of the negroes was positively awful, 
 
 [5] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 yoked up like oxen, and a driver following 
 with a cruel-looking whip, slashing them 
 at every step. 
 
 No one has ever seen in the United 
 States such dreadful horrors as was the 
 everyday routine of Rio. The slave ships 
 were packed with young and old of both 
 sexes in a nearly nude state, and once a 
 day they were brought on deck, standing 
 so close together they could scarcely move, 
 and buckets of water were dashed on them 
 to keep them clean. A slave's life was of 
 no more value than a dog's, and no punish- 
 ment was inflicted on any one who killed 
 a slave. 
 
 Thank fortune, slavery has passed away, 
 and no more shall we see such barbarity 
 exercised toward our fellow men. 
 
 The meat generally used in Rio was sold 
 by the yard, and was called carnesea, or 
 dried beef. It was cut in thongs, and was 
 as disagreeable to the taste as to the eye. 
 The streets were very narrow and the 
 houses very high, many of them being at 
 least seven stories. The more respectable 
 the inhabitants, the higher up they lived, 
 
 [6] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 and some of them must have been very- 
 high-toned indeed. We passed through one 
 street devoted entirely to jewelers' shops, 
 and the exhibition of silver, gold and jewels 
 was marvelous. Society was badly demor- 
 alized. No lady could walk the streets 
 unaccompanied without being insulted, and 
 the semi-nakedness of the slaves was start- 
 ling to European eyes. During our stay of 
 two weeks, while our ship was being over- 
 hauled and painted, we had audiences with 
 Donna Maria de Gloria, Queen of Spain, 
 and also the Emperor of Brazil. 
 
 We visited, at odd times. Captain Hay- 
 den's home. His youngest child, then a 
 babe, was nursed by a slave, and eight 
 slaves were in attendance while the baby 
 was getting its usual morning bath. I saw 
 that baby afterwards in Ireland, a full- 
 grown man. His sister was married to the 
 Duke of Wellington's nephew. 
 
 We bade adieu to our friends at the end 
 of two weeks and started again on our 
 weary way. We took on as a passenger at 
 Rio a mysterious personage, a Jew, who 
 furnished food for any quantity of con- 
 
 [7] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 jecture and gossip. He was known as Mr. 
 Slowman. He boasted of his riches, showed 
 large and beautiful jewels to the admiring 
 eyes of the lady passengers, and declared 
 that he had £4,000 in sovereigns in his 
 trunk. He was placed in the same state- 
 room with the Rev. Mr. Brown, much to 
 the disgust of the latter, who complained 
 bitterly of the cries, groans and curses that 
 emanated from the stranger's berth every 
 night. We all strongly suspected that 
 murder or some other terrible sin was on 
 his conscience from the way he acted and 
 his ravings during his broken sleep. 
 
 Before leaving Rio we heard many re- 
 ports about pirates who infested the equa- 
 tor at that time, and who perpetrated the 
 most bloody deeds. It was but a month 
 before that the ship Cumberland, from 
 Australia, was boarded by a pirate, the ship 
 scuttled, and every soul on board marched 
 over the side of the vessel at the point of 
 the bayonet. The recital of this horrible 
 outrage had anything but a quieting effect 
 on US; we were all in constant terror lest 
 our ship should meet with a similar fate, 
 
 [8] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 and our horror and consternation can be 
 imagined when one day the man on the 
 lookout descried at eight o'clock in the 
 morning a piratical-looking craft bearing 
 down on us. 
 
 [9] 
 
CHAPTER II 
 
 Overhauled by a Pirate — What He 
 Did — Crossing the Line — Sailors ' 
 Saturnalia — The Reign of Neptune — 
 Mr. Slowman Gives a Dinner — He Is 
 Arrested at the Table — ^Who He Was 
 and Why Arrested. 
 
 Much consternation was experienced 
 among the passengers while the piratical- 
 looking craft described in my last letter 
 was drawing near. It was eight o 'clock in 
 the morning when we first sighted her, and 
 a few hours later she was alongside. Mean- 
 while, the captain of our ship had not lost 
 his presence of mind, but had got all things 
 in readiness to fight if necessary. All the 
 male passengers were armed in the best 
 manner that the ship could afford, some 
 with horse pistols, some with guns, and the 
 sailors were supplied with marlinspikes and 
 swords. The women on board were in a 
 terrible state. We felt that our last hour 
 had come, and the awful fate of the ship 
 
 [10] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Cumberland only a month before was felt 
 as a forerunner of what we ourselves would 
 have to undergo. We bade our husbands a 
 tearful farewell and spoke our last words 
 in the full expectation of a bloody death. 
 In the midst of the excitement Mr. Slow- 
 man was discovered endeavoring to hide his 
 trunk full of guineas under his berth. He 
 was crying bitterly at his fate, at times 
 praying and at times cursing his luck. It 
 afforded (even in all our fear) some amuse- 
 ment and we could not help laughing at the 
 poor wretch. 
 
 The pirate was now close alongside and 
 our vessel was hailed through a trumpet. 
 
 '^What ship is that, and where bound?" 
 
 ^^The ship Coronet, from Cork, bound 
 for Hobart Town." 
 
 Then came, ' ' I want to come on board, ' ' 
 and in a few minutes a boat was lowered 
 and a tall, fine-looking man was soon on 
 our deck talking with our captain. Our 
 crew had been dressed in soldiers' coats in 
 hopes that the pirate would fancy we were 
 a prison ship, and so give us a wide berth ; 
 but a short inspection convinced him that 
 
 [11] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 we would be able to offer only a feeble 
 resistance. You can imagine with what 
 awe we looked upon the bloodthirsty 
 wretch who was talking apparently in the 
 most amiable manner. We could see the 
 murderous crew swarming on the sides of 
 his ship and could plainly discern a long 
 cannon on a swivel near the bow, pointed 
 ominously toward us. Captain Daniels 
 answered all the fellow's questions without 
 exhibiting any fear, pressed him to stay to 
 dinner and made him a present of a barrel 
 of corned beef and a small cask of whisky, 
 which he promptly accepted. He also, in 
 the most courteous manner, accepted the 
 invitation to dine, saying that as there were 
 so many ladies on board it would be neces- 
 sary for him to return to his ship in order 
 to dress suitably. He thereupon, with many 
 salutations and bows to the captain and the 
 ladies (who were still greatly excited with 
 terror), took his departure with his six men 
 who had accompanied him. We felt then, 
 that it was all up with us, and that having 
 found out our weakness, he would make an 
 easy capture. And now I am about to 
 
 [12] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 relate something marvelous, which the 
 scoffer may ridicule, but which I shall 
 always gratefully feel was a direct inter- 
 position of Providence to save us from a 
 dreadful fate. No sooner had the pirate 
 returned to his vessel than a dense fog 
 sprang up and we saw him no more. This 
 may to some of my readers look like a 
 simple way to be extricated from danger, 
 but I most solemnly assure you that we all 
 felt that it was a providential interposition 
 in our behalf. 
 
 [Here I must say that no matter how 
 many times we had heard the story and 
 no matter how very opportunely this fog 
 had sprung up, we all heaved a sigh of 
 relief to think of the narrow escape our 
 parents had from sudden and ignominious 
 death. We always tried to get further 
 particulars or explanation of the apparent 
 miracle, but our dear mother could ascribe 
 the escape only to an interposition of 
 Divine Providence, in which she thoroughly 
 believed, and which we were satisfied to 
 accept.] 
 
 [13] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Five months from that time the pirate 
 was captured by a British man-of-war, and 
 every one on board was hanged at low- 
 water mark in Liverpool, they being taken 
 red-handed, as it were, with heaps of plun- 
 der in their possession and with sufficient 
 evidence to prove that they were the scoun- 
 drels that destroyed the Cumberland, a 
 bucket marked '^Cumberland'' on the 
 bottom, which mark they had not effaced, 
 helping vastly towards conviction. 
 
 And now comes the description of a 
 scene which was, at that time, common; 
 but which has long since passed away, 
 together with many other customs which 
 were barbarous and inhuman, and seem- 
 ingly impossible for the society of fifty 
 years ago. I refer to the indignities in- 
 flicted on all voyagers on crossing the 
 equator or, as it was called, '' crossing the 
 line." Be it known, that fifty years ago 
 the sailors of a ship crossing the line were 
 relieved from all duty for one day, they 
 becoming masters, as it were, and looking 
 on the passengers as so much food for the 
 grossest practical jokes. My husband had 
 
 [14] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 made up his mind not to go through the 
 ordeal, and had, by threats and a generous 
 distribution of money to the crew, suc- 
 ceeded in making terms with them ; that is, 
 he was to have only a partial interview 
 with the sea god, Neptune. Our friend, 
 Mr. Slowman, was early pounced upon by 
 the sailors, who stripped him almost naked. 
 They then tossed him in a large sail filled 
 with dirty bilge water until the poor fellow 
 was half dead. He was then treated to a 
 coat of grease and tar, and a burly sailor 
 dressed as Neptune proceeded to shave 
 him with a rusty iron hoop. The pain 
 inflicted by this ceremony must have been 
 very severe. The crew by this time were 
 greatly under the influence of liquor, and 
 were tossing the next candidate in the sail 
 full of dirty water. The next ordeal Mr. 
 Slowman was subjected to was called the 
 *^kiss of Neptune.'' The sailor who took 
 the part had a strip of leather studded with 
 carpet tacks tied over his face, and then 
 he embraced the unfortunate man, causing 
 the blood to run in streams from him. He 
 was then deluged with buckets of bilge 
 
 [15] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 water and filth and, almost fainting, bleed- 
 ing at every pore and half suffocated, was 
 at length released from his tormentors. 
 
 Nearly every male passenger suffered 
 this indignity, not even the clergyman 
 escaping, though he received his punish- 
 ment in a mitigated form. My husband 
 alone stood out and threatened to put a 
 bullet into the first one that touched him, 
 and his determination, added to the money 
 he had paid, saved him from insult. The 
 lady passengers were not allowed to escape, 
 each one being subjected to a deluge of 
 salt water thrown on them by the crew, and 
 even the captain had to take his share of 
 the last punishment. Altogether it was a 
 most unpleasant experience, and many of 
 us did not recover from its effect for weeks. 
 The custom has long since been discon- 
 tinued, though the sailors fought stoutly 
 for this one day of license and outrage. 
 
 After crossing the equator our voyage 
 became exceedingly monotonous and devoid 
 of interest. The heat was stifling and often 
 for days we floated on the water becalmed. 
 It was with feelings of the greatest joy we 
 
 [16] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 first saw land, and on the 10th day of 
 October, 1828, we sailed up the Derwent 
 River and landed at Hobart Town, after 
 having spent nearly six months on ship- 
 board. 
 
 Those who take a journey in our fast 
 sailing steamers of the present day, enjoy 
 fully the first sight of land after a paltry 
 trip of at most twelve days, and they can 
 realize in a measure our great delight in 
 leaving the ship, where we had been closely 
 confined with none of the comforts of the 
 Cunarders or Inman line. 
 
 Mr. Slowman, our attentive friend, was 
 so delighted at escaping the perils of the 
 ocean, that he invited all the cabin passen- 
 gers to a wine supper at the best hotel. 
 The invitation was unanimously accepted 
 and we sat down, a joyous party, to an ele- 
 gant repast. In the midst of the festivities, 
 while Mr. Slowman was making a reply to 
 a toast in his honor, there came marching 
 into the room two detective officers, who 
 arrested him in the middle of a speech, 
 clapped handcuffs upon him and marched 
 
 [17] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 him off without even giving him time to 
 settle his little bill for champagne. 
 
 In confusion the party broke up and not 
 till the next day did we find out the cause 
 of our mysterious passenger's sudden 
 arrest. He was the famous Ikey Solomon, 
 the greatest thief and receiver of stolen 
 goods in London. He had a large house 
 in London, all paneled, and between the 
 walls and panels he concealed the stolen 
 property. Several men had been hanged 
 on his account and many transported. He 
 had escaped from the police, fled to Rio and 
 from thence to Van Diemen's Land, only 
 to be arrested. He was immediately sent 
 back, tried and sentenced for life, and in 
 due time returned a prisoner again. I 
 afterwards saw him in chains. The man 
 who arrested him was sent out by the gov- 
 ernment for that purpose, and had traveled 
 30,000 miles to accomplish the job. 
 
 [18] 
 
CHAPTER III 
 
 Settling in Van Diemen^s Land — De- 
 scription, Peculiarities and Wonders 
 OF THE Country — Sir John Franklin, 
 the Arctic Explorer — Lady Frank- 
 lin, His Wife. 
 
 Upon our arrival in Van Diemen's Land, 
 we obtained a grant of land from the 
 British government of 1,000 acres. The 
 same amount of land was given to all who 
 desired to avail themselves of it, and the 
 giving away of so much territory was 
 intended to encourage emigration, which at 
 that time (before the discovery of the gold 
 fields) needed all the encouragement it 
 could get. To those who understood the 
 management of a farm this was a very 
 valuable privilege, as the soil was very 
 fertile, but my husband, being a distiller 
 and entirely unacquainted with farming, 
 sold his grant for about seventy-five cents 
 an acre. I may add here, that the same 
 grant was resold in 1841 for $10,000. Our 
 
 [19] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 grief at having parted with it for a mere 
 song was heartfelt. 
 
 The following description of the pecu- 
 liarities and wonders of the country, given 
 after the lapse of fifty years, may seem 
 incredible, and perhaps will be attributed 
 to a desire to exaggerate, or, seen through 
 a mist of half a century, seem to be more 
 fanciful than real ; but I have no doubt that 
 if I were to exaggerate or give a too highly 
 colored description I would at once be con- 
 tradicted, as it is by no means an unknown 
 country. 
 
 During a residence of thirteen years I 
 never saw what could be called a really 
 disagreeable day, save, perhaps, a few days 
 when the heat was rather oppressive, and 
 that at Christmas time. The months of 
 November, December and January were 
 the summer months, and the severest winter 
 weather equaled the summer temperature 
 of England, vrithout the excessive rains and 
 fogs. The fruits were of great variety and 
 very plentiful: peaches, nectarines, apri- 
 cots, pears, apples, plums, mulberries, rasp- 
 berries, in fact, all the choicest fruits of 
 
 [20] 
 
SKETCHES OF TEAVEL 
 
 the known world, save lemons, oranges, 
 and fruits belonging to very hot climates. 
 Indian corn did not grow there, but was 
 brought from Sydney, a distance of six 
 hundred miles. Diseases such as measles, 
 scarlet fever, whooping cough and small- 
 pox were utterly unknown, and sickness of 
 any kind was exceedingly rare, the people 
 living to a very old age. The flowers and 
 gardens were wonderful. Many extensive 
 hedges were composed entirely of gera- 
 niums, which grew to a height of six feet 
 and had to be clipped very frequently. 
 Gardens required but little attention, and 
 of course, nearly every resident had a 
 garden attached to his dwelling. The 
 forest trees were all evergreens, which, 
 while presenting a beautiful appearance, 
 rendered them unfit for building, and lum- 
 ber had to be brought from North America. 
 Any quantity of manna could be gathered 
 from certain trees, but this had to be done 
 before sunrise, as the sun melted it at once. 
 Living was very cheap. The price of a 
 cow and calf was $6. Sheep by the hun- 
 dred cost $25, and many settlers had as 
 
 [21] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 many as 2,000 in a flock. Tea was 25 cents 
 a pound, best white sugar 6 cents, and 
 flour $8 a barrel. The labor was nearly 
 all done by convicts, as it was a great penal 
 colony ; the government allotted to any resi- 
 dent as many prisoners as he wished to 
 keep, requiring that they be allowed at 
 least 101/2 pounds of prime beef, 10% 
 pounds of flour, 1/4 pound of tea, and 1 
 pound of sugar per week. Such was the 
 discipline maintained that, though the 
 prisoners were composed of the most des- 
 perate ruffians in the world, no scenes 
 of violence were witnessed, and doors and 
 windows were left open day and night and 
 no thefts occurred. ' 
 
 My husband rented a distillery on the 
 Derwent Eiver, and as labor cost him very 
 little, save the expense of keeping the pris- 
 oners, he for some years did a flourishing 
 business. Whisky was made out of sugar, 
 which was very cheap, and mixed with malt 
 made an excellent article of spirits. The 
 aborigines long before our visit had been 
 driven or hunted away from the white set- 
 tlements, and were generally shot on sight, 
 
 [22] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 as they had a rather unpleasant habit of 
 spearing white people whenever they had 
 a chance. The government did all in its 
 power to colonize them, and tried every 
 plan to civilize them. They sent as many 
 of them as they conld catch to a place called 
 Maria Island, provided for them houses, 
 schools, teachers, doctors, clothing and 
 everything to make them comfortable, but 
 the result was that the schools and houses 
 remained unoccupied and the natives died. 
 This may seem very ungrateful on the part 
 of the natives, but it practically settled the 
 Indian question of that day and saved an 
 immense amount of trouble. I once saw 
 a shipload of them about to start for 
 Maria Island. They were of copper color, 
 the men very tall and the women very 
 short, and both men and women extremely 
 repulsive looking. 
 
 Game was abundant on Van Diemen's 
 Land. Hunting the kangaroo was a favor- 
 ite amusement with Europeans. There is 
 no necessity for describing this well-known 
 animal ; but there were species of rats and 
 mice known as the kangaroos, very much 
 
 [23] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 the same, but on a smaller scale, that I 
 never have seen in any other part of the 
 world. 
 
 Colonel George Arthur was governor 
 when we arrived. His salary was £7,000 
 per annum and he was allowed an elegant 
 residence, and any number of servants, and 
 a farm of one hundred acres was kept in 
 the highest style of cultivation at govern- 
 ment expense for his use. He was a man 
 of great excellence, and made it an impera- 
 tive rule that any officer guilty of immoral 
 conduct should be immediately dismissed 
 from the service. He was afterwards 
 appointed governor-general of Canada, and 
 his departure was greatly regretted. Our 
 next governor was Sir John Franklin, the 
 world-renowned Arctic explorer. He was 
 then about sixty years of age, of low stature 
 and quite stout. His wife was a beautiful 
 woman, many years his junior, being only 
 twenty-six. She was a lady of great cour- 
 age and determination, as later events have 
 proved. She was the first white woman 
 who ever traveled from Melbourne to 
 Sydney, and she was also the first woman 
 
 [24] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 to ascend Mount Wellington (which was 
 an undertaking almost equal to the ascent 
 of Mont Blanc), wearing out several pairs 
 of boots in the journey and occupying one 
 week in doing it. Sir John inaugurated 
 his new office by giving a series of balls, 
 to which my husband and I had the 
 honor of being invited. No possible 
 expense was spared in these entertain- 
 ments, and I have never since seen any- 
 thing that could approach them in mag- 
 nificence. Lady Franklin and I became 
 quite intimate, and I afterwards renewed 
 my acquaintance with her when she was 
 in New York on some business connected 
 with an expedition for the recovery of the 
 remains of her husband at the North Pole. 
 I have now a very kind letter from her, 
 written previous to her departure from 
 New York, in which she speaks of happier 
 times. My husband became a great friend 
 of Sir John's, and the recollection of the 
 kindness of this truly noble family to us 
 is very dear. I much regret to say that the 
 friendship was abruptly ended many years 
 ago on account of a grievous wrong per- 
 
 [25] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 petrated by the British government upon 
 my husband, Sir John being selected as the 
 agent for its perpetration. 
 
 Our business being very lucrative, we 
 had built a new and much larger distillery 
 than the one we had leased, and invested 
 in it many thousand pounds, thinking that 
 we would be amply repaid for the outlay 
 by increased trade. We called it the 
 Franklin Distillery, in honor of Sir John, 
 and our prospects were very favorable for 
 acquiring wealth. The attention of the 
 home government was called to the fact of 
 the great amount of money being made by 
 the distillers, and a commission was imme- 
 diately sent out from England with full 
 power for the suppression or regulation of 
 the traffic. 
 
 [26] 
 
CHAPTER IV 
 
 English Justice — Franklin ^s Arctic 
 Expedition — Preparations for Its 
 Sailing — Holman, the Blind Trav- 
 eler — The First White Settlers op 
 Melbourne. 
 
 The commission appointed by the gov- 
 ernment to settle the distillery affairs, after 
 spending a long time in hearing testimony 
 and examining witnesses, agreed to pay the 
 distillers a fair amount on their presumed 
 annual earnings. My husband's share was 
 to be £1,100 a year for a term of years. So 
 far so good; but they took thirty months 
 before they paid a dollar, and then by some 
 fraud that never was fully explained away, 
 they reduced the amount £300 per annum. 
 Great as was the inconvenience and loss we 
 were subjected to, owing to the stoppage 
 of our business, the other distillers fared 
 infinitely worse, as they never received one 
 dollar of the amount awarded them and 
 to a man became bankrupt. 
 
 [27] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Sir John Franklin in this matter acted 
 entirely against the interest of the colo- 
 nists, and by his influence and recommen- 
 dations laws were passed making it a penal 
 offense to make any whisky in Van Die- 
 men's Land, and visiting with heavy pun- 
 ishment any one who should continue in 
 the business. A certain Mr. Gregory, who 
 then occupied a position as collector, be- 
 came so disgusted with the wrongs per- 
 petrated on the distillers that he resigned 
 a position worth £800 a year and went 
 to England at his own expense, to present 
 the real state of affairs. Instead of having 
 his recommendations listened to, he was 
 publicly censured in the House of Lords 
 by Lord Stanley, the then colonial secre- 
 tary, and his exertions w6re of no avail. 
 
 Were I to give a description of the 
 wrongs, annoyances and persecutions we 
 endured for a couple of years in the vain 
 endeavor to obtain satisfaction for the 
 infringement on our rights, I could fill a 
 larger space than perhaps would be allowed 
 me; but the conclusion may be safely 
 arrived at, that it is better to submit to a 
 
 [28] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 wrong when inflicted by a government, 
 than to spend money and time in getting 
 redress. It is might against right, and 
 might is always the victor. 
 
 Our return to England in 1841 was 
 actuated solely by a desire to obtain 
 redress, as we never would have left such 
 a delightful country except for imperative 
 reasons. 
 
 A short time before we left Hobart Town 
 we saw the ships Erebus and Terror, in 
 which the expedition commanded by Sir 
 John Franklin sailed for the Arctic 
 regions. Sir John himself showed us the 
 preparations he had made for the voyage, 
 and spoke enthusiastically of his expected 
 discoveries and the benefits to be derived 
 from the discovery of a northwest passage. 
 He little thought that he would suffer such 
 a horrible fate as he did, and that his 
 existence from the time he reached the 
 Arctic regions would be shrouded in an 
 impenetrable mystery only to be solved by 
 our noble American explorer, Dr. Kane. 
 
 Is it not a little singular that to America 
 belongs the honor of finding Franklin dead 
 
 [29] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 and Livingstone alive, both devoting their 
 lives to science, though at the antipodes ? 
 
 Lieut. James Holman, the celebrated 
 blind traveler, was a friend of ours in 
 Hobart Town. He was a most remarkable 
 man and wonderfully gifted. He was a 
 Knight of Windsor, whose duty it was, 
 with eight other knights of the same degree, 
 to reside at Windsor Palace at the Queen's 
 expense. He attained considerable celeb- 
 rity as a traveler and author, and I think 
 his works are to be found in the Y. M. C. A. 
 library of Albany. In one of his works 
 of travel he mentions our names favorably. 
 
 The first white men who attempted to 
 settle at Port Phillip, or Melbourne, as it 
 is now called, were a party of eight gentle- 
 men, at the head of whom was Mr. Gilli- 
 brand, the attorney-general. The party 
 dined at our house immediately previous 
 to their departure, and it was a very gay 
 affair. They were never heard of from the 
 time they set out, and it is presumed they 
 were eaten by the savages. Mrs. Gilli- 
 brand, the wife of the unfortunate leader 
 of the party, spent $5,000 in endeavoring 
 
 [30] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 to get some trace of them, and the only- 
 trace discovered was a piece of one of their 
 boats near the embers of a fire. 
 
 [31] 
 
CHAPTER V 
 
 Correction — ^Valuable Servants — Ship- 
 wrecked Passengers — Terrible Tale 
 OF Brutality — Celebrated Prisoners — 
 Visit of a New Zealand Chief. 
 
 In my last sketch I led your readers to 
 understand that the ships Erebus and 
 Terror, under the command of Sir John 
 Franklin, sailed from Hobart Town for 
 the Arctic region. The facts of the case 
 are, that I saw the ships in Hobart Town, 
 while the expedition really started from 
 Greenwich, London, May 24, 1845. 
 
 During a residence of thirteen years in 
 Tasmania, we formed many acquaintances, 
 became intimate with a variety of people, 
 and met many odd characters. Hired labor 
 was very scarce there, and on one occasion 
 when a vessel arrived from Calcutta, the 
 sailors, who were nearly all Mohammedans, 
 deserted the ship and engaged with the 
 colonists. 
 
 "We had the good fortune to engage one 
 of them, who proved himself far superior 
 
 [32] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 to the ' ' help ' ' of the present day. He was 
 a good washer and ironer, an extremely 
 good cook, and understood the management 
 of children. His dress consisted of a long 
 blue cloth garment, trimmed with scarlet, 
 a turban encircled with a gold band, a 
 cummerbund or scarf of seven or eight 
 yards of mull muslin tied around his waist, 
 the ends hanging almost to his feet. He 
 had very fine features, long black silken 
 hair, and his food consisted principally of 
 rice, his religion forbidding him to eat meat 
 or use intoxicating drinks. When he had 
 saved $100 he left us, saying that with that 
 sum in his country he could live without 
 work for the remainder of his life, and he 
 took ship for Calcutta. 
 
 One of the noblest of men and dearest of 
 friends was Captain "William Moriarity, 
 who was captain of the port of Hobart 
 Town, son of Admiral Moriarity of the 
 British Navy. He sailed from England to 
 this port in the ship Coronet, the same ship 
 that brought us here. While the vessel was 
 in the harbor of St. lago the place was 
 visited by a terrible earthquake and tidal 
 
 [33] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 wave. The ship was destroyed, the pas- 
 sengers losing everything and barely escap- 
 ing with their lives. They were taken by 
 an American ship to Brazil, and from there 
 were forwarded to Hobart Town, after suf- 
 fering many miseries and trials. Captain 
 Moriarity made it a special point to succor 
 shipwrecked persons, and I have seen as 
 many as thirty sufferers by perils of the 
 sea enjoying his hospitality. 
 
 Lieutenant Small, of the Sixty-third 
 Eegiment, British Army, who brought out 
 letters of introduction to my husband, had 
 a pitiful story to relate. While on the voy- 
 age out the ship anchored off an island 
 inhabited by savages. The captain gave 
 permission to many of the passengers to go 
 ashore, of which they gladly availed them- 
 selves. About twenty-five, consisting of 
 men, women and children, proceeded to the 
 beach in the ship 's boats. They made some 
 delay, and a favorable breeze having 
 sprung up, the inhuman captain sailed 
 away, leaving them to their fate. Lieuten- 
 ant Small, whose son was amongst the party 
 so deserted, became so exasperated that he 
 
 [34] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 drew his sword and stabbed the captain, 
 seriously wounding him. He was placed 
 in irons by the direction of the captain for 
 the remainder of the voyage, and on his 
 arrival at Hobart Town was tried for 
 mutiny on the high seas. This was an 
 offense punishable with death, but upon the 
 facts being elicited at the trial the tables 
 w^ere turned. Lieutenant Small was ac- 
 quitted, the captain placed on trial, and 
 received a sentence which doomed him to 
 two years' imprisonment. The ship was 
 also confiscated. Nothing was ever heard 
 of the unfortunate party left on the island. 
 Imagine the feelings of the unhappy people 
 on seeing the vessel containing loved mem- 
 bers of their families slowly disappearing 
 from their tearful eyes and frenzied vision, 
 and add to that the thought of the inevi- 
 table death that awaited them either from 
 starvation or from hostile savages, who 
 possibly sacrificed them to their cannibal 
 propensities. 
 
 One celebrated prisoner who was servant 
 to the Hon. Mr. Barrett, colonial secretary, 
 was Sir Henry Hayes, who was transported 
 
 [35] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 for the attempted forcible abduction of 
 Miss Pike of Cork, a very rich lady, whose 
 money he coveted, and whom he wished to 
 marry. When I saw him he was dressed in 
 a yellow jacket and pants, his head shaved 
 and altogether presenting a most forlorn 
 appearance. 
 
 We once had a prisoner servant who was 
 previously a banker in London, immensely 
 wealthy, and had his carriage and four. 
 He was transported for forgery. While he 
 was with us he did nothing but cry and 
 lament his unhappy fate, and we were 
 obliged to dismiss him. 
 
 There was a prisoner named Solomon 
 who offered a hundred thousand dollars to 
 the government for the privilege of return- 
 ing to England for one year. As this was 
 before the system of ' ^ ticket of leave ' ' was 
 introduced, his request was not granted. 
 
 The richest man in Melbourne, shortly 
 after gold being discovered, was John Mills, 
 who was a prisoner and worked with us as 
 a maltster. He became free, went to Mel- 
 bourne, bought building lots at $25 each, 
 which he sold after the gold was discovered 
 
 [36] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 for $500 a foot frontage. He then started 
 a brewery and made a large fortune. 
 
 My husband told me one day that he had 
 invited to dinner the famous New Zealand 
 chief, Kanawanga Tapita. I made great 
 preparations for entertaining so distin- 
 guished a guest, but on seeing him I was 
 so disgusted with his appearance that I 
 refused to allow him in the house, and we 
 satisfied him by giving him some raw meat, 
 which he ate ravenously on the back piazza. 
 Those who have not seen the New Zealand 
 natives cannot form an opinion of their 
 hideous appearance. Chief as this man 
 was, his dress was mainly composed of a 
 filthy mat carelessly hanging from his 
 shoulders. His lower limbs and feet were 
 uncovered. His face presented the appear- 
 ance of being corduroyed from the ridge 
 and furrow process of tattooing having 
 been deeply gone into. His features were 
 of a regular cast, but the artistic touches 
 of the human remodeler made them repul- 
 sive, at least to those not accustomed to 
 artificial development of the facial outline. 
 
 [37] 
 
CHAPTER VI 
 
 Leaving Australia — Provisions Neces- 
 sary FOR THE Voyage — Death of a 
 Faithful Friend — Landing in Lon- 
 don — Two Summers in One Year — 
 The Great Famine Fever in Ireland — 
 Emigrate to America. 
 
 In January, 1841, we started from 
 Hobart Town for London, after spending 
 thirteen years in Van Diemen's Land. We 
 sailed in the ship Mary Anne, of Glasgow, 
 commanded by Captain Marshall. 
 
 During our stay in Tasmania, God had 
 blessed us with a large family ; at the time 
 of our departure we had a family of eight 
 children, the youngest being a babe of one 
 month. We numbered, all told, eleven, 
 including a servant; and we engaged the 
 whole of a cabin, for which we paid the 
 sum of $1,000, besides furnishing our own 
 provisions. It may not be uninteresting 
 to give a list of the articles necessary for 
 such a long voyage. The following is the 
 
 [38] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 list, as near as I can remember: We 
 bought eight barrels of flour, one hundred 
 pounds of crackers, eighteen barrels of 
 potatoes, ten live sheep, five live pigs, five 
 dozen chickens, two dozen ducks, one dozen 
 geese, ten turkeys, two large flitches of 
 bacon, ten hams, five barrels of apples, two 
 boxes of raisins, two boxes of currants, two 
 hundred and fifty pounds of butter, fifty 
 dozen of eggs, one hundred pounds of pre- 
 serves, five gallons of raspberry vinegar, 
 ten gallons of brandy, two hundred pounds 
 of sugar, forty pounds of coffee, twenty-five 
 pounds of tea, and forty dollars' worth of 
 Bologna sausages. In addition to live 
 stock, we had two goats to furnish us with 
 milk, and the quantity of food for the 
 animals and poultry was necessarily very 
 great. 
 
 In order to overcome the inconvenience 
 of washing clothes on shipboard, all the 
 underclothing had to be taken with us 
 unmade. When used, the undergarments 
 were thrown overboard and new ones 
 made, and of course we had to have large 
 quantities of linen and muslin in the piece. 
 
 [39] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 An incident took place on our departure 
 which saddened all the children, and, 
 indeed, cast a gloom over the elder members 
 of the family. Our faithful Newfoundland 
 dog, the pet of the children, vainly 
 endeavored to follow us on board the ship, 
 but was put on shore by the sailors. When 
 the ship sailed he jumped into the water 
 and swam away out to sea after us. We 
 watched him with tearful eyes, until the 
 faithful animal sank from exhaustion 
 beneath the billows. 
 
 The voyage was a splendid and prosper- 
 ous one. We rounded Cape Horn, which 
 is one of the most desolate places on the 
 face of the earth. Near the Falkland 
 Islands we met a whaler, whose captain 
 came on board. He was very anxious for 
 news, as he stated he had been out 
 three years, and was last from Vancouver 's 
 Island. 
 
 We next sighted two small islands, called 
 Corvo and Flores. Mark Twain, in ' ' Inno- 
 cents Abroad,'' describes them and their 
 inhabitants. These were thickly settled 
 and looked very pretty. The language 
 
 [40] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 spoken there was Portuguese. Many of the 
 people came alongside our ship in boats, 
 and sold a large quantity of oranges and 
 other fruits, fowls and eggs, to the captain 
 and to us, we being the only passengers. 
 
 About the first of July we arrived off 
 Flushing in Holland and a few days later 
 we sailed up the Thames to London. It 
 was Sunday when we arrived in London, 
 but it was Saturday by our reckoning, we 
 having gained a day sailing round the 
 world in an easterly direction. Another 
 singular fact was that it was summer when 
 we arrived in England, and it was summer 
 when we left Australia; so that I enjoyed 
 two summers in the year 1841. 
 
 We spent a month in London. My hus- 
 band was very much occupied in trying to 
 get a settlement of his claims against the 
 government, but with very little success. 
 
 We then started for Cork, where my 
 husband bought a distillery, and again 
 entered on his old business. The change 
 of climate was very severe upon our chil- 
 dren, and they all took sick, successively, 
 with measles, whooping cough, scarlet fever 
 
 [41] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 and other diseases peculiar to children, but 
 which were utterly unknown in the place 
 we had just come from. Six years after, 
 in 1847, the great typhus fever broke out 
 in Ireland, and my husband, who was inter- 
 ested in bread distribution and other socie- 
 ties for the relief of the poor, contracted 
 the disease and forfeited his life in trjdng 
 to relieve the miseries of others. Eighteen 
 gentlemen, our near neighbors, died of the 
 same disease, and many families in Cork 
 were bereft of their sole support in conse- 
 quence of having contracted the fever. It 
 is a matter of history, and therefore needs 
 no description from my pen; but the ter- 
 rible destitution and suffering of the poorer 
 class of the people of Ireland at that time 
 is without parallel. The misery, however, 
 was alleviated in a great measure by the 
 generosity of the American people, who 
 sent large quantities of corn and flour for 
 the relief of the destitute. 
 
 I continued the business myself until 
 1854, when, becoming convinced that my 
 children would have a better opportunity 
 of improving their prospects by going to 
 
 [42] 
 
SKETCHES OF TEAYEL 
 
 the United States, and as my two eldest 
 sons were already there, I disposed of my 
 business and started for America. 
 
 [The above chapters have dealt solely 
 with a description of my mother's long 
 voyage to Australia and return, a matter 
 of 36,000 miles. According to her descrip- 
 tion of Hobart Town, it must have been a 
 delightful place in which to live. She lived 
 there with her devoted husband for thir- 
 teen years, and became the mother of nine 
 children. Eight of these children came 
 back with her, one died (an infant), and 
 her tenth child was born in Cork, being the 
 only Irishman of the family. 
 
 You may have noticed the very pathetic 
 incident related of the faithful Newfound- 
 land dog swimming after the vessel until 
 he sank beneath the waves. This always 
 seemed to us children a particularly sad 
 incident, and we criticised (as much as we 
 dared) our parents' conduct in not insist- 
 ing on bringing the poor fellow along. 
 
 The continuation of the story involves 
 the account of a shipwreck which to a great 
 
 [43] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 extent is very similar to the loss of the 
 Titanic. The location was nearly the same, 
 off the coast of Newfoundland. The ship, 
 on her first trip, was lost, but fortunately 
 there was no loss of life as just before 
 sinking the boat was run on the rocks. 
 However, the lifeboats were all in use, the 
 women and children taken off first, but 
 there was almost as much terror and fright 
 experienced as there was on the Titanic] 
 
 [44] 
 
CHAPTER VII 
 
 Shipwrecked — Narrow Escape of All on 
 Board — How They Were Saved. 
 
 On the 31st day of August, 1854, we left 
 Liverpool in the steamship City of Phila- 
 delphia, of the Inman line, commanded by 
 Capt. Robert Leitch. We had been de- 
 layed for two weeks in Liverpool, owing 
 to an accident happening to the steamer 
 on her trial trip in the Clyde. It was to be 
 her first trip, and she was one of the finest 
 vessels ever built by the Inman line, who 
 have so many elegant steamships. The day 
 of departure was a beautiful one, and as 
 we stood on the deck during the passage 
 down the Mersey, we were in high spirits. 
 Everything augured a prosperous and 
 speedy voyage, the passengers were all 
 delighted, and as the weather was fine and 
 the sea smooth, but little seasickness was 
 experienced. 
 
 After passing the coast of Ireland rough 
 weather was experienced, and the number 
 
 [45] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 of promenaders on deck, and eaters at the 
 table, was very sensibly diminished. The 
 voyage was without incident until the 7th 
 of September. We had neared the banks 
 of Newfoundland, and, as usual in that 
 locality, were in a dense fog. About twelve 
 o'clock we were awakened by a terrible 
 crash, and some of us were thrown from 
 our berths. We all rushed upstairs as fast 
 as possible, only to find the saloon filled 
 with terrified passengers of both sexes, who 
 in their anxiety to learn the cause of the 
 accident, had hurried up without losing 
 any time in changing their clothes, suited 
 only to the privacy of their staterooms. 
 The scene was a terrible one, and our con- 
 sternation was added to by the report that 
 the ship was sinking. Mothers were shriek- 
 ing for their children, husbands looking for 
 members of their family, all praying 
 fervently and bidding eternal adieus. 
 
 One of the officers, at this juncture, 
 calmed us by saying that there was no 
 danger, and informed us that the ship had 
 struck on a rock supposed to be Cape Race, 
 and had backed off without sustaining any 
 
 [46] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 serious damage. Upon this we returned to 
 our rooms and dressed ourselves, as sleep 
 was entirely out of the question. Upon 
 reassembling on the deck we learned the 
 full extent of the disaster. The ship was 
 sinking, and again the prayers, the groans, 
 the adieus, were repeated with renewed 
 energy. At this time, seeing the critical 
 state of affairs. Captain Leitch had the ship 
 headed towards the land, and ordered the 
 boats to be got ready. In an instant there 
 was a rush on the part of the steerage pas- 
 sengers for the boats, which were filled 
 by men even while they hung at the davits. 
 The officers and sailors, under command 
 of the captain, at once cleared the boats 
 by striking without mercy the cowardly 
 wretches who had sought to save them- 
 selves alone, and armed men were placed 
 in sufficient numbers around each boat to 
 prevent any one getting possession. News 
 was now brought up that the fires were out, 
 and the situation was becoming precarious. 
 Before the engines had ceased to work the 
 ship grounded with great force upon some 
 sunken rocks, and remained as firmly on 
 
 [47] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 them as if she was on stocks. It was fortu- 
 nate the sea was smooth or else she would 
 have gone to pieces. 
 
 The captain ordered all the women and 
 children into the boats, and after rowing 
 about half a mile we were landed on the 
 shore in a place called Chance Cove. In 
 due time the male passengers were brought 
 off, and at early dawn the passengers, 
 about seven hundred, were all on shore. 
 We could see the elegant steamer stranded 
 on the rocks, looking as if she were about 
 to be launched; but her journeyings 
 had ceased forever, and she never left her 
 cradle on the rocks until the storms of 
 successive winters had broken her to 
 fragments. 
 
 At the time of the shipwreck the early 
 operations of the Atlantic Telegraph Com- 
 pany were taking place, and a small 
 steamer belonging to the company was 
 seen about twelve o'clock. Signals of dis- 
 tress were hoisted and guns fired, and she 
 finally bore down on us and took as many 
 passengers as she could accommodate 
 (about seventy-five) to St. John's, New- 
 
 [48] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 foundland. It being impossible to take 
 passage in her, we were forced to remain 
 in Chance Cove, and provisions were 
 brought from the ship and tents made out 
 of the sails, and we succeeded in making 
 ourselves comparatively comfortable. A 
 fleet of wreckers surrounded the ship, and 
 all the male passengers were armed to repel 
 attack. For several nights we were much 
 alarmed at the report of firearms, and 
 learned each morning that skirmishes were 
 going on with these pirates, and it needed 
 all possible precautions to keep them at 
 bay. 
 
 After a stay of four or five days we were 
 taken off by small steamers chartered for 
 the purpose and conveyed to St. John's. 
 We remained a month here, and as we had 
 the good fortune to meet many kind rela- 
 tions and friends who dwelt there, our time 
 was passed very agreeably. While we were 
 in St. John's a small French propeller 
 came in one Sunday morning very much 
 disabled. She was named the Vesta, and 
 reported that she had struck a large 
 steamer and, being disabled, had put into 
 
 [49] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 St. John's. Her foremast was gone and 
 her bow stove in. On board her they did 
 not know the extent of the damage the 
 other steamer had sustained, but we soon 
 learned that it was the Arctic of the Collins 
 line that had been run into, and that out 
 of 560 passengers but thirty were saved, 
 Mr. Collins (the owner of the line) and 
 family being amongst the lost. The sur- 
 vivors came in next day in a lifeboat, and 
 the tale they told was indeed a sad one. 
 One of them, the purser of the Arctic, 
 became insane from the horrors and suffer- 
 ings he had endured, and had to be kept in 
 close confinement. 
 
 After remaining a month in St. John's, 
 we sailed for Philadelphia in the Osprey, 
 chartered by the Inman line at an expense 
 of $500 a day, and our first landing in 
 America was at Martha's Vineyard, where 
 we put in for a few hours. We were struck 
 with the quaintness and beauty of the 
 place and the civility of the inhabitants. 
 On the 21st of October we landed at 
 Philadelphia and our trials were over. 
 
 I deem it proper to say at this time 
 
 [50] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 that the conduct of the Inman Company 
 deserved unqualified admiration. 
 
 It is a common remark that corporations 
 have no souls, but this company is an 
 admirable exception. It treated all the 
 passengers with the utmost courtesy, and 
 endeavored in every way to compensate 
 them for the discomforts and losses by the 
 accident, paid for every pound of baggage 
 lost, and indeed paid everything with a 
 lavishness and generosity rare to see. 
 
 We left Philadelphia soon after for 
 Ithaca, Tompkins County, New York State, 
 where we resided two years and then left 
 for Albany, arriving on the day James 
 Buchanan was elected. 
 
 I have now come to the conclusion of my 
 description of travels and incidents of a 
 long life. Many incidents have occurred 
 which, while deeply affecting and serious 
 in their nature, were too sacred for publi- 
 cation. If I have interested any of my 
 readers, I am well repaid, and trust that 
 the time I have occupied has not been 
 considered as wasted. 
 
 [51] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 I am sorry to inform my readers that I 
 am now totally blind; seeing neither sun 
 nor moon nor stars, but total darkness in 
 the midst of noon. 
 
 [The ending of this story is very 
 pathetic. Cataracts had formed on my 
 mother's eyes and for years before her 
 death she was unable to see. Notwith- 
 standing this affliction, she was active, and 
 continued to be interested in charitable 
 work. She was passionately fond of music 
 and a little girl attendant had a long list 
 of her pieces which she would read off and 
 the dear old lady would play from mem- 
 ory. She never had an illness, was a strong 
 and vigorous woman, with great mentality 
 and force of character. 
 
 The following obituary notice, published 
 by the Sunday Press in 1887, is an evi- 
 dence that her good qualities were appre- 
 ciated and her loss deplored. In simple 
 words it gives an idea of the characteristics 
 of a remarkable woman. She was abso- 
 lutely unselfish, generous to a fault, 
 
 [52] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 devoted to her family and as good a mother 
 as she had been a loving wife : 
 
 OBITUARY. 
 
 Maria Hackett. 
 
 One of our best-known and most highly 
 esteemed old ladies passed away yesterday 
 to the final reward of a life filled with good 
 deeds and incessant efforts in behalf of 
 her fellow creatures. Mrs. Hackett had 
 reached the unusual age of 82 years and 
 had entered upon the 83d with the same 
 ambition and hopefulness of accomplishing 
 more good, that characterized her entire 
 life. She had, for many years of late, 
 evinced a most remarkable activity, excit- 
 ing the wonder and admiration of all who 
 came in contact with her. She was pos- 
 sessed of a vast fund of reminiscences and 
 several years since wrote for the Sunday 
 Press a very interesting series of articles on 
 life in Australia, in which country she 
 passed a portion of her life. She was 
 warmly devoted to her religion and prac- 
 ticed its precepts most rigidly. It was a 
 source of delightful pleasure to secure her 
 company and listen to her recitals of expe- 
 riences during her long and eventful life. 
 
 [53] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Mrs. Hackett leaves two sons, Messrs. 
 Edward F. and Theodore M., to mourn her 
 loss, who will receive the sympathy of a 
 widely extended circle of friends.] 
 
 [54] 
 
BRIEF SKETCH OF THE MILITARY 
 CAREER OF 
 
 EDWARD F. HACKETT, JR. 
 
 LIEUTENANT COMPANY A, 42xid REGIMENT 
 NEW YORK STATE VOLUNTEERS 
 
LIEUTENANT EDWARD F. HACKETT, Jr. 
 
BRIEF SKETCH OF THE MILITARY 
 CAREER OF EDWARD F. HACKETT, JR. 
 
 In publishing a family story one may be 
 pardoned for giving prominence to the 
 youngest member of the family, who not 
 only had a record as a traveler but who 
 also distinguished himself in the Spanish- 
 American War. 
 
 Early in May, 1898, Edward F. Hackett, 
 Jr., enlisted in Company A, Tenth Bat- 
 talion, as a private. Shortly afterward the 
 regiment left Albany for Camp Black. 
 Many will remember the departure of the 
 regiment for the front : the marching 
 from the Armory down Washington Ave- 
 nue to the depot ; the embarking of the 
 troops, the cheering, the display of flags 
 and bunting; the band playing patriotic 
 airs; the shouts and good-byes of the on- 
 lookers and the wild enthusiasm of the 
 crowd that lined the streets. Shortly 
 afterwards came news of Camp Black; the 
 suffering and lack of comfort experienced; 
 the insufficiency of shelter; the sleeping on 
 
 [57] 
 
SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 wet ground ; everything to show the incom- 
 petency of the powers that be. Then came 
 word that the regiment had been ordered to 
 Honolulu and long descriptions followed of 
 the experiences there in that delightful 
 climate. In November, 1898, the First 
 Regiment was ordered home and about 
 Christmas of that year a grand welcome 
 was given by Albanians to the soldiers who, 
 although they had not met the enemy or 
 even had a skirmish with them, had shown 
 their readiness to fight for their country. 
 In February, 1899, Private Hackett was 
 honorably discharged, and soon obtained a 
 commission as Second Lieutenant in the 
 Twelfth New York. After a short stay in 
 Cuba the regiment was mustered out of 
 service, arriving in New York, March 27, 
 1899. 
 
 Shortly after the Lieutenant was again 
 commissioned in the Forty-second New 
 York Volunteers with headquarters at Fort 
 Niagara and after a brief time spent in 
 recruiting service he started for the Philip- 
 pines. For about eighteen months he 
 served gallantly, enduring much hardship 
 
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SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 and privation and participating in several 
 engagements. Of one very severe fight at 
 Pinauran the following comment which is 
 taken from The Albany Journal, February 
 14, 1901, speaks for itself : 
 
 YOUNG ALBANY OFFICER 
 HONORED 
 
 Lieutenant Edward F. Hackett 
 
 Furnished with Official 
 
 Report op Orders 
 
 COMMENDING HIS ACTION 
 
 Participated with His Company in an Assault 
 Upon an Almost Impregnable Position 
 
 A young Albany soldier in the army in the 
 Philippines seems to be covering himself with 
 glory. Lieutenant E. F. Hackett, Jr., of the 
 Forty-second Eegiment, U. S. Y., has received 
 recognition which many ofl&cers who served during 
 the Civil War and on the plains were unable to 
 attain. The following report of an engagement in 
 northern Luzon, November 22, 1900, explains in 
 terse military manner the battle in which Lieuten- 
 ant Hackett bore himself in most gallant manner: 
 
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SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Headquarters Sixth District, Department of 
 Northern Luzon, El Deposito, P. I., 
 
 December 21, 1900. 
 
 Major E. C. Gary, Forty-second U. S. Volunteers: 
 Sir: 
 
 The District Commander directs me to express 
 his appreciation of the services rendered by your 
 command, the main column of the expeditionary 
 forces, under Colonel J. Milton Thompson, Forty- 
 second Infantry, U. S. Volunteers, during the expe- 
 dition against and engagement with the insurgent 
 forces under Licerio Geronimo, at Pinauran, the 
 insurgent stronghold northeast of Montalbon, P. I., 
 November 22, 1900, resulting in the destruction of 
 the enemy ^s quarters, supplies, etc. The prompt- 
 ness with which your two leading companies (A 
 and I, Forty-second Infantry) scaled the almost 
 vertical walls of the canon of the river Anginan, 
 which had they been bare of vegetation would have 
 been difficult enough, but which, on account of the 
 dense growth of cane, looked as if they were insur- 
 mountable obstacles, is worthy of comment. 
 
 While the country over which the column oper- 
 ated, though it presented extremely great diffi- 
 culties, offered easy traveling compared with that 
 over which the other columns marched, yet the 
 fact that the main column engaged the enemy to a 
 greater extent, made up the difference. 
 
 Very respectfully, 
 
 Joseph K. McAndrews, 
 Forty-second Infantry, U. S. Volunteers, 
 
 First Lieutenant and Battalion Adjutant, Acting 
 Assistant Adjutant General. 
 
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SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Headquarters Sixth District, Department of 
 Northern Luzon, El Deposito, P. I., 
 
 December 21, 1900. 
 
 Official copy respectfully furnished Second Lieu- 
 tenant E. F. Hackett, Jr., Forty-second Infantry, 
 U. S. Volunteers, who commanded Company A, 
 Forty-second Infantry, U. S. Yolimteers, which was 
 part of the main column in the above mentioned 
 expedition and engagement. 
 
 By order of the Colonel. 
 
 Joseph E. McAndrews, 
 
 First Lieutenant and Battalion Adjutant, Forty- 
 second U. S. Volunteers, Acting Assistant 
 Adjutant General. 
 
 Mr. Hackett, who now holds a First Lieutenant 's 
 commission, commanded his company on this occa- 
 sion. The American column consisted of 1,400 
 men. Against them 3,000 Filipinos were arrayed 
 in a stronghold which seemed to be impregnable. 
 To reach them it was necessary to scale the side 
 of a canon, which, as the official report discloses, 
 was almost vertical. Company A of the Forty- 
 second, commanded by Lieutenant Hackett, seems 
 to have been foremost in the assault, and the fact 
 that Colonel Thompson directed that an official 
 copy of the report of the affair should be furnished 
 him, proves that he must have acquitted himself 
 with singular gallantry. Five Americans were 
 killed. The Filipinos' loss is not stated, but they 
 were routed and all their supplies in the strong- 
 hold captured. 
 
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SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 Lieutenant Hackett is a son of E. F. Hackett. 
 He was a member of Company A of the Tenth 
 Battalion, and went with the First "New York 
 Eegiment to Honolulu. On the return of the First 
 he applied for a commission for service in Cuba, 
 and obtained one in the Twelfth New York. On 
 his arrival in Cuba he was made Post- Ad jut ant of 
 the regiment, but in a short time the Twelfth was 
 ordered home. Then he secured a commission in 
 the Forty-second, where he has seen hard service. 
 He has been down with fever and suffered all the 
 hardships of the campaign in northern Luzon. The 
 fact that he has been mentioned in the way above 
 indicated will be a source of pride to his many 
 friends hereabouts, for his action reflects credit 
 on the city of his birth. 
 
 On January 2, 1901, he was promoted to 
 First Lieutenant. The Forty-second Regi- 
 ment returned to San Francisco, June 21, 
 1901, and was mustered out of service. 
 
 After his return from the Philippines he 
 never fully recovered from the effects of 
 his hardships and fever he suffered from 
 while on duty. His health was greatly 
 impaired and while he struggled manfully 
 to engage in business and was a short time 
 previous to his death in very lucrative 
 employment in New York City he was 
 
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SKETCHES OF TRAVEL 
 
 obliged to give up his position. He was 
 born in Albany in 1877 and attended the 
 boys' academy, and he died in Albany in 
 June, 1907, in the thirtieth year of his 
 age. 
 
 Previous to his enlistment in the army 
 in 1897 he made a voyage around South 
 America, going as far north as Eucador on 
 the west coast. Counting his trip to Hono- 
 lulu and return and his voyage to the 
 Philippines, he had a record of travel of 
 nearly one hundred thousand miles. He 
 was popular among his associates and was 
 of an extremely happy disposition. 
 
 This brief sketch of Maria Hackett's 
 grandson is not, it would seem, improperly 
 inserted in this little book, and if one takes 
 pride in recounting the patriotism and 
 bravery shown, it will be remembered that 
 it was for his country that Edward F. 
 Hackett, Jr., virtually gave up his life. 
 
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DEC 24 1912