To sail in unknown seas,
To land in countries hitherto unseen,
To breathe a fresh invigorating air:
----All this, I am convinced,
Will renovate me a second time,
To be what once I was.
LLOYD'S MYRHA.
Before any of the other passengers came on deck, Mrs. St. Orme and
Adelaide contrived to make their morning toilet quite _comme il faut_,
and when it was finished, and their dressing-boxes were repacked, they
drew up the blinds of the carriage, and beheld a most beautiful scene.
The sun was shining in all his brightness, and seemed to exult on
beholding the fair isle, that, cheered by his smiles, was venturing to
raise her lovely face from beneath its misty veil, no longer fearful of
beholding the dark visage of Night, who, sullenly retreating from his
glorious foe, had turned his louring brow on other daughters of the sea.
The hill of Howth rose proudly from the bosom of the deep; and whilst
its rocky sides, from age to age, beheld unmoved the fury of the
sounding surge, the pointed summits of the distant Wicklow mountains
courted the beams of morn and the dews of evening, ere they descended to
visit the plains beneath. The bold promontory of Bray rushed to meet the
foaming waves; and by its side the beautiful bay of Killina retreated
from their half spent rage; whilst in the distant sky a darkened line of
smoke pointed out the site of the fine city of Dublin. "Dear Ireland!"
exclaimed Mrs. St. Orme, whilst the tear of feeling and the smile of joy
struggled for mastery in her beaming eyes--"Oh! only those who have
pined for their native land beneath a stranger sky, whose eye has been
long unblessed by her loved face, whose ear has vainly paused to hear
once again her kindly, though unpolished accents; who have held her--
'dear by every tie
Which binds us to our infancy,
By weeping Mem'ry's fondest claims,
By nature's holiest highest names;'
can feel their souls moved to sympathy at the sight of her children's
emotions, when they at last behold her cherished soil." Poor Adelaide!
she felt the current of life retire from her chilled heart, as it was
oppressed by the sad thought, that no revered parent or beloved sister
would receive her in the arms of affectionate love, when she landed on
the smiling shore, that spread before her sight. She gazed on the
countless dwellings, that met her view, with a bitterness of sorrow that
was faithfully depicted in her speaking countenance. In every mourner
Mrs. St. Orme saw a friend; and understanding the nature of her
companion's affliction, from a conversation she had the evening before
with Colonel Desmond, she pressed her hand, saying in the kindest tones
of benevolence, "You will find friends every where; in that hospitable
land there are many warm hearts, to whom you will quickly be dear." The
expression of Adelaide's gratitude, though mute, was eloquent, and she
soon recovered herself sufficiently to answer, with apparent ease, the
various inquiries put to her by Mr. St. Orme and Colonel Desmond, who
now appeared to offer their services.
About nine o'clock all was again commotion in the ship; many a strange
figure might have been seen in the cabins below. Here Mr. Webberly,
doffing his white cotton nightcap, and reeling on the floor, was cut
short in the ecstasy of a yawn, and of an outstretched arm, and
balancing opposite leg, by a return of the sickness, which had kept him
below stairs all night, to Adelaide's great joy. There a fop was calmly
settling his hat, so as to display the glossy curls, that were to appear
below its edge, to the utmost advantage. Behind that white dimity
curtain a lady is viewing herself in a pocket glass, and laments her
bilious complexion; but quickly comforts herself with the reflection,
that she can wear a veil, and in a day or two she shall be ten times
fairer than ever. One gentleman is damning the steward for suffering his
sea store to be demolished, who appeases him by saying he will give him
another hamper to ransack. There is the wag of a mail coach, continuing
his jokes with a fat cook, whose tongue has seldom ceased since they
left London, in the endeavour to persuade every one she met that she was
a lady of great consequence, and who literally talked all night, to the
edification of the people in the cabin with her. An odd looking man is
running about with a box of artificial flowers, tormenting every body,
by asking if the custom-house officers will seize them; and to every
reply rejoining, "I'll just give them a trifle, just a trifle. Do you
think they'll search my night sack?" Lastly, the English Abigails loudly
declare they shall die; and the Irish that they _will_ die, whilst in
the intervals of sickness they endeavour to quiet a set of squalling
children.
When these motley groupes assembled on deck, it was agreed by most it
would be much better to take boats to Dunleary, than to wait for the
returning tide to land at the Pigeon House, which is the regular station
appointed for the packets.
Adelaide now offered her arm to Mrs. Sullivan, who had just ascended the
cabin stairs in a rueful condition. Her face was indeed the emblem of
"green and yellow melancholy." Somebody had done her the favour to sit
upon her hat, and had bent its white plume in every direction; her
habit was crumpled up in a thousand folds, and the queen of Otaheite
herself could not have boasted of more feathers than adorned it in
detached spots. Mr. Webberly, who accompanied his mother and sisters
upon deck, as he looked at Adelaide's lovely face, blooming with the
freshness of the sea air, said to himself, "Well, Miss Wildenheim must
have his Majesty's patent in her pocket to be so beautiful, when all the
other women look so bad. Sister Cilly is as ugly as old Mother Shipton
this morning; and as for Meely, she's enough to frighten the crows. I
wonder what business that Colonel Desmond has to talk to Miss Wildenheim
so--he's too civil by half; I've a month's mind to tell him so; and how
she does smile and show her white teeth at him. I see nothing so
diverting about him, not I."
"Jack!" said his mother, interrupting his reverie, "Miss Wildenheim has
dissuaded me to go in that 'ere boat;--do get our band-boxes put in it.
They say we mustn't take none of our trunks, neither one of the
carriages. I suspect me they're playing tricks upon travellers; and if
so be, I'll take the law of them as sure as my name's Hannah Silliwan.
The ship may sail away with all our things afore ever we can send the
constables after it.--They say the Irish are a sad set of rogues. I vish
I vas safe back in Lunnon again."
The party were soon summoned to the boat, and quickly reached the pier
of Dunleary in safety. This place is merely a fishing village, chiefly
inhabited by those amphibious animals called bathing women, whose
appearance renders their sex nearly as dubious as their occupation makes
it difficult to decide whether they mostly inhabit the land or the
water. A crowd of these strange looking creatures assembled about the
newly arrived ladies. Adelaide involuntarily shrunk from one of them,
whose complexion was at least three shades darker than fashionable
mahogany, who had but one furious black eye, and was of a stature that
promised the power of carrying into execution the evil designs, which
seemed painted in that eye. This woman's voice, when she spoke, was
nearly as appalling as her aspect when silent; but yet she was perfectly
harmless, and had never been known to injure any human being.--"Clear
the way there, Moll Kelly! Don't you see you're putting the ladies all
through other? Can't ye lend a hand to the spalpeen while you're doing
nothing? Or do the t'other thing, and take yourself aff clane and
clever?" said a good-natured looking man, who formed one of the crowd of
idlers, who stood wrapped up in great coats (a hot day in June), with
their backs propped against the pier, or the walls of the houses
opposite to it. "It's myself that would be sore and sorry not to be
agreeable to them. I just stepped down to take a peep at their sweet
faces, God bless them!" said she. Adelaide, shocked at the repugnance
her countenance had involuntarily expressed to this unoffending mortal;
made the _amende honorable_ by slipping into her hand, as she passed
close by, a piece of silver, accompanied by a smile of conciliation.
"Och, its yourself that's the real quality;--and did ye look on the like
of me, jewel?--I'm entirely obliged to your ladyship." A number of men
now came up, saying, "I'll whip your honour up to Dublin in a crack."
"Plase your honour, mine's the best going gingle on all the Black Rock
road." "Arrah, hould your palaver, Barny," said a third; "didn't my
Padderene mare beat the Bang-up coach to tatters the day Mr. Shorly
broke his arm; when the gingle, for no rason in life, upset? The Lord
spare him to his childer, poor gintleman." Colonel Desmond now came
forward to explain what this might mean--namely, that there was no
other conveyance to Dublin except the carriages he pointed out, which
were sufficiently expeditious, and perfectly safe, if their drivers
would not insist on running races with the stage coaches. Accordingly
the party were stowed into these gingles, which more nearly resemble
sociables in miniature than any other vehicle; but their backs, instead
of being solid wood, are railed. They are totally uncushioned, and are
drawn by one stout, though ill-conditioned horse. They soon struck into
a very fine road, sufficiently broad to lead to a city twice the size of
Dublin, on which numberless cars, carts, and carriages, of all
descriptions, passed each other, without the smallest inconvenience,
except from clouds of white dust, peculiarly distressing from the nature
of the soil. The views on all sides were exquisite, combining the
various beauties of marine and mountain scenery, ornamented with
abundance of wood and an appearance of high cultivation. The peculiarly
vivid green of the grass justified to our travellers the appellation of
"the emerald isle," which Ireland has long possessed. They saw at a
distance many beautiful seats; but were not a little diverted by the
names of the diminutive villas which rose close to the road. Three
houses, built in a row, had in large letters on their walls, _Anne's
Hill_, Many _Vale_, and Ballynacleigh. A house was perched on a little
mount, glorying in three lilacs and a laburnum; on its gate was engraved
_Val ombrosa_. Another, with half an acre of ground and a single row of
trees before the door, was called Wood Park: and they observed more than
one Frescati and Marino. The proprietor of one of these abodes did not
consider his house sufficiently near the road, though within a stone's
throw, therefore had erected a brick and mortar building, the size and
shape of a sentry box, resting on the wall which divided his domain from
the road, so as to overhang it; and at the moment the gingles drove
past, he was enjoying the delights of this "_happy rural seat of various
view_" reading the newspapers in the moments he could spare from
watching the company who drove by. Our travellers were much pleased with
the regular and beautiful appearance of Dublin, as this entrance into it
is not defaced by any mean hovels, the abode of squalid poverty, which
are the too frequent preludes of many a magnificent capital. Entering at
once into Bagot-street, which is handsome and well built, they drove
through several fine streets and squares, caught a glimpse of some
elegant public buildings, such as the college, the _ci-devant_
parliament-house, and the rotunda, and at last stopped at Layton's
hotel, in Sackville-street, which is inferior to few in London.
And oh! the luxury of comfortable quiet rooms and beds, after being
condemned to the turmoil of a Holyhead packet, and exposed to the
dislocating powers of a Black Rock gingle! Our travellers retired at an
early hour, to profit by these lately unknown comforts; and here,
wishing them sound sleep and pleasant dreams, we bid them "good night."