Maine, _Me._ New Hampshire, _N. H._ Vermont, _Vt._ Massachusetts,
_Mass._ Rhode Island, _R. I._ Connecticut, _Ct._ New York, _N. Y._ New
Jersey, _N. J._ Pennsylvania, _Pa._ Delaware, _Del._ Maryland, _Md._
Virginia, _Va._ North Carolina, _N. C._ South Carolina, _S. C._ Georgia,
_Geo._ or _Ga._ Alabama, _Ala._ Mississippi, _Mi._ Louisiana, _La._
Tennessee, _Ten._ Kentucky, _Ky._ Ohio, _O._ Indiana, _Ind._ Illinois,
_Ill._ Missouri, _Mo._ District of Columbia, _D. C._ Michigan, _Mich._
Arkansas, _Ark._ Florida, _Fl._ Wisconsin, _Wis._ Iowa, _Io._ Texas,
_Tex._ Oregon, _Or._
To these may be added the abbreviations of the British possessions in
North America. Upper Canada, _U. C._ Lower Canada, _L. C._ Nova Scotia,
_N. S._ New Brunswick, _N. B._ New Providence, _N. P._
The name of the town to which the letter is to go, should always be
superscribed in full. If a country town or village, it will be necessary
to designate the county in which it is situated, as there are so many
provincial towns of the same name. Finish with the designation of the
state under the whole, close to the right-hand corner.
In directing to a clergyman, put _Rev._ (Reverend) before his name. To
an officer, immediately after his name, and on the same line with it,
put _U. S. A._ for United States Army; _U. S. N._ for United States
Navy. To a member of Congress, precede his name with _Hon._
(Honourable.)
In putting up packets to send away, either tie them round and across
with red tape (sealing them also) or seal them without tying. Twine or
cord may cut through the paper, and is better omitted. Never put up any
thing in newspaper. Beside the danger of soiling the articles inside, it
looks mean and disrespectful. Keep yourself provided with different
sorts of wrapping-paper. A large parcel should have more than one seal,
and the seal may be rather larger than for a letter.
CROSSING THE SEA.--The most usual voyage made by American ladies is
across the Atlantic; and the time chosen for that voyage is generally in
the spring or autumn. A winter passage is seldom attempted by ladies;
and few that have tried it once are willing to undertake it a second
time. To those who are preparing to traverse the ocean that separates us
from Europe, we hope the following hints may not be unacceptable.
We earnestly recommend that every lady who can afford to pay the
additional price, should engage, at an early period, a state-room
exclusively to herself; unless, indeed, she can share it with a near
relation. She will find the money well spent in securing the privacy and
comfort of an apartment into which no one has a right to intrude;
besides the additional space she will thus obtain for such articles as
she would like to have with her in her room. No one who has not been at
sea can imagine the perpetual and mutual annoyance of being confined to
the small limits of a state-room with a stranger; each incommoding the
other all the time, and each feeling herself under the continual
_surveillance_ of her companion; both expected to make incessant
sacrifices to the convenience of each other, and perhaps only one of
them having a disposition to submit to these sacrifices; in which case
she that is the most amiable is always the sufferer. We believe it to be
the rule in packet-ships that the first applicant for a passage is
allowed the privilege of being the last to have a stranger put into her
apartment. And if the passengers are not numerous, the fortunate first
applicant may in this manner have a whole state-room without the extra
charge. But by offering this additional price on taking her passage, she
can _always_ secure the exclusive possession of an entire state-room.
If you have an apartment exclusively to yourself, the place of the
second bed can be filled with boxes, books, &c., for which you would not
otherwise have room. But as no ship state-room is large enough to
contain _much_ baggage, you should make your arrangements to wear during
the voyage such articles of outside dress as will least require washing.
Therefore, let all light-coloured or white dresses be packed away in the
trunks that are to remain below, and not to be opened till the close of
the voyage.
As ladies can have no washing done at sea, it will be well to begin with
such dresses as can be worn all the passage. French silks are not good
sea dresses, (even when black,) for the salt-air shrivels, spots, and
turns them rusty. Dark-coloured india silks, or dark mousselines de
laine, or merinoes, are much better. Dark chintzes, with no white in the
figure, are convenient for common wear, at sea as well as on shore.
Muslin or bobbinet collars, to be worn in the ever-damp sea-air, should
have no other trimming than an edging sewed on plain; as quilled or
pleated frills lose their stiffening immediately. Silk neck-kerchiefs,
or little shawls for the neck, will be found very convenient as
substitutes for collars; and, if of white silk, they are extremely
becoming. Or you may wear a broad, thick white ribbon, shaped with three
diminishing pleats, to fit in closely the back of the neck, and crossed
in front. Quilled or fluted cap-borders soon become limp and formless
with the damp; so also do gauze or _glacé_ ribbons. Sea-caps should have
borders either simply gathered or laid on plain; and their ribbons
should be mantua, lutestring, or soft satin. A cap lined all through
with silk of a pretty colour, will be very convenient at sea, as it not
only assists in keeping the damp air from the head, but conceals the
hair effectually; and there are rough days when the motion of the ship
renders it impossible to arrange the hair nicely. A silk or madras
handkerchief, pinned up into a sort of small turban, is sometimes worn
at sea, instead of caps. They are very convenient, but only becoming to
pretty ladies.
It is colder at sea than on shore; and even in summer, the atmosphere of
the Atlantic is liable to be chilled for several days by the vicinity of
floating icebergs,--even when these icebergs are not seen. Therefore, be
careful at any season, to have in your state-room a sufficiency of warm
clothing. A spring-passage is generally colder than an autumn one; and
even in May it is sometimes found necessary, when on the open ocean, to
dress as if it were winter. Flannel, of course, is indispensable; so,
also, is a large thick woollen shawl, and a second shawl of lighter
texture for mild weather. A very convenient outside sea-dress is the
garment or coat that is sometimes called a mandarine. It should be made
of very dark India silk, which is soft, strong, and not liable to stain
or spot like the silks of Europe. This dress should be very long and
wide; wadded and lined all through; and made with large, loose sleeves,
large sleeve-holes, and a wrapper-body, confined at the waist by a broad
ribbon run into a casing, and tied in front. A mandarine can be put on
over another dress without rumpling it; and is far better than a cloak,
as it is warmer and more compact, sits closer, and is not so liable to
be blown about by the wind. At sea, there are always days when a
mandarine will be found very comfortable to wear, even in the cabin.
No dress intended to be worn on a voyage should fasten _behind_, as it
is not always that a lady can procure the assistance of another person
to do this for her. Gowns, (or coat-dresses, as they are frequently
called,) such as fasten in front, are the best habits for sea; and there
is now a well-known way of making wrappers that is both handsome and
convenient, and universally becoming. Fortunately, corsets are now
exploded; and as they are no longer worn on shore, of course no one
would be so absurd as to endure them at sea. Jackets of flannel, lined
silk, thick cotton, or jean, made without whalebones, and to fasten in
front, are best suited to a voyage. A flannel gown and a dark
double-wrapper are indispensable in case of sickness. Your upper
petticoat should be of dark linen, worsted, or silk. If you have no
mandarine, take with you, by all means, a wadded silk petticoat, and a
pair of slightly-wadded silk inside-sleeves, to be tied in beneath your
gown-sleeves in chilly weather. For this purpose, have four tapes sewed
to the top of each sleeve, at equal distances, and four corresponding
tapes sewed to the inside of each arm-hole of your gowns.
The best sea-stockings are those of substantial, _unbleached_ cotton. No
others are so comfortable. Dark satin-ribbed cotton stockings are also
good; so are the black raw silk, such as are shaggy inside. Take with
you some _very thick_ gray yarn stockings, to put on when your feet are
cold in bed, and to draw on, occasionally, over your shoes and other
stockings. Gaiter-boots, and boots lined with fur, are very comfortable
when once on; but at sea, there is often some trouble in lacing or
buttoning them. Shoes worn on ship-board should be thin-soled and roomy,
so that you may walk the deck easier, and keep your feet better when the
vessel rolls. Shoes of wadded silk are very pleasant at sea; so are
Indian moccasins, or carpet moccasins lined with wool. Take with you two
or three pairs of woolly sheep-skin soles, such as are coated on the
under side with india-rubber varnish. They are warm, dry, and
water-proof; can be slipped into your shoes or taken out, as occasion
may require; and either for sea or shore, are far superior to the cork
soles also in use.
A sea-bonnet should have a deep, close front, and a cape or ruffle at
the back of the neck. The complexion is always liable to be injured by
the salt air, the glare of the sun, and the bleak wind. A quilted close
bonnet of dark silk or satin, lined with pink, blue, or lemon-colour,
may be made to look very pretty. Cane or whalebone being very apt to
break in the wind, it is best to run wired-satin piping-cord into the
cases of a sea-bonnet, and round the edge. This will stiffen it
sufficiently; and being very elastic, will keep it in shape without
danger of breaking. These bonnets should, by all means, have a large
wadded cape attached to them. At sea, it is important to keep the back
of the neck always covered, for its exposure to the air may produce
rheumatic pains in the head, shoulders, and face. Even in the cabin, and
at all times when on ship-board, (except in decidedly warm weather,) it
is prudent to wear a handkerchief of silk, cashmere, or velvet, tied or
pinned round the neck, with a corner covering it closely behind.
Provide yourself, also, with a pair or two of warm gloves. On days
when fire is most needed, it is most difficult to have it in the cabin
of a ship. If the wind is strong, it impedes the draught of the stove,
and fills the cabin with the smoke that is beaten down the chimney.
And if the vessel rolls much, (as she always will in rough weather,)
there is danger of the fire falling about the floor; and to prevent
accidents from this cause, it is deemed safest to extinguish it
entirely, or else not to kindle it at all. The passengers must depend
chiefly on their clothing for warmth enough to make them tolerably
comfortable,--particularly if they cross the ocean early in the spring
or late in the autumn. But, as we before observed, a spring-passage is
always the coldest. In the autumn, there is no danger of meeting with
icebergs. Also, the ocean-water still retains a portion of the warmth
communicated to it by the summer sun; while, in the spring, it remains
a long while chilled from the cold of the preceding winter.
As dressing on ship-board is always more or less troublesome and
inconvenient, on account of the motion of the vessel, and must generally
be done in a sitting posture, it is well to make one dressing suffice
for the day.
When packing to go on board, select such articles as are indispensable
for use during the voyage, and put them all into one trunk, which must
not be too large to keep in your state-room. You will find drawers
there, in which you can place your caps, collars, handkerchiefs, and
other light articles. Have a strong linen clothes-bag, with a
drawing-string at the top, to hang up on one of the pegs or hooks in
your apartment. The remainder of your baggage must be put below, in the
place appropriated to stowing away the trunks of the passengers, with
the understanding that they are to remain there all the voyage.
However pleasant you may find it to stay on deck, it is best, as soon as
you get on board, to go to your state-room, and make your arrangements
there, lest you should be rendered incapable of doing so by the approach
of sea-sickness; an event that may usually be expected within an hour
after the vessel gets under-way, if she sails from New York or Boston,
or any port in the vicinity of the ocean. Take out of your trunk your
night-clothes, your easiest slippers, and whatever articles you may
require for immediate use; and place them where they can be directly
accessible.
Some few ladies, as well as gentlemen, cross the ocean without being in
the least troubled with sea-sickness; and very many only suffer from it
during the first two or three days, and are then perfectly well during
the remainder of the passage, however stormy it may be. If you should
incline to be sick, it will be nearly useless to struggle against it the
first day or two. You may try as a preventive, or as an early remedy
when the first symptoms come upon you, a lump of loaf-sugar placed in
the bottom of a wine-glass, with just as much brandy poured on as will
be sufficient to dissolve it, so that it can be eaten with a tea-spoon.
If taken in time, this frequently succeeds; and it rarely fails in the
short sickness that is sometimes felt in excursions down in the bay of
New York; or in Boston harbour, when the water is rough; or in going
round Point Judith; or in a trip by sea to any of the coast
bathing-places.
If you find your sickness increasing, give up to it for a day or two;
and you will afterwards feel much the better for it. For the first two
days you need take no nourishment but chicken-water. Avoid lemonade,
oranges, all other acids, and every sort of warm drink. Be careful,
while you are sick, not to taste any thing that you may like to eat
afterwards, as it will give you a disgust to it during the remainder of
the voyage. For the same reason, it is well not to use cologne-water, or
any very fine perfume during your sickness. Liquid camphor, sprinkled
over the bed and floor, will be found more refreshing and purifying to
the atmosphere than any thing else that you can take with you.
The third day (if not before) you ought to make every possible exertion
to go on deck, as you will be losing strength by remaining in bed; and
as long as you keep your head in a recumbent posture, you will not
become accustomed to the motion of the vessel. Also, on the third day,
endeavour to eat a small portion of solid, relishing food--such as a
piece of broiled ham, or the lean of salt beef, with a slice of dry
toast. We have known what is called the tone of the stomach restored
after sea-sickness by a little of the sailors’ salt beef and biscuit.
Something of this sort is always more effective than light or delicate
food.
It will be well before you embark, to provide yourself with a box of
that excellent medicine known as Lady Webster’s (or Lady Crespigny’s)
pills. They are called by both names; probably because both these ladies
patronized them in England. You may take one every night _immediately
after_ supper. In Philadelphia they are made according to the best
recipe by J. C. Turnpenny, druggist, corner of Spruce and Tenth streets.
You may find a clay-ball for the removal of grease spots very useful to
keep in your room; as, when the ship is rolling, greasy substances are
frequently spilt on dresses.
Take with you and keep always in your apartment, a life-preserver, in
case of being wrecked in sight of land; and it may really save your life
by buoying you up, and floating you to the shore. It is said that a
man’s hat, laid brim downwards, and tied up in a shawl or
pocket-handkerchief, and then fastened round the waist, will keep a
person above water long enough to prevent drowning, if not far from the
beach. The ladies of New York and Boston, and of other cities on the
sea-board, have it in their power to learn, without danger or
difficulty, the art of swimming; by subscribing to the salt-water baths,
and visiting them daily during the summer.
Nothing will make a sea-voyage seem shorter or less monotonous, than to
be well provided with occupation--such as amusing and interesting books,
and a due portion of needle-work or knitting. By all means take with you
one or more blank-books for the purpose of noting down whatever you may
wish to remember. If you can keep a regular journal, so much the better.
Also, the first day that you are able to write after getting to sea,
commence on a _large_ sheet of paper, a letter to one of your relations
or friends, having previously folded and directed it. Write but a few
lines at first; and every day add a little more to it, giving the fresh
dates. It will always be ready (requiring only a wafer to seal it) in
case you should have an opportunity of sending it by any vessel you may
chance to meet, on her way to the land you have left. If no such chance
offers during the voyage, this diary-letter will at least be ready to
transmit with those you write home directly after arriving at your
destined post. And your friends will be glad to have this concise
transcript of your sea-life.