The World of Waters - Mrs. David Osborne
CHARLES. "I am anxious to know if it is from the shores of the
Baltic the Turks procure the golden-colored amber of which they make
the mouth-pieces for their pipes?"
MR. WILTON. "Yes, Charles; the amber-gathering is carried on
extensively there, and is the wealth of half the inhabitants. The
amber is sent to Turkey and Greece, and there manufactured into
those splendid mouth-pieces, which it is the pride of these
smoke-loving people to possess. Some of these are excessively
gorgeous and proportionably valuable. I have heard of _one_ being
worth the enormous sum of 100_l_!"
GEORGE. "Parts of Sweden are entirely separated by the Gulf of
Bothnia. What sort of ships have they, papa, to cross the water in
that cold country?"
MR. WILTON. "They do not often cross the water in ships, but
transact nearly all their business with the opposite shores, during
the four months when the waters of this sea, which has no tides, is
firmly frozen, and when they can travel across in sledges,
comfortably defended from the inclemency of the weather. The Baltic
being full of low coasts and shoals, galleys of a flat construction
are found more serviceable than ships of war, and great attention is
paid to their equipment by Sweden as well as Russia. We have
neglected to mention the Islands of the Baltic. There is the isle of
Oesal, remarkable for its quarries of beautiful marble; its
inhabitants like those of Dagen Isle, are chiefly Esthonians:
Gothland and Oeland are both fertile and productive. In the Gulf of
Bothnia are the Aland Isles, which derive their names from the
largest, forty miles in length and fifteen in breadth, containing
about 9000 inhabitants, who speak the Swedish language. These isles
form almost a barrier of real granite rocks stretching to the
opposite shores. In the Gulf of Finland lies the Isle of Cronstadt,
formerly called Retusavi; it has an excellent haven, strongly
fortified, which is the chief station of the Russian fleet."
CHARLES. "Is not the chief fleet of Russia that of the Baltic?"
MR. WILTON. "Yes; it consists of about thirty-six ships of the line;
but the maritime power of Russia is trifling."
MRS. WILTON. "As in leaving the Baltic we quit the shores of Sweden,
we shall have no other opportunity to view Stockholm, the capital.
It occupies a singular situation between a creek or inlet of the
Baltic Sea and the Lake Maeler. It stands on seven small rocky
islands, and the scenery is truly singular and romantic. This city
was founded by Earl Birger, regent of the kingdom, about the middle
of the thirteenth century; and in the seventeenth century the royal
residence was transferred hither from Upsal. Sweden was formerly
under the Danish yoke, but Gustavus Yasa delivered it when he
introduced the reformed religion in 1527. His reign of thirty-seven
years was great and glorious in the annals of Sweden. We will now
proceed on our course: shall we go still further north, into the
White Sea, or are you tired of the cold, and prefer journeying to
the south, and embarking on the Black Sea?"
CHARLES. "Oh! the White Sea first, for the distance is much less,
and we shall sooner get there; but it must be an overland journey."
MR. WILTON. "Yes; for the Bielse More, or White Sea, is reckoned,
with the Mediterranean and the Baltic, as one of Europe's principal
inland seas. The largest gulfs connected with this sea are the Gulf
of Archangel and the Gulf of Candalax; the waters of the latter wash
the shores of Lapland, and are filled with numerous small islands.
Archangel is a port on the White Sea; and here the Russians build
most of their men-of-war: before the reign of Peter the Great, it
was the only port from which Russia communicated with other
countries of Europe."
MRS. WILTON. "With a few remarks on Lapland, we will quit this part
of our quarter of the globe. Lapland can boast of but few towns. The
people lead wandering lives, and reside greater part of the year in
huts buried in the snow; occasionally they have warm weather, that
is, for the space of three or four weeks in the year, when the sun
has immense power; so that a clergyman residing at Enontekis
informed Dr. Clarke that he was able to light his pipe at midnight
with a common burning-glass, and that from his church the sun was
visible above the horizon at midnight during the few weeks of
summer. But the delights of this long day scarcely compensate for
the almost uninterrupted night which overshadows them with its dark
mantle for the remainder of the year; one continual winter, when
scarcely for three hours during the day can the inhabitants dispense
with the use of candles. The climate, although so extremely frigid,
is nevertheless wholesome, and the people are a hardy race. In
Lapland the Aurora Borealis is seen to perfection; the appearance it
exhibits at times is beyond description magnificent: it serves to
illuminate their dark skies in the long night of winter; and,
although they cannot benefit by it so continually as the inhabitants
of Greenland and Iceland, yet they never behold the arch of the
glorious Northern Lights spread abroad in the starry heavens but
they bless God for the phenomenon which they cannot comprehend, but
know full well how to appreciate. Here in this wintry region George
might enjoy himself agreeably to his wishes, for the Laplanders
travel in sledges drawn by the swift reindeer; but I fear he would
find it difficult to keep his seat, as the sledge is but of narrow
dimensions and easily upset, while the animal requires a great deal
of management to guide him properly. What think you, George? Would
you not be like Frank Berkeley or Paul Preston, who fancied it must
be so easy and delightful to ride in a pulk or sledge, and found
instead, that, from inexperience, their journey was one continued
chapter of accidents?"
GEORGE. "I dare say I should fare as badly at first, but I would not
be discouraged by _one_ failure."
MR. WILTON. "That is right, my boy! Perseverance and determination
are an extra pair of legs to a traveller in his journey through
life."
CHARLES. "There appears to be no islands in the White Sea."
MRS. WILTON. "There are islands, but they are mostly barren
uninhabited rocks. Archangel, a port on this sea, is famous for the
manufacture of linen sheeting. Now quit we these dreary regions for
the bright and enlivening southern climes; and, if all parties are
agreeable, we will cast our anchor where we may behold the heights
of Caucasus, and picture to ourselves the situation of still more
interesting elevations; viz. Ararat, Lebanon, and Hermon; mountains
mentioned in the Sacred Writings, and certainly great points of
attraction to Christian travellers in Asiatic Turkey."
CHARLES. "There are several gulfs; but I do not know of any islands,
in the Black Sea. There is a peninsula attached to Russia, which
contains the towns of Kafa, Aknetchet, Sevastopol, and Eupatoria: it
lies between the Sea of Asof and the Gulf of Perecop. The principal
gulfs are the Gulf of Baba, the Gulf of Samson, the Gulf of Varna,
and the Gulf of Foros."
MR. BARRAUD. "The peninsula you mention, Charles, is the Crimea,
which possesses a most delicious climate, although lying contiguous
to the Putrid Sea, which bounds it on the north. There is an island
in the Euxine,--the Island Leuce, or Isle of Achilles, also called
the Isle of Serpents. It is asserted by the ancients to have been
presented to Achilles by his mother Thetis. In the Gulf of Perecop
there is also another island, called Taman, which contains springs
of naphtha."
MR. WILTON. "The principal port on the Black Sea is Odessa. It ranks
next in Russia after the two capitals of the empire, but is not a
desirable residence, being subject to hurricanes and other evils, of
which _dust_ is undoubtedly the greatest. A learned French writer[6]
says: 'Dust here is a real calamity, a fiend-like persecutor that
allows you not a moment's rest. It spreads out in seas and billows
that rise with the least breath of wind, and envelop you with
increasing fury, until you are stifled and blinded, and incapable of
a single movement.' The same writer describes a curious phenomenon
he witnessed in Odessa: 'After a very hot day in 1840, the air
gradually darkened about four in the afternoon, until it was
impossible to see twenty paces before one. The oppressive feel of
the atmosphere, the dead calm, and the portentous color of the sky,
filled every one with deep consternation, and seemed to betoken some
fearful catastrophe. The thermometer attained the height of 104 deg.
Fahrenheit. The obscurity was then complete. Presently the most
furious tempest imagination can conceive burst forth; and when the
darkness cleared off, there was seen over the sea what looked like
a waterspout of prodigious depth and breadth, suspended at a height
of several feet above the water, and moving slowly away until it
dispersed at last at a distance of many miles from the shore. The
eclipse and the waterspout were nothing else than _dust_; and that
day Odessa was swept cleaner than it will probably ever be again.'"
[Footnote 6: Xavier Hommaire de Hell.]
MRS. WILTON. "Such a description is quite sufficient to drive the
weary traveller to seek shelter; and I think we have had enough of
other places for to-night. Let us take our own at the supper-table,
and refresh ourselves after the voyage, for we have reason to
congratulate each other on the success of our plan; hitherto, there
has been no halting for lack of a finger-post, and I hope we shall
be as well prepared at future meetings, and be enabled to accomplish
as much as we have this evening."
GRANDY. "I have been silent for the last hour, principally because I
do not feel very well this evening; but I cannot refrain from
speaking a word or two before we disperse. A good and wise man
says--
'Full often, too,
Our wayward intellect, the more we learn
Of nature, overlooks her Author more.'
My dear children, let not this be said of you; but look upward to
the Source of light and life, and pray that all knowledge may lead
you on to seek Him who is the author and giver of all good things;
then will wisdom, heavenly wisdom, illumine your minds; then will
peace, the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, fill your
hearts, and
'Reveal truths undiscerned but by that holy light.'"
CHAPTER IV.
O'er the stormy, wide, and billowy deep,
Where the whale, the shark, and the sword-fish sleep;
And amidst the plashing and feathery foam,
Where the stormy-petrel finds a home.
"George is to open this meeting, by reciting some lines written by
Mrs. Howitt, which are very clever, and will most appropriately
introduce our subject." So saying, Mrs. Wilton proceeded to arrange
the members in their various places; and, seating herself, she
turned to her son, who by virtue of his office was allowed to remain
near Grandy's chair until the great work was accomplished. George
was hesitating, but an encouraging smile from this kind mother
inspired him with confidence, and he commenced without further
ceremony:--
[Illustration: ICEBERGS]
"'The earth is large,' said one of twain;
'The earth is large and wide;
But it is filled with misery
And death on every side!'
Said the other, 'Deep as it is wide
Is the sea within all climes,
And it is fuller of misery
And of death, a thousand times!
The land has peaceful flocks and herds,
And sweet birds singing round;
But a myriad monstrous, hideous things
Within the sea are found--
Things all misshapen, slimy, cold,
Writhing, and strong, and thin,
And waterspouts, and whirlpools wild,
That draw the fair ship in.
I've heard of the diver to the depths
Of the ocean forced to go,
To bring up the pearl and the twisted shell
From the fathomless caves below;
I've heard of the things in those dismal gulfs,
Like fiends that hemm'd him round--
I would not lead a diver's life
For every pearl that's found.
And I've heard how the sea-snake, huge and dark,
In the arctic flood doth roll;
He hath coil'd his tail, like a cable strong,
All round and round the pole:
And they say, when he stirs in the sea below,
The ice-rocks split asunder--
The mountains huge of the ribbed ice--
With a deafening crack like thunder.
There's many an isle man wots not of,
Where the air is heavy with groans;
And the bottom o' th' sea, the wisest say,
Is covered with dead men's bones.
I'll tell thee what: there's many a ship
In the wild North Ocean frore,
That has lain in the ice a thousand years,
And will lie a thousand more;
And the men--each one is frozen there
In the place where he did stand;
The oar he pull'd, the rope he threw,
Is frozen in his hand.
The sun shines there, but it warms them not;
Their bodies are wintry cold:
They are wrapp'd in ice that grows and grows,
Solid, and white, and old!
And there's many a haunted desert rock,
Where seldom ship doth go--
Where unburied men, with fleshless limbs,
Are moving to and fro:
They people the cliffs, they people the caves,--
A ghastly company!--
never sail'd there in a ship myself,
But I know that such there be.
And oh! the hot and horrid track
Of the Ocean of the Line!
There are millions of the negro men
Under that burning brine.
The ocean sea doth moan and moan,
Like an uneasy sprite;
And the waves are white with a fiendish fire
That burneth all the night.
'Tis a frightful thing to sail along,
Though a pleasant wind may blow,
When we think what a host of misery
Lies down in the sea below!
Didst ever hear of a little boat,
And in her there were three;
They had nothing to eat, and nothing to drink,
Adrift on the desert sea.
For seven days they bore their pain;
Then two men on the other
Did fix their longing, hungry eyes,--
And that one was their brother!
And him they killed, and ate, and drank--
Oh me! 'twas a horrid thing!
For the dead should lie in a churchyard green,
Where the pleasant flowers do spring.
And think'st thou but for mortal sin
Such frightful things would be?
In the land of the New Jerusalem
There will be no more sea!'"
MR. WILTON. "Well done! George; very nicely repeated indeed: you are
a most promising member of our little society; and we will drink
your health in some of Grandy's elder-wine to-night at supper, and
not forget the honors to be added thereto. Now, is it determined how
we are to proceed; whether we take the seas of Asia, or enter on the
broad waves of the various oceans which wash many of the shores of
Europe?"
CHARLES. "The seas first, sir. I have the list of those for
consideration belonging to this most interesting division of the
globe: the Caspian, between Turkey, Persia, and Tartary; the
Whang-hai, or Yellow Sea, in China; the Sea of Japan; the Sea of
Ochotsh or Lama; the Chinese Sea; the Bay of Bengal; the Persian
Gulf; and the Arabian Gulf or Red Sea: these are the largest; but
there are numbers of small seas, some of them so entirely inland
that they should more properly be called lakes; of these, the
largest is the Sea of Aral. The bays and gulfs around Asia are so
numerous that you would be tired of hearing their names. North, are
the Bays of Carskoe and Obskaia: south, Tonquin, Siam, Cambay, and
Cutch; east, Macao and Petchelee; west, Balkan, Kindelnisk, and
Krasnai Vodi; the latter in the Caspian."
GEORGE. "Are those all, Charles? why, from your preface, I thought
you would be at least ten minutes enumerating the Bays of Asia."
CHARLES. "Were I to name _all_, I could do it in less time than ten
minutes; but I should incur too great a liability for my trouble,
as I should be expected to describe the situations of all, and that
would be beyond my capability."
DORA. "The Caspian falls to my share: it is usually called by the
Persians, 'Derrieh Hustakhan' (Sea of Astrachan). It is likewise
called the 'Derrieh Khizzar.' The absence of all shipping, save now
and then a solitary Russian craft; the scarcity of sea-weed, and the
want of the refreshing salt scent of the ocean, together with the
general appearance of the coast, suggest the idea of an immense
lake. Numbers of that large fish called 'sturgeon' are taken from
the waters of the Caspian; and there is quite a colony of fishermen
engaged in this occupation on the Persian coast; and during the
season they catch thousands of these useful fish. No part of a
sturgeon is wasted: the roe is taken out, salted, and stowed away in
casks; this is known by the name of 'caviare,' and is esteemed a
great luxury. From the sound or air-bladder isinglass is made,
simply by being hung in the sun for a time; and the fish itself is
dried, and exported to various parts of the world. Astracan is the
chief seat of Caspian commerce."
MR. WILTON. "And here the traveller finds collected into a focus all
the picturesque items that have struck him elsewhere. Alongside of a
Tartar dwelling stretches a great building blackened by time, and by
its architecture and carvings carrying you back to the middle ages.
A European shop displays its fashionable haberdashery opposite a
caravanserai; the magnificent cathedral overshadows a pretty mosque
with its fountain; a Moorish balcony contains a group of young
European ladies, who set you thinking of Paris; whilst a graceful
white shadow glides mysteriously under the gallery of an old palace.
All contrasts are here met together; and so it happens, that in
passing from one quarter to another you think you have made but a
short promenade, and you have picked up a stock of observation and
reminiscences belonging to all times and places. The Russians ought
to be proud of this town; for, unlike others in this country, it is
not of yesterday's formation, and is the only place throughout the
empire where the traveller is not plagued with the cold monotonous
regularity which meets him at every other city in Russia. The
Caspian Sea covers an extent of 120,000 square miles, and is the
largest salt lake known."
MR. BARRAUD. "Near a place called Semnoon, not many miles from
Asterabad, there formerly stood a city of Guebres, named Dzedjin,
with which a droll legend is connected:--
"'When Semnoon was built, the water with which it was supplied
flowed from the city of the Guebres, who one day turned the stream,
and cut off the supplies. Sin and Lam (two prophets), seeing the
town about to perish for want of water, repaired to Dzedjin, and
entreated the chiefs of that place to allow the stream to return to
its old channel. This they at first refused, but finally made an
agreement, that on the payment of a sum equal to a thousand tomauns,
or 500_l_., the water should be allowed to flow into the city as
long as life remained in the head of a fly, which was to be cut off
and thrown into a basin of water. This was done; but, to the great
astonishment of the Guebres, the head retained life during thirteen
days, which so exasperated them against Sin and Lam, whom they
perceived to be men of God that they sent an armed party to Semnoon
to make them prisoners.
"'Meanwhile Sin and Lam had received intelligence of their designs,
and fled. The first village they halted at was called Shadderron,
where, having rested awhile, they continued their flight, strictly
enjoining the inhabitants not to tell their pursuers the direction
which they had taken. Shortly afterwards the Guebres arrived, and
inquired where they had gone. The villagers did not mention the
direction in words, but treacherously indicated it by turning their
heads over their right shoulders, in which position they became
immovably fixed; and since then all their descendants have been born
with a twist in the neck towards the right shoulder.'"
Here the boys had some difficulty in repressing their laughter; for
Charles placed his head in the position of the faithless
Shadderrons, and looked so mischievously at George, that he was
obliged to cover his eyes, or he would have stopped the story by a
boisterous shout of merriment.
MR. BARRAUD continued: "'The fugitives next arrived at a place
called Giorvenon, on quitting which they left the same injunctions
as before. On the arrival of the pursuers, however, the people
pointed out the direction of their flight by stretching their chins
straightforward. An awful peal of thunder marked the divine
displeasure; and the inhabitants of Giorvenon now found themselves
unable to bring their heads back to their proper position; and the
curse likewise descended to their posterity, who have since been
remarkable for long projecting chins. After a long chase, the
Guebres overtook the prophets at the foot of a steep hill, up which
they galloped into a small plain, where, to the astonishment and
disappointment of their pursuers, the earth opened and closed over
them. It was now evening; and the Guebres, placing a small heap of
stones over the spot where Sin and Lam had disappeared, retired for
the night. Early the next morning the Guebres repaired thither with
the intention of digging out the prophets; but, to their confusion,
they found the whole plain covered with similar heaps of stones, so
that all their endeavors to find the original pile were completely
baffled, and they returned to Dzedjin disappointed. There is now a
small mosque, said to cover the exact spot where Sin and Lam sank
into the ground, which is called Seracheh, to which people resort to
pray, and make vows; and close by is an almost perpendicular rock,
whence (the inhabitants aver) may be seen the marks of the feet of
the horses ridden by the Guebres!'"
This story amused the children much, and they would gladly have
listened to Mr. Barraud while he related some other extraordinary
tradition, but his reply to their request silenced these wishes.
"Every place," said he, "throughout this wild country has a legend:
were I to tell you _all_, there would be no time for business. I
merely selected this because it is concerning a town situated on the
shores of the Caspian Sea, and gives you a tolerable idea of the
superstition of its inhabitants."
MR. WILTON. "The Caspian extends about 700 miles in length, and 200
in breadth. The northern shores of this sea are low and swampy,
often overgrown with reeds; but in many other parts the coasts are
precipitous, with such deep water that a line of 450 fathoms will
not reach the bottom. The best haven in the Caspian is that of Baku;
that of Derbent is rocky, and that of Sensili not commodious, though
one of the chief ports of trade."
DORA. "The Whang-hai, or Yellow Sea, on the coast of China, contains
several islands,--Tebu-sou, Lowang, Tsougming, Vun-taichan, Fouma,
and Stanton's Island. By the Straits of Corea we can enter the Sea
of Japan, sail along by the great Japan Islands, the principal of
which are Niphon, Kinsin, and Sikokf, and, passing the Jesso Isles,
go through the Channel of Tartary, and enter the Sea of Ochotsk or
Lama."
MRS. WILTON. "A very good route, Dora, but rather too expeditious to
be advantageous. These islands and seas are connected with many
interesting facts. And why pass the Island of Sagalien without a
glance? I am sure, could you have seen one of the people, your
attention would have been sufficiently arrested to stay your rapid
flight o'er land and sea. The Sagaliens are similar in many
respects to the Tartar tribes. Their dress is a loose robe of
skins, or quilted nankeen, with a girdle. They tattoo their upper
lip blue. Their huts or cabins of timber are thatched with grass,
with a fire-place in the centre. The native name of this large
island is Tehoka.
"Between Japan and Mantchooria is the great peninsula of Corea,
remarkable for the coldness of its climate, although in the latitude
of Italy. We are told that in the northern parts snow falls in so
large quantities as to render it necessary to dig passages under it
in order to go from one house to another. It is supposed that the
surface of this country being so extremely mountainous is the cause
of this curious climate. There are numbers of ponies here not more
than three feet high!"
GEORGE. "Oh what sweet creatures! how very much I would like to have
one; actually not larger than a dog: how very pretty they must be."
EMMA. "Around the three great islands of Japan, I observe countless
numbers of little ones,--are they in any way connected with Japan?"
MR. WILTON. "Yes, my dear; they all belong to the kingdom of Japan."
EMMA. "And what sort of people are the Japanese?"
MR. WILTON. "Very similar in appearance to their neighbors, the
Chinese, with a yellow complexion and small oblique eyes: there is
this difference, however; their hair is thick and bushy, while the
hair of the Chinese is cultivated in a long tail. A Japanese is
certainly rather ludicrous, in both manners and appearance. His
head half-shaved; the hair which is left accumulated on the crown of
his head; his body wrapped (when travelling) in an enormous covering
of oiled paper, and a large fan in his hand, he presents an
extraordinary figure. These people are very particular concerning
points of etiquette, and have many books written on the proper mode
of taking a draught of water, how to give and receive presents, and
all the other minutiae of behavior."