evening we arrived at our destination and took lodging at the Queen's Hotel. We had been almost fasting since we left Ostende. You can easily imagine that we did honor to the great roast of beef and other dishes that passed rapidly under our hands.
The good Fathers of Liverpool were most fraternally thoughtful of us and overwhelmed us with tokens of friendship, goodness and charity.
On the 7th, we took leave of them. Reverend Father Weld, the Provincial, and several other Fathers conducted us on board the fine new vessel, the City of New York. About five in the afternoon the anchor was weighed and we left the harbor. I had taken the precaution to engage our seventeen places two weeks beforehand. The first night out, the engine got out of order and the boat stopped for several hours. During the forenoon of the next day, we cast anchor in the port of Queenstown, in Ireland, to take on passengers and the mails. The number was then complete;
it approached 45o. All the nations of Europe and America were represented.
Our crossing may be reckoned among the most fortunate ever made; no tempest, no accident, only three of my companions and three of.the sisters were called upon by the inexorable Neptune, and were forced to submit to pay him tribute. Each of them had to show him his or her pale face, and make gestures and grimaces which sometimes caused a good deal of mirth.
We saw a great many whales, some of them very near. They passed majestically near the sides of the vessel and projected two columns of foam from their nostrils. Other large sea-fish also showed themselves very numerously.
For several days the air was very keen and chilly. All made haste to get out their winter coats. This was not strange; we were gradually approaching the floating masses of ice, detached from the glacial pole. Several in fact came within reach of our curious gaze. It was the first time that most of the passengers had enjoyed this marvelous sight;