so they opened their eyes wide and could not tire of contemplating these transparent isles, until finally they disappeared in the distance. One of these mountains of ice had the appearance of an immense amphitheatre, seen at the distance of a quarter of a league.
Every day some sailing vessels and steamships were signaled. The direct route between Liverpool and New York is very much frequented. In case of a meeting the national flag is hoisted on both ships, and the pilot continues to keep his eye on the compass, not deviating by a mark from his course. Only on signals of distress do they approach and communicate.
We had several days of fog in the vicinity of the banks of Newfoundland, where codfishing is carried on on a large scale. It is a noted region for mist and rain. I do not remember to have passed there once, in all my various cross
ings of the Atlantic, in calm and serene weather. As long as the fog lasts, day and night, the great steam whistle of the boat is blown every five minutes, to avoid collisions.
Early on the morning of the 19th we came in sight of Sandy Hook. The American pilot had come aboard the
night before, with his package of newspapers. On stepping on deck he found himself besieged by a crowd of curious people, eager to learn the great recent happenings
in the United States. The journals were devoured and discussed with ardor, for we had amongst us many politicians of the old and new hemispheres, and a large number of merchants.
I learned with consolation that the sad and unhappy American war was drawing to its close, that quiet was returning among the masses, and that law and order, despite the abolition of slavery, seemed to be returning little by little in the States where secession had caused so many misfortunes and ruins. The spontaneity of spirit of the people of the South, which precipitated so large a number of States into the rebellion, caused likewise at the North a general rally to the Union. To-day, no one in the South seems to