The offal and garbage lying about created an unpleasant
smell. The only real business of the people seemed to
be stowing away coals as they arrived from England,
and loading steamers with them. If this were to cease,
the island would doubtless return to its naturally desert
state again. I observed that the steam power of the
engine was applied for hauling many things, such as
cattle and coals, on board, and for hauling up the anchor
and sails; which must save much manual labour, compared
to a mere sailing vessel. I was struck with the boat-loads
of blacks, jabbering like a collection of monkeys--thin,
scraggy fellows, in bathing costume, begging for a coin
to be thrown into the water to them, when they would
wait a while, and then dive after it, easily seeing and
catching it at a great depth in the pellucid water. We
received here the unpleasant news, from a steamer that
arrived the day before, that cholera had broken out in
Buenos Ayres, that 200 persons a day were dying of it,
and that 120,000 persons had left the city for the camp
to escape it.
We pursued our voyage, not expecting to touch land under 1620 miles. This perhaps was the most tedious part of the voyage. ‘The passengers occupied themselves, some with chess, some of them in playing at “ dumps,” which consists in throwing flat round pieces of lead, enclosed in leather, on to a board that is divided into squares, and is marked with figures of different amounts. Those who make their dump rest on squares marked with the highest numbers, win, in a score of 1000. Every one had his seat assigned him at table. If an unfortunate and solitary Frenchman were placed near an
