S.S. China

 Friday, Sept. 7th 1866

200 miles off Cape Race

           My dear Mamma, W.H. & others,

       The ship's routine is as follows. Nurses & children are called at 7, breakfast for them is at 8 when passengers are called & you can have something to eat & drink if you like. Saloon breakfast at 9. Hot & cold meat & everything else like a hotel meal. We sit at tables holding 12, two waiters for each table. There are two saloons & our places are in the small one, pleasanter because more airy. Our table is full of Americans chiefly young men we did not know when our cards were placed for us & the seat taken at the first meal is kept for the voyage - however, they are very quiet & polite. Lunch at 12 , cold meat, poultry & cheese & pudding. Dinner at 4, a large affair & long withal. We go in late & come out before it is over. People do as they please without being considered rude. Tea at 8 & supper at 10. General lights out at 11:30, a terrible hardship is you are ill & the ship is unsteady & you have a small child with you.

           Now having given you the general sketch, let me take (you on ) our own daily life. We were frightfully ill on Sunday night, Percy & all, & on Monday morning had to dress him by turn, no one holding out for more than ten minutes & he well & insisting on getting up. Katherine could not even lift her head, she was quite helpless the whole of Sunday & Monday & we had Percy entirely on our hands. I could not dress myself on Monday though the day before I had been the only one able to do so till the middle of the day for we were too ill on Saturday too. Marian managed to get into her clothes & staggered as far as the lower deck with Percy & there fell down half faint clutching his hand. The Doctor of the ship came up & took Percy for her until she was better & we (dragged) through the weary day unable to take a simple meal & as miserable as our enemies could desire. Our only comfort was the Doctor who then & ever since has been most kind. He has taken us under his especial charge; meets us first thing in the morning & gives us his arm whenever we want to move about, wraps us up in the most sheltered corners of the deck, has put his cabin at our service all day whenever we will use it, plays chess & back gammon, lends us books & papers & gets many little comforts & indulgences for the "two desolate little ladies " as he calls us. We are never long without a friend, for his work is almost nil. His name is Dr. Pebbles & though only 24, he is a qualified physician. He is an Irishman, cheerful & good humoured, but quiet & gentlemanly. He is clever too. I don't know what we would do without him for we know nothing of our fellow passengers beyond the bare politeness that must be exchanged when so many meet. Tuesday was wet so we ate in our friend's cabin but otherwise our place is on the upper deck, for the ship is overfill & the nurses & children occupy the ladies cabin & there are so many gentlemen about in the saloon that we do not care to sit there, besides soon after one meal is cleared another is laid, so there is no abiding place. Katherine got up well on Tuesday & has remained so ever since, but Marian & I were worse than ever, the ship was rolling a good deal all day, but towards evening it grew worse & the waves broke over the bows (swelled) about the lower deck; the night was very bad. Percy got frightened & made me hold him in my arms half the night. I had to fix myself at angles in my berth to keep in at all, our water jugs upset, our little possessions got loose & the ship groaned & creaked & rolled & plunged till morning & Marian & I worsened, her back strained with the constant sea sickness & my side strained in the old place by a fall when the vessel lurched. We got nervous in the night & called to the night-steward, who said it was all right, but Marian was unbelieving saying," You know, Jennette, they never let the passengers know there is any danger till they are just going to be drowned"! You should have seen us trying to dress on Thursday morning, we were knocked about in undressing, but that is a quick process when ones only desire is to get into one's berth safely & night dress, but O the washing with the floor at an acute & ever changing angle! O those sudden plunges which flung us on our knees or dashed us like nine pins to the wall! & O the great bruises that remain to tell the tale.! Marian was two hours at it but them she was ill again & again & so faint between that the Doctor came & set her with various reviving medicines. She could not stay in her berth because the effort to avoid being rolled out hurt her back. At last we were ready to be helped on deck & there we lay for 10 hours!! wrapped up like mummies & waited on by our friend. One peak wave broke over the upper deck & many poured upon the lower, so you may fancy the state of the weather. The officers say they seldom have such except in winter, however it was a beautiful sight when the evening closed in to see the track of the ship all white with phosphorescent light broken into the spray on the tops of the waves that spread their foaming heads far out to the horizon. There is something strange in standing looking about one here. The ship is the centre of an immense circle of dark water, the roundness & the clear sharp line of division between the sky & the sea is very striking. We have only seen one vessel & one bird, a stormy Petrel. The loneliness around is terrible; I can really feel now for the poor souls cast away in an open boat on the broad ocean. The stars are very lovely too, but oddly enough they all seem clustered right overhead. Today. Friday, we are quite well, after six days suffering. the change is most ( pecting); the weather is moderate too & we have earned our sea legs & hope to enjoy the rest of the way. We expect to be off Cape Race tomorrow & to see Halifax on Monday.

              Saturday- If all the fear I have ever known were compressed into five minutes, it could scarcely equal that we felt last night. We were up on deck very late, the northern lights were gloriously bright & the third officer said, "We shall have rough weather soon, perhaps tonight". There was an icy air blowing which they say was because we were off the banks of Newfoundland. Marian began to talk of the dangers of the coast & to tell Dr. pebbles how much she feared being drowned in her berth. He said, "I'll promise to come & call on you first if we get into any trouble, but you need never fear as long as the engines are working & you feel the ship rise with the waves. When she leans over to one side then I give you leave to be nervous." In the middle of the night Percy woke with a scream, as he often does. It was quite dark. I sat up to quiet him & instinctively steadied myself, when to my horror I found it was unnecessary , the ship lay perfectly still, the engines were not working, she was keeling over to our side & instead of the sharp swift rush of the divided waves, I heard the water washing heavily to & fro as when the lower deck was flooded. To my excited mind I saw the black water above our port hole. I called Marian & Katherine sprang out & pulled on my boots & dressing gown, & thinking of a possible rush to the life boats, draped my puffy petticoat over. The moment the other two heard that the Engines had stopped they gave themselves up. Kate was perfectly dumb with terror, I spoke to her she could not answer, she only shivered. Marian shuddered so violently that breath & voice came in broken gasps & Percy sat up & stared about him. I called to the night steward but he only said, "I know nothing, I dare say it's all right, better stay where you are. " Did he think that would content us in a matter of life or death to nearly 400 souls? By this time the other passengers were standing at their doors & seeing me dressed , some of them mothers, with children in their arms, entreated me to go on deck & see what was the matter. I hesitated about wrapping Percy up & taking him with me, but finally left alone. I wish you could realize for a moment the feeling of walking down the long dark passage way, the stillness was awful. There is something of extreme buoyancy about the wildest tossing of the vessel that is rather encouraging than otherwise & the incessant machine noise is companionship & comfort, you know that it is all right; but now the ship was like lead & the engines were silent. As I reached the stairs she gave a shudder & a lurch & there was a sound as of the rush of water. If I live to be old, I shall never forget the torture & horror of that moment. It makes me cold & sick to think about it. I looked up expectantly to see the flood come pouring down, drowning me in an instant & sweeping away to my poor darlings berth. A thousand things were present to me but uppermost was the yearning over his piteous panic when he would fling his little arms about his head & wail for "Aunty Jeannette" as the cold waves closed over him. Instead of sudden death I saw an officer coming down to tell us that all was right, the engines had overheated & would work again presently. To picture the relief you must have felt the agony & felt too the affection & trust one has for the dear good ship that bears you over the cruel ( ) waters, not bright & lovable as on the shore, but hungry looking as a wolf & deep & dark as (predicted). You must have looked over the wide ocean & see how hopelessly a boat would strive to reach the friendly shore how small the chance of human help, & how one's whole nature rises with instinctive rebellion against such a death in the full flow of life & youth. You will think all this is much ado about nothing, but our own sensations for the time could not have been more intense had the ship been going down. I feel heartily thankful today that the bright sunshine is still ours & that we ride happily above the waters instead of nestling in the sands below. We are enjoying today greatly, we have had a nice walk with the Doctor & now we are all sitting on deck, he pretending to do some embroidery of Marian's & she turning the lace on his cap, while I write & talk by turns. Sunday The wind gradually increased yesterday, & by evening was blowing a gale, "a real sailors gale", the second officer admitted. The lead lights were put up, the hatchways fastened down, & everything "made snug", as they said. Alas! We found ourselves anything but "snug". All the upper windows being closed there was no adequate ventilation & the steam & heat were suffocating. The roar of the storm drowned out our voices & we slid about like people walking on ice, for it was a S.E. gale driving down the vessel on one side with the occasional deeper jerks in the same direction which sent everyone spinning, even the officers, unless some friendly fixture was at hand. Percy had to sleep on the sofa with Katherine for our berths were slanting outwards & we woke from our short troubled naps to find bedclothes on the floor & ourselves half-way after them. Every now & then we should feel a tremendous thud, the ship would stagger & plunge & then there would be a grand rush of water overhead as some big billow poured (along) the decks.

          It is moderate this morning, but nearly all the ladies are ill again for we have the short toss & roll of (teas) after a storm. Marian has suffered but I have escaped. May I never spend such a night again!. - The vessel went faster than she had ever done, 16 knots an hour, & the officers say ,"You can tell your friends that you have had very tempestuous weather". & indeed there has only been one quiet day though the worst of the tumble has been at night & we have enjoyed plenty of sunshine. This morning we had a service & a Sermon in the chief Saloon. It was very impressive, for all present seemed earnest & the new surroundings riveted the attention, while the winds & waves roared forth their organ notes of deep unceasing praise. Since then we have been lying on deck, & now we are writing in the Doctor's cabin. He took us forward as far as it was safe to see the waves breaking over the bows, it was very grand on the windward side where the tons of water rolled back by the speed of the ship, were flung up again by the pale & dashed in foam & spray even to the upper deck. We hope to get to Halifax early tomorrow & to Boston on Sunday; we will write again a week after landing , all well. - We passed by the coast of Newfoundland yesterday, the first part high & broken, the latter low & nearly level. We saw a great many fishing boats about the banks, several vessels & a great shoal of porpoises. Everyone looks nice today, the officers in full uniform, the passengers mostly clean & shaved & some of the ladies very nice. I do not see anyone on whose attire the voyage makes less of an impression than on my own, nor any who look more comfortable & tidy, nothing seems to spoil or soil these dear old purple serges, & the entire suit is neater than patchwork. With black velvet buttons instead of silk they will come in nicely for the Canadian winter. Tell anybody who is going on a long voyage to do the same & wear dress & jacket alike, warmly lined (scarlet) stockings & knickerbockers ditto & a black silk petticoat to which your dress will not cling & to bring towels & soap & a warm hood & as little else as they can do with excepting two pairs of boots & plenty of clean collars.-

                I am trying to balance the voyage & think whether pleasure or pain has predominated certainly the latter, but then it is something to look back upon & there is experience gained & new ideas instilled & an understanding mind acquired for much reading. but deepened upon imagination before. Excuse great tautology. I often have to pause in writing until some great roll is over & then go on without reading the first half of the sentence. Mind you write long letters. I am yearning to hear from home, it seems so far away. Please let Aunt Hickes, Aunt Dash & Aunt Lizzie see this letter & Miss Hoskins & Miss Elliot & anyone else who cares about it & than send it on to W. H. I hope you forwarded the one from Cork to the dear boy. I have written to Seila who will pass that letter around our Swansea circle.- Tell us how everyone is & about the little flowers & everything that is English for I am getting more homesick than ever. There is no proper room for more & I have nothing to say except to give dear love from us both to all. Marian is writing to George Francis, of course, so you must not expect a letter from her this time. Dear old Percy is quite well & good, he has made many friends on board; they call him "the pretty little English boy". And now good-bye; when shall we all meet again.

                       Ever yours afftely,

                                      Jennette Osler