Chapter I: Preface

THE title-page alone would serve for a preface to the present volume. It is the record of a voyage, during the summer of 1859, in company with a distinguished landscape painter, along the north-eastern coast of British America, for the purpose of studying and sketching icebergs.

It was thought, at first, that the shores in the neighborhood of St. Johns, Newfoundland, upon which many bergs are often floated in, would afford all facilities. It was found, however, upon experiment, that they did not. Icebergs were too few for the requisite variety; too scattered to be reached conveniently; and too distant to be minutely examined from land. One needed to be in the midst of them, where he could command views, near or remote, of all sides of them, at all hours of the day and evening.

For that purpose a small vessel was hired to take us to Labrador. Favoring circumstances directed us to Battle Harbor, near Cape St. Louis, in the waters of which icebergs, and all facilities for sketching them, abounded.

To diversify the journey, we returned through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, coasting the west of Newfoundland, and the shores of Cape Breton, and concluding with a ride across the island, and through Nova Scotia to the Bay of Fundy.

If the writer has succeeded in picturing to his reader, with some freshness, what he saw and felt, then will the purpose of the book, made from notes pencilled rapidly, have been accomplished.

L. L. N.

HUDSON, NEW JERSEY,

_March, 1861_.

CONTENTS.

PAGE
CHAPTER I.

Cool and Novel, 1

CHAPTER II.

On the Edge of the Gulf-Stream, 5

CHAPTER III.

The Painter’s Story, 8

CHAPTER IV.

Halifax, 15

CHAPTER V.

The Merlin, 19

CHAPTER VI.

Sydney.—Cape Breton.—The Ocean, 23

CHAPTER VII.

The first Icebergs, 27

CHAPTER VIII.

Newfoundland.—St. Johns, 30

CHAPTER IX.

An English Inn.—The Governor and
Bishop.—Signal Hill, 33

CHAPTER X.

The Ride to Torbay.—The lost Sailor.—The
Newfoundland Dog, 38

CHAPTER XI.

Torbay.—Flakes and Fish-houses.—The
Fishing-barge.—The Cliffs.—The Retreat
to Flat Rock Harbor.—William Waterman,
the fisherman, 41

CHAPTER XII.

The Whales.—The Iceberg.—The Return, and
the Ride to St. Johns by Starlight, 52

CHAPTER XIII.

St. Mary’s Church.—The Ride to Petty
Harbor, 60

CHAPTER XIV.

Petty Harbor.—The Mountain
River.—Cod-liver Oil.—The Evening Ride
back to St. Johns, 65

CHAPTER XV.

The Church Ship.—The Hero of Kars.—The
Missionary of Labrador, 71

CHAPTER XVI.

Sunday Evening at the Bishop’s.—The Rev.
Mr. Wood’s Talk about Icebergs, 74

CHAPTER XVII.

Our Vessel for Labrador.—Wreck of the
Argo.—The Fisherman’s Funeral, 76

CHAPTER XVIII.

Our First Evening at Sea, 80

CHAPTER XIX.

Icebergs of the Open Sea.—The Ocean
Chase.—The Retreat to Cat Harbor, 82

CHAPTER XX.

Cat Harbor.—Evening Service in
Church.—The Fisherman’s Fire.—The
Return at Midnight, 89

CHAPTER XXI.

After Icebergs again.—Among the
Sea-Fowl, 93

CHAPTER XXII.

Notre Dame Bay.—Fogo Island and the
Three Hundred Isles.—The Freedom of
the Seas.—The Iceberg of the Sunset,
and the Flight into Twillingate, 96

CHAPTER XXIII.

The Sunday in Twillingate.—The Morning
of the Fourth, 103

CHAPTER XXIV.

The Iceberg of Twillingate, 106

CHAPTER XXV.

The Freedom of the Seas once more.—A
Bumper to the Queen and President, 112

CHAPTER XXVI.

Gull Island.—The Icebergs of Cape St.
John, 115

CHAPTER XXVII.

The Splendid Icebergs of Cape St. John, 121

CHAPTER XXVIII.

The Seal Fields.—Seals and
Sealing.—Captain Knight’s Shipwreck, 129

CHAPTER XXIX.

Belle Isle and the Coast.—After-dinner
Discussion.—First View of
Labrador.—Icebergs.—The Ocean and the
Sunset, 135

CHAPTER XXX.

The Midnight Look-out Forward.—A Stormy
Night.—The Comedy in the Cabin, 143

CHAPTER XXXI.

The Cape and Bay of St. Louis.—The
Iceberg.—Cariboo Island.—Battle Harbor
and Island.—The Anchorage.—The
Missionaries, 149

CHAPTER XXXII.

Battle Island and its Scenery, 155

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Mosses, Odors, and Flowers.—A Dinner
Party, 161

CHAPTER XXXIV.

Our Boat for the Icebergs.—After the
Alpine Berg.—Study of its Western
Face, 165

CHAPTER XXXV.

The Alpine Berg.—Studies of its Southern
Front.—Frightful Explosion and Fall of
Ice.—Studies of the Western Side.—Our
Play with the Moose Horns.—Splendor of
the Berg at Sunset, 169

CHAPTER XXXVI.

Ramble among the Flowers of Battle
Island.—A Visit to the Fishermen.—Walk
among the Hills of Cariboo, 179

CHAPTER XXXVII.

After the Bay St. Louis Iceberg.—Windsor
Castle Iceberg.—Founders Suddenly.—A
Brilliant Spectacle, 184

CHAPTER XXXVIII.

Sunday in Labrador.—Evening Walk to the
Graveyard.—The Rocky Ocean Shore, 188

CHAPTER XXXIX.

The Sail to Fox Harbor.—A Day with the
Esquimaux, and our Return, 192

CHAPTER XL.

A Morning Ramble over Cariboo.—Excursion
on the Bay, and the Tea-drinking at
the Solitary Fisherman’s, 196

CHAPTER XLI.

Painting the Cavern of Great Island, and
our Sail Homeward in a Gale, 200

CHAPTER XLII.

After the Iceberg of Belle Isle.—The
Retreat to Cartwright’s
Tickle.—Bridget Kennedy’s Cottage, and
the Lonely Stroll over Cariboo, 204

CHAPTER XLIII.

The Iceberg of the Figure-head.—The
Glory and the Music of the Sea at
Evening, 210

CHAPTER XLIV.

Cape St. Charles.—The Rip Van Winkle
Berg.—The Great Castle Berg.—Studies
of its Different Fronts, 214

CHAPTER XLV.

The Sail for St. Charles Mountain.—The
Salmon Fishers.—The Cavern of St.
Charles Mountain.—Burton’s
Cottage.—Magnificent Scene from St.
Charles Mountain.—The Painting of the
Rip Van Winkle Berg.—The Ice-vase, and
the Return by Moonlight, 219

CHAPTER XLVI.

After our Last Iceberg.—The
Isles.—Twilight Beauties of
Icebergs.—Midnight Illumination, 228

CHAPTER XLVII.

Farewell to Battle Harbor.—The Straits
of Belle Isle.—Labrador
Landscapes.—The Wreck of the
Fishermen, 236

CHAPTER XLVIII.

Sketching the Passing Bergs.—The Story
of an Iceberg, 241

CHAPTER XLIX.

Drifting in the Straits.—Retreat to
Temple Bay.—Picturesque
Scenery.—Voyager’s Saturday Night, 264

CHAPTER L.

Sunday in Temple Bay.—Religious
Services.—The Fisherman’s Dinner and
Conversation.—Chateau.—The
Wreck.—Winters in Labrador.—Icebergs
in the Winter.—The French Officers’
Frolic with an Iceberg.—Theory of
Icebergs.—Currents of the Strait.—The
Red Indians.—The Return to the Vessel, 267

CHAPTER LI.

Evening Walk to Temple Bay Mountain.—The
Little Iceberg.—Troubles of the Night,
and Pleasures of the Morning.—Up the
Straits.—The Pinnacle of the Last
Iceberg.—Gulf of St. Lawrence, 274

CHAPTER LII.

Coast Scenery.—Farewell to Labrador, 279

CHAPTER LIII.

Western Newfoundland.—The Bay, the
Islands, and the Highlands of St.
Johns.—Ingornachoix Bay, 284

CHAPTER LIV.

Slow Sailing by the Bay of Islands.—The
River Humber.—St. George’s River,
Cape, and Bay.—A Brilliant Sunset, 287

CHAPTER LV.

Foul Weather.—Cape Anguille.—The
Clearing Off.—The Frolic of the
Porpoises.—The New Cooks.—The Ship’s
Cat, 290

CHAPTER LVI.

St. Paul’s Island.—Cape North.—Coast of
Cape Breton.—Sydney Light and
Harbor.—The End of our Voyage to
Labrador, and around Newfoundland, 298

CHAPTER LVII.

Farewell to Captain Knight.—On our way
across Cape Breton.—A Merry Ride, and
the Rustic Lover, 301

CHAPTER LVIII.

Evening Ride to Mrs. Kelly’s Tavern.—The
Supper and the Lodging, 306

CHAPTER LIX.

Sunday at David Murdoch’s.—Scenery of
Bras d’Or, 314

CHAPTER LX.

Off for the Strait of Canso.—St. Peters,
and the Country.—David Murdoch’s
Horses, and his Driving.—Plaster Cove, 318

CHAPTER LXI.

Adieu to David and Cape Breton.—The
Strait of Canso.—Our Nova Scotia
Coach.—St. George’s Bay.—The Ride into
Antigonish, 322

CHAPTER LXII.

New Glasgow.—The Ride to Truro.—Railway
Ride to Halifax.—Parting with the
Painter, 326

CHAPTER LXIII.

Coach Ride from Halifax to Windsor.—The
Prince Edward’s Man, and the Gentleman
from Newfoundland, 329