Voyage VI · Three-mast Sailing Ship · Capt. Richardson
Duchess of Orleans
New York → Le Havre · 8 October 1846 · 27 Days
The sailing packet Duchesse d'Orléans belonged to the same line as the Louis Philippe. The saloon and cabins were situated in the 'tween-deck. Mlle De Litram (?), daughter of a New York banker, had told me I would have agreeable traveling companions. Indeed, among some twenty passengers there were several distinguished and cultivated people. Mme Bigelow, niece of Washington Irving, shone in the midst of this intelligent company. We published a handwritten weekly newspaper, it only had time to bring out two numbers.
There were always passengers doomed to seasickness; a tall negress played the part of chambermaid. When the weather was fine, people strolled on deck; in the evening, Whist.
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The crossing was a good one. Among the travelers two Jesuit fathers coming from Upper Canada. Wearing fur caps, they smoked enormous pipes. Nothing escaped their observations.
Having left on 8 October we had days of heavy rolling until the 15th, we saw twelve (?) on the 16th 17th 18th fine weather our sails. The run is good. On the 20th fine weather. In the evening we exchange signals we speak the English brig
Fairly fine weather; ships on the horizon. We change… on the 19th saw 2 brigs; rain; on the 21st calm sea, with a three-master, union (?).
On every side one sees pieces of wood, beams, floating on the sea. At 11 o'clock, the lookout signals a wrecked ship, from which come the floating timbers we had seen. We change our course and we steer toward the hulk, which can be seen very distinctly: the masts are razed; the bulwarks carried away; the sea washes clean over the ship. It is the English brig Fortitude of Lynn. The crew was probably saved by another vessel passing in the vicinity. This wrecked brig lay at lat 46 / longitude 24.41.
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| Date | Conditions & Position |
|---|---|
| 23–24 Oct | Fine weather. |
| 25 | Wind S.E; saw the brig Glaneur of St Malo. The 13th (?) |
| 26 | A lark circles the masts — proof of the approach of land that cannot be seen. storm (?) |
| 27 | Dead calm. 8 (?) sails in sight; a land bird takes refuge on board. |
| 28 | A steamer passes off cap Lizzard [Cape Lizzard]. |
| 29 | Calm sea; we make tacks during the day; the coasts of France are in view. |
| 30 Oct | On making a tack we come in sight of Le Havre, near tug. I, on the post boat, am deputed (?) to go and find the shipowner and ask for a tug without waiting for the next day's tide. The fog thickens. |
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We go up together onto the old tour François 1er [François I tower]. "How do you expect me to hold the packet in the middle of such a fog?" And indeed one could see absolutely nothing. I went to the hôtel de Normandie to sleep. The next morning, I was on the tour François 1er at the hour of the tide. The passengers, as the ship filed past at my feet, were shaking their fists at me, accusing me, wrongly, of treason.
