NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Mid XIX century Nav
From: Herbert Prinz
Date: 2005 Nov 20, 21:41 -0500
From: Herbert Prinz
Date: 2005 Nov 20, 21:41 -0500
Alexandre E Eremenko wrote:
>When approaching Shanghai, they had to send a small schooner
>ahead "to find out the news from Europe". They worried whether Russia is
>not by chance in the state of war with some European power, in which case
>they could have troubles in Shanghai:-) The schooner brought newspapers,
>but the news from Europe were 6 months old!
>
>
These were truly interesting times. R. Dana narrates a similar story
that happened in 1835 on his voyage ("Two Years Before the Mast") . They
were at anchor in Santa Barbara when a ship arriving from some other
Californian harbor brought "news" that the U.S. was at war with France
or at least war had been threatened over the settlement of some debts.
The crew of that ship reported that just as they were leaving harbor, a
large French frigate and the American frigate Brandywine, which happened
to be lying there, were going out to have a battle and the English
frigate Blonde was to be umpire, and see fair play.
Two months later, news were received about an amicable arrangement
between the two nations.
Herbert Prinz
