Some of these ships lie for
days together in the river, very majestic and stately objects, often with
the flag of the stars and stripes waving over them. Now and then, after
a gale at sea, a vessel comes in with her masts broken short off in the
midst, and with marks of rough handling about the hull. Once a week
comes a Cunard steamer, with its red funnel pipe whitened by the salt
spray; and, firing off cannon to announce her arrival, she moors to a
large iron buoy in the middle of the river, and a few hundred yards from
the stone pier of our ferry. Immediately comes poring towards her a
little mail-steamer, to take away her mail-bags and such of the
passengers as choose to land; and for several hours afterwards the Cunard
lies with the smoke and steam coming out of her, as if she were smoking
her pipe after her toilsome passage across the Atlantic. Once a
fortnight comes an American steamer of the Collins line; and then the
Cunard salutes her with cannon, to which the Collins responds, and moors
herself to another iron buoy, not far from the Cunard. When they go to
sea, it is with similar salutes; the two vessels paying each other the
more ceremonious respect, because they are inimical and jealous of each
other.
Besides these, there are other steamers of all sorts and sizes, for
pleasure-excursions, for regular trips to Dublin, the Isle of Man, and
elsewhither; and vessels which are stationary, as floating lights, but
which seem to relieve one another at intervals; and small vessels, with
sails looking as if made of tanned leather; and schooners, and yachts,
and all manner of odd-looking craft, but none so odd as the Chinese junk.
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