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the voyages  of  the  Scandinavians,  those  fierce  Norse- men that were  the  terror  of  all  the  maritime  nations of northern  Europe,  and  the  first  known  discoverers of America,  Then  there  were  the  voyages  of  the Portuguese round  Africa,  and  of  the  Spaniards  to America;  there  were  the  Dutch  voyages  for  conquest, and the  English  voyages  of  circumnavigation ;  there were voyages  of  discovery,  commercial  voyages,  voy- ages for purposes  of  war,  science,  and  religion,  for pleasure, profit,  and  proselyting,  but  never  since  the sea was  made  has  there  been  seen  such  voyaging  as the  trip  to  California  during  the  flush  times. And never shall  the  sea  behold  such  sights  again ;  never shall tempest  sport  such  tangled  human  freight,  nor the soft  tropical  wind  whisper  of  such  confused  and desultory cargoes  as  those  which  swept  the  main  in ships  from  every  point  in  search  of  the  new  golden fleece.

As compared  with  contemporaneous  trans- Atlantic navigation, the  voyage  from  New  York  to  San  Fran- cisco by way  of  the  Isthmus  presents  entirely  distinct features. It was  an  episode  individual  and  peculiar  ; a part,  and  no  small  part,  of  the  great  uprising  and exodus of  the  nations;  it  was  the  grand  pathway  of pilgrims  from  all  parts  of  the  eastern  world ;  it  was brimfull of  romance  and  comedy,  of  unnumbered woes and  tragedy,  enlivened  now  and  then  by  a  dis- aster which sent  a  thrill  throughout  the  civilized world. It was  a  briny,  boisterous  idyl,  where  courage bore along  slippery  passage-ways,  and  love  lounged upon canopied  decks,  and  sentiment  in  thin  muslin cooed in  close  cabins,  and  vice  and  virtue  went  hand in hand  as  friends.

The California  voyage  occupied  twice  the  time  of the  trans- Atlantic ;  the  steamers  employed  in  the former were  large,  standing  well  out  of  water,  and capable of  carrying  from  700  to  1,500  passengers, while those  of  the  latter  were  lower  and  smaller. In the  character  of  the  passengers,  those  by