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Reminiscences of My Irish Journey in 1849
Reminiscences of My Irish Journey in 1849 Author:Thomas Carlyle Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: Chelsea, 4tfi Oct., 1849.—I will now, my long confused wayfarings of the summer being ended, endeavor to write down with all despatch what I can remember of them... more ». After much sorting of paper rubbish, reading over of all the Irish letters to my wife and kindred, and in some measure clearing the decks (not for "action" yet, alas, no, no I), set about this, which I partly consider a clearing of my own mind, as some kind of " preparation for action." Faxit. chapter{Section 4KEMINISCENCES or MY IRISH JOURNEY IN 1849. Saturday, 30/i June, 1849.—After endless " agonies of preparation," natural to a poor stationary, sedentary, biliary, and otherwise much-bewildered mortal, about eight in the morning I got on board the Chelsea steamer here, at the Cadogan Pier; left my poor wife gazing sorrowfully after me, and, in a close, damp-sunny morning, was wafted swiftly down the river. Memory now is a blank nightmare till I reach the wooden platform swinging on the river just above London Bridge, north side, and call earnestly for some boatman to take my luggage and me " to the Athlone, at Alderman Stairs." Boatman' comes, a ragged, lean, greasy, and sooty creature, with hurried toilsome eyes and shallow slielf chin—" a wholesome small nature, terribly beaten upon nnd stunted"—who cheerfully takes me in; zealously descends the river with me, tide against him; whisks Lis way like a needle through innumerable impediments of ships, rafts, barges; sweating, panting, eyes looking still more toilsome, jacket doffed, shelf chin still more protruded; And at half-past nine reaches the Atldone, a dingy, dirty-looking Dublin steamer (but a steamer and mode of travel I had chosen against my lazy wtelies, and in obedience to my insights and determinations); and, after rowing round (steward or third-m...« less