9
e Steamer Neptune Mediterranean
October 11, 1859 Tuesday morning.
All day long yesterday we moved on a sea so smooth that you
might imagine it firm as the whole earth, so blue that
it might have served for the canvass bed of the stars. Night closed
in upon us without our having been permitted to see this
land, and although we a had advanced near six degrees tow-
ards the North ^ern^ pole, the atmosphere of Africa soft and
balmy attended us. A steamer passed away We turned
and an European sail crossed our track to the toward
Smyrna. Our Austrian Hungarian refugee (for such the
suicide of p forces to be was chained to prevent his
renewal of the attempt of homicide, the day passed
without incident in which humanity was the actor.
But we had incident of another sort. The swallows
had left us, but various small birds hovered around
and occasionally took a short rest on our spars and
rigging. About four o, clock, I was sitting on the
after deck, leaning backwards against the stern rail
of the ship, intently reading when I felt something
fall ^lightly^ on my arm. It was a tamed spotted dove.
He sat contentedly there until I walked forward
and committed him to the stewards care. Over head
his mate was circling about the masts as if he
wished but dared not seek the same refuge.

10
After half an hour we freed my captive and he perched
on the mast and soon he was joined by his companion
and then they composed themselves to sleep. But presently
the a hawk whos to whose pursuit we were indebted
for this visit was seen scanning the sky and ready
to watching to seize them. The sailors took the doves
carefully in. But the bird of prey now needed
a refuge. He alighted on the spars, and as night
came on fell asleep. They shook the spars and
he fell into their very hands. He was ^was^ now safely
caged to be freed I hope with the rest when
we reach the coast.
During the night we have passed the rich and
beautiful island of Candia on our right, around
near the island of Cerigo arm of the Ionian Isles is under
our bow. Gree These islands and ^the^ rocky coast of Greece
are to be under our review all day. I have deeply la-
mented that accidental tour delays have deprived me
of a visit to Athens and an excursion through the ancient
Isles of the most classical of all lands, but I am
partially consoled by the opportunity of seeing the
Morea and the Western islands of which as they are
among the earliest scenes of European civilization and
the last to fall under the sway of the Turk are now
under British protection the first to reassert their

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claim to share in the renovation of the blessings of Civil Liberty
and religious elevation