_Wednesday, December 6th_.--It was raining fast at half-past four this
morning, which was rather provoking, as I wanted to take some
photographs from the yacht's deck before the sea-breeze sprang up. But
the weather cleared while I was choosing my position and fixing my
camera, and I was enabled to take what I hope may prove to be some
successful photographs.
Messrs. Brander's mail-ship, a sailing vessel of about 600 tons, was
to leave for San Francisco at eight o'clock, and at seven Tom started
in the 'Flash' to take our letters on board. The passage to San
Francisco occupies twenty-five days on an average, and is performed
with great regularity once a month each way. The vessels employed on
this line, three in number, are well built, and have good
accommodation for passengers, and they generally carry a full cargo.
In the present instance it consists of fungus and tripang
(_beche-de-mer_) for China, oranges for San Francisco, a good many
packages of sundries, and a large consignment of pearls, entrusted to
the captain at the last moment.
So brisk is the trade carried on between Tahiti and the United States,
that the cost of this vessel was more than covered by the freights the
first year after she was built. In addition to these ships, there are
those which run backwards and forwards to Valparaiso, and the little
island trading schooners; so that the Tahitians can boast of quite a
respectable fleet of vessels, not imposing perhaps in point of
tonnage, but as smart and serviceable-looking as could be desired.
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