We have been favoured with the perusal ofa diary kept by one of the passengers by the C.G.8.N. Co.'s steamer Appin, on her- last round trip to Wladivostock, Nicholaevsk and other northern ports, and make the following interesting 'We left Shanghai on the 15th June, 1881, and arrived at Navasaki on the 17th about 5.30 p.m. We left Nagasaki at 2.35 'a.m. on the 19th, en route to Wladivostock, which we reached about 2.40 p.m. on the 22nd, after rather~a rough' passage; vostock is a Russian military station, ing a beautiful -harbour, in which several Russian men-of-war lay at anchor. Upon the north side of the harbour is a large garden tastefully laid out at a con-iderable height above the sea level, and here naval bands discoursed excellent music for several hours during the after~ noon and evening, We made two journeys into the surrounding country, one to the extreme end of the harbour, where large brick ana tile works are busily engaged making brick, principally for the Rusuian Government, for building barracks, de. The other journey was over the hills and along the seaside as far as the Brewery. Afier looking over this establishment and passing our-opinion upon the place and the quality of the different samples of boer, we returned to the Appin in time for dinner, The mode of travelling here is upon droskies, generally with two horses, one in the shafts and the other hitched on to conveniently throw up or mud in your face. 'This carriage will carry two people and driver on a small box. It has no springs and the roads (if they' can be so called)
so rough that the jolting one gots efficient to make the liver forget ggishness and to produce a sharp appetite. At Wladivostock several thousand soldiers are encamped., The position of the town is good, the houses are all constructed of wooden logs, and although rustic in appearance outside, they are nevertheless very comfortable, Eve house from the highest to the lowest, is built in Russian style, and has an immense stove which heats the whole house, and the only fault one could find was that the rooms are kept ata very high temperature, There is little or no arrangement of streets. A fow miles distant from Wladivostock coal tines upon a lange sealeare being opened by a Mr. S. Morris, and we underatooi they would in due time give good. results, We left Wiadivostock at 0.20 a.m. on the Ath, our next place of call being Mouka, which we reached at 9.50 p.m. on the 26th. Here we stayed only a fow hours, and being dark could seo little of the place. Mouka is situated upon the coast of the island of Saghalien. The inhabitants are a fow Europeans, several hundred Amos, andafew Chinese and Japanese, Their prin" cipal occupation is fishing and gathering large quantities of seaweed for the Chinese market. We left Mouka at 12,55 p.m, on the 27th, and arrived outside De Castries Bay at noon on the 28th. Here we were detained for about seven hours, by a dense fog. During the detention, however, we wore not idle, for all hands who could muster hook and line set to work fishing in earnest. Wo broughton deck considerably over one hundred beautiful cod-fish, averaging in weight about sixteen pounds, and from ong to two hundred fish of other kinds, of all shapes and sizes, to find names for which I believe would have puzzled the late Buckland himself, But the most rei able episode in our fishing exploit was the landing of a monster fish with a half-inch hook and fine line. While we sat down to dinner the lines were all left out full baited, so that the fish might feed as well as ourselves. Upon returning on deck, one of the passengers began. to pull up the captain's line, when he found there was a heavy fish upon it, On the monster being brought to the surface a great shout was raised, and all hands rushed aft to know the cause. The scone was exciting for several minutes, as it was impossible to land so large a fish with such a small line. A boat was immediately lowered and the chief officer made a strong rope fast in front of the fish's tail, but even with this we were unable to land him, but managed to get him into the small boat, and the boat being hoisted by the usual tackle, the grand prize was safely got-on deck. "The fish turned out to be a monster turbot, as the following dimensions will
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.