A lady's cruise in a French man-of-war
| Language | en |
|---|---|
| First published | 2025-11-27 |
| Rights | Public domain in the USA. |
| Gutenberg ID | #77356 |
Description
"Bacchus; or, wine to-day and to-morrow" by P. Morton Shand is a travel memoir written in the late 19th century. The work reads as a first-person journey through the South Pacific aboard a French man-of-war, mixing lively observation with notes on missions, politics, and island antiquities. It follows an insightful lady traveler moving among Catholic and Wesleyan communities, guided by a French captain and a bishop, while capturing landscapes, customs, and seafaring life. The opening of the narrative traces the narrator’s unexpected invitation to cruise on the Seignelay with a French captain and the Catholic Bishop of Samoa, then settles into shipboard routines and cordial camaraderie. Landfall at Tonga brings contrasts between a regimented colonial town and a serene convent at Maofanga, services in a native church, and excursions to Mua’s ancient cyclopean tombs and the striking Haamonga trilithon, alongside sharp observations on dress codes, fines, and King George Tupou’s rule. Sailing on via the Happai group to Vavau, she notes the dormant cone of Tofua, luxuriant orange groves, and a pastoral interlude aiding a young Wesleyan family before exploring magnificent coral caves and the legendary “lover’s cave.” At sea again, she records second-hand sketches of the Wallis Isles and Fotuna, volcanic curiosities at Tanna and Sunday Isle, and the mysterious megaliths of Easter Island, all as the ship turns toward Samoa’s famed harbour at Pango-Pango. (This is an automatically generated summary.)