Letters of a Pioneer Oil Geologist: A True Life Story 1884 - 1978

By E. Ann Berens

Through the compilation of S. Lister James' memoirs and personal letters, this book captures the highs and lows of oil exploration in the early 1900s. Summaries of his childhood and four years in South Africa searching for a fulfilling life, lead to an account of this adventurous career spanning twenty years of travels in the wilds of five c

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fort Logan Publishing
• Release date: Jan 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781999155926

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Summary of Lister’s Childhood Memoirs

Lister loved to explore his surroundings at an early age around the log cabin that was their home. His parents had quickly realized how important it was for him to learn to be comfortable in his surroundings, and to become self-reliant as early as possible. He was intelligent, observant and curious, and had plenty of common sense, and there was no way they could be watching him all the time.

There was much that prepared Lister for his eventual career as a petroleum geologist. A quote from Lister’s memoirs is a good example of this:

On one occasion I started out alone to visit the Flemings, our nearest neighbors about three miles away. They owned some cattle, and one of their cows and her calf had strayed away. I knew these by sight, so when I saw some cattle up on the hill, I rode off to see if by chance the missing cow and calf were there. No luck so far, but seeing another herd further on I renewed my search and eventually identified the missing ones. I started to drive them unwillingly towards their home, the pony helping in his own special way by biting at the cows’ tails. Progress was halted for a time as three young bulls started a fight too near to be watched without some anxiety! However, whatever the outcome of the three-party fight, I managed to separate my captives from the herd and eventually delivered them to the owners. By the time this was accomplished and I had ridden the three-mile-journey home, it was nearly dusk, and I found my parents getting worried as to my safety.

Lister flourished in the care of both his parents. They had been virtually his only companions in Montana for the first nine years of his life, apart from their closest neighbors, a childless couple, and occasional local visitors. His sister, Kathleen, was born when he was six years old, and he had no other children to grow up with until he was sent to boarding schools in England.

Lister’s parents had joined the Mormon Church, apparently while still in England. They were devout Christians and Mary was an avid reader of the Bible all her life. Later, when the church was advocating more than one marriage for men, Mary would not accept this, which led to their separation. There is nothing written about this tragic turn of events, but it is known that Mary’s family was outraged. All photos of Herbert were destroyed, and he was banned from further contact with the family. Lister was nine when he was left without his father.

Once their marriage was over and after the property and livestock were sold, Mary returned to England to live with her parents, who welcomed her and her two children into Hallsannery, their estate near Bideford north Devon. Her life would be devoted to raising the children, but with Lister away at boarding school, she would be focused on raising Kathleen. She would be keeping in touch with Lister by letters, confident that he had the courage and resilience to take care of himself and adjust to his new life.

Now living with his grandparents, Lister attended two boarding schools before entering Trent College (a school proposed in 1868, with evangelical roots, as a more affordable alternative to public schools in England for boys of the middle class), where he soon settled down and his education began in earnest. Adjusting to being with a crowd of school boys must have been very challenging for Lister, having had little or no experience with other children. He had much to learn socially.

Lister writes in his memoirs:

I must have been singled out at my first boarding school as a somewhat unusual specimen. Moreover, the fact that I was brought up as a vegetarian as an experiment, to the age of about ten, must have lent support to that view. The unnatural lethargy of my early life may well have been partly accountable for this unnatural trait.

However, Lister’s four and a half years at Trent College was an overall good experience for him. He made some lasting friends, learned much socially and was well educated. It was an excellent school for him. To quote from his memoirs:

I did apply myself to learning certain subjects which were made interesting and which I liked. I did manage to reach the 6th form before leaving when approaching the age of 19. By then I had scraped through the O & C Higher School Certificate, which included additional math and French language, and had served as a prefect for a few terms.

During school holidays from Trent, his grandparents arranged for him to go on several camping trips with others of his age, which gave him a love of camping and widened his experience in adapting, improvising and compromising as well as using his intuition.

He writes of his father in his memoirs:

Lister’s father, Herbert Lister James, at their home in Montana.

Lister and his sister Kathleen, mother and cousin Irene.

"Any reference to my father was discouraged, and never to the time of his death in 1935 would it have been practicable for me to visit him.

In the light of the scant but very favourable information about him, which came to me later, such contact was very desirable…"

Quote from Lister’s memoirs:

At the age of 17, wishing to hasten the time when I could earn my own living, and be free from school math, I endeavored to secure my release, but, probably fortunately for me, my efforts were in vain, and my headmaster succeeded in retaining my attendance for a further period of two years.

Lister, Mother and Kathleen at Hallsannery

CHAPTER 2

Summary of Lister’s Memoirs of his Four Years in South Africa

After finally leaving school at the age of nineteen, Lister booked passage to South Africa. He knew he wanted to travel and had heard that there were jobs opening up in Cape Town in the Civil Service after the British took over the government when the Boer War ended.

Four years working in the Civil Service on statistics in the Customs department, left Lister frustrated and bored, waiting for promised raises that never came and realizing that, although stable and secure, Civil Service in South Africa was not the career for him.

However, this experience was useful. It gave him time to establish himself in a new environment, and become comfortable and confident in his independence. He enjoyed exploring the countryside, mostly on bicycle; developing a social life making friends of his age as well as older ones, some of whom became long term mentors.

Lister enjoyed hiking, playing football, tennis, and boxing. Going to occasional concerts was also a great pleasure to him. Life was good. He took an interest in the culture and the state of affairs in South Africa, as well as world news.

He kept in close touch with his old school – Trent College – writing to school friends as well as some of his teachers. It so happened that his favorite teacher, Mr. Young, came out to South Africa with his new wife, who was the school nurse who nursed Lister through his serious bout with typhoid. Mr. Young took over the headmaster position at a major boys’ school in Cape Town, and Lister became close friends with them for many years. There were other established families in Cape Town that he befriended, who frequently invited him for visits and encouraged him to drop by whenever he could.

Lister kept in close touch with his family by letter – weekly to his mother, his anchor, stabilizer and staunch supporter. They had a very close relationship. His grandparents too, were very important to him, and of course he kept in touch with his sister – Kathleen.

There came a time when Lister and four of his bachelor friends, whom he’d met in boarding houses, decided to move outside town to the country to develop a farm, raising poultry, vegetables etc. hoping to live more economically and perhaps develop a thriving business. There was much enthusiasm, and learning – to cook, shop, clean, and deal with all the challenges of managing their lives as they grew into responsible manhood. They took the train to their jobs and worked hard on the land. They called the place Maidens’ Hope much to the amusement of some, and chagrin of others.

One of their group became enamored with the landlord’s daughter, which became another source of learning among the others as they watched the drama with amusement and disdain, as the young man concerned exhibited much jealousy, suspecting all the others to be rivals.

During their time at Maidens’ Hope, the four bachelors took dancing lessons. Lister made friends with Mary, one of the participants. A quote from an August 13th 1905 letter to his mother describes the friendship:

It is not one of these silly ‘Hug me Charley’s!’ but a thoroughly sensible girl, friendly but not too amorous! It is simply a mutual friendship, which has sprung up after a few weeks of acquaintance, and which I hope we will not have cause to regret, whatever the term of its endurance….

This developed into a lasting friendship over some years, even beyond her marriage to a man she met in her travels. The news of this had shocked Lister when Mary mentioned the fact in a letter, adding that she wanted to continue her friendship with Lister. Mary gave birth to two children before her marriage ended in divorce. Having kept up a correspondence, Lister was very concerned for Mary and even considered marrying her, much to his mother’s objection. Eventually he realized that it was not the answer to Mary’s plight, or his.

It took the four bachelors two years of hard work developing the farm and enjoying country life before their enthusiasm lapsed. Their dreams of maintaining a profitable enterprise fell short, and they moved back to boarding houses in town. It had been a good experience and much had been learned.

Lister continued work in Customs but was becoming close to making a change of some kind. Not long after his move back to town, a letter came from his school friend Leonard Dalton, with an astonishing offer, telling him of the opening up of the petroleum industry and consequent search for untrained geologists. The job offer was as assistant to his uncle and an opportunity to be trained as a petroleum geologist. Leonard had remembered Lister’s desire to see the world.

Lister read the letter with great, but cautious, interest. He wrote by return mail for more information, with many questions, and immediately began to research the possibilities… Again he had to wait for months before Dalton was able to reply owing to his traveling in Mexico on geological business.

Lister wrote to his mother on May 13, 1906:

When I had read that letter I thought of the quotation from Julius Caesar: ‘There comes a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood leads on to fortune’. I don’t know whether I have quoted correctly or whether it can be applied; but it strikes me that I have a golden opportunity. I believe in looking before leaping and want to know all about the profession, its advantages and disadvantages before attempting to decide. I have always considered it an ideal profession, but that has been from a distance of course.

Dalton. had only been back ten days from Burma when he was asked when he could start for Mexico. He was off again in three days. He wrote from on board the Numbria.

In a letter to his mother Lister wrote:

Dalton expects to be back again in July. I think if I go in for the profession it will be my own fault if I don’t get on well.

Well, what do you think of it Mother?

I have been very hopeful of doing well in the bureau in time, but I am impatient. and what an existence, working at figures all day in a dark office, not one or two years, but a lifetime! On the other hand there is the chance of an outdoor life and seeing the wildest and most beautiful parts of the earth, besides making enough money to keep one comfortably – or more than me. However we shall see what the reply is like and whether I have painted the picture too bright. Dalton wishes to be remembered to you…

SECTION 2

LETTER SEQUENCE

CHAPTER 3

To Mexico – A New Career

There is a gap of no letters from July 24,1906, which signifies Lister’s decision to leave the Cape and take up Dalton’s offer to commit to a new profession as a petroleum geologist. During this time we have no information of Lister’s resigning from the Customs bureau in Cape Town, South Africa, and spending time at home in England with his family.

An extract from Lister’s Memoirs gives some explanation of these changes:

"When an answer came to my counter inquiries about geology, I was not long making up my mind! In spite of my usual tendency! My original £50 had remained almost intact but I did not want to squander it at the outset of a venture like this. So I booked steerage class, and this proved to be an interesting experience – though not entirely pleasant. The wooden box bunks could not be described as comfortable and when in a dream game of soccer I did actually kick one, it was against the side of that box!

My fellow travellers were mostly men returning from the mines and incidentally they included some expert expectorates to which the deck bore silent witness. An English friend of mine settled at the Cape having detected some miners there, or men with similar propensities, liked to repeat the dictum: ‘He who expectorates on the pavement cannot expect to rate as a gentleman’. Well perhaps he doesn’t want to! Surely he must have repeated the phrase many times or I should not have remembered such nonsense for 70 years!"

I had lost no time, when my new possibilities emerged into view, to start my study of geology in a very modest way, reading up with much interest Sir A. Jenkins’ Primer of Geology.

FEB. 24, 1907 – HOTEL DEL RIO, CHINAMECA,

NR. COATZACOALCOS, MEXICO – TO MOTHER:

Many thanks for your letter. I am very glad to hear that Grandad is getting on well, and that Dr. Harper is a success. It is a great thing – essential in fact – to have a doctor in whom one can place confidence, is it not?...

…You say you will not expect me home till May. I wish I could say definitely the date of my arrival. But at present I can’t tell at all when it will be. It depends on the turn of events, as there is some fuss and disagreement in the Geological dept. The head of the Oil Fields dept. in Mexico City is backing up two junior geologists – proved strangers to the truth – against the head geologist Mr. Maddock.

Mr. Dalton and Mr. Maddock have written to Sir Weet-man. If these two juniors are not dismissed Messrs. M and D will sever their connection with the Mexican Oil Fields. Naturally Burford and I are awaiting with impatience the result. Upon this depends the length of Mr. Dalton’s stay in the country – and consequently mine, I suppose.

We saw Mr. D and Mr. M the other day and had a chat with them. I was delighted to hear that my salary had been doubled from Jan. 1st, making it £200 p.a. with expenses paid while abroad. This was totally unexpected; and I think it was exceedingly thoughtful.

Here we are at Chinameca still, you see. We have finished the work we were to do, and if we don’t receive instructions tomorrow I don’t know what we shall do. Possibly Mr. D. and Mr. M have left Coatzacoalcos, but it is hardly likely that they would do so without sending us instructions beforehand.

It is very amusing to hear these Mexicans talking about the Spanish language. Their pronunciation is somewhat different from that of the Spaniards, therefore, according to them, they cannot talk their own language; and it is necessary to go to Mexico to hear proper Spanish! Our mozo is very strong on the subject. He is not a bad sort of fellow and a good worker. He was in a revolution in Guatemala, and on one occasion was five days without food, so he says. He is trying to learn English, but finds the pronunciation very difficult. He is very good about explaining words to us when we do not understand, and he is quite a source of information of various kinds.

On the way to work yesterday we saw a fairly large monkey; but he was off into the bushes before we could get a good look at him. There are a considerable number about here and we hear them crying out frequently during the day. It has been exceedingly hot lately, and so rather uncomfortable walking. We have been digging pits to find rock. Of course the mozo does most of the digging, but we take a turn now and then. Such work is far from cool under a tropical sun! When possible we naturally select a shady spot. We are off for a bathe now so I will continue later… We were able to get a very short swim in shallow water.

There do not seem to be many snakes in this country. So far I have only seen two. One that I saw the other day was, I should say, fully five feet long. When I returned with a stick I could not find it, and not knowing then that it was a harmless kind, I did not make a very minute search in the scrub! There are any number of humming birds of beautiful plumage, which look exceedingly pretty as they hover before a flower and extract its sweetness. Then like a flash they dart off to another, their tiny wings making a whirring sound from the rapidity of their motion. Only seldom do they cease their search to rest on a branch. They seem to be particularly fond of the convolvulus. The mozo tells me they make their little nests of horsehair; it is not the season for them yet.

The hotel keeper here is on one of his drinking bouts. When he is sober he is a sensible, industrious man, but every now and then he takes to drink. It is said that he goes to bed and keeps more or less perpetually drunk; directly he has sufficiently recovered from the effects of one bottle, he takes another.

This is supposed to be a very healthy place; according to the proprietor, they have never had fever in Chinameca. Most of these places seem to be very healthy now – more by good luck than good management!

Today is, I believe, a fiesta day here. These people are always having fiestas, it is not that they work too hard ordinarily, I don’t think…

APRIL 14, 1907 – COATZACOALCOS, VERA CRUZ, MEXICO – TO UNCLE BOUCHER:

Thank you very much for your letter, for which I am afraid I can only render a poor return. For one thing I have not much news to give you, and again I am so warm I can’t think, much less move with any comfort…

I hope to be home in about five weeks from now, as I shall probably be able to get away before the end of the month. And then I trust I shall be able to have some time at home even if I do some work while there.

I hope my next foreign trip will be with Leonard Dalton somewhere or other. This is not a good country in which to commence learning geology. Even Mr. Dalton and the head field geologist out here have the greatest difficulty in solving some of the problems which present themselves, and rules which hold good in other countries are non existent here. This is a good healthy outdoor life, and I am not anxious to return to the civil service and a life of drudgery.

It is strange what a bad name the Mexicans have at home in England. Fifteen or twenty years ago the country was infested with highway-men I am told, but it is very different now. Almagres, where we have been staying, was notorious for robberies committed in the vicinity. Then a man was robbed even of the clothes he wore. There now exists a sort of police force named the ’Grales’. It is said that Profirio Diaz* sent for the chief highway-men of the country and offered them a wage equal to their average takings. In this way a very efficient body of men were collected, thus depleting the ranks of the robbers and at the same time affording protection to the community against the remainder. They are feared much more than the soldiers, many of whom have been ‘put’ into the army on account of some offence – political or otherwise – instead of being sent to prison!

SEPT. 16, 1907 – BRUXTON – A LETTER FROM

MR. W.H. DALTON TO LISTER:

Dear James,

The arrangement I had contemplated with you would not have been in bar of any such opportunity as that now presented, which was mentioned on the eve of your holiday. It did not precisely originate with me, for Sir Boverton wrote me that the BOC wanted geological assistance and did I think you would do. I saw him and Len about it, but you were not to be told till he had seen Mr. Cargill again.

It is a magnificent field for study, the bare rocks everywhere having their structure so broadly written on the face of the country that their present geologist disdains mapping it, and goes in for speculations repudiated at every turn by the facts. Before you leave you should thoroughly study all that is known of the country (Burma), published and private, not to have to depend at first on merely preconceived opinions or what may be told you by the visionary on the ground. If you are possessed by the idea that plaga always means a blow, you will come to grief over passages in which it means a region or a uel(?) (Prorete el rejoine plaga est, probverbere plaga).

Your five weeks trigonometry will have done you no harm – but as little good. Nature is not mathematical or rather has far more factors in every problem than can be set forth in the enunciation – result, erroneous conclusions, upset by another brace of facts. I have forgotten all my trig. except the primary meanings of sin.sec. and tan. Chambers’s Tables supply all I want in calculations. And there one must clearly understand what is wanted – thickness or depth. T=H sin 0. D= H tan 0. Hoping to see you tomorrow or Wednesday.

Yours very truly,

W.H. Dalton.

SEPT. 18, 1907 – FROM 552 BEDFORD ST., LONDON – TO GRANNIE AND GRANDAD:

…We are all three seated round the table with a dish of peas in the midst, which Kat is diligently shelling. I rushed over to Waterloo Station from Mr. Dalton’s only to find Mother and Kat had already left, at which I was very much annoyed. So I came on here, having a most enjoyable chat with the bus driver, who said he knew pretty nearly every nook in London, having been a P.C. (police constable) in the city for seven years. He seemed a most intelligent man.

Last night I went over to see Leonard (Dalton) and had a preliminary chat with him about the Burma billet. I had a satisfactory interview with Sir Boverton this morning, and though the period was longer than I had hoped I accepted without hesitation. I am to have a year on probation at the end of which I can be sent home if unsatisfactory; if otherwise it is to be a three years agreement.

I am to commence on a salary of £200 p.a. out of which I have to clothe and feed myself. Camp equipment, traveling expenses, and everything else, found. The Company (Burma Oil) pay for my outward and homeward voyage, and should I fall ill before my agreement terminates I am to be provided with a free passage home if necessary. The country, from all accounts, is a most fascinating one, and the climate not unhealthy.

There is a probability that one of the two geologists will leave next year, in which case I have the chance of qualifying for his position at a substantial increase of salary.

To me things look decidedly rosy! By the way, the matter of increases was left out of the agreement as I agreed with Sir Boverton that the company had better be guided by my work. He, however, said that he thought I ought to be worth £400 p.a. for the third year! I am in hopes of going out with Fred Leman who sails on Oct.10th. Sir Boverton took a note of my wish. It will be awfully jolly if we go out together. We should probably have to part company at Ceylon.

Leonard and I had lunch together in the city today and then went to the Royal Geographical Society to study some Burmese maps; after which I had tea with Mr. and Mrs. Dalton in their little back room. They were very jolly. I am going over to see them again tomorrow morning to discuss matters.

Sir Boverton asked Leonard to accompany Lord Marcus Beresford and one or two others in order to locate a boring on the Wealdon. The above gentleman is a special pal of the King, so they say.

Leonard had broached the subject of becoming general expert on petroleum to Sir Boverton, and has been assured of the latter’s fullest support, so he can at least have a bid for Sir B’s position when he retires. I must close now we are all abominably sleepy…

I’m afraid I left numerous things undone that should have been done and I am very sorry for those on whom the trouble falls, but hope they will forgive me.

I was up till two am. Monday – Tuesday as it was. I shall probably not take out a gun but a rifle instead – not my little one, as that would not suffice for a hungry tiger! – which I hope will keep their distance till I can shoot better than I did on Monday.

Love to all –

Your affectionate Grandson

Lister.

P.S. I do not exactly know my program for the immediate future; but shall probably have to get through some Burmese correspondence etc.

---

* Porfirio Diaz Mori – soldier and president of Mexico 1877-’80 and 1884-1911 Britannica.com) p.22

CHAPTER 4

Voyage to Burma

OCT. 29TH 1907 – S.S. HEREFORDSHIRE, % MEDITERRANEAN – TO MOTHER:

…I am commencing this in good time – Tuesday evening – for we don’t expect to reach Marseilles till Thursday 9 am. I am afraid there is not an abundance of news at present, but most of it I have in my diary, which I neglected for the first few days, for more or less obvious reasons.

On Thursday I waited up till about midnight to see our departure; but what a very different spectacle it is at night. It loses most of its impressiveness perhaps, however, that is as well for the passengers.

The next morning we congratulated ourselves on the calm weather; however it was not for long, for at about 5 pm I had followed the example of a number of others and was lying down on my bunk somewhat anxious for the near future. I did not venture in to dinner – well, I can leave the rest to your imagination, Saturday also, though I managed to keep on deck most of the time. The steward did not close my port early enough on Friday, and consequently a wave came through, soaked the lower berth – mine being the upper – and swamped the floor, so that my boxes had to be rescued from a tidal pond which rushed from one side of the cabin to the other with the motion of the boat. Later on a couple of trunks, which had been placed up out of the wet, were hurled over with a tremendous din. By Saturday evening there was not much sea to complain of, and on Sunday people were beginning to feel comfortable. We had a service in the morning conducted by one of the clergy on board; and in the evening some music. We passed Gibraltar about 2 am. today, and some energetic people were on deck to see it.

We had the first really nice weather this morning, a beautiful bright sun shining on a calm, deep blue sea; it was a pleasant change from the drizzly days we have had. Now however the wind is rising, but as it is directly behind us we do not feel its force so much. We passed the Cape ‘de Gata’ at lunch time today, and were within sight of the coast of Spain for several hours. The land was very mountainous and bare, but terra firma has a wonderful fascination for the voyager, who gazes at it as if he were Columbus approaching the New World.

It is very interesting trying to make out the geology of the coast from aboard ship. We are expected to pass the Balearic Islands tomorrow morning. I do hope we shall see Mt. Etna in eruption as I have never yet seen an active volcano, though I believe it is not such a grand sight as might be supposed. There are a number of passengers to embark at Marseilles, then the boat will be full up. I don’t know where we shall all pack ourselves away then, for now we are just comfortable. One of my table companions, who is going to the forestry department in Burma, has been to Oxford and knows some Tridents there, including Lovegrove…

I like the passengers very well, those that I have had anything to do with so far. I finished Dickens’ Tale of Two Cities this morning, Kathleen’s present to me. It is a very nice book, becoming very pathetic at the end, but there is a vein of humour always present, which shows itself in some of the saddest parts.

It is a most glorious day. I have been playing games all the morning. I am undecided what to do tomorrow at Marseilles. I may go for a bicycle ride if I can find anyone of the same mind. We shall probably have a day and a half there, so there will be plenty of time to see the place. I am in hopes I shall have a good batch of letters altogether. The time does not seem to drag nearly so much on this voyage as it usually does. I must commence doing some studying soon.

The ship is manned chiefly with Lascars*, who make a very orderly crew, and seem to be happy enough. They paraded on Sunday in a white costume, which contrasts rather forcibly with their dark skin. There was one curio with seven toes, and who therefore wore no shoes. They say it is extraordinary what a variety of temperature the Indians can stand. Even up along the Norwegian coast they are quite happy when the Englishman is shivering miserably…

NOV. 6, 1907

We are now nearing Port Said, and expect to arrive there about 5 or 6 pm. As we shall probably be sailing early tomorrow morning there will not be much time for going ashore – if it is worth while doing so at all.

The run from Marseilles has not been by any means without interest; and there has been a certain amount of discomfort part of the time from a strong wind and an obstinate swell. We did not leave Marseilles until about 4 pm on the second day, and immediately, on quitting the harbor, met a strong breeze which swept the spray over our bows every few seconds. I remained on the upper deck for some time watching it. It was a pretty sight; but it could not be seen to full advantage owing to the darkness.

On Saturday we passed through the Straits of Bonifacio, a rather narrow and intricate passage between Corsica and Sardinia. We had heard at Marseilles of a wreck, which took place here in some rough weather a few days previously. Consequently we were somewhat relieved to find the storm had subsided.

On Sunday we sighted the Lipari Islands soon after breakfast. These are volcanic – mostly extinct – and rise abruptly from a very deep sea to a considerable height. Stromboli and Volcano are, I believe, the only two active volcanoes amongst them. The former we sighted from afar, capped with a perpetual white cloud, which rose from the lava streams beneath. As we gradually approached we could now and then discern puffs of brown smoke issuing through the white cloud and then dispersing. Passing close by the island we saw the smoldering lave creeping down its eastern slope. There are actually two convict settlements on this burning mountain – rather a precarious existence I should imagine! The inhabitants make their living by cultivating grapes, which here grow to perfection, and possibly also by collecting sulphur from the volcano. From the other side of the boat we could just distinguish the smoke rising from the crater of what must have been the island Volcano according to the chart. It was in the midst of a group of islands behind which we could see the dim outline of Sicily. As we drew near the Straits of Messina the tops of the mountains were hidden behind a huge bank of clouds, and only for a short time did we see, or imagine we saw, Mt. Etna towering above. It was a very pretty scene, which would have formed a lovely subject for painting – the topmost clouds were snow white under the sun’s rays, while the deep grey of the underlying mass gave a somewhat foreboding aspect to the picture, the mountainous country beneath being of the same hue, the foreground a dark sea. Here and there a break in the clouds let through a flood of light.

The mountains of Sicily and Italy seemed to be separated only by a valley and were apparently leading straight to shore. No channel was anywhere visible, and it was not till we were within perhaps two miles of the shore that the passage came clearly into view, and presently we rounded the low promontory, which had so effectively hidden our course. The wind suddenly died down, but arose in a few minutes with renewed force, whistling through the rigging and increasing every minute till we began to feel uncomfortable.

We were very disappointed at not obtaining a good view of Mt.