A lady's cruise in a French man-of-war by C. F. Gordon Cumming
"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.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Gordon Cumming, C. F. (Constance Frederica), 1837-1924 |
|---|---|
| Title | A lady's cruise in a French man-of-war |
| Original Publication | Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons, 1882. |
| Credits | Richard Tonsing, Peter Becker, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | DU: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: History of Oceania (South Seas) |
| Subject | Oceania -- Description and travel |
| Subject | Le Seigneur (Ship) |
| Subject | Missions -- Polynesia |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 77356 |
| Release Date | Nov 27, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 1036 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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