The Steam-Packet: A Tale of the River and the Ocean — page 117: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

84 THE STEAM PACKET, That heart, like the prodigal, homeward returning From travel amidst the far lands of the earth, With hope, and with joy, and anxiety burning, Will welcome again the sweet isle of its birth. Of proving unfaithful to England then fearless. Our song shall be—‘‘ Merrily let us advance ! ”’ Though leaving behind us the land that is peerless :— To England farewell—and all hail to thee, France ! While the last stanza of this song was yet unsung, the tall towers of Dunkirk appeared in the distance, assuming a bold and marked outline amongst the other objects still dimly seen in the blue horizon. Nearer and nearer drew the gallant steam-ship; and in a short time the coast of France, presenting an uneven and frequently broken range of . brown hills, the tops of which were covered with verdure, was dis- tinctly seen by those who crowded the deck of the vessel. Then amidst a break in this rugged outline of strand and shore, that which had hitherto seemed a confused mass of indistinct objects, gradually assumed the shapes of houses, and steeples, and shipping, and fortifica- tions ;—then the immense piers, enclosing a commodious harbour, and. well protected by artificial and natural defences, were recognised by our voyagers;—and again a little while, and the forms of sailors, soldiers, and loungers of both sexes were descried moving hither and thither upon those far-stretching jettys. And above all, in the tran- quil air, upon the mighty tower which had first of all caught the eyes of those on board the packet, hung the tri-coloured banner of France —that -standard which had displaced the fleur-de-lis of the elder Bourbons! Gomicbooks (E(0)