Herman Melville

“ Chapter XXXIV. THE IRRAWADDY Among the various ships lying in Prince’s Dock, none interested me more than the Irrawaddy, of Bombay, a “country ship,” which is the name bestowed by Europeans upon the large native vessels of India. Forty years ago, these merchantmen were nearly the largest in the world; and they still exceed the generality. They are built of the celebrated teak wood, the oak of the East, or in Eastern phrase, “the King of the Oaks.” The Irrawaddy had just arrived from Hindostan, with a cargo of cotton. ”

“ Indeed, it is a Godsend to fall in with a fellow like this. He knows things you never dreamed of; his experiences are like a man from the moon—­wholly strange, a new revelation. If you want to learn romance, or gain an insight into things quaint, curious, .and marvelous, drop your books of travel, and take a stroll along the docks of a great commercial port. Ten to one, you will encounter Crusoe himself among the crowds of mariners from all parts of the globe.
But this is no place for making mention of all the subjects upon which I and my Lascar friend mostly discoursed ”

“ The fiber thus produced makes very strong and durable ropes, extremely well adapted, from their lightness and durability, for the running rigging of a ship; while the same causes, united with its great strength and buoyancy, render it very suitable for large cables and hawsers. ”