A little lower down we cast anchor for the night.

At an early hour on April 1st we sailed past Hirsova, and at two o'clock stopped at Braila, a fortress occupied by the Russians since the year 1828.

Here passengers were not allowed to land, as they were considered infected with the plague; but our officer stepped forward, and vouched for the fact that we had neither landed nor taken up any one on the right bank of the river; thereupon the strangers were allowed to set foot on terra firma.
By four o'clock we were opposite Galatz, one of the most considerable commercial towns, with 8000 inhabitants,--the only harbour the Russians possess on the Danube.

Here we saw the first merchant-ships and barques of all kinds coming from the Black Sea.
Some sea-gulls also, heralds of the neighbouring ocean, soared above our heads.
The scene here is one of traffic and bustle; Galatz being the place of rendezvous for merchants and travellers from two quarters of the globe, Europe and Asia.

It is the point of junction of three great empires--Austria, Russia, and Turkey.
After the officer had repeated his assurances as at Braila, we were permitted to leave the ship.