that, by the last Bombay papers, no less than 200 British ships, comprising about 120,000 tons. were lying at that port, the greater part of them unable to obtain freights, and many have been lying there idle for twelve months, with freight nominally at thirty shillings per ton. The same ruinous state of affairs exists at Calcutta, Singapore, and the ports of China.

Some amendments in the Merchant Shipping Act, if carried out some years since, as recommended in the Nautical, and urged by the friends of seamen, would have prevented many of these evils. But things have now come to such a pass by the laissez faire system, that any idea of bettering the condition of the merchant service and the unfortunate officers and seamen who are in it, seems utterly hopeless!

In the memorial to her Majesty above alluded to, the first article says

"The efficiency of the merchant service is a subject of national importance."

"To insure that efficiency the officers must be men of education, character and intelligence."

Let us now consider how these gentlemen, these officers of our merchant service are remunerated for their services, bearing in mind that there is no pension or provision of any kind made for them when ill health or advanced age renders them unfit for further sea service. Taking the very best class of ships of our merchant service, the commanders receive a regular pay of £10 per month and an allowance on the frieght, varying from 2 to 4 per cent., so that it would require a ship to make £3000 freight out and home to give the captain £120 at 4 per cent. A small per centage is also given on the profits when troops or passengers are embarked, after all expences are paid; so that for all the toil, anxiety, and responsibility, of taking charge of a valuable ship bound to an unhealthy climate, an officer in command of her could not get above £300 for his voyage of ten or twelve months. It is certain therefore that he can have nothing to look forward to in age and when he is worn out, but poverty. Such is the present condition of the commander's station in the general merchant service of England!

Now sir, as the public of this maritime country, in general are utterly ignorant of this state of things, it should be as much as possible brought to their notice in order that parents may not be attracted by so ungrateful a service and induced to bring up their sons with false hopes of obtaining an honourable independence in the mercantile maritime service of the country when so many have a natural turn for a sea life!

While steam however, is making such a wonderful revolution in this maritime service, it, is worth while to consider also, whether there is not still a fair opening here for employment of some of those men of education and intelligence alluded to. Such an opening certainly may be found in those large contract steam companies, which, to their credit be it said, are working on very different principles to those of

the general merchant service. These companies are bound by their contracts to send their vessels to sea in the most efficient conditionmoreover, they are not known at the insurance office, and consequently there is every reason why the managers should send them to sea in a state fit to encounter the worst of weather! No doubt the best of officers of our mercantile marine find their way into these services, and according to the present proceedings, they are liberally paid. Moreover, as they have got into a regular system of bringing up their own officers, very few casualties occur, and passengers have, in all these companies, a very good security both of their personal safety and a fair and liberal treatment.

All this is as it should be. But, unhappily, the larger portion of our passengers must still proceed to their destination in sailing vessels, and they are unable to choose their time, and therefore, to these it may be useful to offer a few remarks, which it is hoped may conduce to their personal safety and comfort, especially as the system of economy in fitting out ships for sea is carried on to so dangerous an extent, and there are no restrictions to it, nor effective inspections are enforced.

In the first place, before taking a passage at an office, a would be passenger should bear in mind that the greater part of the ships advertised for India and Australia, are made to appear in the eyes of the public as ships of about double the size they really are; and this because the larger the ship the more comfort. But the public does not know that the largest ships are not the safest, because they are totally unacquainted with the subject, and are led to believe that they are, and hence the cause of attracting their attention by large ships. To show the fallacy of such advertisements, let us take a few examples at random and see the difference between the advertised and real size, as shown by Lloyd's Register of Shipping. The following names appear in the Times of this month, with their burthens as advertised:

Much greater exaggeration than these may be found in the same paper. In one case a ship is set down as 2339 tons register, and 3000 tons burthen! Now what object can there be in making out a ship to be of this enormous tonnage but to sound large and grand! And yet any nautical man would see that even the registered tonnage is so large as to add materially to the risk of safety, unless this ship NO. 3.—VOL. XXXV.

DJ

be officered and manned in a very superior manner to the usual practice of the present day.

The entry of ships on Lloyd's Register not being compulsory, there are many which are bought from the Americans, or built in New Brunswick, that are not entered there, as they would be at a very low figure. Although beautiful models and fast sailers, they are badly fastened, and are intended to last only a few years. When people are looking out to take a passage abroad in the above description of ships they should always first go on board themselves, and if possible in company with a nautical friend, see whether the ship be likely to answer their expectations. Before determining on a ship they should ascertain when and where she was built,-who is to command her,what dead weight she is to take on board, and how she is likely to be manned and fitted for sea. Ships of 1000 to 1200 tons are the most to be preferred, supposing them to be unexceptionable in the above particulars.

If the summer months could be adopted for the passage most of the Blackwall ships can be depended on. But in the winter months the greatest scrutiny should be exercised as to whether the ship is well provided with storm sails and winter poles, and whether the captain is well known for that most essential part of his duty "keeping a clear deck for working ship," preparatory to that worst of weather which is most likely to be encountered before clearing the Channel.

There is also a dangerous practice with owners in these days, of running on with old ships far beyond the time for which they were intended to go to sea. Few people think of breaking up merchant ships, and so they often run on till they actually sink at their work. The Owen Glendower and Fairlie are two cases of this kind that have lately foundered from that cause, though fortunately the crews were rescued by other vessels. Ships built on the banks of the Thames, that may be considered the best, are not intended to run on above fourteen years without requiring a very substantial repair. They may then be considered safe for four years more, but even these will soon begin to complain about their decks and their upper works. After twenty years' service, however, few British built ships are fit to go to sea, particularly on long voyages, and very old and unseaworthy vessels should be prevented from fitting out for sea. But, alas, in this free money making country of John Bull there is, no law existsing to that effect. Still there are leaky ships which are built in India, that often last far beyond this length of time, the most remarkable instance of which is, her Majesty's venerable ship the Tortoise, which was serving the purpose of a guard and store ship at Ascension up to last year. She was for many years in the East India trade, sailing under the name of the "Sir Edward Hughes," and was built in India as long ago as the year 1787.

With these remarks upon the present state of the merchant service, offered with no other view than the hope that they may benefit those who are still about to encounter the perils of the sea, I beg leave to subscribe myself your old friend and correspondent,

TRIDENT.

A FOREIGNER'S ACCOUNT OF Us:-The Trinity House.

(Concluded from page 64.)

Smeaton mentions another instance which shews what is passing in the minds of some of these light-keepers. A shoemaker was entered as a light-keeper of the Eddystone. While going out the coxswain of the boat said to him, "How is it, master Jacob, that you are going to shut yourself up in that tower, when you can earn on shore half-acrown or three shillings a day, while a light-keeper there gets scarcely ten shillings a week." "Every one to his taste," replied Jacob, "I have always liked to be independent." It is quite true, however strange it may seem when applied to a life of seclusion and a sort of anchorite regimen, what constitutes really a prison is the moral confinement. Here, on the contrary, the mind is free, and on the wild surface of the ocean it conceives all kinds of odd things. There are moreover some natures that cannot broke the tiring monotony of the same scenes, and the external impressions. About a mile and a quarter from the Land's End, on group of islets composed of granite is a lighthouse constructed in 1793, called the Longships. The rock on which it stands is conical, and named the Carn Bras, which rises to the height of forty-five feet above low water. In winter the rock and its building disappear sometimes for several seconds in the waves, which rise many feet above the lantern. One day the sea lifted the covering of it and extinguished the lamps, and could not be got rid of but by much exertion. Another circumstance contributes much to the trying nature of the locality. Underneath the lighthouse there is an opening through a long crevice at the extremity of the rock. When the sea is boisterous the noise occasioned by the confined air inside of it is so great that the light-keepers can scarcely sleep for it. One of them was so much terrified by it that his hair became white in the night. There are besides this some other roaring caverns about the Lizard and the Scotch Coast. Melancholy as this situation is there are some who like it, for one of the light-keepers has lived in it for nineteen years.

One day, in 1862, two black flags were seen flying at the lighthouse, evidently meaning distress. What was the matter? One of the three light-keepers had inflicted a wound with a knife on his breast. His companions had endeavoured to staunch the blood with a piece of cloth over the wound. Three days were passed thus before assistance could be obtained, and the weather was so bad, the sea so high, and the landing so dangerous that they were obliged to get the wounded man into a boat by a swinging movement. The greatest

care was taken of the sufferer, but he died soon after getting on shore. The jury who inquired into the case declared that he had committed the act under temporary mental alienation. It is by no means surprising that men placed in such frightful situations lose their mind in frenzy of fear.

But what adds most to the horrors of this imprisonment is being

compelled to live with men whose tastes and habits do not accord with . one's own. One of the light-keepers of the Eddystone having landed on the rocks, out of mere curiosity, one day, was asked by another how he could be happy with such a life. "Oh, quite so," he replied, "if we could only enjoy the pleasure of conversation: but it is now above six weeks since my companion and I have exchanged a word. At present there are three together, and so more chance of finding conversation; but the perpetual contact with certain quarrelsome characters, added to their commonly frequenting the same domicile along with the ennui of confinement, sometimes produces strong feelings of hatred. It is not long since the Trinity Board had to decide between two light-keepers who could not endure each other. One of them was dismissed as the only means of settling matters. Their condition, however, has been much improved by the Trinity House. Before they were under this Board the most frightful calamities used to occur in lighthouses.

One day a little barrel was found by some people on the beach containing a bottle, which enclosed a message from the sea; it was on paper, and on the barrel were the words, "Open this and you will find a letter." The letter ran thus

"Smalls, 1st Feb. 1777.

"As we find ourselves in a dangerous and despairing position, we hope that Providence will guide this letter to you. We beg of you to come to us before the approaching spring; otherwise we shall all perish. Our supply of water is nearly exhausted; we have no more fuel, and our building is in a most melancholy condition. I need not say more than that I am

"Your unfortunate humble servant,

“HENRY WHITESIDE."

"To Mr. Williams. This gloomy message came from the Smalls, situated in the midst of the sea off the Isle of Skomer, on the South Coast of Wales. On this group a young man named Whiteside, a manufacturer of violins, spinnettes, and harps, but intended by nature for enterprise, assisted by a company of Cornish miners and one or two ship-carpenters, had managed to build a lighthouse. It would be a long story to relate the dangers which they underwent, and the difficulties which they overcame in this contest with the elements. And yet abandoned and forgotten, this same Whiteside was left to die of hunger in the same tower with which, so to speak, he had outlived the storm. A new lighthouse in stone, finished in 1861, now stands on the Smalls, a beautiful structure, on scientific principles, that leaves the old building of 1776 far behind, but this nevertheless did good service. Many sad accounts are given of light-keepers being deprived of all resources, and if we are to believe them all, that they have been obliged to drink oil and eat candles. Even these they would have to be careful of, for above all it would be necessary to think of the light first.

The light is of course the grand object of the tower, and it is to preserve it that the light-keepers, like the vestal virgins, are devoted to