man, though, had it come two seconds later, it
must inevitably have killed the second captain
of the gun.

But these things are thought nothing of on
board ship by the people among whom they
happen, coming as they do " in the way of business,"
as a " commercial" would say. In another
part of the deck, two of the officers were
standing together, the one asking the other a
question, when a round shot came right between
their heads, and then went banging into one of
the quarter boats hoisted up behind them, the
two flying apart, and actually putting their
hands to their heads to feel if those necessary
appurtenances were still in their possession.
At another of the guns, a shot came in and took
off the truck (or, as a shore-going person would
say, "the wheel"), actually cutting away part
of a man's trouser with a splinter, and not hurting
one of the gun's crew, who were standing
closely round it.

The ship arrived at Canton that evening, and
on examining casualties, it was found that the
poor old boatswain's department had suffered
the most severely; the hull, which was peppered
all over, coming next; the human department
being found to have suffered little, few being
severely wounded, beyond the only one in
the ship who had in a cowardly manner gone
below, and there received the wound which a
few hours afterwards terminated his existence.
He had, however, been such a favourite with
the men for his comical half English ways, that
when his death was discovered, and the carpenters
were set to work to build his coffin, a
deputation of the petty officers came aft to ask
if it might be a swell one, covered with purser's
fine blue cloth.

The first lieutenant went down to the captain,
who could see no objection, and consequently,
when the coffin was made, the carpenter's mate
was despatched to the purser's steward for the
cloth for the outside and the flannel for the interior,
saying that he came by the first lieutenant's
order. It was consequently a very respectable
affair when complete, being studded
all over with brass nails, &c., every one thinking
that the deceased man's wife would be very
highly satisfied with it, and think it very handsome.

One morning, when the ship had returned to
Hong Kong, a tremendous howling was heard
not very far off, in which four or five voices
were evidently concerned, and on looking over
the side, it was found that the interesting
family of the late pilot, Ashing, consisting of the
widow and some very strong-lunged children,
were coming off to fetch the body. They insisted
on being shown the shot-holes in the bulkheads,
and the direction the shot had taken
which had proved fatal to their relative, " for,"
as a Chinaman said, " s'pose they no see, they
speakee man-o'-war man makee killee him." The
body was taken ashore in their boat, and as it
was lifted over the side, the remark of an old
quartermaster was, " Ah! that comes of dodging
about down below when he ought to have been
conning the ship on deck;" which was indeed
true, as the chances are that had he remained at
his post he would not have been touched, all
those on the bridge having escaped. When on
shore the coffin was opened, the body was taken
out and put into an orthodox Chinese one, made
from the trunk of a tree, the cloth was stripped
off and sold to the native tailors to make waist-coats
for such naval officers as might order
them.

The first lieutenant's state of mind may be
faintly imagined when, on pay-day, he found
himself charged with the whole of the cloth and
flannel used. On applying to the purser's
steward for an explanation, that functionary
extenuated himself calmly enough by saying,
"Well, sir, the man who came for the stuff said
that it was by your order." This was true,
though the subject had never entered the gallant
officer's head before, and nothing more
could, therefore, be said. Very likely he had
the satisfaction of again paying for some of the
cloth on settling his next tailor's bill. The
whole of the officers and men in the ship
subscribed several days' pay for the future maintenance
of the widow, who, according to the
customary affection of Chinese wives, thought
the money, no doubt, rather a good exchange,
and quickly looked out for another husband.

THE WHIP.

HIT-HIM-HARD is an old dog, who has not yet
had his day. With the ancients, the whip was
the symbol of power. The Romans represented
their gods, even gentle Venus, whip in hand,
and Cicero thought it an omen when he dreamt
that Jupiter gave young Octavian a whip. The
regal sceptre is but an ornate form of the stick,
which rules.

Although Christian culture brought the art of
flogging to perfection, it was an old heathenish
habit. The Persians accounted it a great disgrace
to be beaten with rods, but their kings
thrashed with their own hands high state officers,
and the court ceremonial required the objects of
this condescension to return thanks to their
sovereign for the favour he had so bestowed.
Artaxerxes Longimanus thought it unsuitable for
the great men of his empire themselves to be so
punished, and he ordered that the beating should
be given to their clothes.

Distinguished personages deserving favour of
the Parthian kings, were beaten with rods in
their presence, and ambitious young nobles
contested with each other for this mark of royal
favour.

With the Indians, the cane was in high esteem.
The head of a family had power to cane his wife,
daughter, or servant, and even his own mother
if a widow. The custom of beating slaves, of
course, is as old as slavery, and prevailed amongst
the free Scythians, as we know from the story
told by Justin, which is to be found in every
grammar or reading-book. By the Greeks, even
prisoners of war, taken in honest battle, were
beaten, and the heroes seem to have found