before, seen the mate's log book, from which
it appeared that we were as yet but five
hundred miles to the westward of the Irish
coast. I can scarcely understand to this day,
how it was that he escaped being thrown
overboard.

We had two men on board, the very
antipodes of each other. The one was a colossal
bachelor, who was never ill; the other a
diminutive member of a large family, who
was never well. They resembled each other
only in one point that they both ate
prodigiously. The only account the bachelor could
give of himself was that he was going out to
Canada to saw the big trees. He had, in fact,
been engaged as a sawyer to proceed to the
banks of the Ottawa, there to prosecute his
avocation in connection with some of the
large timber establishments, which are situated
far up that noble river. He was so
powerful a fellow, that a Yankee passenger
declared "he would have only to look at a tree
to bring it down." He lived, whilst on board,
on nothing but oatmeal porridge, a large goblet-
full of which, after first making it himself,
he devoured regularly on deck four times a
day. As to the little man, he lived, as
regularly, on mashed potatoes, enriched with
butter and melted cheese; and his meals were
invariably followed by fits of sea-sickness
which he considered quite unaccountable.
His habits became at length such a scandal to
all on board, that the doctor was compelled,
by the force of public opinion, to order him
to eat less. He had remained below from our
time of starting, until the day we made land,
when he appeared on deck for the first time,
and was for the first time seen without his
nightcap.

When we had been about three weeks at
sea an incident occurred which appalled us
all, and elicited the sympathies of everyone
for one of the unfortunate sufferers. I have
already alluded to the old man, who was
emigrating with his only grandson, whom he
wished to see comfortably settled in life, ere
his eyes were sealed in death. The youth was
one of several on board who were fond, after
having been a few days at sea, of climbing the
rigging, and exposing themselves to a variety
of unnecessary risks. He had been frequently
warned, with the rest, against the consequences
which might ensue, but disregarded the
advice. One day, whilst out upon the bowsprit,
he missed his hold and dropped into the water.
The alarm of "man over-board" was instantly
raised, and, to save him, the ship was
immediately hove to; but he had disappeared, and
although we remained for an hour upon the
spot, we never caught a glimpse of him again.
One of the men, near him at the time said
that, on reaching the water, he was struck on
the head by the cut-water of the ship, which
was then running about eight knots an hour.
The blow stunned him, and he sank like a
stone. The poor old man was inconsolable,
and gradually sank into a state of vacant
imbecility; and, on landing, found a home in
the Lunatic Asylum at Quebec.

Let no one dream that the sea, particularly
on board an emigrant ship, is the place for
reading or study. It is either too cold, when
there is the slightest breeze, or too hot when
it is calm: it is too noisy at all times. Happy
is he who, under such circumstances, has a
resource against ennui in his own reflections.
Having a clergyman on board, we had divine
service regularly on the Sundays. When it
was rough, the assemblage took place between
decks in the steerage; but when fine we were
convened upon deck. Sailors have a dread, not
exactly of clergymen in the abstract, but of
clergymen on board. A blackbird on the
rigging as the ship is about to start, or a clergyman
on board, is equally, in their estimation,
a token of ill luck; and some of the crew
pitied us for anticipating anything else, under
the circumstances.

If there is one thing more disagreeable than
a storm at sea, it is a calm. It is all very
well for a steamer, which can then make her
way nobly over the waters; but, the
annoyance and tedium on board a sailing vessel
are indescribable. In all our calms we were
surrounded by sea-gulls and other marine
birds. Some of them ventured so close as to
be shot; others we endeavoured to catch by
means of baited hooks tied to a stick, which
was attached to a long cord; but they were
too wary for us, for, after closely examining it,
they fought shy of the temptation.

On nearing the banks of Newfoundland we
were constantly immersed in fogs. One
morning, whilst thus situated, the temperature
of the sea suddenly lowered, which the
captain interpreted into an indication of
icebergs not being far off, and a sharp look out
was ordered to be kept. It was scarcely
noon ere we were in imminent peril of
running at full speed against one. We owed our
escape to a passenger, who was on the look-
out, and who called the attention of one of
the sailors to something a-head of us.
"Starboard—starboard hard!"—cried he at once
to the man at the wheel. The helm was
scarcely turned ere we glided rapidly by the
frozen mass, which gleamed like a huge
emerald in the faint and struggling sunlight.
We passed so close to it that I could have
leaped upon it with ease. We might as well
have run against a whinstone rock as
encountered this floating peril, at the rate at
which we were then gliding through the water.

Whilst crossing the banks the ship was
frequently hove to for soundings. We took
advantage of such occasions to fish for cod;
nor were we unsuccessful, for we, altogether,
hauled on board several dozen fish of a large
size. The delight with which we feasted
upon our prey, after some weeks' experience
of nothing but salt meat, I leave the reader
to imagine. It was during one of our angling
attempts that an incident occurred, which
would have seemed as incredible to me as it