each," to be given in the course of the voyage.
This had a smack of luxury with it which
seemed out of keeping with the rest of our
miserable dietary; but experience had shown
that prisoners became so reduced by a four
mouths' voyage, crowded together to suffocation,
as absolutely to require some slight
stimulant, and accordingly this modicum of
wine (Cape) was ordered, and came under the
head of "Medical comforts." This had been
served out to each man mixed with lime
juice -- a gill at a time, once a week. As even
the allowance had not commenced until we
had been some time at sea, it was evident that,
at this rate, there would be a large surplus at
the end of the voyage. We were in about
40 degrees of latitude; and, with our slender
clothing and reduced condition, suffered
severely from cold. The more evil-disposed
insisted that keeping back the wine was a
deliberate fraud -- a foretaste of the cruelty
and injustice in store for them, and hinted
that any fate was better than Norfolk Island,
where all chance of escape would be cut off.
They compared their own strength with the
military guard, counted up many soldiers and
sailors who would, they believed, desert to
their side upon the first outbreak. I observed
more attention was paid to these dangerous
suggestions than formerly; and, amongst a
considerable party of the oldest prisoners,
there seemed a more fixed and serious purpose.
Thinking it probable that the surgeon, who
had shown great zeal and humanity hitherto,
had proper reasons for reserving the wine, I
was loath to interfere; but the aspect of affairs
was every day becoming more alarming. Men
left their berths and debated in clusters, for
hours together, various schemes for seizing
the ship. In this state of things, I suggested
that we should respectfully memorialise the
surgeon on the subject. My proposal was at
first very jeeringly received; but some of
the better disposed approving of it, the rest
agreed, believing, and I fear hoping, that the
memorial would be treated as an impertinence,
and thus fan the flame they had kindled. I
immediately prepared an address; expressing
our gratitude for the medical skill and kindness
we had received, and respectfully stating
our complaint as to the wine. This being
signed by the captain of each of the different
messes on behalf of the whole, I forwarded it
to the surgeon, with a note stating the
circumstances which had induced me to
interfere. In a few minutes he came down, and
said that withholding the wine was the result
of a miscalculation, and assured us that we
should receive the remainder in double allowances
daily for the future -- a promise which
he faithfully observed. This kept the men in
good humour for the rest of the voyage, and
the evil counsels, which were every now and
then repeated by some of the most desperate,
failed of their intended effect.

Between the Cape and Norfolk Island, a
distance of about ten thousand miles, we only
sighted one sail, which was believed to be an
American whaler. I had hoped to catch a
glimpse of the little volcanic island of St.
Pauls; but, for the sake of a stronger and
steadier wind, our Captain kept a much higher
latitude than is usual, and we passed the
island at about three hundred miles to the
south.

Among my two hundred and twenty
companions, I found one -- I am sorry to say only
one -- in whose society and conversation I
found solace and amusement. He was a fine
young man, with an intelligent countenance,
and not quite twenty-one years of age. His
was a sad story. He had been a merchant's
clerk, and in an evil hour had been tempted
by the offer of a promising speculation to
create himself a capital by forging acceptances,
These he renewed as they became due, until
an accident led to his detection. He had a
young wife, to whom he had been married
only three months. On the very night of
his apprehension he had been reading aloud
to her "The Diary of a late Physician; " and,
having finished one of the short stories he
turned the page, and his eye caught the title of
the next. It was the episode of the " Forger."
He hesitated a moment; but, as he told me, he
felt his wife's eye upon him, and a guilty fear
of awakening her suspicions compelled him to
read on. The details of the story sank deep
into his heart, and he observed with a
superstitious dread his wife's intense interest in
the hero of the narrative. He had not laid
down the book an hour, when the officers of
justice arrived: he was torn from his wife,
tried, and convicted.-- He had read extensively,
and possessed an extraordinary memory
-- would to Heaven that all who are tempted to
sin, as he had sinned, might picture to themselves
his mental suffering! Sometimes we
spent many hours of the night together,
standing at the foot of our berths, discoursing
of every conceivable subject that could serve
to lift him for awhile above the feeling of
his degraded position; but there were periods
when he sank into a low despondency for days
together. In vain I sought to cheer him
with the prospect of future liberty, and an
honourable career that should atone for
past error; far away from the scene of his
first crime.

We had now left England three months;
yet this period seemed to me a life of misery,
to which all my previous career was but
a short prologue. My sufferings, both mental
and physical, had much weakened me, and
there were times when I found it hard to
keep that hopeful and patient tone of mind,
with which I had tried to go through the
voyage. It was monstrous and incredible
(I thought) that I, who had never offended
against the laws of my country, should be
there suffering the most terrible punishment,
short of death, which had been devised for
the worst of ruffians; and when my mind
was overwrought by this thought I marvelled