When the ship has been on a long voyage, it is probable that the crew will have had a considerable sum of money advanced, on account of their wages; in such a case, it is a duty incumbent on the captain to send an account of the sum each man has had. The writer knows of several cases where, owing to the loss of the ship and all hands, or the death of the captain alone, the owners have had great difficulty to wind up the ship's accounts, and it has been too often the case that the captain's relatives have had to suffer a heavy pecuniary loss, besides having to mourn for the death of their protector.

RETURNED HOME.

Suppose the ship to be bound to London.

On arrival at Gravesend, the ship must be hove to until the quarantine officer examines the captain's bill of health, if he has one, and puts a few questions to him; if the answers be satisfactory, a document is given to the captain, and an officer is put on board of the ship.

The captain is then at liberty to go ashore, and to go to London, if he choose to leave the ship in charge of a pilot to dock her, and his keys with the mate.

His first visit must be to his broker, who will report and enter his ship inwards.

The ship's register, charter, bills of lading, quarantine certificate, last light bill, list of stores, spare spars, and dunnage deals, are required.

The broker sends a clerk with him to the custom house, where the captain goes through certain formalities, and answers such questions as may be put to him.

The broker then sees his merchant, who passes an entry for the cargo, and the ship is then ready to discharge.

The broker generally advances cash to the captain, to pay wages and other items, and receives authority from him to draw his freight and send it to his owner; but, if it can be done, the captain ought to send his freight to his owner before leaving port.

The captain ought to deliver his articles, and official log, with the required entries properly made, to the shipping master, and pay his crew's wages as soon as convenient after the ship is reported.

"BB,"

The shipping master then gives him a document called a which he must produce to the customs officer when the cargo is discharged.

The captain and mate ought to keep a general supervision over the lumpers and weighers of the cargo, and if any dispute take place, it ought to be rectified as soon as possible.

When the cargo is out, the ensign must be hoisted at the peak for the customs officer, who will clear the ship, and will give the captain a jerking note, containing a list of all the dutiable articles left on board. This note must be produced to any customs officer who may require to see it.

If possible, the captain must get the weights or measures of the cargo from the weigher or measurer, and give them to the broker, to enable him to settle freight with the merchant.

The broker ought to pay the dock dues and charges, and get a pass for the captain, who is then at liberty to ballast and sail homewards.

On arrival at home, the captain ought to give the owner a balance sheet of receipts and expenditure during the voyage, specifying every item, with all the vouchers and documents.

The preceding is the routine of a particular voyage, but the main points in every voyage are the same. In general, whenever a ship arrives in any port from a foreign country, the captain is not at liberty to land until he has been examined by the authorities of the place; and after that, a respectable broker, or captain that may happen to be there, will keep him right in any formality he may have to pass through.

MISCELLANEOUS REMARKS.

In case any one of the crew misconducts himself while the ship is in port, it is necessary to take him before the consu!, or a magistrate; and the judge will inflict such punishment as he may deem proper. The captain is not justified in punishing a man himself, while he is in a port where magistrates will do justice to both parties.

In some ports, it is necessary to give written notice to the merchant when the ship is ready to discharge; but in other ports, the entry of the ship in the custom house fixes the time that the lay days commence; but in all cases it is prudent and courteous to see the merchant, or his agent, as soon as convenient.

A charterer has no power to detain a ship after she is loaded and ready for sea, even if the lay days for loading are unexpired.

If the ship be reported on a Saturday, too late for the merchant to begin discharging in fair time, the merchant would be entitled to count his lay days from the following Monday.

Lay days do not count while a ship is under repairs at a port of call.

Lay days do not count while a ship is waiting for spring tides.

66

If lay days be not mentioned in the charter or bill of lading, a reasonable time" should be allowed for the discharge of the cargo. This "reasonable time to be determined by the custom of the port, or by

the decision of arbitrators.

If a ship be ordered to discharge at a wharf, or in a dock without any wharf or dock being mentioned, in a certain port, her days will count from the time she is alongside of any wharf, or in any dock in the port.

If she be ordered to a particular wharf, or a particular dock, her days count from the time she is alongside of such wharf, or in such dock.

Written notice should be given when the ship is ready to load or discharge. These notices should be copied into the log-book, and witnessed by the person who serves them, and also by the captain and mate. If the captain be owner, or part owner, then some of the crew, as the second mate or carpenter, should witness the notice.

A consignee is only bound by the terms of the bill of lading, he is not ordinarily bound to refer to the charter, without the captain takes the precaution to write in the bill of lading: "All conditions as per charter.”

'The master can refuse to sign bills of lading if they are not in accordance with the charter.

The master has not power to alter a charter entered into by the owner, without his consent.

Charters are partly printed and partly written. If there be any discrepancy between the printed and written matter, the terms of the written matter must be adhered to.

It is the duty of the consignee to watch for the arrival of the ship. The master is not bound to give him notice, although it will be prudent to do so.

If the master, or owner, and any of the crew agree in writing to submit any question between them to the decision of the Superintendent of the Shipping Office, then that decision will be binding upon both parties.

If the ship be unseaworthy at the time of insuring her, the underwriters will not be liable if she be lost.

If the ship be chartered to be at a certain port at a stated time, and she fail in being there, the shipper can refuse to load her. No excuse, such as delay by perils of the sea, will be admitted.

If the ship be under a warranty to sail, sail from, depart, not to sail, &c., on, or before, or after, a certain date, she must literally act according to the terms of the warranty.

Do not take sand ballast if you can avoid it.

Spread iron ballast fore and aft.

A master of a general ship can require any package to be opened that he has reason to suspect contains dangerous goods; such as gunpowder, dynamite, aquafortis, &c. ; but the shipper, or his servants, must be present.

On arrival at the port of destination, if the cargo be damaged, the merchant must pay the freight, and sue for the damage.

If the ship deviate from the voyage specified in the articles, the crew can leave her, and can demand their wages up to the time they leave the ship.

Always write in courteous terms to your merchant. Thus :

LONDON, 2nd April, 1869.

Messrs. SARAMANGA AND Co.

Gentlemen, The Neptune, under my command, and consigned to you, is now ready to discharge. Hoping you will favour me with a good dispatch,

I remain, gentlemen,

Yours very respectfully,

W. C. BERGEN.

The writer has known a ship kept longer than she would have been, owing to the notice being too strictly legal, and not sufficiently courteous.

Some merchants are in the habit of loading and discharging ships as fast as they can, and they are rather offended if notice be given to them in a strictly legal form; they are better satisfied when the captain places confidence in them. Other merchants require everything to be done in legal form. The captain must use a little tact, and act in the manner best adapted to further his owner's interest. Always endeavour to oblige the merchant, if you can do so consistently with your duty to your owner.

SEAMANSHIP FOR MASTER.

Q. Your ship is on her beam ends?

A.

If in anchorage: Let go the lee anchor. If not in anchorage: Pay out the lee cable chain unshackled from the anchor. Or, make a span fast to a large spar; take a hawser from the lee bow, and make it fast to the span; heave the spar overboard. When the ship comes head to wind, trim the ballast or cargo.

NOTE.-A ship was once driving across the North Sea, lying to in a gale of wind. The cable chain was unshackled from the anchor, and a quantity payed out, which had the effect of making the ship bow the sea better, and of preventing her driving so fast.

Another ship in a similar case made a rope fast to some coal baskets, which had a good effect.

Q. You spring a great leak?

A. Try to get at it, and stop it either outside or inside. If that cannot be done, fother it; that is, get a sail and fasten chopped oakum, or other suitable matter, slightly to one side of it, make ropes fast to the four corners, and pass the sail under the bottom, over the leak.

Q. If forced to run on shore, at what time of tide would you do so, supposing that you could delay for a few hours?

A. If possible, at the time of high water, or a little after it.

Q. Your ship is stranded, how would you get her off?

A.

That would depend on the circumstances the ship was placed in. It might be sufficient to take an anchor away, take the cargo or ballast out, and at high water get a steamboat to assist.

If her bottom were damaged, it might be necessary to caulk her ceiling, or to platform her.

Or perhaps she might be floated by fastening empty casks, or empty tanks, to her.

Or, if she were sunk, divers might make the hatches tight, then get pumps worked by steam to pump her out.

Q. How do you heave a ship down?

A. The vessel's ballast, provisions, and stores that are not wanted for heaving down, are all taken on shore, and the yards and topgallant masts are sent down. In some cases the yards are not sent down.

K