and correct as possible, as from the circumstances therein stated his protest (if one is required) will be prepared ; and the log-book being, by law, acceptable in evidence in any court of justice in Great Britain, the chances of defeating an unjust claim for damage inflicted by a colliding vessel will be very much greater if the entries of the occurrence are minute and precise.

This entry, as well as being a general description of the collision, should state the condition of the wind, weather, and sea at the time, with (if it happen at night) an exact statement of the lights shown, seen, or burning, and their positions. Any further circumstances bearing upon the subject should be entered under this head.

All the foregoing entries (from 1 to 13 inclusive) must be signed by the master and the mate, or some other member of the crew; and in a case of illness or death, by the surgeon, if there be one.

All entries of wages due, or of the sale of the effects of seamen or apprentices who die, should be signed, in addition to the master and mate, by some member of the

crew.

Every entry of wages due to any seaman who enters Her Majesty's service should be signed by the master and the seaman, or by the officer receiving the seaman into such service.

All entries properly made in the official log-book are receivable as evidence in any proceedings in any court of justice in Great Britain, or a British Colony.

Under no circumstances may an entry be made respecting an occurrence which has happened previous to the ship's arrival, more than twenty-four hours after such arrival.

Any deviation from the form of official log-book, or any failure to cause the entries to be made within the time prescribed, is punishable by a fine of five pounds upon

master.

the

Every person who makes, or procures to be made, or

assists in making any entry in an official log-book in respect to any occurrence happening previously to the arrival of the ship at her final port of discharge, more than twenty-four hours after such arrival, incurs a penalty not exceeding thirty pounds.

*

Any wilful obliteration, mutilation, or destruction of the official log-book, or any false or fraudulent entry made therein, is punishable as a misdemeanor.†

An impression very generally prevails among British shipmasters that the signature of a consular officer is requisite to entries made in the log-book in foreign ports, relative to occurrences in such ports; this is a mistake. The only occasions upon which a consular officer will be called upon to make or certify entries in a ship's official log-book will be the following:—

1. When such officer shall have acted as president of a naval court, before which some offence committed on board such ship, or by an officer or seaman belonging thereto, has been tried.

2. Whenever a survey of provisions or water is made by direction of any such officer.

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There will be found in another part of this work (under the head of Discipline ') a list of penalties which, although not established by law, may be enforced by the master, provided their insertion as a part of the seaman's agreement has been consented to by the crew at the time of signing articles. To carry this part of the agreement into effect, the same form of entry in the official log-book must be adhered to as when the offence is punishable by law.

12. PASSENGER-SHIP, AND PASSENGERS GENERALLY.

It will not be necessary in the present work to go minutely into the provisions of the British statutes *Merchant Shipping Act, Section 284. † Ibid.

touching what are now known as passenger-ships; although, in the third part of our book, we shall have to point out the duties of a master of such a vessel under United States law and municipal regulation, as these may apply stringently when the vessel reaches America.

A passenger-ship' signifies every description of ship which carries upon any voyage more than thirty passengers, or a greater number of passengers than in the proportion of one statute adult (that is, a passenger of the age of twelve years or upwards, or two passengers between the ages of one and twelve years) to every fifty tons of the registered tonnage of the ship if propelled by sails, or of one statute adult to every twenty-five tons if propelled by steam.*

The master of a passenger-ship, before he attempts to leave his home port, will be very careful to see that his owner and he have complied with all the provisions of the Passengers Act Amendment; as for instance, among other things, the giving bond to the Crown; the obtaining a certificate from the emigration officer before clearance ; as to where the passengers are to be carried in the ship; their number; delivery of a passenger list in duplicate; construction of beams and decks, and arrangement and size of berths; space allotted for hospital; construction of privies; light and ventilation; number of boats, buoys, anchors, and fire engines; efficient crew; as to prohibited articles; stowage of cargo, stores, and luggage; survey of provisions and water; passenger cooks and cooking apparatus; carrying a medical man; and medicines and medical inspection.

The Act gives a computation of voyage to North America (except its west coast) as thus:-If the ship be propelled by sails alone, or by steam power not sufficient without the aid of sails to propel the ship, after the rate

* Passengers Act Amendment, 18 & 19 Vict. Chapter 119.

of five statute miles an hour, for a ship clearing out between the 16th day of January and the 14th day of October, both days inclusive, seventy days; and when clearing out between the 15th day of October and the 17th day of January, both days inclusive, eighty days. And if the ship be propelled either wholly or in aid of sails by steam engines of not less power than sufficient without the aid of sails to propel the ship after the rate of five statute miles an hour, clearing between such 16th of January and 14th of October, forty days; and clearing between such 15th of October and 17th of January, fortyfive days.

It may not be amiss to give here the dietary scales of provisions and water which a passenger-ship must issue to each passenger, or, where the passengers are divided into messes, to the head man for the time being of each mess, on behalf and for the use of its members:-If the length of the voyage (computed as above) shall not exceed eighty-four days for ships propelled by sails only, or fifty days for ships propelled by steam, or steam in aid of sails, then according to the following dietary scale marked A ; but if the length of the voyage shall exceed eighty-four days for ships propelled by sails only, or fifty days for ships propelled by steam, or steam in aid of sails, then according to the following dietary scale marked B.

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Substitutions at the following rates may, at the option of the master of any passenger-ship,' be made in the above dietary scales, that is to say:

And as to water, each statute adult, exclusive of the quantity necessary for cooking articles which are required to be issued in a cooked state, is to have three quarts of water daily.