feelings, he would transfer his allegiance to the seaman. I was told by the men that he would go to Miss Weston's Sailors' Rest and take a bed for himself, but I never heard who paid for his accommodation. Another of his habits cost him his life. He was taking his customary ride on the little train that runs between Devonport and Keyham yards through a short tunnel, when he fell off and was crushed to death. I still possess his photograph, taken after death at the desire of his sorrowing shipmates. In the Flag-ship of the Channel A Squadron. FTER over five years in the trooping service I found myself appointed to H.M.S. NorthumberLand, flag-ship of the Channel Squadron. Henceforth my service was to be purely naval. Here I found a large ship's company, with constant changes going on -sometimes as many as three hundred ordinary seamen leaving the ship and being replaced by others on the same day. Some definite system of action was clearly necessary, if I wished to get even a superficial knowledge of my shipmates. A mere list of names such as I had in the Tamar would be useless, as the men were constantly changing; in six months' time such a list would be more obsolete than an old Navy List. I thought the matter out, got a big book, ruled it off under various headings, such as a man's number on the ship's books, official number, address, religion, character, class for conduct and leave, &c., and set to work, with help from the ship's office, to make it a complete list of the ship's company. This |