contemplation, assisted the griffins to the top of their palanquins, into the body of which they had taken care to stow their portmanteaus, directed the coolies to move on quietly to the King's House; in an instant the riders changed their positions from that of reclining to lying flat on their backs, and each taking off his hat, and holding it so as to shade the face from the sun, was in that position trotted off from the jetty and over the esplanade to the King's house, the Malabar bearers chaunting their usual song, the chorus of which means. Brother, brother, shake him well; shake the great fat pig!' When about the middle of the esplanade, and in full view of the assembled party in the Paymaster-general's and Vice-treasurer's offices, the two griffins were overtaken by a tremendous shower of rain, and drenched to the skin in less than a minute, whilst a sudden peal of thunder, equal to the discharge of a thousand pieces of ordnance, and vivid lightning, forced them to relinquish their places on the top, and for the first time to consider that some trick had been played, and that the inside had been the place for themselves, and the outside, or any other in such tremendous weather, for their baggage. Vowing vengeance against the Governor's servant, they made many enquiries for the 'infernal villain,' but unsuccessfully, The Governor, 'King Tom,' made them as welcome as if he had really invited them; but the mutual surprize of the griffins may be conceived, when they observed Sam take his place immediately opposite the Governor, au juste milieu des conviés.

"A rum country this, where a general sits down with his own servant, who appears to be just as much at home as the pig in the cottage of ould Mrs. Regan in Rathcormac, but faith I'll fillip my wine in his face, sure enough!' This induced the officer on the right hand to explain Mr. Sam's privilege, and to advise the griffins 'to grin and bear it with good humour;' which, as the wine began to circulate, they agreed to do; but emphatically declared, that 'to the day of judgment they should never fail to remember their colonial baptism, and how to use a palanquin.' It soon was explained that Sam had got them a good dinner upon his own free use of the Governor's name, which so pleased them, that they exclaimed, loud

enough for King Tom's ear, 'Jasus, then, as he has hoaxed the Governor, we surely can allow him to hoax us ;' and, suiting the action to the word, 'Here's your health, and bad luck to ye, Mr. Sam !'"

The Surgeon considering it to be his call next, and as it was to be the last for the evening, he begged his friend the Chaplain to relate some anecdote or other for the "good of the mess." The Parson regretted much that he had nothing in the shape of auto-biography or anecdote likely to interest the mess; but that rather than appear singular upon such an occasion, he would relate a singular but authentic story of an occurrence, or rather phenomenon, that he had met with whilst Chaplain of the "Old Gladiator," off Madagascar.

CHAPTER XLVIII.

THE CHAPLAIN'S STORY.

"ONE night, between two and three bells of the middle watch, when off the island of Madagascar, in latitude 26° south, and about 73° of east longitude, the Captain was called upon deck, and the midshipman of the watch sent down to all the officers to tell them the sea was white as snow, and well worthy of observation.'

"The idlers all turned out, with the exception of myself, for I, bearing in mind the many tricks the middies had played me, declared to the midshipman of the watch, who called me to go on deck, 'that I had no curiosity to gratify, and would only turn out when the drummer beat to quarters.' At length I heard the lieutenant, who had kept the first watch, call the sentry at the gun-room door for a light; and ascertaining from him, that although a white sea was in his (the Lieutenant's) opinion just as natural as a red one, the

ship might be going over some unknown shoal with, perhaps, a coral surface, and worth looking at. I began to think it was something more than the mare album of a restless reefer, and thereupon turned out, and went upon deck. I really was astounded at the scene before me, the horizon appeared like an immense black circle enclosing a spacious plain covered with snow. The ship scarcely went through the water at the rate of a knot an hour. The Indiamen under our convoy, within the circle bounded by the horizon, appeared perfectly black; most of them had hove to. Soundings had been tried with the deep-sea-lead from the first change observed in the colour of the water, but to no purpose; buckets of water drawn at different depths, and the surface skimmed from the jolly-boat, which had been lowered, for the sake of getting it from an inch to three inches deep, proved of little avail as to a solution of the phenomenon. A thousand conjectures were hazarded, all which were equally unsatisfactory: the phosphorescent sparks elicited by stirring salt water quickly with the hand, at night, in warm latitudes, and nothing more, resulted from

the motion of the hand in the water drawn for the purposes of observation and upon examination, in the morning, it was altogether free from any sort of animalculi, as far as the naked eye could discern.

"Whilst the officers were standing within the hammock nettings of the lee gangway, looking over the side, and giving their different opinions upon the extraordinary scene before them, a shoal of porpoises suddenly sprung out of the sea, within fifty yards of the ship, and came stem on towards her ;-they were as black as Old Nick himself is painted, and added considerably to the terrific character of the phenomenon, and many of the sailors were absolutely as stupid as if petrified by fear.

"The next morning, as soon as signals could be made out, general telegraph was hoisted, and after that a signal for all captains; but upon a general consultation in the captain's cabin, not one could elucidate the extraordinary phenomenon, for not even the oldest captain had ever before witnessed anything like the sea as white as snow. How true, indeed, is it recorded, They that go down to the sea in ships; and do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep."

The whole mess applauded with "Bravo, bravissimo Parson, that is true, indeed! but no more Scripture on Saturday night." "Si tibi placet domine," was added by the Doctor, to the great amusement of all hands, but of those most particularly who no Latin knew!

The Parson being called upon to nominate the President as the teller of the first story at their next Saturday night's merry meeting, called upon the third Lieutenant; and accordingly on the following Saturday, nothing having in the interim occurred to disturb the harmony of the mess, or alter the station of the ship, the third Lieutenant took the chair under the wardroom rose.

CHAPTER XLIX.

THIRD LIEUTENANT'S STORY.

"I HAVE, 'tis true, rounded both Capes, and am fully licensed to tell a tough one; but I waive that privilege, and will give you a second Madeira story, although you must not expect to have such good reasons for splitting your sides as our last week's worthy president our 'noble First,' afforded you by his picture of the naval auctioneer,-Sandy Mackenzie. I merely give it by way of advice to those among us who may hereafter visit Madeira, to be on their guard against the too fascinating game of 'monte' with the black-eyed damsels of the Madeiras. Upon our arrival at Madeira in the old Calliope,' in 18-, our first call was, of course, upon His Majesty's Consul, who was also a wine-merchant; and we had to wade our way from the street through a lane of wine pipes, and pipes of wine, ready for exportation, the best' of which is sure to be destined for the latitude of London Bridge, and longitude from the meridian of St. Paul's. The second best to the West Indies and America, the best of the surplus to the East Indies, where it may ripen to something palatable, but ever acid, or turn to superior vinegar.

"The Consul was not immediately visible, but hospitable as all Madeira merchants are. He was a sufferer from gout, and when the Captain introduced us as his officers, he was sitting propped up by the aid of pillows, in a gaudily painted garden-chair; but never were such grins displayed upon the distorted countenance of any human being, under the tortures of gout, as upon the almost livid physiognomy of Mr. Consul Veitch.

"Irish priests are every where to be met with throughout the