CORRECTIONS.

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Read-The signals are made from right to left, and read from left to

right.

A.

Make it fast, about 18 inches above the tail block. Taking care

that there are no turns of the whip line round the hawser.

A. Women, children, passengers, and helpless persons before the

crew.

If the hawser cannot be set up. A life buoy will be hauled off, and the shipwrecked people will be hauled through the surf,

Q.

You join a ship either as second, only, or first mate. the first things you do?

What are

A. Report myself, ask for orders, if none given take an account of everything that will be under my charge. Examine the ship outside and inside, below and aft, and note the order that everything is in.

ADDITIONAL FOR ONLY MATE.

MATE'S DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES, &c.

The mate takes account of the cargo as it comes on board, and as it is discharged. He gives receipts to the persons who bring the cargo to the ship, and takes receipts from those who take it away. In the case of a ship loading a general cargo, particularly a steamer, the mate should note in what hold, and what part of that hold, every merchant's cargo is stowed.

At Cronstadt, printed instructions are given to the ships; in them the mate is instructed to insert, in every receipt he gives, the clause: "This receipt to be null and void when bills of lading are signed.”

It is advisable for the mate to insert the above clause, whenever he gives a receipt at any port; otherwise, the captain ought to obtain possession of the mate's receipts before he signs bills of lading. The captain signs bills of lading on the faith of the mate's account; it is therefore of great importance that the account should be correct. In order that this may be the case, the captain should give his mate strict instructions to do nothing else but keep account while taking in cargo, or discharging it. The writer would also strongly impress on the mate the necessity of suffering nothing to distract his attention; his account book should be properly ruled, and he should be careful to take the marks and numbers of the goods, thus :

Account of casks of tallow received on board the Neptune, Oct. 12th, 1866, from lighter No. 275.

By drawing a stroke under every fifth number, the account can be easily referred to, and the number of packages readily ascertained.

A dispute took place about a cask of tallow while taking in the above cargo. The merchant's clerk only kept tally, but the mate took the marks and numbers as well; the authorities therefore decided that the mate's account was correct, which proved to be the case.

If any cargo be damaged, the mate should refuse to take it on board, until he has an opportunity of calling the captain's attention to it. If the marks are defaced on a package, or hoops off, say, a tallow cask, he should note the fact on the receipt he gives to the person bringing the cargo to the ship.

The following legal decisions shew the importance of the mate's duty, and how seriously his conduct may affect his own hard-earned wages.

In a case tried in the Admiralty court, the judge said: "The doctrine I mean to hold is, that the mate having signed the receipt, he is responsible for the correctness of the signature, and that it is a certificate of the fact therein alleged; that he is bound by that signature; and if it should turn out afterwards that there is any deficiency in the" quantity "of cargo which comes to be delivered at the port, unless he can shew to the contrary, I should hold that that deficiency he is responsible for. I cannot hesitate in saying for a single moment that it is my duty to pronounce. .against the claim made by the mate" on the owner for wages held back by him to the value of the missing goods."

The mate has sometimes been made to pay part of the loss, when the judge has considered him partly, but not wholly, to blame.

On the other hand, neglect, or incompetency, must be clearly proved before the mate can be made to pay. He is not responsible if the captain requires him to attend to other duties while he is taking in cargo; nor if the captain interferes improperly with him; nor for an accident.

The mate must have all purchases and everything connected with taking in cargo in good order, and must note in the cargo book the marks, numbers, and quantities of cargo taken in each day.

He must understand all about anchoring, and we therefore refer him to the Articles on that subject.

LOG BOOK.

Q. What entries do you make in the ship's log book while in harbour?

A. All matters having any reference to cargo, employment of crew, position of ship, and state of the weather.

Q. What entries do you make at sea?

G

A. All matters having any reference to the ship's position, as soundings, bearings and distances of fixed objects, latitude and longitude, wind and weather, sail, and employment of crew.

Q. You have a perishable cargo; it is bad weather, what must you do?

A. Be careful to pump the ship and note the facts thus :-Ship labouring in a heavy sea, straining severely, shipping a great deal of water. Pumps carefully attended.

LIFTING HEAVY WEIGHTS.

Q. What weight would you lift with a yard arm tackle ?

A. Nothing heavier than a small cask of water. If compelled to use such a purchase for a heavy weight; untruss the yard, top it well up, and secure it well with lashings to the mast, rolling tackles, and guys.

Q. Get a heavy weight, as marble, or machinery, on board?

A. Rig a derrick with its feet near the side of the ship and a pair of shears, with their feet placed fore and aft, or from one corner to to another, over the hatchway, on beams, and support them well underneath by shores under the deck beams. Lash the feet to ringbolts or timber heads.

Lift the weight by the derrick purchase, and assist it as much as possible by the shear purchase. When it is high enough, and over the hatchway, lower both purchases.

A. Reeve a purchase in a threefold block?

A. If the block have a rope strop, lead the first part of the fall over, or under the middle sheave. If the block be iron bound, lead the first fall over one of the side sheaves, and so on, in regular order.

ACCIDENTS.

A. A man falls overboard?

Heave life-buoys, spare spars, hen coops, or anything that is suitable towards the man to float him.

Round the ship to, and get under her such sail that a boat may be safely lowered. Or it may be necessary to put the ship about, and stand towards the man. Send a hand up aloft to watch the man. Boats should always be as near as possible ready for lowering down, falls clear, oars, tholes, plug, and baler in them, and no more lashings, on them than are necessary for their safety, and no lumber should be allowed to be put into them.

Q. The cargo is heating?

A. Open hatches, and send a stream of air into the hold with windsails.

Q. A fire breaks out and cannot be got under ?

A. Prevent air from getting to it by putting on all hatches and tarpaulin over them, and stopping all holes and crevices.

Get the boats ready with water and provisions in them.

If practicable, bore holes in the deck above the fire, or in the sides, and let sea water on to it.

Q. Make a raft?

If the weather be moderate, a raft may be easily made by laying the larger spars, such as topmasts, jib-booms, and main-booms parallel, and at a little distance from each other, and then lashing smaller spars, such as studdingsail booms and studdingsail yards across, then laying deals, bulkheads, &c., for a deck. Empty casks lashed to the larger spars will cause the raft to float better, and thus to bear more weight.

If there be plenty of spars they may be laid on each other in tiers, one tier crossing another until the spars are all expended, all being securely lashed and nailed together. Some posts may be fixed up at the outside of the raft, and a rope hitched to the tops of them to serve as bulwark.

With a stranded vessel on a lee shore, a small raft sufficient to land the crew could be made in a short time, by lashing three small spars in a triangular form, and a water cask or breaker lashed to the middle of each spar, and a netting or lashing worked inside the triangle so as to hold on with; this would float several people, and not be liable to capsize in broken water.

Q. Your bowsprit is sprung, or carried away?

A. Get the ship before the wind, reduce sail, take warps for stays, and tackles on them, set them up to the hooks, cat head, or to toggles through the hawse holes. Fish the bowsprit if it be sprung. If it be carried away, take the most suitable spare spar and rig it for a jury bowsprit. Send down the topgallant yards and masts.

Q. Your masts are sprung or carried away?

A. Generally speaking it is best to get the ship before the wind, if it can be done; if a mast be sprung, reduce sail and fish the mast, secure it with additional preventer stays and tackles. If it be carried away, clear away the wreck and rig a jury mast with the strongest spare spars on board.