December 4.-Shoal of porpoises. Lat. 33° 24′ S., long. 13° 25' W. December 5. Day after day, week after week goes by- The Southern Cross, of which those at all conversant with the constellations of the southern hemisphere must have heard, is now visible, and an interesting object, a little after ten o'clock at night. It does not now appear to the best advantage, being inverted, and in rather a leaning position. The Magellan Clouds, two of them white, the other dark, three in number, are also prominent objects in the starry heavens. They are at first sight nothing more than small patches of fleecy cloud, two of them, but when looked at steadily, are nothing more or less than spots on the heavens-the milky whiteness of innumerable stars closely congregated; just like detached portions of the Milky Way. The black cloud being only the reverse of this, or the total absence of stars, a blank in the starry universe. We have had many whales about us, of a small kind, sending up a vapoury steam whitely against the dark clouds. There were also, for more than an hour, at the stern of the ship three or four of those superbly-winged birds-the albatross, gliding to and fro with a soft dream-like motion. All the specimens of this bird have been more or less coloured, dark or light brown on the upper sides of the wings and back; in a few of them, the bodies have been entirely white. Those that have come under our observation have been not more than a year or two old, as after that time they grow whiter until purely white. We have been losing in latitude to-day, the wind being contrary, but have gained a little in longitude. Lat. 33° 15′ S. December 6.-Another and more beautiful individual of the petrel genus seen to-day, the Cape-pigeon. It is white seen above you, but when you look down upon it as it skims along the waves, or rests upon them, it is barred and spotted with a rich warm-toned brown, sprinkled over with white, and on a white ground. The more we go southerly the more of these we are to find. It and the albatross-small as a pigeon the former, and larger than the eagle the latter-are the most beautiful sea birds yet seen by us. The wind against us. The ship seen yesterday, to-day out of sight. Another of the petrel tribe has just made its appearance, called by our sea-faring people the snow petrel. It is said to breed on the New Shetlands in the South Pacific, and to rear its young in the snow. The upper part of its body and wings are grey, and white under. December 7.-We now see more than a dozen birds of the albatross kind; if not of different species it must be, as I have before stated, difference in age that causes so great a variety in size and colour; some being not apparently more than four feet, whilst others are eight or ten feet across the wings; some purely white-others brown-and some nearly black. One of these birds was shot in the morning, and another wounded and left to die a lingering death on the water. There is wanton cruelty and waste of life in this useless, aimless slaughter of creatures which you cannot obtain. Should any evil consequences follow the sacrilegious murder of the "bird of good omen, "there will not be wanting many of our mariners to know whence our miseries are derived. It is a superstitious weakness akin to good. The Christian and the poetical philosophy of the New Testament and of Wordsworth, came strongly into my mind,-of the sparrow not falling to the ground disregarded-and of "The Spirit that is in the boundless air, That is in the green leaves among the groves, For the unoffending creatures whom he loves." A dim Coleridgean superstitious feeling came over me, when in the afternoon our calm breezy heavens were hung widely with a dark and stormy drapery of clouds; and also when, shortly after, the wind got up, and we were enveloped, for a short time by a misty rain squall. It seemed that "Suffering nature grieved that one should die." A large black whale was seen by us in the afternoon; five or six birds, called whale-birds, making their appearance at the same time. They are about the size of the turtle-dove; in voice and shape they much resemble the swallow. One of them settled on the point of the flying-jib-boom, and although several times driven thence by seamen attempting to catch it, it always returned to the same place. It is a very pretty and friendly bird. Its body is white, its tail forked, its head nearly black, its bill and legs dark-orange. It lingered with us till the dusk, then disappeared. What with this bird, the whale, many species of petrel, the number and constant flitting to and fro of the albatrosses; and the coming hurry-skurry about the prow of the ship of a rampant, leaping, racing shoal of porpoises-we were kept, during most of the day, in a state of lively excitement. Lat. 35° 48′ S., long. 10° 35′ W. Public December 8.-Our fifteenth Sunday on the ocean. religious service was observed on board for a few sabbaths only, beginning with the first Sunday after the storm in the English Channel. To me it seemed the piety of fear; and with the sense of danger, the form of piety vanished. Many of the whalebirds have been twittering and chuckling about the rigging, and settling on the yards. They must be birds of a shore-haunting genus, that have followed the whale too far out, seaward, they have so much the appearance of weariness. There seems to me ample scope, a wide field for the naturalist, amongst the birdtribes of the ocean; especially in the vast expanses of the South Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Nor would it be unpleasant to have a vessel at one's command on a mission of the kind. course, our merchantmen never turn a jot out of their way, or linger a moment, to obtain any object scientifically interesting or valuable. Nor, indeed, though it seems hard to us, ought it to be expected; and indeed, "How should these money-bags see east and west ?" Of For a day, the wind driving us westward, we were making for Tristan D'Acunha, the residence of Governor Glasse and his small community; but changing again, we leave it to the southwest. Wednesday and Thursday we made little progress; yesterday and to-day we are making up for it. We are now in lat. S. 36° 2′, long. W. 7° 34'. At noon we were visited by the largest porpoises we have yet seen; the kinds, sizes and colours, are various. In the distance, to the north-east, a vessel is seen. If a whaler, as we suppose by its lying-to, it is occupied with a whale recently caught. December 9.-Rough weather. One consolation we have in our dull ship; it is strong and tight, never leaking more than ten or eleven inches of water in the hold, even after a gale. This is well-and what is still better, our captain is, we made the discovery long ago; sober, active, anxious for the safety of the vessel and the crew; ever on the alert when there is the least appearance of danger; tenacious of his authority; as a sailor skilful, allowed to be so by those of the crew and passengers who know anything about the matter; and he has consequently the confidence of all on board; and as a man he is kind and gentlemanly. The weather is now chill enough for an English autumn; but perhaps this feeling we are indebted for to tropical latitudes. We owe to the southern icebergs the cold of winds which are blowing thence. West longitude 4°. December 10.-Five whales seen. The sea a lively animated picture. Inspirited by the weather, I wrote— UPON THE OCEAN GOD IS NEAR. Upon the ocean God is near- In calm and storm, a gracious form, His love is breathed in every wind, His voice in every wave; His life, His light, in the stormy might His bow of promise we behold, As gorgeously arrayed As when, amid a world destroyed, His gentlest creatures, dove-like birds, The banner of his love, the sun, We cannot go where God is not In goodness ever nigh; Thus when we sleep upon the deep This evening we passed the meridian of Greenwich, having come, driven on by strong winds, since yesterday 184 miles : good bye to the west longitudes! Our south latitude is 37° 40'. This part of the ocean belongs to the vast and almost illimitable "fishing grounds " of the southern hemisphere: consequently we have had about us nearly a dozen whales to-day; some of them near, and sending up abundantly their watery steam into the sky. Our barque is seldom without the pleasant companionship of many and various aquatic birds; from the magnificent albatross to the little stormy petrel, a martin-like bird; or, as it is called by seamen, Mother Carey's chicken. The grey or snow petrel is more common now. There are many other species of the same genus. Of terns many kinds. The pretty dove-like whale-birds grow also more abundant. December 11.-Strong stormy winds: compelled to take in much canvas. What albatrosses we now see are nearly white. A large black bird, very like a domestic hen, seen; it is called the Capehen. A current sets in against us strongly in this part of the ocean from the south, so that when we seem going forward six knots an hour, we do not in reality advance more than four. To-day, as heretofore, our young passengers have amused themselves cruelly with shooting our confidential and beautiful visitors the whale-birds. "You wretches," exclaimed our chief mate; "you may depend on't you'll have a gale of wind for killing those birds, before you get to Launceston!" A graceful superstition protects the robin-redbreast; I wish the mate's denunciation might prevail to protect these. East longitude 3o 5'. December 12.-We have not come all this way for nothing; there are now near us a kind of large fish called sea-devils. The very whales seem to shun us, on what account they can best judge. Wind variable, air cold. December 13.-Cloudy and cold. December 14.-Many changes in wind and weather in a little time: sails furled, then shook out again: one moment the day bright and warm, then dark and rainy. Although it is summer time, on the sea the air is cold. In the tropics the thermometer ranged from 80° to 96o. Here it is seldom lower than 60o, or higher than 66°. On land the reflection would be stronger, and it would be consequently much warmer, if not intolerably hot. We have had for more than a week a long rolling swell from the west and south-west. The motion of the ship is intolerable. Up we go, and down again, rocking and rolling. Long. 11° 40′ E., lat. S. 37° 30'. December 15.-On land there is a chime of sabbath bells in most Christian lands, and here upon the waters wide and deep there may be piety and worship, but it is without any outward indication. Silence seems the universal principle; nor can solitude and silence find a more absolute empire for their sovereignty than the ocean. E. long. 13° 30'. December 16.-Last evening the sky presented the most wonderful appearance; the shapes, the whole character and colouring of the |