vessel, standing idle on deck, sitting down, or leaning over the side.  It is the officers’ duty to keep every one at work, even if there is nothing to be done but to scrape the rust from the chain cables.  In no state prison are the convicts more regularly set to work, and more closely watched.  No conversation is allowed among the crew at their duty, and though they frequently do talk when aloft, or when near one another, yet they stop when an officer is nigh.

With regard to the work upon which the men are put, it is a matter which probably would not be understood by one who has not been at sea.  When I first left port, and found that we were kept regularly employed for a week or two, I supposed that we were getting the vessel into sea trim, and that it would soon be over, and we should have nothing to do but to sail the ship; but I found that it continued so for two years, and at the end of the two years there was as much to be done as ever.  As has often been said, a ship is like a lady’s watch, always out of repair.  When first leaving port, studding-sail gear is to be rove, all the running rigging to be examined, that which is unfit for use to be got down, and new rigging rove in its place; then the standing rigging is to be overhauled, replaced, and repaired in a thousand different ways; and wherever any of the numberless ropes or the yards are chafing or wearing upon it, there ``chafing gear,’’ as it is called, must be put on.  This chafing gear consists of worming, parcelling, roundings, battens, and service of all kinds,—­ rope-yarns, spun-yarn, marline, and seizing-stuffs.  Taking off, putting on, and mending the chafing gear alone, upon a vessel, would find constant employment for a man or two men, during working hours, for a whole voyage.

The next point to be considered is, that all the ``small stuffs’’ which are used on board a ship—­ such as spun-yarn, marline, seizing-stuff, &c., &c.—­ are made on board.  The owners of a vessel buy up incredible quantities of ``old junk,’’ which the sailors unlay, and, after drawing out the yarns, knot them together, and roll them up in balls.  These ``rope-yarns’’ are constantly used for various purposes, but the greater part is manufactured into spun-yarn.  For this purpose, every vessel is furnished with a ``spun-yarn winch’’; which is very simple, consisting of a wheel and spindle.  This may be heard constantly going on deck in pleasant weather; and we had employment, during a great part of the time, for three hands, in drawing and knotting yarns, and making spun-yarn.

Another method of employing the crew is ``setting-up’’ rigging.  Whenever any of the standing rigging becomes slack (which is continually happening), the seizings and coverings must be taken off, tackles got up, and, after the rigging is bowsed well taut, the seizings and coverings be replaced, which is a very nice piece of work.  There is also such a connection between different parts of a vessel, that