194 



THE VOYAGE. .ETAT. 22. 



maker to look after the chronometers.* Captain Fitz-Roy's 

 wish was to take " some well-educated and scientific person " 

 as his private guest, but this generous offer was only accepted 

 by my father on condition of being allowed to pay a fair share 

 of the expense of the Captain's table ; he was, moreover, on 

 the ship's books for victuals. 



In a letter to his sister (July 1832) he writes contentedly 

 of his manner of life at sea : — " I do not think I have ever 

 given you an account of how the day passes. We breakfast 

 at eight o'clock. The invariable maxim is to throw away all 

 politeness — that is, never to wait for each other, and bolt off 

 the minute one has done eating, &c. At sea, when the 

 weather is calm, I work at marine animals, with which the 

 whole ocean abounds. If there is any sea up I am either sick 

 or contrive to read some voyage or travels. At one we dine. 

 You shore-going people are lamentaJ^ly mistaken about the 

 manner of living on board. We have never yet (nor shall 

 we) dined off salt meat. Rice and peas and calavanses are 

 excellent vegetables, and, with good bread, who could want 

 more ? Judge Alderson could not be more temperate, as 

 nothing but water comes on the table. At five we have tea. 

 The midshipmen's berth have all their meals an hour before 

 us, and the gun-room an hour afterwards." 



The crew of the B eagle consisted of Captain Fitz-Roy, 

 "Commander and Surveyor," two lieutenants, one of whom 

 (the first lieutenant) was the late Captain Wickham, Governor 

 of Queensland; the present Admiral Sir James Sulivan, K.C.B., 

 was the second lieutenant. Besides the master and two mates, 

 there was an assistant-surveyor, the present Admiral Lort 

 Stokes. There were also a surgeon, assistant-surgeon, two 

 midshipmen, master's mate, a volunteer (ist class), purser, 

 carpenter, clerk, boatswain, eight marines, thirty-four seamen, 

 and six boys. 



There are not now (1882) many survivors of my father's old 

 ship-mates. Admiral Mellersh, Mr. Hamond, and Mr. Philip 



* Either one or both were on the books for victuals. 



