78 THE FLORIST. 



NOTES FROM THE LOG-BOOK OF AN ERRATIC MAN. 



No. IV. 



THE DESERTED SHIP. 



Often, when I have finished my employment amongst my plants, I 

 resort to my quarter-deck, as I call it — a path immediately in front 

 of one of my greenhouses, where, in the language of Wordsworth, 



" I pace unwearied and alone, 

 In that habitual restlessness of foot 

 With which the sailor measures o'er and o'er 

 His short domain upon the vessel's deck, 

 While she is travelling through the dreary sea." 



When thus occupied I have my *' reminiscences;" and though far 

 less floral than those of many of your excellent correspondents, I 

 hope they may serve by contrast to shew the Florist the happiness 

 of his situation, and lead him, when surrounded by the beautiful 

 objects of his care, to remember those to whom our gardens are so 

 much indebted for the productions of other lands. 



Sailors, perhaps more than any others, have to see the closeness 

 with which in this world sunshine and storm, security and danger, 

 hope and fear, life and death, go hand in hand. Whatever use may 

 be made of their opportunities, it is certain that the vicissitudes and 

 uncertainty of human life are obtruded more frequently upon none 

 than upon them ; and it sometimes happens that in the most cloud- 

 less serenity of their course, a melancholy and silent record of some 

 past disaster that has befallen others in the same path of life as their 

 own, has told of what, but for the preserving care of God, might have 

 been their own lot. 



It was a gloriously fine morning on the 1st of June, 1826, with 

 a rattling breeze just enough to keep all the light sails stowed out 

 of the way ; every body, from the captain to the cook, in the highest 

 spirits, so exhilarating is such weather to the homeward bound. 

 The merry laugh was present among the passengers, for whom the 

 sea-breezes had done more in the way of restoration to health than 

 all the calomel of India. And if the passengers were light-hearted, 

 so were the men ; in fact, there was an air of cheerfulness through 

 the whole ship, which all have known who have been much at sea, 

 and particularly when, after a continuance of adverse gales, a favour- 

 able one is speeding them on their way homeward. The sun and 

 moon were in distance for obtaining lunar observations, the officers 

 were on the poop with their sextants, the doctor held the time- 

 piece, the captain had said, *' Are you ready }" when a man on the 

 forecastle sung out, " Boat right a-head, sir." Down went the sex- 

 tants. " Boat !" said the captain, " what boat can be here .'' a Scilly 

 boat ? or can it be a pilot-boat so far to the west'ard } hand me up 

 my glass." "Boy," cried the chief officer to his servant, "bear a 

 hand and bring me mine for'ard ;" and he left the poop, and went 

 aloft to the fore- topsail- yard. By this time every body was upon 



