172 DIVERTISSEMENTS AT NIGHT. 



crews would come aboard. One nis-ht I counted 

 seventy men in our forecastle. Each. vessel contri- 

 buted its singers, and the choral performances were 

 really a diverting medley. The cook of the schooner, 

 being French, sang the Marseillaise for us; a Ger- 

 man sang the Fatherland ; a Portuguese, I know not 

 what, but, like all the others, he was loudly ap- 

 plauded for his performance ; the Mauriis, Sandwich 

 and ^Navigators' Islanders, all sang their respective 

 songs ; whilst English, Irish, Scotch, and Americans, 

 also gave vent to their national melodies — Rule Bri- 

 tannia, Erin go Bragh, Scots wha hae wi' Wallace 

 bled, and the Star-spangled Banner, or Hail Colum- 

 bia, followed each other — one song being as good 

 as another, so that it had a tune to it. Amongst the 

 Lady Emma's crew w^ere four excellent singers, who 

 had practised together, and performed very credit- 

 ably ; so that we were not without good singers. 

 Instead of spirituous drink, we indulged in a beve- 

 rage, known as switchell, concocted of molasses, 

 vinegar, and water, with the addition of a little ground 

 ginger. At a late hour we separated, without being 

 muddled, as is usual in many, in fact most, assem- 

 blages of the like character amongst people who pro- 

 fess more morality than the sailor. On these occa- 

 sions all was mirth and jollification : discipline, for 

 the time-being, was set aside, and the utmost good- 

 feeling pervaded the company. 



On the last Sunday we lay in the haven, all hands 

 from each ship went ashore, numbering about one 

 hundred and thirty souls. We provided ourselves 

 from our ship with potatoes, biscuit, a piece of salt 

 pork, and a saucepan filled with molasses. We soon 



