266 THE VOYAGE OF THE « DISCOVERY ' [July 



which we live. With absence of wealth, community of 

 interest, and a free sharing of comforts and hardships, we 

 must realise much that is socialistically ideal, yet in recogni- 

 tion of rank and supremacy of command the government 

 must be considered an autocracy ; and, indeed, just at present 

 I can the more fully realise my position as autocrat when I 

 see how eagerly everyone is awaiting the sledging programme 

 which is to foreshadow their lives for the coming season. 



'Although no one smokes out of doors, many smoke 

 within, and a few, amongst whom I must number myself, are 

 inveterate victims of the habit. And yet, speaking generally, 

 the consumption of tobacco is not so great as might be 

 expected in the circumstances. Of eleven officers in the 

 wardroom three are pretty constant smokers, four indulge 

 moderately, and four are practically non-smokers. The first 

 three may possibly consume about i^ lb. each month, the 

 moderate men may account for something over ^ lb. apiece, 

 whilst the amount used by the remainder is practically 

 negligible, so that the whole consumption for the eleven 

 officers does not exceed 6 or 7 lbs. per month, at which rate 

 our stock will last for many a year. On the mess-deck also 

 there are a few who do not smoke at all, and many who are 

 extremely moderate. The allowance is 1 lb. per month, and 

 there has never been any request for an increase. No doubt 

 the moderate smokers help those who are more addicted to 

 the habit, but I should doubt whether any consume much 

 more than their allowance, though from force of habit they 

 prefer a very much stronger tobacco than that smoked aft, 

 and in readiness for this preference we shipped a quantity of 

 tobacco in the leaf which has proved very popular ; the men 

 like rolling it up for themselves in the good old naval fashion. 

 There is now little or no restriction as to time or place of 

 smoking, and apart from the sympathy that I should naturally 

 have with freedom in this respect as a great smoker myself, I 

 cannot see that anything would be gained by limiting the 

 practice as long as there is no one who is inconvenienced by 

 it — and, luckily, we are in the happy position of possessing 



