The Eighteenth Century 59 



enjoyment, return with resignation, and real comfort to their wonted occu- 

 pations. The amusements, on this occasion, consisted chiefly in dressing up a 

 sailor, of a good figure and manly countenance, in the supposed proper habit 

 of the sea god, Neptime, armed with a trident, and his garments dripping with 

 the element submitted to his power. He stood at the ship's head, as if he were 

 rising out of the ocean, and demanded, with an audible voice, what was the 

 ship thus encroaching upon his dominions? An answer being given from the 

 quarter-deck, where the Embassador, Sir Erasmus Gower, the ofBcers and 

 passengers, all stood, announcing the ship's name, and purport of the voyage, 

 Neptune, with his attendants properly accoutred, stepped with great 

 solemnity towards them, and, with some words of compliment to his Excel- 

 lency, presented him a fish (lately caught) as part of the produce of the 

 deity's domains. His godhead was treated by all with great respect; and 

 becoming offerings of silver were voluntarily made to him, for himself and 

 his companions, by those who had crossed the Line before: but were exacted 

 as a just tribute from those who attempted it for the first time, under penalty 

 of going through ceremonies, not a little ludicrous, and promotive of much 

 broad laughter among the initiated into those mysteries. They concluded 

 with a plentiful repast, accompanied with the music of the bagpipe, and 

 copious, tho not excessive, libations of exhilarating liquor. 



( Sir George Leonard Staunton, 1st Baronet. An authentic account of an 

 embassy from the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China. London, 

 1797. v. 1, p. 145-146.) 



Sir George Leonard Staunton, first baronet, went to China as secretary of Lord Macartney's 

 mission, sailing from Portsmouth September 26, 1792. The "authentic account of an embassy from 

 the King of Great Britain to the Emperor of China" was pubhshed at London in 1797 ( reprinted 

 at Philadelphia in 1799 ) . It tells of the illness among the crew and of the calms that delayed the 

 cruise as they came into the doldrums; it adds nothing new as to the ceremony except perhaps 

 the joyful news that the "Hbations of exhilarating liquor" were "copious, though not excessive." 

 The crew had perhaps been fortified by bitter experience for such ordeals, and proved their 

 rights thus to membership in the Order of True Temperance Performers. 



He does provide the twentieth century readers wdth a delicious picture of the point of view of 

 the diplomat and the nobleman choosing to condescend to give passing attention to some of the 

 feelings and emotions of "the lower orders of mankind, who know little of life except its labours." 

 Some of us may venture to wonder what Sir George Staunton, bart., would have said when he 

 read about the visit in 1920 by the Prince of Wales to Australia and New Zealand, and how when 

 "Neptune came on board" and "demanded the royal victim with glee" the orders were "carried 

 out viâth brutal precision." 



4. On distingue le baptême de la hgne & de celui des tropiques & l'un des trois 

 n'exempte pas des deux autres conformément aux principes de cette insti- 

 tution. 



( Charles Romme. Dictionnaire de la marine françoise. Paris, 1792. p. 63. 

 Reprinted with minor variations in: Melusine, v. 2 (1884-5), column 

 276.) 



Mr. Urban, April 23. As I never remember reading in any of your Magazines 

 an account of the fun usual on board ships on crossing the line; I wül extract 



