times the size of France; such a country, without doubt, must have a magnificent future in store. But England's duty is to let it alone, as it wants to be let alone, for meddling here has produced nothing but muddling. The Colony is no use to us for emigration, or for any other purpose, as it is; it may become in the hands of those who originally colonised it, and who have become passionately attached to its soil, the threshold of another America, destined to be founded in central Africa. The British race has the whole of the Continents of America and of Australia for its overplus of population, and can well afford to stand on one side and let another branch of the Teutonic stock have this."

Such are the arguments that have been put forward by responsible statesmen on either side, and according to the bias of our natural temperament shall we individually be inclined to accept one or the other. The decision as to which will ultimately prevail depends upon which temperaments are in a majority in the British electorate; let us count heads and have done with it. But the most thorough and business-like way of concluding the matter before determining either to abandon South Africa once for all, or to set up one Imperial Protectorate over the whole of the extracolonial native tribes, would be to appoint a Royal Commission instructed to invite and examine the opinions of experienced Cape statesmen, Dutch and English, of Sir John Brand and President Krüger, as well as those of present and past High Commissioners; to inquire into the question in all its bearings; to judge of it, not only in the light of local experience, but also of successful administration of coloured races in India, Ceylon, Singapore, Fiji, New Zealand and the West Indies; and to report as to the necessary administrative and fiscal details of such proposed Protectorate. Then, having been thus put fully in possession of all the facts of the case, let the British public choose one or other of these schemes and abide by it.]1

April 9th.-Squadron preparing for sea, after having been in harbour since February 16th. We weighed the port anchor at 10.30 A.M., hoisted the boats in at 11 A.M. After dinner shortened in. Wrote last letters for England: saw Mr. Southey, who had kindly come on board to say good-bye, and then at 6 P.M. (the same hour as we anchored here) weighed from Simon's Bay, having been at the Cape for over seven anxious weeks. A mail from

1 For after-thoughts on this subject, see vol. ii. pp. 303-9.

England was due to arrive in a few hours but we did not wait for it: it will follow us in one of the Orient Line and arrive at Melbourne long before we do. There was the slightest breeze from the southeast and it was a lovely night; the Roman Rock, Elsey Hill and the Cape Light, were the last we saw of this at present ill-starred land as they faded away in the distance, and the squadron steamed at a speed of five knots out of Simon's Bay. Good-bye to South Africa.

CAPE OF GOOD HOPE TO AUSTRALIA.

April 10th, Palm Sunday-It was a lovely night, with only a slight swell outside, which this morning has become a heavy one off the Agulhas bank. We steam on towards the south, rolling 8; hardly any wind. The usual church service on the main deck. The sun went down over the dark blue water amid a profusion of light whirling wisps of cloud. It is a fine night again, but the moon has a halo round it. Admiral has signalled "rendezvous ten miles south of Cape Otway," nearly 6,000 miles away, so if any of us get separated on the way, we shall not meet again for a considerable time. It will probably take us forty-two or more days to reach Melbourne from here. The programme of the cruise as now settled is that we should arrive there May 20th, leave 28th; arrive Sydney 31st, leave Sydney June 14th; arrive Wellington (New Zealand) June 27th, arrive Christchurch 28th, leave July 4th; arrive Fiji 18th, leave 25th, and arrive Yokohama September 8th, thence as on former programme (p. 215).

April 11th.-In the forenoon, ships spread for target-practice, and exercised at general quarters, firing shot and shell. This over, the mids on the poop fired at the target with rifles, popping away some of them as many as thirty-two rounds, until they riddled the rum-cask, and sank it. The target employed at sea for practising, consists of such a cask, through which a stout ash-pole has been fixed before it is dropped overboard; a piece of

སྤྲ ཀྱ་་་བྱ་པ་པ་གཡག 7ཁྱ༅E ཆེ ཇི

coloured bunting, about three feet square, nailed to the pole, serves as the mark, as it floats at so many hundred yards distance from the ship. A couple of round shot are slung under the cask, in order to keep the flag upright. After dinner at 1.30 P.M., the squadron were exercising at steam tactics till dusk, at 6 P.M. Steam tactics are to ships at sea the same as manœuvring and handling bodies of men are to officers on shore only instead of being executed by word of command, the orders for each formation are of course communicated by signal from the Admiral; the ships in succession, or together, turning so many points to port or so many to starboard as the case may be, to take up their new formation. There were many whales spouting and frolicking round; one came flopping up so suddenly and close to the ship that for a moment we thought it was a man overboard. After sunset there were signs of wind, so at 11.30 that night made plain sail, and just before midnight rove screw purchase and got up screw. At noon to-day we were distant from St. Paul's Island 2,686 miles.

April 12th.-We seem already to have picked up the westerlies and the Admiral has altered course accordingly to south-east; we are now on the 40° parallel of latitude; the wind being from the northwest is thus right aft, but with stunsails set both sides, the Bacchante is only making 68 knots, for we roll a good deal, 24° to starboard, and 21° to port, and there is a heavy swell. The Bacchante is, in fact, sailing the worst of the squadron to-day, and her bottom is probably very foul, judging from the barnacles with which the banjo frame of the screw was found to be covered when it was hoisted. A barque coming up astern, overtook us and sailed down between the lines. There were frequent rain-squalls during the day.

April 13th. The sea and swell have much gone down during the night; at 8 A.M. we are only going four knots; a bright sunny morning, and the wind is still falling. The signal has been made "to chase" and away goes the Inconstant ahead, and the other four ships keep nearly abeam of each other. The Cleopatra and Carysfort were within a cable's length of us, one on our starboard quarter and the other on the port, most of the four and twenty hours. Scarcely a cloud or breath of wind all the afternoon or night.

April 14th.—A fine day but a dead calm; got the screw down at 6.30 A.M. and began steaming at 8 A.M., then spread for target practice, at which fired electric broadsides. In the afternoon we are at steam tactics, after which the squadron was organised into

three divisions, and formed columns of divisions in line ahead, second division to port, third division to starboard, of the flagship. The effect of this is that the flagship has the Bacchante on her port, and Tourmaline on her starboard beam, and these three ships sail along together abreast as the first line; astern of the Bacchante is the Cleopatra, and astern of the flagship is the Carysfort. In the evening there were heavy showers of rain.

April 15th, Good Friday.-In the middle watch, at 3 A.M., made plain sail, and set port stunsails. At 4.15 A.M. cleared lower deck, and all hands rove screw purchase, and got the screw up, as a gentle breeze had sprung up from the northeast. An American barque sailing in the same direction as ourselves overtook and passed us. Had church on the main deck. We are gradually getting more south; to-day we are on the 40th parallel, but over 5,000 miles from Cape Otway. The wind is very variable, and is going round from the north-east to the north-west, and the barometer is falling very fast.

April 16th.-A fine day but nearly calm, with light airs from the south-west. After breakfast went to the "chief" who had his hook and line overboard fishing for albatross, of which there were a great many flying round the ship. We were not long before we hooked one, and hauled him up on the glacis, and took him under the poop, where we skinned him: he was a beauty, measuring ten feet from tip to tip of his wings. Immediately afterwards the wind sprang up from the north-east, and took us all aback, one ship after the other, and during the afternoon it was very squally, with much rain but the wind went round to the north-west, and freshening up took us along over nine knots. This night we rolled more than we have ever done since we have been in commission. All sorts of things were carried away in the cabin, amongst others a stanchion of one of the cots, which sent George rolling on the deck amid other things that had fetched away and were scattered there. "Something has happened" and a good deal of laughter were the first sounds that were heard after the crash. So no great harm was done.

April 17th, Easter Day.-A fine morning, the wind still fresh. The flagship is rolling along under topsails only, and yet drawing ahead of the squadron (all the other ships have got every stitch they can set, royals and stunsails), so vastly superior is she in sailing power any of us. It must be very trying to the patience of those on

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VOL. I.

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