The party being seated in their respective boats, they were pulled to the Bell Rock in about twenty minutes, from the moorings of the Pharos, when the water was smooth and the wind moderate. This morning the boats reached the rock at 8 o’clock; the work commenced exactly at a quarter past 8, and at half-past 11, the water again began to overflow the parts on which the artificers were at work. Every tide now gave the writer more pleasant prospects of the progress of the work than another, especially since the erection of the smith’s forge. [Sidenote: Artificers become expert rowers.] [Sidenote: Rations of artificers.] On leaving the rock to-day, a trial of seamanship was proposed amongst the rowers, for by this time the artificers had become tolerably expert in this exercise. By inadvertency, some of the oars provided had been made of fir instead of ash, and although a considerable stock had been laid in, the workmen, being at first awkward in the art, were constantly breaking their oars; indeed, it was no uncommon thing to see the broken blades of a pair of oars floating astern, in the course of a passage from the rock to the vessel. The men, upon the whole, had but little work to perform in the course of a day; for though they exerted themselves extremely hard while on the rock, yet, in the early state of the operations, this could not be continued for more than three or four hours at a time, and as their rations were large, consisting of one pound and a half of beef,--one pound of ship-biscuit,--eight ounces oatmeal,--two ounces barley,--two ounces butter,--three quarts of beer,--with vegetables and salt, they got into excellent spirits, when free of sea-sickness. The rowing of the boats against each other became a favourite amusement; which was rather a fortunate circumstance, as it must have been attended with much inconvenience, had it been found necessary to employ a sufficient number of sailors for this purpose. The writer, therefore, encouraged this spirit of emulation, and the speed of their respective boats became a favourite topic. Premiums for boat races were also instituted, which were contended for with great eagerness, and the respective crews kept their stations in the boats, with as much precision as they kept their beds on board of the ship. With these, and other pastimes, when the weather was favourable, the time passed away, among the inmates of the fore-castle and waist of the ship. The writer looks back with interest upon the hours of solitude which he spent in this lonely ship, with his small library. [Sidenote: “Saturday night at Sea.”]