It is a curious fact that hardly a single ship-master will say anything in favor of Nelson; personally, I have never yet met one who would admit that this greatest of sea-fighters was better or worse than any other naval commander, for all of whom they appear to have a silent disdain. A sea-captain usually takes as his model Napoleon or Cæsar or even the present emperor of Germany; our skipper reveres the memory of Napoleon and considers him the embodiment of everything grand and exalted; as for Nelson, he won’t even deign to talk about him, and brusquely dismissed the subject to-day by saying that Nelson didn’t even have much command or influence over his men! There was a vast deal of shouting and confusion on board all day, occasioned by the shifting of the old sails to the new, strong suit for Cape Horn; as the captain said, “Now we’re gettin’ ready for business.” It is the general idea that old sails, nearly worn out, are bent for the bad weather, whereas the very newest of all are sent aloft, for old canvas would melt like wet paper in a really hard squall. Therefore the ship now glitters in a brand-new suit of clothes and presents quite a fine appearance; a yachtsman, however, would contemplate with dismay sundry streaks of mildew and tar-stains on the main-sail, though this is the first time that it has ever been stretched on a yard. So long are our topmasts that the big, upper main-topsail has a double row of reef-points in it; all the uppers are three times as deep as the lowers, which seem but strips of tape in comparison; when this vessel has nothing set but the lower topsails, it must verily be a howling gale. Latitude, 27° 50′ south; longitude, 44° 30′ west. +June 22+