The sailors breakfast at 7, the officers at 8, and the Commander at 9. At the latter hour the bugle sounds the order to "clear the ship," when the cleaning of arms, guns, and all other articles of metal connected with the ship's armoury, begins. During this process the band plays cheerful airs, so that the work is done whilst keeping time with the music, which serves to lighten the labour. This duty requires to be completed within forty-five minutes, and terminates with an inspection of the men and their arms. This being over, officers and midshipmen off duty assemble together with the naturalists in the reading-room. Most of the books in the library referred to those countries likely to be visited by the Expedition, so that every one might previously obtain useful information relative to their physical, historical, and social conditions. The naturalists employ the greater part of the day in their cabins, noting down their observations, and preparing for those to be made in the course of the voyage. The crew are kept in activity by being drilled and otherwise occupied. The men dine at 12; the dinner of the officers is served up at 3, and that of the Commodore at half-past 3 o'clock P.M. The remainder of the afternoon is spent in prosecuting the labours begun in the morning. Thus steals on the evening, when a general assemblage takes place on deck, for air and exercise. [Illustration: SEAMEN OFF DUTY.] The occurrences of the day, the sunset, the curious formation of the clouds, or the bewitching beauty of a brilliant tropical sky at night, form interesting topics for lively discussion. It is, however, rather daring to institute a comparison between the splendour of the sky in the tropics and that of our higher latitudes. For, most men become more or less unjust towards the beauties of a new and foreign natural scenery, in consequence of their not being able to divest themselves of former impressions produced in them by phenomena of a similar nature. What impressions are, for instance, deeper in young and old, and excite more delightful recollections than the starry sky of home? And can it be disputed that the association of ideas has a most powerful effect upon the impressions made by those phenomena of nature which are so peculiarly attractive and so deeply fixed in the human mind?