"I will adopt it with an amendment," added Mr. Lowington. "I will explain the amendment. By the new plan, the offices of commodore, captain, and lieutenant are made elective within certain limits. The commodore must be elected from the three captains; the captain must be chosen from the cabin officers of the vessel to which he belongs. Now suppose, for example, that one of the lieutenants for next month, relying upon his popularity among his shipmates for his position the following month, neglects his studies; what check have we upon him?" There was no answer, for this case has not occurred to the agitators. "Suppose the captain of this ship--but I grant in the beginning that this is not a supposable case--should utterly fail in his duty so far as study is concerned; you elect him captain or commodore, while the present rule would send him back into the steerage. The amendment I propose will correct this defect in your plan. It consists of two sections," continued the principal, as he proceeded to read from a paper in his hand. "1. No captain shall be eligible to the office of commodore whose merit-rank is below No. 6 in the Young America, or below No. 5 in the Josephine, or Tritonia. 2. No officer shall be eligible to the office of captain or lieutenant whose merit-rank is below No. 16 in the ship, or below No. 9 in the other vessels. Are you satisfied with the amendment?" "We are," replied the students. "Then the merit-roll will be read and the elections take place to-morrow, on the first day of the month," continued the principal. "We will now go up to Åbo." The students applauded, and left the steerage. The boatswains piped all hands into the boats, and in half an hour the squadron of barges and cutters were pulling in single file up the narrow river. CHAPTER IV. TWO HOURS A IN ÅBO, AND THE BANGWHANGERS. In the captain's gig was Dr. Winstock, with whom Captain Lincoln always delighted to walk or ride on shore, and whom he always invited to take a seat in the stern-sheets of his boat. The doctor had inherited a considerable fortune, which placed him above the necessity of practising in his profession, and he had travelled all over Europe. He had not been an idle wanderer abroad, going from place to place in search of mere amusement; but he had been a diligent inquirer into the system of government, the history, the agricultural and manufacturing interest, and the manners and customs of the countries he visited. He was, therefore, as he was often called, a walking encyclopædia of information; and for this reason Lincoln sought his company. "Of course you have been in Finland before, Dr. Winstock," said Lincoln, as soon as the gig took her place in the line.