It is customary, as a general thing, for the mate to take special charge of the foremast and jib-boom, and the second mate of the mainmast and mizzen-mast, as far as keeping them in order is concerned. But the mate keeps the general supervision of the work, and the second mate would not make any changes of consequence without the mate's approval. This obliges him to resort to small jobs to keep his men employed when more extensive work fails, and they are apt to be of the character denominated "humbugging" by sailors, and of which the exponent is sawing wood with a hammer. It must be admitted that a great deal of work is done on board ship, which will hardly bear the test of necessity. But the men must be constantly employed, and if other things fail the chain-cable will always have rust enough on it to admit of cleaning, as a last resort; and if some who wonder "what they find to do on board ship," could have spent a day in one of the flash California clippers of a few years' ago, they would have seen a large crew busied not only in the day-time, but through the night, scraping eye-bolts and iron belaying-pins till they shone like silver, smoothing off the paint work by rubbing with stones, scraping other parts bright, as also the masts and yards, and wearing away the deck with holystones, as well as the more legitimate work of making and taking in sail, bracing yards and repairing sails and rigging. The rule of labor in such vessels is comprised in the sailor's "Philadelphia Catechism:" "Six days thou shalt labor and do all thou art able; and on the seventh, holystone the decks and pound the cable." I found, too, that it was rather harder to get along with the sailors. Having entire control of my watch I took much more interest in their performance of work, and any laziness or stupidity excited my pugnacity in the like greater proportion. The crew, with two or three exceptions, were a poor set of men; not particularly ugly in disposition, but ignorant, thick-headed and lazy, and very trying to an officer's temper. The captain behaved wonderfully well, and seemed so sincerely endeavoring to restrain his usual sea indulgences, that I had no regret at my decision in making the voyage. The mate got along rather quietly, and proved himself to be a very efficient officer; and there was something in his calm, decided bearing which gave the captain great confidence in him, and also kept him somewhat from his customary interference with mate's duties. He bestowed pretty liberal attention on the second mate's affairs, however, and used to make me understand sometimes what Mr. Morrison had endured the previous voyage.