board, and these chiefly from the United States, but the roughness of the weather has hitherto chiefly confined them to their cabin. August 2nd. As sickness wears off, I begin to find, more and more, that the great problem on board ship is, how to kill time. There is, fortunately, amongst our cabin passengers no propensity for gambling, such as might serve to give a zest to the otherwise tedious monotony of games of chance-chess requires too much thought to become a frequent and popular occupation-and shuffle-board, the only out-door amusement, if I may so term it, at the best not a very attractive one, is practicable only when the deck happens to be pretty steady. I contrive to keep the enemy at bay during one portion of the day by a course of observations, on the temperature both of the air and water-on the intensity of the sun's radiation, as determined by Herschel's actinometer-and, on the dryness of the atmosphere, by comparison between the indications afforded by the dry and wet bulb thermometers.* Perhaps, fortunate for the undisturbed prosecution of these experiments, that there should be on board a kind of rival philosopher, in the person of a Mr. Swaim, of the United States, who, having purchased in London a grand electro-magnetic apparatus, and being likewise addicted to flying electrical kites, acts himself as a sort of conductor, to draw off attention from my meteorological experiments, to his own more attractive exhibitions.† I fear, however, I have given him mortal offence to day by delivering a verdict against him, when appealed to by the passengers, as to the harmlessness of his drawing down electricity from the clouds. I confess, I do not feel sufficient confidence in his science, to be willing to trust him with so dangerous a plaything as his electrical kite might prove in unskilful hands. In addition to these observations, I also make my servant draw up for me every day a bucket full of the sea water, with which a quart bottle is regularly filled, and this, after being corked, sealed, and ticketed with the date, latitude, and longitude in which it was brought up, is set aside in a box for future examination. I shall also occasionally obtain samples of the water from a considerable depth, by means of the instrument of my invention which is described and figured in the Transactions of the Society of Arts.‡ * For a summary of these observations, see appended. He is the person alluded to in Mr. Horncastle's lines, "On board the Mediator," as the "Learned Pundit," and is the son of the inventor of a patent medicine, which enjoys as great a celebrity in the New World, as Morrison's Pills do in the Old. I was thus enabled, on my return to England, in 1838, to obtain Such are my expedients for wiling away time-in behalf of the other passengers, however, who have no such means of the following results, indicating a pretty uniform rate of increase in the saltness of the sea, as we recede from either coast: THE QUANTITY OF SALT IN SEA WATER. "strenua inertia" to exercise themselves upon, a suggestion has been thrown out for their relief, which seems to promise well. It is proposed that a Journal shall be brought out twice a week, filled with contributions, in verse and prose, from the various cabin passengers; and it is to go by the imposing title of the Atlantic Gazette, or Mediatorial Galaxy-Mr. Motley, senior, a quondam senator of the State of Massachusetts, and therefore yclept an honourable, having condescended to confer the dignity of his name and title on the functions of its editor. August 3rd.-The first number of this important publication has to-day made its appearance, and has been voted by acclamation to possess merit of a very superlative order. To be sure, we are most of us contributors in one shape or other to its columns, and may therefore be excused for feeling a parent's fondness for our progeny. The Editor, however, wisely considering the motley character of the expected contributors to his Journal, collected as they are To this I will take the opportunity of appending the results of my examination of certain specimens of sea water, which were collected from other localities, viz. : And of subjoining those obtained some years ago, by Dr. Marcet, as reported in the Philosophical Transactions, viz. :— from both sides of the Atlantic, deserves credit for the tact he has displayed in selecting a topic for discussion, which seems not calculated to engender or to call forth any latent party or national animosities— "An onion will do well for such a shift." But his drift is best explained in the following introductory address which he has put forth : "THE EDITOR TO HIS READERS. "It may reasonably be expected upon the first appearance of a periodical, such as now claims the attention and patronage of an indulgent public, that the editor should avow in summary terms his political views, and his notions on matters and things in general. "On these subjects he forbears at this time to make any avowals or professions, reserving to himself the right, in common with his fellowsubjects and fellow-citizens, to express his sentiments from time to time as circumstances may to him seem meet and proper. "But upon one topic vastly more interesting and absorbing than perhaps all others, he feels that he cannot be too explicit or too energetic. "He owes it to his ancestors-he owes it to his coadjutors-he owes it to the past, the present, and the coming generations of men, and of freemen-to take unequivocal, and he would fain hope, impregnable ground. The great question to which the editor alludes, and which doubtless is anticipated by his readers, is, 'Ingyons or no Ingyons?' that is emphatically the question. "The editor on this point, avoiding all circumlocution, comes to the scratch at once. He avows himself distinctly, undisguisedly, unequivocalbly, and unalterably, an Ingyonist of the deepest dye and richest flavour. Ingyons in all their shapes, in all their phases, in all their essences, he will advocate at all hazards. "Perish the Atlantic in dust and ashes, perish the Mediatorial Galaxy, with all its present and hoped for brilliancy and glory-but live, long live, and for ever live,-Ingyons and Liberty !" "On There is also some humour in Mr. Horncastle's song, board the Mediator," which appeared in the same number.— "SONG.-ON BOARD THE MEDIATOR. "When first I thought I'd like to be A young United Stater, Thinks I, I'd better go to sea, On board the Mediator. "For I'd been down to Kitty's Dock, And found all things uncommon snug "So straight I went to Captain C- And there I stumpt the precious tin "Thinks I, a bit of good salt beef "But Bobby Peel, nor Mister Bunn, Would ever dream how things are done "We've niggers clad in calicos, Wot makes the soup, and brings it up, "The captain heads the table top, "There's shampain twice a week, d'ye see, "A learned pundit too, is here, A fine young demonstrator, Who sends up kites, and loses 'em "We've gay guitars, and wry-necked fifes, Whose up to snuff, and something more, "And blooming samples of the sex, Whose beaming smiles the soul perplex, "In short, there's all sorts of delights, And squalls by day, ditto by nights, "If any point I overlook, Forgive the enumerator, His head has been so very much shook, Aboard the Mediator." In order to contribute my quota to the general stock, I sent |