information. A sailor--an officer, I mean--unless he is
content not to be superior to a waggoner who drives his team up and down
between London and his native town, should have a fuller and more varied
style of education than men of any other profession. He should know the
history of every country he visits, the character of its people, and
their institutions and language, its natural productions and natural
history,--indeed, no knowledge will come amiss to him."

As may be seen, I was more fortunate in my associates than I might have
expected. I had often read of waves running mountains high in books of
poetry and other works, and I fully expected to see them as high, as the
mast-heads. I was surprised, therefore, to find our big ship tumbled
about so much by those over which we sailed, and which seldom rose very
much higher than the bulwarks. I told Mr Henley what I had expected to
see. He laughed very much, and said that it was fortunate they did not
run to the height I had supposed. He then told me that those we were
watching were generally not rising more than twenty feet, though,
occasionally, some attained an elevation of from twenty-two to
twenty-four feet. He calculated the height of the wave by first
estimating the height of our eyes above the water, and then the height
of the crest which intercepted the horizon.

A fortnight after leaving London the gale passed away, and the next
morning we sighted a high land to the south, which was announced to be
the island of Madeira. Latterly, we had made a good run of it. The
captain was for giving it a wide berth, but Dr Cuff made such strong
representations as to the condition of the passengers, that, with a very
bad grace, he stood towards it. Brightly the sun shone forth, and, with
a light breeze, we soon found ourselves enjoying a summer climate.

I was much struck with the extraordinary beauty of Funchal and the
surrounding country, as we brought up in the roads, which are on the
south side of the island. Before us, piled one upon another, were
numberless precipitous hills, separated by ravines, with houses,
churches, and public buildings perched on every accessible point, and
climbing up, as it were, from the sea-beach to a considerable height
above the water. On our left, on the summit of some rocks, were two
forts of somewhat ancient appearance, the guardians of the town, while
on the west was another fort of no very terrific aspect. But perhaps