ought how strange it is,
that though men will toil, and labour, and undergo all sorts of
hardships, to obtain some worldly advantage, some fancied fleeting good,
and to avoid some slight ill or inconvenience, how little trouble do
they take to obtain perfect happiness--eternal rest--and to avoid the
most terrific, the most lamentable of evils, the being cast out for ever
from the presence of the great, the glorious Creator of the universe, to
dwell with the spirits of the lost.

I gave a short account of Captain Tooke and Mr Cole, as they appeared
to me when I first joined the unfortunate _Kite_. They had in no way
altered. The captain was the same bold, daring seaman as ever, without
any religious principle to guide him; and though his heart was not
altogether hard or unkind, his manners were rough and overbearing, and
he was often harsh and unjust to those below him. I have met numbers of
merchant masters just like him from the same cause. They are sent early
to sea, without any proper training, and without any right principles to
guide them. If they are sharp, clever lads, they soon are made mates,
and before they have learned to command themselves they are placed in
command over others. In most instances, their fathers, or relatives, or
friends are masters or owners of vessels, and are in a hurry to get them
employed. The vessels are insured, so that if, through their
carelessness or ignorance, the vessels are cast away, that matters
little, they consider. If the crew are lost, that is the fate of
sailors. If the master escapes, they can easily get him a new vessel;
and as he has learned a lesson of caution, he will be all the better
master for some time to come till the vessel is worn out, and then there
will be no great harm if she is lost also. I speak of things as they
were in my day. I am glad to say that a very great improvement has
taken place of late years.

Our old mate held the master in great awe and respect. This was
fortunate, as it generally kept him sober; still the old man never lost
an opportunity of getting hold of his favourite liquor, and he would
seldom leave the bottle while a drop remained. However, he generally
contrived to get tipsy in harbour just before he was going to bed, so
that he could turn in and sleep off the effects; and when now and then
he was overtaken at sea, the men knew how to manage him; and, as he was
good-natured and indulgent, they generally contrived to con