me of the old crew having left. We made very good
progress and were nearly off New York when we got into a violent
snowstorm, which greatly amused the negro sailors, who had never seen
"white rain" before, but unfortunately for three of them, they got
frostbitten and lost their legs. We got into New York at last on the
25th of January, 1865, eight months from Hongkong!

Although the voyage was so long, I believe the venture turned out to be
a good one financially. Gold was at a very high premium,--about two
dollars and eighty cents at this time,--and our cotton sold for one
dollar and fifty cents per pound. The "Neimen" went into dock, and
people came in hundreds to see the strange sight. She was covered with
shells like a rook. Some of these shells were sent out to China, and
Messrs. Russell & Co. (the owners) had them mounted in silver as
inkstands.

28th June, 1898.

[*] To land and store cargo should never be done by a shipmaster without
authority from the owners.

A Voyage of Misfortune.

After the last voyage which I gave you an account of I accepted an offer
made me by my late employers, and became superintendent of a business
under their management in New York. Unfortunately, at the close of the
war, this business was temporarily suspended and my contract was
annulled. I then tried two or three different things on my own account,
and finally settled as agent for a paper-mill; and all things were going
on fairly well until in an unguarded moment I read an advertisement in
the New York Herald. It ran as follows: "A gentleman with experience
requires a partner with capital, in a safe business, with no risks." The
bait took, and I had an interview with "the gentleman," and saw the
persons to whom he referred me, and we joined, with the result that in
less than seven months we had changed places. I had the experience and
he had the capital, as well as the stock, and had vanished to where the
woodbine twineth. His friends told me that this was his usual way of
doing business. This was pretty cool. In a short time the same gentleman
was seeking another victim in Chicago. My advice to sailors is to "stick
to the ship."

Well, sir, the next thing I thought of was to get a ship before the
landsharks took all I had from me; and, with the assistance of Mr. Paul
Forbes, I was soon in command of the ship "Royal Saxon," owned jointly
by R. W. Cameron, of New York, and R. Towns, of Sydney. We sailed from
New