sandy, the upmost layer of the ground consists of a rich black soil, which has at some places a thickness of half an arschine. The valley on the left hand is perfectly open, and extending out of view. On the right side is, behind the opeu country, the range of the Little Chin-Gan Ridge to be seen, a branch of which, Tichuri-Alm, rising in the district of the Daurians, approaches near Sachaljan-ula-Choton, and continues in an uninterrupted chain eastward, by retiring from the banks of the river. The branches of the Tlchuri-Alin, steep and woodless, send, near the town, their arms yet farther to the East, lowering very much. Their slopes are covered with wood, the black belt of which is bordering the valley sharply.

At its turn to N.E. the river forks. Here and there appear small villages, consisting of two or three mud hovels, habited by some Manchurian fisherman with his family. The population is probably formed by exiles, a Manchurian, at least, who was visited by Mr. Permikin, appeared to him to be such an one. His dwelling, the numerous nets, and the garden, witnessed his being well off.

The country between the mouth of the Seja and the Niomanbira* reminds one of the middle zone of European Russia. The immense space which we had seen in the last four days is able to hold a large population, and all the exigencies for agriculture and breeding cattle are at hand. Besides, the Amoor has an inexhaustible abundance of fish.

(To be continued.)

THE CONVEYANCE OF TROOPS TO INDIA.

Mr. Editor,-In your number for January last you favoured me by an insertion of four different plans for the safe and rapid conveyance of troops to India. It is much to be regretted that little seems to have been done in the interim in the way of those improvements therein suggested; but it may be as well, after the lapse of a year, to consider what really has been achieved in effecting that important object. Although, on the most urgent occasions, many have been forwarded by steamers, both overland and round the Cape, yet the general plan adopted seems to be that which I called No. 4. This comprises the employment of the fastest sailing vessels, taken up at the lowest price, at so much per man, varying from about £9 10s. to £11.

It is some satisfaction to observe that since those several plans appeared in the Nautical, the system of employing those dull sailing vessels has been given up; one that kept the troops six or seven

* The manner of writing Nioman often changes for Numan.

months on the passage certainly was not in keeping with these times, when celerity and economy are the order of the day. Adopted it certainly has been, and whether by an accident or not, the Nautical may be congratulated in pursuing one of the principal duties of a professional publication in pointing out defects when there appears to be no nautical man employed in this very important branch of the public service.

Since the change which has occurred at the East India House, there is still no nautical authority or Transport Board of any kind to be responsible that the transports with troops are sent off in a proper condition for going to sea; and, notwithstanding the large number of troops sent off, there is but one individual, should orders to the contrary not be given, of the profession who visits those vessels officially, but whose authority merely extends as far as the space allotted for accommodation, and the inspection as to the proper quality of the provisions for the voyage. Consequently, in both of these particulars there is nothing to complain of, excepting the ill-judged plan of sending porter for troops instead of grog, which was formerly allowed, under proper restrictions. The porter of course always be comes sour directly it reaches the warm latitudes.

Now, Mr. Editor, in my opinion, unless we are content to hear of continued losses by disasters at sea, it is absolutely necessary that a regular Transport Board or Committee should be formed, which alone should be responsible that these vessels are in all particulars properly equipped in every respect for sea, and fit to encounter the worst of weather. For this Committee or Board three first-rate men who have commanded India ships, and who have made the most rapid and successful voyages, should be selected, and with them should be associated a military officer who has been round the Cape with troops. A regular contract and certain regulations should be drawn up as to manning and all matters pertaining to the outfit of these ships, aud strict inspections of them should be made previous to the embarcation of troops, not only as to mustering the crew, but also the state of the hull, spars, anchors, cables, sails, cordage, stores, &c. The lowest tender should not be taken unless the ship is proved on examination and survey to be in every way adapted for the service, and the soundest and best sailing ships should have the preference, although offered at a somewhat higher figure than others. When contracts are taken low they invariably work, in some way or other, to the detriment of the public service. Shipowners should be properly paid, and then stringent rules may fairly be exacted of them. Among these, the principal objects to be kept in view are:-The number of foremast men to be in the ratio of four to every 100 tons register; foreigners should not exceed one-fifth of the crew; a strict inspection as to masts, yards, sails, and spare spars; anchors and cables, the weight of the former and length of the latter, trim of ship, &c. And this Transport Committee should be responsible that the ship is in every respect ready for sea, with her proper outfit, complement of men, and

spare stores, before she is reported as being ready to receive troops. A measure of this kind, well enacted and strictly carried out, would prevent immense losses, as well as accidents and delays.

In my remarks on this subject last year it was recommended that troops should only be forwarded in the summer months; but as it has been found in practice that, having no large standing army, we are obliged to adopt the hand to mouth system, and send off recruits as they are raised, it is advisable, in the winter months, to spare them the miseries of a long beat down channel. Troops, from September to April, therefore, should not embark at Gravesend; but the transports should proceed to West Cowes, and take them off from thence,-a depot for recruits being formed at Newport, in the Isle of Wight. From hence Government steamers should tow them through the Needles, and, if the weather proved favourable, might take them on beyond Portland or the Start, and, in fact, see them fairly off. This would set them on probably a month in their passage, and save great expence in wear and tear, as well as the disgust and discontent likely to arise from tedious delay in bad weather on first entering

service.

It is to be hoped, Mr. Editor, that some of the valuable remarks to be found in the Nautical will fall into the hands of those who have the power and influence to prevent the enormous amount of suffering and imminent risk of loss among our troops, by establishing some system of uniformity in their conveyance to India. It is a service which, if taken up in the proper spirit, is easily managed; and, although among the Council there is not one nautical man to take the matter in hand, yet by a judicious selection of a committee under their authority, as above proposed, there is no reason to doubt that the duty of sending troops to India by the most approved system would be efficiently and faithfully performed.

I

To the Editor of the Nautical Magazine.

am, &c.,

TRIDENT.

[There is much in the foregoing letter deserving attention. Nautical business required to be done properly must be done by nautical men. Thus, a close inspection, as recommended, would have prevented such a disastrous state of things as occurred in the Bombay, the log of which, as it appears in the Shipping Gazette, we append as a dismal contrast to what things should be. It is heartrending to know that the seamen who lost their lives by masts going over the side, as they did in the Bombay, were all British seamen, the only men capable of doing a seaman's duty,-the foreigners on board being mere landsmen,-their reward for being foremost in their duty on board a British merchant ship! Sad degradation this, and sad indication of the state of things in that important branch of our marine. Let us hope that such a state of things as this will be remedied by those who are so alive at the present moment to the shipping interest.]

After her encounter with the late fearful weather, the dismasted ship Bombay, Flamank, arrived in Plymouth Sound at 3.30 a.m. on Sunday, December 5th, in tow of the steam-frigate Argus, Commander H. F. W. Ingram.

The Bombay's jury foremast consists of a spare spar about forty-six feet long; the mainmast is a maintopgallantmast, and the intended mizen a jibboom. The original fore and mainmasts broke a little below the deck, in the partners, on the 16th of November, when Mr. Paul and sixteen others, the best of the crew, were aloft, furling sails of these six only regained the ship. The mainmast went over the starboard side and the mizenmast over the stern. The foremast was carried away on the 23rd. Mr. Joseph Alcock, Quartermaster, was knocked overboard and drowned on the 2nd December, while assisting to prepare to step a jury mizenmast. A considerable portion of the crew consisted of foreigners, including Cephalonians, Italians, Spaniards, Dutch, Prussians, and Germans. None of the cargo has been thrown overboard. The pumps were constantly attended to throughout the storm, and at this time the Bombay does not make an inch of water per hour. She had a fair passage from London to Cork, off which she arrived on the 10th of November. The subsequent details are given in the following abstract from her log:

Nov. 10th.-Made Ballycotton Light at 7h. p.m. Strong gale from the East, with heavy short sea.

11th.-Strong gale, heavy squall, ship labouring violently; carried away foretopsailsheet. At 2h. a.m. split sail. At 4h. tremendous gale, ship labouring and straining most violently. At 5.30 a.m. parted maintopsailsheet, split the sail to ribbons, and carried away mainroyalmast.

12th. Continued strong gale. 3.20 p.m., Fastnet Rock Light N.E.b.N.N.

13th.-A.M., still strong gale from E.S.E.; p.m., decreasing breeze, heavy, threatening appearance.

14th.-A.M., increasing breeze, heavy squalls.

15th. Still increasing; sea getting up very fast.

16th.-Perfect hurricane, tremendous sea; 2.10 p.m., while Chief Mate, Mr. Paul, and some of the hands were furling split maintopsail, ship was struck by a heavy sea, causing her to lurch so fearfully as to roll the main and mizen masts away by the board, throwing every one aloft into the sea, and smashing and rendering perfectly useless all the overside boats-three. Every possible effort was made to save the people, but succeeded only in saving six.

17th. Decreasing gale; ship labouring very heavily. 4h. p.m., carried away jibboom at the cap.

18th. Decreasing gale and less sea; ship not rolling so heavily. 4.30 p.m., barque Port Glasgow, of Poole, offered assistance.

19th.-Moderate breeze, with thick passing squalls; at 5h. a.m. attempted to haul the ship to the wind, but could not do so, as she laboured so violently.

20th.-Calm, fine clear weather.

21st.-Light breeze, passing squalls from southward, with a heavy swell. At 4h. p.m. the ring-bolts, to which all spars were lashed, gave way; the spars went to leeward, and broke the two remaining boats.

--

22nd. Increasing breeze. Sea getting up; ship rolling as violently as before; fresh breeze; tremendous swell.

23rd.-7.30 a.m., ship rolling heavily. Sent foremast over the side, taking topmast and foreya:d with it. Cut the wreck away from the ship's side, saving as much of the rigging as possible. Got up jury mainmast, and set the topmast studdingsail on it. P.M., cleared away some of the spars and lashed the remainder for the night.

24th.-Strong gale, ship labouring heavily. Spoke the American barque Alice Prevost, which offered to stop by us during the night. 25th.-Strong breeze, heavy squalls; midnight, more moderate. 26th.-Passing squalls.

27th.-Light breeze and fine. Rigged shears for stepping jury foremast. Midnight, spoke brig Pilgrim, from St. John for Liverpool.

28th.-Increasing breeze, heavy squalls; ship labouring violently, and rolling so much that it was not considered prudent to attempt to step the masts.

29th.-Weather moderated; stepped the foremast, and set lower studdingsail for a foresail.

30th.-Increasing breeze and fine.

Dec. 1st.-Shifted the shears aft to get in mizenmast; p.m., strong breeze and squally; split foresail; shifted it with a new maintopgallantsail.

2nd.-Moderate breeze; thick rainy weather. Got shears over end and mizenmast ready for stepping. While employed doing so, Joseph Alcock, Quartermaster, who was on the poop, was struck by a spar and knocked overboard. Having no boats, he could not be saved.

3rd. Ship labouring so violently it was not possible to step the mizenmast. 8h. a.m., increasing breeze and cloudy. At noon H.M. steam-frigate Argus offered assistance. At 4h. p.m. attempted to pass a hawser, but there was so much swell that the hauling line was carried away; did not make a second attempt. Argus remained near all night; moderate breeze and cloudy.

4th.-Moderate breeze and fine. 8h. a.m., passed a hawser to the Argus and received one from her. 9h. a.m., our hawser parted. 9.30, received a second hawser from her, and she took us in tow for Plymouth Sound.

5th.-3.15 a.m., brought up in Plymouth Sound.

Nov. 16th, lat. 50° 12′ N., long. 11° 15' W. 17th, lat. 50° 4' N., leng. 13° 5′ W. 18th, lat. 49° 50' N., long. 15° 55′ W. 19th, lat. 49° 38′ N., long. 17° 18′ W. 20th, lat. 49° 14′ N., long. 19° 21′ W. 21st, lat. 49° 45′ N., long. 19° 12′ W. 22nd, lat. 50° 50' N., long,

NO. 1.-VOL. XXVIII.

F