The College Company we are happy to say has been strengthened by the accession of thirty recruits during the late academical year. The Company Challenge Cup was shot for on Thursday, May 26, and was won for the second time by Corporal Richardson. The Officer's Pewter for the present term was won by Private Vaughan. The Newberry Challenge Racquet Cup was won for the second time by Mr. W. D. Bushell, who played the concluding match with Mr. C. Hoare on Thursday, June 2. A VOYAGE TO THE AUSTRALIAN STATION. I HAVE endeavoured in this account of my first voyage to give a short sketch of each place visited, and to record anything, no matter how trivial, that happened on the voyage, provided that I had not seen it mentioned elsewhere. We left Spithead at 3.30 P.M., June 17th, 1863, and passed the Needles in the twilight; the lights of three different light-houses were visible at this time. Next morning the ship was just opposite the Start point; about 1.30 we got up the screw and proceeded under sail; hitherto sea sickness had not troubled me, but, as the sails were one after another reefed or taken in, I felt that my time was come and retired to my cabin in very dismal humour-the absolute disregard for everything and everybody is the one single counterbalancing advantage of sea sickness-though usually a severe sufferer I was only kept one day from the dinner table, and for five more was obliged to be careful in my diet. One thing rather surprised me: all my messmates in the wardroom were, with one exception, regular old sailors, and yet half of them suffered more or less. Down to the latitude of Cape Finisterre several ships were always in sight; but they became less frequent as we sailed on, and had quite disappeared by the time we reached Madeira. On the morning of the twelfth day (June 29th) we were in sight of Madeira, and being anxious to see a really foreign place I hastened on deck. We were coasting along a wide, shallow bay, surrounded by high hills, cultivated to their very summits, the crops consisting of Indian corn and sugar cane. In the corner of the bay the white houses of Funchal glistened in the sun; the town is made up of the usual collection of small, two-storied, flat-roofed buildings, built close down to the beach, and broken by an old VOL. IV. Р |