the back of the neck and another on the bowels if there is any pain in the chest. The last remedy is calomel. Medical aid is very expensive; a surgeon charges £5 for visiting a vessel, besides the cost of a boat. Bendoo is four miles, Yalabama or York Island eight miles, and Bouth five from the military barracks at Victoria, (on Sherbro Island) where the surgeon is stationed. The account against the brigantine Belle, in 1866, was £180; nearly all the crew died, including the master and mate. She was navigated by a pilot and kroomen to Sierra Leone, where a new master joined and took her to Liverpool. Masters engaged to load nuts at the Sherbro Islands should have a previous knowledge of the navigation, or they ought not to attempt to enter without a pilot. Of the two entrances to Sherbro, the safer one is to the north, at the beginning of the Plantain Islands. At the Sherbro Islands banks of sands prevail everywhere. Bouth is a convenient place for loading; there are two factories, one of which belongs to Mr. HEDDLE, of Sierra Leone; the water is 13 feet deep alongside the wharf, and vessels are soon dispatched. The other is the Hanover factory, with 12 feet alongside at low tide, owned by Messrs. LOWENTHALL BROTHERS. Yebana is a considerable place for loading, and an ordinary vessel can discharge ballast and get in her cargo there in three days. At York Island there are two factories; one belongs to Mr. FISHER, a resident of 35 years; vessels lie 50 yards from the shore, and are loaded from canoes, each carrying 10 to 15 tons. At Bendoo vessels lie a mile and a half from the factory, and are loaded from canoes at the rate of 30 or 40 tons per day. There are no port charges at Sherbro Islands; the cost of pilotage is stated previously. The outer anchorage of Sierra Leone is dangerous in consequence of the swells which prevail when there are breezes from the S.W. The Banana Islands are say 15 miles from Sierra Leone, the Plantains 15 from the Bananas, and York Island 40 from the Plantains. It is usual to calculate the navigation from Sierra Leone to York Island at 80 miles. Eight miles from York Island, is Victoria, the Government station; it is on the northern side of the Shebar River, which forms the southern entrance to the Sherbro Islands; at its entrance is a bar on which a heavy surf is running almost constantly. Under the heading palm oil there are some valuable observations on the African trade, by Admiral A. P. E. WILMOT.

766. OATMEAL or ground oats. Eight sacks of Irish go to a ton. An Admiralty barrel contains 74 bushels or 360 lbs. net, halfhogsheads 5 bushels or 253 lbs., kilderkin 3 bushels or 172 ibs., small cask 2 bushels or 115 lbs., second size small cask 2 bushels or 101 lbs.

767. OATS. For dunnage, &c., see grain. A ship can take a full cargo, and if tender, ballast will be necessary. The steamer Zealand, 700 tons, of and for Hull, from Konisberg, was lost 11th September, 1863, in the Baltic, owing in a great measure to her rolling through the "lightness of her cargo." Oats do not require shifting boards; they should be closely packed, or considerable freightage will be lost; they are usually trodden down by foot; sometimes a stone roller or a cask full of water is used-an operation which wheat will not bear. On the West Coast of Ireland, masters should be careful as to the mode of weighing; see the article grain, sec. 409. Like other seeds, they are highly hydrometic, take up moisture freely, and thereby become heated in the hold. When shipped in a green state there is frequent loss of weight, which causes dispute on discharge, unless the contingency is provided for in the charter-party. For Australia, oats are often packed in hollow ware, and in waste spaces left by loaves of refined sugar and certain other articles in boxes and casks. Dutch cheese, stowed in oats, were found in a liquid state on arrival at Port Philip. Spelter stowed on oats has caused the grain to become heated and discoloured; see steamer Imperial, in the article stevedore. A ship brought from Odessa a cargo of tallow, oats, and staves; the staves were put on the skin, tallow on them; oats over all; during the voyage, the heat of the oats melted and wasted the tallow, which ran among and injured the staves, causing a heavy loss to the ship. The Dutch galiot, Weibergina Martens, Capt. BALK, loaded oats at Groningen in 1864, left 16th December, and arrived at Plymouth on the 20th. She registers 84 tons Dutch and 70 English, length 74 feet, breadth 194, and depth 9 feet. Cargo, 828 quarters of black oats, 38 lbs. bushel; draught aft 7 feet, forward 6 feet; with 132 tons of iron 8 and 8 feet. Oats by manifest 825 quarters of 38 lbs. P bushel; delivered 828 quarters; per imperial measure 812 quarters. Dunnage, wood, 5 inches deep, covered with mats, of which 40 were used.

768. Improper Stowage. In the Common Pleas, 19th December, 1866, before Lord Chief Justice BOVILL. WIEN v. NORWOOD. In the course of the previous April, plaintiff shipped at Konigsberg a large quantity of oats in defendant's steamer Volga. The bill of lading specified that they were in good condition and order. Between 800 and 900 quarters were stowed in the main hold. The ship arrived in London 24th April, when it was found that the oats were heated and damaged in consequence of a number of bales or bags of rags having been placed on them, which prevented the evaporation passing from the grain. The grain was taken down to the ship in wagons and carts, and was stowed in bulk in the bottom of the hold on dunnage wood, covered with mats. grain extended aft 46 feet in length, 25 in width, and some 6 feet in depth. Over it was placed the bags of rags, but it was stated that they did not cover the

The body of the

entire surface of the oats in question. The grain, as stated in the bill of lading, was shipped in good order; several witnesses deposed that the damage was caused by the bags pressing down upon the oats, and preventing the evaporation passing from them. It was stated to be an unusual thing for bags or bales of rags to be stowed in ships on oats, and that they were liable to contain some dampness, and still further cause damage to the grain. It was also averred that, even if the grain contained some moisture, the placing of any great weight upon the bulk would tend to check evaporation, and therefore, it was an act of negligence on the part of the shipowner, which could have been prevented by the exercise of ordinary Defendant contended that it was a common thing, with steamers trading from the Baltic, to stow bags or bales of rags on grain; that the usual care was taken in stowing the oats in question in the main hold; that they did not sustain any damage from the bags, but that the oats suffered from their own improper condition when shipped. The jury found a verdict for plaintiff, damages £73 38. Od.

care.

769. Short Delivery. In February, 1815, an action was brought at Hants, THOMPSON V. DOMINY, for £29 108., value 48 barrels oats. Plaintiff stated that the schooner Julia received at Youghal, by bill of lading, 1,303 barrels of 196 lbs. or 14 stone each, for Mr. GRANT, who sold them to Mr. DOMINY at 12s. 2d. barrel, free on board. On discharge 48 barrels were deficient. Defendant demanded freight, £53, on the quantity delivered, but plaintiff wished to deduct £29 48. for the deficiency. Mr. Justice COLERIDGE decided that the servant of defendant, by signing the bill of lading, admitted he had received the property, and upon that admission GRANT sold to DOMINY. Damages £29 48.

770. Deficiency. Bristol County Court, 25th July, 1861, GLASS v. HABGOOD. Before Sir J. E. WILMOT. Mr. EDLIN stated that the action was brought for recovery of £22 98., value of a quantity of corn received on board defendant's ship Reform at Cardiff. Plaintiff was consignee of the corn, which consisted chiefly of oats. The bill of lading, dated 30th May, 1861, showed that 774 barrels of black oats, 196 lbs. each in bulk, and 150 barrels and 13 stones in sacks, were shipped. They were to be delivered in good order at Bristol; but on arrival there was a deficiency of 160 bushels, although the vessel had only been three or four days on the voyage. Mr. STONE, for defendant, contended that the deficiency arose entirely through sweating and shrinking; he called witnesses who described the state of the oats when shipped and when discharged. Mr. WAITE and Mr. BAKER, corn merchants, considered it impossible that a shrinkage of 4 cent. should take place on a four days' voyage from Cardiff to Bristol. His Honour said the question was whether the non-delivery of the oats specified in the bill of lading could be accounted for by natural causes, and if so, to what extent. He thought there had been considerable sweating, but he was not satisfied that the loss extended to so much as 4 cent., and therefore gave judgment for £11 10s., each party to pay his own costs.

Tonnage, &c. A ship which can stow 104 tons of 40 cubic feet, can carry 2,397 quarters of oats. A vessel which can take 318-7 tons by measurement, will stow 1,892 quarters of oats. 630-3 quarters of oats are equivalent to 500 barrels of tar; 1,260-4 quarters of oats are equivalent to 100 tons of clean hemp; 88-99 quarters of oats will stow in the same bulk as 68.47 quarters of wheat, shewing a difference of 224 cent. For ordinary purposes, it is usual to estimate 7 quarters of oats to occupy the same space as 6 quarters of barley or 5 of wheat. On the Crinan Çanal 7 quarters make a ton. Bengal and Madras

ton 12 cwt. When wheat is 18. quarter freight, oats are rated at 9d. for the Mediterranean.

Measure. A bushel of oats weighs 35 to 43 lbs.; see page 279. In Ireland they are sold by the barrel of 196 lbs., but this term barrel does not signify a cask. 60 Riga loofs are equal to 11 quarters imperial; a loof is about 13 bushels. The Lubeck measure for oats is one-sixth larger than for grain. The Admiralty compute 1 cwt. of oats as 3.64 cubic feet.

Where other liquids in bottles swell and tighten the corks, oils have a contrary effect; it is therefore necessary, when practicable, to see that the bottles are well corked, and even then not to rely upon their continuing tight. Oils have a tendency to expand and burst the bottles or casks when completely filled in cold weather, and subsequently placed in a warm atmosphere; this applies to steam-ships, especially in reference to the engine-room. All liquids have more or less the same tendency to burst under similar circumstances. When casks of oil are coopered in wet weather and then placed in a very dry part of the hold, especially if near any heat-producing goods, leakage follows inevitably. Oils should not be stowed near coffee, rice, shumac, cochineal, camwood, sapan-wood, guano, or any similar dry goods. Bones draw oil from casks; the presence of a few shank bones among some casks, whether justifiable or not, has before now led to litigation on settlement of freight. When oil is shipped with skins, the oil should go at each end, although shippers sometimes desire it otherwise. Vegetable oils promote spontaneous combustion; animal oils have not this property. Oils in casks or cases, should not be blocked off with bags of broken stowage, as in case of leakage spontaneous combustion may ensue with gunny bags especially. The barque Annie Comrie, Capt. BALL, 339 tons, left Cochin 23rd December, 1865, with a cargo of fish oil, coir rope, coffee, ginger, and cocoa nuts. On the 12th April, 1866, in lat. 48° 40' N., lon. 7° W., a slight explosion took place in the cargo, and smoke began to escape aft. All the hatches were battened down and every aperture closed, and the Hero of the Nile, Capt. GRAHAM, from London, having hove in sight, she towed the barque to Plymouth, where the

fire was extinguished. The hanks of coir (dholls 2 to 21 lbs. each) were jammed in between the casks of oil, fore and aft, and spontaneous combustion occurred in three different places.

772. For long voyages casks of oil should be " spunged," i.e. a piece of hoop iron should be nailed across the bung-hole. They ought always to be well slung and not suspended by can hooks; occasionally they have false chimes, which increases the danger. Some recommend casks to be double bedded and double quoined, as the oil makes them liable to slide, and the second bed is recommended to meet this liability. When packed in strong casks, such as those used for sperm oil, they may be stowed bilge and cantline for several heights. In all English and American whale ships, the casks are stowed bilge and cantline, by which more than one-fourth of the entire space in the hold is saved. This mode can be adopted with all liquids in strong casks, when economy of space is an object. Casks of oil should be stowed over liquids in casks in preference to dry goods, and if possible they should not be moved afterwards. Oils will damage many description of goods, and often cause spontaneous combustion, when brought in contact with hemp, flax, cotton, rags, black-lead, &c. Paint oils are usually shipped for export in tins or iron drums. For the weights of various oils, see gravity, specific; for petroleum oil, see petroleum; and for cod liver oil, see Labrador.

773. In the Mediterranean, bottles of salad oil, in wooden boxes, called half-chests or dogs' houses, ought to be placed separately, for the rolling of the ship often creates leakage. September and October are the principal months of shipment of oil at Genoa, but it is shipped thence in all parts of the year. Oils from Leghorn and Genoa are exported in stone jars, usually covered with rough jacket or wicker basket, containing about 18 or 19 gallons each, and half-jars of 8 or 9 gallons; and are stowed on a platform on the top of the cargo, where they are lashed to the sides or bulkheads, and, to prevent them from falling against each other, are interlaced together with some of the grass in which they are packed. Small parcels of oil in cases, are sometimes used here and there to fill up the broken stowage; but this is dangerous. At Leghorn, oil must be kept at a distance from marble. Olive and other fine oils, especially when thickened by cold weather, are liable to be attacked by rats. Olive oil is made up at Leghorn in half-chests, containing 30 flasks or 2 gallons nearly. A chest of olive oil contains 60 flasks or a little over 4 gallons. Seville oil is packed in three sizes, called pipes, casks, and quarter casks; a schooner of 111 tons register, stowed