1044. SPONGE. The sponge trade, which commenced in the Bahama Islands in 1841, quadrupled in value by 1866, when the exports amounted to about $200,000. Although often far from the shore, and at a depth of twenty, forty, or even sixty feet, it can easily be descried through the transparent water on the clear sandy bottom, from which it is fished, raked, or grappled up. The sponge is the covering of the habitation of an order of animal nature, so low that organization can with difficulty be detected. When raised it is black, extremely offensive to the smell, and will almost cause the flesh it touches to blister. The first process is to bury it for twenty days, by which time the gelatinous animal matter seems to

be absorbed and destroyed, or is eaten by the insects that swarm in the sand. The sponge is then assorted and compressed in powerful presses, like cotton; each package has fastened to it outside a sample to show the fibre.

1045.

SQUINANTHEM. 16 cwt. go to a ton at Bombay.

1046. STARCH should be stowed at a distance from all deliquescent salts, such as soda, potash, saltpetre, &c., and from all ammoniacal matters; see rice. All liquids placed near starch will be liable to leak.

1047. STATIONERY, in small bundles, should be conveyed by hand, and not suspended by the cord; bales are injured by being dropped suddenly on the ends or corners. The middle or upper part of the hold, or the 'tween deck, is preferred for stowage. Stationery must be kept dry and apart from ballast, and from liquids, especially turpentine, oil, &c., the scent of which alone diminishes the value of paper. One experienced London firm uses for America cases made of -inch hooped stuff with inch ends; for India the same, lined with tin, and for Australia with zinc; for the Overland route cases of -inch stuff, lined with waxed or tarred paper or gutta percha, as the whole must not weigh over 80 lbs.

1048. Paper and Books. 24 sheets 1 quire, 20 quires 1 ream, 2 reams 1 bundle, 4 pages 1 sheet folio, 8 pages 1 sheet, 16 pages 1 sheet octavo, 24 pages 1 sheet duodecimo, 36 pages 1 sheet eighteens.

TABLE OF THE WEIGHT OF A SQUARE FOOT OF MILLBOARD IN POUNDS AVOIRDUPOIS.

1049.

Average weight 24 cwt.

STAVES. Vessels of 500 tons may require 40 tons of ballast stowed fore and aft, on which a level surface is made with the staves over the floor; the layers are formed by placing the staves edgeways in the direction of the keelson, fore and aft, after which they are wedged in tight, with a lignum vitæ mall, and so continue until the vessel is full. The green and undried staves, being heavier, should be put below. Staves are mostly freighted as broken stowage, at a reduced rate; but as they are usually placed where few other goods would go, they are not unprofitable to the ship, although the freight is comparatively low; they are often injured by being stowed under tallow, which melts during the voyage.

1050. Quantities of staves split from rough oak, are sent to Great Britain from the Gulf of Venice. In the Morlacca Channel, a little to the southward of Fiume, is Segua, where in 1858 a master was offered staves 10 to 15 lines thick, 36 to 38 inches long, and 5 to 6 inches broad. Calculating that the average thickness would be 12 lines taken at the middle, he accepted the charter-party. On delivery the consignee measured for freight at the thin end, and when an appeal was made to a Court of Law, this mode of measurement was confirmed as being "customary." The difference between the calculated and the real freight exceeded 50 cent. The Admiralty instructions to masters of transports on returning staves are :— "When it is found necessary to shake the casks while on board, and you are consequently obliged to return them into store as staves, you must particularly observe that their several denominations are specified in the receipt you obtain for them, in order that you may thereby be enabled to ascertain their relative value in tonnage, cast

agreeably to the following scale, in doing which you are to carry the remains of one denomination to the next in succession, and if the remains of the last denomination be under twelve, no allowance can be claimed for them, but if twelve or above, then one half-hogshead is to be allowed, viz. :

1051. Trieste. The barque Messina, loaded a full cargo of staves at Trieste, in 1866, left in September, and discharged them at Hull, in February, 1867. She registers 551 tons, is 141 feet long, 31.50 broad, and 17 feet deep. The cargo consisted of 237,000 staves, of which 20,000 were on deck; the standard stave, by charterparty, was 27 inches long, 5 inches broad, and 22 lines thick, taken in the middle, all French measure. They were measured by a custom-house sworn officer, who came on the wharf at uncertain periods, say twice a day, and picked up 100 staves as they rose; the measurement of these lots was taken as for all delivered that day. This measurement was satisfactory. The cost is about 50 florins for each standard-10,000. The staves shipped at Trieste are brought from the interior by rail; they are of Italian oak, clean, and well planed. The crew put them into the hold, where they were received by two gangs of stevedores, four in each-one forward, the other aft. Two of each gang tended and two stowed. Excepting in the beam all on their edges fore

fillings and the ends of the ship, they were
and aft. The stevedores carried them up in bulks breast high, and
wherever there was the least opening caused by a bent stave, &c.,
one was driven in until the bulks were perfectly tight. The hold was
completely full. For loading and discharging 45 days were allowed.
With this cargo she drew 15 feet forward and 15 feet aft, the same
as with a cargo of Quebec timber, including a deck-load, and she
grossed about the same freight. Timber 28s. Pload, staves 13s. 9d.

1,000; gratuity £10 10s.; primage 10 cent. With 750 tons Cardiff steam coal, she drew forward 16 feet, aft 16 feet. At Trieste vessels generally load in the tier, when the merchants pay lighterage; the Messina loaded in dock, she had 40 tons of stone ballast to keep her by the stern, otherwise ballast would not have been necessary.