secured the
place.

A 'ship chandler!' Reader, have you any idea of his occupation? You have
doubtless some business notion of commerce, or at least a romantic idea
of ships on the ocean, their sails spread to favorable breezes, or
closehauled, braving adverse gales--joyous in fine weather, defiant in
the tempest--yes, you know or feel something about this. But to enable
the good ship to pursue her way, she must be 'provided.' She must not
only have wherewithal to feed crew and passengers, but every special
notion which can be conceived of in the ship's 'husbandry.' From out a
ship chandler's establishment comes everything, directly or indirectly,
which shall furnish the vessel.

Step in, and look through such a store. Taking the interest I hope you
do in Hiram, pray devote a few moments to visiting the place where he
has resolved to _begin_ his New-York life. You won't find it an
agreeable spot. Nothing to compare with the neat, well-arranged office
at Burnsville--pleasant Burnsville!--nor even as attractive as the
country store of Benjamin Jessup, at Hampton. It is dark and
disagreeable. It smells of tar, bacon, cheese, and cordage, blended with
a suspicious odor of bilge water. This last does not really belong to
the store, but comes from the docks, which are in close proximity. The
place is ample. It has a large front, runs back deep, and you will find,
if you walk far enough, a respectable counting-room, where the gas is
kept all the time burning. This establishment is managed by three
partners, careful, economical men, who divide a large sum each year in
profits. They have, it is true, the cream of the trade, for they are
reliable, straightforward people, and can be trusted to fit out a ship
without fear that advantage will be taken if they are not closely
watched. No danger that the pork, when opened ninety days out, will
prove to be rusty, or the beef a little tainted. Hendly, Layton & Gibb
are old-fashioned, respectable people. They have been already twenty
years together. Hendly keeps the books, Layton makes all the purchases,
Gibb fits out the vessels. Levi Eastman (Hill's cousin, Hiram's friend),
now over ten years in the place, is head man under the firm, having a
general supervision of whatever is going on. He is forty years old at
least, has a wife, and, some say, in addition to a good salary, enjoys a
percentage on all profits over a certain amount. Hiram Meeker ranks next
to Eastman, though it will t