dered a gratuitous interference with a person's freewill. "Why,"
said they, "shouldn't a commission be purchased if a man wants to spend
his money in that way? It was no business of his!" Besides, their fears
were excited lest the army should become composed of low-bred wasters.
Their views on these particular questions were always very paradoxical
and very breezily expressed. How I used to listen and gape at the flow
of what I deemed gifted intelligence when there was a heated discussion
on. I did not understand it; indeed they did not understand it; but
they talked with a volubility and assurance that made deep impressions
on me and on them. The advent of Thomas Burt from the mine into the
political arena was not welcomed with a gush of enthusiasm by seamen.
They doubted the wisdom of a republican miner being allowed to enter a
legislature composed of aristocracy and landed gentry! The idea seemed
to have gripped their minds that this refined and gentle little man was
destined to inflict severe punishment on dukes, marquises and earls,
and in other ways disturb the British nation! Mr Burt was not long in
Parliament before he showed marked indications of wise statesmanship.
Men on both sides of the House soon learnt to respect and admire him.
He made it clear that he was not a mere class representative, and
during the whole time he has been in Parliament the sailors have had no
truer friend than he. I think they have long been satisfied of this
themselves.

These sturdy, commonplace fellows, taking them as a whole, knew no more
about politics than Tom Brown's horse; but, like many other simple,
ill-informed people, they had a calm belief in their unmeasured
knowledge which was void of all reason, and when they were thrown into
contact with shore people it was one of the funniest things in the
world to witness the lordly air they assumed in the initial stages of
acquaintanceship, and the humour of it was exhilarating when the period
for evaporation came, and they shone forth in all their artless
simplicity. I cannot pretend to portray or exactly reproduce the scene
of a sailor's political or any other controversy for that matter; I can
only hope to convey some idea of it; and the rest must be left to the
imagination of the reader.

Some twenty years ago a group of sailing-ship masters was seated at a
table under a verandah outside a Russian snap-shop. There were two of
the old school amongst them, and these were being