Posted with permission of the transcriber, Diane Moore. Geo. ********** A STORY OF THE SEA. There has been told this week in the London Admiralty Court a marvelous story of the sea and of the heroism of a second officer. In the month of May last year, when the British screw steamer Crown Point was some 200 miles to the west of Queenstown she fell in with the German barque Planet, which was on a voyage from Mazatlan, a Mexican port, with a cargo of dye-woods. The crew of the Planet were in truly sorry plight. The first mate had died of scurvy, the master and second mate were dying of the same disease, and the crew of eleven men were all ill with it. The Crown Point attempted to take the Planet in tow, but the hawser snapped, and it was apparently decided that nothing more could be done. But at that juncture the second officer of the Crown Point, Frederick Hedley BRYANT, stepped forward and volunteered to navi- gate the Planet to Queenstown. When he went on board that vessel he found that she was very badly provisioned. There were no potatoes. The available provisions seem to have consisted of a half-barrel of wheat, one tin of compressed vegetables, and a quantity of bad flour and biscuits. The master, who had been unconscious since the previous day, was in his berth in an emaciated condition; the second mate was somewhat similar; and the crew were little better. But BRYANT was full of British pluck, and was not unduly depressed by these distressing conditions. Not only did he see to the navigation of the vessel, but he took time to keep a diary, which was read in Court, and which proved a doc- ument of rare interest. Under date May 14, BRYANT had written: "Crew disheartened. The Captain un- conscious since Monday, and, in fact, dying. I could not manage to force any stimulants into his body...I fed the mate with port wine through a pipe. Men brought me bad flour, although the biscuits were bad enough. Man came to me and told me that the fold was full of "schmall schnakes mit foots." Found that he meant scorpions. Glad I had my sea boots on. The ship's mate had a dog which left marks of his teeth on my boots. He was mad, and had been for some days. Again glad I had my boots on. This is a place where a Mark TAPLEY would shine." ~to be continued. [Mark Tapley: Presumably from Dickens' 'Martin Chuzzlewit'. Geo.]