An Odd Shot.—­An English frigate was obliged to strike to a French vessel of superior force.  The English captain, on resigning his sword, was reproached by the French commander for having, contrary to the usages of war, shot pieces of glass from his guns.  The English officer, conscious that no such thing had been done, made inquiry into the matter among his men, and found the fact to be this.  An Irish seaman, just before the vessel struck, took a parcel of shillings out of his pocket, and swearing the French should have none of them, wrapped them in a piece of rag, and thrust them into his gun, exclaiming, “Let us see what a bribe can do!” These shillings, flying about the vessel, were mistaken by the French for glass.  The above explanation not only satisfied them, but put them in great good humour with their captives.

A Child on Board.—­A child of one of the crew of His Majesty’s ship Peacock, during the action with the American vessel Hornet, occupied himself in chasing a goat between decks.  Not in the least terrified by the destruction and death which was going on all around him, he continued his amusement till a cannon-ball came and took off both the hind legs of the goat; when seeing her disabled, he jumped astride her, crying, “Now I’ve caught you.”  This singular anecdote is related in a work called “Visits of Mercy,” (New York.)

Grog.—­The British sailors had always been accustomed to drink their allowance of brandy or rum pure, until Admiral Vernon ordered those under his command to mix it with water.  The innovation gave great offence to the sailors, and, for a time, rendered the commander very unpopular among them.  The admiral, at that time, wore a grogram coat, for which reason they nick-named him “Old Grog,” hence, by degrees, the mixed liquor he introduced universally obtained the name of “Grog.”

Navy Chaplains.—­When the Earl of Clancarty was captain of a man-of-war, and was cruising on the coast of Guinea, he happened to lose his chaplain by a fever, on which the lieutenant, who was a Scotchman, gave him notice of it, saying, at the same time, “that he was sorry to inform him that he died in the Roman Catholic religion.”  “Well, so much the better,” said his lordship.  “Oot, oot, my lord, how can you say so of a British clergyman?” “Why,” said his lordship, “because I believe I am the first captain of a man-of-war that could boast of having a chaplain who had any religion at all.”

Bishop and his Clerks.—­A fleet of merchant ships, on their return from Spain, about three hundred years ago, were shipwrecked on the fatal rocks on which Sir Cloudsley Shovel was cast away:  among these unfortunate men none were saved but three, viz. Miles Bishop, and James and Henry Clerk, who were miraculously preserved on a broken mast.  From this accident the rocks took the name they bear, “The Bishop and his Clerks.”