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22 water, wrote to their brother to complain of the dishonesty of Johns, "who must," said they, "have stolen and sold the attar." Their brother immediately agreed with their conclusion, and, after telling the story to the whole mess, demanded that Johns should be treated as a thief and "sent to coventry," being no fit associate for young gentlemen. In vain did the poor young man tell his story; no one believed him but Maury, who did not think the evidence sufficient to convict, and who therefore refused to treat him with scorn and contempt, as all the rest did, stood by him, and, as he himself often said, was his only comfort in that long cruise. Johns died of a broken heart, and was buried at Callao, protesting his innocence to the last, which was fully established in the minds of all by the remorse of A, when he heard the result of his cruel practical joke.

In the 'Falmouth' Maury had a cabin to himself, and in addition to his own small store of books he had the use of a fine collection belonging to a richer messmate (William Irving brother to the famous author, Washington Irving, who wrote The 'Sketch Book'). But he was never a great reader. He was often heard to say that it was not until he had been put repeatedly to the blush because of his ignorance of the standard literature of the day, and had wondered at the evident delight afforded to some of his companions on reading or quoting a beautiful or striking passage, that he resolutely set himself to work to read the English classics, and to try to enjoy what gave so much pleasure to the most cultivated of his associates. His was eminently an original mind, and he delighted to spend hours in meditation, working out his own great ideas. But he had the Bible and Shakespeare at his fingers' ends, and his many writings abound in quotations from both.

It was during this voyage on the 'Falmouth' to Rio de Janeiro, on his way to the Pacific, that he conceived the idea of his celebrated Wind and Current Charts, which have