ページの画像
PDF
ePub

officers encroached on the berths and comforts of the men, and forced them to mess on the lower decks, with the disadvantages of bad air and scanty provisions-that promotion went on unfairly, the vacancies being generally filled up by favourites of the captain or superior officers, to the discouragement of meritorious men among the crew-that many berths were held on board by merely nominal occupants; so that it was not uncommon for the captain or superior officers to have their horses or even their donkies rated as quartermasters, while the rations and pay went into the pockets of men who did no duty whatever-that the provisions and stores were often lent to vessels of foreign nations in distress; but never returned; by which, the crew were frequently put on short allowanceor obliged to run on tick with Jews and slopmen-that drafts were not seldom made from the ship's company to serve in foreign ships and on foreign stations, where their blood was shed, and their pay expended, without any ultimate advantage to themselves or their country-that shameful abuses existed in the purser's accounts, since it was well known that dead men chewed tobacco, and wore slop jackets and shirts for months, or even years, after they had gone to Davy Jones's locker.

"For these and a thousand other evils and grievances, the Commissioners of Inquiry proposed one single but searching remedy, which was believed to be an effectual cure for present and future ills. It was this: -that every man rated A. B., or able seaman, on board, should be entitled to a vote in the appointment of delegates from the ship's company, to have a voice, if not in councils of war, at least in all important regulations relating to the management and internal economy of the vessel and her crew!

"This proposal excited universal uproar among the officers, more especially when it was announced that the captain, a true British tar, had expressed his intention of furthering the measure. The majority of the officers remonstrated in the strongest language, and intimated their determination to resist all alterations and innovations. They asserted that the vessel was perfectly sea-worthy, and wanted no repairs whatever -that if she leaked a little, it was no disadvantage, as the bilge-water was thereby prevented from becoming noxious, and the men were furnished with exercise at the pumps-that the ship had encountered many a heavy gale, and bloody battle, without ever striking her flag or stranding on a lee shore-that the ballast, when it did shift, always shifted to the weather side, and thus tended to keep the ship steady and stiff on her legs-that, in short, all the alleged defects and grievances were either imaginary, or positive advantages. Thus, it was complained that the officers' horses and asses were sometimes rated as quartermasters on board. Well. The occupants of such offices never gave trouble or

offence to their superiors: it was better to have a few 'tame elephants' on board, than turbulent demagogues, or riotous mutineers. If the stores and provisions, said they, are occasionally lent to foreign vessels in distress, it confers on our ship the honourable distinction of being a 'refuge for the destitute:'-if our officers and men are sent to fight in foreign ships, it gives ours a voice in foreign councils of war, and constitutes her a ship of the line in the grand European fleet.

"Then, as to the proposed remedy, it was alleged to be ten times worse than all the evils put together, allowing them to be real. If the ship went into dock, upon such a principle, she would be taken to pieces, under pretence of repair, and a new vessel launched, which would neither stay nor wear, but lie like a log upon the water, or run before the wind, ungoverned by helm or sails. Supposing, however, that the vessel came out in any tolerable condition for sea, the proposed plan of sending delegates from the crew to assist in measures of internal economy, would destroy all discipline and subordination on board. The common men were only calculated to act passively, in obedience to their superiors, and were totally unfit for deliberation or council. If the delegates from the crew once got footing or voice in council, they would constantly and perseveringly exert their powers in curtailing the authority of the officers. and giving undue influence to the brute or numerical force of the ship's company. One of their first objects would be to reduce the number of idlers on board-to lessen the pay of the captain and officers-and to increase their own allowances of provisions and grog. It was argued that, by these delegates, an attempt would soon be made to abolish the office of CHAPLAIN to the ship, and apply his pay to the maintenance of a SCHOOLMASTER—a character totally unnecessary, if not mischievous, in a MAN of War. The sailors were known to owe the chaplain a grudge, in consequence of the twopences stopped out of their pay, under the strange name of 'Queen Anne's bounty,' and it was not unfairly inferred that an early opportunity would be taken to dismiss this meritorious officer, and have no more prayers on Sabbath day.

"The marines would next be overhauled, and the number of officers inevitably diminished. But the most important objection to the new project had not yet been stated. It was urged that the final result of such a measure would be the concentration of power and influence in the wrong place in the members instead of the head-in the crew, instead of the officers—on the forecastle instead of the quarter-deck. It was prophesied, and not without some show of reason, that a day would come, when the tragedy of the BRITANNIA would be re-acted. In that fine and first-rate vessel, the reins of discipline had become relaxed--the crew got unruly open mutiny broke out-the officers were overpowered, and

many of them killed--the captain (a good-hearted and humane officer, of the name of STUART) was thrown overboard-while an upstart commander, with an entire new set of officers, elected from among the crew, kept possession of the ship for many years, in spite of the admiralty, and in defiance of the crown itself!

"When this last argument was urged, there was great consternation, and tremendous dissension in the wardroom, and even in the captain's cabin. The advocates for a thorough repair of the ship, and a revision. of the ARTICLES of WAR' (the Koran of the vessel) were nearly overpowered, and about to resign the contest-when it was discovered that, in all parts of the ship, the men had been discussing the subject among themselves, the result of which was, that' ROUND ROBINS' from every mess were poured upon the tables of the captain and officers, till they groaned with the load.

"In this dilemma, and in momentary expectation of a collision or open mutiny, a valiant trooper, who had formerly done duty on board as captain of marines, and who had seen much service both in the east and in the west, undertook to settle the affair in an amicable manner. His intention appears to have been, to first coerce the blue jackets, and keep them in awe by means of the red coats, and next to haul the ship into dock himself, and have her partially repaired, under the inspection of the Anti-delegate party. To effect this difficult object he chiefly relied on a trusty corporal of his own company, who had often done service to the State. But to the captain's surprise, the corporal, either from despair of success, or from a natural dislike to the nickname of "Corporal TRIM,' declined embarking in the enterprize, and the bold dragoon,' deserted by his own party, was obliged to relinquish the project, and to throw up his commission in disgust!

[ocr errors]

"The advocates of thorough repair now had the ball at their own foot-hauled the ship at once into dock, amidst thunders of huzzas from the crew-dismantled her in a twinkling-turned out the condemned stores-swept the hold of all rubbish-ripped open the seams-cut out the rotten timbers-gave her a new keel, rudder, and figure-head-in short, repaired, or rather rebuilt her from stem to stern, from the kelson to the cross-trees! This work completed, they overhauled the Naval Instructions'-examined the ship's books-rated none as A.B. but prime seamen-disrated all ordinaries, land-lubbers, sweepers, swabbers, loblollymen, galley-stokers, skulkers, et hoc genus omne, disqualifying them for voting at the election of delegates; but thereby constituting a large class of malecontents, ready for riot at the instigation of any daring mutineer."

And how does the new State Galley work since her launch, I inquired?

"That," said my companion, " is a problem to be solved by time alone. In the short trips which she first made along the coast, it is said that, in nautical language, she griped,' that is, she did not steer fine;' but subsequently she made some long voyages with problematical success. In a cruize to the West Indies, she ran down so many of the slavers, and set free so many of the NIGGERS, as almost to knock up the Guinea trade. She then doubled the Cape, passed the Straits of Singapore, encountered a tyffon in the Chinese Seas, sailed up the Tigris to Whampoa, and, with one broadside of her main-deck guns, smashed the Hong-merchant monopoly in Canton, and reduced the price of bohea full sixpence in the pound.

"In the course of a cruize to the coast of Ireland also, the State Galley is said to have performed a notable exploit, She captured, sunk, or destroyed ten BISHOPRICS-for the good of the Church, the benefit of the Clergy, and the maintenance of Protestant ascendancy.

[ocr errors]

"Among the minor cruizes, too, was a short trip to the mouth of the Scheldt, where the State Galley stood 'BOTTLE-HOLDER' to a couple of 'friends of the Fancy,' who chose to have a regular 'set to' near Antwerp, to prevent the noble art of assault and defence becoming obsolete, in the piping times of peace. The principals were, DUTCH SAM and JOHNNY CRAPAUD—the former of whom, an ancient ally,' complained most bitterly of the British bottle-holder, whom he accused of gross partiality, in laying an EMBARGO on Scheidam, while his antagonist was allowed eau de vie ad libitum. It must be admitted that the charge was not entirely groundless; and that, on this occasion, our old friend SAM evinced no lack of 'DUTCH courage,' although his bottle-holder' kept the Hollands' to himself, during the combat.

[ocr errors]

"A great inconvenience, however, has resulted from an unforeseen circumstance—the eternal clack, or JABBER, of the new delegates, who shove in their oars on all occasions, as if they were dealing out longwinded rope-yarns in the galley. The captain of the waist, too, (a part of the ship that always contains a number of ordinary characters) has given great trouble; threatening to knock away the companion-laddercut off the principal communication with the quarter-deck—and have a PALAVER of his own, under the gang-ways and forecastle. "A brace of delegates from the after-guard, also, who addling their brains with the Pilgrim's Progress' and Sermons,' proposed, to the utter astonishment of the crew, should be served out on the Lord's day' (though every seaman knows that there is no Sunday in nine fathoms water)-that the coppers should not be heated on the Sabbath-that no pease soup or dog's body' should be cooked on that day-that no mustering or parading on the

[ocr errors]

had been

Wesley's that no grog

quarter-deck, gangways, or forecastle should take place and that a jig or bull-dance in the waist, on a Sunday evening, should be punished by confinement in the black-hole!

"It is said that since the ship was docked and the Articles of War amended, the crew are far from being united or contented. This was to be expected. The finest ship that ever stemmed the ocean's wave, and the best code of discipline that ever was invented, will not make a sea life pleasant, or the water always smooth. The ardent, and therefore unreasonable expectations of one part of the crew will be disappointedand it is to be hoped that the extravagant anticipations of revolt and mutiny, entertained by the other party, will not be realized. Every ship requires docking, from time to time;-and if the officers, from selfinterest or prejudice, resist all repair of a vessel till the crew mutiny and force them into harbour, they must abide the consequences.

"It is, however, to be borne in mind, that there is always a large list of half-pay officers on shore, who make it their business to criticize the conduct of those in commission afloat; and petition the Admiralty to have them superseded, so that they themselves may get into their berths, on full-pay. Experience teaches that when a change of officers takes place, the new batch either pursues the same measures which they censured in their predecessors, or run into others still more experimental or extravagant. But the new State Galley has a certain trim, a sailingguage, and a capacity or incapacity for bearing canvass, which cannot be materially affected by any kind of helmsman, whether delegate or antidelegate and this circumstance renders a change of officers of much less consequence, as to the general navigation of the State Galley, than before she was docked and repaired."

I endeavoured to draw from my companion a more special opinion, as to the future destinies of the CONSTITUTION YACHT-but in vain. He briefly remarked that, "what had passed was HISTORY-what is to come is PROPHECY-and prophetic inspiration is no more."

I fixed my eyes on the venerable cathedral, near Westminster-bridge, which towers in Gothic pride over all the neighbouring edifices. My companion seemed to anticipate my wishes, and left me no time to reflect or to solicit reflections. "On that sacred fane," said he, "it does not become me to comment. It is evident that it has been under the hand of REFORMERS, and has experienced changes, both inside and out; but what its future destiny may be, is only known to that BEING, for whom incense once smoked on its altars-and to whom the pealing anthem still pours the notes of praise.

But," continued he, "there is one other temple in the vicinity, erected to a subordinate, but a very benevolent deity (JUSTITIA) on

« 前へ次へ »