see that this essential department of the ship is in the most perfect
state of cleanliness and good order.

Still further forward, before the galley, in the very nose of her, as
the foremost nook or angle of the ship is called, and a little on one
side, lies the sick-bay, or hospital; at the door of which the
surgeon, backed by his assistants, receives the captain and his double
the first lieutenant, and his double the mate of the main-deck. In
they march, all in a row. The captain takes care not to pass any
invalid's hammock without dropping a word of encouragement to its pale
inmate, or begging to be informed if anything further can be done to
make him comfortable. Only those men who are very unwell, however, are
found in their beds; the rest being generally seated on the chests and
boxes placed round the bay, a part of the ship which, I need scarcely
mention, is kept, if possible, more clean, airy, and tidy than any
other. If a speck of dirt be found on the deck, or a gallipot or phial
out of its place, woe betide the loblolly-boy, the assistant-surgeon's
assistant, and the constant attendant upon the hospital. This
personage is usually a fellow of some small knowledge of reading and
writing, who, by overhearing the daily clinical lectures of the
doctor, contrives to pick up a smattering of medical terms, which he
loses no opportunity of palming off upon his messmates below as
sublime wisdom sucked in at Alma Mater.

Just before leaving the sick-bay, the captain generally turns to the
surgeon, and says, as a matter of course, "Doctor, mind you always
send aft at dinner-time for anything and everything you require for
the sick;" and I have frequently remarked that his whole tone and
manner are greatly softened during this part of the rounds, perhaps
without his being conscious of any difference. A very small share of
attention on the part of a commanding-officer on such occasions, if
kindly and unaffectedly exercised, leaves a wonderfully favourable
impression, not only among the invalids to whom it is more
particularly addressed, but seldom fails to extend its salutary
influence over the rest of the ship's company, and thus, of course,
contributes materially to strengthen and to maintain his authority.
Such expressions of sympathy never fail to act like drops of oil on
the machinery of discipline, making all its wheels work smoothly and
sweetly.

The lower deck is next examined. The bags have been carried on deck,
so that, as I mentioned before, nothing remains but the people's
mess-tables and mess things, their kids, and crockery. As Jack is
mighty fond of a bit of show in his way, many of the berths or
mess-places exhibit goodly ranges of tea-cups and regiments of plates
worthy of the celebrated Blue Posts Tavern, occasionally flanked by a
huge tea-pot, famously emblazoned with yellow dragons and imitation
Chinese. The intervals between the shelves are generally ornamented
with a set of pictures of rural innocence, where shepherds are seen
wooing shepherdesses, balanced by representations of not quite such
innocent Didos weeping at the Sally Port, and waving their lily hands
to departing sailor-boys. On the topmost-shelf stands, or is tied to
the side, a triangular piece of a mirror, three inches perhaps by
three, extremely useful in adjusting the curls of our nautical
coxcombs, of whom one at least is to be found in every berth.

The mess-tables, which are kept so bright you would suppose them
whitewashed, are hooked to the ship's side at one end, while the other
is suspended by small ropes covered with white canvas. Against these
lines rest the soup and grog kids, shining in a double row along the
deck, which is lighted up, fore and aft, for the captain's visit, by a
candle in each berth. In frigates it is usual, I believe, to let the
people have a certain number of chests, besides their bags. These not
only form convenient seats for the men at meals, and couches on which
to stretch their worn-out limbs during the watch below, but they
afford a place in which the sailors may stow away some part of their
best attire, deposit their little knick-knacks, and here and there a
book, or mayhap a love-letter, or some cherished love-token. A chest,
in short, or the share of a chest, even though it be only a quarter,
or a sixth part, is always so great a comfort that this indulgence
ought to be granted when it can possibly be allowed. In single-decked
ships, I conceive it may generally be permitted: in a line-of-battle
ship hardly ever. In a frigate, as there are no guns on the lower
deck, where the people mess and sleep, there is nothing to clear away
on coming into action; but in a ship of the line the men pass their
whole lives amongst the guns, by night as well as by day, and as it is
absolutely necessary to keep every part ready for action at an
instant's warning, nothing can be allowed to remain between the guns
but such articles as may be carried out of the way in a moment. It is
sometimes nonsensical, and even cruel, to carry this system into a
frigate, where the same necessity for keeping the space unencumbered
does not exist. Doubtless the mate of the lower deck, and often enough
the first lieutenant, and sometimes even the captain, will be anxious
to break up all the men's chests, in order to have a clear-looking,
open, airy, between-decks, to make a show of; but with proper care it
may be kept almost as clear and quite as clean with a couple of chests
in each berth as without. Even were it otherwise, we ought, I think,
rather to give up a little appearance to secure so great a share of
comfort to those who, at best, are not overburdened with luxuries.

As the captain walks aft, along the lower deck, he comes to the
midshipmen's berth, or room, in which the youngsters mess. It is the
foremost and largest of a range of cabins built up on each side, and
reaching as far aft as the gun-room, or mess-place of the commissioned
officers. It is only in line-of-battle ships that the mids mess in the
cockpit; while in frigates they not merely mess but sleep in the part
of the lower deck called, I know not why, the steerage. I ought to
have mentioned that before the cabins of the officers, and abaft those
of the sailors, lie the berths of the marines; but, of course, those
mess-places of the men are not partitioned off, being merely denoted
by the tables and shelves. The boatswain, gunner, and carpenter, have
their cabins in the steerage.

The captain peeps into each of these dens as he moves along. In that
of the midshipmen he may probably find a youth with the
quarantine-flag up; that is, in the sick-list. His cue, we may
suppose, is always to look as miserable and woe-begone as possible. If
he have had a tussle with a messmate, and one or both his eyes are
bunged up in consequence, it costs him no small trouble to conceal his
disorderly misdeeds. It would be just as easy, in fact, to stop the
winds as to stop the use of fisty-cuffs amongst a parcel of
hot-blooded lads between thirteen and nineteen, although, of course,
such _rencontres_ are held to be contrary to the laws and customs used
at sea, and are punishable accordingly. The captain, pretending
ignorance, however, merely grins; and, without exposing the boy to
the necessity of getting up a story, remarks:--

"I suppose, Master Peppercorn, you fell down the after-hatchway
ladder, and struck your eye against the corner of a chest? Didn't you?
And, what is odd enough, I dare say, when I cross to the starboard
berth, I shall find Mr. Mustardseed, who has met with exactly the same
accident about the same time. What do yo think? Eh?"

"I don't know, sir," answers the badgered youngster; "Mr. Mustardseed
and I are not on speaking terms."

"Very likely not," chuckles the skipper, as he proceeds to thrust his
nose curiously into the warrant officers' little boxes. On arriving at
the gun-room, he merely glances, with a well-bred air of assumed
indifference, at the apartment of the officers, with whose habits and
arrangements he scarcely ever ventures to meddle. He next dives into
the cockpit, which in a frigate is used only for the purser's
store-room, leading to the bread-room, both of which he examines
carefully. The spirit-room hatchway, too, is lifted up for his
inspection, as well as that of the after-hold. He then takes a survey
of the cable tiers, which are lighted up for the occasion; as also
different store-rooms of the boatswain, gunner, and carpenter; all of
which ought to be objects of his particular care, for it is of great
consequence that every article they contain should not only have an
assigned and well-known place, but that it should actually be kept in
that place. It is, indeed, quite wonderful how much may be done in the
way of stowage by dint of good management. In a well-regulated ship,
there is not a bolt or a bar, nor any kind of tool belonging to the
carpenter, nor a single rope great or small; canvas fine as duck, or
coarse as No. 1, belonging to the boatswain; nor any description of
warlike store in charge of the gunner, which cannot instantly be laid
hold of, and conveyed in half-a-minute to any part of the ship, alow
or aloft.

At length, when every square inch of the holds, tiers, sail-rooms, and
all the cabins and berths below, have been examined, the visitation
party return to the quarter-deck, after a full half-hour's ramble. As
the captain re-ascends to the different decks in succession, the men,
who have never budged from their divisions, again pluck off their
hats, the marines carry arms the moment his head shows above the
coamings, and all the officers stop instantaneously in the middle of
their walk to salute their commander, as he once more treads the
quarter-deck.

"And now, sir," says the captain, turning to the first lieutenant, "if
you please we will rig the church."




CHAPTER XI.

THE SHIP CHURCH.


The carpenters and the watch on deck soon carry aft their benches and
mess-stools; but these not being sufficient to afford accommodation
for all hands, as many capstan-bars as may be required are likewise
brought up and placed athwart the quarter-deck, with their ends
resting on match-tubs and fire-buckets, or on the carronade-slides.
These seats occupy the whole of the space from the break of the
quarter-deck and the belaying bits round the mainmast, as far as the
companion-hatchway. Chairs from the cabin and gun-room are also placed
abaft all, for the captain and officers, and on the lee side for the
warrant-officers and mids; for it need scarcely be mentioned that due
subordination is made to keep its place even in our church.

The pulpit stands amidships, either on the after-gratings, or on the
deck immediately before the hatchway. In some ships, this part of the
nautical church establishment consists of a moveable reading-desk,
made expressly for the occasion, but brought up from the carpenter's
store-room only when wanted; sometimes one of the binnacles is used
for this purpose; and I remember a ship in which the prayer-book was
regularly laid on a sword-rack, or stand, holding six dozen naked
cutlasses. The desk is covered over with a signal-flag, as well as the
hassock for the chaplain to kneel upon, which is usually a grape or
canister shot-box, surmounted by a cheese of great-gun wads, to make
it soft.

All this implies that the weather is fine, the awnings spread
overhead, and the curtains stretched fore and aft, to keep out the
heat and glare. In rainy or blustering weather the church is rigged
under the half-deck, much in the same way, except that the pulpit is
placed between two of the guns, and generally on the larboard side, as
nearly abreast of the quarter-deck ladder as may be.

When all is ready, the bell is tolled by one of the quarter-masters;
and the crew, quietly clustering aft, occupy the bars, stools, planks,
and gun-slides, prepared for their accommodation. The marines range
themselves on the front seats; while the officers take their places,
of course not avowedly in the order of date in their commissions, but,
more or less, they do fall into their respective stations according to
seniority. The chaplain is now informed that every one is assembled;
or, if there be no clergyman on board, the report is made to the
captain, who generally officiates in that case. When the service
begins, if there be any other ship in company, a pendant, such as
men-of-war carry at their mast-head to distinguish them from
merchant-ships, is hoisted at the mizen peak, to show that the ship's
company are at prayers. This signal, which is kept flying during the
performance of divine service, is respected by every other ship,
whether commanded by a superior officer or not.

Besides the prayers, which, as I have already mentioned, are
"according to the Liturgy of the Church of England, established by
law," the chaplain gives a short discourse, not exceeding at most
twenty or twenty-five minutes in length. Some captains are in the
habit of reading a sermon; but more commonly, when there is no
clergyman on board, the prayers are deemed sufficient. These points,
as may be supposed, become frequent matters of discussion in the
fleet. I shall not enter into them further just now than by observing
that the majority of right-thinking officers appear to agree, that, if
the church service on board ship be not "solemnly, orderly, and
reverently performed," according to the terms and in the spirit of the
first article of war, it is either useless or worse than useless. It
ought therefore to take place as regularly and habitually as the
nature of the ship's duties will allow of. In the next place, it seems
clear, that if the service be rendered so long, or be otherwise so
conducted, as not to arrest the attention of the crew, or not to
maintain it alive when once fixed, it is too long.

I will venture to say, there is rarely to be met with anywhere a more
orderly or a more attentive congregation, in all respects, than on
board a man-of-war.

But, notwithstanding all Jack's decorum and his discipline, to say
nothing of his natural inclination, when duly encouraged, to reflect
seriously and properly on any subject, as he is made of ordinary flesh
and bones, his eyes will sometimes refuse to keep open under the
infliction of a dull or ill-delivered discourse; so that if the
person who officiates happens not to read very well, his best chance
for securing any useful attention consists in the brevity of his
prelections. If the quality, rather than the quantity, of instruction
be his object, he should be exceedingly careful not to fatigue his
hearers. The inverse rule of proportion obtains here with such
mortifying regularity, that the longer he makes the church service
beyond the mark of agreeable and easy attention, the more certain will
he be of missing his point.

The analogy, not to speak it profanely, between overloading a gun and
overloading a discourse applies especially to ship-preaching. Sailors
are such odd fellows that they are nowise moved by noise and smoke;
but they well know how to value a good aim, and always love and honour
a commanding-officer who truly respects their feelings, nor by means
of long-winded and ill-timed discourses, or what they irreverently
call psalm-singing, interferes too much with their religious concerns.

It would be easy, though perhaps rather invidious, to point out in
what other respects many officers are apt, besides the protracted
length of the church service on Sunday, to err in excess in these
matters. I am very sorry to say it would be still easier to show in
what respects all of us err in defect. I should rejoice much more in
being able to make officers who have not sufficiently reflected on
these things, duly sensible that it is quite as much to their
immediate professional advantage that the religious duties of their
ship should form an essential part of the discipline of the crew, and
be considered not less useful in a moral point of view, than rigging
the masts properly is to the nautical department of their command.

If, indeed, religion, when applied to the ordinary business of life,
should be found inconsistent with those moral obligations which are
dictated to us by conscience; or even were we to discover that the
ablest, most virtuous, and most successful person, amongst us were
uniformly despisers of religion, then there would certainly be some
explanation, not to say excuse, for young and inexperienced men
venturing to dispute on such subjects, and claiming the bold privilege
of absolutely independent thought and action. But surely there is
neither excuse nor explanation, nor indeed any sound justification
whatsoever, for the presumption of those who, in the teeth of all
experience and authority, not only trust themselves with the open
expression of these cavils, but, having settled the whole question in
their own way, take the hazardous line of recommending their daring
example to those around them. It is also material to recollect that
there is not a single point of duty in the whole range of the naval
profession, which, when well understood, may not be enforced with
greater efficiency by a strict adherence to the sanctions of religion,
than if it were attempted single-handed; so that most of the
objections which one hears made to the due performance of the church
service on board ship, on the score of its interfering with the
discipline, are quite absurd, and inapplicable to the circumstances of
the case.

The captain of a man-of-war, therefore, if his influence be as
well-founded as it ought, may, in this most material of all respects,
essentially supply the place of a parent to young persons, who must be
considered for the time virtually as orphans. He may very possibly
not be learned enough to lay before his large nautical family the
historical and other external evidences of Christianity, and, perhaps,
may have it still less in his power to make them fully aware of the
just force of its internal evidences; but he can seldom have any doubt
as to his duty in this case more than in any other department of the
weighty obligations with which he is charged; and if he cannot here,
as elsewhere, make the lads under his care see distinctly, in the
main, what course it best becomes them to follow, he is hardly fit for
his station. I freely own that it is far beyond his power to make them
pursue that line, if they choose to be perverse; but he will neglect
an important, I might add, a sacred and solemn part of his business,
if he leaves their minds more adrift on the score of religion than he
can possibly help. Their steering in this ticklish navigation, it is
true, depends upon their own prudence; but it is his bounden duty to
provide them with both a rudder and a compass, and also, as far as he
is able, to instruct them, like a good pilot, in the course they ought
to shape. The eventual success of the great voyage of life lies with
themselves; the captain's duty, as a moral commander-in-chief, is done
if he sets his juvenile squadron fairly under weigh. It is in vain to
conceal from ourselves, that, unless both officers and men can be
embodied more or less as a permanent corps, every ship that is
commissioned merely furnishes a sort of fresh experiment in naval
discipline. The officers are brought together without any previous
acquaintance with one another; and many of them, after a long
residence on shore, have lost most of their naval habits. The
sailors, being collected how and where we can get hold of them, are
too frequently the off-scourings and scum of society. With such a
heterogeneous crew, the first year is employed in teaching them habits
of cleanliness and common decency; and it is only in the third year of
their service that the ship becomes really efficient. Just as that
point has been reached, all hands are turned off, to make room for
another experiment. If a few active men of the crew have become better
sailors, they generally go into the merchant-service for higher wages;
while the officers are again laid on the shelf. Something has been
done lately to retain the petty officers in the navy, but perhaps not
enough. It has been suggested that, instead of giving men pensions for
long servitude, it might be more useful to allow their wages to
increase gradually year by year, at some small rate, and at the end of
fourteen years give them half-pay of the rating to which they had
reached, if they chose to retire.[5]

In returning to the subject of the church, it must be remembered that
the circumstances of wind and weather will often interfere with the
regularity of our Sunday service. In some parts of an Indian voyage,
for instance, it may be safely calculated that no interruption will
take place; while there occur other stages of the passage when Divine
service must of necessity be stopped, to shorten sail or trim the
yards. In peace-time, or in harbour, or in fine weather at sea, no
such teasing interference is likely to arise; but in war, and on board
a cruising ship, the public service frequently calls a ship's company
to exchange their Bibles and Prayer-books for the sponges and rammers.
The collect in which they have petitioned to be defended from the fear
of their enemies, and that their time might be passed in rest and
quietness, may hardly have passed their lips, before they are eagerly
and joyfully scampering up the rigging to shake the reefs out in chase
of an enemy, with whom, in the next hour, they will perhaps be engaged
in hot fight!

I remember once in a frigate, cruising deep in the Bay of Biscay, just
as the captain had finished the Litany, and the purser, whose greatest
pleasure it was to officiate as clerk, had said Amen, that the man at
the main royal-mast head screamed out,--

"A strange sail, broad on the lee bow!"

The first effect of this announcement was to make the commander turn
round involuntarily to the man at the wheel and exclaim, "Put the helm
up!" He then closed the book, with a degree of energy of which he was
made somewhat ashamed when the sound was echoed back by that of the
rapidly closing volumes all around him.

"My lads," said he quickly, but not without solemnity, "our duty to
our King is our duty to God; and if, as I hope, this sail turn out to
be the ship we have been so long looking after, you will not give a
worse account of her to the country, I am sure, for having applied in
good earnest for assistance from aloft." After which, suddenly
changing his tone and manner, he sung out loudly and clearly,--

"Hands, make sail! Let go the bow-lines! Round in the weather braces!
Mast-head, there! let me know when the strange sail is right ahead!"

Then leaping on the hammocks, and resting his glass against the
after-swifter of the main-rigging, he swept the horizon impatiently
for the stranger. Meanwhile, the rattling of the chairs, capstan-bars,
match-tubs, and shot-boxes, gave token of the rapid demolition of our
nautical church. The studding-sail booms shot out like spears from the
yard-arms, and the sails which these spars were to expand hung
dangling and flapping in the air, as if the canvas had been alive, and
joined in the eagerness of the chase; while the ship herself,
trembling fore and aft under these fresh and spirit-stirring impulses,
dashed away at the rate of ten and a-half knots.

Such are the incidents which happen on board single frigates; those
rattling, joyous, fly-along, Salee-rover sort of cruisers, which range
at large over the wide ocean, scour every coast, and keep the war
famously alive. A much more stately ceremonial is observed on board
fleets, whether at sea, blockading a port, or lying in harbour. The
ships of the different divisions, or squadrons, wait till the admiral
hoists at his mizen-peak the signal indicating that Divine service has
commenced, the bell is then tolled in each of the other ships, the
usual pendant is displayed, and the first article of war is complied
with, not only to the letter, but often, we may hope and trust, fully
up to the spirit. I have heard many clergymen declare that they never
beheld any congregation in which more attention and decorum prevailed
than in our ship churches.

At sea, both in fleets and on board single ships, the afternoon of
Sunday is generally a season of rest and quietness; but in harbour it
is frequently the most annoying period of the whole week. There is
nothing for the men to do, and the time hangs terribly heavy on their
hands; to which it must be added, that our ships are too often
infested by some of the vilest contaminations of the shore. Bad as
these influences are, at any time or place, I believe they may he
considered at their worst when they come afloat; so that whenever it
can possibly be done without injury to the service, portions of the
ship's company should be allowed to go on shore in turn, albeit their
proceedings when "on liberty," as they call it, are none of the most
commendable. But we must let that pass. In foreign ports, however,
this indulgence is frequently impossible; and in cases when the people
cannot be permitted to land, the different men-of-war in company are
sure to send boat-loads of visitors, or what are called "liberty men,"
on board one another's ships, to pass the afternoon of Sunday. This
practice is the very bane of good discipline, and ought at all times
to be discouraged in every way; for it almost inevitably leads to
drunkenness, rioting, and bitter heart-burnings. It has, moreover, the
effect of making the men discontented with their own ship and their
own officers. The sailors are sufficiently sharp criticisers of the
conduct of their superiors, even when they have all the facts before
them, and the power of observing closely, and from day to day. But
when they pass on board other vessels, and interchange exaggerations
over an extra pot of grog, the mischievous consequence is certain;
for each of the parties is likely enough to break up the visit
miserably discontented, and to return under a thorough conviction
that, while everything done in their own ship is wrong, all the
officers are either foolish or tyrannical, or both. If there must be
ship-visiting, let it be on week days, and in the morning; but,
clearly, the less the better; and most assuredly it ought never to be
allowed on Sunday evening.

FOOTNOTES:

[5] It would have gratified Captain Hall if he had lived to see that
some of the changes for which he pleads so earnestly are being
adopted, and that the best hands in the navy are now retained as
continuous service men.




CHAPTER XII.

NAVAL RATINGS AND SEA PAY.

MUSTERING CLOTHES.


The dinner-hour on Sunday is noon, the same as on other days; but
there is this distinction, which ought to mark the afternoon in every
well-regulated ship, the people are never disturbed between twelve
o'clock and four, unless some particular service occurs which cannot
without impropriety be deferred. It is customary during the rest of
the week to turn the watch up at one o'clock, but on Sunday, if
possible, the people should be left alone: to be idle if they choose
it, or to read, or otherwise to employ themselves according to their
own fancy. This, after all, is but a trifling indulgence, which hardly
ever puts the captain or officers to any inconvenience. Even if it
did, what would it matter? The interests of the country will not be
worse attended to in the long-run for an occasional relaxation of
strict etiquettes and formal observances. Even if the ship be making a
passage, and that, in strictness, all sail ought to be carried, no
eventual loss will ever attend such very trivial abatement of speed;
for the men will probably be far more active in making and shortening
sail at other times, when their minor comforts are thus regarded, than
when treated as if they had no feelings to be considered.

The circumstance which most distinctly marks the afternoon of Sunday
on board a man-of-war, even more than on land, is the absence of all
the usual stir caused by the multifarious occupations of the
artificers and crew. Indeed, the lower deck of a man-of-war on Sunday
afternoon, between dinner time and the hour of tea, or evening grog, a
cast of idleness is the most characteristic feature. Groups of men may
be seen sitting on the deck chatting over very old stories, a few are
reading, and many are stretched out flat on their backs fast asleep,
or dosing with their heads laid on their arms on the mess-table. But
the habit of locomotion amongst sailors is so strong, that there are
always numerous parties walking on the main deck in pairs, or in
threes and fours, along a short space, backwards and forwards,
although there seems no reason why their walk should not be twice or
thrice as long. Both sides of the forecastle, too, and the
lee-gangway, are generally filled with these walking philosophers, as
they may in truth be called; for they enjoy the hour that passes, and
are ready to take whatever comes in good part. The weather-gangway is
usually left for the occasional transits of that most restless of
mortals, the officer of the watch, who, as in duty bound, is eternally
fidgeting about the trim of the sails, and must often step forward to
the chestree, from whence, while resting his foot on the tack-block of
the mainsail, he may cast his eye aloft to detect something to alter
in the position of the head-yards. Or if he hears any noise in the
galley, or even on the lower deck, he can walk forward till he is able
to peer down the fore-hatchway, by stooping under the bows of the boat
on the booms. Most of this fidget probably arises, not so much from
any wish to find fault with what is wrong, as to maintain what is
right. The true preventive service of an officer is to interpose his
superintending vigilance between the temptation, on the part of the
men, to err, and their first motion towards offence. Were this
principle fully acted up to in all ships, how rapidly might not our
punishments subside!

At four, or half-past four in the afternoon, the merry pipe to supper
awakes the sleepers, arrests the peripatetics, and once more clusters
young and old round the mess-table. At sunset the drum beats to
quarters, when the men's names are carefully called over, and the
sobriety of each ascertained. Other duties may be intermitted on the
day of rest, but not that of the guns, which are minutely examined,
and all their appendages got ready every evening with as much earnest
care as if the ship were that instant sailing into action. A moment's
reflection, indeed, will show that there can, of course, be no
difference in this respect between Sunday and any other evening. Then
come in succession the following routine orders, and their
correspondent evolutions:--"Reef topsails!" "Stand by the hammocks!"
"Pipe down!" "Roll up the cloths!" "Call the watch!" "Pipe the
sweepers!" And thus, at last, the first day of the week at sea, in a
man-of-war, is at an end.

In old times, I recollect, the fashion was for the men to press aft
in a disorganised crowd; but of late years the following more
appropriate and orderly arrangement has been universally adopted. The
men are distributed in a close double row round the quarter-deck
gangways and forecastle, each standing in his place according to the
order of his name on the Open List. A small table is then brought up,
on which are spread the muster-books; and the captain's clerk, who is
the only person seated, begins calling over the names. Each man, as
his turn comes, pulls off his hat, smooths down his hair, and passes
over from the lee side of the deck to the weather side, stepping
across the gratings just before the binnacle. The captain stands to
windward, so that the men advance directly up towards him, and then
pass forward in review. By this means, not only the captain, but the
officers, who, of course, are all present, become better acquainted
with the men, learn their names, and ascertain their respective
ratings and merits. The first lieutenant plants himself at the
captain's elbow to furnish such general information as may be
required, or to appeal for more minute details to the other
lieutenants, warrant-officers, mates, or midshipmen, as the case may
be.

The captain avails himself of this public opportunity of telling any
of the men that they have been advanced a step on the books since the
last muster; and if these intimations be given without parade, and in
good taste, they afford great satisfaction to the people, though it
may often happen that the changes of rating are almost nominal. It is
a great point gained in all discipline, if the persons we wish to
influence can be made duly sensible that their merits and exertions
are not neglected. It is obvious, too, that if giving a man a higher
rating be a source of encouragement, to disrate him may readily be
used as a means of punishment. I remember, in the Lyra, on my way home
from China, in 1817, that the captain of the foretop, a fine active
lad from North Shields, got into some scrape, not quite bad enough to
bring him within the reach of the terrible gangway, but close to it,
and I was rather perplexed how to chastise the offender. The first
Sunday in the month was close at hand, so I waited till this man's
name was called, and then, after a suitable lecture, desired the
clerk, in the hearing of the whole ship's company, to change his
rating to that of able seaman from captain of the top. The poor fellow
looked bewildered, and, instead of passing on when another name was
called, stood stock-still half-way across the deck.

"Don't you hear?" I said; "you are no longer captain of the foretop,
you are disrated on the ship's books."

I then turned to the clerk to see the entry properly made; but on
looking again at the disrated seaman, I observed, to my astonishment,
that he was in tears!

I certainly had not reckoned upon such a scene; but it at once flashed
upon me that here was an opportunity of gaining two important points.
The first and most obvious of which was to secure this particular
man's future good services by enlisting all that was hearty in his
nature at the instant of its strongest expression; and the next, to
avail myself of the circumstance to stamp a still higher degree of
importance in the eyes of the men than before upon the value of these
ratings. I therefore instantly called out to the clerk to stop his
pen; and then addressing the man, in a voice loud enough to be heard
by all the crew, said, I was quite sure any one who felt so sensibly
the degradation implied in the loss of rank which he had just incurred
was never likely to expose himself again to such a risk. I should
therefore not only give him back his former rating, and replace him in
his station as captain of the top, but assure him that all trace both
of his offence and its punishment should from that moment be entirely
forgotten.

It is hardly within the range of popular explanation to show in what
particulars the different shades of technical merit consist, by which
many of these ratings are awarded. The letters A.B., which mean Able
Seaman, are placed against the names of those only who are
thorough-bred sailors, or who, in sea phrase, can not only "hand,
reef, and steer," but are likewise capable of heaving the lead in the
darkest night, as well as in the day-time; who can use the palm and
needle of a sail-maker; and who are versed in every part of a ship's
rigging, in the stowage of the hold, and in the exercise of the great
guns. Of course, an A.B. must be able to pull an oar, as well as use
it in sculling, understand the management of a boat under sail, and
know how to cross a surf. He must also learn the art of placing an
anchor in a boat, in order to its being laid out; and how to get it in
again when weighed. In these, and twenty other things which might be
pointed out, he ought to be examined by the boatswain and other
officers before his rating of A.B. is fully established on the books.

The higher ratings of quarter-master, gunner's mate, captain of the
forecastle and of the tops, and so on, are given chiefly to men who
may not, in fact, know more than every Able Seaman is supposed to be
acquainted with, but who have recommended themselves by their superior
activity and vigilance, and have not only shown themselves fit to
command others by their decision of character, but evinced a sincere
anxiety to see the work of their department well performed. It is of
great consequence to assist in every way the authority of these
leading hands over the other men stationed in the same part of the
ship; and judicious officers will generally be able to avail
themselves to great purpose, in moments of trial, of the energetic
co-operation of these persons. Much of the internal, or what may be
called domestic, discipline of the crew, depends upon the conduct of
these men; for each mess has one of them at its head, who is held more
or less responsible for the behaviour of the people in that knot or
party. I have, however, known some officers exact a great deal too
much from these captains of the messes, and expect them to become
spies and informers against their companions; or, which is just as
unreasonable, hold them fully answerable for all delinquencies
committed in their part of the ship. This is cruel; because, although
they undoubtedly may contribute materially towards the maintenance of
good order, they cannot, by possibility, do more than act as
assistants to the first lieutenant, and chiefly by explaining to the
rest of the people what is required of them. Most men in the long-run,
and perhaps in all ranks of society, but certainly on board a
manof-war, find it so much more agreeable in every respect to do what
is right than what is wrong, that when they come distinctly to know
what is wanted, they almost invariably set about executing it
cheerfully. The first grand point, therefore, in the ship's
discipline, after a system has been adopted which shall be consistent
in all its parts, is, to let the details of this system be thoroughly
understood by every one on board. When a good plan has been once fixed
upon, and the officers are vigilant, patient, and exact in their own
personal conduct, and the leading men have been made fully acquainted
with what is required, the rest of the crew will be but too happy to
do their duty manfully and well, without the instrumentality of the
lash, except in extreme cases.

In former times, the distinctions amongst ratings of the seamen on the
ship's books were so few that it was impossible to discriminate
correctly, or to assign to each man, with any justice, the exact
rating which his knowledge of seamanship, his experience in the
exercise of that knowledge, his general good conduct, and his
abilities, might entitle him to. An Order in Council, dated November,
1816, established a new system of Ratings; and by another Order, dated
the 23rd of June, 1824, "the net sea pay of the flag-officers of His
Majesty's fleet" was established, "together with the net sea pay and
number of their retinue; the number of commissioned, warrant, petty,
and non-commissioned officers, and the ratings of every description
both of seamen and marines, allowed to each class of His Majesty's
ships, with their rates of net sea pay respectively; and
distinguishing the several classes for sharing the produce of
seizures."[6]

As soon as the ship's company have been mustered, the captain takes
off his hat and reads the Articles of War, to which, out of respect to
this important act of parliament, the people listen in like manner
uncovered. Between breakfast and divisions, some captains occupy
themselves in examining the weekly reports of the expenditure of
boatswain's, gunner's, and carpenter's stores; and in going over with
the purser the account of the remains of provisions, fuel, and
slop-clothing on board. After which he may overhaul the midshipmen's
log-books, watch, station, and quarter bills, or take a look at their
school-books. If the ship be in harbour, he also glances his eye at
their accounts; and he generally takes occasion to indulge in a little
kindly gossip about their mess, their love of the sea, and the last
letters they received from home.

Thus the gallant skipper, as well as his gallant crew, has seldom much
spare time on his hands during the forenoon of Sunday. I should be
right glad, indeed, to be informed what day, or hour, or even what
half-hour, in the whole week, from end to end, the captain can fairly
call his own. Not one! Every other person on board has his hour, or
his four hours, or his eight hours of rest, and of relief from all
anxiety; but the poor captain has not a minute. He is the chief over
all, it is true; but he pays dearly and deeply for this distinction in
the shape of heavy responsibilities, and perpetual trials of various
kinds. Our poet says, "uneasy lies the head that wears a crown"--I am
quite sure that unburdened never lie the shoulders that wear two
epaulettes. The captain is at all calls, and must be ready at all
seasons with resources, good or bad, to supply the failures or
indolence of others; while his own fate, fortunes, and character, as
well as the credit of the service, and sometimes that of the country,
are made to hang upon the instantaneous nature of his decisions, and
upon the vigour and efficiency of his exertions, at moments perhaps
when his powers are nearly exhausted, and his spirit all but crushed
by sheer fatigue. The simple enumeration of a captain of a
man-of-war's ordinary responsibilities, I have often thought, would
win for his class a degree of considerate forbearance, and candid
allowance for his difficulties, which, perhaps, it has never yet
fairly received from the public. If, to such enumeration, a notice
respecting the duties of each were appended, an interesting peep
might be afforded to the curious of the internal government of our
singular community, and information supplied on not a few points,
respecting which most people are entirely ignorant.

It is frequently the practice in the navy on Sundays to muster clothes
at divisions, and to take a list of what slops are required by the men
to complete their kit, or stock of worldly goods. This overhaul or
inspection happens once a month; and when such is the intention, the
word is passed along the lower deck at breakfast-time, that the ship's
company are to "muster clothes at divisions." When the drum beats,
each man brings his bag to the place where he stands in his division,
and proceeds to arrange his things in order on the deck before him,
each article being placed separately, that the officer may count, and,
if he pleases, examine them, after the mates and mids have first
called over the names, to ascertain that every man has the proper
complement of articles, in good order, and well washed. A note is then
taken of what things are wanted, in the way of slops, to supply
worn-out and condemned clothes. "Slops" is the technical name for
jackets, trousers, shirts, and other articles of a sailor's wardrobe,
before they have been used. They are sent on board in bales and boxes
by government, and placed in charge of the purser.

All this is reported in detail to the lieutenant of the division, who
continues walking backwards and forwards while the inspection is going
on, ready to answer appeals in the event of any difficulties or doubts
arising. He carries in his hand a complete list of his division, and
of each man's clothes; and when the young gentlemen under his orders
have finished their work, and taken down what is wanted, the
lieutenant goes along the line to investigate the whole anew. He then
collects the different memorandums of slops wanted, and proceeds to
make his report to the captain, who either sanctions or disapproves of
the decision of the officer, as he pleases. Frequently the captain
himself goes along the divisions, to look at the men's clothing; but
the glance which he takes is necessarily of a more cursory nature; his
object is, to let the men feel that he is ready to interfere, if need
be, but also to show, that, unless there is any special call for the
interposition of his authority, he confides in those under him.

A commander should recollect, that, whether it be he himself, or