394 
This is what they call “sailing their 
ships cheap.”| but they ate free to 
change: in the other, injustice is now 
rare, but freedom of will is banished. 
But it will be asked, what are the pe- 
culiarities that disfigure the king’s ser- 
vice, and render it so disgusting to the 
merchant-seaman ? The answer may 
be, genérally, the severity of the disci- 
pline—-the impossibility of quitting it 
without committing a crime—the com- 
paratively diminutive rate of pay—and 
the positive confinement. 
Without entering here into any dis- 
cussion of the nature and effects of the 
discipline practised on board his Majes- 
ty’s ships, I will merely observe that, 
in spite of its excellent principles—in 
spite of that general mildness of execu- 
tion which is constantly recommended 
by the Admiralty—in spite of the pains 
that are unceasingly taken by that 
board, as well as by the commanding 
officers of ships, to see that strict jus- 
tice be administered to the seaman, 
nothing can efface the mortifying im- 
pression from his mind, that he is sub- 
ject to punishment of the most degrad- 
ing nature, at the mere will and pleasure 
of his captain: you cannot conceal 
from him that his happiness or misery, 
while in the service, solely depend on 
the personal character of a single indi- 
vidual, who may be repeatedly changed ; 
whose successor may have different no- 
tions and views of the service generally, 
and local regulations of a nature totally 
dissimilar, and, in many instances, dia- 
metrically opposite to those which he 
has been hitherto accustomed to obey. 
These ideas will continually obtrude 
themselves, and -nothing but the re- 
moval of the cause, or countervailing 
advantages, will neutralize the irritable 
feelings to which they give birth: the 
latter may be immediately applied ; and, 
in the course of time, the former really, 
though perhaps not nominally, removed, 
Comparisons, though odious, are 
sometimes necessary. A man, on en- 
tering the king’s service, finds himself 
as it were in a prison—a splendid one, 
but still a prison, where he knows 
he must remain during the continuance 
of hostilities. He is liable to serve in 
any country, for any length of time ; he 
receives no pay when abroad, and has 
always six months’ arrears due when 
at home: his pay is much below that 
which he could earn, if left to himself. 
In war, the exigencies of the service 
rarely allow of time or opportunity 
for leave of absence, and which is sel- 
On the Impressment of Seamen. 
[Deest, 
dom granted when occasions do pre- 
sent themselves—through fear of de- 
sertion ; he is subject to corporal 
punishment; to be watched, while on 
duty, by centinels; ordered about by 
children; obliged to do a thousand 
petty, nonsensical, but wearing and 
irritating duties, that scarcely allow 
him a moment’s tranquillity. He has 
less, perhaps, of hard labour than ina 
merchant-man ; but much of what he 
has is infinitely more harassing, and 
frequently becomes a fertile source of 
sullen discontent. 
“The grand or fundamental principle of 
nayal discipline,’ says the author of the 
Essay on the Influence of Tropical Climates 
on European Constitutions, “ as promotive 
of health and comfort amongst seamen, 
consists in so artfully employing both mind 
and body, that the one may not be affected 
by apathy or chagrin, nor the other by in- 
dolence or over exertion.- 
** In exact proportion as this principle 
is kept in view and acted upon, will the 
end and object of naval discipline be at- 
tained; and,. whenever it is disregarded, 
the inevitable consequences will be anarchy 
and disease.” 
“For this purpose, the code of interior 
regulations should be mld and judicious, 
in order that a rigid performance may 
be enforced ; and, instead of the many dif- 
ferent orders that are suspended under the 
decks of ships throughout the navy, there 
should be one simple uniform system of in~ 
terior economy, signed by the Lords of the 
Admiralty, perfectly adhered to.* 
“ When seamen are convinced that no- 
thing but an unforeseen exigence, or in- 
dispensable necessity, will cause a devia- 
tion from the routine of duty prescribed, 
they know exactly what they have to do; 
their minds are accordingly made up to the 
performance of it, and they go through it 
with alacrity, in order to have the inter- 
vals for their own amusement, or private 
occupation. 
“ But where order and punctuality are 
not rigidly enacted and followed up, the 
equilibrium in the division of labour be- 
comes unhinged, and the greatest share of 
toil often falls on the best men ; never being 
certain of the exact periods of duty and re- 
laxation, they frequently become listless, 
lazy, dissatisfied, and careless about their 
personal cleanliness—the consequences of ~ 
which need not be pourtrayed.t The great 
art 
* This has at length, we hope, com- 
menced by a new system of great-gun exer- 
cise ; and we trust that it will be followed 
up by other regulations of the same nature. 
+ One very important thing may be here 
mentioned, although not strictly conneeted 
with the subject before us; namely, the 
expediency 
