ENGLISH SAILORS DISSATISFIED. 123 



apartments, in one of which the blacks, and in the 

 other the whites reside — neither party encroaching 

 on the other. These ships usually fit out for fifteen 

 months, but generally return within the year; their 

 forecastles look desolate, from the fact that none of 

 the crew bring chests to sea with them ; their stock 

 of clothes consisting, in many instances, only of the 

 suit they wear upon their backs. Their bedding, too, 

 from lack of attention to their outfit, is very scant, 

 and is therefore insufficient in such cool weather as 

 prevails in the Bight at this season of the year. They 

 were disposed to grumble, and exceeded the usual 

 modicum of growling accorded to the sailor. They 

 envied us our positions, and were very desirous of 

 effecting an exchange ; some went so far as to ask to 

 be concealed when their boat left our ship. They 

 represented that their ships were leaky, and the officers 

 ignorant; and inveighed in unmeasured terms against 

 their rations, describing them as scant and unwhole- 

 some. These must not be considered as fair speci- 

 mens of the Hobartown shipping, as afterward we 

 saw vessels in which, although their management 

 could not compare with ours, their crews were at 

 least contented, and their vessels and rigging pre- 

 sented a much better appearance to a seaman's eye. 



On board these ships grog is allowed ; by some, 

 daily ; others, semi- and tri- weekly ; and when we 

 informed them that we sailed on the total abstinence 

 principle, the}^ expressed much astonishment at the 

 fact, and wondered how we got along without liquor. 



Several I^ew Zealanders in tlie respective crews of 

 these vessels attracted ni}- attention, from the tattoo- 

 ing on their bodies. The figures on the face and 



