THE START. 13 



was unnecessary and lawless ; only at sea had he the right, 

 or could he be justified in using it. 



I suppose that some such difficulties occur at the sailing 

 of half the ships that leave New York. I have been on board 

 a number as they were getting under way, and in every one 

 of them there has been more or less trouble arising from the 

 intoxicated condition of the crew. Twice I have seen men 

 fall overboard, when first ordered aloft, in going down the 

 harbour. 



The ship did not go to sea until three days after she was 

 advertised to sail, though she had her crew, stores, and steerage 

 passengers on board all that time. I do not know the cause 

 of her detention ; it seemed unnecessary, as other large ships 

 sailed while we lay idle; and if unnecessary, it was not 

 honest. The loss of three days board, and diminution by so 

 much of the stores, calculated to last out the passage, and all 

 the other expenses and inconveniences occasioned by it to the 

 poor steerage passengers, may seem hardly worthy of notice ; 

 and I should not mention it, if such delays, often much more 

 protracted, were not frequent, sometimes adding materially 

 to the suffering always attending a long passage. 



At noon on the 3d of May we passed out by the light 

 ship of the outer bar, and soon after eight o clock that even 

 ing the last gleam of Fire-Island light disappeared behind 

 the dark line of unbroken horizon. 



2 



