PLIMSOLL'S EFFORTS. 113 



from the coast. We are told of one man who had in six years lost twelve rotten ships, 

 and 105 men; and of the Elizabeth t a vessel so weak and leaky, that is was necessary to 

 pump her every hour when floating empty in harbour, but which was sent to sea with 180 

 tons of coal to founder with three out of five hands. It was certainly time for legislation 

 when the statement could be made truly that a ship which had been refused a class by 

 Lloyd's Committee, and had been declared utterly unfit to go to sea by Lloyd's surveyor, 

 was dispatched across the Atlantic, or rather to the bottom of the Atlantic, there to lie 

 with one crew, while another was safe in an English prison for refusing to proceed in her. 



In 1870, Mr. Samuel Plimsoll fir^t commenced, so far as Parliament is concerned, 

 those benevolent efforts for the amelioration of the sailor's hard life, which must always 

 place him among the highest ranks of philanthropists. Moved evidently by the purest 

 motives, there are one or two mistakes to be recorded against him, but they were of 

 the head, not of the heart. Government was at the time endeavouring, as far as can 

 be seen, to accomplish nearly the same ends, but was hampered by the pressure of 

 Parliamentary business. Lindsay, who was somewhat opposed to the views expressed by 

 Plimsoll, and it is rather unfortunate that he was so, having been so long a ship-owner 

 himself, yet endorses the remarks of a friend a Vice- Admiral of Her Majesty's 

 service who wrote to him : " Should there not be some more stringent provisions ' 

 with respect to the inspection of sailing vessels ? It is an old proverb, ' Who ever 

 saw a dead donkey?' But who ever saw an old sailing-ship broken up? I am inclined 

 to think that it is more to the interest of small owners to let an old tub go on shore 

 than to bring her safe into port. This works two evils : 1, the danger to human 

 life ; 2, the greater rate of insurance on honest owners to make up an average for the 

 dishonest." The evil had become a most terrible one, and, in spite of some little reform, 

 it is to be feared, goes on to-day with only partially-abated vigour. 



" Imperfect charts," says Lindsay, " were often made to cover, as I fear may 

 be the case to some extent now, incompetency, drunkenness, or carelessness. Indeed, 

 about that period, they frequently served as excuses when other objects were in view. 

 I remember a ludicrous example of this. When a boy at school at Ayr, I used to 

 accompany my uncle to 'the meeting of owners' of the brig jKclijise, in which he held 

 some eight or ten 64th shares. Every spring the owners met on board to discuss matters 

 relating to her affairs, and to dispose of what I recollect best, a round of salt beef, 

 sea-biscuits, and rum and water. The Eclipse had hitherto been invariably employed 

 during the summer season in the conveyance of timber from some .one or other of the 

 ports of New Brunswick for Ayr. On one occasion, a tempting freight had been 

 offered for her to proceed to Quebec, and the owners in conclave assembled, had all 

 but unanimously decided to send her to that port. While, however, the discussion 

 was going on, her skipper, Garratt, or, ' old Garratty/ as he was called, seemed very 

 uneasy, and gulping down an extra tumbler of rum and water, he at last said, ' Weel, 

 gentlemen, should you send the Eclipse to Quebec, I'll not be answerable for her safety.' 

 ' How so ? ' asked one of the owners. ' Ah/ said Garratty, drawing his breath, ' the 

 charts are a'wrang in the St. Laicrence. Ye'll ne'er see the Eclipse again gin ye send 

 her to Quebec.' The skipper carried the day. 

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