His CAPTORS. 237 



A groundless Presumption. A Fact of Experience. 



cause I do not order boats to be lowered on 

 the Sabbath day. it is their look-out and blame. 

 If /have boats lowered, it is mine, and God will 

 not hold me guiltless. 



9. It is an unfounded presumption that a steady 

 and well-grounded refusal to have nothing to do 

 with Sabbath whaling will produce discontent 

 among the men. Experience has proved that 

 they like the rest of the Sabbath as well as 

 any other men, and are glad enough to have it 

 theirs for a constancy, though they would like 

 now and then to improve any rare chance offer- 

 ed on that day as well as on any other. 



10. If no look-out is kept for whales on the 

 Sabbath, but the day is devoted to rest, they 

 will not often be seen that day, so as to be an 

 occasion of discontent. These two last propo- 

 sitions are drawn from the experience of this 

 ship, the Commodore Preble, during its present 

 Sabbath-keeping voyage, and will, I am well 

 convinced, be found true of every ship that shall 

 try the experiment. The captain became per- 

 suaded at the Sandwich Islands that he would 

 be wrong and without excuse to whale any 

 more on the Sabbath, and with a new heart he 

 resolved to do so no more. 



