304 NOTES. 



this enterprise has called for men faster than the good and 

 worthy could be furnished ; or, perhaps, from the joint influ- 

 ence of all these causes combined, it must be conceded that 

 a lamentable deterioration of character in the crews of whale- 

 ships has been witnessed. 



They are now made up to a great degree, and, of course, with 

 some honorable exceptions, of the very refuse of humanity, 

 gathered from every quarter, escaped from poor-houses and 

 prisons, or gleaned from the receptacle of vagrancy and lazar- 

 house corruption, with a large admixture of foreigners of all 

 languages, complexions, and character. 



Such constitute the exprienced portions of the crew. To 

 them you may add one third or one quarter part more of land 

 lubbers, or raw hands, made up of very heterogeneous mate- 

 rials. Here will be found the young, roving adventurer, who 

 pants for opportunity to see the world ; he has heard marvel- 

 ous stories of the facilities of foreign observation furnished in 

 this service, while, at the same time, visions of easily-acquired 

 wealth, golden harvests to be here reaped, have filled his mind, 

 and he hurried from the interior to ship himself on board a 

 whaleman. The reckless and impatient, who spurn all sal- 

 utary control, are also here, thinking this is just the place to 

 indulge unbounded license. 



Here, also, you will find the spoiled sons of over-indulgent 

 parents, who, having made themselves intolerable by their 

 vicious propensities, and constantly in danger of bringing dis- 

 grace on themselves and their connections also, by their in- 

 temperance, their fits of passion, or unbridled licentiousness, 

 are sent on a whaling voyage as a school of reform ! To 

 each of these a small advance of cash is made, on signing the 

 shipping papers, for the ostensible purpose of paying their 

 traveling expenses to the port of embarkation, or their board 

 a few weeks or days before they are ready to sail, or for their 

 partial outfit; the real object is to tie the poor renegade as 

 firmly as possible to his new engagement. 



With two thirds of the required number of men of the 



