DUTIES OF OFFICERS. 329 



first and second officers are examined by one or two of the 

 nautical directors. At sea the routine of duty for officers 

 is as follows : The tirst or chief officer may be termed the 

 head of the executive ; he superintends and directs all under 

 the sanction of the captain. The second officer usually 

 assists the captain in navigation, and instructs the middies 

 and junior officers in nautical astronomy. The third offi- 

 cer has charge of every thing below, assisted by the fourth, 

 fifth, and sixth. He has the cables and the holds under his 

 immediate charge ; he also regulates the berthing and mess- 

 ing of the crew ; he is cognizant of, and responsible for, 

 every thing which occurs under hatches. The crew are 

 divided into two watches, the officers into three. The first, 

 second, and third officers have each charge of a watch ; the 

 fourth, fifth, and sixth conduct the duty on the forecastle. 

 The middies are employed on the poop and in the mizzen- 

 top. No person is permitted to act as surgeon of a regular 

 ship who shall not have performed one voyage in a com- 

 pany's ship, or served twelve months in his majesty's ser- 

 vice in hot climates. The surgeon and surgeon's mate 

 must produce a certificate from the examiners of the Royal 

 College of Surgeons, and also from the physician appointed 

 by the compan}', of their being qualified for such stations. 

 The surgeon presents a list of the sick every day to the 

 captain, who is obliged to examine and sign the surgeon's 

 journal once a month. The purser superintends the pro- 

 visions and slops. The station and quarter bills are hung 

 up in the gun-deck for general inspection. The first and 

 second officers, the purser, and surgeon mess with the cap- 

 tain ; all the other officers and mids pay for their own mess. 

 The ships are amply stored and provisioned, and always 

 leave England in good repair. Their whole outfit is con- 

 ducted under the superintendence of public officers ap- 

 pointed by the company. The provisions and water, with 

 every other description of stores, are always apportioned 

 by well-established rules to the length of the voyage. The 

 discipline is strict, and according to an established system. 

 The ships always sail on the day appointed, the orders on 

 this point being rigidly enforced by the company. It may 

 fairly be conceded that the existence of all these regula- 

 tions, together with the spacious accommodation and clear 

 decks of an Indiaman, ought to ensure great punctuality 



£ 62 



