698 Account of Regulations 



provided with every thing by his officer, and he must 

 take the things at the fixed price ; and complaints of 

 mismanagement and overreaching in these transactions 

 were not uncommon, in spite of the fact that these 

 complaints, as may readily be seen, were attended with 

 very great danger to the subordinate officer or private 

 who made them. The officer was at once commandant, 

 trustee, and merchant in his company ; and, if he often 

 used his authority as commandant to his own advantage 

 as merchant, it was no more than might have been 

 expected. 



One chief source of dissatisfaction among the men 

 under this system was the continual disputes arising 

 "between them and their officers with regard to the 

 delivery of the sums due them. Those men who had 

 earned something for themselves thought that they had 

 the right to dispose of their earnings. The officer, how- 

 ever, was seldom in sympathy with this assumption. 



5th, This system was subversive of all subordination 

 and discipline. Subordination must be based upon 

 respect. Who can, however, have respect for a person 

 with whom he trades, especially if he not seldom has 

 occasion to be discontented with this person ? Respect 

 presupposes ability of character, disinterestedness, be- 

 nevolence, and all other noble qualities of the human 

 soul. Who can, however, ascribe nobility of character 

 and disinterestedness to one who has shown covetous- 

 ness, and that of the basest description ? It was as good 

 as allowed to the officer to gain something in this 

 trade with his subordinates. It was even reckoned, 

 and publicly known, how much per month a captain 

 could make for himself by managing the business of 

 his company. 



