Life and Character of Nathaniel Boioditch, 7 



in particular, were very zealously disputing, one of them calling 

 out to the other, " Well, Jack, what have you got ?" " I've got 

 the sme," was the answer. " But that an't right," said the other. 

 " / say it is the cosine^ 



Captain Prince says, that although Mr. Bowditch had such a 

 thorough knowledge of navigation, he knew but little about what 

 is technically called seamanship. He also mentions the fact, 

 v\Ahich he had often heard him repeat, that although, in his youth, 

 he had long lived in the vicinity of the ship-yards, he had never 

 seen a launch ; and rather scouted the idea that such a sight, or 

 any thing like it, should be able to draw him away from his 

 books. Captain Prince likewise testifies that during the whole 

 course of these four voyages, he does not recollect the slightest 

 interruption of harmony and good feeling between them. 



I am happy to be able to corroborate the statements of Captain 

 Prince, by the testimony of an officer in our navy, who sailed in 

 the Astreea the two last voyages to Alicant and Batavia. In a let- 

 ter recently written, after speaking in terms of the warmest grati- 

 tude of the kindness and attention with which Mr. Bowditch 

 treated him, when a poor sea-sick cabin-boy, and acknowledging 

 his great obligations to him for instructing him in navigation, he 

 goes on to say that it was Mr. Bowditch's practice to interest him- 

 self in all the sailors on board, and to take pains to instruct all 

 who could read and write, in the principles of navigation. The 

 consequence of this was, that every one of a crew of twelve men, 

 who could read and write, subsequently rose to the rank of cap- 

 tain or chief mate of a ship. Indeed, at Salem, it was consid- 

 ered the highest recommendation of a seaman, that he had sailed 

 in the same ship with Mr. Bowditch. and this circumstance alone 

 was often suflicient to procure for him an officer's berth. In il- 

 lustration of this statement, he mentions the fact that on his sec- 

 ond voyage, the first and second mates had been sailors in the 

 same ship on the previous voyage. He also speaks of Mr. Bow- 

 ditch's urbane and gentlemanly deportment to every one on board, 

 and says that he never appeared so happy as when he could in- 

 spire the sailor with a proper sense of his individual importance, 

 and of the talents he possessed, and might call into action. 



Some idea of the extent to which a knowledge of navigation 

 was diffused among the seamen of Salem, chiefly by the influ- 

 ence of ]Mr. Bowditch, may be gained from the following nautical 



