530 CURRENTS AND WHALING. 



to the crews instead of money, and giving the supply of these to the 

 master as a perquisite. I was not a little surprised when I learned 

 that this perquisite had amounted to eighteen hundred dollars with a 

 crew of about thirty men. It, in fact, sometimes reaches the amount 

 of between two and three thousand dollars ; and it will naturally excite 

 some curiosity to know how so large a net gain could accrue from 

 sailors whose ordinary dress is but a pair of coarse blue trousers and 

 red flannel shirt. There is, however, no difficulty in the explanation. 

 The crew, in the first place, get an outfit in clothing as an advance, 

 which is charged to them at a profit of one hundred per cent. ; they 

 then when allowed liberty on shore are obliged to draw these goods 

 or clothing, in lieu of money, and cannot exchange them on shore for 

 more than one-fourth of what they are charged for them. In this 

 way a debt is accumulated against the " lay" of the seaman, until he 

 finds before the end of the voyage that the whole amount that ought 

 to accrue to him is dissipated. This naturally leads to discontent 

 against the persons whom he knows or believes to be the authors of 

 his loss, and for whose gain all his labours have gone. This state of 

 things unavoidably produces difficulties, more or less serious according 

 to the number of the crew who find themselves thus circumstanced. 

 I am not prepared to say how this can be avoided, but I am well satis- 

 fied it would be for the interest of the owners to reserve this supply 

 to themselves, and charge it to the crew, at such advance on the cost 

 as will just secure themselves from loss. By doing this they would 

 find that the expenses caused by detention and the many vexations 

 and quarrels would be saved. It is inconceivable how much time is 

 lost in port by these difficulties between the master and crew. 



Many difficulties would certainly be prevented by the government 

 sending men-of-war to the ports at the time they are frequented by 

 the whalers, not only to support the authority of the consuls and 

 masters of whalers, but at the same time to protect the interests of 

 the crews. I am well assured that the presence of our national vessels 

 would in a great measure prevent many of the disturbances that are 

 constantly occurring between the masters and crews, among the 

 crews of different vessels, and between both these and the authorities 

 on shore. It is due to the large interest embarked in this extended 

 fishery, that the government should protect its defenceless ships 

 against savage attacks, and have a force at hand to preserve the pro- 

 perty in case of accident or wreck. Two of our vessels of war, actively 

 engaged, would suffice to afford ample protection to this business, 



