1835. 



REFLECTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. 



593 



After examining the provisions and all the ship's papers, I 

 spoke to the crew (every man of whom wished to leave the 

 vessel) and to the nominal master ; obtained an assurance, in their 

 hearing, that their future allowance of provisions should be 

 unobjectionable, and, for the time, restored order. But I felt 

 that the calm was unlikely to last, and two days afterwards 

 fresh appeals were made, to which I could not attend, being 

 in the act of leaving the port.* 



The laws which regulate our merchant shipping, especially 

 sealers and whalers, do not appear to extend a sufficient in- 

 fluence over the numerous vessels, which, with their often tur- 

 bulent inmates, now range over the vast Pacific. For many 

 years past. Great Britain and the United States have annually 

 sent hundreds of large whale ships into the Pacific : during 

 late years, Sydney has sent forth her ships, amounting at pre- 

 sent in number to more than sixty, most of which are employed 

 in whaling or trading in the Pacific : and be it remembered 

 that their crews are not the most select seamen — the nature 

 of many of them may easily be imagined — yet in all this im- 

 mense expanse of ocean, little or no restraint except that of 

 masters of vessels, on board their own ships, is imposed either 

 upon Americans or British subjects ! There is the nominal 

 authority of a consul at the Sandwich, and Society Islands : 

 and occasionally a man-of-war is seen at the least uncivilized 

 places. But how inefficient is so widely separated, and so 

 nominal a control ? When ships of war visit the less frequented 

 parts of the Pacific, they are too much in the dark, as to the 

 state of things, to be able to effect a tenth part of what might 

 be done, in equal time, by a ship employed solely on that ocean. 

 In so peculiar a portion of the world as Polynesia, it takes some 

 time to learn what has been taking place : and what ship of 

 war has stayed long enough for her captain to lose the sen- 

 sation of inexperience — which must embarrass him if called 

 upon to decide and act, in cases where he really is about the 

 most ignorant person (as regards the special case) of any one 



* Afterwards (at Sydney) 1 heard that the men had all left the vessel, 

 and were living- among- the natives. 



VOL. II. 2 Gi 



