There Are Many Particulars Connected With The Manning Of Vessels,
The Provisions Given To Crews, And The Treatment Of Them
While at
sea, upon which there might be a good deal said; but as I have,
for the most part,
Remarked upon them as they came up in the course
of my narrative, I will offer nothing further now, except on the
single point of the manner of shipping men. This, it is well
known, is usually left entirely to the shipping-masters, and is
a cause of a great deal of difficulty, which might be remedied
by the captain, or owner, if he has any knowledge of seamen,
attending to it personally. One of the members of the firm to
which our ship belonged, Mr. S - - -, had been himself a master of
a vessel, and generally selected the crew from a number sent down
to him from the shipping-office. In this way he almost always
had healthy, serviceable, and respectable men; for any one who
has seen much of sailors can tell pretty well at first sight,
by a man's dress, countenance, and deportment, what he would
be on board ship. This same gentleman was also in the habit of
seeing the crew together, and speaking to them previously to their
sailing. On the day before our ship sailed, while the crew were
getting their chests and clothes on board, he went down into the
forecastle and spoke to them about the voyage, the clothing they
would need, the provision he had made for them, and saw that they
had a lamp and a few other conveniences. If owners or masters
would more generally take the same pains, they would often save
their crews a good deal of inconvenience, beside creating a sense
of satisfaction and gratitude, which makes a voyage begin under
good auspices, and goes far toward keeping up a better state of
feeling throughout its continuance.
It only remains for me now to speak of the associated public efforts
which have been making of late years for the good of seamen: a far
more agreeable task than that of finding fault, even where fault
there is. The exertions of the general association, called the
American Seamen's Friend Society, and of the other smaller
societies throughout the Union, have been a true blessing
to the seaman; and bid fair, in course of time, to change the
whole nature of the circumstances in which he is placed, and give
him a new name, as well as a new character. These associations
have taken hold in the right way, and aimed both at making the
sailor's life more comfortable and creditable, and at giving him
spiritual instruction. Connected with these efforts, the spread of
temperance among seamen, by means of societies, called, in their own
nautical language, Windward-Anchor Societies, and the distribution
of books; the establishment of Sailors' Homes, where they can be
comfortably and cheaply boarded, live quietly and decently, and be
in the way of religious services, reading and conversation; also the
institution of Savings Banks for Seamen; the distribution of tracts
and Bibles; - are all means which are silently doing a great work for
this class of men.
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