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 University of California • Berkeley 
 
 Purchased from the 
 James D. Hart Memorial Fund 
 
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THE 
 
 SEAMAN'S MANUAL ; 
 
 CONTAINING 
 
 A TREATISE ON PRACTICAL SEAMANSHIP, 
 
 WITH PLATES; 
 
 A DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS; 
 CUSTOMS AND USAGES OF THE MERCHANT SERVICE ; 
 
 LAWS RELATING TO THE PRACTICAL DUTIES OF MASTER AND 
 MARINERS. 
 
 BY R. H. DANA, Jun*., 
 
 author of 
 "two years before the mast." 
 
 LONDON : 
 EDWARD MOXON, DOVER STREET. 
 
DEDICATION. 
 
 To all sea-faring persons, and especially to those commencing 
 the sea-life ; — to owners and insurers of vessels ; — to judges and 
 practitioners in maritime law; — and to all persons interested in 
 acquainting themselves with the laws, customs, and duties of sea- 
 men ; — this work is respectfully dedicated hy 
 
 THE AUTHOR. 
 
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. 
 
 This work is published at the same time in England 
 and in America. In the latter country it appears under 
 the title of the " Seaman's Friend ;" while that of the 
 " Seaman's Manual " is adopted in the British edition, 
 as more significant of the nature of the book. Mr. Dana 
 has here embodied in a small space and unpretending form 
 a variety of information, which it is hoped may be exten- 
 sively useful. Not that men who have been bred to the 
 sea can be supposed to derive much instruction from the 
 elementary hints of a book of this kind. Seamanship, like 
 every other manual art, is thoroughly acquired by prac- 
 tice; and skill in its various branches can only be 
 arrived at by actual experience. But young beginners 
 will find useful helps in their study of the duties of sea- 
 life, in the details and explanations here collected from 
 the best available sources. Very few of the terms or 
 the methods of management, in the Merchant Service of 
 America, differ in any material respect from those which 
 are used in English vessels. There is probably less 
 difference in the sea-language common to both services 
 than may be detected as peculiar in the different great 
 sea-ports of the mother country; and in like manner, 
 the received usages and modes of discipline have the 
 close affinity which is the natural result arising from 
 a 2 
 
common origin, laws, and general customs. It may 
 therefore be expected without presumption, that the 
 abstract given in this little work of the rules established 
 in American ships will be found applicable to the prac- 
 tice in our own ; and even where they differ, may suggest 
 useful comparisons. At any rate, it is desirable to know 
 what system obtains and is successful among a body of 
 seamen which, in numbers, and the extent of commerce 
 carried on by them, are only second in importance to 
 those of Great Britain. 
 
 The laws of the United States relative to shipping, 
 are considered in Part III. of this work, in reference to 
 the rights and duties of the officers and crews respec- 
 tively. A gentleman of the legal profession has ap- 
 pended a few notes, with the view of showing points of 
 difference where they exist in the British laws. 
 
 Finally, it is hoped that the various classes of society 
 which are led by their callings, duty, or affection, to take 
 an interest in sea-faring men, and who may wish to know 
 something of their business and their language, will find 
 this little Manual useful for occasional reference. It 
 cannot be expected to have the same claims to public 
 favour as the Author's former work. But even in these 
 pages, which only aim at being useful, the reader will 
 not fail to perceive indications of the same good sense 
 and right spirit which were so conspicuous in that re- 
 markable production. 
 
 The Editor. 
 
 London, 4th October, 1841. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 A PLAIN TREATISE ON PRACTICAL SEAMANSHIP. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GENERAL RULES AND OBSERVATIONS, PAGES 1 7. 
 
 Construction of Vessels, 1. — Tonnage and Carriage of Merchant 
 Vessels, 2 — Proportions of Spars, 2 — Placing the Masts, 4. — 
 Size of Anchors and Cables, 4. — Lead-lines, 5 — Log-line, 5. — 
 Ballast and Lading, 6. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CUTTING AND FITTING STANDING RIGGING, PAGES 7 14. 
 
 Cutting Lower Rigging, 7. — Fitting Lower Rigging, 8. — Cutting 
 and fitting Topmast Rigging, 9. — Jib, Topgallant, and Royal 
 Rigging, 10. — Rattling, 11. — Standing Rigging of the Yards, 
 11.— Breast-backstays, 14. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING, PAGES 15 19. 
 
 To reeve a Brace, 15. — Fore, Main, and Cross-jack Braces, 15. 
 — Fore and Main Topsail Braces, 15. — Mizen Topsail Braces, 
 16. — Fore, Main, and Mizen Topgallant and Royal Braces, 
 16. — Halyards, 16. — Spanker-brails, 17. — Tacks, Sheets, and 
 Clewlines, 17. — Reef-tackles, Clew-garnets, Buntlines, Leach- 
 lines, Bowlines, and Slablines, 18. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS, PAGES 19 26. 
 
 Taking in Lower Masts and Bowsprit, 19. — To rig a Bowsprit, 
 20. — To get the Tops over the Mast-heads, 20. — To send up 
 a Topmast, 21. — To get on a Topmast Cap, 22. — To rig out 
 a Jib-boom, 22. — To cross a Lower Yard, 22. — To cross a 
 
VI CONTENTS. 
 
 Topsail Yard, 23. — To send up a Topgallant Mast, 23. — Long, 
 Short, and Stump Topgallant Masts, 23. — To rig out a Flying 
 Jib-boom, 24. — To cross a Topgallant Yard, 25. — To cross a 
 Royal Yard, 25.— Skysail Yards, 25. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TO SEND DOWN MASTS AND YARDS, PAGES 26 28. 
 
 To send down a Royal Yard, 26 To send down a Topgallant 
 
 Yard, 27. — To send down a Topgallant Mast, 27. — To house 
 a Topgallant Mast, 27. — To send down a Topmast, 28. — To 
 rig in a Jib-boom, 28. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS, PAGES 28 33. 
 
 To bend a Coarse, 28. — To bend a Topsail by the Halyards, 29 ; 
 by the Buntlines, 30. — To bend Topgallant Sails and Royals, 
 
 30.— To bend a Jib, 31 To bend a Spanker, 31.— To bend 
 
 a Spencer, 3). — To unbend a Course, 32. — To unbend a Top- 
 sail, 32.— To unbend a Topgallant Sail or Royal, 32.— To 
 unbend a Jib, 32. — To send down a Topsail or Course in a Gale 
 of Wind, 32.— To bend a Topsail in a Gale of Wind, 32.— 
 To bend one Topsail or Course, and send down the other at 
 the same time, 32. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WORK UPON RIGGING. ROPE, KNOTS, SPLICES, BENDS, HITCHES, 
 
 PAGES 33 44. 
 
 Yarns, Strands, 33. — Kinds of Rope : Cable-laid, Hawser-laid, 
 34. — Spunyarn, 34. — Worming, Parcelling, and Service, 34. — 
 Short Splice, 35. — Long Splice, 35. — Eye Splice, 36. — Flemish 
 Eye, 36.— Artificial Eye, 36.— Cut Splice, 36.— Grommet, 37. 
 —Single and Double Walls, 37.— -Matthew Walker, 37.— 
 Single and Double Diamonds, 37. — Spritsnil Sheet-knot, 38. — 
 Stopper Knot, 38. — Shroud and French Shroud Knots, 38. — 
 Buoy-rope Knot, 39. — Turk's Head, 39.- — Two Half-hitches, 
 Clove-hitch, Overhand Knot, and Figure-of-eight, 39. — Stand- 
 ing and Running Bowlines, and Bowline upon a Bight, 40. — 
 Square Knot, 40. — Timber Hitch, Rolling Hitch, and Blackwall 
 Hitch, 40. — Cat's Paw, 41. — Sheet Bend, Fisherman's Bend, 
 Carrick Bend, and Bowline Bend, 41. — Sheep-shank, 42. — 
 Selvagee, 42. — Marlinspike Hitch, 42. — To pass a Round 
 Seizing, 42. — Throat Seizing, 42. — Stopping and Nippering, 43. 
 — Pointing, 43. — Snaking and Grafting, 43. — Foxes, Spanish 
 Foxes, Sennit, French Sennit, Gaskets, 43. — To bend a Buoy- 
 rope, 44. — To pass a Shear-lashing, 44. 
 
CONTENTS. Vll 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BLOCKS AND PURCHASES, PAGES 44 46. 
 
 Parts of a Block, Made and Morticed Blocks, 44. — Bull's-eye, 
 Dead-eye, Sister-block, 45. — Snatch-block, Tail-blocks, Tackles, 
 Whip, Gun-tackle, Luff-tackle, Luff-upon-Luff, Runner-tackle, 
 Watch-tackle, Tail- tackle, and Burtons, 45. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL, PAGES 46 60. 
 
 To loose a Sail, 46. — To set a Course, 47. — To set a Topsail, 
 47. — To set a Topgallant Sail or Royal, 48. — To seta Skysail, 
 48. — To set a Jib, Flying Jib, or Fore Topmast Staysail, 48. — 
 To set a Spanker, 48. — To set a Spencer, 48. — To take in 
 a Course, 48. — To take in a Topsail, 49. — To take in a 
 Topgallant Sail or Royal, 50. — To take in a Skysail, 50. — To 
 take in a Jib, 50. — To take in a Spanker, 50. — To furl a 
 Royal, 50.— To furl a Topgallant Sail, 52.— To furl a Top- 
 sail or Course, 52. — To furl a Jib, 52. — To stow a Jib in 
 Cloth, 53. — To reef a Topsail, 53. — To reef a Course, 55. — 
 To turn out Reefs, 55. — To set a Topgallant Studdingsail, 
 56. — To take in a Topgallant Studdingsail, 57. — To set a Top- 
 mast Studdingsail, 57. — To take in a Topmast Studdingsail, 59. 
 — To set a Lower Studdingsail, 59. — To take in a Lower 
 Studdingsail, 60. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF WORKING A SHIP, PAGES 61 64. 
 
 Action of the Water upon the Rudder, Headway, Stern way, 61. — 
 Action of the Wind upon the Sails, Head Sails, After Sails, 62. 
 — Centre of Gravity or Rotation, 63. — Turning a Ship to or 
 from the Wind, 64. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, &C, PAGES 65 72. 
 
 To tack a Ship, 65. — To tack without fore-reaching, 66. — 
 Tacking against a heavy head Sea, 67. — Tacking by hauling of 
 all, 67. — To trim the yards when close-hauled, 67. — Missing 
 Stays, 67. — Wearing, 68. — To wear under Courses, under a 
 Mainsail, under bare poles, 68. — Box- hauling, 69. — Short- 
 round, 70. — Club-hauling, 70. — Drifting in a Tide- way, 71. — 
 Backing and filling in a Tide- way, 71. — Clubbing in a Tide- 
 way, 71. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GALES OF WIND, LYING-TO, GETTING ABACK, BY THE LEE, &C, 
 PAGES 72 75. 
 
 Lying-to, 72. — Scudding, 73. — To heave-to after Scudding, 73. — 
 Taken aback, 74. — Chapelling, 74. — Broaching-to, 75. — 
 Brought by the Lee, 75. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ACCIDENTS, PAGES 75 79. 
 
 On Beam-ends, 75. — Losing a Rudder, 76. — A Squall, 77. — A 
 Man Overboard, 78.— Collision, 78. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HEAVING-TO BY COUNTER-BRACING, SPEAKING, SOUNDING, HEAVING 
 THE LOG, PAGE8 79 82. 
 
 Counter Bracing, 79. — Speaking, 79. — Sounding, 80. — Heaving 
 the Log, 81. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 COMING TO ANCHOR, PAGES 82 86. 
 
 Getting ready for Port, 82. — Mooring, 83. — A Flying Moor, 84 
 
 Clearing Hawse, 84. — To anchor with a Slip-rope, 85. — To 
 slip a Cable, 85. — Coming-to at a slipped Cable, 85. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 GETTING UNDER WAY, PAGES 86 90. 
 
 Unmoor, 86. — To get under Way from a single Anchor, 86. — To 
 cut and fish an Anchor, 87. — To get under Way with a Wind 
 blowing directly out, and riding head to it, 88. — To get under 
 Way, riding head to the Wind, with a Rock or Shoal close 
 astern, 88. — To get under Way, riding head to Wind and Tide, 
 and to stand out close-hauled, 89. — To get under Way wind- 
 rode, with a Weather-tide, 89. — To get under Way tide-rode, 
 casting to Windward, 89. — To get under Way, tide-rode, wear- 
 ing round, 90. 
 
 A DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS, 91—135. 
 
PART II. 
 
 CUSTOMS AND USAGES OF THE MERCHANT SERVICE. 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE MASTER, PAGES 136 — 146. 
 
 Beginning of the Voyage, 136. — Shipping the Crew, 137. — Outfit, 
 Provisions, 138. — Watches, 139. — Navigation, 140. — Log-book, 
 Observations, 140. — Working Ship, 141. — Day's Work, 143. 
 — Discipline, 145. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CHIEF MATE, PAGES 146 154. 
 
 Care of Rigging and Ship's Furniture, 146. — Day's Work, 146. 
 — Working Ship, 147. — Getting under Way, 147. — Coming 
 to Anchor, 148. — Reefing and Furling, 148. — Duties in Port, 
 Account of Cargo, Stowage, 148. —Station, Watch, and All- 
 hands Duties, 149. — Log-book, Navigation, 153. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SECOND AND THIRD MATES, PAGES 154 162. 
 
 Second Mate : Navigation, 154. — Station, Watch Duties, 155. — 
 Day's Work, 155,158.— Working Ship, 159.— Reefing, Furling, 
 and Duties Aloft, 157. — Care of Ship's Furniture, 160. — 
 Stores, 160.— Duties in Port, 161.— Third Mate, 161. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CARPENTER, COOK, STEWARD, &C, PAGES 162 167. 
 
 Carpenter : Working Ship, 163. — Seaman's Work, Helm, Duty 
 aloft, Station, 163. — Work at his Trade, 164.— Berth and 
 Mess, 164. — Standing Watch, 164. — Sailmaker, 164. — Steward: 
 Duty in Passenger-ships, 165 ; in other Vessels, 166, — Relation 
 to Master and Mate, Duty aloft and about decks, Working 
 Ship, 166. — Cook : Berth, Watch, and All-hands Duty, care 
 of Galley, Duty Aloft, 166 — Idlers, 167. 
 
X CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ABLE SEAMEN, PAGES 168 173. 
 
 Grades, 168. — Rating 169. — Requisites of an Able Seaman, 170. 
 — Hand, Reef, and Steer, 170. — Work upon Rigging, 170.— 
 Sailmaking, 171. — Day's Work, 171. — Working Ship, Reef- 
 ing, Furling, 171. — Watch Duty, 172. — Coasters and Small 
 Vessels, 173. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ORDINARY SEAMEN, PAGES 174 176. 
 
 Requisites, 1 74. — Hand, Reef, and Steer ; Loose, Furl, and Set 
 Sails; Reeve Rigging, 174. — Work upon Rigging, 175. — Watc 
 Duty, 175. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BOYS, PAGES 176 178. 
 
 Requisites, Wages, 176. — Day's Work, Working Ship, Duties 
 Aloft, and about Decks, 176. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS, PAGES 178 186. 
 
 Watches, 178.— Calling the Watch, 179.— Bells, 180.— Helm, 
 180.— Answering, 182 (at Helm, 182). — Discipline, 183. — 
 Stations, 184.— Food, Sleep, &c, 185. 
 
 PART III. 
 
 LAWS RELATING TO THE PRACTICAL DUTIES OF 
 MASTER AND MARINERS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE VESSEL, PAGES 187 196. 
 
 Title, 187- — Registry, Enrolment, and Licence, 188.— Certificate 
 
 of Registry or Enrolment, 193 Passport, 193 Sea Letter, 
 
 List of Crew, Bill of Health, Clearance, Manifest, Invoice, Bill 
 of Lading, Charter-Party, Log-Book, List of Passengers and 
 Crew, List of Sea-stores, 193. — Medicine Chest, 193. — National 
 Character of Crew, 194. — Provisions, 195. — Passengers, 195. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 MASTERS RELATION TO VESSEL AND CARGO, PAGES 197 212. 
 
 Revenue Duties and Obligations, 197. — List of Crew, 198. — 
 Certified Copy, 199. — Certified Copy of Shippping Articles, 
 202. — Sea Letter, Passport, List of Passengers, Manifest, Sea- 
 stores, 202, 203.— Unloading, 202, 204.— Post-office, 204.— 
 Forfeitures, 203, 204, 205.— Report, 204. — Coasting License, 
 204 — Power to Sell and Pledge, 205. — Keeping and Delivering 
 
 Cargo, 208.— Deviation, 209 — Collision, 2 1 Pilot, 211. — 
 
 Wages and Advances, 212. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 MASTER'S RELATION TO PASSENGERS AND OFFICERS, PAGES 212 214. 
 
 Treatment of Passengers, 212. — Removal of Officers, 213. 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 MASTER'S RELATION TO THE CREW, PAGES 214 224. 
 
 Shipment, 214. — Shipping Articles, 215. — Discharge, 217 Im- 
 prisonment, 219. — Punishment, 220. — Power of Consuls as to 
 Punishment, 220—224. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PASSENGERS, PAGES 224 226. 
 
 Provisions, 224. — Treatment, 225 Passage Money, 225. — De- 
 portment, 225. — Services, 225. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MATES AND SUBORDINATES, PAGES 236 231. 
 
 Mates included in Crew, 226. — Removal, 226. — Succession, 227- 
 — Log-book, Wages, Sickness, 227-8. — Punishment, 228. — 
 Subordinates, 230.— Pilots, 230. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 seamen; shipping contract, pages 231 — 235. 
 
 Shipping Contract, 231. — Erasures and Interlineations, 233. — 
 Unusual Stipulations, 234. — Violation of Contract, 234. 
 
XU CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SEAMEN, CONTINUED, PAGES 235 238. 
 
 Rendering on Board, 235. — Refusal to Proceed, 236. — Desertion or 
 Absence during the Voyage, 237. — Discharge, 238. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SEAMEN, CONTINUED, PAGES 239 243. 
 
 Provisions, 239. — Sickness, Medicine Chest, 240 — Hospital 
 Money, 241. — Relief in Foreign Ports, 242. — Protection, 243. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SEAMEN, CONTINUED, PAGES 243 248. 
 
 Punishment, 243. — Revolt and Mutiny, 245. — Embezzlement, 
 247.— Piracy, 247. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 seamen's wages, pages 248 — 259. 
 
 Wages affected by Desertion or Absence, 248. — By Misconduct, 
 253. — By Imprisonment, 254. — By Capture, 255. — By Loss of 
 Vessel or Interruption of Voyage, 256. — Wages on an Illegal 
 Voyage, 258. — Wages affected by Death or Disability, 258. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 seamen, concluded, pages 259 — 264. 
 
 Recovery of Wages, 259. — Remedies, 259. — Time for commencing 
 Suits, 261. — Interest on Wages, 262. — Salvage, 262. 
 
PLATE I. 
 
 THE SPARS AND RIGGING OF A SHIP. 
 
 1 Head. 
 
 2 Head-boards. 
 
 3 Stem. 
 
 4 Bows. 
 
 5 Forecastle. 
 
 6 Waist. 
 
 7 Quarter-deck. 
 
 8 Gangway. 
 
 9 Counter. 
 
 10 Stern. 
 
 11 Tafferel. 
 
 12 Fore chains. 
 
 13 Main chains. 
 
 14 Mizen chains. 
 
 15 Bowsprit. 
 
 16 Jib-boom. 
 
 17 Flying jib-boom. 
 
 18 Spritsail yard. 
 
 19 Martingale. 
 
 20 Bowsprit cap. 
 
 21 Foremast. 
 
 22 Fore topmast. 
 
 23 Fore topgall. mast. 
 
 24 Fore royal mast. 
 
 25 Fore skysail mast. 
 
 26 Main mast. 
 
 27 Main topmast. 
 
 28 Main topgall. mast. 
 
 29 Main royal mast. 
 
 30 Main skysail mast. 
 
 31 Mizen mast. 
 
 32 Mizen topmast. 
 
 33 Mizen topgall. mast. 
 
 34 Mizen royal mast. 
 
 35 Mizen skysail mast. 
 
 36 Fore spencer gaff. 
 
 37 Main spencer gaff. 
 
 38 Spanker gaff. 
 
 39 Spanker boom. 
 
 40 Fore top. 
 
 41 Foremast cap. 
 
 42 Fore topm.cross-tr. 
 
 43 Main top. 
 
 44 Mainmast cap 
 
 45 Main topm.cross-tr. 
 
 46 Mizen top. 
 
 INDEX OF REFERENCES. 
 
 47 Mizenmast cap. 
 
 48 Mizen topmast cross 
 
 trees. 
 
 49 Fore yard. 
 
 50 Fore topsail yard. 
 
 51 Fore topgallant yard. 
 
 52 Fore royal yard. 
 
 53 Main yard. 
 
 54 Main topsail yard. 
 
 55 Main topgallant yard. 
 
 56 Main royal yard. 
 
 57 Cross jack yard. 
 
 58 Mizen topsail yard. 
 
 59 Mizen topgall. yard. 
 
 60 Mizen royal yard. 
 
 61 Fore truck. 
 
 62 Main truck. 
 
 63 Mizen truck. 
 
 64 Fore stay. 
 
 65 Fore topmast stay. 
 
 66 Jib stay. 
 
 69 Fore topgallant stay. 
 
 70 Fore skysail stay. 
 
 71 Jib guys. 
 
 72 Flying-jib guys. 
 
 73 Fore lifts. 
 
 74 Fore braces. 
 
 75 Fore topsail lifts. 
 
 76 Fore topsail braces. 
 
 77 Fore topgallant lifts. 
 
 78 Fore topgall. braces. 
 
 79 Fore royal lifts. 
 
 80 Fore royal braces. 
 
 81 Fore rigging. 
 
 82 Fore topmast rigging. 
 
 83 Fore topgall. shrouds. 
 
 84 Fore topmast back- 
 
 stays. 
 
 85 Fore topgallant back- 
 
 stays. 
 
 86 Fore royal backstays. 
 
 87 Main stay. 
 
 88 Main topmast stay. 
 
 89 Main topgallant stay, 
 
 90 Main royal stay. 
 
 91 Main lifts. 
 
 92 Main braces. 
 
 93 Main topsail lifts. 
 
 94 Main topsail braces, 
 
 95 Main topgallant lifts, 
 
 96 Main topgalt. braces. 
 
 97 Main royal lifts. 
 
 98 Main royal braces. 
 
 99 Main rigging. 
 
 100 Maintopmst.rigging. 
 
 101 Main topgallant rig- 
 ging- 
 
 102 Main topmast back- 
 stays. 
 
 103 Main topgallt. back- 
 stays. 
 
 104 Main royal backstays. 
 
 105 Cross-jack lifts. 
 
 106 Cross-jack braces. 
 
 107 Mizen topsail lifts. 
 
 108 Mizen topsail braces. 
 
 109 Mizen topgallt. lifts. 
 
 1 1 Mizen topgal . braces . 
 
 1 1 1 Mizen royal lifts. 
 
 1 12 Mizen royal braces. 
 
 113 Mizen stay. 
 
 114 Mizen topmast stay. 
 
 1 1 5 Mizen topgallt. stay. 
 
 116 Mizen royal stay. 
 
 117 Mizen skysail stay. 
 
 118 Mizen rigging. 
 
 119 Mizen topmast rigg. 
 
 120 Mizen topgall. shrds. 
 
 121 Mizen topmast back- 
 stays. 
 
 122 Mizen topgallant 
 backstays. 
 
 123 Mizen royal backst. 
 
 124 Fore spencer vangs. 
 
 125 Main spencer vangs. 
 
 126 Spanker vangs. 
 
 127 Ensign halyards. 
 
 128 Spanker peak halyds, 
 
 129 Foot-rope to fore yd. 
 
 130 Foot-rope to main yd. 
 
 131 Foot rope to cross- 
 jack yard. 
 
PLATE II. 
 
 A SHIP'S SAILS. 
 
 INDEX OF REFERENCES. 
 
 1 Fore topmast staysail. 
 
 2 Jib. 
 
 3 Flying jib. 
 
 4 Fore spencer. 
 
 5 Main spencer. 
 
 6 Spanker. 
 
 7 Foresail. 
 
 8 Fore topsail. 
 
 9 Fore topgallant sail. 
 
 10 Fore royal. 
 
 1 1 Fore sky sail. 
 
 12 Mainsail. 
 
 13 Main topsail. 
 
 14 Main topgallant sail. 
 
 15 Main royal. 
 
 16 Main skysail. 
 
 17 Mizen topsail. 
 
 18 Mizen topgallant sail. 
 
 19 Mizen royal. 
 
 20 Mizen skysail. 
 
 21 Lower studdingsail. 
 21 a Lee ditto. 
 
 22 Fore topmast studdingsail. 
 22 a Lee ditto. 
 
 23 Fore topgallant studdingsail. 
 23 a Lee ditto. 
 
 24 Fore royal studdingsail. 
 24* Lee ditto. 
 
 25 Main topmast studdingsail. 
 25 a Lee ditto. 
 
 26 Main topgallant studdingsail. 
 26 a Lee ditto. 
 
 27 Main royal studdingsail. 
 27 a Lee ditto. 
 

PLATE III. 
 
 THE FRAME OF A SHIP. 
 
 INDEX OF REFERENCES. 
 
 A. The Outside. 
 
 1 Upper stem-piece. 
 
 .2 Lower stem -piece. 
 
 3 Gripe. 
 
 4 Forward keel-piece. 
 
 5 Middle keel-piece. 
 
 6 After keel- piece. 
 
 7 False keel. 
 
 8 Stern knee. 
 
 9 Stern post. 
 
 10 Rudder. 
 
 11 Bilge streaks. 
 
 12 First streak under the wales. 
 
 13 Apron. 
 
 14 Lower apron. 
 
 1 5 Fore frame. 
 
 16 After frame. 
 
 17 Wales. 
 
 18 Waist. 
 
 19 Plank- shear. 
 
 20 Timber-heads. 
 
 21 Stanchions. 
 
 22 Rail. 
 
 23 Knight-heads. 
 
 24 Cathead. 
 
 25 Fashion timbers. 
 
 26 Transoms. 
 
 27 Quarter pieces. 
 
 B. The Inside of the Stern. 
 
 1 Keelson. 
 
 2 Pointers. 
 
 3 Chock. 
 
 4 Transoms. 
 
 5 Half transoms. 
 
 6 Main transom. 
 
 7 Quarter timbers. 
 
 8 Transom knees. 
 
 9 Horn timbers. 
 
 10 Counter-timber knee. 
 
 11 Stern-post. 
 
 12 Rudder-head. 
 
 13 Counter timbers. 
 
 14 Upper- deck clamp. 
 
 C. The Inside of the Bows. 
 
 1 Keelson. 
 
 2 Pointers. 
 
 3 Step for the mast. 
 
 4 Breast-hook. 
 
 5 Lower-deck breast-hook. 
 
 6 Forward beam. 
 
 7 Upper-deck clamp. 
 
 8 Knight-heads. 
 
 9 Hawse- timbers. 
 
 10 Bow timbers. 
 
 11 Apron of the stem. 
 
 D. The Timbers. 
 
 1 Keelson. 
 
 2 Floor timbers. 
 
 3 Naval timbers or ground fut- 
 tocks. 
 
 4 Lowe*" futtocks. 
 
 5 Middle futtocks. 
 
 6 Upper futtocks. 
 
 7 Top timbers. 
 
 8 Half timbers, or half top. 
 timbers. 
 
PLATE IV. 
 
 EXPLANATIONS. 
 
 Ship. — A ship is square-rigged throughout ; that is, she has tops, 
 and carries square sails on all three of her masts. 
 
 Bark. — A bark is square-rigged at her fore and main masts, and 
 differs from a ship in having no top, and carrying only fore- 
 and-aft sails at her mizen mast. 
 
 Brig. — A full-rigged brig is square-rigged at both her masts. 
 
 Hermaphrodite Brig. — An hermaphrodite brig is square-rigged at 
 her foremast ; but has no top, and only fore-and-aft sails at 
 her main mast. 
 
 Topsail Schooner. — A topsail schooner has no tops at her fore- 
 mast, and is fore-and-aft rigged at her mainmast. She dif- 
 fers from an hermaphrodite brig in that she is not properly 
 square-rigged at her foremast, having no top, and carrying 
 a fore-and-aft foresail, instead of a square foresail and a 
 spencer. 
 
 Fore-and-aft Schooner. — A fore-and-aft schooner is fore-and-aft 
 rigged throughout, differing from a topsail schooner in that 
 the latter carries small square sails aloft at the fore. 
 
 Sloop. — A sloop has one mast, fore-and-aft rigged. 
 
 Hermaphrodite Brigs sometimes carry small square sails aloft at 
 the main ; in which case they are called Brigantines, and 
 differ from a Full-rigged Brig in that they have no top 
 at the mainmast, and carry a fore-and-aft mainsail instead 
 of a square mainsail and trysail. Some Topsail Schooners 
 carry small square sails aloft at the main as well as the fore ; 
 being in other respects fore-and-aft rigged. They are then 
 called Main Topsail Schooners. 
 
Full - rig ged Brig 
 
 Hermaphrodite Brig - 
 
 Slo op 
 
THE SEAMAN'S FRIEND. 
 
 PART I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 GENERAL RULES AND OBSERVATIONS. 
 
 Construction of vessels. Tonnage and carriage of merchant vessels. 
 Proportions of the spars. Placing the masts. Size of anchors and 
 cahles. Lead-lines. Log-line. Ballast and lading. 
 
 Construction of vessels. — As merchant vessels of 
 the larger class are now built in the United States, the 
 extreme length of deck, from the after part of the stern- 
 post to the fore part of the stem, is from four and a half 
 to four and three-fourths that of the beam, at its widest 
 part. The Damascus, of 700 tons' measurement, built 
 at Boston in 1839, and considered a fair specimen of our 
 best freighting vessels, had 150 feet from stem to stern- 
 post, and 32 feet 6 inches extreme breadth. The Rajah, 
 of 530 tons, built at Boston in 1837, had 140 feet length, 
 and 30 feet beam ; — being each in length about four and 
 six-tenths their beam. 
 
 A great contrast to this proportion is exhibited in the 
 most recent statistics (1841) of vessels of the same 
 tonnage in the English navy; as the following table 
 will show: 
 
 Tons. 
 
 Deck. 
 
 Beam. Proportion, 
 
 ( Dido . . 734 
 
 120 ft. 
 
 37ft. 6 in. 3.20 
 
 English Navy. 1 Pilot . . 492 
 
 105 
 
 33 6 3.13 
 
 ( Alert . . 358 
 
 95 
 
 30 4 3.16 
 
 American J Damascus 694 
 
 Merchantmen. \ Rajah . . 531 
 
 B 
 
 150 
 
 32 6 4.60 
 
 140 
 
 30 4.66 
 
Z TONNAGE AND CARRIAGE. 
 
 These may, perhaps, be considered the extremes of 
 ship-building ; and between these there is every grade of 
 difference. 
 
 Tonnage and Carriage of Merchant Vessels. — 
 The amount a vessel will carry in proportion to her ton- 
 nage depends upon whether, and to what extent, she is 
 full or sharp-built. A sharp-built vessel of 300 tons' 
 measurement, will carry just about her tonnage of 
 measurement goods. A sharp-built vessel of 200 tons 
 or under would probably carry less than her measure- - 
 ment ; if over 400 tons, she would increase gradually to 
 fifty per cent, above her measurement. A sharp-built 
 vessel of 600 tons is generally rated at 900 tons carriage. 
 A full-built vessel of 300 tons, after the latest model 
 of American freighting vessels, will carry 525 tons, or 
 seventy -five per cent, above her measurement ; and one 
 of 500 tons would carry full double her measurement. 
 
 The following table may give a pretty fair average. 
 
 TONS OF MEASUREMENT GOODS. 
 
 Sharp-built. 
 (.00) 300 
 (.40) 560 
 (.50) 750 
 (.50) 900 
 
 Proportions of Spars. — There is no particular rule 
 for sparring merchant vessels; some being light and 
 others heavy sparred ; and some having long topmasts and 
 short lower masts, and others the reverse. The prevail- 
 ing custom now is, to spar them lightly, the main yard 
 being a little less than double the beam ; and the others 
 proportioned by the main. Most merchant vessels now 
 have the yards at the fore and main of the same size, for 
 convenience in shifting sails; so that the same topsail 
 may be bent on either yard. 
 
 The following table, taken from the " Seamen's Ma- 
 nual," will show the average proportions of the spars 
 
 tnnage. 
 
 Full-built. 
 
 300 
 
 (.75) 
 
 525 
 
 400 
 
 (.80) 
 
 725 
 
 500 
 
 (1.00) 
 
 1000 
 
 600 
 
 (1.33) 
 
 1400 
 
PROPORTIONS OF SPARS. ti 
 
 of merchant vessels of the largest class, as formerly 
 built. 
 
 Main-mast, two and a half times the ship's beam. 
 Fore-mast, eight-ninths of the main-mast. 
 Mizen-mast, five-sixths of the main-mast. 
 Bowsprit, two-thirds of the main-mast. 
 Top-masts, three-fifths of the lower masts. 
 Topgallant-masts, one-half the length of their top-masts- 
 Jib-boom, the length of the bowsprit. 
 Main- yard, twice the beam. 
 Fore- yard, seven-eighths of the main-yard. 
 Maintopsail-yard, two-thirds of the main -yard. 
 Foretopsail-yard, two-thirds of the fore-yard. 
 Crossjack-yard, the length of the maintopsail-yard. 
 Topgallant-yards, two-thirds of the topsail-yards. 
 Mizentopsail-yard, the length of the maintopgallant-yard. 
 Royal-yards, two-thirds of the topgallant-yards. 
 Spritsail-yard, five-sixths of the foretopsail-yard. 
 Spanker-boom, the length of the maintopsail-yard. 
 Spanker-gaff, two-thirds of the boom. 
 
 For the thickness of the spars, the same book allows 
 for the lower masts one inch and a quarter diameter at 
 the partners, for every three feet of length ; and nine- 
 tenths in the middle, and two-thirds under the hounds, 
 for every inch at the partners. For the yards, one inch 
 at the slings, and half an inch at the yard-arms, within 
 the squares, for every four feet of the length. For the 
 breadth of the maintop, one half of the beam, and of the 
 foretop, eight-ninths of the maintop. 
 
 The following are the proportions of the spars of the 
 ship Damascus, before mentioned, built in 1839 : 
 
 Main-mast . . 74 ft. Head 11 ft. 6 in. Size 26 in. 
 
 Fore-mast . . 70 ft. „ 11 ft. 6 in. „ 
 
 25 in. 
 
 Mizen-mast . . 68 ft. „ 8 ft. 6 in. „ 
 
 18 in. 
 
 Main and fore top-masts 41 ft. „ 6 ft. 6 in. „ 
 
 14* in. 
 
 Mizen top-mast . 32 ft. „ 5 ft. „ 
 
 9* in. 
 
 Main topgallant-mast . 23 ft. (15 ft. with 2 ft. head.) 
 
 9$ in. 
 
 Fore topgallant-mast . 21 ft. 14 ft. „ 2 ft. ,, „ 
 
 9* in. 
 
 Mizen topgallant-mast 17 ft. 11 ft. „ 18 in. ,, 
 
 
 Main and fore-yards . . 60 ft. yard-arms 2 ft. 6 in. 
 
 
 Main and fore topsail-yards 48 ft. „ „ 3 ft. 6 in. 
 
 
 Main topgallant- yard . 37 ft. >, „ 2 ft. 
 
 
 B 2 
 
4 PLACING MASTS. ANCHORS AND CABLES. 
 
 Fore topgallant yard . . 34 ft. yard-arms 2 ft. 
 
 Main royal „ .27 ft. „ „ 1 ft. 6 in. 
 
 Fore royal „ . 24 ft. „ „ 1 ft. 6 in. 
 
 Main skysail „ .17 ft. 
 
 Fore skysail „ . 15 ft. 
 
 Cross-jack „ . 44 ft. „ „ 2 ft. 
 
 Mizen topsail „ . 35 ft. „ „ 2 ft. 9 in. 
 
 Mizen topgallant „ . 25 ft. „ „ 1 ft. 6 in. 
 
 Mizen royal „ .16ft.' 
 
 Mizen skysail „ .10 ft. 
 
 Bowsprit, out-board 27 ft. Size 26 in. 
 
 Jib-boom . . 42 ft. Head 3 ft. „ 14£ in. 
 
 Flying jib-boom . 40 ft. „ 3 ft. 6 in. 
 
 Main pole . . . 12 ft., 10 above royal-mast, 5 in. in cap. 
 
 Fore pole . . 11 ft., 9 „ *„ „ 4| in. „ 
 
 Mizen pole . . 9 ft., 7 „ „ „ 
 
 Spanker-boom . 40 ft. 
 
 Spanker-garf . . 30 
 
 Swinging-booms . 40 
 
 Topmast studdingsail-booms 34 ft. 
 
 Topgallant studdingsail-booms 27 ft., yards for do. 17 ft. 
 
 Placing the Masts. — For a full-built ship, take the 
 ship's extreme length and divide it into sevenths. Place 
 the foremast one-seventh of its length from the stem; 
 the mainmast three-sevenths from the foremast, and the 
 mizenmast two-sevenths from the mainmast. If a 
 vessel is sharp-built, and her stem and stern-post rake, 
 her foremast should be further aft, and her mizenmast 
 further forward, than the rule of sevenths would give. 
 A common rule for placing the foremast, is to deduct 
 three-fifths of a ship's beam from her length, for the 
 curvature of the keel forward, which is called the keel- 
 stroke, and place the mast next abaft the keel-stroke. 
 
 Size of Anchors and Cables. — Various rules have 
 been adopted for the weight of a ship's anchors. A 
 vessel of 100 tons will generally have a best bower of 
 C cwt. and a small bower of 5 cwt. ; the weight of both 
 being eleven pounds to a ton of the vessel. As a vessel 
 increases in size, the proportion diminishes. A vessel of 
 700 tons will usually carry a best bower of 27 cwt. and 
 a small bower of 24 cwt. ; the weight of both being seven 
 
LEAD-LINES. LOG-LINE. 5 
 
 and a half pounds to a ton of the vessel. The stream 
 should be a little more than one-third the weight of the 
 best bower. The anchor-stock should be the length of 
 the shank ; its diameter should be half that of the ring, 
 and its thickness one inch at the middle and half an 
 inch at each end for every foot in length. Chain cables 
 are usually ninety fathoms in length, for large-sized 
 vessels, and sixty for small vessels, as schooners and 
 sloops. The regulation of the United States Navy for 
 chain cables, is one inch and a half for a sloop of war, 
 and one and a quarter for brigs and schooners. In the 
 merchant service, a ship of 400 tons would probably have 
 a best bower cable of one and five-sixths, and a working 
 bower of one and a quarter inches. A ship of 700 tons 
 would have a best bower of one and five-eighths, and a 
 working bower of one and a half inches. Chain cables 
 have a shackle at every fifteen fathoms, and one swivel 
 at the first shackle. Some have two swivels; and 
 formerly they were made with a swivel between each 
 shackle. 
 
 Lead -lines. — The hand-lead weighs usually seven 
 pounds, and the hand- line is from twenty to thirty 
 fathoms inlength. The deep-sea-lead (pronounced dipsey) 
 weighs from fourteen to eighteen or twenty pounds ; and 
 the deep -sea- line is from ninety to one hundred and ten 
 fathoms. The proper way to mark a hand-line is, black 
 leather at 2 and 3 fathoms ; white rag at 5 ; red rag at 
 7 ; wide strip of leather, with a hole in it, at 10 ; and 
 13, 15 and 17 marked like 3, 5 and 7 ; two knots at 20 ; 
 3 at 30 ; and 4 at 40 ; with single pieces of cord at 25 
 and 35. 
 
 The deep-sea- line has one knot at 20 fathoms, and an 
 additional knot at every 10 fathoms, with single knots at 
 each intermediate 5 fathoms. It sometimes has a strip 
 of leather at 10 fathoms, and from 3 to 10 is marked like 
 the hand -line. 
 
 Log-line. — The rate of a ship's sailing is measured 
 by a log-line and a half-minute glass. The line is 
 
6 BALLAST AND LADING. 
 
 marked with a knot for each mile ; the real distance 
 between each knot being, however, y^ of a mile, since 
 a half-minute is ^J-^ of an hour. A knot being thus 
 the same portion of a mile that a half-minute is of an 
 hour, the number of knots carried off while the glass is 
 running out will show the number of miles the vessel 
 goes in an hour. Many glasses, however, are made for 
 twenty -eight seconds, which, of course, reduces the 
 number of feet for a knot to forty-seven and six-tenths. 
 But as the line is liable to stretch and the glass to be 
 affected by the weather, in order to avoid all danger of 
 a vessel's overrunning her reckoning, and to be on the 
 safe side, it is recommended to mark forty-five feet to a 
 knot for a twenty-eight second glass. About ten fathoms 
 is left unmarked next the log- ship, called stray-line. The 
 object of this is that the log-ship may get out of the eddy 
 under the stern, before the measuring begins. The end 
 of the stray-line is marked by a white rag, and the first 
 knot is forty-five or forty-seven feet from the rag. A 
 single piece of cord or twine is put into the line for the 
 first knot, one knot for the second, two for the fourth, 
 three for the sixth, and so on, a single piece of cord being 
 put in at the intermediate knots. 
 
 Ballast and Lading. — A ship's behaviour, as the 
 phrase is, depends as much upon the manner in which 
 she is loaded and ballasted, as upon her model. It is 
 said that a vessel may be prevented from rolling heavily, 
 if, when the ballast is iron, it is stowed up to the floor- 
 heads ; because this will bring the ship back, after she 
 has inclined, with less violence, and will act upon a point 
 but little distant from the centre of gravity, and not 
 interfere with her stiff carrying of sail. The cargo 
 should be stowed with the weightier materials as near 
 as possible to the centre of gravity, and high or low, 
 according to the build of the vessel. If the vessel is full 
 and low built, the heavy articles should be stowed high 
 up, that the centre of gravity may be raised and the 
 vessel kept from rolling too much, and from being too 
 
CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 7 
 
 laboursome. But a narrow, high- built vessel should have 
 the heavy articles stowed low and near the keelson, which 
 will tend to keep her from being crank, and enable her 
 to carry sail to more advantage. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CUTTING AND FITTING STANDING RIGGING. 
 
 Measuring and cutting lower rigging and lower fore-and-aft stays. 
 Fitting the same. Measuring, cutting, and fitting topmast rigging, 
 stays, and backstays. Jib, topgallant, and royal stays. Rattling 
 down rigging. Cutting and fitting lifts, foot-ropes, brace-block 
 straps, and pennants. Breast-backstays. 
 
 Cutting Lower Rigging. — Draw a line from the 
 side of the partners abreast of the mast, on the deck, 
 parallel to the channels, and to extend as far aft as they 
 do. On this line mark the places of each dead-eye, 
 corresponding to their places against the channels. Send 
 a line up to the mast-head, and fasten it to the mast by 
 a nail above the bibbs, in a range with the centre of the 
 mast, and opposite to the side the channel line is drawn 
 upon. Then take the bight of the line around the for- 
 ward part of the mast, and fasten it to the mast by a 
 nail, opposite the first nail, so that the part between the 
 nails will be half the circumference of the mast-head ; 
 then take the line down to the mark on the channel line 
 for the forward dead-eye, and mark it as before ; and so 
 on, until you have got the distance between the mast and 
 each mark on the channel line. Now cast off the line 
 from the mast-head, and the distance between the end of 
 the line, and each mark will give you the length of each 
 shroud from the lower part of the mast-head. And, to 
 make an allowance for one pair of shrouds overlaying 
 another, you may increase the length of the pair put on 
 second, that is, the larboard forward ones, by twice the 
 diameter of the rigging ; the third pair by four times ; 
 and so on. 
 
8 CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 
 
 The size of the lower rigging should be as much as 
 eight and a half inches for vessels of seven or eight hun- 
 dred tons, and from seven and a half to eight for smaller 
 vessels, over three hundred tons. 
 
 For the length of the fore, main, and mizen stays 
 and spring- stays, take the distance from the after part of 
 the mast-head to their hearts, or to the place where they 
 are set up, adding once the length of the mast-head for 
 the collar. 
 
 The standing stays should be once and half the cir- 
 cumference of the shrouds. 
 
 Fitting Lower Rigging. — Get it on a stretch, and 
 divide each pair of shrouds into thirds, and mark the 
 centre of the middle thirds. Tar, worm, parcel, and 
 serve the middle third. Parcel with the lay of the rope, 
 working toward the centre ; and serve against the lay, 
 beginning where you left off, parcelling. Serve as taut 
 as possible. In some vessels the outer thirds of the 
 swifters are served ; but matting and battens are neater 
 and more generally used. 
 
 Formerly the middle third was parcelled over the 
 service, below the wake of the futtock staff. Mark an 
 eye at the centre of the middle third, by seizing the parts 
 together with a round seizing. The eye of the pair of 
 shrouds that goes on first should be once and a quarter 
 the circumference of the mast-head ; and make each of 
 the others in succession the breadth of a seizing larger 
 than the one below it. Parcel the score of the dead- 
 eye, and heave the shroud taut round it, turning in with 
 the sun, if right-hand-laid rope, and against the sun, if 
 hawser-laid ; then pass the throat, seizing with nine or 
 ten turns, the outer turns being slacker than the middle 
 ones. Pass the quarter seizings half way to the end, and 
 then the end seizings, and cap the shroud, well tarred 
 under the cap. Make a Matthew Walker knot in one 
 end of the lanyard, reeve the other end out through the 
 dead-eye of the shroud, beginning at the side of the 
 dead-eye upon which the end of the shroud comes, and 
 
CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. \) 
 
 in through the dead-eye in the channels, so that the 
 hauling part of the lanyard may come in-board and on 
 the same side with the standing part of the shroud. If 
 the shroud is right-hand-laid rope, the standing part of 
 the shroud will be aft on the starboard, and forward on 
 the larboard side ; and the reverse, if hawser-laid. 
 
 The neatest way of setting up the lower fore-and-aft 
 stays, is by reeving them down through a bull's eye, with 
 tarred parcelling upon the thimble, and setting them up 
 on their ends, with three or four seizings. The collar 
 of the stay is the length of the mast-head, and is lea- 
 thered over the service. The service should go beyond 
 the wake of the foot of the topsail, and the main-stay 
 should be served in the wake of the foremast. The 
 main and spring stays usually pass on different sides of 
 the foremast, and set up at the hawse-pieces. 
 
 The bolsters under the eyes of the rigging should 
 always be covered with tarred parcelling, marled on. 
 
 The starboard forward shroud goes on first ; then the 
 larboard ; and so on. The fore stay and spring stay go 
 over the shrouds ; and the head stays always go over the 
 backstays. 
 
 Cutting and fitting Topmast Rigging. — For the 
 forward shroud, measure from the hounds of the topmast 
 down to the after part of the lower trestle-trees, and add 
 to that length half the circumference of the mast-head at 
 the hounds. The eye is once and a quarter the circum- 
 ference of the mast- head. The topmast rigging in size 
 should be three fifths of the lower rigging. For the 
 topmast backstays, measure the distance from the hounds 
 of the mast down to the centre of the deck, abreast of 
 their dead-eyes in the channels, and add to this length 
 one half the circumference of the mast-head. Add to 
 the length of the larboard pair, which goes on last, twice 
 the diameter of the rope. The size of the fore and main 
 topmast backstays is generally one quarter less than that 
 of the lower rigging ; and that of the mizen topmast 
 backstays the same as that of the main topmast rigging. 
 
10 CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 
 
 The size of the topmast stays should be once and a quar- 
 ter that of the rigging. The topmast rigging is fitted in 
 the same manner as the lower. The backstays should 
 be leathered in the wake of the tops and lower yards. 
 The breast-backstays are turned in upon blocks instead 
 of dead- eyes, and set up with a luff purchase. The fore 
 topmast stay sets up on the starboard, and the spring stay 
 on the larboard side of the bowsprit. 
 
 All the fore-and-aft stays are now set up on their ends, 
 and should be leathered in their nips, as well as in their 
 eyes. 
 
 The main topmast stay goes through a heart or thim- 
 ble at the foremast-head, or through a hole in the cap, 
 and sets up on deck or in the top; and the mizen 
 topmast stay sets up at the mainmast-head, above the 
 rigging. 
 
 Jib, Topgallant, and Royal Rigging. — The jib 
 stay sets up on its end on the larboard side of the head, 
 and is served ten feet from the boom, and its collar is 
 leathered like that of the topmast stay. The gaub lines 
 or back ropes go from the martingale in-board. The 
 guys are fitted in pairs, rove through straps or snatches 
 on the spritsail yard, and set up to eye-bolts inside of or 
 abaft the cat-heads. The foot-ropes are three quarters 
 the length of the whole boom, and go over the boom-end 
 with a cut splice. Overhand knots or Turks-heads 
 should be taken in them at equal distances, to prevent 
 the men from slipping, when laying out upon them. 
 
 The most usual method of fitting topgallant rigging in 
 merchantmen, is to reeve it through holes in the horns 
 of the crosstrees, then pass it between the topmast 
 shrouds over the futtock staff, and set it up at an iron 
 band round the topmast, just below the sheave-hole; 
 or else down into the top and set it up there. To get 
 the length of the starboard forward shroud, measure from 
 the topgallant mast-head to the heel of the topmast, 
 and add one half the circumference of the topgallant 
 mast-head. Its size should be about five-sevenths of the 
 
CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 11 
 
 topmast rigging. Each pair of shrouds should be served 
 below the futtock staves. They are fitted like the top- 
 mast shrouds. The fore and aft stays of long topgallant 
 masts go with eyes, and are served and leathered in the 
 wake of the foot of the sails. The fore topgallant stay 
 leads in on the starboard side of the bowsprit, and sets up 
 to a bolt at the hawse-piece ; the main leads through a 
 chock on the after part of the fore topmast cross-trees, 
 and sets up in the top ; and the mizen usually through a 
 thimble on the main cap, and sets up on its end. 
 
 The topgallant backstays set up on their end, or with 
 lanyards in the channels ; and for their length, measure 
 from the mast-head to the centre of the deck, abreast the 
 bolt in the channels. 
 
 The royal shrouds, backstays, and fore-and-aft stays, 
 are fitted like those of the topgallant masts, and bear the 
 same proportion to them that the topgallant bear to the 
 topmast. The fore royal stay reeves through the outer 
 sheave-hole of the flying jib-boom, and comes in on the 
 larboard side ; the main through a thimble at the fore 
 jack-cross-trees; and the mizen through a thimble at the 
 main topmast cap. The flying jib-stay goes in on the 
 starboard side, and sets up like the jib-stay. The gear of 
 the flying jib-boom is fitted like that of the jib-boom. 
 
 Ratling. — Swift the rigging well in, and lash hand-^ 
 spikes or boat's oars outside at convenient distances, 
 parallel with the shear-pole. Splice a small eye in the 
 end of the rattlin, and seize it with yarns to the after 
 shroud on the starboard side and to the forward on the 
 larboard, so that the hitches may go with the sun. Take 
 a clove hitch round each shroud, hauling well taut, and 
 seize the eye of the other end to the shroud. The ratlins 
 of the lower rigging should be thirteen, and of the top- 
 mast rigging eleven inches apart, and all square with the 
 shear-pole. 
 
 Standing Rigging of the Yards. — The first thing 
 to go upon the lower yard-arm, next the shoulder, is the 
 
12 CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 
 
 head-earing strap ; the next, the foot-ropes ; next, the 
 brace-block; and lastly, the lift. The foot-ropes go 
 with an eye over the yard-arm, are rove through thim- 
 bles in the end of the stirrups, (sometimes with Turks- 
 heads, to prevent their slipping,) and are lashed to bolts 
 or thimbles, but now usually to the iron trusses. The 
 stirrups fit to staples in the yard with an eye-splice. 
 The lifts should be single, and fitted with an eye over 
 the yard-arm, and lead through a single block at the 
 mast-head, and set up by a gun or luff tackle purchase, 
 with the double block hooked to a thimble or turned in 
 at the end, and the lower block to an eyebolt in the 
 deck. Instead of brace-blocks on the fore and main 
 yards, brace pennants fitted over the yard-arm with an 
 eye are neater. The latest and neatest style of rigging 
 lower yards is to have a strong iron band with rings and 
 thimbles round each yard-arm, close to the shoulder ; 
 and then fit the lift, foot-rope, and brace-pennant, each 
 to one of these rings, with an eye-splice round the thim- 
 ble or with a hook. The lower lifts now, for the most 
 part, cross each other over a saddle upon the cap, instead 
 of going through blocks. 
 
 The inner ends of the foot-ropes to the topsail, top- 
 gallant and royal yards, cross each other at the slings ; 
 and on the topsail yard there are Flemish horses, spliced 
 round thimbles on the boom-iron, and the other end 
 seized to the yard, crossing the foot-rope. A neater mode 
 is to hook the outer end of the Flemish-horse, so that it 
 may be unhooked and furled in with the sails when in 
 port. Next to the foot-ropes go on the brace-blocks, 
 and lastly, the lifts. The rigging to the topgallant and 
 royal yards is fitted similarly to that upon the topsail, 
 except that there is nothing over the yard-arms but foot- 
 rope, brace, and lift. The brace to the royal yard 
 fits with an eye. The reef -tackle, studding-sail halyard, 
 and other temporary blocks, are seized to the lower and 
 topsail yard-arms, by open straps, so that they may be 
 
CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 13 
 
 removed without taking off the lift. The topgallant 
 studding-sail halyard block is often hooked to the boom- 
 iron, under the yard. 
 
 The foot -ropes to the spanker-boom should be half the 
 length of the boom, going over the end with a splice, 
 covered with canvas, and coming in one-third of the way 
 to the jaws, and seized to the boom by a rose-seizing 
 through an eye-splice. The next to go over the boom- 
 end are the guys, which are fitted with a cut -splice 
 covered with canvas, and have a single block turned in 
 at their other ends. To these single blocks are luff or 
 gun-tackle purchases, going to the main brace-bumpkin. 
 Their length should be two-fifths that of the boom. 
 The topping-lifts are usually hooked into a band or 
 spliced into bolts about one quarter the distance from the 
 outer end of the boom, and reeved through single blocks 
 under the top, with a double or single block at their 
 lower ends. 
 
 All the splices and seizings of the standing rigging 
 should be covered with canvas, if possible, except in the 
 channels and about the head, where they are too much 
 exposed to the washing of water. A vessel looks much 
 neater for having the ends of the rigging, where eyes are 
 spliced, or where they are set up on their ends aloft or 
 on deck, covered with canvas, and painted white or 
 black, according to the place where they are. The lan- 
 yards and dead-eyes of the smaller rigging which sets up 
 in the top may also be covered with canvas. The lan- 
 yards, dead-eyes, and turnings-in of the rigging in the 
 channels, should always be protected by Scotchmen 
 when at sea, and the forward shroud should be matted 
 or battened all the way up to the futtock staves. 
 
 In some smaller merchantmen the lower rigging is not 
 unfrequently set up upon its end to bolts in the rail. 
 This is very inconvenient on many accounts, especially 
 as all the seizings have to be come up with, and the nip 
 of the shroud altered, whenever it is at all necessary to 
 set them taut. This soon defaces and wears out the 
 
14 CUTTING AND FITTING RIGGING. 
 
 ends ; while with dead-eyes, only the lanyards have to 
 be come up with. Some vessels set up their lower 
 rigging with dead-eyes upon the rail. This is conve- 
 nient in setting them up in bad weather, but does not 
 give so much spread as when set up in the channels, and 
 presents a more complicated surface to the eye. If the 
 rigging is fitted in this way, you must deduct the height 
 of the rail above the deck from the measure before given 
 for cutting it. 
 
 Breast- backstays. — It is not usual, now, for mer- 
 chant vessels to carry topmast breast-backstays. If they 
 are carried, they are spread by the out -riggers from the 
 top. Topgallant and royal breast backstays are used, 
 and are of great assistance in sailing on the wind. There 
 are various ways of rigging them out, of which the fol- 
 lowing is suggested as a neat and convenient one. Have 
 a spar fitted for an out-rigger, about the size of one of 
 the horns of the cross-trees, with three holes bored in it, 
 two near to one end, and the third a little the other side 
 of the middle. Place it upon the after horn of the cross- 
 tree with the last-mentioned hole over the hole in the 
 end of the horn of the cross-tree, and let the after top- 
 gallant shroud reeve through it. Reeve the topgallant 
 and royal breast-backstays through the outer holes, and 
 set them up by a gun-tackle purchase in the channels. 
 The inner end of the out-rigger should fit to a cleat, and 
 be lashed to the cross-tree by a lanyard. When the 
 breast- backstays are to be rigged in, cast off the lan- 
 yard, and let the out-rigger slue round the topgallant 
 shroud for a pivot, the inner end going aft, and the outer 
 end, with the backstays, resting against the forward 
 shroud. One of these out-riggers should be fitted on each 
 side, and all trouble of shifting over, and rigging out by 
 purchase, will be avoided. 
 
15 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING. 
 
 Fore braces. Main braces. Cross-jack braces. Fore, main, and mizen 
 topsail braces. Fore, main, and mizen topgallant and royal braces. 
 Trusses. Topsail tyes and halyards. Topgallant and royal halyards. 
 Peak and throat halyards. Spanker brails. Fore and main tacks 
 and sheets. Topsail, topgallant and royal sheets and clewlines. Reef 
 tackles. Clew-garnets. Fore and main buntlines, leachlines, and 
 slablines. Topsail clewlines and buntlines. Bowlines. 
 
 To reeve a brace, begin on deck, and reeve to where 
 the standing part is made fast. The fore braces reeve 
 up through a block on the mainmast just below the rig- 
 ging, down or in through the brace-block on the yard or 
 at the end of the pennant, and the standing part is 
 brought through the cheeks of the mast with a knot 
 inside. The neatest way for reeving the main brace is 
 out through a single block on the brace-bumpkin, out 
 through the brace-pennant-block, in through an outer 
 block on the bumpkin, and seized to the strap of the 
 pennant. Another way is out through the bumpkin 
 block, out or down through the pennant block, and secure 
 the end to the bumpkin or to the fashion- piece below. 
 
 The cross-jack braces reeve up through the blocks on 
 the after shroud of the main rigging, up through blocks 
 on the yard, one-third of the way in from the yard-arm, 
 and are seized to a bolt in the main-mast, or to the after 
 shroud again. 
 
 The fore topsail braces reeve up through the blocks 
 secured to the bibbs at the mainmast-head, in through 
 the span-block at the collar of the main stay, up through 
 the block on the yard, and are seized to the main top- 
 mast-head ; or else up through a block at the topmast- 
 head, down through the braceblock on the yard, and are 
 seized to the collar on the main stay. The last way is 
 the best. The main topsail braces are rove through span- 
 blocks at the mizen-mast, below the top, up through the 
 
16 FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING. 
 
 blocks on the yard, and are seized to the mizen topmast- 
 head ; or else up through a block at the mizen mast- 
 head, down through a block on the yard, and secured 
 to the mizen-mast. The first way is the best. The 
 mizen topsail braces reeve up through the leading blocks 
 or fair-leaders on the main rigging, up through blocks at 
 the mainmast-head, or at the after part of the top, up 
 through the yard blocks, and are seized to the cap. 
 
 The fore and main topgallant braces are rove up 
 through blocks under the topmast cross-trees, in through 
 span-blocks on the topmast stays, just below their col- 
 lars, up through the blocks on the yards, and the main 
 are usually seized to the head of the mizen topgallant 
 mast, and the fore to the topmast stay, by the span- 
 block. The mizen topgallant braces generally go single 
 through a block at the after part of the main topmast 
 cross-trees. The royal braces go single : the fore, 
 through a block at the main topgallant mast-head ; the 
 main, through one at the mizen top-gallant mast-head ; 
 and the mizen, through a block at the after-part of the 
 main topmast cross-trees. 
 
 Halyards. — The lower yards are now hung by 
 patent iron trusses, which allow the yard to be moved 
 in any direction ; topped up or braced. The topsail 
 yards have chain tyes, which are hooked to the slings 
 of the yard, and rove through the sheave-hole, at the 
 mast-head. The other end of the tye hooks to a block. 
 Through this block a chain-runner leads, with its stand- 
 ing part hooked to an eye-bolt in the trestle-tree, and 
 with the upper halyard block hooked to its other end. 
 The halyards should be a luff purchase, the fly-block 
 being the double block, and the single block being 
 hooked in the channels. Sometimes they are a gun- 
 tackle purchase, with two large single blocks. The 
 lower block of the mizen topsail halyards is usually in 
 the mizen tops, the fall coming down on deck. 
 
 The fore and mizen topsail halyards come down to 
 port, and the main to the starboard. The topgallant 
 
FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING. 17 
 
 halyards come down on opposite sides from the topsail 
 halyards ; though the fore and main usually come down 
 by the side of the masts. The fore and main topgallant 
 halyards sometimes hoist with a gun-tackle purchase, 
 but the mizen and all the royal halyards are single. 
 
 The throat and peak halyards of the spanker are fitted 
 in the following manner. The outer peak halyard block 
 is put on the gaff, one-third of its length from the outer 
 end, or a very little, if any, within the leach of the sail ; 
 and the inner one two-thirds in. The blocks are fitted 
 round the gaff with grommet straps, and are kept in 
 their places by cleats. The double block of the peak 
 halyards is strapped to the bolt in the after part of the 
 mizen cap, and the halyards are rove up through this, 
 in through the blocks on the gaff, the inner one first, 
 the standing part made fast to the double block, and the 
 fall coming on deck. The upper block of the throat 
 halyards is secured under the cap, and the lower block 
 is hooked to an eye-bolt on the jaws of the gaff. This 
 is a two-fold tackle. 
 
 The Spanker Brails. — The peak brails reeve though 
 single blocks on the gaff, two on each side, generally 
 span-blocks, and then through the throat brail blocks, as 
 leaders, to the decks. The throat brails reeve through 
 two triple blocks, strapped to eye-bolts under the jaws 
 of the gaff", one on each side, through the two other 
 sheaves of which the peak brails lead. Each brail is a 
 single rope, middled at the leach of the sail. 
 
 Tacks, Sheets, Clewlines, &c. — It is much more 
 convenient to have the tack and sheet blocks of the 
 courses fastened to the clews of the courses by hooks. 
 Then they can be unhooked when the sail is furled, 
 and, in light weather, a single rope with a hook, called 
 a lazy sheet, can be used, instead of the heavy tacks 
 and sheets with their blocks. This is also much more 
 convenient in clewing up. The main tack is rove aft 
 through the block in the waterways, forward through 
 the block on the sail, and the standing part hooks to the 
 c 
 
18 FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING. 
 
 block on deck. The fore tack goes through a block 
 on the bumpkin. The sheets of the courses have the 
 after block hooked to an eye-bolt in the side, abaft the 
 channels, and the forward one hooked to the clew of the 
 sail, the running part reeving through a sheave-hole in 
 the rail. The sheets of all the square sails but the 
 courses run from the clew of the sail, through sheave- 
 holes in the yard-arms, through the quarter blocks, 
 down on deck. The topsail sheets are chain, are clasped 
 to the clews of the sail, and are fitted with a gun-tackle 
 purchase at the foot of the mast. The topgallant and 
 royal sheets are single. The topsail and topgallant clew- 
 lines reeve through the quarter-blocks. The royal clew- 
 lines are single, and the topsail and topgallant are a 
 gun- tackle purchase. 
 
 The reef-tackles of the topsails reeve up through blocks 
 on the lower rigging, or futtock shrouds, down through the 
 block on the yard, down the leach of the sail and through 
 the block on the leach, and are made fast to the yard on 
 their own parts, with a clinch, outside of everything. 
 
 The clew-garnets reeve out through blocks, under the 
 quarters of the yards, then up through blocks at the 
 clew, and the standing part is made fast to the yard, to 
 the block, or to a strap. The buntlines of the courses 
 reeve through double or triple blocks under the forward 
 part of the top, down forward of the sail, sometimes 
 through thimbles in the first reef-band, and are clinched 
 to the foot of the sail. The leachlines reeve through 
 single blocks, on the yard, and are clinched to the leach 
 of the sail. The slabline is a small rope rove through a 
 block under the slings of the yard, and clinched to the 
 foot of the sail. This is not much used in merchant 
 vessels. The topsail clewlines lead like the clew-garnets 
 of the courses. The topsail buntlines reeve forward 
 through single blocks at the topmast-head, down through 
 the thimbles of a lizard seized to the tye, just above the 
 yard, and are clinched to the foot of the sail. The 
 handiest way of reeving the main bowline is to have a 
 
snno-lft rnr»A 
 
 TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 19 
 
 single rope with the standing part hooked near the fore- 
 mast, and reeve it out through a heart in the bridle. 
 This will answer for both sides. The fore bowline may 
 be rove through a single block at the heel of the jib- 
 boom and hooked to the bridle. The bowlines to the 
 other sails are toggled to the bridles and lead forward. 
 Many vessels now dispense with all the bowlines except 
 to the courses. This saves trouble, makes a ship look 
 neater, and if the sails are well cut, they will set taut 
 enough in the leach, without bowlines. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 
 
 Rigging the shears. Taking in lower masts and bowsprit. To rig a 
 bowsprit. Getting the tops over the mast-heads. To send up a 
 top-mast. To get on a top-mast cap. To rig a jib-boom. To cross a 
 lower yard. To cross a topgallant yard. To send up a topgallant 
 mast. Long, short, and stump topgallant masts. To rig out a flying 
 jib-boom. To cross topgallant and royal yards. Skysail yards. 
 
 Taking in Lower Masts and Bowsprit. — Shore 
 up the beams upon which the heels of the shears will 
 rest, if necessary, from the keelson. Parbuckle the 
 shears aboard, with their heads aft. Raise their heads 
 upon the tanrail, cross them, and pass the shear-lashing. 
 Lash the upper block of a three -fold tackle under the 
 cross, and secure the lower block to the breast-hooks, or to 
 a toggle in the hawse-hole. You may also reeve and 
 secure, in the same manner, a smaller purchase, which 
 shall work clear of the first. Have two forward and 
 two after guys clove-hitched to the shear-head, with 
 cleats to prevent their slipping. Get a girt-line on one 
 shear-head and a small tackle on the other, to slue and 
 cant the mast. Let the fall of the main tackle come 
 through the middle sheave, to prevent the blocks sluing 
 in its strap. Reeve large heel tackles to rouse the shears 
 aft with. Put long oak plank shoes under the heels ; 
 c 2' 
 
20 TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 
 
 and, if it be necessary, clap a thwart-ship tackle upon 
 the two heels, or reeve a lashing, and put a stout plank 
 between them, and bowse taut ; which will prevent too 
 great a strain coming upon the water-ways. Take the 
 main tackle fall to the capstan ; heave round, haul on 
 the forward guy and after heel tackles, and raise the 
 shear to an angle of about eighty degrees with the deck, 
 and so that the main purchase will hang plumb with the 
 partners of the mizen-mast. Lash a garland to the 
 forward part of the mast, above the centre, and toggle 
 the purchase to it. Heave the mast in over the bul- 
 warks ; fit the trestle-trees and after chock ; reeve girt- 
 lines by which men may be hoisted when the mast is in; 
 point the mast in, and lower away. Always take in the 
 mizen-mast first. Get in the main and then the fore- 
 mast in the same manner, rousing the shears forward, 
 with their shoes, by means of the heel tackles. Having 
 stepped and secured the fore mast, carry the forward guys 
 aft and rake the shears over the bows ; toggle the lower 
 block of the main tackle to a garland lashed to the upper 
 part of the bowsprit inside of the centre. Put on the 
 cap, and carry tackles or guys from the bowsprit-head 
 to each cat-head, and clap on a heel tackle or guy. 
 Heave the bowsprit, and direct it by the small tackles 
 and guys. 
 
 To Rig a Bowsprit. — Lash collars for the fore stay, 
 bobstays, and bowsprit shrouds, then for the spring stay, 
 and put on the bees for the topmast stays ; fit the man- 
 ropes, pass the gammoning, and set up bobstays and 
 shrouds. 
 
 To get the Tops over the Mast-heads. — Place 
 the top on deck abaft the mast ; get a girt-line on each 
 side of the mast-head, and pass the end of each under 
 the top, through the holes in the after part ; clinch them 
 to their own parts, and stop them to the fore part of the 
 top with slip-stops. Have a guy to the fore and another 
 to the after part of the top. Make the ends of a span 
 fast to the after corners of the top, and bend a girt-line 
 
TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 21 
 
 from the mast-head to the bight of the span, and stop it 
 to the forward part of the top. Sway away on the girt- 
 lines. When the fore part of the top is above the trestle- 
 trees, cut the span-stops, and when the after part is 
 above them, cast off the slip -stops. When the lubber- 
 hole is high enough to clear the mast-head, haul on the 
 forward guy, and let the top hang horizontally by the 
 girt-lines. Lower away, place, and bolt it. 
 
 The fore and main tops are sent up from abaft, and 
 the mizen from forward. The tops may be got over 
 without the span and girt-line, by stopping the two girt- 
 lines first rove to the middle as well as to the fore part of 
 the top, and cutting the upper stops first. 
 
 To send up a Topmast. — Get the topmast alongside, 
 with its head forward. Lash a top-block to the head 
 of the lower-mast ; reeve a mast-rope through it, from 
 aft forward, and bring the end down and reeve it through 
 the sheave-hole of the top-mast, hitching it to its own 
 part a little below the topmast-head, and stopping both 
 parts to the mast, at intervals. Snatch the rope and 
 sway away. As soon as the head is through the lower 
 cap, cast off the end of the mast-rope, letting the mast 
 hang by the stops, and hitch it to the staple in the other 
 end of the cap. Cast oiF the stops and sway away. 
 Point the head of the mast between the trestle-trees and 
 through the hole in the lower cap, the round hole of 
 which must be put over the square hole of the trestle- 
 trees. Lash the cap to the mast, hoist away, and when 
 high enough, lower a little and secure the cap to the 
 lower mast-head. (This is when it cannot be put on by 
 hand.) If the cross-trees are heavy, they may be placed 
 in the following manner. Sway away until the top- 
 mast-head is a few feet above the lower cap. Send up 
 the cross-trees by girt-lines, and let the after part rest 
 on the lower cap and the forward part against the top- 
 mast. Lower away the topmast until the cross-trees fall 
 into their place, and then hoist until they rest on the 
 shoulders. Lash on the bolsters, get girt-lines on the 
 
22 TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 
 
 i 
 
 cross trees to send up the rigging, and then put it over 
 the mast-head, first the shrouds, then the backstays, and 
 lastly the head-stays. Sway the topmast on end, fid it, 
 and set up the rigging. 
 
 To get on a Topmast-Cap. — In vessels of the largest 
 class, it may be necessary to send up the cap in the fol- 
 lowing manner, but it can usually be got up by hand. 
 Or it may be fitted and the rigging put on over it. Send 
 the cap up to the cross-trees by girt -lines, and place the 
 round hole of the cap over the forward hole of the cross- 
 trees ; send aloft a topgallant studdingsail boom, and point 
 its upper end through the holes in the cross-trees and 
 cap, and lash the cap to it. Hook a tackle or girt-line 
 to a strap on the lower end of the spar, and sway away 
 until the cap is over the mast-head. Slue the spar so 
 that the cap may come fair, lower away, and place the 
 cap upon the mast-head. Unlash the spar and send it 
 down. 
 
 To rig out a Jib-boom. — Point the outer end through 
 the collars of the stays. Reeve the heel-rope through a 
 block at the bowsprit cap, through the sheave-hole at 
 the heel of the boom, and secure the end to an eye-bolt 
 in the cap on the opposite side. Rig the boom out until 
 the inner sheave-hole is clear of the cap. Tar the 
 boom-end, put on the foot-ropes and guys, and reeve the 
 jib stay. Hoist up the martingale and rig it, and reeve 
 the martingale stay and gaub-line. Rig the boom out to 
 its place, and set up the jib and martingale stays. 
 
 To cross a Lower Yard. — If the yard is alongside, 
 reeve the yard rope through the jear block at the mast- 
 head, make it fast to the slings of the yard, and stop it 
 out to the yard-arm. Sway away, and cast off the stops 
 as the yard comes over the side, and get the yard across 
 the bulwarks. Lower yards are rigged now with iron 
 trusses and quarter-blocks, which would be fitted before 
 rigging the yard. Seize on the clew-garnet block, and 
 put the rigging over the yard-arm ; first the straps for 
 the head -eatings, then the foot-ropes, then the brace 
 
TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 23 
 
 blocks or pennants, and last the eye of the lift. (The 
 lifts, brace pennants, and foot-ropes are now spliced or 
 hooked into rings with thimbles on an iron band, round 
 the yard-arm, next the shoulders. In this way, there is 
 no rope of any kind round the yard-arm. ) Reeve the 
 lifts and braces, get two large tackles from the mast-head 
 to the quarters of the yard, and sway away on them and 
 on the lifts, bearing off and sluing the yard by means of 
 guys. Secure the yard by the iron trusses, and haul 
 taut lifts and braces. 
 
 To cross a Topsail Yard. — As topsail yards now 
 have chain tyes, there are no tye-blocks to seize on. 
 The quarter -blocks are first seized on, and the parral 
 secured at one end, ready to be passed. A single parral 
 has an eye in each end, and one end is passed under the 
 yard and over, and the eye seized to the standing part, 
 close to the yard. After the yard is crossed, the other 
 end is passed round the mast, then round the yard, and 
 seized in the same manner. To pass a double parral, 
 proceed in the same manner, except that the seizings are 
 passed so as to leave the eyes clear and above the stand- 
 ing part, and then take a short rope with an eye in each 
 end, pass it round the mast, and seize the eyes to the 
 eyes of the first long rope. The parral is wormed, 
 served and leathered. The parral being seized at one 
 end, put on the head-earing straps, the foot-ropes, 
 Flemish horses, and brace blocks. Bend the yard-rope 
 to the slings, stop it out to the yard-arm, and sway away 
 until the yard is up and down ; then put on the upper 
 lift in the top and the lower lift on deck, and reeve the 
 braces. Sway away, cast off the stops, and take in upon 
 the lower lift as the yard rises, till the yard is square ; 
 then haul taut lifts and braces and pass the parral. 
 
 To send up a Topgallant Mast. — Most merchant- 
 men carry long topgallant masts. In these, the topgal- 
 lant, royal, and sky sail masts are all one stick. A short 
 topgallant mast is one which has cross-trees, and above 
 which a fidded royal-mast may be rigged. A stump top- 
 
 
24. TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 
 
 gallant mast has no cross-trees, or means for setting a 
 mast above it, and is carried only in bad weather. Some 
 short topgallant masts are rigged with a withe on the 
 after part of the mast-head, through which a sliding- 
 gunter-royal-mast is run up, with its heel resting in a 
 step on the topmast cap. 
 
 To send up a long topgallant mast, put the jack over 
 the topmast cap, with a grommet upon its funnel for the 
 eyes of the rigging to rest upon ; send up the rigging by 
 girtlines, and put the eyes over the jack, first the topgal- 
 lant shrouds, backstays and stays, then the royal rigging 
 in the same order, with a grommet, then the skysail stay 
 and backstay, and lastly the truck. Reeve a top-rope 
 forward through a block at the topmast-head, through 
 the hole in the cross-trees ; through the sheave-hole at 
 the foot of the top-gallant mast ; carry it up the other 
 side, and make it fast to its own part at the mast-head ; 
 stop it along the mast, and bend a guy to the heel. 
 Sway away, and point through the jack; put on the 
 truck, and the skysail, royal and topgallant rigging in 
 their order ; slue the mast so as to bring the sheaves of 
 the tyes fore-and-aft; cast off the end of the top-rope, 
 the mast hanging by the stops ; make it fast to an eye- 
 bolt on the starboard side of the cap, and sway away. 
 When high enough, fid the mast and set up the rigging. 
 
 A short topgallant mast is sent up like a topmast, the 
 cross-trees got over in the same manner ; and the fidded 
 royal-mast is sent up like a long topgallant mast. 
 
 To rig out a Flying jib-boom. — Ship the withe on 
 the jib-boom end, reeve a heel-rope through a block at 
 the jib-boom end, and bend it to the heel of the flying 
 jib-boom, and stop it along, out to the end. Haul out on 
 the heel-rope, point through the withe, put on the rig- 
 ging, in the same order with that of the jib-boom ; reeve 
 the guys, martingale, flying jib, royal and skysail stays ; 
 rig out, and set up the rigging. The heel of the boom 
 rests against the bowsprit cap, and is lashed to the jib- 
 boom. 
 
The fly 
 
 TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS. 25 
 
 The flying jib-boom should be rigged fully out before 
 the fore topgallant mast is swayed on end. 
 
 To cross a Topgallant Yard. — Seize on the parral 
 and quarter-blocks; reeve the yard-rope through the 
 sheave-hole of the topgallant mast, make it fast to the 
 slings of the yard, and stop it out to the upper end. 
 Sway away, and when the upper yard-arm has reached 
 the topmast- head, put on the upper lift and brace, sway- 
 away again, put on the lower lift and brace, cast off all 
 the stops, settle the yard down square by lifts and braces, 
 and pass the parral lashing. 
 
 To cross Royal Yards. — The royal yards are crossed 
 in the same manner as the topgallant yards, except that 
 in most merchantmen they would be sent up by the 
 halyards instead of a yard-rope. If there is not a stand- 
 ing skysail, the quarter-blocks on the royal yard will be 
 single. 
 
 Skysail Yards. — If the skysail is a standing sail, the 
 yard is rigged like the royal yard, with lifts and braces, 
 and the sail is fitted with sheets and clewlines ; but if it 
 is a flying skysail, the yard has neither lifts nor braces, 
 and the clews of the sail are seized out to the royal yard- 
 arms. There are various ways of rigging a flying sky- 
 sail, of which the following is believed to be as convenient 
 as any. Let the royal stay go round the mast-head, 
 with a traveller, above the yard, so that the stay may- 
 travel up and down the skysail mast. Seize a thimble 
 into the stay, close against the forward part of the grom- 
 met ; lead the skysail halyards through the thimble, and 
 make them fast to the centre of the yard, which will 
 need no parrals underneath the royal stay. Make fast 
 the ends of two small ropes for downhauls, to the skysail 
 yard, about half way out on each yard-arm, and reeve 
 them through small cleats on the after part of the royal 
 yard, the same distance out on each yard-arm. These 
 may be spliced into a single rope below the yard, which 
 will go through a fair-leader in the cross-trees to the 
 deck. By this means the skysail may be taken in or set 
 
26 TO SEND DOWN MASTS AND YARDS. 
 
 without the necessity of sending a man aloft. Let go the 
 halyards and haul on the downhaul, and the yard will be 
 brought close down to the royal yard. To hoist it, let go 
 the downhaul and royal stay, and haul on the halyards. 
 When the royal is taken in, haul the skysail yard down 
 with the royal yard, and furl the sail in with the royal. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 TO SEND DOWN MASTS AND YARDS. 
 
 To send down a royal yard — a topgallant yard — a topgallant mast. 
 To house a topgallant mast. To send down a topmast. To rig in 
 a jib-boom. 
 
 To send down a Royal Yard. — If the sail is bent 
 to the yard, furl it, making the gaskets fast to the tye. 
 Cast off the sheets and clewlines, and make them fast to 
 the jack. Be careful to unreeve the clewlines through 
 the quarter-blocks. Cast off the parral-lashing. Over- 
 haul the tye a little, and stop it to the yard just outside 
 of the quarter-block. If stopped too far out, the yard 
 will not hoist high enough to get the lower lift off. 
 Sway away on the halyards, which will cant the yard 
 and hoist it. When high enough, cast off the lower lift 
 and brace, (being careful not to let the brace go,) and 
 make them fast to the jack. Lower away, and as the 
 upper yard-arm comes abreast of the jack, clap a stop 
 round the yard and tye, near the yard-arm, and cast off 
 the lift and brace, making them fast to the jack. Lower 
 away to the deck. 
 
 If the halyards are not single, the yard must be sent 
 down by a yard-rope, like the topgallant yard. In some 
 vessels, instead of making the sheets and clewlines fast 
 to the jack, over-hand knots are taken in their ends, and 
 they are let go. The sheets will run out to the topgal- 
 lant yard-arms, and the clewlines will run to the fair- 
 leaders in the cross-trees. In port, the main royal yard 
 
TO SEND DOWN MASTS AND YARDS. 27 
 
 is sent down on the starboard side, and the fore and 
 mizen on the larboard ; but at sea, the tye is stopped 
 out on the lee side, and the yard sent down in any way 
 that is the most convenient. 
 
 To SEND DOWN A TOPGALLANT YARD. Cast off the 
 
 sheets, bowlines, buntlines, and clewlines, and make 
 them fast to the cross-trees. Reeve a yard-rope through 
 a jack-block at the mast-head, unhook the tye, cast off 
 the parral-lashing, bend the yard-rope to the slings of 
 the yard by a fisherman's bend, and stop it to the quar- 
 ters of the yard. Sway away, and take off the lifts and 
 braces, as with the royal yard. 
 
 To SEND DOWN A TOPGALLANT MaST. Hook the 
 
 top-block to the eye-bolt at the larboard side of the 
 topmast cap ; reeve the mast -rope through it, then 
 through the sheave-hole in the foot of the topgallant 
 mast, and hitch its end to the eye-bolt on the starboard 
 side of the cap. Come up the rigging, stays and back- 
 stays, and guy the mast-head by them. Hoist a little 
 on the mast-rope, and take out the fid. (The fid should 
 always be fastened to the cross-trees or trestle-trees, by 
 a lanyard.) Lower away until the mast is a little short 
 of being through the cap. Then seize or rack together 
 both parts of the mast-rope just above the sheave-hole ; 
 cast off the end of the mast-rope, letting the mast hang 
 by the stops, and hitch it round the mast-head to its own 
 part below the cap. Then lower away to the deck. If 
 the rigging is to come on deck, round up the mast-rope 
 for a girtline ; if it is to remain aloft, lash it to the top- 
 mast cap, render the shrouds through the cross-trees, 
 and stop them up and down the topgallant rigging. 
 Sheep-shank the stays and backstays, and set them hand- 
 taut. If the topmast is also to be sent down, take off 
 the topmast cap and send it on deck. 
 
 To house a Topgallant Mast. — Proceed in the 
 same manner, except that when the mast is low enough, 
 belay the mast-rope, pass a heel-lashing through the 
 fid-hole, and round the topmast. 
 
28 BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS. 
 
 To send down a Topmast. — Hook the top-block, 
 reeve the mast-rope through it and through the sheave- 
 hole in the foot of the mast, and hitch it to the staple 
 at the other side of the cap. Lead the fall through a 
 snatch-block to the capstan. Sling the lower yard, if it 
 is to remain aloft, and unshackle the trusses, if they are 
 of iron. Come up the rigging, stays and backstays, 
 weigh the mast, take out the fid, and lower away. If 
 the rigging is to remain aloft, lash the cross-trees to the 
 lower cap. The rigging should be stowed away snugly 
 in the top, and the backstays be snaked up and down 
 the lower rigging. 
 
 To rig in a Jib-boom. — Reeve the heel-rope (if 
 necessary), come up the stay, martingale stay and guys ; 
 unreeve the jib-stay, station hands at each guy, clear 
 away the heel-lashing, haul in upon the guys, and light 
 the boom on board. In most cases the boom will come 
 in without a heel-rope. Make fast the eyes of the 
 rigging to the bowsprit cap, and haul all taut. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS. 
 
 To bend a course. To send up a topsail by the halyards— by the bunt- 
 lines. To bend a topgallant sail— a royal— —a jib— a spanker— a 
 spencer. To unbend a course— a topsail — a topgallant sail or royal 
 —a jib. To send down a topsail or course in a gale of wind. To 
 bend a topsail in a gale of wind. To bend one topsail or course, and 
 send down the other at the same time. 
 
 To bend a Course. — Stretch the sail across the deck, 
 forward of the mast and under the yard ; being careful 
 to have the after part of the sail aft. Seize the clew- 
 garnet blocks to the clews; also the tack and sheet 
 blocks, unless they go with hooks or clasps. Reeve the 
 buntlines through the thimbles of the first reef-band 
 forward, if they are made to go so, and toggle their ends 
 to the foot of the sail, or carry them through the eyelet- 
 
BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS. 29 
 
 holes and clinch them to their own parts. Reeve the 
 clewgarnets and leachlines ; carry the bights of the 
 buntlines under the sail, and rack them to their own 
 parts ; stop the head of the sail to the buntlines below 
 the rackings; put robands to each eyelet-hole in the 
 head of the sail ; fasten the head and reef earings to 
 their cringles, reeving the end of the reef-earings through 
 the head cringle, and taking a bowline with them to 
 their standing parts, and hitching the head-earings to the 
 buntlines. Sway away on the buntlines, leachlines, and 
 clewgarnets ; when the sail is up, pass the head-earings, 
 reeving aft through the straps on the yard, and forward 
 through the head cringle. Haul out on the earings, 
 making the sail square by the glut, and pass the earings 
 round the yard, over and under, through the head-cringle 
 at each turn, and make the end fast around the first turns. 
 If the sail is new, ride down the head rope on the yard, 
 and freshen the earings. Make fast the head of the sail 
 to the jackstay by robands, and cast the stops off the 
 buntlines. 
 
 To bend a Topsail. — Make fast the head and reef- 
 earings to their cringles, passing the end of each reef- 
 earing through the cringle above its own, and making it 
 fast by a bowline to its own part. Put robands to each 
 eyelet-hole in the head. If the sail is to be sent up by 
 the topsail halyards, lay it on deck abaft the foot of the 
 mast, make it up with its head and foot together, having 
 the head and first reef cringles together and out, and also 
 the bowline cringle and the clews out. Bight the sail 
 in three parts on a pair of slings, having the end of the 
 sail that belongs on the opposite yard-arm on top. Have 
 the fly-block of the topsail halyards above the top, and 
 rack the runner to the topmast backstay or after shroud. 
 Hook the lower block to the slings around the sail, hoist 
 the sail up into the top, cast off the slings, unhook 
 the halyards, and pass the upper end of the sail round 
 forward of the mast, ready for bending. (If the vessel 
 is rolling or pitching, with a stiff breeze, the sail may be 
 
 is rolling ( 
 
30 BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS. 
 
 guyed and steadied as it goes up, by hooking a snatch- 
 block, moused, to the slings around the sail, passing the 
 hauling part of the halyards through it, and through 
 another snatch-block on deck.) Get the clewlines, bunt- 
 lines, sheets, bowlines, and reef-tackles ready for bend- 
 ing, the clove hooks of the sheets being stopped to the 
 topmast rigging. Hook or clasp the sheets to the clews, 
 reeve the clewlines and reef-tackles, toggle the bowlines, 
 clinch or toggle the buntlines to the foot of the sail, and 
 stop the head to the buntlines. Hoist on the buntlines 
 and haul out on the reef-tackles, bringing the sail to the 
 yard, and then pass the head-earings and make fast the 
 robands as for a course. If the sail is to be sent up by 
 the buntlines, lay the sail on the deck and forward of the 
 mast, overhaul the buntlines down forward of the yard, 
 on each side of the topmast stay and on the same side of 
 the lower stay. Clinch the ends to the foot of the sail, 
 bight them around under the sail and rack the bights to 
 their standing parts, and stop the head of the sail to the 
 standing parts below the rackings. Bend one bowline to 
 the centre of the sail to guy it in going aloft. Have the 
 earings bent and secured as before described, and the 
 bights of the head-earings hitched to the buntlines. 
 Sway it up to the top, and haul the ends in on each 
 side of the mast ; reeve the clewlines and reef- tackles, 
 make fast the bowlines and sheets, the ends of which, if 
 chain, should be racked to the topmast rigging, ready to 
 be made fast to the clews. The gear being bent, hoist on 
 the buntlines, haul out on the reef-tackles, pass the head- 
 earings, cut the stops of the buntlines, and make fast the 
 robands. Middle the sail on the yard by the glut, or by 
 the centre cringle. 
 
 To bend Topgallant Sails and Royals. — These 
 are generally bent to their yards on deck ; the royals 
 always. After being bent to the yard, they are furled, 
 with their clews out, ready for sending aloft. If the 
 topgallant sail is to be bent aloft, send it up to the 
 topmast cross-trees by the clewlines, or by the royal 
 
BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS. 31 
 
 halyards ; and there bend on the sheets, clewlines, bunt- 
 lines and bowlines, and bring the sail to the yard as with 
 a topsail. 
 
 To bend a Jib. — Bend the jib halyards round the 
 body of the sail, and the downhaul to the tack. Haul 
 out on the downhaul, hoisting and lowering on the 
 halyards. Seize the tack to the boom, the hanks to 
 the luff of the sail, and the halyards to its head. Reeve 
 the downhaul up through the hanks and make it fast to 
 the head of the sail. Seize the middle of the sheet- 
 pennant to the clew. 
 
 In some vessels the hanks are first seized to the sail, 
 and the jib-stay unrove, brought in-board, and passed 
 down through the hanks, as the sail is sent out, rove in 
 its place and set up. This is more troublesome, and 
 wears out the jib-stay. 
 
 To bend a Spanker. — Lower the gaff, and reeve the 
 throat-rope through the hole in the gaff under the jaws, 
 and secure it. Sometimes the head of the luff fits with 
 a hook. Then haul out the head of the sail by the peak- 
 earing, which is passed like the head- earing of a topsail. 
 When the head-rope is taut, pass the lacings through the 
 eyelet-holes, and round the jack-stay. Seize the bights 
 of the throat and peak brails to the leach, at distances 
 from the peak which will admit of the sail's being brailed 
 up taut along the gaff, and reeve them through their 
 blocks on the gaff, and at the jaws, on each side of the 
 sail. The foot brail is seized to the leach just above the 
 clew. Seize the luff of the sail to the hoops or hanks 
 around the spanker mast, beginning with the upper hoop 
 and hoisting the gaff as they are secured. The tack is 
 hooked or seized to the boom or to the mast. Hook on 
 the outhaul tackle. This is usually fitted with an eye 
 round the boom, rove through a single block at the clew, 
 and then through a sheave-hole in the boom. 
 
 Some spankers are bent with a peak outhaul ; the head 
 traversing on the jackstay of the gaff. 
 
 The Fore and Main Spencers are bent like the 
 
32 BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS. 
 
 spanker, except that they have no boom, the clew being 
 hauled aft by a sheet, which is generally a gun- tackle 
 purchase, hooked to an eye-bolt in the deck. 
 
 To unbend a Course. — Haul it up, cast off the 
 robands, and make the buntlines fast round the sail. 
 Ease the earings off together, and lower away by the 
 buntlines and clew-garnets. At sea, the lee earing is 
 cast off first, rousing in the lee body of the sail, and 
 securing it by the earing to the buntlines. 
 
 To unbend a Topsail.- — Clew it up, cast off the 
 robands, secure the buntlines round the sail, unhook the 
 sheets, and unreeve the clewlines and reef -tackles; ease 
 off the earings, and lower by the buntlines. 
 
 A topgallantsail is unbent in the same manner, and 
 sent down by the buntlines. A royal is usually sent 
 down with the yard. 
 
 To unbend a Jib. — Haul it down, cast off the hank 
 seizings, and the tack-lashing, cast off and unreeve the 
 downhaul and make it fast round the sail, and cast off 
 the sheet-pennant lashings. Haul aboard by the down- 
 haul, hoisting clear by the halyards. 
 
 The rules above given are for a vessel in port, with 
 squared yards. If you are at sea and it is blowing fresh, 
 and the topsail or course is reefed, to send it down, you 
 must cast off a few robands and reef-points, and pass 
 good stops around the sail; then secure the buntlines 
 also around it, and cast off all the robands, reef-points, 
 and reef-earings. Bend a line to the lee head-earing and 
 let it go, haul the sail well up to windward, and make 
 fast the lee earing to the buntlines. Get a hauling line 
 to the deck, forward ; ease off the weather earing, and 
 lower away. 
 
 To bend a new topsail in a gale of wind, it has been 
 found convenient to make the sail up with the reef-bands 
 together, the points all being out fair, to pass several 
 good stops round the sail, and send up as before. This 
 will present less surface to the wind. One course may 
 be sent up as the other goes down, by unbending the 
 
WORK UPON RIGGING. ROPE. 33 
 
 buntlines from the foot of the old sail, passing them down 
 between the head of the sail and the yard, bending them 
 to the foot of the new sail, and making the new sail up 
 to be sent aloft by them, as before directed. Run the 
 new sail up to the yard abaft the old one, and send the 
 old one down by the leachlines and the head-earings, bent 
 to the topmast studdingsail halyards, or some other con- 
 venient rope. 
 
 One topsail may be sent up by the topsail halyards, 
 got ready for bending, and brought to the yard, while 
 the old one is sent down by the buntlines. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 WORK UPON RIGGING. — ROPE, KNOTS, SPLICES, BENDS 
 
 AND HITCHES. 
 
 Kinds of rope. Spunyarn. Worming. Parcelling. Service. Short 
 splice. Long splice. Eye splice. Flemish eye. Spindle eye. Cut 
 splice. Grommet. Single and double wall. Matthew Walker. 
 Single and double diamond. Spritsail sheet knot. Stopper knot. 
 Shroud knot. French shroud knot. Buoy-rope knot. Half-hitches. 
 Clove hitch. Overhand knot. Figure-of-eight. Bowline. Running 
 bowline. Bowline-upon-a-bight. Square knot. Timber hitch. 
 Rolling hitch. Blackwall hitch. Cat's paw. Sheet bend. Fisher- 
 man's bend. Carrickbend. Bowline bend. Sheep-shank. Selvagee. 
 Marlinspike hitch. Round seizing. Throat seizing. Stopping. 
 Nippering. Racking. Pointing. Snaking. Grafting. Foxes. 
 Spanish foxes. Gaskets. Sennit. To bend a buoy-rope. To pass a 
 shear-lashing. 
 
 Those ro^es in a ship which are stationary are called 
 standing rigging, as shrouds, stays, backstays, &c. 
 Those which reeve through blocks or sheave-holes, and 
 are hauled and let go, are called the running rigging, as 
 braces, halyards, buntlines, clewlines, &c. 
 
 A rope is composed of threads of hemp, or other stuff. 
 These threads are called yarns. A number of these 
 yarns twisted together form a strand, and three or more 
 strands twisted together form the rope. 
 
 The ropes in ordinary use on board a vessel are com- 
 
 D 
 
34 WORK UPON RIGGING. SMALL STUFF. 
 
 posed of three strands, laid bight handed, (1.) or, as it 
 is called, with the sun. Occasionally a piece of large rope 
 will be found laid up in four strands, also with the sun. 
 This is generally used for standing rigging, tacks, sheets, 
 &c, and is sometimes called shroud-laid. 
 
 A cable-laid Rope (2.) is composed of nine strands, 
 and is made by first laying them into three ropes of three 
 strands each, with the sun, and then laying the three 
 ropes up together into one, left-handed, or against the 
 sun. Thus, cable-laid rope is like three small common 
 ropes laid up into one large one. Formerly, the ordinary 
 three-stranded right-hand rope was called hawser-laid, 
 and the latter cable-laid, and they will be found so dis- 
 tinguished in the books ; but among sea-faring men now, 
 the terms hawser-laid and cable-laid are applied indis- 
 criminately to nine-strand rope, and the three stranded, 
 being the usual and ordinary kind of rope, has no par- 
 ticular name, or is called right-hand rope. 
 
 Right-hand rope must be coiled with the sun, and 
 cable-laid rope against the sun. 
 
 Spunyarn is made by twisting together two or more 
 yarns taken from old standing rigging, and is called two- 
 yarn or three-yarn spunyarn, according to the number of 
 yarns of which it is composed. Junk, or old rigging, is 
 first unlaid into strands, and then into yarns, and the 
 best of these yarns made up into spunyarn, which is used 
 for worming, serving, seizing, &c. Every merchant 
 vessel carr.es a spunyarn- winch, for the manufacturing of 
 this stuff, and in making it, the wheel is turned against 
 the sun, which lays the stuff up with the sun. 
 
 Worming a rope, is filling up the divisions between 
 the strands, by passing spunyarn along them, to render 
 the surface smooth for parcelling and serving. 
 
 Parcelling a rope is wrapping narrow strips of can- 
 vas about it, well tarred, in order to secure it from 
 being injured by rain-water lodging between the parts of 
 the service when worn. The parcelling is put on with 
 the lay of the rope. 
 

 WORK UPON RIGGING. SPLICES. 35 
 
 Service is the laying on of spunyarn, or other small 
 stuff, in turns round the rope, close together, and hove 
 taut by the use of a serving-board for small rope, and 
 serving-mallet for large rope. Small ropes are some- 
 times served without being wormed, as the crevices 
 between the strands are not large enough to make the 
 surface very uneven ; but a large rope is always wormed 
 and parcelled before being served. The service is put on 
 against the lay of the rope. 
 
 Splicing, is putting the ends of ropes together by 
 opening the strands and placing them into one another, 
 or by putting the strands of the ends of a rope between 
 those of the bight. 
 
 A Short Splice. (3.) Unlay the strands for a con- 
 venient length ; then take an end in each hand, place 
 them one within the other, and draw them close. Hold 
 the end of one rope and the three strands which come 
 from the opposite rope fast in the left hand, or, if the 
 rope be large, stop them down to it with a rope-yarn. 
 Take the middle strand, which is free, pass it over the 
 strand which is first next to it, and through under the 
 second, and out between the second and third from it, 
 and haul it taut. Pass each of the six strands in the 
 same manner ; first those on one side, and then those on 
 the other. The same operation may be repeated with 
 each strand, passing each over the third from it, and 
 under the fourth, and through ; or, as is more usual, after 
 the ends have been stuck once, untwist each strand, 
 divide the yarns, pass one half as above described, and 
 cut off the other half. This tapers the splice. 
 
 A Long Splice. (4.) Unlay the ends of two ropes 
 to a distance three or four times greater than for a short 
 splice, and place them within one another as for a short 
 splice. Unlay one strand for a considerable distance, 
 and fill up the interval which it leaves with the opposite 
 strand from the other rope, and twist the ends of these 
 two together. Then do the same w T ith two more strands. 
 The two remaining strands are twisted together in the 
 d 2 
 
36 WORK UPON RIGGING. — SPLICES. 
 
 place where they were first crossed. Open the two last 
 named strands, divide in two, take an overhand knot 
 with the opposite halves, and lead the ends over the next 
 strand and through the second, as the whole strands were 
 passed for the short splice. Cut off the other two halves. 
 Do the same with the others that are placed together, 
 dividing, knotting, and passing them in the same manner. 
 Before cutting off any of the half-strands, the rope 
 should he got well upon a stretch. Sometimes the 
 whole strands are knotted, then divided, and the half- 
 strands passed as above described. 
 
 An Eye Splice. (5.) Unlay the end of a rope for 
 a short distance, and lay the three strands upon the 
 standing part, so as to form an eye. Put one end 
 through the strand next to it. Put the next end over 
 that strand and through the second ; and put the remain- 
 ing end through the third strand, on the other side of 
 the rope. Taper them, as in the short splice, by divid- 
 ing the strands and sticking them again. 
 
 A Flemish Eye. (6.) Take the end of a rope and 
 unlay one strand. Form an eye by placing the two 
 remaining ends against the standing part. Pass the 
 strand which has been unlaid over the end and in the 
 intervals round the eye, until it returns down the stand- 
 ing part, and lies under the eye with the strands. The 
 ends are then scraped down, tapered, marled, and served 
 over with spunyarn. 
 
 An Artificial or Spindle Eye. — Unlay the end of 
 a rope and open the strands, separating each ropeyarn. 
 Take a piece of wood, the size of the intended eye, and 
 hitch the yarns round it. Scrape them down, marl, 
 parcel, and serve them. This is now usually called a 
 Flemish eye. 
 
 A Cut Splice. (7.) Cut a rope in two, unlay each 
 end as for a short splice, and place the ends of each rope 
 against the standing part of the other, forming an oblong 
 eye, of the size you wish. Then pass the ends through 
 the strands of the standing parts, as for a short splice. 
 
WORK UPON RIGGING. KNOTS. 37 
 
 A Grommet. (8.) Take a strand just unlaid from a 
 rope, with all its turns in it, and form a ring of the size 
 you wish, by putting the end over the standing part. 
 Then take the long end and carry it twice round the 
 ring, in the crevices, following the lay, until the ring is 
 complete. Then take an overhand knot with the two 
 ends, divide the yarns, and stick them as in a long splice. 
 
 A single Wall Knot. (9.) Unlay the end of a 
 rope. Form a bight with one strand, holding its end 
 down to the standing part in your left hand. Pass the 
 end of the next strand round this strand. Pass the 
 remaining strand round the end of the second strand, 
 and up through the bight which was made by the first 
 strand. Haul the ends taut carefully, one by one. 
 
 A single Wall, crowned. (10.) Make the single 
 wall as before, and lay one end over the top of the knot. 
 Lay the second end over the first, and the third over the 
 second and through the bight of the first. 
 
 A double Wall. (11.) Make the single wall slack, 
 and crown it, as above. Then take one end, bring it 
 underneath the part of the first walling next to it, and 
 push it up through the same bight. Do the same with 
 the other strands, pushing them up through two bights. 
 Thus made, it has a double wall and a single crown. 
 
 A double Wall, double crowned. (12.) Make the 
 double wall, single crowned, as above. Then lay the 
 strands by the sides of those in the single crown, push- 
 ing them through the same bight in the single crown, 
 and down through the double walling. This is some- 
 times called a Tack Knot, or a Topsail Sheet Knot. 
 
 A Matthew Walker Knot. (13.) Unlay the end 
 of a rope. Take one strand round the rope and through 
 its own bight ; then the next strand underneath, through 
 the bight of the first, and through its own bight ; and 
 the third strand underneath, through both the other 
 bights, and through its own bight. 
 
 A Single Diamond Knot (14.) Unlay the end of 
 a rope for a considerable distance, and with the strands 
 
38 WORK UPON RIGGING. — KNOTS. 
 
 form three bights down the side of the rope, holding 
 them fast with the left hand. Take the end of one 
 strand, and pass it with the lay of the rope over the 
 strand next to it, and up through the bight of the third. 
 Take the end of the second strand over the third and up 
 through the bight of the first. Take the end of the 
 third strand over the first and up through the bight of 
 the second. Haul taut, and lay the ends up together. 
 
 A double Diamond Knot. (15.) Make a single 
 diamond, as above, without laying the ends up. Follow 
 the lead of the single knot through two single bights, 
 the ends coming out at the top of the knot. Lead the 
 last strand through two double bights. Haul taut, and 
 lay the ends up. 
 
 A Sprits ail Sheet Knot. (16.) Unlay two ends of 
 a rope, and place the two parts together. Make a bight 
 with one strand. Wall the six strands together, like a 
 single walling made with three strands; putting the 
 second over the first, and the third over the second, and 
 so on, the sixth being passed over the fifth and through 
 the bight of the first. Then haul taut. It may be 
 crowned by taking two strands, and laying them over the 
 top of the knot, and passing the other strands alternately 
 over and under those two, hauling them taut. It may 
 be double walled by next passing the strands under the 
 walling on the left of them, and through the small 
 bights, when the ends will come up for the second 
 crowning ; which is done by following the lead of the 
 single crowning, and pushing the ends through the single 
 walling, as with three strands, before described. This 
 is often used for a stopper knot. 
 
 A Stopper Knot. — Single wall and double wall, 
 without crowning, and stop the ends together. 
 
 A Shroud Knot. — Unlay the ends of two ropes, and 
 place the strands in one another, as for a short splice. 
 Single wall the strands of one rope round the standing 
 part of the other, against the lay. Open the ends, taper, 
 marl, and serve them. 
 
WORK UPON RIGGING. KNOTS AND HITCHES. 39 
 
 A French Shroud Knot. — Place the ends of two 
 ropes as before. Lay the ends of one rope back upon 
 their own part, and single wall the other three strands 
 round the bights of the first three and the standing part. 
 Taper the ends, as before. 
 
 A Buoy-rope Knot. — Unlay the strands of a cable- 
 laid rope, and also the small strands of each large strand. 
 Lay the large ones again as before, leaving the small 
 ones out. Single and double wall the small strands (as 
 for a stopper knot) round the rope, worm them along 
 the divisions, and stop their ends with spunyarn. 
 
 A Turks-head. (17.) This is worked upon a rope 
 with a piece of small line. Take a clove-hitch slack 
 with the line round the rope. Then take one of the 
 bights formed by the clove- hitch and put it over the 
 other. Pass the end under, and up through the bight 
 which is underneath. Then cross the bights again, and 
 put the end round again, under, and up through the 
 bight which is underneath. After this, follow the 
 lead, and it will make a turban, of three parts to each 
 cross. 
 
 Two Half-hitches. (18.) Pass the end of a rope 
 round the standing part and bring it up through the 
 bight. This is a half-hitch. Take it round again in 
 the same manner for two half-hitches. 
 
 A Clove-hitch (19.) is made by passing the end of 
 a rope round a spar, over, and bringing it under and 
 round behind its standing part, over the spar again, and 
 up through its own part. It may then, if necessary, be 
 stopped or hitched to its own part : the only difference 
 between two half-hitches and a clove-hitch being that 
 one is hitched round its own standing part, and the other 
 is hitched round a spar or another rope. 
 
 An Overhand Knot. (20.) Pass the end of a rope 
 over the standing part, and through the bight. 
 
 A Figure-of-eight. (21.) Pass the end of a rope 
 over and round the standing part, up over its own part, 
 and down through the bight. 
 
40 WORK UPON RIGGING. — KNOTS AND HITCHES. 
 
 A Bowline Knot. (22.) Take the end of a rope 
 in your right hand, and the standing part in your left. 
 Lay the end over the standing part, and with the left 
 hand make a eight of the standing part over it. Take 
 the end under the lower standing part, up over the cross, 
 and down through the bight. 
 
 A Running Bowline. — Take the end round the 
 standing part, and make a bowline upon its own part. 
 
 A Bowline upon a Bight. (23.) Middle a rope, 
 taking the two ends in your left hand, and the bight in 
 your right. Lay the bight over the ends, and proceed 
 as in making a bowline, making a small bight with your 
 left hand of the ends, which are kept together, over the 
 bight which you hold in your right hand. Pass the 
 bight in your right hand round under the ends and up 
 over the cross. So far, it is like a common bowline, only 
 made with double rope instead of single. Then open 
 the bight in your right hand and carry it over the large 
 bights, letting them go through it, and bring it up to the 
 cross and haul taut. 
 
 A Square Knot. (24.) Take an overhand knot 
 round a spar. Take an end in each hand and cross 
 them on the same side of the standing part upon which 
 they came up. Pass one end round the other, and bring 
 it up through the bight. This is sometimes called a 
 reef-knot. If the ends are crossed the wrong way, 
 sailors call it a granny- knot. 
 
 A Timber Hitch. (25.) Take the end of a rope 
 round a spar, lead it under and over the standing part, 
 and pass two or more round-turns round its own part. 
 
 A Rolling Hitch. —Pass the end of a rope round 
 a spar. Take it round a second time, nearer to the 
 standing part. Then carry it across the standing part, 
 over and round the spar, and up through the bight. 
 A strap or a tail-block is fastened to a rope by this 
 hitch. 
 
 A bend, sometimes called a rolling hitch, is made by 
 two round -turns round a spar and two half-hitches 
 
WORK UPON RIGGING. — BENDS AND HITCHES. 41 
 
 round the standing part; but the name is commonly 
 applied to the former hitch. 
 
 A Blackwall Hitch. (26.) Form a bight by 
 putting the end of a rope across and under the stand- 
 ing part. Put the bight over the hook of a tackle, 
 letting the hook go through it, the centre of the bight 
 resting against the back of the hook, and the end 
 jammed in the bight of the hook, by the standing part 
 of the rope. 
 
 A Cats Paw. (27.) Make a large bight in a rope, 
 and spread it open, putting one hand at one part of the 
 bight and the other at the other, and letting the stand- 
 ing part and end come together. Turn the bight over 
 from you, three times, and a small bight will be formed 
 in each hand. Bring the tw T o small bights together, and 
 put the hook of a tackle through them both. 
 
 A Sheet Bend. (28.) Pass the end of a rope up 
 through the bight of another, round both parts of the 
 other, and under its own part. 
 
 A Fisherman's Bend. (29.) Used for bending 
 studdingsail halyards to the yard. Take two turns 
 round the yard with the end. Hitch it round the 
 standing part and both the turns. Then hitch it round 
 the standing part alone. 
 
 A Carrick Bend. (30.) Form a bight by putting 
 the end of a rope over its standing part. Take the end 
 of a second rope and pass it under the standing part 
 of the first, over the end, and up through the bight, 
 over its own standing part, and down through the bight 
 again. 
 
 A Bowline Bend. — This is the most usual mode of 
 bending warps, and other long ropes or cables, together. 
 Take a bowline in the end of one rope, pass the end of 
 the other through the bight, and take a bowline with it 
 upon its own standing part. Long lines are sometimes 
 bent together with half-hitches on their own standing 
 parts, instead of bowlines, and the end seized strongly 
 down. 
 
42 WORK UPON RIGGING. 
 
 A Sheep -shank. (31.) Make two long bights in a 
 rope, which shall overlay one another. Take a half- 
 hitch over the end of each bight with the standing part 
 which is next to it. 
 
 A Selvagee. — Lay rope yarns round and round in a 
 bight, and marl them down with spunyarn. These are 
 used for neat block-straps, and as straps to go round a 
 spar for a tackle to hook into, for hoisting. 
 
 A Marlinspike Hitch. — Lay the marlinspike upon 
 the seizing-stuff, and bring the end over the standing 
 parts so as to form a bight. Lay this bight back over 
 the standing part, putting the marlinspike down through 
 the bight, under the standing part, and up through the 
 bight again. 
 
 To pass a Round Seizing. — Splice a small eye in the 
 end of the stuff, take the other end round both parts of 
 the rope, and reeve it through the eye. Pass a couple 
 of turns, then take a marlinspike-hitch, and heave them 
 taut. Pass six, eight, or ten turns in the same manner, 
 and heave them taut. Put the end through under these 
 turns and bring it out between the two last turns, or 
 through the eye, and pass five, seven, or nine turns (one 
 less than the lower ones) directly over these, as riders. 
 The riders are not hove so taut. Pass the end up through 
 the seizings, and take two cross turns round the whole 
 seizing between the two, passing the end through the 
 last turn, and heaving taut. If the seizing is small 
 cordage, take a wall-knot in the end ; if spunyarn, an 
 overhand knot. The cross turns are given up now in 
 nearly all vessels. After the riding turns are passed, 
 the end is carried under the turns, brought out at the 
 other end, and made fast snugly to the standing part of 
 the rigging. 
 
 A Throat Seizing, where rigging is turned in, is 
 passed and made fast like the preceding, there being no 
 cross turns. A neat way to pass a throat seizing is to 
 pass the turns rather slack, put a strap upon the end of 
 the rigging, take a handspike or heaver to it and bear it 
 
"WORK UPON RIGGING. 43 
 
 down, driving home the seizing with a mallet and small 
 fid. 
 
 Stopping, is fastening two parts of a rope together as 
 for a round seizing, without a crossing. 
 
 Nippering, is fastening them by taking turns crosswise 
 between the parts, to jam them ; and sometimes with a 
 round turn before each cross. These are called racking 
 turns. Pass riders over these and fasten the end. 
 
 Pointing. — Unlay the end of a rope and stop it. 
 Take out as many yarns as are necessary, and split each 
 yarn in two, and take two parts of different yarns and 
 twist them up taut into nettles. The rest of the yarns 
 are combed down with a knife. Lay half the nettles 
 down upon the scraped part, the rest back upon the rope, 
 and pass three turns of twine taut round the part where 
 the nettles separate, and hitch the twine, which is called 
 the warp. Lay the nettles backwards and forwards as 
 before, passing the warp, each time. The ends may be 
 whipped and snaked with twine, or the nettles hitched 
 over the warp and hauled taut. The upper seizing must 
 be snaked. If the upper part is too weak for pointing, 
 put in a piece of stick. 
 
 Snaking a seizing, is done by taking the end under 
 and over the outer turns of the seizing alternately, 
 passing over the whole. There should be a marline- 
 hitch at each turn. 
 
 Grafting. — Unlay the ends of two ropes and put 
 them together as for a short splice. Make nettles of the 
 strands as before. Pass the warp and nettles belonging 
 to the lower strands along the rope, as in pointing ; then 
 the nettles of the upper strands in the same manner. 
 Snake the seizing at each end. 
 
 Foxes are made by twisting together three or more 
 rope-yarns by hand, and rubbing them hard with tarred 
 canvas. Spanish foxes are made of one rope-yarn, by 
 unlaying it and laying it up the other way. 
 
 Gaskets. — Take three or four foxes, middle them, 
 and plait them together into sennit. This is done by 
 
44 BLOCKS AND PURCHASES. 
 
 bringing the two outside foxes alternately over to the 
 middle. The outside ones are laid with the right hand, 
 and the remainder are held and steadied with the left. 
 Having plaited enough for an eye, bring all the parts 
 together, and work them all into one piece, in the same 
 manner. Take out foxes at proper intervals. When 
 finished, one end must be laid up, the other plaited, and 
 the first hauled through. The name sennit is generally 
 given to rope-yarns plaited in the same manner with 
 these foxes. Sennit made in this way must have an odd 
 number of parts. French sennit is made with an even 
 number, taken over and under every other time. 
 
 To bend a Buoy-rope. Reeve the end through the 
 eye in the other end, put it over one arm of the anchor, 
 and haul taut. Take a hitch over the other arm. Or, 
 take a clove-hitch over the crown, stopping the end to 
 its own part, or to the shank. 
 
 To pass a Shear-lashing. — Middle the lashing and 
 take a good turn round both legs, at the cross. Pass one 
 end up and the other down, around and over the cross, 
 until half of the lashing is expanded. Then ride both 
 ends back again on their own parts and knot them in the 
 middle. Frap the first and riding turns together on 
 each side with sennit. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 BLOCKS AND PURCHASES. 
 
 Parts of a block. Made and morticed blocks. Bull's-eye. Dead-eye. 
 Sister-block. Snatch-block. Tail-block. Whip. Gun- tackle. Luff- 
 tackle. Whip-upon-whip. Luff-upon-luff. Watch or tail-tackle. 
 Runner^tackle. 
 
 Blocks are of two kinds, made and morticed. A made 
 block consists of four parts, — the shell, or outside ; the 
 sheave, or wheel on which the rope turns ; the pin, or 
 axle on which the wheel turns ; and the strap, either of 
 
BLOCKS AND PURCHASES. 45 
 
 rope or iron, which encircles the whole, and keeps it in its 
 place. The sheave is generally strengthened by letting 
 in a piece of iron or brass at the centre, called a bush, 
 
 A Morticed Block is made of a single block of wood, 
 morticed out to receive a sheave. 
 
 All blocks are single, double, or three-fold, according 
 to the number of sheaves in them. 
 
 There are some blocks that have no sheaves ; as fol- 
 lows : a bull's-eye, which is a wooden thimble without a 
 sheave, having a hole through the centre and a groove 
 round it ; and a dead-eye, which is a solid block of wood 
 made in a circular form, with a groove round it, and 
 three holes bored through it, for the lanyards to reeve 
 through. 
 
 A Sister-block is formed of one solid piece of wood, 
 with two sheaves, one above the other, and between the 
 sheaves a score for the middle seizing. These are 
 oftener without sheaves than with. 
 
 Snatch-blocks are single blocks, with a notch cut in 
 one cheek, just below the sheave, so as to receive the 
 bight of a fall, without the trouble of reeving and unreev- 
 ing the whole. They are generally iron-bound, and 
 have a hook at one end. 
 
 A Tail-block is a single block, strapped with an eye- 
 splice, and having a long end left, by which to make the 
 block fast temporarily to the rigging. This tail is usually 
 selvageed, or else the strands are opened and laid up into 
 sennet, as for a gasket. 
 
 A Tackle is a purchase formed by reeving a rope 
 through two or more blocks, for the purpose of hoisting. 
 
 A Whip is the smallest purchase, and is made by a 
 rope rove through one single block. 
 
 A Gun- tackle Purchase is a rope rove through two 
 single blocks and made fast to the strap of the upper 
 block. The parts of all tackles between the fasts and a 
 sheave, are called the standing parts ; the parts between 
 sheaves are called running parts ; and the part upon 
 which you take hold in hoisting is called the fall. 
 
46 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 A Whip-upon-whip is where the block of one whip 
 is made fast to the fall of another. 
 
 A Luff-tackle Purchase is a single and a double 
 block ; the end of the rope being fast to the upper part of 
 the single block, and the fall coming from the double 
 block. A luff-tackle upon the fall of another luff-tackle 
 is called luff-upon-luff. 
 
 A Watch-tackle or Tail-tackle is a luff-tackle 
 purchase, with a hook in the end of the single block, 
 and a tail to the upper end of the double block. One of 
 these purchases, with a short fall, is kept on deck, at 
 hand, in merchant vessels, and is used to clap upon stand- 
 ing and running rigging, and to get a strain upon ropes. 
 
 A Runner-tackle is a luff applied to a runner, which 
 is a single rope rove through a single block, hooked to a 
 thimble in the eye of a pennant. 
 
 A Single Burton is composed of two single blocks, 
 with a hook in the bight of the running part. Reeve the 
 end of your rope through the upper block, and make it 
 fast to the strap of the fly-block. Then make fast your 
 hook to the bight of the rope, and reeve the other end 
 through the fly-block for a fall. The hook is made fast 
 by passing the bight of the rope through the eye of the 
 hook and over the whole. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 To loose a sail. To set a course — Topsail — Topgallant sail — Royal — 
 Skysail— Jib— Spanker— Spencer. To take in a course— Topsail— Top- 
 gallant sail or royal — Skysail — Jib — Spanker. To furl a royal— Top- 
 gallant sail — Topsail — Course— Jib. To stow a jib in cloth. To reef 
 a topsail — Course. To turn out reefs. To set a topgallant studding- 
 sail. To take in the same. To set a topmast studdingsail. To take 
 in the same To set a lower studdingsail. To take in the same. 
 
 To loose a Sail. — Lay out to the }^ard-arms and cast 
 off the gaskets, beginning at the outermost and coming 
 in. When the gaskets are cast off from both yard-arms, 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 47 
 
 then let go the bunt gasket, (and jigger if there be one,) 
 and overhaul the buntlines and leaehlines. In loosing a 
 topsail in a gale of wind, it is better to cast off the 
 quarter-gaskets, (except the one which confines the 
 clew,) before those at the yard-arms. Royals and top- 
 gallant sails generally have one long gasket to each yard- 
 arm ; in which case it is not necessary to go out upon 
 the yard, but the gaskets, after being cast off, should be 
 fastened to the tye by a bowline. 
 
 To set a Course. — Loose the sail and overhaul the 
 buntlines and leaehlines. Let go the clew-gamets and 
 overhaul them, and haul down on the sheets and tacks. 
 If the ship is close-hauled, ease off the lee brace, slack 
 the weather lift and clew-garnet, and get the tack well 
 down to the water-ways. If it is blowing fresh and the 
 ship light-handed, take it to the windlass. When the 
 tack is well down, sharpen the yard up again by the 
 brace, top it well up by the lift, reeve and haul out the 
 bowline, and haul the sheet aft. 
 
 If the wind is quartering, the mainsail is carried with 
 the weather clew hauled up and the sheet taken aft. 
 With yards squared, the mainsail is never carried, but 
 the foresail may be to advantage, especially if the swing- 
 ing booms are out ; in which case the heavy tack and 
 sheet-blocks may be unhooked, and the lazy sheets 
 hooked on and rove through a single tail block, made fast 
 out on the boom. This serves to extend the clews, and 
 is called a pazaree to the foresail. 
 
 To set a Topsail. Loose the sail, and keep one hand 
 in the top to overhaul the rigging. Overhaul well the 
 buntlines, clewlines, and reef-tackles, let go the topgal- 
 lant sheets and topsail braces, and haul home on the 
 sheets. Merchant vessels usually hoist a little on the 
 halyards, so as to clear the sail from the top, then belay 
 them and get the lee-sheet chock home ; then haul home 
 the weather sheet, shivering the sail by the braces, to help 
 it home, and hoist on the halyards until the leaches are 
 
48 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 well taut, taking a turn with the braces, if the wind is 
 fresh, and slacking them as the yard goes up. 
 
 After the sail is set, it is sometimes necessary to get 
 the sheets closer home. Slack the halyards, lee brace, 
 and weather bowline, clap the watch tackle upon the lee 
 sheet first, and then the weather one, shivering the sail 
 by the braces if necessary. Overhaul the clewlines and 
 reef-tackles, slack the topgallant sheets, and hoist the 
 sail up, taut leach, by the halyards. 
 
 To set a Topgallant Sail or Royal. — Haul home 
 the lee sheet, having one hand aloft to overhaul the clew- 
 lines, then the weather sheet, and hoist up, taut leech, by 
 the halyards. While hauling the sheets home, if on the 
 wind, brace up a little to shake the sail, take a turn with 
 the weather brace, and let go the lee one ; if before the 
 wind, let go both braces ; and if the wind is quartering, 
 the lee one. 
 
 To set a Flying Skysail. — If bent in the manner 
 described in this book, let go the brails and royal stay* 
 and hoist on the halyards. 
 
 To set a Jib, Flying- Jib, or Fore Topmast Stay- 
 sail. — Cast off the gasket, hoist on the halyards, and 
 trim down the sheet. 
 
 To set a Spanker. — Hoist on the topping lifts, make 
 fast the weather one, and overhaul the lee one. Let 
 go the brails, and haul out on the outhaul. Be careful 
 not to let the throat brail go before the head and foot. 
 Trim the boom by the sheets and guys, and the gaff by 
 the vangs. 
 
 To set a Spencer. — Take the sheet to the deck on 
 the lee side of the stay, let go the brails, haul on the 
 sheet, and trim the gaff by the vangs. 
 
 To take in a Course. — If the wind is light and 
 there are hands enough, let go the tack, sheet, and bow- 
 line, and haul up on the clew -garnets, buntlines, and 
 leachlines, being careful not to haul the buntlines taut 
 until the clews are well up. If light-handed, or the 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 49 
 
 wind fresh, let go the bowline and ease off the tack, 
 (being careful to let the bowline go before the tack,) 
 and haul up the weather clew. Then ease off the sheet 
 and haul up on the lee clew-garnet, and the buntlines 
 and leachlines. 
 
 To take in a Topsail. — The usual mode of taking 
 in a topsail when coming to anchor-in light winds, is to 
 lower away on the halyards and haul down on the clew- 
 lines and reef -tackles, (if the latter, run in the way 
 described in this book,) until the yard is down by the 
 lifts, rounding in on the weather brace, and hauling taut 
 to leeward, when the yard is square. Then let go the 
 sheets and haul up on the clewlines and buntlines. A 
 better way is to start the sheets, clew about one-third 
 up, then let go the halyards and take the slack in. 
 
 If the wind is fresh, and the yard braced up, lower 
 away handsomely on the halyards, get the yard down 
 by the clewlines and reef- tackles, rounding in on the 
 weather brace, and steadying the yard by both braces. 
 Then let go the weather sheet and haul up to windward 
 first. The weather clew being up, let go the lee sheet 
 and haul up by the clewline and buntlines, keeping the 
 clew in advance of the body of the sail. 
 
 Sometimes, if the weather brace cannot be well 
 rounded in, as if a ship is weak-handed, the sail may 
 be clewed up to leeward a little, first. In which case, 
 ease off the lee sheet, and haul up on the clewline ; ease 
 off the lee brace and round the yard in ; and when the 
 lee clew is about half up, ease off the weather sheet and 
 haul the weather clew chock up. Haul the buntlines 
 up after the weather clew, and steady the yard by the 
 braces. There is danger in clewing up to leeward 
 first that the sail may be shaken and jerked so as to split, 
 before the weather clew is up ; whereas, if clewed up to 
 windward first, the lee clew will keep full, until the lee 
 sheet is started. 
 
 When coming to anchor, it is the best plan to haul 
 the clews about half up before the halyards are let go. 
 
 E 
 
50 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 In taking in a close- reefed topsail in a gale of wind, 
 the most general practice is to clew up to wdndward, 
 keeping the sail full; then lower away the halyards, 
 and ease off the lee sheet ; clew the yard down, and haul 
 up briskly on the lee clewline and the buntlines, bracing 
 aback the moment the lee sheet is started. 
 
 To take in a Topgallant Sail or Royal. — If the 
 wind is light, and from aft or quartering, let go the 
 halyards and clew down, squaring the yard by the 
 braces. Then start the sheets and clew up, and haul 
 up the buntlines. If the yard is braced up, the old 
 style was to let go the halyards, clew down and round in 
 on the weather brace ; clewing up to windward first, 
 then start the lee clew, and haul up the lee clewline 
 and the buntlines. But the practice now is to clew up 
 to leeward first, which prevents the slack of the sail 
 getting too much over to leeward, or foul of the clewline 
 block under the yard, as it is apt to, if the weather clew 
 is hauled up first. 
 
 If the wind is very fresh, and the vessel close-hauled, 
 a good practice is to let go the lee sheet and halyards, 
 and clew down, rounding in at the same time on the 
 weather brace. Then start the w T eather sheet, and haul 
 the weather clew chock up. Haul up the buntlines, 
 and steady the yard by the braces. 
 
 To take in a Skysail. — If bent in the way described 
 in this book, which is believed to be the most convenient, 
 let go the halyards, haul down on the brails, and haul 
 taut the royal stay. 
 
 To take in a Jib. — Let go the halyards, haul on the 
 downhaul, easing off the sheet as the halyards are let go. 
 
 To take in a Spanker. — Ease off the outhaul, and 
 haul well up on the lee brails, taking in the slack of the 
 weather ones. Mind particularly the lee throat-brail. 
 Haul the boom amid-ships, and steady it by the guys, 
 lower the topping lifts, and square the gaff by the vangs. 
 
 To furl a Royal. — This sail is usually furled by 
 one person, and is that upon which green hands are 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 51 
 
 practised. For the benefit of beginners, I will give par- 
 ticular directions. When you have got aloft to the 
 topgallant mast-head, see, in the first place, that the 
 yard is well down by the lifts, and steadied by the 
 braces ; then see that both clews are hauled chock up 
 to the blocks, and if they are not, call out to the officer 
 of the deck, and have it done. Then see your yard-arm 
 gaskets clear. The best way is to cast them off from 
 the tye, and lay them across between the tye and the 
 mast. This done, stretch out on the weather yard-arm, 
 get hold of the weather leach, and bring it in to the 
 slings taut along the yard. Hold the clew up with one 
 hand, and with the other haul all the sail through the 
 clew, letting it fall in the bunt. Bring the weather clew 
 a little over abaft the yard, and put your knee upon it. 
 Then stretch out to leeward, and bring in the lee leach 
 in the same manner, hauling all the sail through the 
 clew, and putting the clew upon the yard in the same 
 way, and holding it there by your other knee. Then 
 prepare to make up your bunt. First get hold of the 
 foot-rope, and lay it on the yard and abaft ; then take 
 up the body of the sail, and lay it on the yard, seeing 
 that it is all fairly through the clews. Having got all 
 the sail upon the yard, make a skin of the upper part of 
 the body of the sail, large enough to come well down 
 abaft and cover the whole bunt when the sail is furled. 
 Lift the skin up, and put into the bunt the slack of the 
 clews (not too taut), the leach and foot- rope, and the 
 body of the sail ; being careful not to let it get forward 
 under the yard, or hang down abaft. Then haul your 
 bunt well upon the yard, smoothing the skin, and bring- 
 ing it down well abaft, and make fast the bunt-gasket 
 round the mast, and the jigger, if there be one, to the 
 tye. The glut will always come in the middle of the 
 bunt, if it is properly made up. Now take your weather 
 yard-arm gasket and pass it round the yard three or 
 four times, haul taut, and make it fast to the mast ; 
 then the lee one in the same manner. Never make 
 e2 
 
52 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 a long gasket fast to its own part round the yard, for it 
 may work loose, and slip out to the yard-arm. Always 
 pass a gasket over the yard and down abaft, w T hich will 
 help to bring the sail upon the yard. 
 
 A Topgallant Sail is furled in the same manner, 
 except that it usually requires two men, in a large vessel; 
 in which case, each man takes a yard-arm, and they 
 make the bunt up together. If there are buntlines and 
 a jigger, the bunt may be triced well up, by bending the 
 jigger to the bight of a buntline, and having it hauled 
 taut on deck. 
 
 To furl a Topsail or Course. — The sail being 
 hauled up, lay out on the yard, the two most expe- 
 rienced men standing in the slings, one on each side the 
 mast, to make the bunt up. The light hands lay out to 
 the yard-arms, and take the leach up and bring it taut 
 along the yard. In this way the clews are reached and 
 handed to the men in the bunt, and the slack of the sail 
 hauled through them and stowed away on and abaft the 
 yard. The bunt being made up fairly on the yard 
 against the mast, and the skin prepared, let it fall a 
 little forward, and stow all the body of the sail, the 
 clews, bolt-rope, and blocks, away in it ; then, as many 
 as can get hold, lend a hand to haul it well upon the 
 yard. Overhaul a buntline a little, bend the jigger to 
 it, and trice up on deck. Bring the skin down well 
 abaft, see that the clews are not too taut, pass the bunt 
 gasket, cast the jigger off, and make it fast slack to the 
 tye. Then pass the yard-arm gaskets, hauling the sail 
 well upon the yard, and passing the turns over the yard, 
 and down abaft. If the sail has long gaskets, make 
 them fast to the tye ; if short, pass them in turns close 
 together, and make them fast to their own parts, jammed 
 as well as possible. 
 
 To Furl a Jib. — Go out upon the weather side of 
 the boom. See your gasket clear for passing. The 
 handiest wa}' usually is, to make it up on its end, take a 
 hitch over the whole with the standing part, and let it 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 53 
 
 hang. Haul the sail well upon the boom, getting the 
 clew, and having the sheet pennant hauled amidships. 
 Cast the hitch off the gasket, take it in your hand, and 
 pass two or three turns, beginning at the head ; haul 
 them taut ; and so on to the clew. Pass the turns over 
 and to windward. This will help to bring the sail upon 
 the yard and to windward. Make the end fast to the 
 stay, to the withe, or to the boom inside the cap, in any 
 way that shall keep it from slipping back, which it 
 might do if made fast to its own part round the boom. 
 If there is but one hand on the boom, the first turns 
 may be hauled taut enough to keep the sail up for the 
 time ; then, after the gasket is fast, go out to the head, 
 and haul each turn well taut, beating the sail down with 
 the hand. Be careful to confine the clew well. 
 
 To stow a Jib in Cloth. — Haul the jib down snugly, 
 and get it fairly up on the boom. Overhaul the after 
 leach until you come to the first straight cloth. Gather 
 this cloth over the rest of the sail on the boom, stopping 
 the outer end of the cloth with a rope-yarn round the 
 jib stay. If the jib halyards are double, stop the block 
 inside the sail. Cover the sail well up with the cloth, 
 stopping it at every two feet with the rope-yarns round 
 the sail and boom. If you are to lie in port for a long 
 time, cast off the pennant, stow the clew on the boom, 
 snugly under the cloth, which will be stopped as before 
 with ropeyarns. 
 
 To reef a Topsail. — Round in on the weather-brace, 
 ease off the halyards, and clew the yard down by the 
 clewlines and reef-tackles. Brace the yard in nearly to 
 the wind, and haul taut both braces. Haul out the reef- 
 tackles, make fast, and haul taut the buntlines. Before 
 going upon the yard, see that it is well down by the lifts. 
 Let the best men go to the yardarms, and the light hands 
 remain in the slings. Cast adrift the weather earing, 
 pass it over the yard-arm outside the lift, down abaft and 
 under the yard, and up through the reef-cringle. Haul 
 well out, and take a round-turn with the earing round 
 
54 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 the cringle. Then pass several turns round the yard 
 and through the cringle, hauling them well taut, passing 
 the turns over the yard, down abaft and under, and up 
 through the cringle. Having expended nearly all the 
 earing, hitch the remainder round the two first parts, 
 that go outside the lift, jamming them together and 
 passing several turns round them both to expend the 
 rope. The bare end may be hitched to these two parts 
 or to the lift. The men on the yard light the sail out 
 to windward by the reef-points, to help the man at the 
 weather yard-arm in hauling out his earing. As soon 
 as the weather earing is hauled out and made secure by 
 a turn or two, the word is passed — u Haul out to lee- 
 ward," and the lee earing is hauled out till the band is 
 taut along the yard, and made fast in the same manner. 
 Then the men on the yard tie the reef points with square 
 knots, being careful to take the after points clear of the 
 topgallant sheets. 
 
 In reefing, a good deal depends upon the way in which 
 the yard is laid. If the yard is braced too much in, the 
 sail catches flat aback and cannot be hauled out, besides 
 the danger of knocking the men off the foot-ropes. The 
 best way is to shiver the sail well till the yard is down, 
 then brace it in with a slight full, make the braces fast, 
 and luff up occasionally and shake the sail while the 
 men are reefing. If you are going before the wind, you 
 may, by putting your helm either way, and bringing the 
 wind abeam, clew the yard down as the sail lifts, and 
 keep her in this position, with the yard braced sharp up, 
 until the sail is reefed ; or, if you are not willing to keep 
 off from your course, and the wind is very fresh, clew 
 down and clew up, and reef as before directed. 
 
 All the reefs are taken in the same way except the 
 close reef. In close reefing, pass your earing under the 
 yard, up abaft and over, and down through the cringle. 
 Pass all your turns in the same manner ; and bring the 
 reef-band well under the yard in knotting, so as to cover 
 the other reefs. 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 55 
 
 As soon as the men are off the yard, let go the reef- 
 tackles, clewlines, buntlines, and topgallant sheets ; man 
 the halyards, let go the lee brace, slack off the weather 
 one, and hoist away. When well up, trim the yard by 
 the braces, and haul out the bowlines. A reefed sail 
 should never be braced quite sharp up, and if there is a 
 heavy sea and the vessel pitches badly, ease the braces a 
 little, that the yard may play freely, and do not haul the 
 leach too taut. 
 
 To reef a Course. — As a course generally has no 
 reef-tackle, you must clew it up as for furling, according 
 to the directions before given, except that the clews are 
 not hauled chock up. Lay out on the yard and haul out 
 the earings, and knot the points as for the first reef of 
 a topsail, seeing them clear of the topsail sheets. If a 
 long course of bad weather is anticipated, as in doubling 
 the southern capes, or crossing the Atlantic in winter, 
 reef-tackles are rove for the courses. 
 
 If there are any studdingsail booms on the lower or 
 topsail yards, they must be triced up before reefing. 
 
 To turn out Reefs. — For a topsail, haul taut the 
 reef-tackles and buntlines, settle a little on the halyards, if 
 necessary ; lay aloft, and cast off all the reef-points, begin- 
 ning at the bunt and laying out. Be careful to cast all 
 off before slacking up the earing ; for, when there is more 
 than one reef, a point may be easily left, if care is not 
 taken. Have one hand at each earing, cast off all the 
 turns but enough to hold it, and when both earings are 
 ready, ease off both together. Pass the end of the earing 
 through the cringle next above its own, and make it fast 
 slack to its own part by a bowline knot. Lay in off the 
 yard, let go reef-tackles, clewlines, buntlines, and top- 
 gallant sheets ; overhaul them in the top and hoist away, 
 slacking the braces and trimming the yard. The reefs 
 of a course are turned out a good deal in the same man- 
 ner ; slacking up the sheet and tack, if necessary, and, 
 when the earings are cast off, let go clew-garnets, bunt- 
 lines and leachlines, board the tack, and haul aft the sheet. 
 
56 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 To set a Topgallant Studdingsail. — This sail is 
 always set from the top; the sail, together with the tack 
 and halyards in two coils, being kept in the top. If there 
 is but one hand aloft, take the end of the halyards aloft, 
 abaft everything, and reeve it up through the block at 
 the topgallant mast-head, and down through the sheave- 
 hole or block at the topgallant yardarm, abaft the sheet, 
 and bring it into the top, forward of the rigging, and 
 make it fast to the forward shroud. Take the end of 
 your tack out on the topsail yard, under the brace, reeve 
 it up through the block at the end of the topgallant stud- 
 dingsail boom, bring it in over the brace, overhauling 
 a plenty of it so as to let the boom go out, and hitch it 
 to the topmast rigging while you rig your boom out. 
 Cast off the heel-lashing and rig your boom out to 
 the mark, slue the boom with the block up and make 
 fast round the yard. (The easiest way of passing the 
 boom-lashing is to take it over the yard and put a bight 
 up between the head rope and yard ; then take the end 
 back over the yard and boom and through the bight, and 
 haul taut. This may be done twice, if necessary, and 
 then hitch it round all parts, between the boom and the 
 yard.) The boom being rigged out and fast, take the 
 end of your tack down into the top and hitch it to the 
 forward shroud. Then take the coil of the tack and 
 throw the other end down on deck, outside of the rig- 
 ging and backstays. (It is well, in throwing the coil 
 down, to keep hold of the bight with one hand ; for other- 
 wise, if they should miss it on deck, you will have to rig 
 in your boom.) Throw down the hauling end of your 
 halyards abaft and inside everything. Now get your sail 
 clear for sending out. Lay the yard across the top, for- 
 ward of the rigging, with the outer end out. Bend your 
 halyards to the yard by a fisherman's bend, about one - 
 third of the way out. Take your tack under the yard 
 and bend it by a sheet-bend to the outer clew, and pay 
 down the sheet and downhaul through the lubber-hole. 
 All being clear for hoisting, sway away on the halyards 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 57 
 
 on deck, the men in the top guying the sail by the sheet 
 and downhaul, the latter being hauled taut enough to 
 keep the outer clew up to the inner yard-arm. (Some- 
 times it is well to make up the downhaul, as is done 
 with the downhaul of the topmast studdingsail.) When 
 the sail is above the brace, haul out on the tack, sway 
 the yard, chock up by the halyards, and trim the sheet 
 down. Make the end of the downhaul fast slack. 
 
 A weather topgallant or topmast studdingsail should 
 be set abaft the sail, and a lee one forward of the sail. 
 Therefore, in setting a lee topgallant studdingsail, it is 
 well to send it out of the top with a turn in it, that is, 
 with the inner yard-arm slued forward and out, so that 
 when the tack and sheet are hauled upon, the inner yard- 
 arm will swing forward of the topgallant sail. 
 
 Small-sized vessels have no downhaul to the topgallant 
 studdingsails. This saves confusion, and is very well if 
 the sail is small. 
 
 To take in a Topgallant Studdingsail. — Let go 
 the tack and clew up the downhaul, dipping the yard 
 abaft the leach of the topgallant sail, if it is forward. 
 Lower away handsomely on the halyards, hauling down 
 on the sheet and downhaul. When the yard is 
 below the topsail brace, lower roundly and haul into the 
 top, forward of the rigging. 
 
 If the sail is taken in temporarily, stand the yard up 
 and down, and becket it to the middle topmast shroud ; 
 make the sail up, hitch the bight of the tack and halyards 
 to the forward shroud, and haul up the sheet and down- 
 haul. If everything is to be stowed away, unreeve the 
 tack and halyards, and coil them away separately in the 
 top ; also coil away the sheets and downhaul, and stop 
 all the coils down by hitches passed through the slats of 
 the top. Rig the boom in and make it fast to the tye. 
 Sometimes the halyards are unrove from the yard-arm 
 and rounded up to the span-block, with a knot in their end. 
 
 To set a Topmast Studdingsail. — The topmast 
 studdingsail halyards are generally kept coiled away in 
 
58 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 the top. Take the end up, reeve it up through the span- 
 block at the cap, and out through the block at the top- 
 sail yard-arm, and pay the end down to the forecastle, 
 forward of the yard and outside the bowline. Pay the 
 hauling end down through the lubber-hole. Reeve your 
 lower halyards. These are usually kept coiled away in 
 the top, with the pennant, which hooks to the cap of the 
 lower mast. Hook the pennant, reeve the halyards up 
 through the pennant block, out through the block on the 
 boom-end, and pay the end down to the forecastle. Pay 
 the hauling end down forward of the top. (Some ves- 
 sels keep their topmast studdingsail tacks coiled away at 
 the yard-arm, and hitched down to the boom and yard. 
 This is a clumsy practice, and saves no time or trouble. 
 The best way is to unreeve them whenever the boom is 
 to be rigged in, and coil them away in the bow of the 
 long-boat, or elsewhere. There is no more trouble, and 
 less liability to confusion, in reeving them afresh, than in 
 coiling them away and clearing again on the yard-arms.) 
 Carry your tack outside the backstays and lower rigging, 
 clear of everything, out upon the lower yard under the 
 brace; reeve it forward through the tack-block at the 
 boom-end, first sluing the block up, and pay the end 
 down forward of the yard. Rig the boom out to the 
 mark and lash it. Get the studdingsail on the forecastle 
 clear for setting. Bend the halyards to the yard, about 
 one half of the way out. Hitch the end of the down- 
 haul over the inner yard-arm by the eye in its end, reeve 
 it through the lizard on the outer leach, and through the 
 block at the outer clew abaft the sail. Bend the tack to 
 the outer clew, and take a turn with the sheet. Clew 
 the yard down by the downhaul, and make the downhaul 
 up just clear of the block, by a catspaw doubled and the 
 bight of the running part shoved through the bight of all 
 the parts, so that hauling on it may clear it and let the 
 yard go up. Hoist on the halyards until the sail is 
 above the lower yard, guying it by the sheet and down- 
 haul, then haul out on the tack until the clew is chock 
 
MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 59 
 
 out to the boom-end, hoist on the halyards, jerking the 
 downhaul clear, and trim down the sheet. 
 
 To take in a Topmast Studdingsail. — Lower away 
 handsomely on the halyards, clewing the yard down to 
 the outer clew by the downhaul. Slack up the tack, 
 and lower away on the halyards, hauling down well on 
 the sheet and downhaul, till the sail is in upon the fore- 
 castle. The sail may be made up on the forecastle, and 
 the end of the tack and halyards made fast forward, if it 
 is to be soon set again. If not, cast off all, unreeve your 
 tack, hauling from aft, and coil it away. Unreeve the 
 halyards, or round them up to the block at the mast- 
 head with a knot in their end. Rig the boom in, and 
 lash it to the slings. 
 
 To set a lower Studdingsail. — Before rigging out 
 the topmast studdingsail boom, the lower halyards should 
 always be rove, as before directed. Reeve the inner 
 halyards out through a small single block under the 
 slings of the lower yard, and through another about two 
 thirds of the w r ay out, and pay the end down upon the 
 forecastle for bending. Get the studding-sail clear, bend 
 the outer halyards to the yard, and the inner halyards 
 to the inner cringle at the head of the sail. Reeve the 
 outhaul through the block at the swinging boom end, 
 and bend the forward end to the outer clew of the sail. 
 Hook the topping-lift and forward guy to the boom, and 
 top up on it. Haul on the forward guy, and ease off the 
 after one, slacking away a little on the topping- lift, until 
 the boom is trimmed by the lower yard ; then make fast 
 the guys and lift. Haul well taut the fore-lift and 
 brace, and belay. Take a turn with one sheet, hoist 
 away on the outer halyards, and when about one third 
 up, clear the downhaul, haul chock out on the outhaul, 
 and hoist well up by the halyards, which will serve as a 
 lift to the topmast studdingsail boom ; and then set taut 
 on the inner halyards and trim down the sheet. The 
 practice now is, and it is found most convenient, to set 
 the sail before rigging out the boom ; then clap on the 
 
60 MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL. 
 
 outhaul and forward guy, and trim the boom by the 
 lower yard. 
 
 To take in a lower Studdingsail. — Let go the 
 outhaul, and haul on the clewline till the outer clew is 
 up to the yard. Then lower away the outer halyards, 
 and haul in on the sheet and clewline. When the sail is 
 in over the rail, lower away the inner halyards. If the 
 booms are to be rigged in, cast off all the gear ; making 
 the bending end of the outhaul fast in-board, and un- 
 reeving the outer and inner halyards, or running the 
 outer up to the pennant block, and the inner up to the 
 yard block, with knots in their ends. Ease off the for- 
 ward guy with a turn, haul in on the after guy, topping 
 well up by the lift, and get the boom alongside. Rig in 
 the topmast studdingsail boom before unreeving the outer 
 halyards. It is a convenient practice, when the swinging 
 boom is alongside, to hook the topping-lift to a becket or 
 thimble at the turning in of the fore swifter, and the 
 forward guy to a strap and thimble on the spritsail yard. 
 
 In strong winds it is well to have a boom-brace-pen- 
 nant fitted to the topmast studdingsail boom-end with a 
 single block, making a whip purchase, the hauling part 
 leading to the gangway, and belaying at the same pin 
 with the tack ; or else, the brace may lead to the gang- 
 way, and the tack be brought in through blocks on the 
 yard, and lead down on deck, beside the mast. The 
 former mode is more usual. 
 
 The topmast studdingsail is sometimes made with a 
 reef in it, to be carried with a single reefed topsail ; in 
 which case it is reefed on deck to the yard and sent out 
 as before. 
 
61 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OP WORKING A SHIP. 
 
 Action of the water upon the rudder. Headway. Sternway. Action 
 of the wind upon the sails. Head-sails. After-sails. Centre of 
 gravity or rotation. Turning a ship to or from the wind. 
 
 A ship is acted upon principally by the rudder and 
 sails. When the rudder is fore-and-aft, that is, on a 
 line with the keel, the water runs by it, and it has no 
 effect upon the ship's direction. When it is changed 
 from a right line to one side or the other, the water 
 strikes against it, and forces the stern in an opposite 
 direction. For instance, if the helm is put to the star- 
 board, the rudder is put off the line of the keel, to port. 
 This sends the stern off to the starboard, and, of course, 
 the ship turning on her centre of gravity, her head goes 
 in an opposite direction, to port. If the helm is put to 
 port, the reverse will follow, and the ship's head will 
 turn off her course to starboard. Therefore the helm is 
 always put in the opposite direction from that in which 
 the ship's head is to be moved. 
 
 Moving the rudder from a right line has the effect of 
 deadening the ship's way more or less, according as it is 
 put at a greater or less angle with the keel. A ship 
 should therefore be so balanced by her sails that a slight 
 change of her helm may answer the purpose. 
 
 If a vessel is going astern, and the rudder is turned off 
 from the line of the keel, the water, striking against the 
 back of the rudder, pushes the stern off in the same direc- 
 tion in which the rudder is turned. For instance, if stern- 
 way is on her, and the helm is put to the starboard, the 
 rudder turns to port, the water forces the stern in the 
 same direction, and the ship's head goes off to the star- 
 board. Therefore, when sternway is on a vessel, put the 
 
62 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF WORKING A SHIP. 
 
 helm in the same direction in which the head is to be 
 turned. 
 
 A current or tide running astern, that is, when the 
 ship's head is towards it, will have the same effect on the 
 rudder as if the ship were going ahead ; and when it runs 
 forward, it will be the same as though the ship were 
 going astern. 
 
 It will now be well to show how the sails act upon a 
 ship, with reference to her centre of rotation. Suppose 
 a vessel to be rigged with three sails, one in the forward 
 part, one at the centre, and the third at the after part, 
 and her left or larboard side to be presented to the wind, 
 which we will suppose to be abeam, or at right angles 
 with the keel. If the head sail only were set, the effect 
 would be that the wind would send the vessel a little 
 ahead and off to the starboard on her centre of rotation, 
 so as to bring her stern slowly round to the wind. If 
 the after sail only were set, the vessel would shoot ahead 
 a little, her stern would go off to the starboard and her 
 head come up into the w r ind. If only the centre sail 
 were set, the effect w r ould be the same as if all three of 
 the sails were set, and she would go ahead in a straight 
 line. So far, we have supposed the sails to be set full ; 
 that is, with their tacks forward and their sheets aft. If 
 they were all set aback, the vessel would go astern 
 nearly, if the rudder were kept steady, in a straight line. 
 If the head sail only is set and aback, she will go astern 
 and round upon her axis, with her head from the wind, 
 much quicker than if full. So, if the after sail alone 
 were set and aback, she would go astern, and her head 
 would come suddenly into the wind. 
 
 These principles of the wind acting upon the sails, 
 and the water upon the rudder, are the foundation of 
 the whole science of working a ship. In large vessels 
 the sails are numerous, but they may all be reduced to 
 three classes, viz., head sails, or those which are forward 
 of the centre of gravity or rotation, having a tendency 
 to send the ship's head off from the wind; after sails, 
 
GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF WORKING A SHIP. 63 
 
 or those abaft the centre of rotation, and which send the 
 stern off and the head toward the wind ; and lastly, 
 centre sails, which act equally on each side the centre 
 of rotation, and do not turn the ship off her course one 
 way or the other. These classes of sails, if set aback, 
 tend to stop the headway, and send the ship astern, and 
 also to turn her off her course in the same direction as 
 when set full, but with more rapidity. The further a 
 sail is from the centre of rotation, the greater is its ten- 
 dency to send the ship off from the line of her keel. 
 Accordingly, a jib is the strongest head sail, and a 
 spanker the strongest after sail. 
 
 The centre of rotation is not necessarily at the centre 
 of the ship. On the contrary, as vessels are now built, 
 it may not be much abaft that part of the deck to which 
 the main tack is boarded. For the main breadth, or 
 dead flat, being there, the greatest cavity will also be there, 
 and of course the principal weight of the cargo should 
 centre there, as being the strongest part. Therefore, 
 the centre of rotation will greatly depend upon proper 
 stowage. If the ship is much by the stern, the centre 
 of rotation will be carried aft ; and if by the head, it will 
 be carried forward. The cause of this is, that when 
 loaded down by the stern, her after sails have but little 
 effect to move her stern against the water, and a very 
 slight action upon the forward sails will send her head 
 off to leeward, as she is there light and high in the air. 
 Accordingly, to keep her in a straight line, the press of 
 sail is required to be further aft, or, in other words, the 
 centre of rotation is further aft. If a ship is loaded down 
 by the head, the opposite results follow, and more head 
 and less after sail is necessary. 
 
 A ship should be so stowed, and have her sails so 
 trimmed, that she may be balanced as much as possible, 
 and not be obliged to carry her helm much off the line 
 of her keel, which tends to deaden her way. If a ship 
 is stowed in her best sailing trim, and it is found, when 
 on a wind, that her head tends to windward, obliging 
 
64 GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF WORKING A SHIP. 
 
 her to carry a strong weather-helm, it may be remedied 
 by taking in some after sail, or adding head sail. So, 
 if she carries a lee helm, that is, if her head tends to fly 
 off from the wind, it is remedied by taking in head or 
 adding after sail. Sometimes a ship is made to carry a 
 weather helm by having too much head-sail set aloft. 
 For, if she lies much over on a wind, the square sails 
 forward have a tendency to press her downwards and raise 
 her proportionally abaft, so that she meets great resist- 
 ance from the water to leeward under her bows, while 
 her stern, being light, is easily carried off; which, of 
 course, requires her to carry a weather helm. 
 
 The general rules, then, for turning a ship are these : 
 to bring her head to the wind, put the helm to leeward 
 and bring the wind to act as much as possible on the 
 after sails, and as little as possible on the head sails. 
 This may be done without taking in any sail, by letting 
 go the head sheets, so that those sails may lose their 
 wind, and by pointing the head yards to the wind, so as 
 to keep the head sails shaking. At the same time keep 
 the after sails full, and flatten in the spanker sheet ; or, 
 if this is not sufficient, the after sails may be braced 
 aback, which will send the stern off and the head to 
 windward. But as this makes back sails of them, and 
 tends to send the vessel astern, there should be either 
 head or centre sails enough filled to counteract this and 
 keep headway upon her. On the other hand, to turn 
 the head off from the wind, put the helm to windward, 
 shiver the after sails, and flatten in the head sheets. 
 Brace the head yards aback if necessary, being careful 
 not to let her lose headway if it can be avoided. 
 
 The vessel may be assisted very much in going off 
 or coming to, by setting or taking in the jib and 
 spanker; which, if the latter is fitted with brails, are 
 easily handled. 
 
65 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, ETC. 
 
 Tacking without fore-reaching. Tacking against a heavy sea. Haul- 
 ing off all. To trim the yards. Flattening in. Missing stays. 
 Wearing— under courses — under a mainsail — under hare poles. Box- 
 hauling— short round. Club-hauling. Drifting in a tide-way. Back- 
 ing and filling in do. Clubbing in do. 
 
 Tacking. — Have the ship so suited with sails that 
 she may steer herself as nearly as possible, and come to 
 with a small helm. Keep her a good full, so that she 
 may have plenty of headway. Beady, About ! Send all 
 hands to their stations. The chief mate and one, two, 
 or more of the best men, according to the size of the 
 vessel, on the forecastle, to work the head sheets and 
 bowlines and the fore tack ; two or more good men (one 
 usually a petty officer, or an older and trusty seaman) 
 to work the main tack and bowline. The second mate 
 sees the lee fore and main braces clear and ready for 
 letting go, and stands by to let go the lee main braces, 
 which may all be belayed to one pin. Put one hand to 
 let go the weather cross-jack braces, and others to haul 
 in to leeward ; the cook works the fore sheet, and the 
 steward the main ; station one or more at the spanker 
 sheet and guys; and the rest at the weather main 
 braces. 
 
 Ease the helm down gradually ; Helms a lee ! and let 
 go the jib sheet and fore sheets. As soon as the wind 
 is parallel with the yards, blowing directly upon the 
 leaches of the square sails, so that all is shaking, Raise 
 tacks and sheets! and let go the fore and main tacks and 
 main sheet, keeping the fore and main bowline fast. As 
 soon as her head is within a point or a point and a half 
 of the wind, Mainsail haul! let go the lee main and 
 weather cross-jack braces, and swing the after yards 
 
66 TACKJNG, WEARING, BOXING, ETC. 
 
 round. While she is head to the wind, and the after 
 sails are becalmed by the head sails, get the main tack 
 down and sheet aft, and right your helm, using it after- 
 wards as her coming to or falling off requires. As soon 
 as she passes the direction of the w T ind, shift your jib 
 sheets over the stays, and when the after sails take full, 
 or when she brings the wind four points on the other 
 bow, and you are sure of paying off sufficiently, Let go 
 and haul! brace round the head yards briskly, down 
 fore tack and aft the sheet, brace sharp up and haul your 
 bowlines out, and trim down your head sheets. 
 
 It is best to haul the mainsail just before you get the 
 wind right ahead, for then the wind, striking the weather 
 leaches of the after sails, forces them round almost with- 
 out the braces, and you will have time to brace up and 
 get your tack down and sheet aft, when she has payed 
 off on the other side. 
 
 If she falls off too rapidly while swinging your head 
 yards, so as to bring the wind abeam or abaft, 'Vast 
 bracing ! Ease off head sheets and put your helm a-lee; 
 and as she comes up, meet her and brace sharp up. If, 
 on the other hand, (as sometimes happens with vessels 
 which carry a strong weather helm,) she does not fall 
 off after the after sails take, be careful not to haul your 
 head yards until she is fully round ; and if she should 
 fly up into the wind, let go the main sheet, and, if 
 necessary, brail up the spanker and shiver the cross-jack 
 yards. 
 
 In staying, be careful to right your helm before she 
 loses headway. 
 
 To tack without Fore-reaching, as in a narrow 
 channel, when you are afraid to keep headway. If she 
 comes slowly up to windward, haul down the jib and get 
 your spanker-boom well over to windward. As you 
 raise tacks and sheets, let go the lee fore-topsail brace, 
 being careful to brace up again as soon as she takes 
 aback. Also, hoist the jib, and trim down, if necessary, 
 as soon as she takes on the other side. 
 
TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, ETC. 67 
 
 Tacking against a heavy Head Sea. — You are 
 under short sail, there is a heavy head sea, and you 
 doubt whether she will stay against it. Haul down 
 the fore topmast stay sail, ease down the helm, and raise 
 fore sheet. When within about a point of the wind's 
 eye, let go main tack and sheet, lee braces and after 
 bowlines, and Mainsail haul ! If she loses her headway 
 at this time, shift your helm. As soon as she brings the 
 wind on the other bow, she will fall off rapidly by reason 
 of her sternway, therefore shift your helm again to meet 
 her, and Let go and haul ! at once. Brace about the 
 head yards, but keep the weather braces in, to moderate 
 her falling off. When she gets headway, right the 
 helm, and as she comes up to the wind, brace up and 
 haul aft. 
 
 Tacking by hauling of all. — This can be done 
 only in a smooth sea, with a light working breeze, a 
 smart vessel and strong crew. Man all the braces. 
 Let her come up head to the wind, and fall off on the 
 other tack, shifting the helm if she gathers sternway. 
 When you get the wind about five points on the other 
 bow, Haul of all ! let go all the braces and bowlines 
 and swing all the yards at once. Right the helm, board 
 tacks and haul aft sheets, brace up and haul aft. 
 
 To trim the Yards when close-hauled. — In 
 smooth water, with a light breeze, brace the lower 
 yards sharp up, and trim the upper yards each a trifle 
 in abaft the one below it. If you have a pretty stiff 
 breeze, brace the topsail yard in about half a point more 
 than the lower yard, and the topgallant yard half a point 
 more than the topsail yard, and so on. If you have a 
 strong breeze and a topping sea, and especially if reduced 
 to short sail, brace in your lower yards a little, and 
 the others proportionally. This will prevent the vessel 
 going off bodily to leeward ; and if she labours heavily, 
 the play of the mast would otherwise carry away the 
 braces and sheets, or spring the yards. 
 
 Missing Stays. — If after getting head to the wind 
 f2 
 
03 TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, ETC. 
 
 she comes to a stand and begins to fall off before you 
 have hauled your main yard, flatten in your jib sheets, 
 board fore tack, and haul aft fore sheet ; also ease off 
 spanker sheet, or brail up the spanker, if necessary. 
 When she is full again, trim the jib and spanker sheets, 
 and when she has recovered sufficient headway, try it 
 again. If, after coming head to the wind, and after the 
 after yards are swung, she loses headway and refuses to 
 go round, or begins to fall off on the same tack on wmich 
 she was before, and you have shifted the helm without 
 effect, haul up the mainsail and spanker, square the 
 after yards, shift your helm again a-lee, so as to assist 
 her in falling off, and brace round the head yards so as 
 to box her off. As she fills on her former tack, brace up 
 the after yards, brace round the head yards, sharp up all, 
 board tacks, haul out and haul aft. 
 
 Wearing. — Haul up the mainsail and spanker, put 
 the helm up, and, as she goes off, brace in the after 
 yards. If there is a light breeze, the rule is to keep the 
 mizen topsail lifting, and the main topsail full. This 
 will keep sufficient headway on her, and at the same 
 time enable her to fall off. But if you have a good 
 breeze and she goes off fast, keep both the main and 
 mizen topsails lifting. As she goes round, bringing the 
 wind on her quarter and aft, follow the wind with your 
 after yards, keeping the mizen topsail lifting, and the 
 main either lifting or full, as is best. After a vessel has 
 fallen off much, the less headway she has the better, 
 provided she has enough to give her steerage. When 
 you have the wind aft, raise fore tack and sheet, square 
 in the head yards, and haul down the jib. As she brings 
 the wind on the other quarter, brace sharp up the after 
 yards, haul out the spanker, and set the mainsail. As 
 she comes to on the other tack, brace up the head yards, 
 keeping the sails full, board fore tack and aft the sheet, 
 hoist the jib, and meet her with the helm. 
 
 To wear under Courses. — Square the cross-jack 
 yards, ease off main bowline and tack, and haul up the 
 
weather c 
 
 TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, ETC, 69 
 
 weather clew of the mainsail. Ease off the main sheet, 
 and haul up the lee clew, and the buntlines and leach- 
 lines. Square the main yards and put the helm a- 
 weather. As she falls off, let go the fore bowline, ease 
 off the fore sheet, and brace in the fore yard. When 
 she gets before the wind, board the fore and main tacks 
 on the other side, and haul aft the main sheet, but keep 
 the weather braces in. As she comes to on the other 
 side, ease the helm, trim down the fore sheet, brace up 
 and haul aft. 
 
 To wear under a Mainsail. — Vessels lying -to 
 under this sail generally wear by hoisting the fore 
 topmast staysail, or some other head sail. If this 
 cannot be done, brace the cross-jack yards to the wind, 
 and, if necessary, send down the mizen topmast and the 
 cross-jack yard. Brace the head yards full. Take an 
 opportunity when she has headway, and will fall off, to 
 put the helm up. Ease off the main sheet, and, as she 
 falls off, brace in the main yard a little. When the 
 wind is abaft the beam, raise the main tack. When she 
 is dead before it, get the other main tack down as far 
 as possible ; and when she has the wind on the other 
 quarter, ease the helm, haul aft the sheet, and brace 
 up. 
 
 To wear under bare Poles. — Some vessels, which 
 are well down by the stern, will wear in this situation, 
 by merely pointing the after yards to the wind, or send- 
 ing down the mizen topmast and the cross -jack yard, 
 and filling the head yards ; but vessels in good trim will 
 not do this. To assist the vessel, veer a good scope of 
 hawser out of the lee quarter, with a buoy, or something 
 for a stop-water, attached to the end. As the ship sags 
 off to leeward, the buoy will be to windward, and will 
 tend to bring the stern round to the wind. When she 
 is before it, haul the hawser aboard. 
 
 Box-hauling. — Put the helm down, light up the 
 head sheets and slack the lee braces, to deaden her way. 
 As she comes to the wind, raise tacks and sheets, and 
 
70 TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, ETC. 
 
 haul up the mainsail and spanker. As soon as she 
 comes head to the wind and loses her headway, square 
 the after yards, brace the head yards sharp aback, and 
 flatten in the head sheets. The helm, being put down 
 to bring her up, will now pay her off, as she has stern- 
 way on. As she goes off, keep the after sails lifting, and 
 square in the head yards. As soon as the sails on the 
 foremast give her headway, shift the helm. When she 
 gets the wind on the other quarter, haul down the jib, 
 haul out the spanker, set the mainsail, and brace the 
 after yards sharp up. As she comes to on the other 
 tack, brace up the head yards, meet her with the helm, 
 and set the jib. 
 
 Box- hauling short round ; sometimes called wear- 
 ing short round. — Haul up the mainsail and spanker, 
 put the helm hard a-weather, square the after yards, 
 brace the head yards sharp aback, and flatten in the 
 head sheets. As she gathers stern way, shift the helm. 
 After this, proceed as in box -hauling by the former 
 method. The first mode is preferable when you wish to 
 stop headway as soon as possible ; as a vessel under good 
 way will range ahead some distance after the sails are 
 all thrown flat aback. 
 
 Few merchant vessels are strongly enough manned to 
 perform these evolutions ; but they are often of service, 
 as they turn a vessel round quicker on her heel, and 
 will stop her from fore-reaching when near in shore or 
 when close aboard another vessel. 
 
 Club -hauling. — This method of going about is 
 resorted to when on a lee shore, and the vessel can 
 neither be tacked nor box-hauled. Cock-bill your lee 
 anchor, get a hawser on it for a spring, and lead it to the 
 lee quarter ; range your cable, and unshackle it abaft 
 the windlass. Helm '$ a-lee! and Raise tacks and sheets! 
 as for going in stays. The moment she loses headway, 
 let go the anchor and Mainsail haul ! As soon as the 
 anchor brings her head to the wind, let the chain cable 
 go, holding on to the spring ; and when the after sails 
 

 TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, ETC. 71 
 
 take full, cast off or cut the spring, and Let go and 
 haul ! 
 
 Drifting in a Tide -way. — As a vessel is deeper aft 
 than forward, her stern will always tend to drift faster 
 than her head. If the current is setting out of a river 
 or harbour, and the wind the opposite way, or only 
 partly across the current, you may work out by tacking 
 from shore to shore; or you may let her drift out, 
 broadside to the current ; or, keeping her head to the 
 current by sufficient sail, you may let her drift out stern 
 first; or, lastly, you may club her down. If the wind 
 is partly across the current, cast to windward. If you 
 work down by tacking, and the wind is at all across the 
 current, be careful of the lee shore, and stay in season, 
 since, if you miss stays, you may not be able to save 
 yourself by wearing or box-hauling, as you might on 
 the weather shore. If the channel is very narrow, or 
 there are many vessels at anchor, the safest way is to 
 bring her head to the current, brace the yards full, and 
 keep only sail enough to give her steerage, that you may 
 sheer from side to side. If there is room enough, you 
 will drift more rapidly by bringing her broadside to the 
 current, keeping the topsails shaking, and counteract the 
 force of the current upon the stern by having the spanker 
 full and the helm a-lee. You can at any time shoot her 
 ahead, back her astern, or bring her head to the current, 
 by filling the head yards, taking in the spanker, and 
 setting the jib; filling the after yards, taking in the jib, 
 and setting the spanker ; or by bracing all aback. 
 
 Backing and filling in a Tide- way. — Counter- 
 brace your yards as in lying to, and drift down broad- 
 side to the current. Fill away and shoot ahead, or 
 throw all aback and force her astern, as occasion may 
 require. When you approach the shore on either side, 
 fill away till she gets sufficient headway, and put her in 
 stays or wear her round. 
 
 Clubbing in a Tide-way. — Drift down with your 
 anchor under your foot, heaving in or paying out on 
 
72 LYING -TO. 
 
 your cable as you wish to increase or deaden her way. 
 Have a spring on your cable, so as to present a broad- 
 side to the current. This method is a troublesome and 
 dangerous one, and rarely resorted to. An anchor will 
 seldom drag clear, through the whole operation. 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 GALES OP WIND, LYiNG-TO, GETTING ABACK, BY THE 
 
 LEE, &C. 
 
 Lying-to — choice of sails. Scudding. Heave-to after scudding. Taken 
 aback. Chapelling. Broacking-to. By the lee. 
 
 Lying-to. — The best single sail to lie-to under, is 
 generally thought to be a close-reefed maintopsail. The 
 fore or the main spencer (sails which are used very much 
 now instead of main and mizen staysails) may be used 
 to advantage, according as a ship requires sail more before 
 or abaft the centre of gravity. If a ship will bear more 
 than one sail, it is thought best to separate the pressure. 
 Then set the fore and main spencers ; or (if she carries 
 staysails instead) the main and mizen staysail : or, if she 
 is easier under lofty sail, the fore and main topsails close- 
 reefed. A close-reefed main topsail, with three lower 
 storm staysails ; or, with the two spencers, fore topmast 
 staysail, and reefed spanker, is considered a good arrange- 
 ment for lying-to. If the fore topmast staysail and 
 balance-reefed spanker can be added to the two close- 
 reefed topsails, she will keep some way, will go less to 
 leeward, and can be easily wore round. Close-reefed 
 topsails are used much more now for lying-to than the 
 courses. As ships are now built, with the centre of 
 gravity farther forward, and the foremast stepped more 
 aft, they will lie-to under head sail better than formerly. 
 Some vessels, which are well down by the stern, will 
 lie-to under a reefed foresail, as this tends to press her 
 down forward ; whereas, if she had much after sail, she 
 
SCUDDING. — HEAVING-TO. 73 
 
 would have all the lateral resistance of the water aft, and 
 would come up in the wind. In carrying most head or 
 after sail, you must be determined by the trim of the 
 vessel, her tendency to come to or go off, and as to 
 whether the sail you use will act as a lifting or a burying 
 sail. 
 
 A topsail has an advantage over a spencer or lower 
 staysail for lying-to, since it steadies the ship better, and 
 counteracts the heavy weather roll, which a vessel will 
 give under low and small fore-and-aft sails. 
 
 Scudding. — The most approved sail for scudding is 
 the close-reefed maintopsail, with a reefed foresail. The 
 course alone might get becalmed under the lee of a high 
 sea, and the vessel, losing her way, would be overtaken 
 by the sea from aft ; whereas the topsail will always give 
 her way enough and lift her. The foresail is of use in 
 case she should be brought by the lee. Many officers 
 recommend that the fore topmast staysail, or fore storm 
 staysail, should always be set in scudding, to pay her off 
 if she should broach-to, and with the sheets hauled flat 
 aft. 
 
 It has been thought that with the wind quartering and 
 a heavy sea, a vessel is more under command with a 
 close-reefed fore topsail and maintopmast staysail. The 
 foretopmast staysail may also be hoisted. If the ship flies 
 off and gets by the lee, the foretopsail is soon braced 
 about, and, with the maintopmast staysail sheet shifted 
 to the other side, the headway is not lost. 
 
 To heave-to after Scudding. — Secure everything 
 about decks, and watch a smooth time. Suppose her to 
 be scudding under a close-reefed maintopsail and reefed 
 foresail ; haul up the foresail, put the helm down, brace 
 up the after yards, and set the mizen staysail. As she 
 comes to, set the main staysail, meet her with the helm, 
 brace up the head yards, and set the fore or foretopmast 
 staysail. 
 
 If your vessel labours much, ease the lee braces and the 
 halyards, that everything may work fairly aloft, and let 
 
<4 GETTING ABACK BY THE LEE. 
 
 her have a plenty of helm, to come to and fall off freely 
 with the sea. The helmsman will often let the wheel 
 fly off to leeward, taking care to meet her easily and in 
 season. The sails should be so arranged as to require 
 little of the rudder. 
 
 Taken aback. — It will frequently happen, when 
 sailing close-hauled, especially in light winds, from a 
 shift of wind, from its dying away, or from inattention, 
 that the ship will come up into the wind, shaking the 
 square sails forward. In this case, it will often be suf- 
 ficient to put the helm hard up, flatten in the head sheets, 
 or haul their bights to windward, and brail up the 
 spanker. If this will not recover her, and she continues 
 to come to, box her off. Raise fore tack and sheet, 
 brail up the spanker, up mainsail, brace the head- yards 
 aback, haul the jib sheets to windward, and haul out the 
 lee bowlines. When the after sails fill, Let go and haul! 
 This manoeuvre of boxing can only be performed in good 
 weather and light winds, as it usually gives a vessel 
 sternway. 
 
 If the wind has got round upon the other bow, and it 
 is too late for box-hauling, square the yards fore and aft, 
 keeping your helm so as to pay her off under sternway ; 
 and, as the sails fill, keep the after yards shaking, and 
 haul up the spanker and mainsail, squaring the head- 
 yards, and shifting your helm as she gathers headway. 
 
 Chapelling. — This operation is performed when, 
 instead of coming to, you are taken aback in light winds. 
 Put the helm up, if she has headway, haul up the main- 
 sail and spanker, and square the after yards. Shift the 
 helm as she gathers sternway, and when the after sails 
 fill, and she gathers headway, shift your helm again. 
 When she brings the wind aft, brace up the after yards, 
 get the main tack down and sheet aft, and haul out the 
 spanker as soon as it will take. The head braces are 
 not touched, but the yards remain braced as before. 
 The former mode of wearing, by squaring the head-yards 
 when the after sails are full, has great advantages over 
 
ON BEAM-ENDS. 75 
 
 chapelling, as the vessel will go off faster when the wind 
 is abeam and abaft, and will come to quicker when the 
 wind gets on the other side. 
 
 Broaching-to. — This is when a vessel is scudding, 
 and comes up into the wind and gets aback. For such 
 an accident, the foretopmast staysail is set, which will 
 act as an off-sail, so that by keeping the helm up, with 
 the maintopsail (if set) braced into the wind, she will 
 pay off again without getting sternway. If the close- 
 reefed foretopsail is carried instead of the main, it can be 
 easily filled. 
 
 Brought by the Lee. — This is when a vessel is 
 scudding with the wind quartering, and falls off so as to 
 bring the wind on the other side, laying the sails aback. 
 This is more likely to occur than broaching-to, espe- 
 cially in a heavy sea. Suppose the vessel to be scudding 
 under a close-reefed maintopsail and reefed foresail, with 
 the wind on her larboard quarter. She falls off sud- 
 denly and brings the wind on the starboard quarter, 
 laying all aback. Put your helm hard a-starboard, raise 
 fore tack and sheet, and fill the foresail, shivering the 
 maintopsail. When she brings the wind aft again, meet 
 her with the helm, and trim the yards for her course. 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ACCIDENTS. 
 
 On beam-ends. Losing a rudder. A squall. A man overboard. Col- 
 lision. Rules for vessels passing one another. 
 
 On Beam-Ends. — A vessel is usually thrown upon 
 her beam-ends by a sudden squall taking her, when 
 under a press of sail, and shifting the ballast. She must 
 be righted, if possible, without cutting away the masts. 
 For, beside sacrificing them, the object can seldom be 
 accomplished in that way, if the ballast and cargo have 
 shifted. Carry a hawser from the lee quarter, with 
 
76 LOSING A RUDDER. 
 
 spars and other good stop-waters bent to it. As the ship 
 drifts well to leeward, the hawser will bring her stern to 
 the wind ; but it may not cast her on the other side. If 
 a spring can be got upon the hawser from the lee bow, 
 and hauled upon, and the stern fast let go, this will bring 
 the wind to act upon the flat part of the deck and pay 
 her stern off, and assist the spring, when the sails may be 
 trimmed to help her in righting. If she can be brought 
 head to the wind, and the sails be taken aback, she may 
 cast on the other tack. When there is anchoring ground, 
 the practice is to let go the lee anchor, which may take 
 the sails aback and cast her. Then the ballast and cargo 
 may be righted. 
 
 If there is no anchoring ground, a vessel may still be 
 kept head to the wind, by paying a chain cable out of the 
 lee hawse-hole ; or by bending a hawser to a large spar, 
 which may be kept broadside-to by a span, to the centre 
 of which the hawser is bent. The same operation may 
 be applied to a vessel overset, and is preferable to wear- 
 ing by a hawser. Make fast the hawser forward to the 
 lee bow, carry the other end aft to windward and bend 
 it to the spar, and launch the spar overboard. By this 
 means, or by letting go an anchor, though there be no 
 bottom to be reached, a vessel may often be recovered. 
 
 Losing a Rudder. — The first thing to be done on 
 losing a rudder, is to bring the ship to the wind by 
 bracing up the after yards. Meet her with the head 
 yards as she comes to. Take in sail forward and aft, 
 and keep her hove-to by her sails. A vessel maybe 
 made to steer herself for a long time, by carefully trim- 
 ming the yards and slacking up the jib sheets or the 
 spanker sheet a little, as may be required. 
 
 Having got the ship by the wind, get up a hawser, 
 middle it, and take a slack clove-hitch at the centre. 
 Get up a cable, reeve its end through this hitch, and pay 
 the cable out over the tafFrail. Having paid out about 
 fifty fathoms, jam the hitch and rack it well, so that it 
 cannot slip ; pay out on the cable until the hitch takes 
 
A SQUALL. 77 
 
 the water; then lash the cable to the centre of the 
 taffrail; lash a spare spar under it across the stern, 
 with a block well secured at each end, through which 
 reeve the ends of the hawser, one on each quarter, and 
 reeve them again through blocks at the sides, abreast of 
 the wheel. By this, a ship may be steered until a tem- 
 porary rudder can be constructed. 
 
 A rudder may be fitted by taking a spare topmast, or 
 other large spar, and cutting it flat in the form of a 
 stern-post. Bore holes at proper distances in that part 
 which is to be the fore part of the preventer or additional 
 stern-post ; then take the thickest plank on board, and 
 make it as near as possible into the form of a rudder ; 
 bore holes at proper distances in the fore part of it and in 
 the after part of the preventer stern-post, to correspond 
 with each other, and reeve rope grommets through those 
 holes in the rudder and after part of the stern-post, for 
 the rudder to play upon. Through the preventer stern- 
 post, reeve guys, and at the fore part of them fix tackles, 
 and then put the machine overboard. When it is in a 
 proper position, or in a line with the ship's stern-post, 
 lash the upper part of the preventer post to the upper 
 part of the ship's stern-post; then hook tackles at or 
 near the main chains, and bowse taut on the guys to con- 
 fine it to the lower part of the preventer stern-post. 
 Having holes bored through the preventer and proper 
 stem-post, run an iron bolt through both (taking care 
 not to touch the rudder), which will prevent the false 
 stern-post from rising or falling. By the guys on the 
 after part of the rudder and tackles affixed to them, the 
 ship may be steered, taking care to bowse taut the tackles 
 on the preventer stern-post, to keep it close to the proper 
 stern-post. 
 
 A Squall. — If you see a squall approaching, take in 
 the light sails, stand by to clew down, and keep her off 
 a little, if necessary. If you are taken by one, unpre- 
 pared, with all sail set and close-hauled, put the helm 
 hard up, let go the spanker sheet and outhaul, and the 
 
78 MAN OVERBOARD — COLLISION. 
 
 main sheet. Clew up royals and topgallant sails, haul 
 down flying-jib, haul up the mainsail, and clew down the 
 mizen topsail. When you are before the wind, clew 
 down the topsail yards, and haul out the reef-tackles. 
 You may run before the squall until it moderates, or 
 furl the light sails, bring by the wind, and reef. 
 
 A Man Overboard *. — The moment the cry is 
 heard, put the helm down and bring her up into the 
 wind, whether she is on the wind or free, and deaden 
 her headway. Throw overboard instantly life buoys, 
 or, if there are none at hand, take a grating, the car- 
 penter s bench, or any pieces of plank or loose spars 
 there may be about decks ; and let two or three hands 
 clear away a quarter boat. The best plan is, if the 
 vessel was on the wind, to haul the mainsail up and 
 brace aback the after yards and raise the head sheets ; 
 then, having her main yard aback, she will drift down 
 directly toward the man. Keep your head sails full to 
 steady her, while the after ones stop her headway. 
 
 If you are sailing free, with studdingsails set, clew up 
 the lower studdingsail, brace up the head yards, haul 
 forward the fore tack, and keep the head yards full, 
 while you luff up to back the after ones. Lower away 
 the boat as soon as it is safe, and, as the vessel will have 
 turned nearly round, direct the boat with reference to 
 her position when the accident happened and her pro- 
 gress since. 
 
 Collision. — If two vessels approach one another, both 
 having a free wind, each keeps to the right. That is, 
 the one with her starboard tacks aboard keeps on or 
 luffs ; and the other, if it is necessary to alter her course, 
 keeps off. So, if two vessels approach one another close- 
 hauled on different tacks, and it is doubtful which is to 
 windward, the vessel on the starboard tack keeps on her 
 course, and the other gives way and keeps off. That is, 
 each goes to the right, and the vessel with her starboard 
 
 * See Totten's Naval Text Book, Letter xx. 
 
HEAVING-TO SPEAKING. 79 
 
 tacks aboard has the preference. The only exception to 
 this is, that if the vessel on the larboard tack is so much 
 to windward that, in case both persist, the vessel on the 
 starboard tack will strike her to leeward and abaft the 
 beam ; then the vessel on the starboard tack must give 
 way, as she can do it more easily than the other. 
 
 Another rule is, that if one vessel is going dead before 
 the wind and the other going free on the starboard tack, 
 the latter must luiF and go under the stern of the former. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 HEAVING-TO BY COUNTER-BRACING. SPEAKING. 
 SOUNDING. HEAVING THE LOG. 
 
 Counter-bracing — This is done whenever, with a 
 breeze, a vessel wishes to remain stationary, for the pur- 
 pose of speaking another vessel, sounding, lowering a boat, 
 or the like. If you do not wish to stop your way entirely, 
 haul up the mainsail, square the main yards aback, keep- 
 ing the fore and cross-jack yards full, and the foresail, 
 spanker and jib set. If you wish to stop her way still 
 more, back the cross- jack yards also, haul up the fore- 
 sail, and put the helm a-lee. She will then fall off and 
 come to, which you may regulate by the jib and spanker 
 sheets ; and she may be ranged a little ahead, or 
 deadened, by filling or backing the cross-jack yards. 
 
 You may, on the other hand, back the head yards and 
 fill the after yards. The former method is called heaving- 
 to with the maintopsail to the mast, and the latter, with 
 the foretopsail to the mast. 
 
 Speaking. — When two vessels speak at sea, the one 
 to windward heaves her maintopsail to the mast, and the 
 one to leeward her fore. This is in order that the 
 weather one may the more readily fill without falling off 
 so as to run afoul of the other, and that the lee one may 
 
80 SOUNDING. 
 
 box her head off and keep clear of the ship to windward. 
 The weather one either throws all aback and drops 
 astern, or fills her after yards and shoots ahead. The lee 
 one shivers her after yards and boxes off. 
 
 If the weather ship comes too near the lee one, before 
 the latter has time to wear, the weather ship squares her 
 head yards, drops her mainsail, braces her cross-jack 
 yards sharp aback, aud puts her helm a- weather. This 
 gives her stern way, and the after sails and helm keep her 
 to the wind. 
 
 If three vessels communicate at sea, the weather and 
 middle ones back their main topsails, and the lee one her 
 fore ; then, in case of necessity, the weather one fills her 
 after yards and shoots ahead, the middle one throws all 
 aback and drops astern, and the lee one shivers her after 
 sails and falls off. 
 
 Sounding. — The marks upon the lead-lines have been 
 given previously, at pages 5, 6. To sound with the hand- 
 lead, a man stands in the weather main channels with a 
 breast-rope secured to the rigging, and throws the lead 
 forward, while the vessel has headway on. If the depth 
 corresponds with the marks upon the line, as if it is 5, 7, 
 or 10 fathoms, he calls out, " By the mark five ! " &c. 
 If it is a depth the fathoms of which have no mark upon 
 the line, as 6, 8, or 9, he calls out, " By the deep six ! * 
 &c. If he judges the depth to be a quarter or a half 
 more than a particular fathom, as, for instance, 5, he calls 
 out " And a quarter," or, u And a half, five ! " &c. If 
 it is 5 and three quarters, he would say, " Quarter less 
 six ! " and so on. 
 
 To sound by the Deep-sea-lead. — Have the line 
 coiled down in a tub or rack, clear for running, abreast 
 of the main rigging. Carry the end of the line forward 
 on the weather side, outside of everything, to the cat- 
 head or the spritsail yard-arm, and bend it to the lead, 
 which must be armed with tallow. One man holds the 
 lead for heaving, and the others range themselves along 
 the side, at intervals, each with a coil of the line in his 
 
SOUNDING HEAVING THE LOG. 81 
 
 hand. An officer, generally the chief mate, should stand 
 by to get the depth. All being ready, the word is given, 
 " Stand by! Heave! " As soon as the man heaves the 
 lead, he calls out " Watch, ho ! Watch ! " and each, man, 
 as the last fake of the coil goes out of his hand, repeats, 
 Watch, ho ! Watch ! " The line then runs out until it 
 brings up by the lead's being on bottom, or until there 
 is enough out to show that there is no bottom to be 
 reached. The officer notes the depth by the line, which 
 is then snatched, and the men haul it aboard, and coil it 
 away fair. If the lead has been on the bottom, the arm- 
 ing of tallow will bring up some of it ; by which the 
 character of the soundings may be ascertained. 
 
 The soundings, however, cannot be taken until the 
 vessel's way has been stopped or deadened. For this 
 purpose, before heaving the lead, either luff up and keep 
 all shaking, or brace aback the main or mizen topsail, or 
 both, according to your headway, keeping the head yards 
 fall. If you are going free with studding-sails set, you 
 may clew up the lower and boom end the topmast stud- 
 dingsails, bring her up to the wind, and keep the sails 
 lifting, without getting them aback. 
 
 It has been laid down as a rule, that if the vessel sags 
 much to leeward, as when under short sail in a gale of 
 wind, pass the line from the weather side round the 
 stern, clear of everything, and heave the lead from the 
 lee side ; otherwise she would leave the lead too far to 
 windward for measurement, or for recovering it again. 
 But in this mode there is great danger of the line getting 
 caught on the bottom or at the rudder-heel. It must be 
 very deep water if a vessel cannot be managed so as to 
 get soundings to windward. 
 
 Heaving the Log. — One man holds the log-reel, upon 
 which the log-line is wound, another holds the glass, 
 and the officer holds the line ; and, having coiled up a 
 little of the stray line, he throws the log-ship overboard 
 astern, or from the lee quarter. As he throws the log-ship, 
 he calls out, " Watch ! " To which the man with the 
 
82 COMING TO ANCHOR. 
 
 glass answers, " Watch." As soon as the mark for the 
 stray line goes off the reel, he calls out, u Turn ! * and 
 the man turns the glass, answering, " Turn,'' or " Done." 
 The instant the sand has run out, he calls " Out ! " or 
 " Stop ! " and the officer stops the line and notes the 
 marks. It is then wound up again on the reel. 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 COMING TO ANCHOR. 
 
 Getting ready for port. Coming to anchor — close-hauled — free. Moor- 
 ing. Flying moor. Clearing hawse. To anchor with a slip-rope. 
 Slipping a cable. Coming-to at a slipped cable. 
 
 Getting Ready for Port. — Get your anchors off the 
 bows, and let them hang by the cat-stoppers and shank- 
 painters. Bend your cables and overhaul a few ranges 
 forward of the windlass, according to the depth of the 
 anchorage and the strength of the tide or wind, and 
 range the remainder that you expect to use along the 
 decks, abaft the windlass. Have the boats ready for 
 lowering, and a spare hawser, with some stout rope for 
 kedging or warping, at hand, coiled on the hatches. 
 
 Coming to Anchor. — If you have the wind free and 
 all sail set, take in your studdingsails, make them up 
 and stow them away, rig in the booms and coil away the 
 gear, and have all ready in good season. You may then, 
 as you draw in toward the anchorage, take in your royals 
 and flying jib, furling the royals if you have time. The 
 topgallant sails are next taken in, and the foresail hauled 
 up. The topgallant sails may be furled or not, accord- 
 ing to the strength of the wind and the number of 
 hands. If you are before the wind, your mainsail will 
 be hauled up, or, if the sheet is aft, haul up the lee 
 clew-garnet. Get your ship under her topsails, jib and 
 spanker. When near the ground, clew up the fore and 
 main topsails, put the helm down, haul down the jib 
 
MOORING. 83 
 
 and flatten in the spanker. If you have too much head- 
 way, back the mizen topsail. Cock-bill your anchor 
 and stream the buoy. When she has lost her headway, 
 let go the anchor. Let hands stand by to give her chain, 
 as she needs it. 
 
 If you come into anchoring ground close-hauled, haul 
 in the weather fore and main braces, and clew up. If 
 the wind is light, you may square the fore and main 
 yards before clewing up. This will deaden her way. If 
 the wind is fresh, it would make it difficult to clew up 
 the sails. Haul down the jib, and come to by the 
 spanker, or mizen topsail and spanker. If the wind is 
 light, she may need the mizen topsail ; if not, it may be 
 taken in, and she may be brought to by the spanker. If 
 she has too much headway or there is a tide setting her 
 in, throw all aback. 
 
 Mooring. — A vessel is said to be moored when she 
 rides with more than one anchor, in different directions. 
 The common method of mooring is, when you have come 
 to with one anchor, to pay out chain and let her drop 
 astern until you have out double the scope you intend to 
 ride by. Then let go your other anchor. Slack up the 
 cable of the latter anchor, and heave in on that of the 
 first, until you have the same scope to each anchor. 
 You may also moor by lowering the anchor and lashing 
 it to the stern of the long-boat, and coiling away the full 
 scope in the bottom of the boat. You may then pull off 
 and pick out your own berth, and let go. 
 
 If you wish to drop your second anchor in any other 
 place than directly to leeward of the first, you may, 
 without using your long-boat, warp the vessel over the 
 berth intended for your second anchor. 
 
 You should always moor so that you may ride with an 
 open hawse in the direction from which you are liable to 
 the strongest winds. If you have chain cables, you may 
 moor with both cables bent to a swivel just clear of the 
 hawse-hole, one chain coming in-board. In moderate 
 weather, and where you are not in a strong tide- way, it 
 
 g 2 
 
84 MOORING — CLEARING HAWSE. 
 
 will generally be sufficient to let go one anchor, since, if 
 you have out a good scope of chain, you will ride by the 
 bight of it, and it will require a very heavy blow to 
 bring a strain upon the anchor. 
 
 In mooring, you should always have a shackle near 
 the hawse-hole, for clearing hawse. If it is just abaft 
 the windlass, it will be convenient in case you wish to 
 slip your cable. 
 
 A Flying Moor, sometimes called a Running Moor. 
 — Have both anchors ready for letting go, with double 
 the scope of chain you intend to ride by ranged for the 
 w T eather anchor, and the riding scope of the lee chain. 
 There are two ways of making a flying moor. One is to 
 clew up everything and let go the first anchor while she 
 has sufficient headway to run out the whole double 
 range. When it is all out, or just before, luff sharp up, 
 brace aback to stop her way, and let go the other anchor. 
 Then heave in on the first and light out on the second, 
 until there is the same scope to each. This mode is 
 almost impracticable in a merchant vessel, where there 
 is but one deck, and where the chain may have to be 
 paid out over a windlass, since the headway would in 
 most cases be soon stopped. 
 
 The other mode is, to lay all flat aback, and the 
 moment the headway ceases, let go your first anchor, 
 paying out chain as she drops astern, until double your 
 riding scope is out. Then let go your second anchor and 
 heave in on the first. 
 
 Clearing Hawse. — When a vessel is moored, she 
 may swing so as to get a foul hawse ; that is, so as to 
 bring one cable across the other. If one cable lies over 
 the other, it is called a cross. When they make another 
 cross, it is called an elbow. Three crosses make a round 
 turn. The turns may be kept out of a cable by tending 
 the vessel when she swings, and casting her stern one 
 side or the other, by the helm, jib and spanker. To clear 
 hawse, trice the slack cable up by a line or a whip pur- 
 chase and hook, below the turns. Lash the two cables 
 
SLIPPING. 85 
 
 together just below the lowest turn. Pass a line round 
 the cable from outside, following each turn, and in 
 through the hawse-hole of the slack cable, and bend it to 
 the shackle. Unshackle and bend a line to the end. 
 Rouse the cable out through the hawse-hole, slacking 
 up on the end line, and tricing up if necessary. Take 
 out the turns by the first line passed in, and haul 
 in again on the end line. Shackle the chain again, 
 heave taut, and cast off the lashings. 
 
 To Anchor with a Slip-rope. — This is necessary 
 when you are lying in an open roadstead, where you 
 must stand out to sea upon a gale coming up, without 
 taking time to get your anchor. You must ride at one 
 anchor. Having come to, take a hawser round from the 
 quarter on the same side with your anchor, outside of 
 everything, and bend its end to the cable just below the 
 hawse-hole. Have a buoy triced up forward clear of 
 everything, and carry the buoy-rope in through the 
 hawse-hole, and round the windlass, with three turns, 
 (the first turn being outside the others,) and bend it to 
 the shackle, which is to be cast off when the cable is 
 slipped. Have another buoy bent to the end of the 
 hawser which is to be used for the slip-rope. 
 
 To Slip a Cable, — When ready to slip, everything 
 having been prepared as above, unshackle the chain abaft 
 the windlass, and hoist the topsails, reefed, if necessary. 
 Stream the buoy for the end of the chain, and that at the 
 end of the slip-rope aft. Take good turns with the slip- 
 rope round the timber-heads, at the quarter. Hoist the 
 fore-topmast staysail and back the fore-topsail, hauling 
 in the braces, on the same side with the cable, so that she 
 may cast to the opposite side. Fill the after yards, and 
 let go the end of the cable. Hold on to the slip-rope aft, 
 until her head is fairly off; then let go, brace full the 
 head-yards, and set the spanker. 
 
 Coming-to at a Slipped Cable. — Keep a look-out 
 for your buoys. Having found them, heave-to to wind- 
 ward of them, send a boat with a strong warp and bend 
 
86 GETTING UNDER WAY. 
 
 it to the slip-rope buoy, take the other end to the cap- 
 stan and walk the ship up to the buoy. Take the slip- 
 rope through the chock, forward, and heave on it until 
 you get the chain, where the slip -rope was bent to it, 
 under foot. Make well fast the slip -rope, then fish the 
 buoy at the end of the chain, haul up on that buoy-rope, 
 and get the end of the chain. Rouse it in through the 
 hawse-hole and shackle it. Heave taut, until the bend 
 of the slip-rope is above the water, then take the other 
 end round aft and make it fast at the quarter -port again. 
 Pass in the buoy-rope for the end of the chain, and you 
 are all ready for slipping again. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 GETTING UNDER WAY. 
 
 To unmoor. Getting under way from a single anchor. To cat and fish. 
 To get under way with a wind blowing directly out, and riding head to 
 it ; — with a rock or shoal close astern ; — when riding head to wind and 
 tide, and to stand out close-hauled ; — wind-rode, with a weather tide ; 
 —tide-rode, casting to windward ;— tide-rode, wearing round. 
 
 Unmoor. — Pay out on your riding cable, heaving in 
 the slack of the other. When the other is short, trip it, 
 cat and fish, and heave in on your riding cable. Instead 
 of this method, the anchor which you are not riding by 
 may be weighed, if it is a small one, by the long-boat. 
 Send the long-boat out over the anchor, take aboard the 
 buoy-rope, carrying it over the roller in the boat's stern, 
 or through the end of a davit, clap the watch-tackle to 
 it, and weigh it out of the ground. This done, and the 
 buoy -rope and tackle secured to the boat, heave in on the 
 chain on board, which will bring the anchor alongside, 
 the boat approaching at the same time. When under the 
 bow, cast off the fasts to the boat, heave up the anchor, 
 cat and fish. 
 
 Getting under Way from a Single Anchor. — It 
 
GETTING UNDER WAY. 87 
 
 is the duty of the chief mate to see all ready forward for 
 getting under w r ay ; the rigging fair for making sail, the 
 cat and fish tackles rove, and the fish-davit at hand. 
 Heave short on your chain and pawl the windlass. Loose 
 all the sails, if the wind is light, and sheet home and 
 hoist up topsails, topgallant sails, and royals. If there 
 is a stiff breeze, set topsails alone, whole or reefed. You 
 should always, if it will answer, cast on the opposide side 
 from your anchor ; that is, if you are riding by your 
 starboard anchor, cast to port. Brace your head-yards 
 aback and your after-yards full for the tack you mean to 
 cast upon. The sails being set, man the windlass again, 
 give her a sheer with the helm, and trip your anchor. 
 The mate reports when it is away. As soon as it is away, 
 hoist the jib. The fore- topsail aback will pay her head 
 off. Put the helm for stern-board. When her head is 
 off enough, fill away the head-yards and haul out the 
 spanker, shifting the helm for headway. Trim the yards 
 for your course, and make sail on her. If the wind is 
 light and the sea smooth, you may cat and fish your 
 anchor after you get under way ; but it is best in a rough 
 sea to keep the vessel hove-to until the anchor is catted 
 and fished. 
 
 To Cat and Fish an Anchor. — When the anchor is 
 lifted and brought under foot, pawl the windlass, keep- 
 ing a good hold on the chain. Overhaul down the cat- 
 block and hook it to the ring of the anchor. Stretch 
 along the cat-fall and let all hands tally on. Set taut on 
 the cat-tackle and pay out a little chain. Hoist away 
 the anchor to the eat-head, and belay the fall. Pass the 
 cat-stopper through the ring of the anchor, through the 
 chock, belay it to the cat-tail, and seize it to its own 
 part. Overhaul down the fish-tackle, hook the lower 
 block to the pennant, and hook the fish-hook to the 
 inner fluke of the anchor. Rig out your fish-davit across 
 the forecastle, and put the bight of the pennant into the 
 sheave-hole. Get a guy over it, near the outer end, to 
 keep it down, and another at the inner end, to keep it 
 
88 GETTING UNDER WAY. 
 
 out. Get the shoe over the side, to fend off the bill of 
 the anchor. Hoist the fluke well up, pass the shank- 
 painter under the inner arm and shank, bring it inboard, 
 and belay and stop it to the timber-heads. Rig in the 
 davit, unreeve the cat-fall and fish-tackle. 
 
 A vessel may sometimes be got under way to advan- 
 tage with the jib and spanker ; particularly if the wind 
 is blowing directly out of the harbonr. Heave the 
 anchor up at once. When it has broken ground, hoist 
 the jib, and, as she pays off, haul out the spanker. Keep 
 her under this sail until the anchor is catted and fished, 
 then make sail and stand out. 
 
 To GET UNDER Way, WITH A WlND BLOWING DI- 
 RECTLY OUT, AND RIDING HEAD TO IT. Suppose the 
 
 ship to have her starboard anchor down. Heave short 
 and clear away the jib, and put the helm to port. 
 Heave again until the anchor is up to the bows. Cat 
 and fish. When the anchor is a-weigh, hoist the jib. 
 Let her pay off under the jib. When she gathers head- 
 way, shift the helm, and let fall the sails. When she 
 gets before it, sheet home and hoist the topsails, set the 
 foresail, and haul down the jib. Make sail aloft. 
 
 To GET UNDER Way, RIDING HEAD TO THE WlND, 
 WITH A ROCK OR SHOAL CLOSE ASTERN. Suppose yOU 
 
 wish to cast the ship on the starboard tack. Heave 
 in a safe scope on the chain, and run out a kedge with 
 a hawser from the starboard bow. Cast off the yard-arm 
 gaskets and mast-head the topsails, keeping the bunts 
 fast. Heave taut on the hawser, and brace the yards 
 up for the starboard tack fore and aft, hauling the jib 
 sheet to windward. Heave up the anchor, taking in the 
 slack of the hawser, cat it, pass the stopper, and have 
 all ready for letting go. Haul ahead on the hawser, and 
 as soon as the kedge is short apeak or comes home, sheet 
 home the topsails, run up the jib, and put the helm 
 a-starboard. As soon as the jib fills, run the kedge up 
 and take it in. When the topsails take and she gathers 
 headway, draw the jib, set the spanker, board fore and 
 
GETTING UNDER WAY. UU 
 
 main tacks, haul aft sheets and right the helm. If she 
 falls off too rapidly when the topsails take, give her the 
 spanker and mainsail, easing off the jib sheet. When she 
 comes to, haul aft the jib sheet and board the fore tack. 
 If, when the kedge is a- weigh, she falls off on the wrong 
 side, let go the anchor. 
 
 To GET UNDER Way, RIDING HEAD TO WlND AND TlDE, 
 AND TO STAND OUT CLOSE-HAULED. Suppose VOU wish 
 
 to cast to port. Heave short, keeping the helm a-star- 
 board. Set the topsails. Brace up the after yards for 
 the starboard tack, and back the head yards. Man the 
 windlass and heave up the anchor. When the anchor is 
 a- weigh, hoist the jib. When she has paid off sufficiently, 
 fill away the head yards, shift the helm for headway, set 
 the spanker, and make sail. Cat and fish, either before 
 or after filling away. 
 
 If you have no room to cast on either side, but have a 
 vessel on each quarter, heave short, set the topsails, jib, 
 and spanker, brace all the yards half up for the starboard 
 tack, weigh the anchor, and put the helm to port. The 
 tide acting on the rudder will sheer her head to starboard. 
 When the sails take aback and give her sternway, the 
 rudder and aftersails will act against the head sails, and 
 she will drift fairly down between the two vessels. Keep 
 her off or to, by the spanker and jib. When you are 
 clear, cast to port ; or, haul up the spanker, shiver the 
 after yards, and let her go off before it. 
 
 To GET UNDER Way WIND-RODE, WITH A WEATHER 
 
 Tide ; that is, a tide setting to windward. — Suppose you 
 wish to cast to port. Heave short, loose the sails, and 
 set the topsails. Square the after yards, and haul in the 
 starboard head-braces. Heave again, and when you are 
 a- weigh, put the helm to port and hoist the jib. When 
 she has payed off enough, fill away the head yards and 
 shift the helm for headway. 
 
 To GET UNDER Way, TIDE-RODE, CASTING TO WIND- 
 WARD. — Suppose the wind to be a little on the starboard 
 bow, and you wish to cast to starboard, standing out on 
 
90 GETTING UNDER WAY. 
 
 the larboard tack. Having hove short and set the top- 
 sails, brace up the after yards for the larboard tack, and 
 brace the head yards aback. Weigh the anchor, keeping 
 your helm to port, and hauling the spanker boom well 
 over to starboard. , When she comes head to the wind, 
 hoist the jib, with the sheet to port. Shift the helm for 
 sternway. As she falls off, draw the jib, fill the head 
 yards, and shift the helm for headway. 
 
 To GET UNDER Way, TIDE-RODE, WEARING ROUND. — 
 
 Suppose you have the wind on your starboard quarter, 
 and are obliged to wear her round and stand out on the 
 larboard tack. Set the topsails, square the head yards, 
 and shiver the after yards. When the anchor is a- weigh, 
 put the helm hard a-starboard, and give her the foresail, 
 if necessary. Having headway, she will go round on her 
 keel, and you may proceed as in wearing. 
 
 If a vessel is in a confined situation, without room to 
 cast by her sails or by the tide, she may be cast by a 
 spring upon her cable, leading in at that which will be 
 the weather quarter. The spring may be bent to the 
 ring of the anchor before it is let go, or it may be seized 
 to the cable just outside the hawse-hole. 
 
 It will be remembered that when a vessel is riding 
 head to the tide, the helm is to be put as though she 
 had headway; and when the tide sets from astern, as 
 though she had sternway. But you should be reminded 
 that when you have the wind and tide both ahead, if the 
 vessel, after you weigh your anchor, goes astern faster 
 than the current, the helm must be used as for stern- 
 board. 
 
01 
 
 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Aback. The situation of the sails when the wind presses their 
 
 surfaces against the mast, and tends to force the vessel astern. 
 Abaft. Toward the stern of a vessel. 
 Aboard. Within a vessel. 
 About. On the other tack. 
 Abreast. Alongside of. Side by side. 
 Accommodation. (See Ladder.) 
 A-cock-bill. The situation of the yards when they are topped 
 
 up at an angle with the deck. The situation of an anchor 
 
 when it hangs to the cathead by the ring only. 
 Adrift. Broken from moorings or fasts. Without fasts. 
 Afloat. Resting on the surface of the water. 
 Afore. Forward. The opposite of abaft. 
 Aft — After. Near the stern. 
 Aground. Touching the bottom. 
 Ahead. In the direction of the vessel's head. Wind ahead is 
 
 from the direction toward which the vessel's head points. 
 A-hull. The situation of a vessel when she lies with all her sails 
 
 furled and her helm lashed a-lee. 
 A-lee. The situation of the helm when it is put in the opposite 
 
 direction from that in which the wind blows. 
 All-aback. When all the sails are aback. 
 All Hands. The whole crew. 
 All in the wind. When all the sails are shaking. 
 Aloft. Above the deck. 
 Aloof. At a distance. 
 Amain. Suddenly. At once. 
 Amidships. In the centre of the vessel ; either with reference to 
 
 her length or to her breadth. 
 Anchor. The machine by which, when dropped to the bottom, 
 
 the vessel is held fast. 
 Anchor-watch. (See Watch.) 
 An- end. When a mast is perpendicular to the deck. 
 A-Peek. When the cable is hove taut so as to bring the vessel 
 
 nearly over her anchor. The yards are a-peek when they 
 
 are topped up by contrary lifts. 
 
92 DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 
 
 Apron. A piece of timber fixed behind the lower part of the 
 
 stem, just above the fore end of the keel. A covering to the 
 
 vent or lock of a cannon. 
 Arm. Yard-arm. The extremity of a yard. Also, the lower 
 
 part of an anchor, crossing the shank and terminating in the 
 
 flukes. 
 Arming. A piece of tallow put in the cavity and over the bottom 
 
 of a lead-line. 
 A-stern. In the direction of the stern. The opposite of a-head. 
 A-taunt. (See Taunt.) 
 Athwart. Across. 
 
 A thwart-ships. Across the line of the vessel's keel. 
 
 A thwart-hawse. Across the direction of a vessel's head. 
 
 Across her cable. 
 Atuwart-ships. Across the length of a vessel. In opposition to 
 
 fore-and-aft. 
 A-trip. The situation of the anchor when it is raised clear of the 
 
 ground. The same as a-weigh* 
 Avast, or 'Vast. An order to stop ; as, " Avast heaving !" 
 A-weather. The situation of the helm when it is put in the 
 
 direction from which the wind blows. 
 A-weigh. The same as a-trip. 
 Awning. A covering of canvas over a vessel's deck, or over a 
 
 boat, to keep off sun or rain. 
 
 Back. To back an anchor, is to carry out a smaller one ahead 
 
 of the one by which the vessel rides, to take off some of the 
 
 strain. 
 To back a sail, is to throw it aback. 
 To back and fill, is alternately to back and fill the sails. 
 Backstays. Stays running from a masthead to the vessel's side, 
 
 slanting a little aft. (See Stays. ) 
 Bagpipe. To bagpipe the mizen, is to lay it aback by bringing 
 
 the sheet to the weather mizen rigging. 
 Balance-reef. A reef in a spanker or fore-and-aft mainsail, 
 
 which runs from the outer head-earing, diagonally, to the tack. 
 
 It is the closest reef, and makes the sail triangular, or nearly 
 
 so. 
 Bale. To bale a boat, is to throw water out of her. 
 Ballast. Heavy material, as iron, lead, or stone, placed in the 
 
 bottom of the hold, to keep a vessel from upsetting. 
 To freshen ballast, is to shift it. Coarse gravel is called 
 
 shingle ballast. 
 Bank. To double bank an oar, is to have it pulled by two men. 
 Bar. *' A bank or shoal at the entrance of a harbour. 
 
 Capstan-bars are heavy pieces of wood by which the capstan is 
 
 hove round. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 93 
 
 Bare-poles. The condition of a ship when she has no sail set. 
 
 Barge. A large double-banked boat, used by the commander of a 
 vessel, in the navy. 
 
 Bark, or Barque. (See Plate 4.) A three-masted vessel, hav- 
 ing her fore and main masts rigged like a ship's, and her mizen 
 mast like the main mast of a schooner, with no sail upon it 
 but a spanker. 
 
 Barnacle. A shell-fish often found on a vessel's bottom. 
 
 Battens. Thin strips of wood put around the hatches, to keep 
 the tarpaulin down. Also, puc upon rigging to keep it from 
 chafing. A large batten widened at the end, and put upon 
 rigging, is called a Scotchman. 
 
 Beacon. A post or buoy placed over a shoal or bank to warn 
 vessels off. Also as a signal-mark on land. 
 
 Beams. Strong pieces of timber stretching across the vessel, to 
 support the decks. 
 On the weather or lee beam, is in a direction to windward or 
 
 leeward, at right angles with the keel. 
 On beam ends. The situation of a vessel when turned over so 
 that her beams are inclined toward the vertical. 
 
 Bear. An object bears so and so, when it is in such a direction 
 from the person looking. 
 To bear down upon a vessel, is to approach her from the wind- 
 ward. 
 To bear up, is to put the helm up and keep a vessel off from 
 
 her course, and move her to leeward. 
 To bear away, is the same as to bear up ; being applied to the 
 
 vessel instead of to the tiller. 
 To bear-a-hand. To make haste. 
 
 Bearing. The direction of an object from the person looking. 
 The bearings of a vessel, are the widest part of her below the 
 plank-shear. That part of her hull which is on the water- 
 line when she is at anchor and in her proper trim. 
 
 Beating. Going toward the direction of the wind, by alternate tacks. 
 
 Becalm. To intercept the wind. A vessel or highland to wind- 
 ward is said to becalm another. So one sail becalms another. 
 
 Becket. A piece of rope placed so as to confine a spar or another 
 rope. A handle made of rope, in the form of a circle, (as the 
 handle of a chest,) is called a becket. 
 
 Bees. Pieces of plank bolted to the outer end of the bowsprit, to 
 reeve the foretopmast stays through . 
 
 Belay. To make a rope fast by turns round a pin or coil, without 
 hitching or seizing it. 
 
 Bend. To make fast. 
 
 To bend a sail, is to make it fast to the yard. 
 To bend a cable, is to make it fast to the anchor. 
 j A bend, is a knot by which one rope is made fast to antoher. 
 
94 DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 
 
 Bends. (See Plate 3.) The strongest part of a vessel's side, to 
 which the beams, knees, and foot-hooks are bolted. The part 
 between the water's edge and the bulwarks. 
 
 Beneaped. (See Neaped.) 
 
 Bentick Shrouds. Formerly used, and extending from the fut- 
 tock-staves to the opposite channels. 
 
 Berth. The place where a vessel lies. ^ The place in which a 
 man sleeps. 
 
 Between-decks. The space between any two decks of a ship. 
 
 Bibbs. Pieces of timber bolted to the hounds of a mast, to sup- 
 port the trestle trees. 
 
 Bight. The double part of a rope when it is folded ; in contra- 
 distinction from the ends. Any part of a rope may be called 
 the bight, except the ends. Also, a bend in the shore, mak- 
 ing a small bay or inlet. 
 
 Bilge. That part of the floor of a ship upon which she would 
 rest if aground ; being the part near the keel which is more in 
 a horizontal than a perpendicular line. 
 Bilge-ways. Pieces of timber bolted together and placed under 
 the bilge in launching. 
 
 i Bilged. When the bilge is broken in. 
 
 Bilge Water. Water which settles in the bilge. 
 Bilge. The largest circumference of a cask. 
 
 Bill, The point at the extremity of the fluke of an anchor. 
 
 Billet-head. (See Head.) 
 
 Binnacle. A box near the helm, containing the compass. 
 
 Bitts. Perpendicular pieces of timber going through the deck, 
 placed to secure anything to. The cables are fastened to 
 them, if there is no windlass. There are also bitts to secure 
 the windlass, and on each side of the heel of the bowsprit. 
 
 Bitter, or Bitter-end. That part of the cable which is abaft 
 the bitts. 
 
 Blackwall Hitch. (See Plate 5 and page 41.) 
 
 Blade. The flat part of an oar which goes into the water. 
 
 Block. A piece of wood, with sheaves or wheels in it, through 
 which the ropes are rove. 
 
 Bluff. A bluff-bowed or bluff-headed vessel is one which is 
 full and square forward. 
 
 Board. The stretch a vessel makes upon one tack, when she is 
 beating. 
 Stern-board. When a vessel goes stern foremo3t. 
 By the board. Said of masts when they fall over the side. 
 
 Boat-hook. An iron hook with a long staff, held in the hand, by 
 which a boat is kept fast to a wharf, or vessel. 
 
 Boatswain. (Pronounced bo-s'n.) A warrant officer in the navy, 
 who has charge of the rigging, and calls the crew to duty. 
 
 Bobstays. Used to confine the bowsprit down to the stem or 
 cutwater. 
 
DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 95 
 
 Bolsters. Pieces of soft wood, covered with canvas, placed on 
 
 the trestle- trees, for the eyes of the rigging to rest upon. 
 Bolts. Long cylindrical bars of iron or copper, used to secure or 
 
 unite the different parts of a vessel. 
 Bolt-rope. The rope which goes round a sail, and to which the 
 
 canvas is sewed. 
 Bonnet. An additional piece of canvas attached to the foot of a jib, 
 
 or a schooner's foresail, by lacings. Taken off in bad weather. 
 Boom. A spar used to extend the foot of a fore-and-aft sail or 
 
 studding-sail. 
 Boom-irons. Iron rings on the yards, through which the 
 
 studding-sail booms traverse. 
 Boot-topping. Scraping off the grass, or other matter, which 
 
 may be on a vessel's bottom, and daubing it over with tallow, 
 
 or some mixture. 
 Bound. Wind-bound. When a vessel is kept in port by a 
 
 head wind. 
 Bow. The rounded part of a vessel, forward. 
 Bower. A working anchor, the cable of which is bent and reeved 
 
 through the hawse-hole. 
 Best bower is the larger of the two bowers. (See page 4.) 
 Bow-grace. A frame of old rope or junk, placed round the bows 
 
 and sides of a vessel, to prevent the ice from injuring her. 
 Bowline. (Pronounced bo-lin.) A rope leading forward from 
 
 the leach of a square sail, to keep the leach well out when 
 
 sailing close-hauled. A vessel is said to be on a bowline,, or 
 
 on a taut bowline, when she is close-hauled. 
 Bowline-bridle. The span on the leach of the sail to which 
 
 the bowline is toggled. 
 Bowline-knot. (See Plate 5, page 40.) 
 Bowse. To pull upon a tackle. 
 Bowsprit. (Pronounced bosprit.) A large and strong spar, 
 
 standing from the bows of a vessel. (See Plate 1 . ) 
 Box-hauling. Wearing a vessel by backing the head sails. (See 
 
 page 69.) 
 Box. To box the compass, is to repeat the thirty-two points of 
 
 the compass in order. 
 Brace. A rope by which a yard is turned about. 
 To brace a yard, is to turn it about horizontally. 
 To brace up, is to lay the yard more fore and aft. 
 To brace in, is to lay it nearer square. 
 To brace aback. (See Aback.) 
 To brace to, is to brace the head yards a little aback, in tacking 
 
 or wearing. 
 Brails. Ropes by which the foot or lower corners of fore-and-aft 
 
 sails are hauled up. 
 Brake. The handle of a ship's pump. 
 
06 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Break. To break bulk, is to begin to unload. 
 
 To break ground, is to lift the anchor from the bottom. 
 
 To break shear, is when a vessel, at anchor, in tending, is 
 
 forced the wrong way by the wind or current, so that she does 
 
 not lie so well for keeping herself clear of her anchor. 
 Breaker. A small cask containing water. 
 Bheaming. Cleaning a ship's bottom by burning. 
 Breast-fast. A rope used to confine a vessel sideways to a wharf, 
 
 or to some other vessel. 
 Breast-hooks. Knees placed in the forward part of a vessel, 
 
 across the stem, to unite the bows on each side. (See 
 
 Plate 3.) 
 Breast-rope. A rope passed round a man in the chains, while 
 
 sounding. 
 Breech. The outside angle of a knee-timber. 
 Breeching. A strong rope used to secure the breech of a gun to 
 
 the ship's side. 
 Bridle. Spans of rope attached to the leaches of square sails, to 
 
 which the bowlines are made fast. 
 Bridle-port. The foremost port, used for stowing the anchors. 
 Brig. A square-rigged vessel, with two masts. An hermaphro- 
 dite brig has a brig's foremast, and a schooner's mainmast. 
 
 (See Plate 4.) 
 Broach-to. To fall off so much, when going free, as to bring 
 
 the wind round on the other quarter, and take the sails aback. 
 Broadside. The whole side of a vessel. 
 Broken -backed. The state of a vessel when she is so loosened 
 
 as to droop at each end. 
 Bucklers. Blocks of wood made to fit in the hawse-holes, or holes 
 
 in the half-ports, when at sea. Those in the hawse-holes are 
 
 sometimes called hawse-blocks. 
 Bulge. (See Bilge.) 
 Bulk. The whole cargo, when stowed. 
 
 Stowed in bulk, is when goods are stowed loose, instead of 
 
 being stowed in casks or bags. (See Break-bulk.) 
 Bulk-head. Temporary partitions of boards to separate different 
 
 parts of a vessel. 
 Bull. A sailor's term for a small keg, holding a gallon or two. 
 Bull's-eye. (See page 45.) A small piece of stout wood with 
 
 a hole in the centre for a stay or rope to reeve through, 
 
 without any sheave, and with a groove round it for the strap, 
 
 which is usually of iron. Also a piece of thick glass inserted 
 
 in the deck, to let light below. 
 Bulwarks. The wood-work round a vessel, above her deck, 
 
 consisting of boards fastened to stanchions and timber-heads. 
 Bum-boats. Boats which lie alongside a vessel in port with pro- 
 visions and fruit to sell. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 97 
 
 Bumpkin. Pieces of timber projecting from the vessel to board the 
 fore tack to ; and from each quarter for the main brace-blocks. 
 Bunt. The middle of a sail. 
 Buntine. (Pronounced buntin.) Thin woollen stuff of which 
 
 a ship's colours are made. 
 Buntlines. Ropes used for hauling up the body of a sail. 
 Buoy. A floating cask, or piece of wood, attached by a rope to 
 an anchor, to show its position. Also floated over a shoal, 
 or other dangerous place, as a beacon. 
 To stream a buoy, is to drop it into the water before letting 
 
 go the anchor. 
 A buoy is said to watch, when it floats upon the surface of the 
 water. 
 Burton. A tackle, rove in a particular manner. 
 
 A single Spanish burton has three single blocks, or two single 
 
 blocks and a hook in the bight of one of the running parts. 
 A double Spanish burton has three double blocks. (See 
 page 46.) 
 Butt. The end of a plank where it unites With the end of another. 
 Scuttle-butt A cask with a hole cut in its bilge, and kept on 
 deck to hold water for daily use. 
 Buttock. That part of the convexity of a vessel abaft, under the 
 stern, contained between the counter above and the after part 
 of the bilge below, and between the quarter on the side and 
 the stern-post. (See Plate 3.) 
 By. By the head. Said of a vessel when her head is lower in 
 the water than her stern. If her stern is lower, she is by the 
 stern. 
 By the lee. (See Lee. See Run.) 
 
 Cabin. The after part of a vessel, in which the officers live. 
 
 Cable. A large, strong rope, made fast to the anchor, by which 
 the vessel is secured. It is usually 120 fathoms in length. 
 
 Cable-tier. (See Tier.) 
 
 Caboose. A house on deck, where the cooking is done. Com- 
 monly called the Galley. 
 
 Calk. (See Caulk.) 
 
 Cambered. When the floor of a vessel is higher at the middle 
 than towards the stem and stern. 
 
 Camel. A machine used for lifting vessels over a shoal or bar. 
 
 Camfering. Taking off an angle or edge of a timber. 
 
 Can-hooks. Slings with flat hooks at each end, used for hoisting 
 barrels or light casks, the hooks being placed round the chimes, 
 and the purchase hooked to the centre of the slings. Small 
 ones are usually wholly of iron. 
 
 Cant-pieces. Pieces of timber fastened to the angles of fishes and 
 side-trees, to supply any part that may prove rotten. 
 
 H 
 
V8 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Cant-timbers. Timbers at the two ends of a vessel, raised 
 
 obliquely from the keel. 
 Lower Half Cants. Those parts of frames situated forward and 
 
 abaft the square frames, or the floor- timbers which cross the keel. 
 Canvas. The cloth of which sails are made. No. 1. is the 
 
 coarsest and strongest. 
 Cap. A thick, strong block of wood with two holes through it, 
 
 one square and the other round, used to confine together the 
 
 head of one mast and the lower part of the mast next above 
 
 it. (See Plate 1.) 
 Capsize. To overturn. 
 Capstan. A machine placed perpendicularly in the deck, and used 
 
 for a strong purchase in heaving or hoisting. Men-of-war 
 
 weigh their anchors by capstans. Merchant-vessels use a 
 
 windlass. (See Bar.) 
 Careen. To heave a vessel down upon her side by purchases upon 
 
 the masts. To lie over, when sailing on the wind. 
 Carlings. Short and small pieces of timber running between the 
 
 beams. 
 Carrick-bend. A kind of knot. (See Plate 5, and page 41.) 
 
 Carrick-bitts are the windlass bitts. 
 Carry-away. To break a spar, or part a rope. 
 Cast. To pay a vessel's head off, in getting under way, on tht? 
 
 tack she is to sail upon. 
 Cat. The tackle used to hoist the anchor up to the cat- head. 
 
 Cat-block^ the block of this tackle. 
 Cat-harpin. An iron leg used to confine the upper part of the 
 
 rigging to the mast. 
 Cat-head. Large timbers projecting from the vessel's side, to which 
 
 the anchor is raised and secured. 
 Cat's-paw. A kind of hitch made in a rope. (See Plate 5, and 
 
 page 41.) A light current of air seen on the surface of the 
 
 water during a calm. 
 Caulk. To fill the seams of a vessel with oakum. 
 Cavil. (See Kevel.) 
 Ceiling. The inside planking of a vessel. 
 Chafe. To rub the surface of a rope or spar. 
 
 Chafing-gear is the stuff put upon the rigging and spars to 
 
 prevent their chafing. 
 Chains. (See Plate 1.) Strong links or plates of iron, the lower 
 
 ends of which are bolted through the ship's side to the timbers. 
 
 Their upper ends are secured to the bottom of the dead-eyes 
 
 in the channels. Also, used familiarly for the Channels, 
 
 which see. The chain-cable of a vessel is called familiarly 
 
 her chain. 
 Rudder-chains lead from the outer and upper end of the rudder 
 
 to the quarters. They are huDg slack. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 99 
 
 Chain-plates. Plates of iron bolted to the side of a ship, to 
 
 which the chains and dead-eyes of the lower rigging are con- 
 nected. 
 Channels. Broad pieces of plank bolted edgewise to the outside 
 
 of a vessel. Used for spreading the lower rigging. (See 
 
 Chains.) 
 Chapelling. Wearing a ship round, when taken aback, without 
 
 bracing the head-yards. (See page 74.) 
 Check. A term sometimes used for slacking off a little on a brace, 
 
 and then belaying it. 
 Cheeks. The projections on each side of a mast, upon which the 
 
 trestle-trees rest. The sides of the shell of a block. 
 Cheerly ! Quickly, with a will. 
 Chess- trees. Pieces of oak, fitted to the sides of a vessel, abaft 
 
 the fore chains, with a sheave in them, to board the main tack 
 
 to. Now out of use. 
 Chimes. The ends of the staves of a cask, where they come out 
 
 beyond the head of the cask. 
 Chinse. To thrust oakum into seams with a small iron. 
 Chock. A wedge used to secure anything with, or for anything to 
 
 rest upon. The long-boat rests upon two large chocks, when 
 
 it is stowed. 
 Chock-a-block. When the lower block of a tackle is run close 
 
 up to the upper one, so that you can hoist no higher. This is 
 
 also called hoisting up two-blocks. 
 Cistern. An apartment in the hold of a vessel, having a pipe 
 
 leading out through the side, with a cock, by which water may 
 
 be let into her. 
 Clamps. Thick planks on the inside of vessels, to support the ends 
 
 of beams. Also, crooked plates of iron fore-locked upon the 
 
 trunnions of cannon. Any plate of iron made to turn, open, 
 
 and shut so as to confine a spar or boom, as, a studdingsail 
 
 boom, or a boat's mast. 
 Clasp-hook. (See Clove-hook.) 
 Cleat. A piece of wood used in different parts of a vessel to belay 
 
 ropes to. 
 Clew. The lower corner of square sails, and the after^corner of a 
 
 fore-and-aft sail. 
 To clew up, is to haul up the clew of a sail. 
 Clew-garnet. A rope that hauls up the clew of a foresail or main- 
 sail in a square-rigged vessel. 
 Clewline. A rope that hauls up the clew of a square-sail. The 
 
 clew-garnet is the clewline of a course. 
 Clinch. A half-hitch, stopped to its own part. ' 
 Close-hauled. Applied to a vessel which is sailing with her yards 
 braced up so as to get as much as possible to windward. The 
 same as on a taut bowline, full and by, on the windy &c. 
 h2 
 
100 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Clove-hitch. Two half-hitches round a spar or other rope. (See 
 
 Plate 5 and page 39.) 
 Clove-hook. An iron clasp, in two parts, moving upon the same 
 
 pivot, and overlapping one another. Used for bending chain- 
 sheets to the clews of sails. 
 Club -haul. To bring a vessel's head round on the other tack, by 
 
 letting go the lee anchor, and cutting or slipping the cable. 
 
 (See page 70.) 
 Clubbing. Drifting down a current with an anchor out. (See 
 
 page 71.) 
 Coaking. Uniting pieces of spar by means of tabular projections, 
 
 formed by cutting away the solid of one piece into a hollow, 
 
 so as to make a projection in the other, in such a manner that 
 
 they may correctly fit, the butts preventing the pieces from 
 
 drawing asunder. 
 Coaks are fitted into the beams and knees of vessels to prevent 
 
 their drawing. 
 Coal Tar. Tar made from bituminous coal. 
 Coamings. Raised work round the hatches, to prevent water going 
 
 down into the hold. 
 Coat. Mast-coat is a piece of canvas, tarred or painted, placed 
 
 round a mast or bowsprit, where it enters the deck. 
 Cock-bill. To cock-bill a yard or anchor. (See A-cock-bill.) 
 Cock-pit. An apartment in a vessel of war, used by the surgeon 
 
 • during an action. 
 Codline. An eighteen thread line. 
 Coxswain. (Pronounced cox'n.) The person who steers a boat 
 
 and has charge of her. 
 Coil. To lay a rope up in a ring, with one turn or fake over another. 
 
 A coil is a quantity of rope laid up in that manner. 
 Collar. An eye in the end or bight of a shroud or stay, to go 
 
 over the mast-head. 
 Come. Come home, said of an anchor when it is broken from the 
 
 ground and drags. 
 To come up a rope or tackle, is to slack it off. 
 Companion. A wooden covering over the staircase to a cabin. 
 Companion-way, the staircase to the cabin. 
 Companion ladder. The ladder leading from the poop to the 
 
 main deck. 
 Compass. The instrument which tells the course of a vessel. 
 
 Compass- timbers are such as are curved or arched. 
 Concluding-line. A small line leading through the centre of the 
 
 steps of a rope or Jacob's ladder. 
 Conning, or Cunning. Directing the helmsman in steering a 
 
 vessel. 
 Counter. (See Plate 3.) That part of a vessel between the 
 
 bottom of the stern and the wing-transom and buttock. 
 
DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 101 
 
 Counter — continued. 
 
 Counter-timbers are short timbers put in to strengthen the 
 
 counter. 
 To counter-brace yards, is to brace the head-yards one way and 
 the after- yards another. 
 Courses. The common term for the sails that hang from a ship's 
 
 lower yards. The foresail is called the fore course and the 
 
 mainsail the main course. 
 Cranes. Pieces of iron or timber at the vessel's sides, used to 
 
 stow boats or spars upon. A machine used at a wharf for 
 
 hoisting. 
 Crank. The condition of a vessel when she is inclined to lean 
 
 over a great deal and cannot bear much sail. This may be 
 
 owing to her construction or to her stowage. 
 Creeper. An iron instrument, like a grapnell, with four claws, 
 
 used for dragging the bottom of a harbour or river, to find 
 
 anything lost. 
 Cringle. A short piece of rope with each end spliced into the 
 
 bolt-rope of a sail, confining an iron ring or thimble. 
 Cross-bars. Round bars of iron, bent at each end, used as levers 
 
 to turn the shank of an anchor. 
 Cross-chocks. Pieces of timber fayed across the dead-wood amid- 
 ships, to make good the deficiency of the heels of the lower 
 
 futtocks. 
 Cross-jack (pronounced croj-jack). The cross-jack yard is the 
 
 lower yard on the mizen mast. (See Plate ] .) 
 Cross-pawls. Pieces of timber that keep a vessel together while 
 
 in her frames. 
 Cross-piece. A piece of timber connecting two bitts. 
 Cross-spales. Pieces of timber placed across a vessel, and nailed 
 
 to the frames, to keep the sides together until the knees are 
 
 bolted. 
 Cross-trees. (See Plate 1.) Pieces of oak supported by the 
 
 cheeks and trestle-trees, at the mast heads, to sustain the tops 
 
 on the lower mast, and to spread the topgallant rigging at the 
 
 topmast head. 
 Crow-foot. A number of small lines rove through the uvrou to 
 
 suspend an awning by. 
 Crown of an anchor, is the place where the arms are joined to the 
 
 shank. 
 To crown a knot, is to pass the strands over and under each 
 
 other above the knot. (See Plate 5, page 37.) 
 Crutch. A knee or piece of knee timber, placed inside of a vessel 
 
 to secure the heels of the cant-timbers abaft. Also, the chock 
 
 upon which the spanker-boom rests when the sail is not set. 
 Cuckold's Neck. A knot by which a rope is secured to a spar, the 
 
 two parts of the rope crossing each other, and seized together. 
 
102 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Cuddy. A cabin in the fore part of a boat. 
 
 Cuntline. The space between the bilges of two casks, stowed 
 side by side. Where one cask is set upon the cuntline be- 
 tween two others, they are stowed bilge and cuntline. 
 
 Cut-water. The foremost part of a vessel's prow, which projects 
 forward of the bows. 
 
 Cutter. A small boat. Also, a kind of sloop. 
 
 Dagger. A piece of timber crossing all the puppets of the bilge- 
 ways to keep them together. 
 Dagger-knees. Knees placed obliquely, to avoid a port. 
 
 Davits. Pieces of timber or iron, with sheaves or blocks at their 
 ends, projecting over a vessel's sides or stern, to hoist boats 
 up to. Also, a spar with a roller or sheave at its end, used 
 for fishing the anchor, called afish-davit. 
 
 Dead-eye. A circular 'block of wood, with three holes through 
 it, for the lanyards of rigging to reeve through, without 
 sheaves, and with a groove round it for an iron strap. (See 
 page 45). 
 
 Dead-flat. One of the bends amidships. 
 
 Dead-light. Ports placed in the cabin windows in bad weather. 
 
 Dead Reckoning. A reckoning kept by observing a vessel's courses 
 and distances by the log, to ascertain her position. 
 
 Dead-rising, or Rising-line. Those parts of a vessel's floor, 
 throughout her whole length, where the floor timber is termi- 
 nated upon the lower futtock. 
 
 Dead-water. The eddy under a vessel's counter. 
 
 Dead-wood. Blocks of timber, laid upon each end of the keel 
 where the vessel narrows. 
 
 Deck. The planked floor of a vessel, resting upon her beams. 
 
 Deck-stopper. A stopper used for securing the cable forward of 
 the windlass or capstan, while it is overhauled. (See Stopper.) 
 
 Deep-sea-lead (pronounced dipsey). (See page 5.) The lead 
 used in sounding at great depths. 
 
 Departure. The easting or westing made by a vessel. The 
 bearing of an object on the coast from which a vessel com- 
 mences her dead reckoning. 
 
 Derrick. A single spar, supported by stays and guys, to which a 
 purchase is attached, used to unload vessels, and for hoisting. 
 
 Dog. A short iron bar, with a fang or teeth at one end, and a 
 
 ring at the other. Used for a purchase, the fang being placed 
 
 against a beam or knee, and the block of a tackle hooked to 
 
 the ring. 
 
 Dog-vane. A small vane, made of feathers or buntin, to show the 
 
 direction of the wind. 
 Dog-watches. Half watches of two hours each, from 4 to 6 and 
 from 6 to 8 p. m. (See Watch.) 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 103 
 
 Dolphin. A rope or strap round a mast to support the puddening, 
 
 where the lower yards rest in the slings. Also, a spar or buoy 
 
 with a large ring in it, secured to an anchor, to which vessels 
 
 may bend their cables. 
 Dolphin-striker. The martingale. (See Plate 1.) 
 Douse. To lower suddenly. 
 Dowelling. A method of coaking, by letting pieces into the solid, 
 
 or uniting two pieces together by tenons. 
 Downhaul. A rope used to haul down jibs, staysails, and stud- 
 
 dingsails. 
 Drabler. A piece of canvas laced to the bonnet of a sail, to give 
 
 it more drop. 
 Drag. A machine with a bag net, used for dragging on the bottom 
 
 for anything lost. 
 Draught. The depth of water which a vessel requires to float her. 
 Draw. A sail draws when it is filled by the wind. 
 
 To draw a jib, is to shift it over the stay to leeward, when it 
 
 is aback. 
 Drifts. Those pieces in the sheer-draught where the rails are cut off. 
 Drive. To scud before a gale, or to drift in a current. 
 Driver. A spanker. 
 
 Drop. The depth of a sail, from head to foot, amidships. 
 Drum-head. The top of the capstan. 
 Dub. To reduce the end of a timber. 
 Duck. A kind of cloth, lighter and finer than canvas ; used for 
 
 small sails. 
 Dunnage. Loose wood or other matters, placed on the bottom of 
 
 the hold, above the ballast, to stow cargo upon. 
 
 Earing. A rope attached to the cringle of a sail, by which it is 
 
 bent or reefed. 
 Eiking. A piece of wood fitted to make good a deficiency in length. 
 Elbow. Two crosses in a hawse, (See page 109.) 
 Escutcheon. The part of a vessel's stern where her name is written. 
 Even-keel. The situation of a vessel when she ie so trimmed 
 
 that she sits evenly upon the water, neither end being down 
 
 more than the other. 
 Eupluve. A piece of wood, by which the legs of the crow-foot to 
 
 an awning are extended. (See Union.) 
 Eye. The circular part of a shroud or stay, where it goes over 
 
 a mast. 
 Eye-bolt. A long iron bar, having an eye at one end, driven 
 
 through a vessel's deck or side into a timber or beam, with 
 
 the eye remaining out, to hook a tackle to. If there is a 
 
 ring through this eye, it is called a ring-bolt. 
 An Eye-splice is a certain kind of splice made with the end of 
 
 a rope. (See Plate 5 and page 36.) 
 
104 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Eye — continued. 
 
 Eyelet-hole. A hole made in a sail for a cringle or roband to 
 
 go through. 
 The Eyes of a vessel. A familiar phrase for the forward part. 
 
 Face- pieces. Pieces of wood wrought on the fore part of the knee 
 
 of the head. 
 Facing. Letting one piece of timber into another, with a rabbet. 
 Fag. A rope is fagged when the end is untwisted. 
 Fair-leader. A strip of board or plank, with holes in it, for 
 
 running rigging, to lead through. Also, a block or thimble 
 
 used for the same purpose. 
 Fake. One of the circles or rings made in coiling a rope. 
 Fall. That part of a tackle to which the power is applied in 
 
 hoisting. 
 False Keel. Pieces of timber secured under the main keel of 
 
 vessels. 
 Fancy-line. A line rove through a block at the jaws of a gaff, 
 
 used as a downhaul. Also, a line used for cross-hauling the 
 
 lee topping-lift. 
 Fashion-pieces. The aftermost timbers, terminating the breadth 
 
 and forming the shape of the stern. 
 Fast. A rope by which a vessel is secured to a wharf. There 
 
 are bow or head, breast, quarter, and stern fasts. 
 Fathom. Six feet. 
 Feather. To feather an oar in rowing, is to turn the blade 
 
 horizontally with the top aft as it comes out of the water. 
 Feather-edged. Planks which have one side thicker than another. 
 Fenders. Pieces of rope or wood hung over the side of a vessel 
 
 or boat, to protect it from chafing. The fenders of a neat boat 
 
 are usually made of canvas and stuffed. 
 Fid. A block of wood or iron, placed through the hole in the heel 
 
 of a mast, and resting on the trestle-trees of the mast below. 
 
 This supports the mast. Also, a wooden pin, tapered, used 
 
 in splicing large ropes, in opening eyes, &c. 
 Fiddle-block. A long shell, having one sheave over the other, 
 
 and the lower smaller than the upper. 
 Fiddle-head. (See Head.) 
 Fife-rail. The rail going round a mast. 
 
 Figure-head. A carved head or full-length figure, over the cut- 
 water. 
 Fillings. Pieces of timber used to make the curve fair for the 
 
 mouldings, between the edges of the fish-front and the sides 
 
 of the mast. 
 Filler. (See Made Mast.) 
 
 Finishing. Carved ornaments of the quarter- gal ley, below the 
 second counter, and above the upper lights. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 105 
 
 Fish. To raise the flukes of an anchor upon the gunwale. Also, 
 to strengthen a spar when sprung or weakened, by putting in 
 or fastening on auother piece. 
 Fish-front, Fishes-sides. (See Made Mast.) 
 
 Fish-Davit. The davit used for fishing an anchor. 
 
 Fish-hook. A hook with a pennant, to the end of which the fish- 
 tackle is hooked. 
 
 Fish-tackle. The tackle used for fishing an anchor. 
 
 Flare. When the vessel's sides go out from the perpendicular. 
 In opposition to falling •home or tumbling-in. 
 
 Flat. A sheet is said to be hauled^atf, when it is hauled down close. 
 Flat-aback, when a sail is blown with its after surface against 
 the mast. 
 
 Fleet. To come up a tackle and draw the blocks apart, for another 
 pull, after they have been hauled two-blocks. 
 Fleet ho ! The order given at such times. Also, to shift the 
 position of a block or fall, so as to haul to more advantage. 
 
 Flemish Coil. (See French-fake.) 
 
 Flemish-eye. A kind of eye-splice. (See Plate 5 and page 36.) 
 
 Flemish-horse. An additional foot-rope at the end of topsail yards. 
 
 Floor. The bottom of a vessel, on each side of the keelson. 
 
 Floor Timbers. Those timbers of a vessel which are placed across 
 the keel. (See Plate 3.) 
 
 Flowing Sheet. When a vessel has the wind free, and the lee 
 clews eased off. 
 
 Flukes. The broad triangular plates at the extremity of the arms 
 of an anchor, terminating in a point called the bill. 
 
 Fly. That part of a flag which extends from the Union to the 
 extreme end. (See Union.) 
 
 Foot. The lower end of a mast or sail. (See Fore-foot.) 
 
 Foot-rope. The rope stretching along a yard, upon which men 
 stand when reefing or furling, formerly called horses. 
 
 Foot waling. The inside planks or lining of a vessel, over the 
 floor-timbers. 
 
 Fore. Used to distinguish the forward part of a vessel, or things 
 in that direction ; as, fore rnast, fore hatch, in opposition to 
 aft or after. 
 
 Fore-and-aft. Lengthwise with the vessel. In opposition to 
 athwart ships. (See Sails.) 
 
 Forecastle. That part of the upper deck forward of the fore- 
 mast ; or, as some say, forward of the after part of the fore 
 channels. (See Plate 1 .) Also, the forward part of the vessel, 
 under the deck, where the sailors live, in merchant vessels. 
 
 Fore-foot. A piece of timber at the forward extremity of the keel, 
 upon which the lower end of the stem rests. (See Plate 3.) 
 
 Fore-ganger. A short piece of rope grafted on a harpoon, to 
 wnich the line is bent. 
 
106 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Fore Lock. A flat piece of iron, driven through the end of a bolt, 
 
 to prevent its drawing. 
 Fore Mast. The forward mast of all vessels. (See Plate 1.) 
 Fore-reach. To shoot ahead, especially when going in stays. 
 Fore-runner. A piece of rag, terminating the stray-line of the 
 
 log-line. 
 Forge. To forge ahead, to shoot ahead ; as, in coming to anchor, 
 
 after the sails are furled. (See Fore-reach.) 
 Formers. Pieces of wood used for shaping cartridges or wads. 
 Fother, or Fodder. To draw a sail, filled with oakum, under a 
 
 vessel's bottom, in order to stop a leak. 
 Foul. The term for the opposite of clear. 
 Foul Anchor. When the cable has a turn round the anchor. 
 Foul Hawse. When the two cables are crossed or twisted outside 
 
 the stem. 
 Founder. A vessel founders when she fills with water and sinks. 
 Fox. (See page 43.) Made by twisting together two or more 
 
 rope-yarns. 
 A Spanish fox is made by untwisting a single yarn and laying 
 
 it up the contrary way. 
 Frap. To pass ropes round a sail to keep it from blowing loose. 
 
 Also, to draw ropes round a vessel which is weakened, to keep 
 
 her together. 
 Free. A vessel is going free, when she has a fair wind and her 
 
 yards braced in. A vessel is said to be free, when the water 
 
 has been pumped out of her. 
 Freshen. To relieve a rope, by moving its place; as, to freshen 
 
 the nip of a stay, is to shift it, so as to prevent its chafing 
 
 through. 
 To freshen ballast, is to alter its position. 
 French-fake. To coil a rope with each fake outside of the others 
 
 beginning in the middle. If there are to be riding fakes, they 
 
 begin outside and go in ; and so on. This is called a Flemish 
 
 coil. 
 Full-and-by. Sailing close-hauled on a wind. 
 
 Full-and-by ! The order given to the man at the helm to keep 
 
 the sails full and at the same time close to the wind. 
 Furl. To roll a sail up snugly on a yard or boom, and secure it. 
 Futtock-plates. Iron plates crossing the sides of the top-rim per- 
 pendicularly. The dead eyes of the topmast rigging are fitted 
 
 to their upper ends, and the futtock-shrouds to their lower ends. 
 Futtock-shrouds. Short shrouds, leading from the lower ends of 
 
 the futtock-plates to a bend round the lower mast, just below 
 
 the top. 
 Futtock-staff. A short piece of wood or iron, seized across the 
 
 upper part of the rigging, to which the catharpin legs are 
 
 secured. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 107 
 
 Futtock-timbers. (See Plate 3.) Those timbers between the 
 floor and naval timbers, and the top-timbers. There are two 
 
 —the lower, which is over the floor, and the middle, which is 
 
 over the naval timber. The naval timber is sometimes called 
 
 the ground futtock. 
 Gaff. A spar, to which the head of a fore-and-aft sail is bent. 
 
 (See Plate 1.) 
 Gaff-topsail. A light sail set over a gaff, the foot being spread by it. 
 Gage. The depth of water of a vessel. Also, her position as to 
 
 another vessel, as having the weather or lee gage. 
 Galley. The place where the cooking is done. 
 Gallows-bitts. A strong frame raised amidships, to support spare 
 
 spars, &c, in port. 
 Gammoning. (See Plate 1.) The lashing by which the bowsprit 
 
 is secured to the cut-water. 
 Gang-casks. Small casks, used for bringing water on board in boats. 
 Gangway. (See Plate 1.) That part of aivessel's side, amid- 
 ships, where people pass in and out of the vessel. 
 Gantline. (See Girtline.) 
 Garboard-8treak. (See Plate 3.) The range of planks next 
 
 the keel, on each side. 
 Garland. A large rope, strap or grommet, lashed to a spar when 
 
 hoisting it in board. 
 Garnet. A purchase on the main stay, for hoisting cargo. 
 Gaskets. Ropes or pieces of plaited stuff, used to secure a sail to 
 
 the yard or boom when it is furled. They are called a bunt, 
 
 quarter, or yard-arm gasket, according to their position on 
 
 the yard. 
 Gimblet. To turn an anchor round by its stock. To turn any- 
 thing round on its end. 
 Girt. The situation of a vessel when her cables are too taut. 
 Girtline. A rope rove through a single block aloft, making a 
 
 whip purchase. Commonly used to hoist rigging by, in 
 
 fitting it. 
 Give Way ! An order to men in a boat to pull with more force, 
 
 or to begin pulling. The same as, Lay out on your oars ! 
 
 or, Lay out ! 
 Glut. A piece of canvas sewed into the centre of a sail, near the 
 
 head. It has an eyelet-hole in the middle for the bunt-jigger 
 
 or becket to go through. 
 Gob-line, or Gaub-line. A rope leading from the martingale 
 
 inboard. The same as back-rope. 
 Goodgeon. (See Gudgeon.) 
 Goose-neck. An iron ring fitted to the end of a yard or boom, 
 
 for various purposes. 
 Goose-winged. The situation of a course when the buntlines and 
 
 lee clew are hauled up, and the weather clew down. 
 
108 DICTIONARY OE SEA TERMS. 
 
 Gores. The angles at one or both ends of such cloths as increase 
 
 the breadth or depth of a sail. 
 Goring-cloths. Pieces cut obliquely and put in to add to the 
 
 breadth of a sail. 
 Grafting. (See page 43.) A manner of covering a rope by 
 
 weaving together yarns. 
 Grains. An iron, with four or more barbed points to it, used for 
 
 striking small fish. 
 Grapnel. A small anchor, with several claws, used to secure boats. 
 Grappling Irons. Crooked irons, used to seize and hold fast 
 
 another vessel. 
 Grating. Open lattice work of wood. Used principally to cover 
 
 hatches in good weather. 
 Greave. To clean a ship's bottom by burning. 
 Gripe. The outside timber of the forefoot, under water, fastened 
 
 to the lower stem-piece. (See Plate 3.) A vessel gripes 
 
 when she tends to come up into the wind. . 
 
 Gripes. Bars of iron, with lanyards, rings, and clews, by which 
 
 a large boat is lashed to the ring-bolts of the deck. Those 
 
 for a quarter-boat are made of long strips of matting, going 
 
 round her and set taut by a lanyard. 
 Grommet. (See Plate 5 and page 37.) A ring formed of rope, 
 
 by laying round a single strand. 
 Ground Tackle. General term for anchors, cables, warps, springs, 
 
 &c. ; everything used in securing a vessel at anchor. 
 Ground-tier. The lowest tier of casks in a vessel's bold. 
 Guess-warp, or Guess-rope. A rope fastened to a vessel or wharf, 
 
 and used to tow a boat by ; or to haul it out to the swinging 
 
 boom-end, when in port. 
 Gun-tackle Purchase. A purchase made by two single blocks. 
 
 (See page 45.) 
 Gunwale. (Pronounced gun-nel.) The upper rail of a boat or vessel. 
 Guv. A rope attaching to anything to steady it, and bear it one 
 
 way and another in hoisting. 
 Gybe, j (Pronounced jibe.) To shift over the boom of a fore- 
 and-aft sail. 
 
 Hail. To speak or call to another vessel, or to men in a different 
 
 part of a ship. 
 Halyards. Ropes or tackles used for hoisting and lowering yards, 
 
 gaffs, and sails. 
 Half-hitch. (See Plate 5 and page 39.) 
 Hammock. A piece of canvas, hung at each end, in which seamen 
 
 sleep. 
 Hand. To hand a sail is to furl it. 
 Bear a hand : make haste. 
 Lend a hand : assist. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 109 
 
 Hand — continued. 
 
 Hand-over -hand : hauling rapidly on a rope, by putting one 
 hand before the other alternately. 
 Hand-lead. (See page 5.) A small lead, used for sounding in 
 
 rivers and harbours. 
 Handsomely. Slowly, carefully. Used for an order, as, " Lower 
 
 handsomely !" 
 Handspike. A long wooden bar, used for heaving at the windlass. 
 Handy Billy. A watch-tackle. 
 Hanks. Rings or hoops of wood, rope, or iron, round a stay, and 
 
 seized to the luff of a fore-and-aft sail. 
 Harpings. The fore part of the wales, which encompass the bows 
 
 of a vessel, and are fastened to the stem. (See Plate 3.) 
 Harpoon. A spear used for striking whales and other fish. 
 Hatch, or Hatchway. An opening in the deck to afford a passage 
 
 up and down. The coverings over these openings are also 
 
 called hatches. 
 Hatch-bar is an iron bar going across the hatches to keep them 
 
 down. 
 Haul. Haul her wind, said of a vessel when she comes up 
 
 close upon the wind. 
 Hawse. The situation of the cables before a vessel's stem when 
 
 moored. Also the distance upon the water a little in advance 
 
 of the stem ; as, a vessel sails athwart the hawse, or anchors 
 
 in the hawse of another. 
 Open hawse. When a vessel rides by two anchors, without any 
 
 cross in her cables. 
 Hawse-hole. The hole in the bows through which the cable runs. 
 Hawse-pieces. Timbers through which the hawse-holes are cut. 
 Hawse-block. A block of wood fitted into a hawse-hole at sea. 
 Hawser. A large rope used for various purposes, as warping, for 
 
 a spring, &c. 
 Hawser-laid, or Cable-laid rope, is rope laid with nine strands 
 
 against the sun. (See Plate 5 and page 34.) 
 Haze. A term for punishing a man by keeping him unnecessarily 
 
 at work upon disagreeable or difficult duty. 
 Head. The work at the prow of a vessel. If it is a carved figure, 
 
 it is called a figure-head ; if simple carved work, beD ding over 
 
 and out, a billet-head ; and if bending in, like the handle of a 
 
 violin, a fiddle-head. Also, the upper end of a mast, called 
 
 a mast-head. (See By-the-head. See Fast.) 
 Head-ledges. Thwartship pieces that frame the hatchways. 
 Head-sails. A general name given to all sails that set forward 
 
 of the fore-mast. 
 Heart. A block of wood in the shape of a heart, for stays to 
 
 reeve through. 
 Heart-yarns. The centre yarns of a strand. 
 
110 DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 
 
 Heave short. To heave in on the cable until the vessel is nearly 
 
 over her anchor. 
 Heave-to. To put a vessel in the position of lying to. (See 
 
 LlE-TO.) 
 
 Hfave in Stays. To go about in tacking. 
 
 Heaver. A short wooden bar, tapering at each end. Used as 
 
 a purchase. 
 Heel. The after part of the keel. Also the lower end of a mast 
 
 or boom. Also the lower end of the stern post. 
 To heel, is to lie over on one side. 
 Heeling. The square part of the lower end of a mast, through 
 
 which the fid-hole is made. 
 Helm. The machinery by which a vessel is steered, including the 
 
 rudder, tiller, wheel, &c. Applied more particularly, perhaps, 
 
 to the tiller. 
 Helm-port. The hole in the counter through which the ruddder- 
 
 head passes. 
 Helm-port transom. A piece of timber placed across the lower 
 
 counter, inside at the height of the helm-port, and bolted 
 
 through every timber, for the security of that port. (See 
 
 Plate 3.) 
 High and Dry. The situation of a vessel when she is aground, 
 
 above water mark. 
 Hitch. A peculiar manner of fastening ropes. (See Plate 5 and 
 
 page 39.) 
 Hog. A flat, rough broom, used for scrubbing the bottom of a 
 
 vessel. 
 Hogged. The state of a vessel when by any strain she is made to 
 
 droop at each end, bringing her centre up. 
 Hold. The interior of a vessel where the cargo is stowed. 
 Hold-water. To stop the progress of a boat by keeping the oar- 
 blades in the water. 
 Holy-stone. A large stone, used for cleaning a ship's decks. 
 Home. The sheets of a sail are said to be home, when the clews 
 
 are hauled chock out to the sheave-holes. An anchor comes 
 
 home when it is loosened from the ground, and is hove in 
 
 toward the vessel. 
 Hood. A covering for a companion hatch. 
 Hood-ends, or Hooding-ends, or Whooden-ends. Those ends 
 
 of the planks which fit into the rabbets of the stem or 
 
 stern-post. 
 Hook-and-Butt. The scarfing, or laying the ends of timbers 
 
 over each other. 
 Horns. The jaws of booms. Also the ends of cross-trees. 
 Horse. (See Foot-rope.) 
 Hounds. Those projections at the mast-head serving as shoulders 
 
 for the top or trestle-trees to rest upon. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. Ill 
 
 House. To house a mast, is to lower it about half its length, and 
 
 secure it by lashing its heel to the mast below. (See page 27.) 
 
 To house a gun, is to run it in clear of the port and secure it. 
 
 Housing, or House-line. (Pronounced houze-lin.) A small 
 cord made of three small yarns, and used for seizings. 
 
 Hull. The body of a vessel. (See A-hull.) 
 
 In-and-out. A term sometimes used for the scantline of the 
 
 timbers, the moulding way, and particularly for those bolts 
 
 that are driven into the hanging and lodging knees, through 
 
 the sides, which are called in-and-out bolts. 
 Inner-post. A piece brought on at the fore side of the main-post, 
 
 and generally continued as high as the wing-transom, to seat 
 
 the other transoms upon. 
 Irons. A ship is said to be in irons when, in working, she will 
 
 not cast one way or the other. 
 Jack. A common term for the jack-cross-trees. (See Union.) 
 Jack-block. A block used in sending topgallant masts up and 
 
 down. 
 Jack-cross-trees. (See Plate 1.) Iron cross-trees at the head 
 
 of long topgallant masts. 
 Jack-staff. A short staff, raised at the bowsprit cap, upon which 
 
 the Union Jack is hoisted. 
 Jack-stays. Ropes stretched taut along a yard to bend the head 
 
 of the sail to. Also long strips of wood or iron, used now for 
 
 the same purpose. 
 Jack-screw. A purchase, used for stowing cotton. 
 Jacob's Ladder. A ladder made of rope, with wooden steps. 
 Jaws. The inner ends of booms or gaffs, hollowed in. 
 Jeers. Tackles for hoisting the lower yards. 
 Jewel-blocks. Single blocks at the yard-arms, through which the 
 
 studdingsail halyards lead. 
 Jib. (See Plate 2.) A triangular sail, set on a stay, forward. 
 Flying-jib sets outside of the jib ; and the jib-o'-jib outside 
 
 of that. 
 Jib-boom. (See Plate 1.) The boom rigged out beyond the 
 
 bowsprit, to which the tack of the jib is lashed. 
 Jigger. A small tackle used about decks or aloft. 
 Jolly-boat. A small boat, usually hoisted at the stern. 
 Junk. Condemned rope, cut up and used for making mats, swabs, 
 
 oakum, &c. 
 Jury-mast. A temporary mast, rigged at sea, in place of one lost. 
 
 p Keckling. Old rope wound round cables, to keep them from 
 
 chafing. (See Rounding.) 
 Kedge. A small anchor, with an iron stock, used for warping. 
 To kedge, is to warp a vessel ahead by a kedge and hawser. 
 
112 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Keel. (See Plate 3.) The lowest and principal timber of a 
 vessel, running fore-and-aft its whole length, and supporting 
 the whole frame. It is composed of several pieces, placed 
 lengthwise, and scarfed and bolted together. (See False 
 Keel.) 
 
 Keel-haul. To haul a man under a vessel's bottom, by ropes at 
 the yard-arms on each side. Formerly practised as a punish- 
 ment in ships of war. 
 
 Keelson. (See Plate 3.) A timber placed over the keel on the 
 floor timbers, and running parallel with it. 
 
 Kentledge. Pig-iron ballast, laid each side of the keelson. 
 
 Kevel, or Cavil. A strong piece of wood, bolted to some timber 
 or stanchion, used for belaying large ropes to. 
 
 Kevel-heads. Timber-heads used as kevels. 
 
 Kink. A twist in a rope. 
 
 Knees. (See Plate 3.) Crooked pieces of timber, having two 
 arms, used to connect the beams of a vessel with her timbers. 
 (See Dagger.) 
 Lodging-knees, are placed horizontally, having one arm bolted 
 
 to a beam, and the other across two of the timbers. 
 Knee of the head, is placed forward of the stem, and supports 
 the figure-head. 
 
 Knight-heads, or Bollard-timbers. The timbers next the stem 
 on each side, and continued high enough to form a support for 
 the bowsprit. (See Plate 3.) 
 
 Knittles, or Nettles. (See page 43.) The halves of two ad- 
 joining yarns in a rope, twisted up together, for pointing or 
 grafting. Also, small line used for seizings and for hammock- 
 clews. 
 
 Knock- off ! An order to leave off work. 
 
 Knot. A division on the log-line, answering to a mile of distance. 
 (See page 5.) j 
 
 Labour. A vessel is said to labour when she rolls or pitches 
 
 heavily. 
 Lacing. Rope used to lash a sail to a gaff, or a bonnet to a sail. 
 
 Also, a piece of compass or knee timber, fayed to the back of 
 
 the figure-head and the knee of the head, and bolted to each. 
 Land-fall. The making land after being at sea. 
 
 A good land-fall, is when a vessel makes the land as intended. 
 Land ho ! The cry used when land is first seen. 
 Lanyards. Ropes rove through dead-eyes for setting up rigging. 
 
 Also, a rope made fast to anything to secure it, or as a handle, 
 
 is called a lanyard. 
 Larboard. The left side of a vessel, looking forward. 
 Larbowlines. The familar term for the men in the larboard 
 
 watch. 
 
DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 113 
 
 Large. A vessel is said to be going large, when she has the wind 
 free. 
 
 Latchings. Loops on the head-rope of a bonnet, by which it is 
 laced to the foot of the sail. 
 
 Launch. A large boat. The Long-boat. 
 
 Launch ho ! High enough ! 
 
 Lay. To come or to go ; as, Lay aloft ! Lay forward ! 
 Lay aft ! Also the ^direction in which the strands of a 
 rope are twisted; as, from left to right, or from right to 
 left. 
 
 Leach. The border or edge of a sail, at the sides. 
 
 Leachline. A rope used for hauling up the leach of a sail. 
 
 Lead. A piece of lead, in the shape of a cone or pyramid, 
 with a small hole at the base, and a line attached to the 
 upper end, used for sounding. (See Hand-lead, Deep- 
 sea-lead.) 
 
 Leading-wind. A fair wind. More particularly applied to a 
 wind abeam or quartering. 
 
 Leak. A hole or breach in a vessel, at which the water comes in. 
 
 Ledges. Small pieces of timber placed athwart-ships under the 
 decks of a vessel, between the beams. 
 
 Lee: The side opposite to that from which the wind blows ; as, 
 if a vessel has the wind on her starboard side, that will be the 
 weather, and the larboard will be the lee side. 
 A lee shore is the shore upon which the wind is blowing. 
 Under the lee of anything, is when you have that between you 
 
 and the wind. 
 By the lee. The situation of a vessel going free, when she has 
 fallen off so much as to bring the wind round her stern, and 
 to take her sails aback on the other side. 
 
 Lee-board. A board fitted to the lee side of flat-bottomed boats, 
 to prevent their drifting to leeward. 
 
 Lee-gage. (See Gage.) 
 
 Leeway. What a vessel loses by drifting to leeward. When 
 sailing close-hauled with all sail set, a vessel should make no 
 leeway. If the topgallant sails are furled, it is customary to 
 allow one point ; under close-reefed topsails, two points ; 
 when under one close-reefed sail, four or five points. 
 
 Leefange. An iron bar, upon which the sheets of fore-and-aft sails 
 traverse. Also, a rope rove through the cringle of a sail 
 which has a bonnet to it, for hauling in, so as to lace on the 
 bonnet. Not much used. 
 
 Leeward. (Pronounced lu-ard.) The lee side. In a direction 
 opposite to that from which the wind blows, which is called 
 windward. The opposite of lee is weather^ and of leeward 
 is windward ; the first two being adjectives. 
 1 
 
114 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Lie-to, is to stop the progress of a vessel at sea, either by counter- 
 bracing the yards, or by reducing sail so that she will make 
 little or no headway, but will merely come to and fall off by 
 the counteraction of the sails and helm. 
 
 Life-lines. Ropes carried along yards, booms, &c, or at any 
 part of the vessel, for men to hold on by. 
 
 Lift. A rope or tackle, going from the yard-arms to the mast- 
 head, to support and move the yard. Also, a term applied to 
 the sails when the wind strikes them on the leaches and 
 raises them slightly. 
 
 Light. To move or lift anything along; as, to "Light out to 
 windward ! " that is, haul the sail over to windward. The 
 light sails are all above the topsails, also the studdingsails and 
 flying jib. 
 
 Lighter. A large boat, used in loading and unloading vessels. 
 
 Limbers, or Limber-holes. Holes cut in the lower part of the 
 
 floor-timbers, next the keelson, forming a passage for the 
 
 water fore-and-aft. 
 
 Limber -boards are placed over the limbers, and are moveable. 
 
 Limber-rope. A rope rove fore-and aft through the limbers, to 
 
 clear them if necessary. 
 Limber-streak. The streak of foot-waling nearest the keelson. 
 
 List. The inclination of a vessel to one side ; as, a list to port, 
 or a list to starboard. 
 
 Lizard. A piece of rope, sometimes with two legs, and one or 
 more iron thimbles spliced into it. It is used for various 
 purposes. One with two legs, and a thimble to each, is often 
 made fast to the topsail tye, for the buntlines to reeve through. 
 A single one is sometimes used on the swinging-boom 
 topping-lift. 
 
 Locker. A chest or box to stow anything away in. 
 Chain-locker. Where the chain cables are kept. 
 Boatswain's locker. Where tools and small stuff for working 
 upon rigging are kept. 
 
 Log, or Log-book. A journal kept by the chief officer, in which 
 the situation of the vessel, winds, weather, courses, distances, 
 and everything of importance that occurs, is noted down. 
 Log. A line with a piece of board, called the log-ship, at- 
 tached to it, wound upon a reel, and used for ascertaining 
 the ship's rate of sailing. (See page 57.) 
 
 Long-boat. The largest boat in a merchant- vessel. When at 
 sea, it is carried between the fore and main masts. 
 
 Longers. The longest casks, stowed next the keelson. 
 
 Long-timbers. Timbers in the cant-bodies, reaching from the 
 dead-wood to the head of the second futtock. 
 
 Loof. That part of a vessel where the planks begin to bend as 
 they approach the stern. 
 
DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 115 
 
 Loom. That part of an oar which is within the row-lock. Also, 
 
 to appear above the surface of the water ; to appear larger 
 
 than nature, as in a fog. 
 Lubber's Hole. A hole in the top, next the mast. 
 Luff. To put the helm so as to bring the ship up nearer to the 
 
 wind. 
 Spring -a-luff! Keep your luff! &c. Orders to luff. Also, 
 
 the roundest part of a vessel's bow. Also the forward leack 
 
 of fore-and-aft sails. 
 Luff-tackle. A purchase composed of a double and single block. 
 
 (See page 46.) 
 Luff-upon-Luff. A luff-tackle applied to the fall of another. 
 Lugger. A small vessel carrying lug-sails. 
 
 Lug-sail. A sail used in boats and small vessels, bent to a 
 
 yard which hangs obliquely to the mast. 
 Lurch. The sudden rolling of a vessel to one side. 
 Lying-to. (See Lie-to.) 
 
 Made. A made mast or block is one composed of different pieces. 
 
 A ship's lower mast is a made spar, her topmast is a whole spar. 
 Mall, or Maul (pronounced mawl). A heavy iron hammer used 
 
 in driving bolts. (See Top-maul.) 
 Mallet. A small maul, made of wood; as, caulking-mallet ; 
 
 also, serving-mallet, used in putting service on a rope. 
 Manger. A coaming just within the hawse-hole. 
 Man-ropes. Ropes used in going up and down a vessel's side. 
 Marl. To wind or twist a small line or rope round another. 
 Marline (pronounced mar-lin). Small two-stranded stuff, used 
 
 for marling. A finer kind of spunyarn. 
 Marling-hitch. A kind of hitch used in marling. 
 Marlingspike. An iron pin, sharpened at one end, and having a 
 
 hole in the other for a lanyard. Used both as a fid and a 
 
 heaver. 
 Marry. To join ropes together by a worming over both. 
 Martingale. A short, perpendicular spar, under the bowsprit-end, 
 
 used for guying down the head-stays. (See Dolphin-3triker.) 
 Mast. A spar set upright from the deck, to support rigging, yards, 
 
 and sails. Masts are whole or made. 
 Mat. Made of strands of old rope, and used to prevent chafing. 
 Mate. An officer under the master. 
 Maul. (See Mall.) 
 
 Mend. To mend service, is to add more to it. 
 Meshes. The places between the lines of a netting. 
 Mess. Any number of men who eat or lodge together. 
 Messenger. A rope used for heaving in a cable by the capstan. 
 Midships. The timbers at the broadest part of the vessel. (See 
 
 Amidships.) 
 
 i2 
 
116 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Miss-stays. To fail of going about from one tack to another. (See 
 
 page 65.) 
 Mizen-mast. The aftermost mast of a ship. (See Plate 1.) 
 
 The spanker is sometimes called the mizen. 
 Monkey Block. A small single block strapped with a swivel. 
 Moon-sail. A small sail sometimes carried in light winds, above 
 
 a sky sail. 
 Moor. To secure by two anchors. (See page 83. ) 
 Mortice. A morticed block is one made out of a whole block of 
 
 wood with a hole cut in it for the sheave ; in distinction from 
 
 a made block. (See page 44.) 
 Moulds. The patterns by which the frames of a vessel are worked 
 
 out. 
 Mouse. To put turns of rope yarn or spun yarn round the end of 
 
 a hook and its standing part, when it is hooked to anything, so 
 
 as to prevent its slipping out. 
 Mousing. A knot or puddening, made of yarns, and placed on 
 
 the outside of a rope. 
 Muffle. Oars are muffled by putting mats or canvas round their 
 
 looms in the row-locks. 
 Munions. The pieces that separate the lights in the galleries. 
 
 Naval Hoods, or Hawse Bolsters. Plank above and below the 
 
 hawse-holes. 
 Neap Tides. Low tides, coming at the middle of the moon's 
 
 second and fourth quarters. (See Spring Tides.) 
 Neaped, or Beneaped. The situation of a vessel when she is 
 
 aground at the height of the spring tides. 
 Near, Close to wind. " Near !" the order to the helmsman when 
 
 he is too near the wind. 
 Netting. Network of rope or small lines. Used for stowing 
 
 away sails or hammocks. 
 Nettles. (See Knittles.) 
 Ninepin Block. A block in the form of a ninepin, used for a fair 
 
 leader in the rail. 
 Nip. A short turn in a rope. 
 Nippers. A number of yarns marled together, used to secure a 
 
 cable to the messenger. 
 Nock. The forward upper end of a sail that sets with a boom. 
 Nun-buoy. A buoy tapering at each end. 
 Nut. Projections on each side of the shank of an anchor, to secure 
 
 the stock to its place. 
 
 Oakum. Stuff made by picking rope-yarns to pieces. Used for 
 
 caulking, and other purposes. 
 Oar. A long wooden instrument with a flat blade at one end, 
 
 used for propelling boats. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. H7 
 
 Off-and-on. To stand on different tacks towards and from the land. 
 
 Offing. Distance from the shore. 
 
 Orlop. The deck beneath the lower deck of a ship of the line on 
 
 which the cables are stowed. 
 Out-haul. A rope used for hauling out the clew of a boom sail. 
 Out-rigger. A spar rigged out to windward from the tops or 
 
 cross-trees, to spread the breast-backstays. (See page 14.) 
 Overhaul. To overhaul a tackle, is to let go the fall and pull 
 
 on the leading parts so as to separate the blocks. 
 To overhaul a rope, is generally to pull a part through a block 
 
 so as to make slack. 
 To overhaul rigging, is to examine it. 
 Over-rake. Said of heavy seas which come over a vessel's head 
 
 when she is at anchor, head to the sea. 
 
 Painter. A rope attached to the bows of a boat, used for making 
 her fast. 
 
 Palm. A piece of leather fitted over the hand, with an iron for 
 the head of a needle to press against in sewing upon canvas. 
 Also, the fluke of an anchor. 
 
 Panch. (See Paunch.) 
 
 Parbuckle. To hoist or lower a spar or cask by single ropes pasied 
 round it. 
 
 Parcel. (See page 34.) To wind tarred canvas (called parcel- 
 ling) round a rope. 
 
 Parcelling. (See Parcel.) 
 
 Parliament-heel. The situation of a vessel when she is careened. 
 
 Parral. The rope by which a yard is confined to a mast at its centre. 
 
 Part. To break a rope. 
 
 Partners. A framework of short timber fitted to the hole in a 
 deck, to receive the heel of a mast or pump, &c. 
 
 Pazaree. A rope attached to the clew of the foresail and rove 
 through a block on the swinging boom. Used for guying 
 the clews out when before the wind. 
 
 Paunch Mat. A thick mat, placed at the slings of a yard or else- 
 where. 
 
 Pawl. A short bar of iron, which prevents the capstan or wind- 
 lass from turning back. 
 To pawl, is to drop a pawl and secure the windlass or capstan. 
 
 Pay-off. When a vessel's head falls off from the wind. 
 To pay, to cover over with tar or pitch. 
 To pay out. To slack up on a cable and let it run out. 
 
 Peak. The upper outer corner of a gaff-sail. 
 
 Peak. (See A-peak.) 
 
 A stay-peak is when the cable and forestay form a line. 
 A short stay-peak is when the cable is too much in to form this 
 line. 
 
I 
 
 118 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Pendant, or Pennant. A long narrow piece of bunting, carried 
 at the mast-head. 
 Broad pennant, is a swallow-tailed piece, carried in the same 
 
 way, in a commodore's vessel. 
 Pennant. A rope to which a purchase is hooked. A long strap 
 
 fitted at one end to a yard or mast-head, with a hook or block 
 at the other end, for a brace to reeve through, or to hook a 
 
 tackle to. 
 Pillow. A block which supports the inner end of the bowsprit. 
 Pin. The axis on which a sheave turns. Also, a short piece of 
 
 wood or iron to belay ropes to. 
 Pink-stern. A high, narrow stern. 
 Pinnace. A boat, in size between the launch and a cutter. 
 Pintle. A metal bolt used for hanging a rudder. 
 Pitch. A resin taken from pine, and used for filling up the seams 
 
 of a vessel. 
 Planks. Thick, strong boards, used for covering the sides and 
 
 decks of vessels. 
 Plat. A braid of foxes. (See Fox.) 
 Plate. (See Chain-plate.) 
 Plug. A piece of wood, fitted into a hole in a vessel or boat, so 
 
 as to let in or keep out water. 
 Point. To take the end of a rope and work it over with knittles. 
 
 (See page 43. See Reef-points.) 
 Pole. Applied to the highest mast of a ship, usually painted ; as, 
 
 sky- sail pole. 
 Poop. A deck raised over the after part of the spar deck. A ves- 
 sel is pooped when the sea breaks over her stern. 
 Poppets. Perpendicular pieces of timber fixed to the fore-and-aft 
 
 part of the bilge- ways in launching. 
 Port. Used instead of larboard. 
 
 To port the helm, is to put it to the larboard. 
 Port, or Port-hole. Holes in the side of a vessel, to point can- 
 non out of. (See Bridle.) 
 Portoise. The gunwale. The yards are a-portoise when they 
 
 rest on the gunwale. 
 Port-sills. (See Sills.) 
 
 Preventer. An additional rope or spar, used as a support. 
 Prick. A quantity of spunyarn or rope laid close up together. 
 Pricker. A small marlinspike, used in sail-making. It generally 
 
 has a wooden handle. 
 Puddening. A quantity of yarns, matting, or oakum, used to 
 
 prevent chafing. 
 Pump-brake. The handle to the pump. 
 
 Purchase. A mechanical power which increases the force applied. 
 To purchase, is to raise by a purchase. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 119 
 
 Quarter. The part of a vessel's side between the after part of tha 
 main chains and the stern. The quarter of a yard is between 
 the slings and the yard-arm. 
 The wind is said to be quartering, when it blows in a line be- 
 tween that of the keel and the beam, and abaft the latter. 
 
 Quarter-block. A block fitted under the quarters of a yard on 
 each side the slings, for the clewlines and sheets to reeve 
 through. 
 
 Quarter-deck. That part of the upper deck abaft the main-mast. 
 
 Quarter-master. A petty officer in a man-of-war, who attends 
 the helm and binnacle at sea, and watches for signals, &c, 
 when in port. 
 
 Quick-work. That part of a vessel's side which is above the chain- 
 wales and decks. So called in ship-building. 
 
 Quilting. A coating about a vessel, outside, formed of ropes 
 woven together. 
 
 Quoin. A wooden wedge for the breech of a gun to rest upon. 
 
 Race. A strong rippling tide. 
 
 Rack. To seize two ropes together, with cross-turns. Also, a 
 
 fair-leader for running rigging. 
 Rack-block. A course of blocks made from one piece of wood, 
 
 for fair-leaders. 
 Rake. The inclination of a mast from the perpendicular. 
 Ramline. A line used in mast-making to get a straight middle 
 
 line on a spar. 
 Range of Cable. A quantity of cable, more or less, placed in 
 
 order for letting go the anchor or paying out. 
 Ratlines. (Pronounced rat-tins.) Lines running across the 
 
 shrouds, horizontally, like the rounds of a ladder, and used to 
 
 step upon in going aloft. 
 Rattle down Rigging. To put ratlines upon rigging. It is still 
 
 called rattling down, though they are now rattled up ; be- 
 
 ginning at the lowest. (See page 11.) 
 Razee. A vessel of war which has one deck cut down. 
 Reef. To reduce a sail by taking in upon its head, if a square sail, 
 
 and its foot, if a fore-and-aft sail. 
 Reef-band. A band of stout canvas sewed on the sail across, 
 
 with points in it, and earings at each end for reefing. 
 A reef is all of the sail that is comprehended between the 
 
 head of the sail and the first reef-band, or between two 
 
 reef-bands. 
 Reef-tackle. A tackle used to haul the middle of each leach up 
 
 toward the yard, so that the sail may be easily reefed. 
 Reeve. To pass the end of a rope through a block, or any 
 
 aperture. 
 
120 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Relieving Tackle. A tackle hooked to the tiller in a gale of 
 
 wind, to steer by, in case anything should happen to the wheel 
 
 or tiller-ropes. 
 Render. To pass a rope through a place. A rope is said to 
 
 render or not, according as it goes freely through any place. 
 Rib-bands. Long, narrow, flexible pieces of timber nailed to the 
 
 outside of the ribs, so as to encompass the vessel lengthwise. 
 Ribs. A figurative term for a vessel's timbers. 
 Ride at anchor. To lie at anchor. Also, to bend or bear down 
 
 by main strength and weight ; as, to ride down the main tack. 
 Riders. Interior timbers placed occasionally opposite the principal 
 
 ones, to which they are bolted, reaching from the keelson to 
 
 the beams of the lower deck. Also, casks forming the second 
 
 tier in a vessel's hold. 
 Rigging. The general term for all the ropes of a vessel. (See 
 
 Running, Standing.) Also, the common term for the shrouds 
 
 with their ratlines ; as, the main rigging, mizen rigging, &c. 
 Right. To right the helm, is to put it amidships. 
 Rim. The edge of a top. 
 Ring. The iron ring at the upper end of an anchor, to which the 
 
 cable is bent. 
 Ring-bolt. An eye-bolt with a ring through the eye. (See Eye- 
 bolt.) 
 Ring-tail. A small sail, shaped like a jib, set abaft the spanker 
 
 in light winds. 
 Roach. A curve in the foot of a square sail, by which the clews 
 
 are brought below the middle of the foot. The roach of 
 
 a fore-and-aft sail is in its forward leach. 
 Road, or Roadstead. An anchorage at some distance from the 
 
 shore. 
 Robands. (See Rope-bands.) 
 Rolling-tackle. Tackles used to steady the yards in a heavy 
 
 sea. 
 Rombowline. Condemned canvas, rope, &c. 
 Rope-bands, or Robands. Small pieces of two or three yarn, 
 
 spunyarn, or marline, used to confine the head of the sail to 
 the yard or gaff. 
 Rope-yarn. A thread of hemp, or other stuff, of which a rope is 
 
 made. (See page 33.) 
 Rough-tree. An unfinished spar. 
 
 Round in. To haul in on a rope, especially a weather-brace. 
 Round up. To haul up on a tackle. 
 
 Rounding. A service of rope, hove round a spar or larger rope. ' 
 Rowlocks, or Rollocks. Places cut in the gunwale of a boat 
 
 for the oar to rest in while pulling. 
 Royal. A light sail next above a topgallant sail. (See Plate 2.) 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 121 
 
 Royal Yard. The yard from which the royal is set. The fourth 
 from the deck. (See Plate 1.) 
 
 Rubber. A small instrument used to rub or flatten down the 
 seams of a sail in sail- making. 
 
 Rudder. The machine by which a vessel or boat is steered. 
 
 Run. The after part of a vessel's bottom, which rises and nar- 
 rows in approaching the stern-post. 
 By the run. To let go by the run^ is to let go altogether, 
 instead of slacking off. 
 
 Rung-heads. The upper ends of the floor timbers. 
 
 Runner. A rope used to increase the power of a tackle. It is 
 rove through a single block which you wish to bring down, 
 and a tackle is hooked to each end, or to one end, the other 
 being made fast. 
 
 Running Rigging. The ropes that reeve through blocks, and are 
 pulled and hauled, such as braces, halyards, &c; in opposition 
 to the standing rigging, the ends of which are securely 
 seized, such as stays, shrouds, &c. (See page 33.) 
 
 Saddles. Pieces of wood hollowed out to fit on the yards, to which 
 
 they are nailed, having a hollow in the upper part for the 
 
 boom to rest in. 
 Sag. To sag to leeward, is to drift off bodily to leeward. 
 Sails are of two kinds : square sails, which hang from yards, their 
 
 foot lying across the line of the keel, as the courses, topsails, 
 
 &c. ; and fore- and-aft sails, which set upon gaffs, or on stays, 
 
 their foot running with the line of the keel, as jib, spanker, &c. 
 Sail ho ! The cry used when a sail is first discovered at sea. 
 Save-all. A small sail sometimes set under the foot of a lower 
 
 studdingsail. (See Water Sail.) 
 Scantling. A term applied to any piece of timber, with regard to 
 
 its breadth and thickness, when reduced to the standard size. 
 Scarf. To join two pieces of timber at their ends by shaving them 
 
 down and placing them over-lapping. 
 Schooner. (See Plate 4.) A small vessel with two masts and 
 
 no tops. 
 A fore-and-aft schooner has only fore-and-aft sails. 
 A topsail schooner carries a square fore topsail, and frequently, 
 
 also, topgallant sail and royal. There are some schooners with 
 
 three masts. They also have no tops. 
 A maintopsail schooner is one that carries square topsails, fore 
 
 and aft. 
 Score. A groove in a block or dead-eye. 
 Scotchman. A large batten placed over the turnings-in of rigging. 
 
 (See Batten.) 
 Scraper. A small, triangular iron instrument, with a handle fitted 
 
 to its centre, and used for scraping decks and masts. 
 
122 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Scrowl. A piece of timber bolted to the knees of the head, in 
 
 place of a figure-head. 
 Scud. To drive before a gale, with no sail, or only enough to keep 
 
 the vessel ahead of the sea. Also, low, thin clouds that fly 
 
 swiftly before the wind. 
 Scull. A short oar. 
 
 To scull, is to impel a boat by one oar at the stern. 
 Scuppers. Holes cut in the water-ways for the water to run from 
 
 the decks. 
 Scuttle. A hole cut in a vessel's deck, as, a hatchway. Also, 
 
 a hole cut in any part of a vessel. 
 To scuttle, is to cut or bore holes in a vessel to make her sink. 
 Scuttle-butt. (See Butt.) 
 
 Seams. The intervals between planks in a vessel's deck or side. 
 Seize. To fasten ropes together by turns of small stuff. 
 Seizings. (See page 42.) The fastenings of ropes that are seized 
 
 together. 
 Selvagee. A skein of rope-yarns or spunyarn, marled together. 
 
 Used as a neat strap. (See page 42.) 
 Send. When a ship's head or stern pitches suddenly and violently 
 
 into the trough of the sea. 
 Sennit, or Sinnit. (See page 42.) A braid, formed by plaiting 
 
 rope-yarns or spunyarn together. Straw, plaited in the same 
 
 way for hats, is called sennit. 
 Serve. (See page 35.) To wind small stuff, as rope-yarns, spun- 
 yarn, &c, round a rope, to keep it from chafing. It is wound 
 
 and hove round taut by a serving-board or mallet. 
 Service, is the stuff so wound round. 
 Set. To set up rigging, is to tauten it by tackles. The seizings 
 
 are then put on afresh. 
 Shackles. Links in a chain cable which are fitted with a moveable 
 
 bolt, so that the chain can be separated. 
 Shakes. The staves of hogsheads taken apart. 
 Shank. The main piece in an anchor, at one end of which the 
 
 stock is made fast, and at the other the arms. 
 Shank- painter. A strong rope by which the lower part of the 
 
 shank of an anchor is secured to the ship's side. 
 Sharp up. Said of yards when braced as near fore-and-aft as possible. 
 Sheathing. A casing or covering on a vessel's bottom. 
 Shears. Two or more spars, raised at angles and lashed together 
 
 near their upper ends, used for taking in masts. (See page 44.) 
 Shear Hulk. An old vessel fitted with shears, &c.,and used for 
 
 taking out and putting in the masts of other vessels. 
 Sheave. The wheel in a block upon which the rope works. 
 Sheave-hole, the place cut in a block for the ropes to reeve 
 
 through. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 123 
 
 Sheep-shank. A kind of hitch or hend, used to shorten a rope 
 temporarily. (See Plate 5 and page 42.) 
 
 Sheer, or Sheer- strake. The line of plank on a vessel's side, 
 running fore-and-aft under the gunwale. Also, a vessel's 
 position when riding by a single anchor. 
 
 Sheet. A rope used in setting a sail, to keep the clew down to its 
 place. With square sails, the sheets run through each yard- 
 arm. With boom sails, they haul the boom over one way 
 and another. They keep down the inner clew of a studding- 
 sail and the after clew of a jib. (See Home.) 
 
 Sheet Anchor. A vessel's largest anchor : not carried at the bow. 
 
 Shell. The case of a block. 
 
 Shingle. (See Ballast.) 
 
 Ship. A vessel with three masts, with tops and 'yards to each. 
 (See Plate 4.) To enter on board a vessel. To fix anything 
 in its place. 
 
 Shiver. To shake the wind out of a sail by bracing it so that the 
 wind strikes upon the leach. 
 
 Shoe. A piece of wood used for the bill of an anchor to rest upon, 
 to save the vessel's side. Also, for the heels of shears, &c. 
 
 Shoe-block. A block with two sheaves, one above the other, the 
 one horizontal and the other perpendicular. 
 
 Shore. A prop or stanchion, placed under a beam. To shore, to 
 prop up. 
 
 Shrouds. A set of ropes reaching from the mast-heads to the ves- 
 sel's sides, to support the masts. 
 
 Sills. Pieces of timber put in horizontally between t\e frames to 
 form and secure any opening ; as, for ports. 
 
 Sister Block. A long piece of wood with two sheaves in it, one 
 above the other, with a score between them for a seizing, and 
 a groove around the block, lengthwise. 
 
 Skids. Pieces of timber placed up and down a vessel's side, to bear 
 any articles off clear that are hoisted in. 
 
 Skin. The part of a sail which is outside and covers the rest when 
 it is furled. Also, familiarly, the sides of the hold ; as, an 
 article is said to be stowed next the skin, 
 
 Skysail. A light sail next above the royal. (See Plate 2.) 
 
 Sky-scraper. A name given to a skysail when it is triangular. 
 
 Slabline. A small line used to haul up the foot of a course. 
 
 Slack. The part of a rope or sail that hangs down loose. 
 
 Slack in stays, said of a vessel when she works slowly in 
 tacking. 
 
 Sleepers. The knees that connect the transoms to the after tim- 
 bers on the ship's quarter. 
 
 Sling. To set a cask, spar, gun, or other article, in ropes, so as to 
 put on a tackle and hoist or lower it. 
 
124 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Slings. The ropes used for securing the centre of a yard to the 
 
 mast. 
 Yard-slings are now made of iron. Also, a large rope fitted 
 
 so as to go round any article which is to be hoisted or 
 
 lowered. 
 Slip. To let a cable go and stand out to sea. (See page 85.) 
 Slip-rope. A rope bent to the cable just outside the hawse-hole, 
 
 and brought in on the weather quarter, for slipping. (See 
 
 page 85.) 
 Sloop. A small vessel with one mast. (See Plate 4.) 
 Sloop of War. A vessel of any rig, commanded by a commander 
 
 in the navy. 
 Slue. To turn anything round or over. 
 Small Stuff. The term for spunyarn, marline, and the smallest 
 
 kinds of rope, such as ratline-stuff, &c. 
 Snake. To pass small stuff across a seizing, with marling hitches 
 
 at the outer turns. 
 Snatch-block. A single block, with an opening in its side below 
 
 the sheave, or at the bottom, to receive the bight of a rope. 
 Snotter. A rope going over a yard-arm, with an eye, used to 
 
 bend a tripping-line to in sending down topgallant and royal 
 
 yards in vessels of war. 
 Snow. A kind of brig, formerly used. 
 Snub. To check a rope suddenly. 
 Snying. A term for a circular plank, edgewise, to work in the 
 
 bows of a vessel. 
 So ! An order to 'vast hauling upon anything when it has come 
 
 to its right position. 
 Sole. A piece of timber fastened to the foot of the rudder, to 
 
 make it level with the false keel. 
 Sound. To get the depth of water by a lead and line. (See page 
 
 80.) The pumps are sounded by an iron sounding rod, 
 
 marked with a scale of feet and inches. 
 Span. A rope with both ends made fast, for a purchase to be 
 
 hooked to its bight. 
 Spanker. The after sail of a ship or bark. It is a fore-and-aft 
 
 sail, setting with a boom and gaff. (See Plate 2.) 
 Spar. The general term for all masts, yards, booms, gaffs, &c. 
 Spell. The common term for a portion of time given to any 
 
 work. 
 To spell, is to relieve another at his work. 
 Spell ho! An exclamation used as an order or request to be re- 
 lieved at work by another. 
 Spencer. A fore-and-aft sail, set with a gaff and no boom, and 
 
 hoisting from a small mast called a spencer-mast, just abaft 
 
 the fore and main masts. (See Plates 2 and 4.) 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 125 
 
 Spill. To shake the wind out of a sail by bracing it so that the 
 wind may strike its leach and shiver it. 
 
 Spilling Line. A rope used for spilling a sail. Rove in bad 
 weather. 
 
 Spindle. An iron pin upon which the capstan moves. Also, a 
 piece of timber forming the diameter of a made mast. Also, 
 any long pin or bar upon which anything revolves. 
 
 Spirketing. The planks from the water-ways to the port-sills. 
 
 Splice. (See Plate 5 and page 35.) To join two ropes together 
 by interweaving their strands. 
 
 Spoon-drift. Water swept from the tops of the waves by the 
 violence of % the wind in a tempest, and driven along before it, 
 covering the surface of the sea. 
 
 Spray. An occasional sprinkling dashed from the top of a wave 
 by the wind, or by its striking an object. 
 
 Spring. To crack or split a mast. 
 To spring a leak, is to begin to leak. 
 
 To spring a luff, is to force a vessel close to the wind, in 
 sailing. 
 
 Spring-stay. A preventer-stay, to assist the regular one. (SeeSTAY.) 
 
 Spring Tides. The highest and lowest course of tides, occurring 
 every new and full moon. 
 
 Sprit. A small boom or gaff, used with some sails in small boats. 
 The lower end rests in a becket or snotter by the foot of the 
 mast, and the other end spreads and raises the outer upper 
 corner of the sail, crossing it diagonally. A sail so rigged in 
 a boat is called a sprit-sail. 
 
 Sprit-sail yard. (See Plate 1.) A yard lashed across the bow- 
 sprit or knight-heads, and used to spread the guys of the jib 
 and flying jib-boom. There was formerly a sail bent to it 
 called a sprit-sail. 
 
 Spunyarn. (See page 35.) A cord formed by twisting together 
 two or three rope-yarns. 
 
 Spurling-line. A line communicating between the tiller and 
 tell-tale. 
 
 Spurs. Pieces of timber fixed on the bilge-ways, their upper ends 
 being bolted to the vessel's sides above the water. Also, 
 curved pieces of timber, serving as half beams, to support the 
 decks where whole beams cannot be placed. 
 
 Spur-shoes. Large pieces of timber that come abaft the pump-well. 
 
 Square. Yards are squared when they are horizontal and at 
 right angles with the keel. Squaring by the lifts makes them 
 horizontal ; and by the braces, makes them at right angles 
 with the vessel's line. Also, the proper term for the length 
 of yards. A vessel has square yards when her yards are un- 
 usually long. A sail is said to be very square in the head 
 when it is long on the head. 
 
126 
 
 DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 
 
 Square — continued. 
 
 To square a yard, in working a ship, means to bring it in 
 square by the braces. 
 
 Square-sail. A temporary sail set at the fore-mast of a schooner 
 or sloop when going before the wind. (See Sail.) 
 
 Stabber. A Pricker. 
 
 Staff. A pole or mast used to hoist flags upon. 
 
 Stanchions. (See Plate 3.) Upright posts of wood or iron, 
 placed so as to support the beams of a vessel. Also, upright 
 pieces of timber, placed at intervals along the sides of a vessel, 
 to support the bulwarks and rail, and reaching down to the 
 bends, by the side of the timbers, to which they are bolted. 
 Also, any fixed, upright support ; as to an awning, or for the 
 man-ropes. 
 
 Stand by ! An order to be prepared. 
 
 Standard. An inverted knee, placed above the deck, instead of 
 beneath it ; as, bitt -standard, &c. 
 
 Standing. The standing part of a rope is that part which is fast, 
 in opposition to the part that is hauled upon ; or the main 
 part, in opposition to the end. 
 The standing part of a tackle is that part which is made fast to 
 the blocks, and between that and the next sheave, in opposi- 
 tion to the hauling and leading parts. 
 
 Standing Rigging. (See page 33.) That part of a vessel's rig- 
 ging which is made fast and not hauled upon. (See Running.) 
 
 Starboard. The right side of a vessel, looking forward. 
 
 Starbowlines. The familiar term for the men in the starboard watch. 
 
 Start. To start a cask, is to open it. 
 
 Stay. To tack a vessel, or put her about, so that the wind, from 
 being on one side, is brought upon the other, round the ves- 
 sel's head. (See Tack, Wear.) 
 To stay a mast, is to incline it forward or aft, or to one side or 
 the other, by the stays and backstays. Thus, a mast is said 
 to be stayed too much forward or aft, or too much to port, &c. 
 Stays. Large ropes, used to support masts, and leading from the 
 head of some mast down to some other mast, or to some part 
 of the vessel. Those which lead forward are called fore-and- 
 aft stays ; and those which lead down to the vessel's sides, 
 backstays. (See Backstays.) 
 In stays, or hove in stays, the situation of a vessel when she is 
 staying or going about from one tack to the other. 
 
 Staysail. A sail which hoists upon a stay. 
 
 Steady ! An order to keep the helm as it is. 
 
 Steerage. That part of the between-decks which is just forward of 
 the cabin. 
 
 Steeves. A bowsprit steeves more or less, according as it is raised 
 more or less from the horizontal. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 127 
 
 Steeve — continued. 
 
 The steeve is the angle it makes with the horizon. Also, a long 
 heavy spar, with a place to fit a block at one end, and used in 
 stowing certain kinds of cargo, which need be driven in close. 
 
 Stem. (See Plate 3.) A piece of timber reaching from the for- 
 ward end of the keel, to which it is scarfed, up to the bow- 
 sprit, and to which the two sides of the vessel are united. 
 
 Stemson. A piece of compass timber, fixed on the after part of the 
 apron inside. The lower end is scarfed into the keelson, and 
 receives the scarf of the stem, through which it is bolted. 
 
 Step. A block of wood secured to the keel, into which the heel of 
 the mast is placed. 
 To step a mast, is to put it in its step. 
 
 Stern. (See Plate 3.) The after end of a vessel. (See By the 
 stern.) 
 
 Stern-board. The motion of a vessel when going stern foremost. 
 
 Stern-frame. The frame composed of the stern-post transom and 
 the fashion- pieces. 
 
 Stern-post. (See Plate 3.) The aftermost timber in a ship, 
 reaching from the after end of the keel to the deck. The stem 
 and stern-post are the two extremes of a vessel's frame. 
 Inner stern-post. A post on the inside, corresponding to the 
 stern-post. 
 
 Stern-sheets. The after part of a boat, abaft the rowers, where 
 the passengers sit. 
 
 Stiff. The quality of a vessel which enables it to carry a great 
 deal of sail without lying over much on her side. The oppo- 
 site to crank. 
 
 Stirrups. Ropes with thimbles at their ends, through which the 
 foot-ropes are rove, and by which they are kept up toward the 
 yards. 
 
 Stock. A beam of wood, or a bar of iron, secured to the upper end 
 of the shank of an anchor, at right angles with the arms. An 
 iron stock usually goes with the key, and unships. 
 
 Stocks. The frame upon which a vessel is built. 
 
 Stools. Small channels for the dead eyes of the backstays. 
 Stopper. A stout rope with a knot at one end and sometimes a 
 hook at the other, used for various purposes about decks ; as, 
 making fast a cable, so as to overhaul. (See Cat Stopper, 
 Deck Stopper.) 
 Stopper Bolts. Ring-bolts to which the deck stoppers are secured. 
 Stop. A fastening of small stuff. Also, small projections on the 
 outside of the cheeks of a lower mast, at the upper parts of the 
 hounds. 
 Strand. (See page 33.) A number of rope-yarns twisted together. 
 Three, four, or nine strands twisted together form a rope. 
 
128 DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 
 
 Strand — continued. 
 
 A rope is stranded when one of its strands is parted or broken 
 
 by chafing or by a strain. 
 A vessel is stranded when she is driven on shore. 
 Strap. A piece of rope spliced round a block to keep its parts 
 
 well together. Some blocks have iron straps, in which case 
 
 they are called iron-bound. 
 Streak, or Strake. A range of planks running fore and aft on a 
 
 vessel's side. 
 Stream. The stream anchor is one used for warping, &c, and 
 
 sometimes as a lighter anchor to moor by, with a hawser. It 
 
 is smaller than the bowers, and larger than the hedges. 
 To stream a buoy, is to drop it into the water. 
 Stretchers. Pieces of wood placed across a boat's bottom, inside, 
 
 for the oarsmen to place their feet against, in rowing. Also, 
 
 cross pieces placed between a boat's sides to keep them apart 
 
 when hoisted up and griped. 
 Strike. To lower a sail or colours. 
 Studdingsails. (See Plate 2.) Light sails set outside the square 
 
 sails on booms rigged out for that purpose. They are only 
 
 carried with a fair wind and in moderate weather. 
 Sued, pr Sewed. The condition of a ship when she is high and 
 
 dry on shore. If the water leaves her two feet, she sues, or 
 
 is sued, two feet. 
 Supporters. The knee-timbers under the cat-heads. 
 Surf. The breaking of the sea upon the shore. 
 Surge. A large, swelling wave. 
 
 To surge a rope or cable, is to slack it up suddenly where it ren- 
 ders round a pin, or round the windlass or capstan. 
 Surge ho ! The notice given when a cable is to be surged. 
 Swab. A mop, formed of old rope, used for cleaning and drying 
 
 decks. 
 Sweep. To drag the bottom for an anchor. Also, large oars, used 
 
 in small vessels to force them ahead. 
 Swift. To bring two shrouds or stays close together by ropes. 
 Swifter. The forward shroud to a lower mast. Also, ropes used 
 
 to confine the capstan bars to their places when shipped. 
 Swig. A term used by sailors for the mode of hauling off upon the 
 
 bight of a rope when its lower end is fast. 
 Swivel. A long link of iron, used in chain cables, made so as to 
 
 turn upon an axis and keep the turns out of a chain. 
 Syphering. Lapping the edges of planks over each other for a 
 
 bulk-head. 
 
 Tabling. Letting one beam-piece into another. (See Scarfing.) 
 Also, the broad hem on the borders of sails, to which the bolt- 
 rope is sewed. 
 
DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 129 
 
 Tack. To put a ship about, so that from having the wind on one 
 side, you bring it round on the other by the way of her head. 
 The opposite of wearing. 
 A vessel is on the starboard tack, or has her starboard tacks on 
 
 board, when she has the wind on her starboard side. 
 The rope or tackle by which the weather clew of a course is 
 
 hauled forward and down to the deck. 
 The tack of a fore-and-aft sail is the rope that keeps down the 
 lower forward clew ; and of a studdingsail, the lower outer 
 clew. The tack of the lower studding sail is called the out- 
 haul. Also, that part of a sail to which the tack is attached. 
 
 Tackle. (Pronounced tay-cle.) A purchase formed by a rope 
 rove through one or more blocks. 
 
 Taffrail, or Tafferel. The rail round a ship's stern. 
 
 Tail. A rope spliced into the end of a block, and used for making 
 it fast to rigging or spars. Such a block is called a tail-block. 
 A ship is said to tail up or down stream, when at anchor, accord- 
 ing as her stern swings up or down with the tide ; in opposition 
 to heading one way or another, which is said of a vessel when 
 under way. 
 
 Tail-Tackle. A watch-tackle. (See page 46.) 
 
 Tail-on ! or Tally on ! An order given to take hold of a rope 
 and pull. 
 
 Tank. An iron vessel placed in the hold to contain the vessel's 
 water. 
 
 Tar. A liquid gum, taken from pine and fir trees, and used for 
 caulking, and to put upon yarns in rope-making, and upon 
 standing rigging, to protect it from the weather. 
 
 Tarpaulin. A piece of canvas, covered with tar, used for covering 
 hatches, boats, &c. Also, the name commonly given to a 
 sailor's hat when made of tarred or painted cloth. 
 
 Taunt. High or tall. Commonly applied to a vessel's masts. 
 All-a-taunt-o. Said of a vessel when she has all her light and 
 tall masts and spars aloft. 
 
 Taut. Tight. 
 
 Tell-tale. A compass hanging from the beams of the cabin, by 
 which the heading of a vessel may be known at any time. 
 Also,an instrument connected with the barrel of the wheel, and 
 traversing so that the officer may see the position of the wheel. 
 
 Tend, To watch a vessel at anchor at the turn of tides, and cast 
 her by the helm, and some sail if necessary, so as to keep 
 turns out of her cables. 
 
 Tenon. The heel of a mast, made to fit into the step. 
 
 Tiiick-and-thin Block. A block having one sheave larger than 
 
 the other. Sometimes used for quarter-blocks. 
 Thimble. An iron ring, having its rim concave on the outside for 
 a rope or strap to fit snugly round. 
 
 K 
 
130 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Thole-pins. Pins in the gunwale of a boat, between which an oar 
 rests when pulling, instead of a rowlock. 
 
 Throat. The inner end of a gaff, where it widens and hollows 
 in to fit the mast. (See Jaws.) Also, the hollow part of a 
 knee. 
 The throat brails, halyards, &c, are those that hoist or haul up 
 the gaff or sail near the throat. Also, the angle where the 
 arm of an anchor is joined to the shank. 
 
 Thrum. To stick short strands of yarn through a mat or piece of 
 canvas, to make a rough surface. 
 
 Thwarts. The seats going across a boat, upon which the oarsmen 
 sit. 
 
 Thwartships. (See Athwartships.) 
 
 Tide. To tide up or down a river or harbour, is to work up or 
 down with a fair tide and head wind or calm, coming to 
 anchor when the tide turus. 
 
 Tide-rode. The situation of a vessel, at anchor, when she swings 
 by the force of the tide. In opposition to wind-rode. 
 
 Tier. A range of casks. Also, the range of the fakes of a cable 
 or hawser. 
 The cable tier is the place in a hold or between decks where the 
 cables are stowed. 
 
 Tiller. A bar of wood or iron, put into the head of the rudder, 
 by which the rudder is moved. 
 
 Tiller-ropes. Ropes leading from the tiller-head round the bar- 
 rel of the wheel, by which a vessel is steered. 
 
 Timber. A general term for all large pieces of wood used in ship- 
 building. Also, more particularly, long pieces of wood in a 
 curved form, bending outward, and running from the keel up, 
 on each side, forming the ribs of a vessel. The keel, stem, 
 sternposts, and timbers form a vessel's outer frame. (See 
 Plate 3.) 
 
 Timber-heads. (See Plate 3.) The ends of the timbers that 
 come above the decks. Used for belaying hawsers and large 
 ropes. 
 
 Timenoguv. A rope carried taut between different parts of the 
 vessel, to prevent the sheet or tack of a course from getting 
 foul, in working ship. 
 
 Toggle. A pin placed through the bight or eye of a rope, block- 
 strap, or bolt, to keep it in its place, or to put the bight or eye 
 of another rope upon, and thus to secure them both together. 
 
 Tompion. A bung or plug placed in the mouth of a cannon. 
 
 Top. A platform placed over the head of a lower mast, resting on 
 the trestle-trees, to spread the rigging, and for the convenience 
 of men aloft. (See Plate 1.) 
 To top up a yard or boom, is to raise up one end of it by hoisting 
 on the lift. 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 131 
 
 Top-block. A large iron-bound block, hooked into a bolt under 
 the lower cap, and used for the top-rope to reeve through in 
 sending up and down topmasts. 
 Top-light. A signal-lantern carried in the top. 
 Top-lining. A lining on the after part of sails, to prevent them 
 
 from chafing against the top-rim. 
 Topmast. (See Plate 1.) The second mast above the deck. 
 
 Next above the lower mast. 
 Topgallant Mast. (See Plate 1.) The third mast above the deck. 
 Top-rope. The rope used for sending topmasts up and down. 
 Topsail. (See Plate 2.) The second sail above the deck. 
 Topgallant Sail. (See Plate 2.) The third sail above the deck. 
 Topping- lift. (See Plate 1.) A lift used for topping up the 
 
 end of a boom. 
 Top Timbers. The highest timbers on a vessel's side, being above 
 
 the futtocks. (See Plate 3.) 
 Toss. To throw an oar out of the rowlock, and raise it perpendicularly 
 
 on its end, and lay it down in the boat, with its blade forward. 
 Touch. A sail is said to touch, when the wind strikes the leach so 
 
 as to shake it a little. 
 Luff and touch her ! The order to bring the vessel up and 
 
 see how near she will go to the wind. 
 Tow. To draw a vessel along by means of a rope. 
 Train-tackle. The tackle used for running guns in and out. 
 Transoms. (See Plate 3.) Pieces of timber going across the 
 
 stern-post, to which they are bolted. 
 Transom-knees. Knees bolted to the transoms and after timbers. 
 Traveller. An iron ring, fitted so as to slip up and down a rope. 
 Treenails, or Trdnnels. Long wooden pins, used for nailing a 
 
 plank to a timber. 
 Trend. The lower end of the shank of an anchor, being the same 
 
 distance on the shank from the throat that the arm measures 
 
 from the throat to the bill. 
 Trestle-trees. Two strong pieces of timber, placed horizontally 
 
 and fore-and-aft on opposite sides of a mast-head, to support 
 
 the cross-trees and top, and for the fid of the mast above to 
 
 rest upon. 
 Triatic Stay. A rope secured at each end to the heads of the fore 
 
 and main masts, with thimbles spliced into its bight, to hook 
 
 the stay tackles to. 
 Trice. To haul up by means of a rope. 
 Trick. The time allotted to a man to stand at the helm. 
 Trim. The condition of a vessel, with reference to her cargo and 
 
 ballast. A vessel is trimmed by the head or by the stern. 
 In ballast trim, is when she has only ballast on board. 
 Also, to arrange the sails by the braces with reference to the 
 
 wind. 
 
 K 2 
 
132 DICTIONARY- OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Trip. To raise an anchor clear of the bottom. 
 
 Tripping Line. A line used for tripping a topgallant or royal yard 
 in sending it down. 
 
 Truck. A circular piece of wood, placed at the head of the highest 
 mast on a ship. It has small holes or sheaves in it for signal 
 halyards to be rove through. Also, the wheel of a gun- 
 carriage. 
 
 Trunnions. The arms on each side of a cannon by which it rests 
 upon the carriage, and on which, as an axis, it is elevated or 
 depressed. 
 
 Truss. The rope by which the centre of a lower yard is kept in 
 toward the mast. 
 
 Trysail. A fore-and-aft sail, set with a boom and gaff, and hoisting 
 on a small mast abaft the lower mast, calling a trysail-mast. 
 This name is generally confined to the sail so carried at the 
 mainmast of a full-rigged brig ; those carried at the foremast 
 and at the mainmast of a ship or bark being called spencers, 
 and those that are at the mizenmast of a ship or bark, span- 
 kers. 
 
 Tumbling home. Said of a ship's sides when they fall in above 
 the bends. The opposite of wall-sided. 
 
 Turn. Passing a rope once or twice round a pin or kevel, to keep 
 it fast. Also, two crosses in a cable. 
 To turn in or turn out, nautical terms for going to rest in a 
 
 berth or hammock, and getting up from them. 
 Turn up ! The order given to send the men up from between 
 decks. 
 
 Tye. A rope connected with a yard, to the other end of which 
 a tackle is attached for hoisting. 
 
 Unbend. To cast off or untie. (See Bend.) 
 
 Union. The upper inner corner of an ensign. The rest of the 
 
 flag is called the fly. The union of the U. S. ensign is a 
 
 blue field with white stars, and the fly is composed of alternate 
 
 white and red stripes. 
 Union-down. The situation of a flag when it is hoisted 
 
 upside down, bringing the union down instead of up. Used 
 
 as a signal of distress. 
 Union-jack. A small flag, containing only the union without 
 
 the fly, usually hoisted at the bowsprit-cap. 
 Unmoor. To heave up one anchor so that the vessel may ride 
 
 at a single anchor. See Moor. 
 Unship. (See Ship.) 
 Uvroe. (See Euvrou.) 
 Vane. A fly worn at the mast-head, made of feathers or buntine, 
 
 traversing on a spindle, to show the direction of the wind. 
 
 (See Dog Vane.) 
 
DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 133 
 
 Vang. (See Plate 1.) A rope leading from the peak of the 
 
 gaff of a fore-and-aft sail to the rail on each side, and us^ed 
 
 for steadying the gaff. 
 'Vast. (See Avast.) 
 Veer. Said of the wind when it changes. Also to slack a cable 
 
 and let it run out. (See Pay. ) 
 To veer and haul, is to haul and slack alternately on a rope, 
 
 as in warping, until the vessel or boat gets headway. 
 Viol, or Voyal. A larger messenger sometimes used in weighing 
 
 an anchor by a capstan. Also the block through which the 
 
 messenger passes. 
 
 Waist. That part of the upper deck between the quarter-deck 
 and forecastle. 
 Waisters. Green hands, or broken-down seamen, placed in 
 the waist of a man-of-war. 
 
 Wake. The track or path a ship leaves behind her in the water. 
 
 Wales. Strong planks in a vessel's sides running her whole length 
 fore and aft. 
 
 Wall. A knot put on the end of a rope. (See Plate 5, page 37.) 
 
 Wall-sided. A vessel is wall-sided when her sides run up per- 
 pendicularly from the bends. In opposition to tumbling 
 home or flaring out. 
 
 Ward-room. The room in a vessel of war in which the com- 
 missioned officers live. 
 
 Ware, or Wear. To turn a vessel round, so that from having 
 the wind on one side, you bring it upon the other, earning 
 her stern round by the wind. In tacking, the same result is 
 produced by carrying a vessel's head round by the wind. 
 
 Warp. To move a vessel from one place to another by means of 
 a rope made fast to some fixed object, or to a kedge. 
 A warp is a rope used for warping. If the warp is bent to a 
 kedge which is let go, and the vessel is hove ahead by the 
 capstan or windlass, it would be called hedging. 
 
 Wash-boards. Light pieces of board placed above the gunwale 
 of a boat. 
 
 Watch. (See page 178.) A division of time on board ship. 
 There are seven watches in a day, reckoning from 12 m. round 
 through the 24 hours, five of them being of four hours each, 
 and the two others, called dog watches, of two hours each, viz., 
 from 4 to 6, and from 6 to 8 p.m. (See Dog Watch.) Also 
 a certain portion of a ship's company, appointed to stand a 
 given length of time. In the merchant service all hands are 
 divided into two watches, larboard and starboard, with a mate 
 to command each. 
 A buoy is said to watch when it floats on the surface. 
 
134 DICTIONARY OF SEA TERMS. 
 
 Watch-and- watch. The arrangement by which the Watches are 
 
 alternated every other four hours. In distinction from keeping 
 
 all hands during one or more watches. (See page 178.) 
 Anchor watch, a small watch of one or two men, kept while 
 
 in port. 
 Watch-ho ! Watch ! The cry of the man that heaves the 
 
 deep-sea lead. 
 Watch-tackle. (See page 46.) A small luff purchase with a 
 
 short fall, the double block having a tail to it, and the single 
 
 one a hook. Used for various purposes about decks. 
 Water-sail. A save all, set under the swinging-boom. 
 Water-ways. Long pieces of timber, running fore and aft on 
 
 both sides, connecting the deck with the vessel's sides. The 
 
 scuppers are made through them to let the water off. (See 
 
 Plate 3.) 
 Wear. (See Ware.) 
 Weather. In the direction from which the wind blows. (See 
 
 Windward, Lee.) 
 A ship carries a weather-helm when she tends to come up into 
 
 the wind, requiring you to put the helm up. 
 Weather gage. A vessel has the weather gage of another 
 
 when she is to windward of her. 
 A weatherly ship, is one that works well to windward, making 
 
 but little leeway. 
 Weather-bitt. To take an additional turn with a cable round the 
 
 windlass-end. 
 Weather Roll. The roll which a ship makes to windward. 
 Weigh. To lift up ; as, to weigh an anchor or a mast. 
 Wheel. The instrument by which a ship is steered ; being a 
 
 barrel, (round which the tiller-ropes go,) and a wheel with 
 
 spokes. 
 Whip. (See page 46.) A purchase formed by a rope rove through 
 
 a single block. 
 To whip, is to hoist by a whip. Also, to secure the end of a 
 
 rope from fagging by a seizing of twine. 
 TVhip-upon-whip. One whip applied to the fall of another. 
 Winch. A purchase formed by a horizontal spindle or shaft with a 
 
 wheel or crank at the end. A small one with a wheel is used 
 
 for making ropes or spunyarn. 
 Windlass. The machine used in merchant vessels to weigh the 
 
 anchor by. 
 Wind-rode. The situation of a vessel at anchor when she swings 
 
 and rides by the force of the wind, instead of the tide or cur- 
 rent. (See Tide-rode.) 
 Wing. That part of the hold or between-decks which is next the 
 
 side. 
 
DICTIONARY OP SEA TERMS. 135 
 
 Wingers. Casks stowed in the wings of a vessel. 
 Wing-and-wing. The situation of a fore-and-aft vessel when she 
 
 is going dead before the wind, with her foresail hauled over 
 
 on one side and her mainsail on the other. 
 Withe, or Wythe. An iron instrument fitted on the end of a 
 
 boom or mast, with a ring to it through which another boom 
 
 or mast is rigged out and secured. 
 Woold. To wind a piece of rope round a spar. 
 Work up. To draw the yarns from old rigging and make them into 
 
 spunyarn, foxes, sennet, &c. Also, a phrase for keeping a 
 
 crew constantly at work upon needless matters, and in all 
 
 weathers, and beyond their usual hours, for punishment. 
 Worm. (See page 34.) To fill up between the lays of a rope with 
 
 small stuff wound round spirally. Stuff so wound round is 
 
 called worming. 
 Wring. To bend or strain a mast by setting the rigging up too 
 
 taut. 
 Wring-bolts. Bolts that secure the planks to the timbers. 
 Wring-staves. Strong pieces of plank used with the ring-bolts. 
 
 Yacht. (Pronounced yot.) A vessel of pleasure or state. 
 Yard. (See Plate 1.) A long piece of timber, tapering slightly 
 
 toward the ends, and hung by the centre to a mast, to spread 
 
 the square sails upon. 
 Yard-arm. The extremities of a yard. 
 Yard-arm and yard-arm. The situation of two vessels, lying 
 
 alongside one another, so near that their yard-arms cross or 
 
 touch . 
 Yarn. (See Ropeyarn.) 
 
 Yaw. The motion of a vessel when she goes off from her course. 
 Yeoman. A man employed in a vessel of war to take charge of a 
 
 store-room ; as, boatswain's yeoman, the man that has charge 
 
 of the stores of rigging, &c. 
 Yoke. A piece of wood placed across the head of a boat's rudder, 
 
 with a rope attached to each end, by which the boat is steered. 
 
136 
 
 PART II. 
 
 CHAPTER I.* 
 
 THE MASTER. 
 
 Beginning of the voyage. Shipping the crew. Outfit. Provisions. 
 Watches. Navigation. Log-book. Observations. Working ship. 
 Day's work. Discipline. 
 
 In the third part of this work, it will be seen that the 
 shipmaster is a person to whom, both by the general 
 marine law of all commercial nations and by the special 
 statutes of the United States, great powers are confided, 
 and upon whom heavy responsibilities rest. The ship- 
 
 * There is no special code of statute laws either in the United 
 States or Great Britain, for the maintenance of discipline, or the 
 provisioning and treatment of the crews of trading ships when 
 beyond the precincts of admiralty jurisdiction ; bat certain usages 
 on these points have by long custom become established and 
 recognized by courts of justice. It is very desirable that a compre- 
 hensive code should be devised and compiled, so as to set disputed 
 points at rest ; for although a general rule is admitted by the 
 mariners of both countries, it is by no means a universal one, the 
 custom varying in different trades, according to circumstances ; and 
 this is more particularly the case in the merchant service of this 
 country than in that of the United States — the discipline being 
 more stringent, and distinctions of rank more rigidly observed by 
 the republicans than ourselves. The duties of each rating de- 
 scribed in this chapter appear to be well defined, and worthy of 
 imitation : our ship-owners and masters would, therefore, do well 
 to adopt them, with such modifications as may be necessary to suit 
 particular trades ; and this may be done by inserting a clause to that 
 effect, in the form of agreement now required to be entered into 
 between master and crew before proceeding on a voyage, described 
 at Schedules B & D of 5 & 6 W. 4, cap. 19. 
 
THE MASTER. J 37 
 
 master will find there what are his legal rights, duties 
 and remedies as to owner, ship and crew, and the various 
 requirements as to the papers with which he is to furnish 
 his ship, and the observances of revenue and other 
 regulations. 
 
 It is proposed to give here, rather more perhaps for 
 the information of others than of the master himself, the 
 ordinary and every-day duties of his office, and the cus- 
 toms which long usage has made almost as binding as 
 laws. 
 
 There is a great difference in different ports, and 
 among the various owners, as to the part the master is 
 to take in supplying and manning the vessel. In many 
 cases the owner puts on board all the stores for the ship's 
 use and for the crew, and gives the master particular 
 directions, sometimes in writing, as to the manner in 
 which he is to dispense them. These directions are 
 more or less liberal, according to the character of the 
 owner ; and, in some cases, the dispensing of the stores 
 is left to the master's discretion. In other instances, 
 the master makes out an inventory of all the stores he 
 thinks it expedient to have put on board, and they are 
 accordingly supplied by the owners order. 
 
 In the manner of shipping the crew, there is as great 
 a difference as in that of providing the stores. Usually, 
 the whole thing is left to shipping-masters, who are paid 
 so much a head for each of the crew, and are responsible 
 for their appearance on board at the time of sailing. 
 When this plan is adopted, neither the master nor owner, 
 except by accident, knows anything of the crew before 
 the vessel goes to sea. The shipping-master opens the 
 articles at his office, procures the men, sees that they 
 sign in due form, pays them their advance, takes care 
 that they, or others in their place, are on board at the 
 time of sailing, and sends in a bill for the whole to the 
 owner. In other cases, the master selects his crew, and 
 occasionally the owner does it, if he has been at sea him- 
 
138 THE MASTER. 
 
 self, and understands seamen ; though a shipping-master 
 is still employed, to see them on board, and for other 
 purposes.* In the ordinary course of short voyages, 
 where crews are shipped frequently, and there is not 
 much motive for making a selection, the procuring a 
 crew may be left entirely to the agency of a faithful 
 shipping-master; but upon long voyages, the comfort 
 and success of which may depend much upon the cha- 
 racter of a crew, the master or owner should interest 
 himself to select able-bodied and respectable men, to 
 explain to them the nature and length of the voyage 
 they are going upon, what clothing they will want, and 
 the work that will be required of them, and should see 
 that they have proper and sufficient accommodations and 
 provisions for their comfort. The master or owner 
 should also, though this duty is often neglected, go to 
 the forecastle and see that it is cleaned out, whitewashed, 
 or painted, put in a proper habitable condition, and fur- 
 nished with every reasonable convenience. It would 
 seem best that the master should have something to do 
 with the selection of the provisions for his men, as he 
 will usually be more interested in securing their good- 
 will and comfort than the owner would be. 
 
 By the master or owner's thus interesting himself for 
 the crew, a great deal of misunderstanding, complaint, 
 and ill-will may be avoided, and the beginning, at least, 
 of the voyage be made under good auspices. 
 
 Unless the master is also supercargo, his duties, before 
 
 * In the British service, the practice is for owners of vessels 
 going on voyages round the Cape of Good Hope to employ an 
 agent, generally called a crimp, to engage the greatest part of the 
 crew. If forty or fifty men are wanted, double that number are 
 brought on board, out of which the chief-mate selects a sufficient 
 company ; the agent then receives a note for two months' wages, 
 which he has, for the most part, advanced to the seamen, either 
 in cash or slops (clothes), and also his procuration fee, varying from 
 5s. to 20s. per man, if he have not engaged to provide the crew for 
 a specified sum . 
 
THE MASTER. 139 
 
 sailing, are mostly confined to looking after the outfit of 
 the vessel, and seeing that she is in sea order. 
 
 Everything being in readiness, the custom-house and 
 other regulations complied with, and the crew on board, 
 the vessel is put under the charge of the pilot to be car- 
 ried out clear of the land. While the pilot is on board 
 the master has little else to do than to see that every- 
 thing is in order, and that the commands of the pilot are 
 executed. As soon as the pilot leaves the ship, the 
 entire control and responsibility are thrown upon the mas- 
 ter. When the vessel is well clear of the land, and things 
 are put into some order, it is usual for the master to call 
 all hands aft, and say something to them about the voy- 
 age upon which they have entered. After this, the crew 
 are divided into watches. The watches are the divisions 
 of the crew into two equal portions. The periods of 
 time occupied by each part of the crew, while on duty, 
 are also called watches. 
 
 There are two watches, — the larboard, commanded by 
 the chief mate, and the starboard, by the second mate. 
 The master himself stands no watch, but comes and goes 
 at all times, as he chooses. The starboard is sometimes 
 called the captains watch, probably from the fact that in 
 the early days of the service, when vessels were smaller, 
 there was usually but one mate, and the master stood his 
 own watch ; and now, in vessels which have no second 
 mate, the master keeps the starboard watch. In divid- 
 ing into watches, the master usually allows the officers 
 to choose the men, one by one, alternately ; but some- 
 times makes the division himself, upon consulting with 
 his officers. The men are divided as equally as possible, 
 with reference to their qualities as able seamen, ordinary 
 seamen, or boys (as all green hands are called, whatever 
 their age may be) ; but if the number is unequal, the 
 larboard watch has the odd one, since the chief mate 
 does not go aloft and do other duty in his watch, as the 
 second mate does in his. The cook always musters with 
 
140 THE MASTER. 
 
 the larboard watch, and the steward with the starboard. 
 If there is a carpenter, and the larboard watch is the 
 largest, he generally goes aloft with the starboard watch ; 
 otherwise, with the larboard. 
 
 As soon as the division is made, if the day's work is 
 over, one watch is set, and the other is sent below. 
 Among the numerous customs of the ocean, which can 
 hardly be accounted for, it is one that on the first night 
 of the outward passage the starboard watch should take 
 the first four hours on deck, and on the first night of the 
 homeward passage the larboard should do the same. 
 The sailors explain this by the old phrase, that the 
 master takes the ship out and the mate takes her home. 
 
 The master takes the bearing and distance of the last 
 point of departure upon the land, and from that point 
 the ship's reckoning begins, and is regularly kept 
 in the log-book. The chief mate keeps the log-book, 
 but the master examines and corrects the reckoning 
 every day. The master also attends to the chronometer, 
 and takes all the observations, with the assistance of his 
 officers, if necessary. Every day, a few minutes before 
 noon, if there is any prospect of being able to get the 
 sun, the master comes upon deck with his quadrant or 
 sextant, and the chief mate also usually takes his. The 
 second mate does not, except upon a Sunday, or when 
 there is no work going forward. As soon as the sun 
 crosses the meridian, eight bells are struck, and a new 
 sea day begins. The reckoning is then corrected by the 
 observation under the masters superintendence. 
 
 The master also takes the lunar observations, usually 
 with the assistance of both his officers ; in which case 
 the master takes the angle of the moon with the star or 
 sun, the chief mate takes the altitude of the sun or star, 
 and the second mate the altitude of the moon. 
 
 In regulating the hours of duty and sleep, the meal 
 times, the food, &c, the master has absolute power ; yet 
 the customs are very nearly the same in all vessels. The 
 
THE MASTER. 141 
 
 hour of breakfast' is seven bells in the morning (half 
 after seven), dinner at noon, and supper whenever the 
 day's work is over. If the voyage is a long one, the 
 crew are usually put upon an allowance of bread, beef, 
 and water. The dispensing of the stores and regulating 
 of the allowance lies, of course, with the master, though 
 the duty of opening the casks, weighing, measuring, 
 &c, falls upon the second mate. The chief mate enters 
 in the log-book every barrel or cask of provisions that is 
 broached. The steward takes charge of all the provi- 
 sions for the use of the cabin, and keeps them in the 
 pantry, over which he has the direct control. The 
 average of allowance in merchant vessels is six pounds 
 of bread a week, and three quarts of water, and one 
 pound and a half of beef, or one and a quarter of pork, 
 a day, to each man*. 
 
 The entire control of the navigation and working of 
 the ship lies with the master. He gives the course and 
 general directions to the officer of the watch, who enters 
 upon a slate, at the end of the watch, the course made, 
 and the number of knots, together with any other observa- 
 tions. The officer of the watch is at liberty to trim the 
 yards, to make alterations in the upper sails, to take in 
 and set royals, topgallant sails, &c. ; but no important 
 
 * For want of some fixed scale of allowance in the Biitish mer- 
 chant service, great discontent frequently arises on the part of the 
 crew, particularly on long voyages. In coasting vessels, where the 
 work is hard and constant, the allowance of beef and bread is 
 unlimited ; but on long voyages it would be well to adopt the 
 scale established for the Royal Navy, which is found amply suffi- 
 cient ; and this should form part of the contract, and be entered as 
 a special clause in the articles of agreement. On the next page 
 is the scale alluded to. In trading as well as the Queen's vessels, 
 exciseable articles are allowed in sufficient quantity for the voyage 
 out and home, duty free. This regulation, as regards spirits, 
 coffee, tea, &c, places our shipowners on a par with foreigners in 
 the cost of outfit as to these articles ; but they still have to com- 
 plain that the principal stores of provision, such as beef, pork, and 
 bread, are considerably dearer in this country than abroad — a dis- 
 
142 
 
 THE MASTER. 
 
 alteration can be made, as, for instance, reefing a topsail, 
 without the special order of the master, who, in such 
 cases, always comes upon deck and takes command in 
 person. When on deck, the weather side of the quarter- 
 deck belongs to him, and as soon as he appears the 
 officer of the watch will always leave it, and go over to 
 leeward, or forward into the waist. If the alteration to 
 be made is slight, the master usually tells the officer to 
 take in or set such a sail, and leaves to him the particu- 
 lar ordering as to the braces, sheets, &c, and the seeing all 
 things put in their place. The principal manoeuvres of the 
 vessel, as tacking, wearing, reefing topsails, getting under 
 w r ay, and coming to anchor, require all hands. In these 
 cases the master takes command, and gives his orders 
 in person, standing upon the quarter-deck. The chief 
 mate superintends the forward part of the vessel, under 
 the master, and the second mate assists in the waist. 
 The master never goes aloft, nor does any work with his 
 
 advantage which presses heavily on the British shipowners in their 
 competition with foreigners. 
 
 Days of the 
 week. 
 
 u ~* 
 
 
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 5 
 
 4* / 
 
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 B.S 
 
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 i 
 
 i 
 
 Sunday. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 Tuesday. 
 
 Wednesday. 
 
 Thursday. 
 
 Friday. 
 
 Saturday. 
 
 Sunday. 
 
 Monday. 
 
 Tuesday. 
 
 Wednesday. 
 
 Thursday. 
 
 Friday. 
 
 Saturday. 
 
 
 
 1* 
 if 
 if 
 If 
 
 1* 
 1* 
 1* 
 
 if 
 if 
 
 ii 
 if 
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 i 
 
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 4 
 
 4 
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 4 
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 4 
 4 
 
 i 
 
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 9 
 
 t 
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 54 
 
 t 
 
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 54 
 
 f 
 
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 Proportion for 
 14 days. 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 21 
 
 H 
 
 3% 
 
THE MASTER. 143 
 
 hands, unless for his own pleasure. If the officer of the 
 watch thinks it necessary to reef the topsails, he calls 
 the master, who upon coming on deck takes command, 
 and, if he thinks proper, orders all hands to be called. The 
 crew, officers, and all, then take their stations, and await 
 the orders of the master, who works the ship in person, 
 giving all the commands, even the most minute, and 
 looks out for trimming the yards and laying the ship 
 for reefing. The chief mate commands upon the fore- 
 castle, under the master, and does not go aloft. The 
 second mate goes aloft with the crew. 
 
 In tacking and wearing, the master gives all the orders 
 as to trimming the yards, &c, though the chief mate is 
 expected to look out for the head yards. So, in getting 
 under way, and in coming to anchor, the master takes 
 the entire personal control of everything, the officers 
 acting under him in their several stations. 
 
 In the ordinary day's work, however, which is carried 
 on in a vessel, the state of things is somewhat different. 
 This the master does not superintend personally ; but 
 gives general instructions to the chief mate, whose duty 
 it is to see to their execution. To understand this dis- 
 tinction, the reader will bear in mind that there are two 
 great divisions of duty and labour on shipboard. One, 
 the working and navigating of the vessel: that is, the 
 keeping and ascertaining the ship's position, and direct- 
 ing her course, the making and taking in sail, trimming 
 the sails to the wind, and the various nautical manoeuvres 
 and evolutions of a vessel. The other branch is, the 
 work done upon the hull and rigging to keep it in order, 
 such as the making and fitting of new rigging, repairing 
 of old, &c. ; all which, together with making of small 
 stuffs to be used on board, constitute the days work and 
 jobs of the crew. As to the latter, the master usually 
 converses with the chief mate upon the state of the 
 vessel and rigging, and tells him, more or less particu- 
 larly, what he wishes to have done. It then becomes 
 the duty of this officer to see the thing accomplished. 
 
144 THE MASTER. 
 
 If, for instance, the master tells the chief mate to stay 
 the topmasts more forward, the chief mate goes upon 
 the forecastle, sets the men to work, one upon one thing 
 and another upon another, sees that the stays and back- 
 stays are come up with, has tackles got upon the rigging, 
 sights the mast, &c. If the master sees anything which 
 he disapproves of, and has any preferences in the modes 
 of doing the work, he should call the officer aft and 
 speak to him ; and if, instead of this, he were to go 
 forward and give orders to the men, it would be con- 
 sidered an interference, and indeed an insult to the 
 officer *. So with any other work doing upon the ship 
 or rigging, as rattling down, turning in and setting up 
 rigging, bending and unbending sails, and all the knot- 
 ting, splicing, serving, &c, and the making of small 
 stuffs, which constitute the day's work and jobs of a 
 vessel. If the chief officer is a competent man, the 
 master is not expected to trouble himself with the 
 details of any of these things ; and, indeed, if he were 
 to do so to a great extent, it would probably lead to 
 difficulty. 
 
 Where there are passengers, as in regular line of packet 
 ships (or, as they are familiarly called, liners), between 
 New York and Liverpool, or Havre, for instance, the 
 master has even less to do with the day's work ; since 
 the navigation and working of the ship, with proper 
 attention to his passengers, are as much as can reasonably 
 be required of him. 
 
 The master has the entire control of the cabin. The 
 mates usually live in a state-room by themselves, or, if 
 they live in the cabin, they yet feel that the master is 
 the head of the house, and are unwilling to interfere 
 with his hours and occupations. The chief mate dines 
 w T ith the master, and the second mate looks out for the 
 ship while they are below, and dines at the second table. 
 
 * This is not sufficiently attended to in British merchant ships. 
 The master should consider that a contrary course lessens the 
 authority of his chief officer over the crew, and eventually his own. 
 
THE MASTER. 145 
 
 In the liners, however^ the mates dine together, and the 
 master looks out for the ship while they are at dinner, 
 and dines with his passengers at a later hour. 
 
 As the master stands no watch, he comes and goes as 
 he pleases, and takes his own hours for rest. In fine 
 weather, he is not necessarily much on deck, but should 
 he ready at all times, especially in bad weather, to be up 
 at a moment's notice. 
 
 Everything of importance that occurs, as the seeing a 
 sail or land, or the like, must be immediately reported 
 to the master. And in heaving-to for speaking, the 
 master takes the entire charge of working the vessel, 
 and speaks the other sail in person. 
 
 As will be found in the third Part of this book, the 
 master has the entire control of the discipline of the ship, 
 and no subordinate officer has authority to punish a sea- 
 man, or to use force, without the master's order, except 
 in cases of necessity not admitting of delay. He has 
 also the complete direction of the internal arrangements 
 and economy of the vessel ; and upon his character, and 
 upon the course of conduct he pursues, depend in a great 
 measure the character of the ship and the conduct of both 
 officers and men. He has a power and an influence, both 
 direct and indirect, which may be the means of much 
 good or much evil'. If he is profane, passionate, tyran- 
 nical, indecent, or intemperate, more or less of the same 
 qualities will spread themselves or break out among offi- 
 cers and men, which, perhaps would have been checked, 
 if not in some degree removed, had the head of the ship 
 been a man of high personal character. He may make 
 his ship almost anything he chooses, and may render the 
 lives and duties of his officers and men pleasant and pro- 
 fitable to them, or may introduce disagreements, discon- 
 tent, tyranny, resistance, and, in fact, make the situation 
 of all on board as uncomfortable as that in which any 
 human beings can well be placed. Every master of a 
 vessel who will lay this to heart, and consider his great 
 responsibility, may not only be a benefactor to the num- 
 
 L 
 
146 THE CHIEF MATE. 
 
 bers whom the course of many years will bring under 
 his command, but may render a service to the whole 
 class, and do much to raise the character of the 
 calling. 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE CHIEF MATE. 
 
 Care of rigging and ship's furniture. Day's work. Working ship. 
 Coming to anchor. Getting under way. Reefing. Furling. Duties 
 in port. Account of cargo. Stowage. Station. Log-book. Navi- 
 gation. 
 
 The chief mate, or, as he is familiarly called on board 
 ship, the mate, is the active superintending officer. In 
 the previous chapter, upon the duties of the master, it 
 will be seen that, in all matters relating to the care of 
 and work done upon the ship and rigging, the master 
 gives general orders to the mate, who attends personally 
 to their execution in detail. Indeed, in the days work 
 on board ship, the chief mate is the only officer who 
 appears in command. The second mate works like a 
 common seaman, and the men never know what is to be 
 done until they receive their orders in detail from the 
 chief mate. It is his duty to carry on the work, to find 
 every man something to do, and to see that it is done. 
 He appoints the second mate his work, as well as the 
 common seamen theirs ; and if the master is dissatisfied 
 with anything, or wishes a change, he should speak to 
 the chief mate, and let him make the change, and not 
 interfere with the men individually. It is also the duty 
 of this officer to examine all parts of the rigging, report 
 anything of importance to the master and take his orders, 
 or, if it be a small and common matter, he will have the 
 repairs or changes made at his own pleasure, as a thing 
 of course. He must also see that there is a supply of 
 small stuffs for the work, and have them made up when 
 necessary, and also that there are instruments ready for 
 
THE CHIEF MATE. 147 
 
 every kind of labour, or for any emergency. In bad 
 weather, he must have spare rope, blocks, tackles, sennit, 
 earings, &c, on hand ; or rather, see that they are pro- 
 vided, the more immediate care of these things, when 
 provided, belonging to the second mate. 
 
 From this description of a chief mate's duty, it will 
 be seen that he ought always to be not only a vigilant 
 and active man, but also well acquainted with all kinds 
 of seaman's work, and a good judge of rigging. 
 
 In the working of the ship, when all hands are called 
 and the master is on deck, the chief mate's place is on 
 the forecastle, where, under the general direction of the 
 master, who never need leave the quarter-deck, he com- 
 mands the forward part of the vessel, and is the organ of 
 communication with the men aloft. In getting under 
 way and coming to anchor, it is his duty to attend to the 
 ground tackle, and see everything ready forward. The 
 master, for instance, tells him to have the ship ready for 
 getting under weigh, and to heave short on the cable. 
 He then goes forward, orders all hands to be called, sees 
 everything secured about decks, tackles got up and boats 
 hoisted in and lashed, fish and cat tackles, pennant, davit, 
 &c., and spare hawsers and rope, in readiness, orders the 
 men to the windlass, (the second mate taking a hand- 
 spike with the rest,) and stationing himself between the 
 knight-heads, looks out for the cable, ordering and en- 
 couraging the men. When the cable is hove short, he 
 informs the master, and, at the word from him, orders 
 the men aloft to loose the sails, and gives particular 
 directions to them when aloft, as to the sails, gaskets, 
 overhauling rigging, &c. The sails being loosed, he 
 awaits the order from the master, which would be ad- 
 dressed to him rather than to the men, and has the 
 windlass manned and the anchor hove up, giving notice 
 to the master as soon as it is a-weigh. When the vessel 
 is under way, the master begins to take more immediate 
 control, ordering the yards to be braced and filled, sail to 
 be set, and the like. The chief mate also sees to the 
 l2 
 
148 THE CHIEF MATE. 
 
 catting and fishing of the anchors, to having the decks- 
 cleared up and everything secured. 
 
 In coming to anchor, very nearly the same duty falls 
 upon the chief officer. He must see the anchors and 
 cables ready for letting go, the master ordering how 
 much chain is to be overhauled. He must look out 
 that the boats are ready for lowering, the rigging clear 
 for letting go, hauling and clewing, and that spare 
 hawsers, kedges, warps, &c, are at hand. If anything 
 goes wrong forward, he alone is looked to for an ex- 
 planation. As the vessel draws in toward her anchor- 
 ing ground, the master gives all the orders as to trim- 
 ming the yards and taking in sail ; and at all times, 
 when on deck, has the entire charge of the man at the 
 helm, it being the mate's duty only to see that a good 
 seaman is there, and that the helm is relieved. As to 
 the sails, the master will, for instance, order — " Clew 
 up the fore and main topsails ! " The chief mate then 
 gives the particular orders as to lowering and letting go 
 the halyards, clewing down and up, overhauling rigging, 
 &c. If both topsails were taken in at once, the second 
 mate would attend to the main, unless the master should 
 choose to look out for it himself. All being ready for 
 letting go, the master gives the order — " Let go the 
 anchor ! " and the chief mate sees that it is done, has the 
 chain payed out, reports how much is out, sees that the 
 buoys watch, and the like. In furling the sails, the 
 whole superintendence comes upon the mate, as the 
 master would probably only tell him to have them 
 furled. He has the rigging hauled taut, sends the men 
 aloft, and, remaining on deck and forward, he gives his 
 orders to them while on the yards, as to the manner of 
 furling, and has the ropes hauled taut, or let go on deck, 
 as may be necessary. 
 
 These instances may serve to show the distinctions 
 between the duties of master and mate in the principal 
 evolutions of a vessel. While in port, the chief mate 
 has much more the control of the vessel than when at 
 
THE CHIEF MATE. 149 
 
 sea. As there is no navigating or working of the vessel 
 to be done, the master has little to engage him, except 
 transactions with merchants and others on shore, and the 
 necessary general directions to the mate, as to the care 
 of the ship. Beside the work upon the ship and rigging 
 while hi port, the chief mate has the charge of receiving, 
 discharging, stowing and breaking out the cargo. In 
 this he has the entire control, under the general direc- 
 tions of the master. It is his duty to keep an account 
 of all the cargo, as it goes in and comes out of the vessel, 
 and, as he generally gives receipts, he is bound to great 
 care and accuracy. When cargo is coming in and going 
 out, the chief mate will stand in the gangway, to keep 
 an account, and the second mate will be down in the 
 hold with some of the crew, breaking out or stowing. 
 The stowage, however, should still be somewhat under 
 the chief mate's directions. While the master is on 
 shore, the chief mate is necessarily commander of the 
 ship, for the time, and though the law will extend his 
 power proportionably for cases of necessity, yet, except 
 in instances which will not admit of delay, he must not 
 attempt to exercise any unusual powers, but should refer 
 everything to the master's decision. It will be seen, by 
 the laws, that the mate has no right to punish a man 
 during the master's absence, unless it be a case in which 
 delay would lead to serious consequences. 
 
 While in port, the chief mate stands no watch at 
 night, but he should always be the first to be called in 
 the morning, and should be up early and order the call- 
 ing of all hands. In cleaning the ship, as washing down 
 decks, &c, which is done the first thing in the morning, 
 each mate, while at sea, takes charge of it in his watch, 
 in turn, as one or the other has the morning watch; but 
 in port, the second mate oversees the washing down of 
 the decks, under the chief mate's general orders. 
 
 While at sea, in tacking, wearing, reefing topsails, 
 &c, and in every kind of " all hands' work," when the 
 master is on deck, the chief mate's place, as I have said, 
 
150 THE CHIEF MATE. 
 
 is forward. To give a further notion of the manner of 
 dividing the command, I will describe the evolution of 
 tacking-ship. The master finds that the ship will not 
 lay her course, and tells the chief mate to " see all clear 
 for stays," or " ready about/' Upon this, the chief 
 mate goes forward, sends all hands to their stations, and 
 sees everything clear and ready on the forecastle. The 
 master asks, " All ready forward ? " and being answered, 
 " Ay, ay, sir ! " motions to the man at the helm to put 
 the wheel down, and calls out, " Helm's a-lee ! " The 
 mate answering immediately, " Helm 's a-lee,'' to let 
 the master know he is heard and understood, sees that 
 the head sheets are let go. At " Raise tacks and sheets ! " 
 from the master, the mate, and the men with him, let 
 go the fore tack, while he looks after the overhauling 
 of the other tack and sheet. He also sees to letting go 
 the bowlines for " Let go and haul," and to getting down 
 the head sheets when the ship is about, and trims the 
 head yards, calling out to the men at the braces the 
 usual orders, " Well the main yard ! " " Topsail yard, 
 a small pull ! " " Topgallant yard, well ! " &c. The 
 master usually trims the after yards. 
 
 In reefing topsails, the chief mate should not go aloft, 
 but should keep his place forward, and look out for the 
 men on the yards. I am aware that it has been the 
 custom in some classes of vessels, as, in the New York 
 liners, for the chief mate to take the weather earing of a 
 course, especially if a topsail or the other course were 
 reefing at the same time ; yet this practice has never 
 generally prevailed, and is now going out of date. I 
 think I may say it is the opinion of all, masters, officers, 
 and men, that it is better for the chief mate to remain on 
 deck. There is always a good deal to be looked after, 
 ropes to be let go or hauled, rigging to be cleared, and 
 the like, beside the importance of having some one to 
 oversee the men on the different yards ; which the mate, 
 standing at a little distance, can easily do. He is also 
 the organ of communication between the yards and the 
 
THE CHIEF MATE. 151 
 
 deck, and can look after the reefing to more advantage 
 than the master can upon the quarter-deck, where he 
 must stay to watch the helm and sails. 
 
 The chief mate is not required to work with his hands, 
 like the second mate and the seamen. He will, of course, 
 let go and belay ropes, and occasionally pull and haul 
 with the men when working ship ; but if there is much 
 work to be done, his time and attention are sufficiently 
 taken up with superintending and giving orders. 
 
 As to his duties as a watch-officer, it will be necessary 
 to repeat the explanations partly given in the chapter 
 upon the master s duties. The crew are divided equally 
 into two watches, the larboard and starboard ; the lar- 
 board commanded by the chief mate, and the starboard 
 by the second mate. These watches divide the day 
 between them, being on and off duty every other four 
 hours. This is the theory of the time, but in fact, in 
 nearly all merchant vessels, all hands are kept on deck 
 and at work throughout the afternoon, from one o'clock 
 until sundown; and sometimes, if there is a great deal to 
 be done, as immediately before making port, or after an 
 accident, all hands may be kept throughout the day. 
 This is, however, justly considered hard usage, if long 
 continued, since it gives the men but little time for sleep, 
 and none for reading, or taking care of their clothes. 
 Although all hands may be on deck and at work during 
 a day or a half day, yet the division of time is still kept 
 up. For instance, if it is the mate's watch from 8 a. m. 
 to 12 ; although all hands should be up from 12 to 5 or 
 6, yet from 12 to 4 the starboard watch would be con- 
 sidered as " the watch on deck," and the larboard again 
 after 4 ; and so on ; and during those hours the wheel 
 will always be taken by men belonging to the watch on 
 deck, and if any particular duty is ordered to be done by 
 " the watch," that watch which has a man at the helm, 
 and which would have been the only one on deck had 
 not all hands been kept, would do the duty. But though 
 this division is kept up as to the crew and the helmsman, 
 
152 THE CHIEF MATE. 
 
 it is not so as to the officers ; for when all hands are on 
 deck, the chief mate is always the officer in command, 
 to whichever watch the hour may properly belong. He 
 accordingly looks out for the ship, takes in and makes 
 sail, and trims the yards, and when all hands are on deck 
 at work, as much in the hours of one watch as in those of 
 the other, and he generally calls upon the men of either 
 watch indifferently to pull and haul. But if only the 
 starboard watch is on deck, though the chief mate should 
 be on deck also, yet he will not interfere with the duties 
 of that watch, but would leave the command of the ves- 
 sel, and the weather side of the quarter-deck, to the 
 second mate. Of course, whenever the master comes on 
 deck, as I have said, in whosever watch it may be, or 
 if all hands are up, he takes the weather side of the 
 quarter-deck, and is considered as having charge of the 
 ship ; and the officer of the watch would then give no 
 order with reference to the helm, trimming the yards, 
 making sail, or the like, without a direction from the 
 master. 
 
 It will be necessary to make some explanations as to 
 the stations of the chief and second mate. 1 have said 
 that when all hands are called, the chief mate's place is 
 the forecastle, and the second mate's amidships, or at the 
 braces on the quarter-deck. This is only in working 
 ship with all hands; that is, in tacking, wearing, reefing, 
 coming to anchor, getting under way, &c. Whenever 
 the work is done, and the necessity for the officers' pre- 
 sence at these parts of the vessel ceases, they return to 
 their proper plaees on the quarter-deck. In a man-of- 
 war there is always a lieutenant of the watch on the 
 weather side of the quarter-deck, whatever work may 
 be going forward, except in the single case of all hands 
 being called to work ship ; but it is not so in the mer- 
 chant service. When the ordinary day's work is going 
 forward, the mates must be about the decks or aloft, 
 like the petty officers of a man-of-war ; and it is only 
 while no work is going forward, as in bad weather, on 
 
THE CHIEF MATE. 153 
 
 Sundays, or at night, that the officer of the watch keeps 
 the quarter-deck. At these times he does so, and, if the 
 master is not on deck, does not leave it, except for a 
 short time, and for some necessary duty forward. 
 
 It will be seen in the third Part of this book, that the 
 law looks upon the chief mate as standing in a different 
 relation to the master from that of the second mate or 
 the men. He is considered a confidential person, to 
 whom the owners, shippers and insurers look, in some 
 measure, for special duties and qualifications. The 
 master, therefore, cannot remove him from office, except 
 under very peculiar circumstances, and then must be 
 able to prove a justifiable cause. One of these duties 
 which the law throws upon him, is keeping the log-book. 
 This is a very important trust, as the log-book is the 
 depository of the evidence of everything that may occur 
 during the voyage ; and the position of the ship, the sail 
 she was under, the wind, &c, at any one moment, may 
 become matters of great consequence to all concerned. 
 So it is with reference to anything that may occur be- 
 tween the master or officers and the crew. As to the 
 manner of keeping the log, it is the custom for each offi- 
 cer at the end of his watch to enter upon the log-slate, 
 which usually lies on the cabin table, the courses, dis- 
 tances, wind and weather during his watch, and anything 
 worthy of note that may have occurred. Once in twenty- 
 four hours the mate copies from this slate into the log- 
 book; the master, however, first seeing the slate, ex- 
 amining it, and making any corrections or observations 
 he may choose. This practice of copying from the slate, 
 which is first submitted to the master, has led, in too 
 many instances, to the mate's becoming the mere clerk 
 of the master, to enter on the log-book whatever the 
 latter may dictate. This is wrong. It is very proper 
 that the master should examine the slate, and suggest 
 alterations as to the ship's reckoning, &c, if necessary ; 
 but it is important to all concerned, both to the owners, 
 shippers and insurers, on shore, and the crew of the 
 
154 THE SECOND MATE. 
 
 vessel, that the independence of the mate, as the jour- 
 nalist of the voyage, should be preserved. The master, 
 from the power of his office, can at all times make the 
 situation of a mate who has displeased him extremely 
 disagreeable, and from this cause has great indirect in- 
 fluence over him ; the law and the custom should there- 
 fore be strictly adhered to which rightly make the chief 
 officer, in this respect, in a manner the umpire between 
 the master and the crew, as well as between all on board 
 and the parties interested on shore. 
 
 The law also makes the chief mate the successor to 
 the master, in case the latter should die, or be unable to 
 perform the duties of his office ; and this without any 
 action on the part of the crew. It is always important, 
 therefore, that, to the practical seamanship and activity 
 necessary for the discharge of the proper duties of his 
 office, the mate should add a sufficient knowledge of 
 navigation to be able to carry the ship on her voyage in 
 case anything should happen to the master. Indeed, it 
 has been doubted whether a vessel of the largest class, 
 upon a long voyage, would be seaworthy with no navi- 
 gator on board but the master. 
 
 Both the chief and second mates are always addressed 
 by their surnames, with Mr. prefixed, and are answered 
 with the addition of Sir. This is a requirement of ship's 
 duty, and an intentional omission of it is an offence against 
 the rules and understanding of the service. 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 SECOND AND THIRD MATES. 
 
 Second Mate — Navigation. Station. Watch duties. Day's work. 
 
 Working ship. Reefing. Furling. Duties aloft. Care of Ship's 
 
 furniture. Stores. Duties in port. 
 Third Mate.-— Working ship. Day's work. Duties aloft— in port. 
 
 Boating. Stores. 
 
 The duties of the second mate are, to command the 
 starboard watch when the master is not on deck, and to 
 
THE SECOND MATE. 155 
 
 lead the crew in their work. It is not necessary that he 
 should he a navigator, or even be able to keep a journal, 
 though he should know enough of navigation to keep 
 the courses and distances during his watch, and to report 
 them correctly on the slate. There are also many ad- 
 vantages in his being acquainted with navigation and 
 able to keep the log, as, in case of the chief mate's meet- 
 ing with any accident, or being removed from office. The 
 second mate, however, does not, by law, necessarily 
 succeed to the office of chief mate, as the chief mate does 
 to that of master ; but it lies with the master for the 
 time being to appoint whom he chooses to the office of 
 chief mate : yet, if the second mate is capable of per- 
 forming the duties of the office, he would ordinarily be 
 appointed, as a matter of course. 
 
 When the starboard watch alone is on deck, and the 
 master is below, the second mate has charge of the ship. 
 When both watches are on deck, the chief mate is officer 
 of the deck, to whichever watch the time may belong, 
 according to the division of the hours. When the master 
 is on deck, he commands, in one watch as well as in the 
 other. But the second mate does not give up the charge 
 of the vessel to the chief mate, if he should happen to be 
 on deck during the starboard watch, unless all hands are 
 up. While he has charge of the vessel in his watch, his 
 duties are the common ones of a watch officer ; that is, 
 to have an eye to the helm, watch the weather, keep a 
 general look-out round the horizon, see to the trimming 
 of the yards and making and taking in of the light sails, 
 give the master notice of anything important that occurs, 
 heave the log and keep an account of the winds, courses, 
 rate of sailing, &c, and enter the same on the slate at 
 the end of the watch. In these things the chief mate 
 has no right to interfere, when it is not his watch on 
 deck. But in all matters connected with the day's 
 work and jobs, the second mate acts under the chief 
 mate in his own watch, as that department belongs 
 
156 THE SECOND MATE. 
 
 peculiarly to the chief mate. In working days, when 
 the crew are employed about the ship and rigging, it is 
 usual for the chief mate to tell the second mate what to 
 do in his watch, and sometimes he remains on deck a few 
 minutes to see to the commencement of the work. And 
 while day's work is going forward, during the time that 
 the chief mate has a watch below, as the second mate is 
 expected to do jobs like a common seaman, it is the 
 custom for the master to be on deck a good deal in the 
 starboard watch and look after the vessel. While work 
 is going forward, the second mate is about decks and 
 aloft ; but at other times, as at night, or on Sunday, or 
 during bad weather, when day's work cannot be kept 
 up, his place is on the quarter-deck ; though still, he 
 leaves it whenever anything is to be done forward or 
 aloft which requires the presence of a whole watch, as, 
 setting or taking in a lower or topmast studding-sail, or 
 any of the heavy sails. 
 
 When all hands are called to work ship, as in reefing, 
 tacking, wearing, getting under way, coming to anchor, 
 &c, the second mate's place is aft, at the fore and main 
 braces and main and mizen rigging ; and generally, in all 
 ship's duty, the chief mate and larboard watch belong 
 forward, and the second mate and starboard watch aft. 
 In tacking ship, the second mate looks out for the lee 
 fore and main braces, sees them belayed to one pin and 
 clear for letting go, lets go the main braces at " Main- 
 sail haul ! " and the fore at " Let go and haul ! " He 
 also steadies the weather braces as the yards come up. 
 He then sees to getting down the main tack, hauling 
 out the main and mizen bowlines, hauling aft the main 
 sheet, and, in short, has charge of all the duty to be done 
 upon the quarter-deck and in the waist. 
 
 In getting under way, the second mate takes a hand- 
 spike at the windlass with the men, the place which 
 custom has assigned him being the windlass-end. If 
 anything is to be done with the braces while the men 
 
THE SECOND MATE. 157 
 
 are heaving at the windlass, it is his duty to attend to 
 it, as the chief mate must be looking out for the ground 
 tackle. 
 
 In reefing, the second mate goes aloft with the men, 
 and takes his place at the weather earing. This is his 
 proper duty, and he will never give it up, unless he is a 
 youngster, and not strong enough or sufficiently ex- 
 perienced to lead the men on the yard. As soon as the 
 order is given to clew down for reefing, and the halyards 
 are let go, if there are hands enough to haul out the reef- 
 tackles, he should go aloft, see that the yard is well 
 down by the lifts, and then lay out to the weather yard- 
 arm, and get his earing rove by the time the men are 
 upon the yard. He then hauls it out and makes fast. 
 If both topsails are reefed at once, he goes to the main ; 
 but if one sail is reefed at a time, he goes with the men 
 from one to the other, taking the weather earing of 
 each. He also goes aloft to reef a course, and takes the 
 weather earing of that, in the same manner. He is not 
 expected to go upon the mizen topsail yard, as the mizen 
 topsail is a small sail, and can be reefed by a few men, 
 or by the light hands. 
 
 In furling sails, the second mate goes aloft to the top- 
 sails and courses, and takes the bunt, as that is the most 
 important place in. that duty. He is not expected to go 
 upon the mizen topsail yard for any service, and though 
 in bad weather, and in case of necessity, he would do so, 
 yet it would be out of the usual course. He might also, 
 in heavy weather, assist in furling a large jib, or in taking 
 the bonnet off; but he never furls a topgallant sail, 
 royal or flying jib. In short, the fore or main topsail 
 and the courses are the only sails which the second mate 
 is expected to handle, either in reefing or furling. And, 
 as I said before, if the sails are reefed or furled by the 
 watch, he leads the starboard watch on the main and 
 maintopsail yards, and the best man in the larboard 
 watch leads them at the fore. 
 
 Although the proper place for the second mate on a 
 
158 THE SECOND MATE. 
 
 yard, is the bunt in furling, and the weather earing in 
 reefing, and it is the custom to give him a chance at 
 them at first, yet he cannot retain them by virtue of his 
 office ; and if he has not the necessary strength or skill 
 for the stations, it is no breach of duty in a seaman to 
 take them from him ; on the contrary, he must always 
 expect, in such a case, to give them up to a smarter 
 man. If the second mate is a youngster, as is sometimes 
 the case, being put forward early for the sake of promo- 
 tion, or if he is not active and ambitious, he will not 
 attempt to take the bunt or weather earing. 
 
 In the ordinary day's work done on shipboard, the 
 second mate works with his hands like a common sea- 
 man. Indeed, he ought to be the best workman on 
 board, and to be able to take upon himself the nicest 
 and most difficult jobs, or to show the men how to do 
 them. Among the various pieces of work constantly 
 going forward on the vessel and rigging, there are some 
 that require more skill and are less disagreeable than 
 others. The assignment of all the work belongs to the 
 chief mate, and if the second mate is a good seaman (by 
 which sailors generally understand a good workman upon 
 rigging,) he will have the best and most important of 
 these allotted to him; as, for instance, fitting, turning in 
 and setting up rigging, rattling down, and making the 
 neater straps, coverings, graftings, pointings, &c. ; but 
 if he is not a good workman, he will have to employ 
 himself upon the inferior jobs, such as are usually 
 assigned to ordinary seamen and boys. Whatever may 
 be his capacity, however* he "carries on the work," 
 when his watch alone is on deck, under directions pre- 
 viously received from the chief mate. 
 
 It is a common saying among seamen that a man does 
 not get his hands out of the tar bucket by becoming 
 second mate. The meaning of this is, that as a great 
 deal of tar is used in working upon rigging, and it is 
 always put on by hand, the second mate is expected to 
 put his hands to it as the others do. If the chief mate 
 
THE SECOND MATE. 159 
 
 were to take hold upon a piece of work, and it should be 
 necessary to put any tar on it, he might call some one 
 to tar it for him, as all labour by hand is voluntary with 
 him ; but the second mate would be expected to do it 
 for himself, as a part of his work. These matters, small 
 in themselves, serve to show the different lights in which 
 the duties of the officers are regarded by all sea-faring 
 men. There are, however, some inferior services, such 
 as slushing down masts, sweeping decks, &c, which the 
 second mate takes no part in ; and if he were ordered to 
 do so, it would be considered as punishment, and might 
 lead to a difficulty. 
 
 In working ship, making and taking in sail, &c, the 
 second mate pulls and hauls about decks with the rest of 
 the men. Indeed, in all the work he is expected to 
 join in, he should be the first man to take hold, both 
 leading the men and working himself. In one thing, 
 however, he differs from the seamen ; that is, he never 
 takes the helm. Neither master nor mates ever take 
 the wheel, but it is left to the men, who steer the vessel 
 under the direction of the master or officer of the 
 deck. He is also not expected to go aloft to reeve and 
 unreeve rigging, or rig in and out booms, when making 
 or taking in sail, if there are men enough; but, as I 
 have said, under ordinary circumstances, only goes aloft 
 to reef or furl a topsail or course. In case, however, of 
 any accident, as carrying away a mast or yard, or if any 
 unusual work is going on aloft, as the sending up or 
 down of topmasts or topsail yards, or getting rigging 
 over the mast-head, sending down or bending a heavy 
 sail in a gale of wind, or the like, then the second mate 
 should be aloft to take charge of the work there, and to 
 be the organ of communication between the men aloft 
 and the chief mate, who should remain on deck, since he 
 must superintend everything fore and aft, as well as 
 a-low and aloft. Sending up or down royal and top- 
 gallant yards, being light work and done by one or two 
 hands, does not call the second mate aloft ; but if the 
 
160 THE SECOND MATE. 
 
 topgallant masts are to be sent down, or a jib-boom 
 rigged in in bad weather, or any other work going on 
 aloft of unusual importance or difficulty, the second mate 
 should be there with the men, leading them in the work, 
 and communicating with, and receiving the orders from 
 the deck. 
 
 During his own watch, if the master is not on deck, 
 the second mate commands the ship, gives his orders and 
 sees to their execution, precisely as the chief mate does 
 in his ; but, at the same time, he is expected to lend a 
 hand at every " all hands rope/' 
 
 There is another important part of the duties of a 
 second mate ; which is, the care of the spare rigging, 
 blocks, sails, and small stuffs, and of the instruments for 
 working upon rigging, as, marlinspikes, heavers, serving- 
 boards, &c. It is the duty of the chief mate, as super- 
 intendant of the work, to see that these are on board, 
 and to provide a constant supply of such as are made at 
 sea ; but when provided, it is the second mate's duty to 
 look after them, to see them properly stowed away, and 
 to have them at hand whenever they are called for. If, 
 for instance, the chief mate orders a man to do a piece of 
 work with certain instruments and certain kinds of stuff, 
 the man will go to the second mate for them, and he 
 must supply him. If there is no sail-maker on board, 
 the second mate must also attend to the stowing away 
 of the spare sails, and whenever one is called for, it is 
 his duty to go below and find it. So with blocks, spare 
 rigging, strands of yarns, and any part of a vessel's fur- 
 niture, which an accident or emergency, as well as the 
 ordinary course of duty, may bring into play. 
 
 So, also, with the stores. It is his duty to see to the 
 stowing away of the water, bread, beef, pork, and all the 
 provisions of the vessel ; and whenever a new cask or 
 barrel of water or provisions is to be opened, the second 
 mate must do it. Indeed, the crew should never be sent 
 into the hold or steerage, or to any part where there is 
 cargo or stores, without an officer. He also measures 
 
THE THIRD MATE. 
 
 161 
 
 out the allowance to the men, at the rate ordered hy the 
 master. These latter duties, of getting out the stores 
 and weighing or measuring the allowance, fall upon the 
 third mate, if there is one, which is seldom the case in 
 merchant vessels. 
 
 While in port, when cargo is taking in or discharging, 
 the second mate's place is in the hold ; the chief mate 
 standing at the gangway, to keep account, and to have a 
 general supervision. If the vessel is lying at anchor, so 
 that the cargo has to be brought on or off in boats, then 
 the boating duty falls upon the second mate, who goes 
 and comes in the boats, and looks after the landing 
 and taking off of the goods. The chief mate seldom 
 leaves the vessel when in port. The master is necessa- 
 rily on shore a good deal, and the second mate must 
 come and go in the boats, so that the chief mate is con- 
 sidered as the ship-keeper. So, if a warp or kedge is to 
 be carried out, or a boat is lowered at sea, as in boarding 
 another vessel, or when a man has fallen overboard, in 
 all such cases the second mate should take charge of the 
 boat. 
 
 When in port, the second mate stands no anchor 
 watch, but is expected to be on deck until eight o'clock, 
 which is the hour at which the watch is usually set. If, 
 however, the ship' is short-handed, he would stand his 
 watch ; in which case it would probably be either the 
 first or the morning watch. 
 
 The second mate lives aft, sleeping in the cabin, if 
 there are no passengers, or else in a state-room in the 
 steerage. He also eats in the cabin, but at a second 
 table, taking charge of the vessel while the master and 
 chief mate are at their meals. In packet ships the two 
 mates generally eat together, by themselves, at an earlier 
 hour than the master and passengers. 
 
 Third Mate. — Merchant vessels bound on long 
 voyages, upon which there are many vicissitudes to be 
 anticipated, sometimes carry a third mate ; but this is 
 unusual ; so much so, that his duties have hardly become 
 
 M 
 
162 CARPENTER. 
 
 settled by custom. He does not command a watch, but 
 belongs to the larboard watch, and assists the chief mate 
 in his duties. He goes aloft with the larboard watch to 
 reef and furl, as the second mate does with the starboard, 
 and performs very nearly the same duties aloft and about 
 decks. If he is a good seaman, he will take the earing, 
 and bunt on the head yards, as the second mate does on 
 the after yards ; and in the allotment of work he will be 
 favoured with the most important jobs, if a good work- 
 man, otherwise he will be put upon the work of an 
 ordinary seaman. He is not expected to handle the 
 light sails. He stands no helm, lives aft, and will look 
 out for the vessel at meal- times, if the second mate dines 
 with the master and chief mate. While in port, he will 
 be in the hold or in the boats, as he may be needed, thus 
 dividing the labour with the second mate. Perhaps his 
 place would more properly be in the boats, as that is 
 considered more in the light of fatigue duty. He also 
 relieves the second mate of the charge of the stores, and 
 sees to the weighing and measuring of the allowances ; 
 and in his watch on deck, he relieves the chief mate of 
 the inferior parts of his duty, such as washing decks in 
 the morning, and looking after the boys in clearing up 
 the decks at night. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 CARPENTER, COOK, STEWARD, &C. 
 
 Carpenter. — Working ship. Seaman's work. Helm. Duty aloft. 
 Work at his trade. Station. Berth and mess. Standing watch. 
 
 Sailmaker.— Seaman's work. Work at trade. Duty aloft. Standing 
 watch. Berth and mess. Station. 
 
 Steward. — Duty in passenger-ships. Care of cahin-table — passengers. 
 In other vessels— Master— mate. Aloft. About decks. Working 
 ship. 
 
 Cook.— Berth. Standing watch. Care of galley and furniture. Work- 
 ing ship. Duty aloft. 
 
 Carpenter. — Almost every merchant vessel of a large 
 class, or bound upon a long voyage, carries a carpenter. 
 
CARPENTER. 163 
 
 His duty is to work at his trade under the direction of 
 the master, and to assist in all-hands work according to 
 his ability. He is stationed with the larboard or star- 
 board watch, as he may be needed, though, if there is 
 no third mate, usually with the larboard. In working 
 ship, if he is an able seaman, (as well as carpenter,) he 
 will be put in some more important place, as looking 
 after the main tack and bowlines, or working the fore- 
 castle with the mate ; and if capable of leading his watch 
 aloft, he would naturally take the bunt or an earing. 
 He is not expected to handle the light sails, nor to go 
 above the topsail yards, except upon the work of his 
 trade. If he ships for an able seaman as well as carpen- 
 ter, he must be capable of doing seaman's work upon the 
 rigging and taking his turn at the wheel, if called upon ; 
 though he would not be required to do it except in bad 
 weather, or in case the vessel should be short-handed. If 
 he does not expressly ship for seaman as well as carpen- 
 ter, no nautical skill can be required of him ; but he 
 must still, when all hands are called, or if ordered by 
 the master, pull and haul about decks, and go aloft in 
 the work usual on such occasions, as reefing and furling. 
 But the inferior duties of the crew, as sweeping decks, 
 slushing, tarring, &c, would not be put upon him, nor 
 would he be required to do any strictly seaman's work, 
 except taking a helm in case of necessity, or such work 
 as all hands join in. 
 
 The carpenter is not an officer, has no command, and 
 cannot give an order even to the smallest boy ; yet he is 
 a privileged person. He lives in the steerage, with the 
 steward, has charge of the ship's chest of tools, and in all 
 things connected with his trade is under the sole direc- 
 tion of the master. The chief mate has no authority 
 over him, in his trade, unless it be in case of the master's 
 absence or disability. In all things pertaining to the 
 working of the vessel, however, and as far as he acts in 
 the capacity of a seaman, he must obey the orders of 
 the officers as implicitly as any of the crew would; 
 m 2 
 
164 SAILMAKER. 
 
 though, perhaps, an order from the second mate would 
 come somewhat in the form of a request. Yet there 
 is no doubt that he must obey the second mate in his 
 proper place, as much as he would the master in his. 
 Although he lives in the steerage, he gets his food from 
 the galley, from the same mess with the men in the fore- 
 castle, having no better or different fare in any respect ; 
 and he has no right on the quarter-deck, but must take 
 his place on the forecastle with the common seamen. 
 
 In many vessels, during fine weather, upon long 
 voyages, the carpenter stands no watch, but "sleeps in" 
 at night, is called at daylight, and works all day at his 
 trade. • But in this case, whenever all hands are called, 
 he must come up with the rest. In bad weather, when 
 he cannot well w T ork at his trade, or if the vessel be- 
 comes short-handed, he is put in a watch, and does duty 
 on deck, turning in and out with the rest. In many 
 vessels, especially those bound on short voyages, the 
 carpenter stands his watch, and, while on deck, works at 
 his trade in the day-time, if the weather will permit, 
 and at night, or in bad weather, does watch duty accord- 
 ing to his ability. 
 
 Sailmaker. — Some ships of the largest class carry a 
 sailmaker, though usually the older seamen are suffi- 
 ciently skilled in the trade to make and mend sails, and 
 the master or chief mate should know how to cut them 
 out. As to the sailmaker s duty on board, the same 
 remarks will apply to him that were made upon the car- 
 penter. If he ships for seaman as well as sailmaker, 
 he must do an able seaman's duty, if called upon ; and 
 if he does not so ship, he will still be required to assist 
 in all-hands w r ork, such as working ship, taking in and 
 making sail, &c, according to his ability ; and in bad 
 weather, or a case of necessity, he may be put w r ith a 
 watch, and required to do ship's duty with the rest. In 
 all-hands work he is mustered with either watch, accord- 
 ing to circumstances, and the station allotted to him will 
 depend upon his qualities as a seaman ; and, as with the 
 
STEWARD. 1(35 
 
 carpenter, if he is a good seaman, he would naturally 
 have some more important post assigned to him. He 
 is not expected to handle the light sails, nor to go above 
 the topsail yards. Nor would the inferior duties of the 
 crew, such as tarring, slushing, and sweeping decks, be 
 put upon him. In bad weather, or in case of necessity, 
 he may be mustered in a watch, and must do duty as 
 one of the crew, according to his ability. Sometimes he 
 stands no watch, and works at his trade all day, and at 
 others he stands his watch, and when on deck in the 
 daytime, and during good weather, works at his trade, 
 and at night, or in bad weather, does duty with the 
 watch. He usually lives in the steerage with the car- 
 penter, and always takes his food from the galley. He 
 has no command, and when on deck belongs on the fore- 
 castle with the rest of the crew. In the work of his trade 
 he is under the sole direction of the master, or of the chief 
 mate in the master's absence ; but in ship's work he is 
 as strictly under the command of the mates as a common 
 seaman is. 
 
 Steward. — The duties of the steward are very dif- 
 ferent in packet ships, carrying a large number of pas- 
 sengers, from those which are required of him in other 
 vessels. In the New York liners, for instance, he has 
 waiters or under-stewards, who do most of the labour, 
 he himself having the general superintendence of the 
 department. It is his duty to see that the cabin and 
 state-rooms are kept in order; to see to the laying and 
 clearing of the tables ; to take care of the dishes, and 
 other furniture belonging to them ; to provide the meals, 
 under the masters direction, preparing the nicer dishes 
 himself; to keep the general charge of the pantry and 
 stores for the cabin; to look after the cook in his depart- 
 ment ; and lastly, which is as important a part of his 
 duty as any other, to attend to the comfort and conve- 
 nience of the passengers. These duties, where there are 
 many passengers, require all his time and attention, and 
 he is not called upon for any ship's duty. 
 
166 cook. 
 
 In vessels which are not passenger-ships, he does the 
 work which falls to the under-stewards of the large 
 packets : cleans the cahin and state-rooms ; sets, tends, 
 and clears away the table ; provides everything for the 
 cook ; and has charge of the pantry, where all the table 
 furniture and the small stores are kept. He is also the 
 body servant of the master. His relation to the chief mate 
 is somewhat doubtful ; but the general understanding 
 is, that, although he waits upon him when at table, and 
 must obey him in all matters relating to the ship's work, 
 yet he is not in any respect his servant. If the mate 
 wishes any personal service done, he would ask it, or 
 make some compensation. 
 
 In these vessels the steward must come on deck 
 whenever all hands are called, and in working ship pulls 
 and hauls about decks with the men. The main sheet 
 is called the steward's rope, and this he lets go and hauls 
 aft in tacking and wearing. In reefing and furling he 
 is expected to go upon the lower and topsail yards, and 
 especially the mizen topsail yard of a ship. No seaman- 
 ship is expected of him, and he stands no watch, sleeping 
 in at night and turning out at daylight ; yet he must do 
 ship's duty according to his ability when all hands are 
 called for working ship, or for taking in or making sail. 
 In these things he must obey the mates in the same way 
 that a common seaman would, and is punishable for dis- 
 obedience. The amount of ship's duty required of him 
 depends, as I have said, upon the number of passengers. 
 
 Cook. — The cook almost always lives in the forecastle, 
 though sometimes in the steerage with the steward. He 
 stands no watch, sleeping in at night, and working at his 
 business throughout the day. He spends his time mostly 
 in the cook-house, which is called the " galley," where 
 he cooks both for the cabin and forecastle. This, with 
 keeping the galley, boilers, pans, kids, &c, clean and in 
 order, occupies him during the day. He is called with 
 all hands, and in tacking and wearing, works the fore- 
 sheet. He is also expected to pull and haul about decks 
 
IDLERS. 167 
 
 in all -hands work, and is occasionally called from his 
 galley to give a pull at a tackle or halyards. No seaman- 
 ship can be required of him, but he is usually expected 
 to go upon a lower or topsail yard in reefing or furling, 
 and to assist according to his ability in working ship. 
 In regular passenger-ships, however, as he is more 
 exclusively employed in cooking, he is not required to 
 do any duty about decks, except in a case of necessity 
 or of common danger. In some other vessels, too, if 
 strongly manned, neither the cook nor steward is sent 
 upon the yards. Yet it can, without doubt, be required 
 of them, by the custom and understanding of the service, 
 to go upon a lower or topsail yard to reef or furl. 
 
 If there are on board armourers, coopers, or persons 
 following any other trades, they take the same place 
 and follow the same rules as to duty that govern the 
 carpenter and sailmaker. In the merchant service, when 
 "all hands" are called, it literally calls every one on 
 board but the passengers, excepting, as I have said, in 
 the case of the cook and steward of strictly passenger- 
 ships. Those persons of whom any duty can be required 
 who do not stand a watch, but sleep in at night and work 
 during the day, are called idlers. Beside turning out 
 with " all hands," the idlers are sometimes called up at 
 night to help the watch on deck in any heavy or difficult 
 duty when it is not desirable to call the other watch, 
 who may have had severe service. This is allowable, 
 if practised only in cases of necessity, and not carried to 
 an extreme. 
 
168 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ABLE SEAMEN. 
 
 Grades of seafaring persons. Able seaman. Ordinary seaman. Boys. 
 Shipping and rating. Over-rating. Requisites of an able seaman. 
 Hand, reef and steer. Work upon rigging. Sailmaking. Day's work. 
 Working ship. Reefing and furling. Watch duty. Coasters and 
 small vessels. 
 
 Seafaring persons before the mast are divided into 
 three classes, — able seamen, ordinary seamen, and boys 
 or green hands. And it may be remarked here that all 
 green hands in the merchant service are termed boys, 
 and rated as such, whatever may be their age or size. 
 In the United States navy, an able seaman receives 
 twelve dollars per month, an ordinary seaman ten, and 
 the boys, or green hands, from four to eight, according 
 to their strength and experience*. In the merchant 
 service, wages are about the same on long voyages ; but 
 on voyages to Europe, the West Indies, and the southern 
 ports, they are considerably higher, and very fluctuating. 
 Still, the same proportion between the classes is pre- 
 served, an ordinary seaman getting about two dollars 
 less than an able seaman, and the boys, from nothing up 
 to two dollars less than ordinary seamen, according to 
 
 * The wages of seamen in the Royal Navy are, for able seamen 
 36s., ordinary 26s., and landmen 23s. per month. Boys of the 
 first class — stout lads of eighteen and upwards, who have been two 
 or three years at sea, have 14s. 3c?., and boys of the second class 
 12s. 9d. per month ; but the month being calculated by lunar 
 not calendar time, gives thirteen months' wages in the year. In the 
 merchant service the wages of seamen differs in the various trades, 
 but the average of able seamen's wages in merchant ships, may 
 be taken at present at 50s. per calendar month, or 30/., while 
 the wages of the able seaman in the Queen's fleet is 23/. 8s. per 
 annum. In the latter, however, the term is not broken into inter- 
 vals, caused by the duration of voyages, and all things considered, 
 the seaman earns as much in the year in the navy as in the mer- 
 chant service. 
 
ABLE SEAMSN. 169 
 
 circumstances. A full-grown man must ship for boy's 
 wages upon his first voyage. It is not unusual to see a 
 man receiving boy's wages and rated as a boy, who is 
 older and larger than many of the able seamen. 
 
 The crews are not rated by the officers after they get 
 to sea, but, both in the merchant service and in the navy, 
 each man rates himself when he ships. The shipping 
 articles, in the merchant service, are prepared for so 
 many of each class, and a man puts his name down and 
 contracts for the wages and duty of a seaman, ordinary 
 seaman, or boy, at his pleasure. Notwithstanding this 
 license, there are very few instances of its being abused ; 
 for every man knows that if he is found incompetent to 
 perform the duty he contracts for, his wages can not only 
 be reduced to the grade for which he is fitted, but that 
 something additional will be deducted for the deception 
 practised upon all concerned, and for the loss of service 
 and the numerous difficulties incurred, in case the fraud 
 is not discovered until the vessel has got to sea. But, 
 still more than this, the rest of the crew consider it a 
 fraud upon themselves; as they are thus deprived of a 
 man of the class the vessel required, which makes her 
 short-handed for the voyage, and increases the duty put 
 upon themselves. If, for instance, the articles provide 
 for six able seamen, the men expect as many, and if one 
 of the six turns out not to be a seaman, and is put upon 
 inferior work, the duties which would commonly be done 
 by seamen will fall upon the five. The difficulty is felt 
 still more in the watches; as, in the case I have supposed, 
 there would be in one watch only two able seamen in- 
 stead of three, and if the delinquent was not a capable 
 helmsman, the increased duty at the wheel alone would 
 be, of itself, a serious evil. The officers also feel at 
 liberty to punish a man who has so imposed upon all 
 hands, and accordingly every kind of inferior and dis- 
 agreeable duty is put upon him; and, as he finds no 
 sympathy from the crew, his situation on board is made 
 very unpleasant. Indeed, there is nothing a man can 
 
170 ABLE SEAMEN. 
 
 be guilty of, short of a felony, to which so little mercy 
 is shown on board ship ; for it is a deliberate act of de- 
 ception, and one to which there is no temptation, except 
 the gain of a few dollars. 
 
 The common saying that to hand reef and steer makes 
 a sailor, is a mistake. It is true that no man is a sailor 
 until he can do these things; yet to ship for an able sea- 
 man he must, in addition to these, be a good workman 
 upon rigging. The rigging of a ship requires constant 
 mending, covering and working upon in a multitude of 
 ways ; and whenever any of the ropes or yards are cha- 
 fing or wearing upon it, it must be protected by u chafing 
 gear." This chafing gear consists of worming, parcelling, 
 serving, rounding, &c. ; which requires a constant sup- 
 ply of small stuffs, such as foxes, sennit, spunyarn, mar- 
 line, and the like, all which is made on board from 
 condemned rigging and old junk. There is also a great 
 deal of new rigging to be cut and fitted, on board, which 
 requires neat knots, splices, seizings, coverings, and turn- 
 ings in. It is also frequently necessary to set up the 
 rigging in one part of the vessel or another ; in which 
 case it must be seized or turned in afresh. It is upon 
 labour of this kind that the crew is employed in the 
 " day's' work," and jobs which are constantly carried 
 forward on board. A mans skill in this work is the 
 chief test of his seamanship ; a competent knowledge of 
 steering, reefing, furling, and the like, being taken for 
 granted, and being no more than is expected of an ordi- 
 nary seaman. To put a marlinspike in a man's hand 
 and set him to work upon a piece of rigging, is consi- 
 dered a fair trial of his qualities as an able seaman. 
 
 There is, of course, a great deal of difference in the 
 skill and neatness of the work of different men ; but I 
 believe I am safe in saying that no man will pass for an 
 able seaman in a square-rigged vessel, who cannot make 
 a long and short splice in a large rope, fit a block-strap, 
 pass seizings to lower rigging, and make the ordinary 
 knots, in a fair, workmanlike manner. This working 
 
ABLE SEAMEN. 171 
 
 upon rigging is the last thing to which a lad training up 
 to the sea is put, and always supposes a competent ac- 
 quaintance with all those kinds of work that are required 
 of an ordinary seaman or boy. A seaman is generally 
 expected to be able to sew upon a sail, and few men ship 
 for seamen who cannot do it; yet, if he is competent in 
 other respects, no fault can be found with an able seaman 
 for want of skill in sailmaking. 
 
 In allotting the jobs among the crew, reference is 
 always had to a man's rate and capacity ; and it is con- 
 sidered a decided imputation upon a man to put him 
 upon inferior work. The most difficult jobs, and those 
 requiring the neatest work, will be given to the older and 
 more experienced among the seamen ; and of this none 
 will complain ; but to single out an able seaman and 
 keep him at turning the spunyarn winch, knotting yarns 
 or picking oakum, while there are boys on board, and 
 other properly seaman's work going forward at the same 
 time, would be looked upon as punishment, unless it 
 were temporarily, or from necessity, or while other sea- 
 men were employed in the same manner. Also, in con- 
 sideration of the superior grade of an able seaman, he is 
 not required to sweep down the decks at night, slush the 
 masts, &c, if there are boys on board and at hand. Not 
 that a seaman is not obliged to do these things. There 
 is no question but that he is, just as much as to do any 
 other ship's work ; and if there are no boys on board or 
 at hand at the time, or from any other cause it is reason- 
 ably required of him, no good seaman would object, and 
 it would be a refusal of duty to do so : yet if an officer 
 were deliberately, and without necessity for it, when 
 there were boys about decks at the time, who could do 
 the work as well, to order an able seaman to leave his 
 work and sweep down the decks, or slush a mast, it 
 would be considered as punishment. 
 
 In working ship, the able seamen are stationed vari- 
 ously ; though, for the most part, upon the forecastle, at 
 
172 
 
 ABLE SEAMEN. 
 
 the main tack or fore and main lower and topsail braces ; 
 the light hands being placed at the cross-jack and fore 
 and main topgallant and royal braces. In taking in and 
 making sail, and in all things connected with the work- 
 ing of a ship, there is no duty which may not be re- 
 quired of an able seaman ; yet there are certain things 
 requiring more skill or strength, to which he is always 
 put, and others which are as invariably assigned to ordi- 
 nary seamen and boys. In reefing, the men go out to 
 the yard-arms, and the light hands stand in toward the 
 slings ; while in furling, the bunt and quarters belong to 
 the able seamen, and the yard-arms to the boys. The 
 light hands are expected to loose and furl the light sails, 
 as royals, flying jib and mizen topgallant sail, and the 
 men seldom go above the cross-trees, except to work upon 
 the rigging, or to send a mast or yard up or down. The 
 fore and main topgallant sails, and sometimes the flying 
 jib of large vessels, require one or more able seamen for 
 furling, but are loosed by light hands. In short, as to 
 everything connected with working ship, making and 
 taking in sail, &c, one general rule may be laid down. 
 A seaman is obliged to obey the order of the master or 
 officer, asking no questions and making no objection, 
 whether the duty to which he is ordered be that which 
 properly belongs to an able seaman or not ; yet as able 
 seamen alone can do the more nice and difficult work, 
 the light hands, in their turn, are expected to do that 
 which requires less skill and strength. In the watch on 
 deck at night, for instance, the able and ordinary seamen 
 steer the ship, and are depended upon in case of any 
 accident, or if heavy sails are to be taken in or set, or 
 ropes to be knotted or spliced ; and in consideration of 
 this, if there is light work to be done, as coiling up rig- 
 ging about decks, holding the log-reel, loosing or furling 
 a light sail, or the like, the boys are expected to do it, 
 and should properly be called upon by the officer, unless 
 from some circumstance it should be necessary to call 
 
ABLE SEAMEN. 173 
 
 upon a man. Yet, as I have said before, if ordered, the 
 seaman must do the thing, under any circumstances, and 
 a refusal would he a refusal of his duty. 
 
 No man is entitled to the rate or wages of an able sea- 
 man who is not a good helmsman. There is always a 
 difference in a ship's company as to this duty, some men 
 being more steady, careful, and expert helmsmen than 
 others ; and the best quality cannot be required of every 
 able seaman ; yet, if, upon fair trial, in bad weather, a 
 man is found incapable of steering the ship, under cir- 
 cumstances not extraordinary, he would be considered 
 by all on board to have failed of his duty. It should be 
 remembered, however, that there are times when the 
 very best helmsman is hardly able to steer a ship, and if 
 a vessel is out of trim or slow in her motions, no skill 
 can keep her close to her course. 
 
 An able seaman is also expected to do all the work 
 necessary for reefing, furling, and setting sail, to be able 
 to take a bunt or earing, to send yards and masts up 
 and down, to rig in and out booms, to know how to reeve 
 all the running rigging of a ship, and to steer, or pull an 
 oar in a boat. 
 
 The standard of seamanship, however, is not so high 
 in coasting vessels and those of a smaller class bound 
 upon short voyages, in which all the work that v is ne- 
 cessary upon the vessel or rigging is usually done when 
 in port by people hired from on shore. In such vessels 
 many men ship for able seamen, and are considered upon 
 the whole competent, if they are able-bodied, and can 
 hand, reef, and steer, who perhaps would only have 
 shipped for ordinary seamen in vessels bound upon long 
 voyages. In all large-class vessels, and in vessels of 
 almost any class bound upon long voyages, the standard of 
 seamanship is very nearly what I have before described. 
 
174 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ORDINARY SEAMEN. 
 
 Requisites. Hand, reef, and steer. Loose, furl, and set sails. Reeve 
 rigging. Work upon rigging. Watch — duty. 
 
 An ordinary seaman is one who, from not being of 
 sufficient age and strength, or from want of sufficient ex- 
 perience, is not quite competent to perform all the duties 
 of an able seaman, and accordingly receives a little less 
 than full wages, and does not contract for the complete 
 qualities of an able seaman. There is a large proportion 
 of ordinary seamen in the navy. This is probably be- 
 cause the power of the officers is so great upon their long 
 cruises to detect and punish any deficiency, and because, 
 if a man can by any means be made to appear wanting 
 in capacity for the duty he has shipped to perform, it 
 w T ill justify a great deal of hard usage. Men, therefore, 
 prefer rather to underrate than to run any risk of over- 
 rating themselves. 
 
 An ordinary seaman is expected to hand, reef, and 
 steer, under common circumstances, (which includes 
 " boxing the compass ; ") to be well acquainted with all 
 the running and standing rigging of a ship ; to be able to 
 reeve all the studdingsail gear, and set a topgallant or 
 royal studdingsail out of the top ; to loose and furl a 
 royal,, and a small topgallant sail or flying jib ; and per- 
 haps, also, to send down or cross a royal yard. An ordi- 
 nary seaman need not be a complete helmsman, and if an 
 able seaman should be put in his place at the wheel in 
 very bad weather, or when the ship steered with diffi- 
 culty, it would be no imputation upon him provided he 
 could steer his trick creditably under ordinary circum- 
 stances. In reefing or furling the courses and topsails, 
 an ordinary seaman would not take the bunt or an ear- 
 ing, if there were able seamen on the yard ; and perhaps, 
 in the largest-sized vessels, it would not be expected of 
 
ORDINARY SEAMEN. 175 
 
 him to pass an earing, or make up the bunt of a fore or 
 main topsail or course in bad weather, yet he should 
 know how to do both, and should be able to take a bunt 
 or earing on the mizen topsail yard, and on any topsail 
 or lower yard of a small vessel. 
 
 It is commonly understood that an ordinary seaman 
 need not be a workman upon rigging. Yet there are 
 probably few men capable of performing the duties of an 
 ordinary seaman, as above detailed, who would not be 
 somewhat acquainted with work upon rigging, and who 
 could not do the simpler parts of it, such as, serving 
 and splicing small ropes, passing a common seizing, or 
 the like ; and it is always expected that an ordinary sea- 
 man shall be able to make all the hitches, bends, and 
 knots in common use : such as, two half-hitches, a roll- 
 ing hitch, timber hitch, clove hitch, common bend, and 
 bowline knot. He would also be thought deficient if he 
 could not draw, knot, and ball up yarns, and make 
 spunyarn, foxes, and common sennit. Yet it is said that 
 if he can steer his trick, and do his duty creditably in 
 working ship and taking in and making sail, he is enti- 
 tled to the rate and wages of an ordinary seaman, though 
 he cannot handle a marlinspike or serving-board. 
 
 The duty upon whicli an ordinary seaman is put, 
 depends a good deal upon whether there are boys or 
 green hands on board or not. If there are, he has a 
 preference over them, as an able seaman has over him, 
 in the light work ; and since he stands his helm regularly 
 and is occasionally set to work upon rigging with the 
 men, he will be favoured accordingly in the watch and in 
 common dut}' about decks. Yet the distinction between 
 ordinary seamen and boys is not very carefully observed 
 in the merchant service, and an ordinary seaman is fre- 
 quently called upon for boy's duty, though there are 
 boys on board and at hand. If an officer wished for 
 some one to loose a royal, take a broom and sweep the 
 decks, hold the log -reel, coil up a rope, or the like, he 
 would probably first call upon a boy, if at hand ; if not, 
 
170 BOYS. 
 
 upon an ordinary seaman; but upon either of them 
 indifferently, before an able seaman. 
 
 If there are no boys on board, the ordinary seamen do 
 boy's duty ; the only difference being, that if they take 
 their trick at the wheel, and do other ordinary seamen's 
 work, the able seamen are not so much preferred over 
 them, as over mere boys and green hands. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 BOYS. 
 
 Requisites. Wages. Watch. Day's work. Working ship. Helm. 
 Duties aloft and about decks. 
 
 Boy is the term, as I have said before, for all green 
 hands, whatever may be their size or age ; and also for 
 boys, who, though they have been at sea before, are not 
 large and strong enough for ordinary seamen. It is the 
 common saying, that a boy does not ship to know any- 
 thing. Accordingly, if any person ships as a boy, and 
 upon boy's wages, no fault can be found with him, 
 though he should not know the name of a rope in the 
 ship, or even the stem from the stern. In the navy, the 
 boys are divided into three classes, according to their 
 size and experience, and different duties are put upon 
 them. In the merchant service, all except able and 
 ordinary seamen are generally upon the same wages, 
 though boys' wages vary in different voyages. Some- 
 times they get nothing, being considered as apprentices ; 
 and from that they rise to three, five, and sometimes 
 eight dollars per month. Whatever boy's wages may be, 
 a person who ships for them for that voyage, whether 
 more or less, is rated as boy, and his duty is according 
 to his rate. 
 
 In the ordinary day's work, the boys are taught to 
 draw and knot yarns, make spunyarn, foxes, sennit, &c, 
 and are employed in passing a ball or otherwise assisting 
 
BOYS. 177 
 
 the able seamen in their jobs. Slushing masts, sweeping 
 and clearing up decks, holding the log-reel, coiling up 
 rigging, and loosing and furling the light sails, are duties 
 that are invariably put upon the boys or green hands. 
 They stand their watches like the rest, are called with 
 all hands, go aloft to reef and furl, and work whenever 
 and wherever the men do, the only difference being in 
 the kind of work upon which they are put. In reefing, 
 the boys lay in toward the slings of the yard, and in 
 furling they go out to the yard-arms. They are sent 
 aloft immediately, as soon as they get to sea, to accus- 
 tom them to the motion of a vessel, and to moving about 
 in the rigging and on the yards. Loosing and furling 
 the royals, setting topgallant studdingsails and reeving 
 the gear, shaking out reefs, learning the names and uses 
 of all the ropes, and to make the common hitches, bends, 
 and knots, reeving all the studdingsail gear, and rigging 
 in and out booms, and the like, is the knowledge first 
 instilled into beginners. There is a good deal of differ- 
 ence in the manner in which boys are put forward in 
 different vessels. Sometimes, in large vessels, where 
 there are plenty of men, the boys never take the wheel 
 at all, and are seldom put upon any but the most simple 
 and inferior duties. In others, they are allowed to take 
 the wheel in light winds, and gradually, if they are 
 of sufficient age and strength, become regular helmsmen. 
 So, also, in their duties aloft ; if they are favoured, they 
 may be kept at the royals and topgallant sails, and gra- 
 dually come to the earing of a mizen topsail. In work 
 upon rigging, however, a green hand makes but little 
 progress beyond ropeyarns and spunyarn, during his 
 first voyage ; since there are men enough to do the jobs, 
 and he can be employed to more advantage in the infe- 
 rior work, and in making and taking in light sails, 
 steering in light winds, &c. ; a competent knowledge of 
 which duty is sufficient to enable him to ship for an 
 ordinary seaman upon the next voyage. It is generally 
 while in the grade of ordinary seaman that the use of 
 
 N 
 
178 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 the marlinspike is learned. Whatever knowledge a boy 
 may have acquired, or whatever may be his age or 
 strength, so long as he is rated as a boy, (and the rates 
 are not changed during a voyage unless a person changes 
 his ship,) he must do the inferior duties of a boy. If 
 decks are to be cleared up or swept, rigging to be coiled 
 up, a man is to be helped in his job, or any duty to be 
 done aloft or about decks which does not require the 
 strength or skill of a seaman, a boy is always expected 
 to start first and do it, though not called upon by name. 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 Watches. Calling the watch. Bells. Helm. Answering. Stations. 
 Food. Sleep. 
 
 Watches. — A watch is a term both for a division of 
 the crew, and for the period of time allotted to such 
 division. The crew are divided into two watches, lar- 
 board and starboard ; the larboard commanded by the 
 chief mate, and the starboard by the second mate. These 
 watches divide the time between them, being on and off 
 duty, or, as it is termed, on deck and below, every other 
 four hours. If, for instance, the chief mate with the 
 larboard watch have the first night watch, from eight to 
 twelve, at the end of the four hours the starboard watch 
 is called, and the second mate takes the deck, while the 
 larboard watch and the chief mate go below until four 
 in the morning. At four they come on deck again, and 
 remain until eight ; having what is called the " morning 
 watch." As they will have been on deck eight hours 
 out of the twelve, while the starboard watch, who had 
 the middle watch, from twelve to four, will only have 
 been up four hours, they are entitled to the watch below 
 from eight till twelve, which is called the "forenoon 
 watch below." Where this alternation of watches is 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 179 
 
 kept up throughout the twenty-four hours, four hours 
 up and four below, it is called having " watch and watch." 
 This is always given in bad weather, and when day's 
 work cannot be carried on ; but in most merchant ves- 
 sels, it is the custom to keep all hands from one p. m. 
 until sundown, or until four o'clock. In extreme cases, 
 also, all hands are kept throughout the day ; but the 
 watch which has had eight hours on deck at night 
 should always be allowed a forenoon watch below, if 
 possible. 
 
 The watch from four to eight p. m. is divided into 
 two half- watches of two hours each, called dog-watches. 
 The object of this is to make an uneven number of 
 watches, seven instead of six ; otherwise the same watch 
 would stand during the same hours for the whole voyage, 
 and those who had two watches on deck the first night 
 would have the same throughout the trip. But the 
 uneven number shifts the watches. The dog-watches 
 coming about sundown, or twilight, and between the end 
 of a day's work and the setting of the night watch, are 
 usually the time given for recreation, — for smoking, 
 telling yarns, &c., on the forecastle ; things which are 
 not allowed during the day. 
 
 Calling the Watch. — As soon as eight bells are 
 struck, the officer of the watch gives orders to call the 
 w T atch, and one of the crew goes to the scuttle, knocks 
 three times, and calls out in a loud voice, "All the 
 starboard (or larboard) watch, ahoy ! ! " or, " All star- 
 bowlines, ahoy ! " or something of the kind, and adds, 
 " Eight bells," or the hour ; usually, also, a question, to 
 know whether he is heard, as, "Do you hear the news 
 there, sleepers ? " Some one of the watch below must 
 answer, " Ay, ay ! " to show that the call has been heard. 
 The watch below is entitled to be called in a loud and 
 audible voice, and in the usual manner; and unless 
 called, they cannot be expected to come up. They 
 must also turn out at once and come on deck as soon as 
 they are called, in order that the other watch may go 
 n2 
 
180 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 below, especially as they are never called until the hour 
 has expired, and since some minutes are allowed for 
 turning out, dressing, and getting on deck. The man 
 whose turn it is to take the helm goes immediately aft, 
 and ought to be the first on deck, as the two hours' duty 
 at the helm at night is tedious, and entitles a man to be 
 speedily relieved. It is considered a bad trait in a man 
 to be slack in relieving the helm. The relieving the 
 helm is also the sign that the watch is changed, and no 
 man is permitted to go below until that has been done. 
 It is a man's watch on deck so long as one of his watch 
 is at the wheel. 
 
 Bells. — The time at sea is marked by bells. At 
 noon, eight bells are struck, that is, eight strokes are 
 made upon the bell ; and from that time it is struck every 
 half-hour throughout the twenty-four, beginning at one 
 stroke and going as high as eight, adding one at each 
 half-hour. For instance, twelve o'clock is eight bells, 
 half past twelve is one bell, one o'clock is two bells, half 
 past one three bells, and so on until four o'clock, which 
 will be eight bells. The watch is then out, and for half 
 past four you strike one bell again. A watch of four 
 hours therefore runs out the bells. It will be observed, 
 also, that even bells come at the full hours, and the odd 
 bells at the half -hours. For instance, eight bells is al- 
 ways twelve, four, or eight o'clock; and seven bells 
 always half past three, half past seven, or half past 
 eleven. 
 
 The bells are sounded by two strokes following one 
 another quickly, and then a short interval ; after which, 
 two more ; and so on. If it is an odd number, the odd 
 one is struck alone, after the interval. This is to make 
 the counting more sure and easy ; and, by this means, 
 you can, at least, tell whether it is an hour or a half- 
 hour. 
 
 Helm. — Neither the master nor mates of a merchant 
 vessel ever take the helm. The proper helmsmen are 
 the able and ordinary seamen. Sometimes the carpenter, 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 181 
 
 sailmaker, &c, if they are seamen, are put at the helm ; 
 also the boys, in light winds, for practice. Each watch 
 steers the ship in its turn, and the watch on deck must 
 supply the helmsman, even when all hands are called. 
 Each man stands at the helm two hours, which is called 
 his trick. Thus, there are two tricks in a watch. Some- 
 times, in very cold weather, the tricks are reduced to 
 one hour ; and if the ship steers badly, in a gale of wind, 
 two men are sent to the wheel at once. In this case, the 
 man who stands on the weather side of the wheel is the 
 responsible helmsman, the man at the lee wheel merely 
 assisting him by heaving the wheel when necessary. 
 
 The men in the watch usually arrange their tricks 
 among themselves, the officers being satisfied if there is 
 always a man ready to take the wheel at the proper 
 time. In steering, the helmsman stands on the weather 
 side of a wheel and on, the lee side of a tiller. But when 
 steering by tiller-ropes with no hitch round the tiller- 
 head, or with a tackle, as in a heavy gale and bad sea, 
 when it is necessary to ease the helm a good deal, it is 
 better to stand up to windward and steer by the parts of 
 the tackle or tiller-ropes. 
 
 In relieving the wheel, the man should come aft on 
 the lee side of the quarter-deck, (as indeed he always 
 should unless his duty lies to windward,) go to the 
 wheel behind the helmsman and take hold of the spokes, 
 so as to have the wheel in command when the other lets 
 go. Before letting go, the helmsman should give the 
 course to the man that relieves him in an audible voice, 
 and the new man should repeat it aloud just as it was 
 given, so as to make it sure that he has heard correctly. 
 This is especially necessary, since the points and half- 
 points are so much alike that a mistake might easily be 
 made. It is the duty of the officer of the watch to be 
 present when the wheel is relieved, in order to see that 
 the course is correctly reported and understood ; which 
 is another reason why the course should be spoken by 
 both in a loud tone. It is unseamanlike and reprehen- 
 
182 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 sible to answer, " Ay, ay P or, " I understand/' or the 
 like, instead of repeating the course. 
 
 If a vessel is sailing close-hauled and does not lay her 
 course, the order is, " Full and by P which means, by 
 the wind, yet all full. If a vessel lays her course, the 
 order then is her course, as N. W. by W., E. by S., and 
 the like. 
 
 When a man is at the wheel, he has nothing else to 
 attend to but steering the ship, and no conversation 
 should be allowed with him. If he wishes to be relieved 
 during his trick, it should not be done without the per- 
 mission of the officer, and the same form of giving and 
 repeating the course should be gone through, though he 
 is to be absent from the helm but a minute or two. 
 
 If an order is given to the man at the wheel as to his 
 steering, he should always repeat the order, distinctly, 
 that the officer may be sure he is understood. For 
 instance, if the order is a new course, or " Keep her off 
 a point ! " " Luff a little ! " " Ease her ! " " Meet her ! " 
 or the like, the man should answer by repeating the 
 course or the order, as " Luff a little, sir," u Meet her, 
 sir," &c, and should not answer, " Ay, ay, sir ! " or 
 simply execute the order as he understands it. This 
 practice of repeating every, even the most minute order 
 at the wheel, is well understood among seamen, and a 
 failure or refusal to do so is an offence sometimes leading 
 to disagreeable results. 
 
 If, when the watch is out and the other watch has 
 been called, all hands are detained for any purpose, as, 
 to reef a topsail, to set studding sails, or the like, the 
 helm should not be relieved until the work is done and 
 the watch ready to go below. 
 
 Answering. — The rule has just been stated which 
 requires a man at the wheel to answer by repeating dis- 
 tinctly the order given him. The same rule applies to 
 some other parts of a seaman's duty, though to none so 
 strictly, perhaps, as to that. In tacking, where the 
 moment of letting go a rope or swinging a yard is very 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 183 
 
 important, the order of the master is always repeated by 
 the officer on the forecastle. This enables the master 
 to know whether he is heard and understood, to repeat 
 his order if it is not answered at once, and to correct any 
 mistake, or obviate some of its consequences. The same 
 may be said generally of every order to the proper or 
 instant execution of which unusual importance is attached. 
 If, for instance, a man is stationed by a rope to let it go 
 upon an order given, if an order is addressed to him which 
 he supposes to be for that purpose, he should answer, 
 " Let go, sir ! " and usually adds, " All gone ! " as soon 
 as it is done. Green hands should bear in mind that 
 whenever an order is of a kind which ought to be re- 
 peated, it must be so, without reference to a man's dis- 
 tance from the officer who gives the order, but just as 
 much if standing a few feet from him as if at the mast- 
 head, since, upon the whole, the chance of misapprehen- 
 sion is not much less in one case than in the other. 
 
 The common run of orders, however, are sufficiently 
 answered by the usual reply of " Ay, ay, sir ! " which 
 is the proper seaman's answer, where the repetition of 
 the order is not necessary. But some answer or other 
 should always be made to an order. This is a rule diffi- 
 cult to impress upon beginners, but the reasonableness of 
 it is obvious, and -it is well understood among all sea- 
 faring persons; and even though an officer should see 
 that the man was executing his order, he still w r ould 
 require, and has a right to demand, a reply. The rule 
 is as strictly observed by the master and officers between 
 themselves, as it is required by them of the men ; for 
 the reason is the same. It is almost unnecessary to say 
 that the addition " Sir " is always to be used in speaking 
 to the master or to either of the mates. The mates in 
 their turn use it to the master. " Mr/* is always to be 
 prefixed to the name of an officer, whether chief or 
 second mate. 
 
 In well-disciplined vessels, no conversation is allowed 
 among the men when they are employed at their work ; 
 
184 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 that is to say, it is not allowed in the presence of an 
 officer or of the master ; and although, when two or more 
 men are together aloft, or by themselves on deck, a little 
 low conversation might not be noticed, yet if it seemed 
 to take off their attention, or to attract the attention of 
 others, it would be considered a misdemeanour. In this 
 respect the practice is different in different vessels. 
 Coasters, fishermen, or small vessels on short voyages, do 
 not preserve the same rule ; but no seaman who has 
 been accustomed to first-class ships will object to a strict- 
 ness as to conversations and laughing, w T hile at day's 
 work, very nearly as great as is observed in a school. 
 While the crew are below in the forecastle, great license 
 is given them ; and the severest officer w T ill never inter- 
 fere with the noise and sport of the forecastle, unless it 
 is a serious inconvenience to those who are on deck. In 
 working ship, when the men are at their stations, the 
 same silence and decorum are observed. But during the 
 dog-watches, and w T hen the men are together on the fore- 
 castle at night, and no work is going forward, smoking, 
 singing, telling yarns, &c, are allowed ; and, in fact, a 
 considerable degree of noise and skylarking is permitted, 
 unless it amounts to positive disorder and disturbance. 
 
 It is a good rule to enforce, that whenever a man aloft 
 wishes anything to be done on deck, he shall hail the 
 officer of the deck, and not call out, as is often done, to 
 any one whom he may see about decks, or generally to 
 have a thing done by whoever may happen to hear him. 
 By enforcing this rule the officer knows what is re- 
 quested, and may order it and see that it is done as he 
 thinks fit ; whereas, otherwise, any one about decks, 
 perhaps a green hand, may execute the order upon his 
 own judgment and after his own manner. 
 
 Stations. — The proper place for the seamen w T hen 
 they are on deck and there is no work going forward, is 
 on the forecastle. By this is understood so much of the 
 upper deck as is forward of the after fore- shroud. The 
 men do not leave this to go aft or aloft unless ships duty 
 
MISCELLANEOUS. 185 
 
 requires it of them. In working ship they are stationed 
 variously, and go wherever there is work to be done. 
 The same is the case in working upon rigging. But if a 
 man goes aft to take the wheel, or for any other purpose 
 which does not require him to go to windward, he will 
 go on the lee side of the quarter-deck. 
 
 Food, Sleep, &c. — The crew eat together in the 
 forecastle, or on deck, if they choose, in fine weather. 
 Their food is cooked at the galley, and they are expected 
 to go to the galley for it and take it below or upon the 
 forecastle. The cook puts the eatables into wooden tubs 
 called " kids," and of these there are more or less, 
 according to the number of men. The tea or coffee 
 is served out to each man in his tin pot, which he brings 
 to the galley. There is no table, and no knives or 
 forks, to the forecastle ; but each man helps himself, and 
 furnishes his own eating utensils. These are usually a 
 tin pot and pan, with an iron spoon. 
 
 The usual time for breakfast is seven bells, that is, 
 half-past seven o'clock in the morning. Consequently, 
 the watch below is called at seven bells, that they may 
 get breakfast and be ready to take the deck at eight 
 o'clock. Sometimes all hands get breakfast together at 
 seven bells ; but in bad weather, or if watch and watch 
 is given, it is usual for the watch below to breakfast at 
 seven bells, and the watch on deck at eight bells, after 
 they are relieved. The dinner-hour is twelve o'clock, if 
 all hands get dinner together. If dinner is got " by the 
 watch," the watch below is called for dinner at seven 
 bells (half-past eleven), and the other watch dine when 
 they go below, at twelve. 
 
 If all hands are kept in the afternoon, or if both 
 watches get supper together, the usual hour is three 
 bells, or half-past five ; but if supper is got by the watch, 
 three bells is the time for one watch, and four for the 
 other. 
 
 In bad weather, each watch takes its meals during the 
 
180 MISCELLANEOUS. 
 
 watch below, as, otherwise, the men would be liable to 
 be called up from their meals at any moment. 
 
 As to the time allowed for sleep ; it may be said, 
 generally, that a sailors watch below is at his own dis- 
 posal to do what he chooses in, except, of course, when 
 all hands are called. The meal-times, and time for 
 washing, mending, reading, writing, &C, must all come 
 out of the watch below ; since, whether there is work 
 going forward or not, a man is considered as belonging 
 to the ship in his watch on deck. At night, however, 
 especially if watch and watch is not given, it is the 
 custom in most merchant vessels, in good weather, 
 to allow the watch to take naps about the decks, pro- 
 vided one of them keeps a look-out, and the rest are so 
 placed that they can be called instantly. This privilege is 
 rather a thing winked at than expressly allowed ; and if 
 the man who has the look-out falls asleep, or if the rest 
 are slow in mustering at a call, they are all obliged to 
 keep awake. In bad weather, also, or if near land, or 
 in the track of other vessels, this privilege should not be 
 granted. The men in each watch usually arrange the 
 helms and look-outs among themselves, so that a man 
 need not have a helm and a look-out during the same 
 watch. A man should never go below during his watch 
 on deck, without permission ; and if he merely steps 
 down into the forecastle for an instant, as, to get his 
 jacket, he should tell some one, who may speak to him 
 at once, if the watch is called upon. 
 
PART III. 
 
 LAWS RELATING TO THE PRACTICAL DUTIES OF 
 MASTER AND MARINERS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE VESSEL. 
 
 Title. Bill of sale. Registry. Enrolment. Licence. Documents 
 Certificates. Passport. Sea-letter. List of crew. Bill of health. 
 General clearance. Clearing manifest. Invoice. Bill of lading. 
 Charter-party. Log-hook. Manifest. List of passengers and crew. 
 Remaining sea-stores. Medicine-chest. Provisions. 
 
 Title. * — The bill of sale is the proper evidence of title 
 to all vessels . It is the instrument of transfer which is 
 used in all maritime countries, which courts of law look 
 to for proof of title, and which is in most cases absolutely 
 required. 1 
 
 i 5 Rob. Ad. 155. 1 Mason, 139 ; 2 do. 435; 4 do. 390. 
 16 Mass. 336. 7 Johns. 308. But see 3 Pick. 89. 16 Mass. 
 663. _ ___ 
 
 * In England.] Title. — The bill of sale would not of itself be 
 considered satisfactory evidence of the title to a ship or vessel, exer- 
 cising the privileges of a British ship; it should, in all cases, be 
 accompanied by a proper certificate of registry, (see the Register Act 
 3 &4 W. 4, c. 55, s. 34) ; and it should be ascertained that the 
 parties in the actual possession of the ship or vessel, or who would 
 be entitled to such possession on her arrival in port, are the same 
 as are named as owners in the registry. When the ship is here, 
 in the country of its owners, and a delivery of actual possession is 
 possible, such delivery is necessary to give a perfect title to the 
 buyer in case of a sale of the whole ship ; and if the buyer suffers 
 the seller to remain in possession and act as owner, and the seller 
 should have an execution issued against him, or should become 
 bankrupt before the buyer takes possession, the property may be 
 considered as remaining in the seller, and seized and disposed of 
 
188 THE VESSEL. 
 
 Possession of the vessel should also accompany the bill 
 of sale, whenever it is practicable. If the bill of sale is 
 transferred while the vessel is at sea, possession should 
 be taken immediately upon her arrival in port. The 
 fact of the bill of sale being with one person and the 
 actual possession of the vessel with another, after there 
 has been an opportunity to transfer it, will raise a pre- 
 sumption of fraud, and make the parties liable to losses 
 and difficulties in dealing with creditors, and such as 
 purchase in good faith. 1 
 
 Registry, Enrolment, and Licence*. — The laws of 
 
 1 4 Mass. 663. 4 Mason, 183. 9 Pick. 4. 6 Mass. 422 ; 
 15 do. 477; 18 do. 389. 
 
 accordingly. — See 6 Geo. 4, c. 16, s. 70 ; Abbott on Shipping, 
 6th Edition, by Serjt. Shee, 14, and the authorities there cited. 
 
 Title of Mortgagee, fyc. — The claim of a mortgagee of a ship 
 or vessel, or any share or shares thereof, is not preferred to that of 
 the general creditors, unless he has taken care on lending his money, 
 that his debt and security shall appear in the book of registry, and 
 on the back of the certificate. — See 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 55, s. 42, 43 ; 
 Abbott on Shipping, 6th Edition, 16. And a mortgagee or trustee 
 for sale of a ship or vessel for payment of debts, whose mortgage 
 or assignment shall have been duly registered, is not to be deemed 
 an owner, nor his interest to be affected by the subsequent bank- 
 ruptcy of the mortgagor or assignor, on the ground of reputed 
 ownership.— 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 55, s. 42, 43. 
 
 * In England.] Registry. — The laws of England have given 
 similar privileges to ships or vessels entitled to be registered as 
 British vessels. For an enumeration of these privileges, and for 
 the particular provisions and directions as to the registry of ships, 
 see the Register Act, 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 55. 
 
 According to this act, if a ship or vessel not being duly registered, 
 and not having obtained a proper certificate of registry, shall exer- 
 cise the privileges of a British ship, the same is subject to forfeiture 
 and may be seized by any officer of the customs, s. 4. 
 
 And by the Navigation Act, 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 54, it is enacted, 
 that no ship shall be admitted to be a British ship unless duly 
 registered and navigated as such, s. 12. 
 
 But British-built boats or vessels under fifteen tons burthen, 
 wholly owned and navigated by British subjects, although not 
 registered as British ships, shall be admitted to be British vessels 
 in all navigation in the rivers, and upon the coasts of the United 
 
THE VESSEL. 189 
 
 the United States have given many privileges to vessels 
 built, owned, and commanded by our own citizens. Such 
 vessels are entitled to be registered, enrolled or licensed, 
 according to circumstances, and are thereupon considered 
 
 Kingdom, or of the British possessions abroad, not proceeding over 
 sea, except within the limits of the respective colonial governments 
 within which the managing owners of such vessels respectively 
 reside; and all British-built boats or vessels wholly owned and 
 navigated by British subjects, not exceeding the burthen of thirty 
 tons, and not having a whole or a fixed deck, and being employed 
 solely in fishing on the banks and shores of Newfoundland, and of 
 the parts adjacent, or on the banks and shores of the provinces of 
 Canada, Nova Scotia, or New Brunswick, adjacent to the Gulf of 
 St. Lawrence, or on the north of Cape Canso, or of the islands 
 within the same, or in trading coastwise within the said limits, shall 
 be admitted to be British boats or vessels, although not registered, 
 so long as such boats or vessels shall be solely so employed, s. 13. 
 And all ships built in the British settlements at Honduras, and 
 owned and navigated as British ships, shall be entitled to the 
 privileges of British registered ships, in all direct trade between 
 the United Kingdom or the British possessions in America and 
 the said settlements ; provided the master shall produce a certificate 
 under the hand of the superintendant of those settlements, that 
 satisfactory proof has been made before him that such ship (describ- 
 ing the same) was built in the said settlements, and is wholly owned 
 by British subjects ; provided also that the time of the clearance 
 of such ship from the said settlements for every voyage shall be 
 indorsed upon such certificate by such superintendant, s. 14. 
 
 The ships or vessels entitled to be registered are such only as are 
 wholly of the built of the United Kingdom, or of the Isle of Man, 
 or of Guernsey or Jersey, or of some of the colonies, plantations, 
 islands or territories, in Asia, Africa or America, or of Malta, 
 Gibraltar or Heligoland, which belong to her Majesty at the time 
 of the building of such ships or vessels ; or such ships or vessels as 
 shall have been condemned in any Court of Admiialty as prize of 
 war, or condemned in any competent court as forfeited for the 
 breach of the laws made for the prevention of the slave-trade, and 
 which belong to her Majesty's subjects duly entitled to be owners 
 of registered ships or vessels. — See Register Act, 3 & 4 W. 4, 
 c. 55, s. 5. 
 
 The name of a registered ship or vessel cannot be changed ; and 
 the owner or owners, before taking in any cargo, must cause to be 
 painted in white or yellow letters, of a length of not less than four 
 inches upon a black ground, on some conspicuous part of the stern, 
 the name by which such ship or vessel shall have been registered, 
 
190 
 
 THE VESSEL. 
 
 " vessels of the United States, entitled to the benefits and 
 privileges appertaining to such ships." The only vessels 
 entitled to a register are those built in the United States 
 and owned wholly by citizens thereof; vessels captured 
 in war by our citizens, and condemned as prizes ; and 
 vessels adjudged to be forfeited for breach of the laws of 
 the United States, being wholly owned by such citizens. 
 No owner is compelled to register his vessel, but unless 
 registered (with the exception of those enrolled and 
 licensed in the coasting and fishing trades) she is not 
 
 and the port to which she belongs, in a distinct and legible manner, 
 and must so preserve the same ; penalty for omission, &c, 100/. — 
 Register Act, 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 55, s. 24. 
 
 No registry can be made or certificate obtained until the owner 
 or owners shall, in the manner directed by the act, make a declara- 
 tion as to the name of the ship, her port and master, the descrip- 
 tion of the ship, the name, occupation, and residence of every part 
 owner, with other particulars tending to prove them to be subjects 
 of her Majesty, 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 55, s. 13. 
 
 A bond is required to be given at the time of registry by the 
 master and owner or owners, in a penalty varying in proportion to 
 the burthen of a ship, but never exceeding 1000/. ; and such bond 
 is to be as a security that the certificate shall not be lent, sold, or 
 disposed of, but solely used for the service of the ship for which it 
 is granted, and shall be given up within a month in certain cases 
 specified in the act. 
 
 If the master cannot attend at the time of registry, by reason of 
 the absence of himself and the ship at some other port, a separate 
 bond may be given by him at the port where the ship mav then be, 
 s. 20. 
 
 No greater number than thirty-two persons are entitled to be 
 legal owners at one and the same time as tenants in common, or to 
 be registered as such. This, however, is not to affect the equitable 
 title of minors, heirs, legatees, creditors, or others exceeding that 
 number, duly represented by or holding from any of the persons 
 within the said number registered as legal owners by any shares, 
 s. 33. 
 
 Partners in trade are to be considered as one person only in esti- 
 mating such number, s. 32. 
 
 When the master of a registered ship shall be changed, a me- 
 morandum of such change must be indorsed upon the certificate of 
 registry, and the new master must give a bond in the like penal- 
 ties and under the same conditions as are contained in the bond 
 required to be given at the time of registry, s. 21. 
 
THE VESSEL. 191 
 
 entitled to the privileges and benefits of a " vessel of the 
 United States," although she be built, owned, and com- 
 manded by citizens thereof. 1 
 
 Vessels employed wholly in the whale-fishery, owned 
 by an incorporated company, may be registered, so long 
 as they shall be wholly employed therein. 2 If not 
 so owned and registered, they must be enrolled and 
 licensed. 3 
 
 The name of every registered vessel, and the port to 
 which she belongs, must be painted on her stern, on a 
 black ground, in white letters, of not less than three 
 inches in length. And if any registered vessel is found 
 without her name and the name of her port so painted, 
 the owners thereof forfeit fifty dollars. 4 
 
 In order to the obtaining of a register, oath must be 
 made that the master is a citizen of the United States. 5 
 If the master of a registered vessel is changed, or if the 
 vessel's name is altered, such fact must be endorsed upon 
 the register at the custom-house, otherwise she will cease 
 to be considered a vessel of the United States. 6 
 
 If any certificate of registry is fraudulently or know- 
 ingly used for any ship or vessel not at the time entitled 
 to it, such ship or vessel, with her tackle, apparel and 
 furniture, shall be forfeited to the United States. 7 If 
 an enrolled or licensed vessel is about to proceed on a 
 foreign voyage, she must surrender her enrolment and 
 licence, and take out a register, or she, together with 
 her cargo, will be liable to forfeiture. 8 In case of the 
 loss of a register, the master may make oath to the fact, 
 and obtain a new one. 
 
 All vessels engaged in the coasting and fishing trades, 
 above twenty tons burden, in order to be entitled to the 
 privileges of vessels of the United States in those trades, 
 
 1 Act 1792, ch. 45, § 1. 2 Act 1831, ch. 350, § 1. 
 
 3 3 Summer, 342. 2 Law Rep. 146 contra. 
 
 4 Act 1792, ch. 45, § 3. 5 Do. § 4, § 12. 
 6 Act 1792, ch. 45, § 23. 7 Do. § 27, 
 
 8 Act 1793, ch. 52, § 8. 
 
192 THE VESSEL. 
 
 must be enrolled and licensed ; and if less than twenty 
 tons, must be licensed. 1 The same qualifications and 
 requisites in all respects are demanded in order to the 
 enrolling and licensing of a vessel, which are required 
 for registering. 2 The name must be painted on the 
 stern in the same manner, under penalty of 20 dollars. 3 
 
 If any vessel licensed for the fisheries engages in any 
 other business not expressly allowed by the licence, she 
 is forfeited. 4 Vessels, however, licensed for the mackerel 
 trade are not forfeited in consequence of having been 
 engaged in catching cod, or other fish ; but they are not 
 entitled to the bounty allowed to vessels in the cod 
 fisheries. 5 The officers and at least three-fourths of the 
 crew of every fishing vessel must be American citizens, 
 or they can recover none of the bounties. 6 
 
 Documents.* — Every registered vessel should have a 
 
 » Act 1793, ch. 52, § 1. 2 Do. § 2. > Do. § 11. 
 
 4 Act 1793, ch. 52, §32. 
 
 5 Acts 1828, ch. 119, § 1, and 1836, ch. 55, § 1. 
 
 6 Act 1817,ch. 204, § 3. 
 
 * In England.] Documents. — The certificate of registry 
 specifies the name, occupation, and residence of every owner, in 
 the proportions mentioned on the back of it ; the name of the ship, 
 the place to which she belongs, her tonnage, the name of the master, 
 the time and place of the built, or of condemnation ; the name of 
 the surveying officer, the number of decks and masts ; the length, 
 breadth, height between decks, if more than one — or depth of the 
 hold, if only one deck ; whether rigged with a standing or running 
 bowsprit ; the description of her stern, whether carvel or clinker 
 built; and gallery, and kind of head, if there be any. And on 
 the back are indorsed the names of the several owners, with the 
 number of 64th shares held by each, 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 55, s. 2. — 
 Abbott on Shipping, 6th Edition, 61. 
 
 The master must procure and keep on board all the papers and 
 documents required for the manifestation and protection of the ship 
 and cargo, by the law of the countries from and to which the ship is 
 bound, and by the law of nations in general, and treaties between 
 particular states. — Abbott on Shipping, 6th Edition, 302. The 
 documents and papers expected to be found on board a neutral ship 
 are — 1. The passport, sea brief , or sea letter. 2. The proofs 
 of property , bill of sale, §c. 3. The muster-roll. 4. The 
 
THE VESSEL. 193 
 
 certificate of registry} This is an abstract of the record 
 of registry, showing the names and residences of the 
 owners, the place where the vessel was built, with a 
 particular description of the vessel. This document 
 shows the national character of the vessel, and is im- 
 portant to prove neutrality in time of war between other 
 powers. For the same reasons, an enrolled vessel should 
 have a certificate of enrolment". Vessels bound to Europe 
 should have passports. A passport is a permission from 
 the government for the vessel to go upon her voyage, 
 and contains a description of the vessel, crew, &c, and 
 the name of the master. Vessels bound round Cape 
 Horn or the Cape of Good Hope should have sea-letters. 
 These contain a description of the cargo, &c, and are 
 written in four languages — English, French, Dutch and 
 Spanish. The two latter documents are rendered neces- 
 sary or expedient by reason of treaties with foreign 
 powers. Every vessel should have a list of crew. This 
 specifies the name, age, place of birth and residence, &c., 
 of each one of the ship's company; and is, of course, 
 very useful when sailing among belligerents. The other 
 documents are the bill of health, general clearance, clear- 
 ing manifest, invoice and bill of lading for the cargo, 
 charter-party, if one has been given, and the log-book. 
 On entering at the custom-house, the papers required in 
 addition to these are the manifest, list of passengers, and 
 crew, and of remaining sea-stores. 
 
 Medicine Chest *. — Every vessel belonging to citizens 
 
 1 Act 1792, ch. 45. 2 Act ]19 ^ ch 52 . 
 
 charter-party. 5. The bill* of lading. 6. The invoice. 7- 
 The log-book. 8. The bill of health See Marshall on Insur- 
 ance, Book i. c. 9, s. 6. As to the manifest or written contents 
 required for the importation of goods into Great Britain, see 6 G. 
 4, c. 107, ss. 3-7. As to the coasting-trade, see same stat., ss. 
 100-114.— Abbott on Shipping, 6th Edition, 302, n. 
 
 * In England.] Medicine Chest. — By the act 5 & 6 W. 4, 
 c. 19, s. 12, every ship bound on a foreign voyage is required to 
 have and keep constantly on board a * sufficient supply of medi- 
 cines suitable to accidents and diseases arising on sea voyages." 
 o 
 
194 THE VESSEL. 
 
 of the United States, of*the burden of one hundred and 
 fifty tons or upwards, navigated by ten or more persons 
 in the whole, and bound on a foreign voyage, must be 
 provided with a medicine chest, put up by some apothe- 
 cary of known reputation, and accompanied by directions 
 for using the same. This chest must be examined and 
 refitted by the same or some other apothecary at least 
 once in a year K The same rule applies to vessels of 
 seventy-five tons and upw r ards, navigated by six persons 
 in the whole, and bound to the West Indies 2 . 
 
 National Character of Crew*. — In order to be 
 placed upon the most favourable footing as to duties, 
 bounties, &c., it is necessary that the master, officers, 
 and two thirds of the rest of the crew of vessels in the 
 foreign trade, and officers and three fourths of the crew 
 of fishing and coasting vessels, should be citizens, or 
 u persons not the subjects of any foreign prince or state 3 ." 
 Nevertheless, while foreigners are employed in our 
 vessels, they are under the protection of our laws as 
 " mariners and seamen of the United States 4 ." 
 
 i Act 1790, ch. 56, § 8. 2 Act 1805, ch. 88, §1. 
 
 3 Act 1817,ch. 204, §3, 5,6. 4 Sumner, 115. 
 
 * In England.] National Character of Crew. — Every 
 British registered ship is required to be navigated in every part 
 of the world, by a master who is a British subject, and by a crew 
 whereof three-fourths, at least, are British seamen ; and if such 
 ship be employed in a coasting voyage from one part of the United 
 Kingdom to another, or in a voyage between the United Kingdom 
 and the islands of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, or Man, or 
 from one of the said islands to another of them, or from one part 
 of either of them to another of the same, or be employed in fishing 
 on the coasts of the United Kingdom, or of any of the said islands, 
 then the whole of the crew shall be British seamen. — See Navi- 
 gation Act, 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 54, s. 13. 
 
 It is provided, however, that a ship not required to be wholly 
 navigated by British seamen, shall be deemed duly navigated by 
 one British seaman for every twenty ton3 of her burthen, although 
 the number of other seamen shall exceed one-fourth of the whole 
 crew, s. 16. 
 
 As to the persons qualified to be master of a British ship, or to 
 be, or considered, as British seamen within the act, see ss. 16, 17. 
 
THE VESSEL. 195 
 
 Provisions*. — Every vessel of the United States bound 
 on a voyage across the Atlantic, shall, at the time of 
 leaving the last port from which she sails, have on board, 
 well secured under deck, at least sixty gallons of water, 
 one hundred pounds of salted beef, and one hundred 
 pounds of wholesome ship bread, for every person on 
 board, (over and above any stores that the master or 
 passengers may have put on board ;) and in like propor- 
 tions for shorter or longer voyages. If any vessel is not 
 so provided, and the crew are put upon short allowance of 
 bread, flesh, or water, they can recover an additional day's 
 wages for every day they are so allowanced 1 . 
 
 Passengers t. — The same provision, with the addi- 
 
 1 Act 1790, ch. 56, §9. 
 
 * In England.] Provisions. — The master of every outward- 
 bound ship shall, upon application to an officer called the searcher, 
 receive a victualling bill, for the shipment of such stores as he may 
 require, and as shall be allowed by the collector and controller for 
 the use of the ship, according to the voyage upon which she is about 
 to depart ; and no articles taken on board shall be deemed to be 
 stores, except such as shall be borne on such victualling bill, 3 & 
 4 W. 4, c. 52, s. 63. 
 
 f In England.] Passengers. — Every ship carrying passengers 
 from any port or place in the United Kingdom, or in the islands 
 of Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, Sark, or Man, or any voyage to or 
 for any port or place out of Europe, and not being within the Medi- 
 terranean Sea, must have on board good and wholesome provisions 
 for the use and consumption of the passengers, over and above the 
 victualling of the crew, to the amount or in the proportion follow- 
 ing, viz., a supply of pure water to the amount of five gallons to 
 every week of the computed voyage for every passenger, such water 
 being carried in tanks or sweet casks, and a supply of bread, biscuit, 
 oatmeal, or bread stuffs, to the amount of seven pounds weight to 
 every week of the computed voyage for every such passenger. But 
 to the extent of one-third of such supply, seven pounds weight of 
 potatoes may be deemed equivalent to one pound weight of bread, 
 biscuit, oatmeal, or bread stuffs, in the supply of any ship bound to 
 some place in North America. 
 
 And when any ship shall be destined to call at a port or place 
 
 in the course of her voyage, for the purpose of filling up her water, 
 
 a supply of water at the rate before mentioned for every week of the 
 
 computed voyage to such port or place of calling, will be sufficient. 
 
 o2 
 
196 THE VESSEL. 
 
 tion of one gallon of vinegar, must be made for every pas- 
 senger ; and if, in default of these, the passengers are 
 put on short allowance, each passenger can recover three 
 dollars for every day he is so allowanced *. 
 
 If any vessel takes on board a greater number of 
 passengers than two for every five tons, custom-house 
 measurement, the master forfeits 150 dollars for every 
 such passenger ; and if the number by which they exceed 
 two for every five tons shall amount to twenty, the 
 vessel becomes forfeited 2 . 
 
 1 Act 1819, ch. 170, § 3. 2 Do. § 1, §2. 
 
 The number of weeks deemed necessary for the voyage of any 
 such ship, according to her destination, shall be determined by the 
 following rule of computation. 
 
 For a voyage to North America ten weeks ; South America, on 
 the Atlantic Ocean, or to the West Coast of Africa, twelve weeks ; 
 the Cape of Good Hope fifteen weeks ; the Mauritius eighteen 
 weeks ; and for any other voyage, twenty-four weeks. — See the act 
 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 53, " for regulating the carriage of passengers from 
 the United Kingdom," sect. 3 and 4 ; and 1 & 2 Vict.,c. 113, s. 
 26, as to foreign vessels. 
 
 And no such ship is allowed to proceed on her voyage with more 
 persons than in the proportion of three persons for every five tons 
 of the registered burthen of such ship, the master and crew being 
 included in such number. 
 
 The ship carrying such passengers, is required to have a height 
 of five feet and a half between decks; and when only two tiers of 
 berths, there shall bean interval of six inches, at the least, between 
 the deck or platform, and the floor of the lower tier, throughout the 
 whole extent thereof, 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 53, s. 2. 
 
 For the other regulations now in force on this important sub- 
 ject, the reader is referred to the act itself. 
 
 But from this act is expressly excepted all ships in which the 
 number of passengers shall not exceed one for every five tons of 
 their registered burthens, s. 20. 
 
 Penalties from 5/. to 20/., are imposed upon the master for non- 
 compliance with the regulations, without prejudice to any right of 
 action the passenger may have in respect of the breach, or non-per- 
 formance of any contract between him and the master and owners, 
 s. 17. 
 
 For the regulations as to the carriage of passengers between 
 Great Britain and Ireland, see the act 4 G. 4, c. 88. 
 
197 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE MASTERS RELATION TO VESSEL AND CARGO. 
 
 Revenue duties and obligations. List of crew. Certificate. Sea letter. 
 Passport. List of Passengers. Manifest. Sea Stores. Unloading. 
 Post-office. Report. Citizenship. Coasting licence. Power to sell 
 and hypothecate. Keeping and delivering cargo. Deviation. Colli- 
 sion. Pilot. Wages and advances. 
 
 Revenue Duties and Obligations *. — The mas- 
 ter of every vessel bound on a foreign voyage, before 
 
 * In England.] Revenue duties and obligations. — By the 3 
 & 4 Wm. 4, c. 52, entitled " An Act for the general regulation of 
 the customs," it is enacted — 
 
 That no goods shall be shipped or water-borne, to be shipped on 
 board any ship, in any port or place in the United Kingdom, or in 
 the Isle of Man, to be carried beyond seas, before due entry out- 
 wards of such ship, and due entry of such goods shall be made and 
 cocket granted, nor before such goods shall be duly cleared for 
 ' shipment in manner thereinafter directed, and that no stores shall 
 be shipped for the use of such ship, except such as are borne on the 
 victualling bill of such ship, under pain of forfeiture, s. 61. 
 
 That no ship on board of which any goods or stores shall have 
 been shipped for parts beyond the seas, shall depart from such port 
 until such ship shall have been duly cleared outwards for her 
 intended voyage, under pain of forfeiture by the master of 100/., 
 s. 62. 
 
 It may be useful to state in this place in what this " duly clear- 
 ing" of a ship consists. 
 
 The master of every outward-bound ship shall upon application 
 to an officer, called the searcher, receive a victualling bill for the 
 shipment of such stores as he may require, and as shall be allowed 
 by the collector and controller for the use of the ship according to 
 the voyage upon which she is about to depart, and no articles taken 
 on board shall be deemed to be stores, except such as shall be borne 
 on such victualling bill, s. 63. He shall also, before any goods 
 be taken on board, deliver to the collector or controller a certificate 
 from the proper officer, of the clearance inwards or coastwise of such 
 ship of her last voyage, specifying what goods, if any, have been 
 reported inwards for exportation, and also deliver to the collector 
 or controller an account, signed by the master or his agent, of the 
 entry outwards of such ship for her intended voyage setting forth 
 
198 master's relation to 
 
 clearance, must give to the collector of the customs a list 
 of the crew, specifying their names, places of birth and 
 
 the name and tonnage of the ship, the name of the place to which 
 she belongs if British, or of her country if foreign, the name of the 
 master, of the place for which she is bound, and of the place in 
 such port at which she is to take in her lading for the voyage. 
 The particulars of such account shall be written and arranged in 
 such form and manner as the collector and controller shall require; 
 and such account shall be the entry outwards of such ship, and shall 
 be entered in a book to be kept by the collector for the information 
 of all persons interested ; and if any goods be taken on board any 
 ship before she shall have been entered outwards, the master shall 
 forfeit 100/. If, however, it become necessary to lade any heavy 
 goods before the whole of the inward cargo is discharged, it shall be 
 lawful for the collector and controller to issue what is called a 
 stiffening order for that purpose, s. 64* 
 
 Every person entering outward goods for export beyond the seas 
 shall deliver to the collector or controller a bill of the entry thereof 
 (fairly written, or fairly written in part, and fairly printed in part, 
 1 & 2 Vict. c. 113) in words at length, expressing the name of the 
 ship and of the master, and of the place to which the goods are to 
 be exported, and of the person in whose name the goods are to be 
 entered, and the quantities and proper denomination or descriptions 
 of the several sorts of goods, and shall pay down any duties which 
 may be due upon the exportation of any such goods, and such person 
 shall also deliver at the same time one or more duplicates of such 
 bill in which all sums and numbers may be expressed in figures, 
 and the particulars contained in such bill shall be written and 
 arranged in such form and manner as the collector and controller 
 shall require, and thereupon the collector and controller shall cause 
 a cocket to be written for such goods, making it known that such 
 goods have been entered, and shall sign such cocket and deliver it 
 to the person who shall have made such entry, and who shall keep 
 and be responsible for the proper use of the same, s. 65. 
 
 Before any part of the goods, for which any cocket shall have 
 been granted, shall be shipped or water-borne, to be shipped, the 
 same shall be duly cleared for shipment with the searcher ; and 
 before any goods be cleared for shipment, the particulars of the 
 goods for each clearance shall be indorsed on such cocket, together 
 with the number and denomination or description of the respective 
 packages containing the same ; and on the margin of such indorse- 
 ment shall be delineated the respective marks and numbers of such 
 packages, and to each such indorsement shall be subjoined in words 
 at length an account of the total quantities of each sort of goods 
 intended in such indorsement, and the total of each sort of package 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 199 
 
 residence, and containing a description of their persons ; 
 whereupon he is entitled to a certified copy of the same 
 
 in which such goods are contained, distinguishing, &c. ; and all 
 goods shipped or water-horne, to be shipped, not being duly cleared 
 as aforesaid, shall be forfeited, s. 70. 
 
 The person clearing such goods for shipment shall upon each 
 occasion produce the cocket so indorsed to the searcher, and shall 
 also deliver a shipping bill, or copy of such indorsement, referring 
 by names and date to the cocket upon which such indorsement is 
 made, and shall obtain the order of the searcher for the shipment 
 of such goods, which indorsement and shipping bill shall be written 
 and arranged as the collector and controller shall require, s. 71. 
 
 Before any ship shall be cleared outwards with goods on board, 
 the master shall deliver a content of such ship to the searcher, 
 setting forth the name and tonnage of such ship, and the place and 
 places of her destination, and the name of the master, and also an 
 account of the goods shipped on board, and of the packages con- 
 taining such goods, and of the marks and numbers upon such pack- 
 ages, and also before the clearance of such ship, the cockets. with 
 the indorsements and clearances thereon, for the goods shipped, 
 shall be finally delivered by the respective shippers of such goods 
 to the searcher, who shall file the same together, and shall attach 
 with a seal a label to the file, showing the number of cockets in 
 the file, and shall compare the particulars of the goods in the 
 cockets with the particulars of the goods in such content, and shall 
 attest the correctness thereof by his signature on the label, and on 
 the content ; and the master of the ship shall make and sign a 
 declaration before the, collector or controller to the truth of such 
 content, and shall answer to the collector or controller such ques- 
 tions concerning the ship, the cargo, and the intended voyage, as 
 shall be demanded of him ; and thereupon the collector or con- 
 troller shall clear such ship for her intended voyage, and shall 
 notify such clearance, and the date thereof upon the content, and 
 upon the label to the file of cockets, and upon the victualling bill, 
 and also in the book of ships' entries outwards, for the information 
 of all parties interested, and shall transmit the content and the 
 cockets, and the victualling bill, to the searcher, s. 78. The file 
 of cockets and the victualling bill, shall thereupon be delivered 
 by the searcher to the master of such ship ; and such file of cockets 
 and victualling bill so delivered, shall be kept by the master of 
 such ship, as the authority for departing from the port with the 
 several parcels and packages of goods, and of stores on board, so 
 far as they shall agree with the particulars in the indorsements on 
 such cockets, or with such victualling bill, s. 79. When the 
 ship has arrived at the place of her destination, the master must 
 
200 MASTERS RELATION' TO 
 
 from the collector. This copy he must deliver, under 
 a penalty of 400 dollars, to the first boarding officer upon 
 
 take care that she be safely moored or anchored, and report his 
 ship and crew, and deliver his manifest and other papers, according 
 to the law and custom of the place. 
 
 By the same act 3 & 4 W. 4, c. 52, it is also enacted, " That 
 no goods shall be unladen from any ship arriving from ports 
 beyond the seas, at any port or place in the United Kingdom, 
 or the Isle of Man, nor shall bulk be broken after the arrival of 
 such ship within four leagues of the coast, before due report of such 
 ship, and due entry of such good?, shall have been made, and war- 
 rant granted in manner thereinafter directed ; that no goods shall 
 be unladen, except at such times and places, and in such manner 
 and by such persons, and under the care of such officers as is therein- 
 after directed ; and that all goods not duly reported, or which shall 
 be unladen contrary thereto, shall be forfeited ; and if bulk be 
 broken contrary thereto, the master of such ship shall forfeit 100/. ; 
 and if any alteration in the stowage be made to facilitate the un- 
 lading, or any part of the cargo be staved or destroyed, or any 
 package opened within four leagues of the coast, the ship shall be 
 deemed to have broken bulk, s. 2. 
 
 That no goods shall be imported from parts beyond the seas in 
 any British ship, nor any tobacco in any ship, unless the master 
 shall have on board a manifest of such goods, or of such tobacco, 
 made out and dated, and signed by him at the place where the 
 same, or the different parts of the same, were taken on board ; and 
 every such manifest shall set forth the name and the tonnage of 
 the ship, the name of the master, and of the place to which the 
 ship belongs, and of the place or places for which they are destined 
 respectively ; and shall contain a particular account and description 
 of all the packages with the marks, &c. ; and of such goods as are 
 stowed loose, and the names of the respective shippers and con- 
 signees, as far as the same can be known to the master. A general 
 account must be subjoined, s. 3. 
 
 That before any ship shall be cleared out, or depart from any 
 place in any of the British possessions, abroad, or from any place 
 in China, with any goods for the United Kingdom, or the Isle of 
 Man, the master of such ship shall produce the manifest to the 
 collector or controller of the customs, or other proper officer, who 
 shall certify upon the same the date of the production thereof to 
 him, 3. 4. 
 
 That if any goods shall be imported into the United Kingdom, 
 or into the Isle of Man, without such manifest, or if any goods 
 contained in such manifest, be not on board, the master shall for- 
 feit 100/. ; and if he refuse to produce such manifest, and deliver 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 201 
 
 his arrival in the United States, and produce the persons 
 named therein, unless the same have been discharged in 
 
 a copy thereof to any officer of the customs, who within four leagues 
 of the coast, shall demand the same, he shall also forfeit 100/., 
 ss. 6 and 7. 
 
 That the master of every ship arriving from any such ports be- 
 yond the seas, shall within twenty-four hours of such arrival, and 
 before bulk broken, make due report of such ship, and make and 
 subscribe a declaration of the truth of the same before the collector 
 or controller of such port ; and such report shall contain an account 
 of the particular marks, numbers, and contents, of all the different 
 packages or parcels of goods on board, and the particulars of such 
 goods as are stowed loose, to the best of his knowledge ; and of the 
 place and places where such goods were respectively taken on board, 
 and of the burthen of such ship, and of the country where such 
 ship was built ; or if British, of the port of registry, and of the 
 country of the people to whom such ship belongs ; and of the name 
 and country of the person who Mas master during the voyage ; and 
 of the number of people by whom such ship was navigated, stating 
 how many are subjects of the country to which such ship belongs, 
 and how many are of some other country ; and in such report, it 
 shall be further declared, whether and in what cases such ship has 
 broken bulk in the course of her voyage ; and what part of the 
 cargo, if any, is intended for importation at another port in the 
 United Kingdom ; and what part, if any, is prohibited to be im- 
 ported, except to be warehoused for exportation only ; and what 
 part, if any, is intended for exportation in any such ship, to ports 
 beyond the seas ; and what surplus stores or stock remain on board 
 such ship ; and if a British ship, what foreign-made sails or cor- 
 dage, not being standing or running rigging, are in use on board 
 such ship ; and the master of any ship who shall fail to make such 
 report, shall forfeit 100/., s. 8. 
 
 That the master of every ship shall, at the time of making such 
 report, deliver to the collector or controller, the manifest of the 
 cargo, where a manifest is required ; and if required, shall produce 
 to him any bill or bills of lading, or a true copy thereof, for any 
 and every part of the cargo, and shall truly answer all such ques- 
 tions relating to the ship and cargo, and crew, and voyage, as shall 
 be put to him by such collector or controller ; and in case of failure 
 or refusal, or if such manifest, or bill of lading, or copy, shall be 
 false ; or if any bill of lading be uttered by any master, and the 
 goods expressed therein shall not have been bona, fide shipped on 
 board ; or if any bill of lading, uttered or produced by any master, 
 shall not have been signed by him, or any such copy shall not have 
 been received or made by him, previously to his leaving the place 
 
202 master's relation to 
 
 a foreign country, with the consent of the consul or 
 other commercial agent thereto certified in writing under 
 his hand and official seal ; or by showing that they have 
 died or absconded, or been impressed into foreign ser- 
 vice l . The duplicate list of the crew shall be a fair copy, 
 in one uniform handwriting, without erasure or inter- 
 lineation 2 . 
 
 The owners must also obtain from the collector of the 
 customs a certified copy of the shipping articles. This 
 must be produced by the master before any consul or 
 commercial agent who may demand it, and all erasures 
 in it or writings in a different hand shall be deemed 
 fraudulent, unless satisfactorily explained 3 . 
 
 The master of every vessel of the United States, on 
 arriving at a foreign port, must deposit with the consul, 
 or other commercial agent, his certificate of registry, sea 
 letter, and passport (if he have one,) under a penalty of 
 500 dollars. The consul returns them to him, upon his 
 obtaining a clearance 4 . 
 
 Upon arriving in the United States, the master must 
 report to the collector a list of passengers, specifying 
 their names, age, sex, occupation, the country of which 
 they are citizens, and that in which they intend to 
 reside. This is under a penalty of 500 dollars 6 . 
 
 Vessels arriving from foreign ports must unlade and 
 
 1 Act 1803, ch. 62, § 1. 2 Act 1840, oh. 28, §]. 3 Do. 
 * Act 1803, ch. 62, §2. 5 Act 1819, ch. 170, §4. 
 
 where the goods expressed in such bill of lading, or copy, were 
 shipped, such master shall forfeit 100/., s. 11. 
 
 That every ship shall come as quickly up to the proper place of 
 mooring or unlading, as the nature of the port will admit, and 
 without touching at any other place ; and in proceeding to such 
 place, shall bring to, at stations appointed by the commissioners of 
 his Majesty's Customs, for the boarding of ships by the officers of 
 the customs ; and after arrival at such place of mooring, or unlading, 
 such ship shall not remove from such place, except directly to some 
 other proper place, and with the knowledge of the proper officer of 
 the customs, on penalty of 100/., to be paid by the master of such 
 ship, s. 13. 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 203 
 
 deliver their cargoes between sunrise and sunset, unless 
 by special permission of the collector of the port. 
 
 In making out manifests of cargoes, the master must 
 specify what articles are to be deemed sea stores, and 
 declare the same upon oath. If the collector deems the 
 amount excessive, he may charge them with a duty. If 
 the cargo is found to exceed the manifest, the excess is 
 forfeited to the government, and the master is liable to 
 pay treble the amount 1 . 
 
 If the master land any of the sea stores, without first 
 obtaining a permit, such stores are forfeited, and the 
 master becomes liable to pay treble the value of them 2 . 
 
 The master subjects himself to a fine of 200 dollars 
 if the vessel departs on a foreign voyage without a 
 passport. 
 
 It is the duty of the master, coming from a foreign 
 port, to have a manifest of cargo, and a copy of the 
 same made out and ready for delivery to any officer 
 of the customs who may board the vessel within four 
 leagues of the coast*. Unless this manifest is produced, 
 no merchandise can be unloaded from the vessel. The 
 manifest shall specify the port where the merchandise was 
 received, the port to which it is consigned, the name, 
 built, and description of the vessel, with the name of 
 the master and owner, the marks and numbers of each 
 package of goods, with the name of the consignee ; and 
 also the names of the passengers with their baggage, and 
 the account of all remaining sea stores 4 . 
 
 If any goods are unladed within four leagues of the 
 coast, or within the limits of any district, without 
 authority from the proper officer, except in case of 
 accident or necessity — which must be strictly proved — 
 such goods are forfeited, and the master and mate incur, 
 respectively, a penalty of 1000 dollars for each offence 5 . 
 
 If the master refuses to exhibit his manifest and de- 
 liver a copy of the same to the boarding officer, or to 
 
 1 Act 1799, ch. 128, § 45. a Do. 3 Do. 23. 
 
 * Act 1819, ch. 170, § 4. * Act 1799, ch. 128, § 27. 
 
204 master's relation to 
 
 inform him of the true destination of the vessel, he 
 incurs a penalty of 500 dollars for each offence 1 . 
 
 The master must deposit all his letters in the post- 
 office before entering his cargo ; and if he shall break 
 bulk before depositing his letters, he forfeits 100 dollars 
 for each offence 2 . 
 
 If any merchandise is imported into the United States 
 not contained in the manifest, the master of the vessel 
 forfeits a sum equal to the value of such merchandise ; 
 and if any of it belongs or is consigned to the master, or 
 to any officer or seaman on board, it becomes forfeited ; 
 unless it shall be made to appear that the omission 
 occurred by accident or mistake 3 . 
 
 The master of a vessel arriving from a foreign port 
 must report himself to the collector within twenty-four 
 hours, and within forty-eight hours he must make a 
 further and more particular report in writing, under 
 penalty of 100 dollars ; and if he shall attempt to leave 
 the port without entry he forfeits 400 dollars 4 . 
 
 If any articles reported in the manifest are not found 
 on board, the master forfeits 500 dollars, unless it shall 
 be made to appear that the same was caused by accident 
 or mistake. 
 
 The master of every vessel bound on a foreign voyage 
 must deliver a manifest of cargo to the collector, and 
 obtain a clearance, under penalty of 500 dollars '. 
 
 The master of every vessel enrolled and licensed in 
 the coasting trade must be a citizen of the United States; 
 and if the vessel trades to any other than an adjoining 
 state, three-fourths of the crew must be citizens. If 
 the master of a coasting vessel is changed, such change 
 must be reported to the collector of the port where the 
 change is made 6 . 
 
 The master of every coasting vessel must deliver up 
 his licence within three days after it expired, or if the 
 
 > Act 1799, ch. 128, § 26. * Act 1825, ch. 275, § 17. 
 
 3 Act 1799, ch. 128, § 24. 4 Do. § 30. 
 
 .* Do. § 3. 6 Act 1793, ch. 52, § 12. 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 205 
 
 vessel was then at sea, within three days after her first 
 arrival thereafter, under a penalty of 50 dollars. 
 
 The master of a coasting vessel departing from one 
 great district to another, must deliver to the collector 
 duplicate manifests of all the cargo on board, under 
 penalty of 50 dollars; and within forty-eight hours after 
 his arrival at the port of delivery, and before breaking 
 bulk, he must deliver to the collector the manifest certi- 
 fied to by the collector of the former port, under penalty 
 of 100 dollars 1 . If the vessel shall at any time be found 
 without a manifest on board, the master forfeits 20 
 dollars, and if he refuses to inform the officer of his last 
 port of departure, he forfeits 100 dollars 2 . 
 
 Power to sell and hypothecate*. — The master 
 has, in certain cases, power to hypothecate the ship and 
 cargo, and also to sell a part of the cargo; and in certain 
 extreme cases a sale of the ship and cargo made from 
 necessity, and in the utmost good faith, will be upheld. 
 His right to do any of these acts is confined to cases of 
 necessity, in distant ports, where he cannot get the advice 
 of the owner. The safest rule for the master is, to bear 
 in mind that his duty is to prosecute the vogage, and that 
 all his acts must be done for this purpose, and in good 
 faith. If a necessity arises in a foreign port for the 
 repairing or supplying of the ship, he must, in the first 
 instance, make use of any property of the owner he may 
 
 1 Act 1793, ch. 52, § 17. * Do. § 18. 
 
 * In England.] Power to sell and hypothecate. — The law, 
 as respects the authority of the master to sell or hypothecate the 
 ship and cargo, is the same in England as in the United States. 
 
 The master of a ship has not, unless in a case of extreme neces- 
 sity, authority to sell the ship, and he is hound seriously and 
 deliberately to try every other expedient before disposing of the 
 ship or any part of the cargo. — See Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 
 s. 597; 4 Campb., 138. See also, 1 Bing., 243 ; 3 Brod. & 
 Bing., 151 ; 8 Taunt., 755; 3 Brod. $ Bing., 147; 1 
 Bing., 445. 
 
 The observations as to the keeping, transportation, and delivery 
 of the cargo are equally applicable to the masters of British vessels. 
 
20G master's relation to 
 
 have under his control other than cargo 1 . If, however, he 
 has money of the owner in his hands, put on board for the 
 purpose of procuring a cargo, he is not bound to apply 
 this first ; but must use his discretion, bearing in mind 
 that all repairs have for their sole object the prosecution 
 of the voyage, which might be defeated by making use 
 of these funds 2 . His next recourse should be to the 
 personal credit of the owner, by drawing bills or other- 
 wise 3 . 
 
 If these means fail, he is next to hypothecate (that is, 
 pledge) the ship (bottomry), or cargo (respondentia), 
 or freight, or sell part of the cargo, according to circum- 
 stances. If the owner of the ship is also owner of the 
 cargo, the better opinion seems to be, that the master 
 may take whichever of these means can be adopted with 
 the least sacrifice of the owner's interest ; though pro- 
 bably selling part of the cargo would almost in all cases 
 be the least favourable course for all the purposes of the 
 voyage 4 . If the owner of the ship is not owner of the 
 cargo, the master should bear in mind that he is agent 
 of the former, and has generally no further control over 
 the cargo than for safe keeping and transportation 5 . He 
 should therefore first exhaust the credit of the ship and 
 freight by hypothecation ; and if these means fail, he 
 then becomes, by necessity, agent for the owners of the 
 cargo for the purposes of the voyage, and may hypothe- 
 cate the whole, or sell a part, according to circumstances. 
 As to selling part, he should remember that his duty is 
 to carry forward the objects of the voyage, and that 
 selling a large part would probably impair these objects 
 more than hypothecating the whole 6 . 
 
 In no case can any of the cargo be sold or hypothe- 
 cated to repair or supply the ship, unless these repairs 
 and supplies are to be for the benefit of the cargo. The 
 strictest proof is always required that the repairs were in 
 
 1 3 Mason, 255. 2 Do. 3 2 Wash. C. C. 226. 
 
 * 2 Wash. C. C. 226. 5 Do. 
 
 6 3 Mason, 255. 1 Wash. C. C. 49 ; 2 Do. 226. 3 Rob. 240. 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 207 
 
 the first place necessary, and, in the next place, that 
 they were for the benefit of the cargo, and not merely 
 for the good of the ship-owner 2 . 
 
 A further question arises, whether the master has 
 ever, and when, the right to sell the whole cargo and 
 the ship itself. If it should be impossible to repair the 
 ship and send her on the voyage by any of the means 
 before mentioned, it then becomes the master's duty to 
 forward the cargo to the port of destination by some 
 other conveyance. If neither of these things can be 
 done, then he becomes, from necessity, agent of the owner 
 of the cargo, and must make the best disposition of it in 
 his power. If the goods are perishable, the owner can- 
 not be consulted within a reasonable time, and has no 
 agent in the port, and something must be done with the 
 cargo, and there is no one else to act — then the master 
 must dispose of it in such a way as best to subserve the 
 interest of its owner. He should take the advice of the 
 commercial agent or other suitable persons, should also 
 use his own judgment and act with good faith, and take 
 care to preserve evidence that he has so done. If all 
 these requisites are not complied with, he will incur the 
 danger of having his acts set aside 2 . 
 
 The rule as to the sale of the ship is very nearly the 
 same, except that it is, perhaps, still more strict. If 
 all means for repairing the vessel and sending her on her 
 voyage have failed, and a case of absolute necessity 
 arises, the master may make sale of her. As a pru- 
 dent man, he should have the sale made, if possible, 
 under the authority of the judicial tribunals of the place. 
 Even this will not, of itself, render the sale valid, but 
 will go far toward sustaining it. He should consult the 
 consul, or other suitable persons ; should have a survey 
 made ; should take care to have the sale conducted pub- 
 licly and with the best faith in all parties, and to pre- 
 serve evidence of the same. Although a person should 
 
 1 2 Wash. 226 ; 3 Rob. 240. 2 2 Wash. C. C. 150. 3 Rob. 240. 
 
208 master's relation to 
 
 buy in good faith, yet the sale will be set aside unless it 
 can be shown that there was the strictest necessity for 
 it. The master must not become a purchaser himself, 
 and even if lie afterwards buy of one who purchased at 
 the sale, this transaction will be very narrowly watched, 
 and he will be bound to show the very highest good faith 
 in all parties 1 . 
 
 The strictness of these rules should not deter the 
 master from acting, where the interest of all requires it, 
 but will show him the risk that is run by acting other- 
 wise than with prudence and entire honesty. He should 
 remember, too, that in taking command of a vessel, he 
 not only covenants that he will act honestly and with 
 the best of his judgment, but also holds himself out as 
 having a reasonable degree of skill and prudence 2 . 
 
 As to the safe keeping, transportation, and delivery of 
 the cargo, the master's duties and obligations are those 
 of a common carrier upon land. He is bound to the 
 strictest diligence in commencing and prosecuting the 
 voyage, a high degree of care both of vessel and goods, 
 and is held liable for all losses and injuries not occa- 
 sioned by inevitable accident, or by the acts of public 
 enemies. He is answerable also for unnecessary delays 
 and deviations, and for the wrongful or negligent acts of 
 all persons under his command. At the termination of 
 the voyage, he must deliver the goods to the consignee 
 or his agents. A landing upon the wharf is a sufficient 
 delivery, if due notice be given to the parties who are to 
 receive them. He is not, however, bound to deliver 
 until the freight due is paid or secured to his satisfaction, 
 as he has a lien upon the goods for his freight ; but the 
 consignee can require the goods to be taken from the 
 hold, in order that he may examine them, before paying 
 freight. In such case they should not go out of the 
 possession of the master or his agents. 
 
 1 5 Mason, 465. 2 Sumner, 206. Edwards, 117. 
 2 1 Dallas, 184. 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 209 
 
 Deviation*. — The master must not deviate from the 
 course of the voyage. By a diviation is meant, techni- 
 cally, any alteration of the risk insured against, with- 
 out necessity or reasonable cause. It may be by de- 
 parting from the regular and usual course of the voyage, 
 or by any unusual and unnecessary delay. A devia- 
 tion renders the insurance void, whether the loss of the 
 vessel is caused by the deviation or not. It is not a 
 deviation to make a port for repairs or supplies, if there 
 be no unnecessary delay, nor to depart from the course 
 of the voyage in order to succour persons in distress, to 
 avoid an enemy, or the like. 
 
 It is the master's duty, within twenty-four hours after 
 arriving at his first port, to make a protest in case of any 
 accident or loss happening to vessel or cargo. The log- 
 book also should be carefully kept, without interlinea- 
 tions or erasures. The master must also enter a protest 
 in case any American seaman is impressed, and transmit 
 
 * In England.] Deviation. — The first part of the observations 
 under this head will apply to British ships. "While a vessel is 
 detained at a port of necessity, it seems to be no deviation to take 
 in an additional cargo, if no additional delay or risk is occasioned 
 thereby. — Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 319; 9 East, 195; 
 11 East, 347; 12 East, 131. 
 
 On the .arrival of the vessel at her homeward port, and when 
 compelled by accidents or injury to put back or into a port other 
 than that of her destination, it is usual for the master to present 
 himself before a notary, and cause a protest to be noted, and 
 afterwards drawn up or extended. British consuls at foreign ports 
 are empowered by statute (5 and 6 Wm. 4, c. 62, s. 15,) to 
 perform notarial acts ; but, inasmuch as their attestation would 
 probably not be deemed abroad of equal authenticity with that of 
 the regular public notary, the master would do well to address 
 himself to that functionary. 
 
 With whatever formalities drawn up, this protest cannot be received 
 in our courts as evidence for the master or his owners ; but it may 
 be evidence against him and them ; and he should take care to 
 supply from the log-book, his own recollection, and that of the 
 mate, or trustworthy mariners, true and faithful instructions for 
 its preparation. — See Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 335, and cases 
 there cited. 
 
210 master's relation to 
 
 a copy of the same to the secretary of state, under a 
 penalty of 100 dollars K 
 
 Collision*. — A vessel having the wind free must 
 
 1 Act 1796, ch. 36, § 5. 
 
 * In England.] Collision. — The master is bound to his owners 
 for the exercise of reasonable skill and care in the management of 
 the vessel, and he and they are bound in like manner to every one 
 who is affected by his acts, within the scope of his employment ; 
 he must, therefore, during the whole course of the voyage at sea, 
 at anchor, and in port, — perhaps even when a licensed pilot is on 
 board, — be vigilant, to avoid the peril of collision. — Abbott on 
 Shipp., 6th edit., 200; 3 Hagg. Ad. Rep., 176. 
 
 It is said that there are four possibilities under which collision 
 may occur. "In the first place, it may happen without blame 
 being imputable to either party, as where the loss is occasioned by 
 a storm, or any other vis major. In that case the misfortune 
 must be borne by the party on whom it happens to light ; the other 
 not being responsible to him in any degree. Secondly, a misfor- 
 tune of this kind may arise where both parties are to blame ; 
 where there has been want of due diligence, or of skill, on both 
 sides ; in such a case the rule of law is, that the loss must be 
 apportioned between them as having been occasioned by the fault 
 of both of them. Thirdly, it may happen by the misconduct of 
 the suffering party only ; and then the rule is, that the sufferer 
 must bear his own burthen. Lastly, it may have been the fault 
 of the ship which ran the other down, and in this case the innocent 
 party would be entitled to an entire compensation from the other." 
 —2 Dod. Ad. Rep., 83. 
 
 The established rules of nautical practice as explained by pro- 
 fessional men, the usages and regulations of particular ports and 
 rivers, the state of the wind, the tide, and the light, the degree of 
 vigilance of the master and crew, and all other circumstances 
 bearing upon the conduct and management of both vessels, will be 
 considered in determining this question. But of the sea as of the 
 road, the law recognises no inflexible rule the neglect of which by 
 one party will dispense with the exercise of ordinary care and 
 caution in the other. — See Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 207, 
 and cases there cited. 
 
 In case of damage done by a foreign ship to any British ship, 
 barge, boat, buoy, or beacon, such foreign ship may, by order of 
 a judge, be arrested, until the master, owner, or consignee, under- 
 take to appear and be defendant in any action brought for such loss 
 or damage, and give security for all costs and damages which may 
 be recovered in such action. — 1 & 2 Geo. IV., c. 75, s. 32. 
 
 By a recent regulation of tbe Trinity Board, when two steam- 
 
VESSEL AND CARGO. 211 
 
 make way for a vessel close-hauled. The general prac- 
 tice is, that whentwo vessels approach each other, both 
 having a free orfair wind, the one with the starboard 
 tacks aboard keeps on her course, or, if any change is 
 made, she luffs, so as to pass to windward of the other ; 
 or, in other words, each vessel passes to the right. 
 This rule should also govern vessels sailing on the wind 
 and approaching each other, when it is doubtful which 
 is to windward. But if the vessel on the larboard tack 
 is so far to windward that if both persist in their course 
 the other will strike her on the lee side, abaft the beam, 
 or near the stern ; in such case, the vessel on the star- 
 board tack must give way, as she can do so with less loss 
 of time and greater facility than the other. These rules 
 are particularly intended to govern vessels approaching 
 each other under circumstances that prevent their course 
 and movements being readily discerned with accuracy, as 
 at night or in a fog. At other times, circumstances may 
 render it expedient to depart from them. A steamer is 
 considered as always sailing with a fair wind, and is bound 
 to do whatever would be required of a vessel going free *. 
 Pilot *. — The master must take a pilot when within 
 the usual limits of the pilot's employment 2 . If he neg- 
 lects or refuses so to do, he becomes liable to the owners, 
 freighters, and insurers. If no pilot is at hand, he must 
 make signals, and wait a reasonable time. The master 
 is to be justified in entering port without a pilot only by 
 extreme necessity. After the pilot is on board, the 
 master has no more control over the working of the ship 
 until she is at anchor 3 . 
 
 i Report of Benjamin Rich and others to District Court of Mass. 
 
 2 6 Rob. 316. 7 T. R. 160. 
 
 3 2 B. & Ad. 380. 3 Kent's Com. 175 c. 
 
 vessels meet and are in danger of collision, both vessels are required 
 to put the helm a-port. 
 
 * In England] Pilot. — What is here said is applicable to British 
 vessels. For the provisions relating to pilots and pilotage, see the 
 Act 6 Geo. IV., c. 125. 
 
 p2 
 
212 master's relation to 
 
 Wages, Advances, &c* — The master has no lien 
 upon the ship for his wages l . He is supposed to look to 
 the personal responsibility of the owner. He has a lien 
 on freight for wages, and also for his advances and neces- 
 sary expenses incurred for the benefit of the ship 2 . He 
 can sue in admiralty in personam, but not in rem; — that 
 is, he can sue the owner personally, but cannot hold the 
 ship. It does not seem to be settled in the United States 
 whether the master has a lien on the ship for advances 
 made abroad for the benefit of the vessel 3 . In case of 
 sickness, the master's right to be cured at the expense of 
 the ship seems to be the same as that of the seamen 4 . 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 the master's relation to passengers and officers. 
 
 Treatment of passengers. Removal of officers. 
 
 Passengers t. — The contract of passengers with the 
 master is not for mere ship-room and personal existence 
 on board, but for reasonable food, comforts, necessaries, 
 and kindness. In respect to females, it extends still 
 
 1 3 Mason, 91. 11 Pet. R. 175. 
 
 2 Ware, 149. But see 5 Wend. 314. 
 
 3 3 Mason, 255. * 1 Sumner, 451. 
 
 * In England.] Wages, Advances, <Jc. — The master can only 
 sue the owners personally for his wages in a court of common law. 
 But as he generally receives the freight and earnings of the ship, 
 and may pay himself out of the money in his hands, he has not often 
 occasion for the aid of a court of justice to obtain his right. — 
 Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 587. 
 
 The master has no lien on the ship or freight for wages or dis- 
 bursements. — See 9 East, 426; 15.^ A.,, bib ; Abbott on 
 Shipp. , 6th edit., 124, and cases there cited. 
 
 1* In England.] Passengers. — The party must, however, prove 
 that he has really been a sufferer and that there was a real grievance, 
 before he can recover in an action. — See 8 Car. § P. 56. 
 
PASSENGERS AND OFFICERS. 213 
 
 further, and includes an implied stipulation against 
 obscenity, immodesty, and a wanton disregard of the 
 feelings. An improper course of conduct in these par- 
 ticulars will be punished by the court, as much as a per- 
 sonal assault would be 1 . 
 
 Officers*. — The master may remove either of his 
 officers from duty for fraudulent or unfaithful conduct, 
 for gross negligence and disobedience, or for palpable in- 
 capacity. But the causes of removal must be strong 
 and evident 2 ; and much more so in the case of the chief 
 mate than of the second mate. Any temporary appoint- 
 ments, made by the master, are held at his pleasure, and 
 stand upon a different footing from those of persons who 
 originally shipped in the character in question 3 . 
 
 When a man ships in a particular capacity, as car- 
 penter, steward, or the like, he is not to be degraded 
 for slight causes. He stipulates for fair and reasonable 
 knowledge and due diligence, but not for extraordinary 
 qualifications 4 . 
 
 The right of the master to compel an officer, who has 
 been removed, to do duty as a seaman before the mast, 
 has never been completely established; but the better 
 opinion would seem to be that he may do it in a case of 
 necessity. Merchant vessels have no supernumeraries, and 
 if the master can show that the officer was unfit for the 
 duties he had undertaken, and thus made it necessaiy to 
 take some one from the forecastle to fill his place, and 
 that, by this means, the ship had become short-handed, 
 
 i 3 Mason, 242. 2 4 Wash. 334. 3 Gilpin, 83. 
 
 * 4 Mason, 84. Abbott Shipp. 147 n. Ware, 109. 
 
 * In England.] Officers. — By the common law of England 
 the master has authority over all the mariners on hoard the ship. 
 
 The observations, therefore, under this head would seem to 
 apply to British vessels. The only general rule that can be 
 laid down on the subject is, that the master should on all occasions 
 act according to the common usage, hearing in mind that he may 
 be called upon to justify his acts and conduct in a court of law, and 
 this, too, by the testimony of other persons. 
 
214 master's relation to 
 
 he may turn the officer forward, assuming the respon- 
 sibility for the act, as well as the risk of justification. 
 He would be required to show a much stronger cause for 
 removing the chief mate than would be insisted upon in 
 the case of a second mate ; and probably this necessity 
 for exacting seaman's duty would be held to extend no 
 further than an arrival at the first port where other hands 
 could be shipped. 
 
 Nothing but evident unfitness or gross and repeated 
 misconduct will justify the master in turning a person 
 forward who shipped in another capacity, as carpenter, 
 cook, or steward. But in such cases, he undoubtedly 
 may do so. Still, when before the mast, he cannot re- 
 quire of them the duty of able seamen, unless they are 
 such in fact. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE MASTER'S RELATION TO THE CREW. 
 
 Shipment. Shipping Papers. Discharge. Imprisonment. Punishment. 
 
 Shipment.* — The master of every vessel of the United 
 States, bound on a foreign voyage, and of all coasting 
 
 *1n England.] Shipment. — By the Act 5 & 6 Wm. 4, c. 19, 
 the master of every ship belonging to an English subject, trading to 
 parts beyond the seas, or of any British registered ship of the burden 
 of eighty tons, employed in any of the fisheries of the United King- 
 dom, or in trading coastwise, or otherwise, must make a similar 
 contract in writing (shipping-articles) with each seaman (appren- 
 tices excepted), and in default thereof shall forfeit £\0, s. 2. 
 
 If after entering into such agreement a mariner neglect or refuse 
 to join the ship, or to proceed to sea in her, or absent himself with- 
 out leave, any justice of the peace, upon complaint of the fact 
 made upon oath by the master, mate, or owner of the ship, is 
 required by his warrant to cause the seaman to be apprehended and 
 brought before him ; and in case he shall not give a reason to the 
 satisfaction of such justice for his neglect, refusal, or absence, as the 
 case may be, such justice may commit him to the House of Correc- 
 tion, there to be kept to hard labour for a period not exceeding 
 
THE CREW. 215 
 
 vessels of fifty tons burden, must make a contract in 
 writing (shipping articles) with each seaman, specifying 
 the voyage, terms of time, &c. ; and in default thereof 
 shall forfeit 20 dollars for every case of omission, and 
 shall be obliged to pay every such seaman the highest 
 rate of wages that have been paid for such voyages at 
 the port of shipment within three months previous to 
 the commencement of the voyage 1 . And when the mas- 
 ter ships a seaman in a foreign port, he must take the 
 list of crew and the duplicate of the shipping-articles to 
 the consul or commercial agent, who shall make the 
 proper entries thereupon ; and then the bond originally 
 given for the return of the men shall embrace each per- 
 son so shipped. All shipments made contrary to this or 
 
 1 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 1. 
 
 thirty days ; but if the seaman consent to join the ship, the justice, 
 at the request of the master, instead of committing the seaman, 
 may order him to be conveyed on board the ship, or delivered to 
 the master for the purpose of proceeding upon the voyage, and may 
 award to the master costs not exceeding forty shillings, to be 
 abated from the wages of such seaman, s. 10. 
 
 As regards temporary absence — 
 
 If such seaman shall wilfully and without leave absent himself 
 from the ship or otherwise from his duty, he shall (in all cases not 
 of absolute desertion, or not treated as such by the master) forfeit 
 out of his wages to the master or owner two days' pay for every 
 twenty-four hours of such absence, and in alike proportion for any 
 less period of time, or at the option of the master, the amount of 
 such expenses as shall have been necessarily incurred in hiring a 
 substitute to perform his work, s. 7. 
 
 In cases of absolute desertion, such seaman shall forfeit to the 
 owner or master all his clothes and effects on board, and all wages 
 and emoluments ; and in case of desertion abroad, shall be liable to 
 the increased wages which maybe paid to a substitute, s. 9. 
 
 The forfeitures are not incurred unless due entries shall be made 
 in the log-book, as required by the act. 
 
 The entry into the naval service of her Majesty by any seaman 
 in the merchant service, shall not be deemed a desertion, or incur 
 any penalty or forfeiture of wages, clothes, or effects, s. 45. 
 
 The master is required to deliver the shipping-articles to the 
 consul or vice-consul on arrival at a foreign port, under the penalty 
 of£25,s.48. 
 
216 MASTERS RELATION TO 
 
 any other act of Congress shall be void, and the seaman 
 may leave at any time, and claim the highest rate of 
 wages paid for any man who shipped for the voyage, or 
 the sum agreed to be given him at his shipment 1 . 
 
 At the foot of every such contract there shall be a me- 
 morandum in writing of the day and hour on which such 
 seaman shall render himself on board. If this memo- 
 randum is made and the seaman neglects to render him- 
 self on board at the time specified, he shall forfeit one 
 day's pay for every hour he is so absent, provided the 
 master or mate shall, on the same day, have made an 
 entry of the name of such seaman in the log-book, 
 specifying the time he was so absent. And if the sea- 
 man shall wholly neglect to render himself on board, or, 
 after rendering, shall desert before sailing, so that the 
 vessel goes to sea without him, he then forfeits the 
 amount of his advance and a further sum equal thereto, 
 both of which may be recovered from himself or his 
 surety 2 . 
 
 There is no obligation upon the master to make these 
 memorandums and entries, other than that the for- 
 feitures cannot be inflicted upon the seamen, unless they 
 have been made literally, according to the form of the 
 statute. 
 
 If any seaman who has signed the articles shall desert 
 during the voyage, the master may have him arrested 
 and committed to jail until the vessel is ready to pro- 
 ceed, by applying to a justice of the peace, and proving 
 the contract, and the breach thereof by the seaman 3 . 
 
 Every vessel bound on a foreign voyage shall have on 
 board a duplicate list of the crew, and a true copy of the 
 shipping-articles, certified by the collector of the port, 
 containing the names of the crew, which shall be written 
 in a uniform hand, without erasures or interlineations. 
 This copy the master must produce to any consul or 
 commercial agent of the United States who shall require 
 
 1 Act 1840,ch. 23, § 1. 2 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 2. 3 Do. § 7. 
 
THE CREW. 217 
 
 it ; and it shall be deemed to contain all the conditions 
 of the contract. All erasures and interlineations shall 
 be deemed fraudulent, unless proved to be innocent and 
 bona fide. Every master who shall go upon a foreign 
 voyage without these documents, or shall refuse to pro- 
 duce them when required, shall forfeit 100 dollars for 
 each offence, besides being liable in damages to any 
 seaman who may have been injured thereby 1 . 
 
 Discharge*. — If the master discharges any seaman 
 
 1 Act 1840, eh, 23, § 1. 
 
 * In England.] Discharge. — Whenever any ship belonging to an. 
 English subject, except in cases of wreck or condemnation, shall be 
 sold at any port out of her Majesty's dominions, the master [unless 
 the crew in the presence of the British consul or vice-consul, or in 
 case of there not being any such consul or vice-consul, then in the 
 presence of one or more British resident merchants at such port, 
 shall signify their consent in writing to be there discharged] is re- 
 quired, besides paying them their wages under the agreement, either 
 to provide them with adequate employment on board some other 
 British vessel homeward-bound, or to furnish the means of sending 
 them back to the port in her Majesty's dominions at which they 
 were originally shipped, or to some port of the United Kingdom, as 
 shall be agreed upon, by providing them with a passage home, or 
 depositing with the consul or vice-consul such a sum of money a9 
 shall be by him deemed reasonably sufficient to defray the expenses 
 of their subsistence passage, 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, sect. 17. 
 
 And if the master of such ship shall force on shore and leave 
 behind, or shall otherwise wilfully and wrongfully leave behind on 
 shore or at sea, in any place in or out of her Majesty's dominions, 
 any person belonging to his crew before the return to or arrival of 
 such ship in the United Kingdom, or before the completion of the 
 voyage or voyages for which such person shall have been engaged, 
 whether such person shall have formed part of the original crew 
 or not ; every person so offending shall be deemed guilty of a mis- 
 demeanour, and shall suffer such punishment by fine or imprison- 
 ment, or both, as to the court (at home or abroad) before which he 
 shall be convicted shall seem meet, s. 40. 
 
 And the master shall not discharge any of his crew, whether 
 foreigner or British subject, at any of her Majesty's colonies or 
 plantations, without the sanction in writing of the governor, secre- 
 tary, or other officer appointed in that behalf, or in the absence of 
 such authorities near the place where the ship is lying, then of the 
 chief officer of customs, resident at or near such place ; nor at any 
 
218 MASTERS RELATION TO 
 
 in a foreign port, with his own consent, he shall pay to 
 the consul three months' wages for every such seaman, 
 in addition to the wages then due to him, two-thirds to 
 go to the seaman upon his taking passage for the United 
 States, and the remainder to be retained by the consul, 
 to make a fund for the relief of destitute seamen 1 . The 
 master of every vessel bound to the United States shall, 
 upon the request of the consul, take on board any sea- 
 man, and transport him to the United States, on terms 
 not exceeding ten dollars for each seaman, under penalty 
 of 100 dollars for every refusal. He is not, however, 
 bound to receive more than two men to every hundred 
 tons2. 
 
 The whole policy of the United States discourages the 
 discharge of seamen in foreign ports. If the seaman is 
 
 i Act 1803, ch, 62, § 3. Sec also Act 1840, ch. 23, § 5. 
 2 Act 1803, ch. 62, § 4. 
 
 other place abroad, without the sanction of her Majesty's minister, 
 consul, or vice-consul, or, in their absence, of two respectable 
 merchants resident there, all which functionaries and merchants 
 are empowered to inquire in a summary way into the grounds of 
 such proposed discharge, by examination on oath, and to grant or 
 refuse such sanction according to their discretion, s. 41. 
 
 And no master shall leave behind at any place abroad any person 
 of his crew on the plea of such person not being in a condition to 
 proceed on the voyage, or having deserted from the ship, unless 
 upon a previous certificate in writing from such functionaries or 
 merchants, if there be any such within reasonable distance, and 
 there be time to procure the same, certifying that the person so 
 intended to be left is not in such condition, or has deserted and dis- 
 appeared, and cannot be brought back ; and such functionaries are 
 authorised, on the application of any such master, to inquire by 
 examination on oath into the circumstances, and give or refuse such 
 certificate according to the result of such examination, s. 42. 
 
 The master of every ship bound to Great Britain is bound, at the 
 request of the consul, to receive on board seamen not exceeding 
 four persons for every hundred tons of his ship's burthen, and to 
 transport them to Great Britain, on being paid by the commission- 
 ers of the navy for such of them as he may not want toward his 
 own complement of men, according to such rate per day as shall be 
 authorised by the commissioners for executing the office of lord 
 high admiral, 11 Geo. 4, and 1 W. 4, c. 20, s. 82. 
 
THE CREW. 219 
 
 discharged against his consent, and without justifiable 
 cause, he can i-ecover his wages up to the time of the 
 vessel's return, together with his own expenses. The 
 certificate of the consul will not of itself prove the suffi- 
 ciency of the cause of discharge. Though the seaman 
 shall have made himself liable to be discharged, yet if 
 he repents and offers to return to duty, the master must 
 receive him, unless he can show a sufficient cause of 
 refusal 1 . If the master alleges, as a cause for discharging 
 a seaman, that he was a dangerous man, it must be shown 
 that the danger was such as would affect a man of ordi- 
 nary firmness 2 . 
 
 In addition to the master s liability to the seaman, he 
 is criminally liable to the government for discharging a 
 mariner without cause. The statute enacts that if the 
 master shall, when abroad, force on shore or leave behind 
 any officer or seaman without justifiable cause, he shall 
 be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned 
 not exceeding six months, according to the aggravation 
 of the offence 3 . 
 
 Notwithstanding these liabilities, the master may dis- 
 charge a seaman for gross misconduct ; yet the right is 
 very strictly construed 4 . 
 
 Imprisonment*. — The master has the right to im- 
 
 1 Ware, 65. 4 Mason, 541, 84. 2 Ware, 9. 
 
 3 Act 1825, ch. 276, § 10. * Abbott on Shipp., 147, note. 
 
 * In England.] Imprisonment and Punishment. — By the law 
 of England, the master of a ship has a right to correct and punish 
 a disorderly or delinquent mariner in a reasonable manner. This 
 punishment may be by the actual infliction of corporal punishment 
 if absolutely necessary ; but before the master proceeds to punish in 
 this manner he should take the advice of the persons next below him 
 in authority, as well to prevent the operation of passion in his own 
 breast, as to secure witnesses to the propriety of his conduct. 
 
 The master may be called upon by action at law to answer to a 
 mariner, who has been beaten or imprisoned by him or by his order 
 in the course of a voyage ; and for the justification of his conduct, 
 he should be able to show not only that there was a sufficient cause 
 for chastisement, but also that the chastisement itself was reasonable 
 
220 master's relation to 
 
 prison a seaman in a foreign port, in a case of urgent 
 necessity, but the power has always been very closely 
 watched by courts of law. " The practice of imprison- 
 ing seamen in foreign jails is one of doubtful legality, and 
 is to be justified only by a strong case of necessity 1 ." 
 " The master is not authorised to punish a seaman by 
 imprisonment in a foreign jail, unless in cases of aggra- 
 vated misconduct and insubordination 2 ." If he does so 
 punish him, he is not permitted to deduct his wages 
 during the time of imprisonment, nor charge him with 
 the expense of it 3 . If the imprisonment is without jus- 
 tifiable cause, the master is not excused by showing that 
 it was ordered by the consul 4 . And, generally, the 
 advice of a consul is no justification of an illegal act 5 . 
 
 Punishment. — The master may inflict moderate 
 correction on a seaman for sufficient cause; but he must 
 take care that it is not disproportionate to the offence. 
 If he exceeds the bounds of moderation, he is treated as 
 a trespasser, and is liable in damages 6 . In respect to 
 the mode of correction, it may be by personal chastise- 
 ment, or by confinement on board ship, in irons, or 
 otherwise 7 . But there must not be an} r cruelty or un- 
 necessary severity exercised. The mode, instruments, 
 or extent of the punishment, are not laid down by law. 
 These must depend upon circumstances. In cases of 
 urgent necessity, as of mutiny, weapons may be used 
 which would be unlawful at other times ; but even in 
 these cases they must be used with the caution which 
 the law requires in other cases of self-defence and vindi- 
 cation of rightful authority 8 . 
 
 •Gilpin, 31. Ware, 19. 2 Ware, 503. 
 
 3 Ware, 9, 503. 4 Ware, 367. * Gilpin, 31. 
 
 6 1 Peters' Ad. 186, 172. 2 Do. 420. 1 Wash. 316. 
 i ,1 Peters' Ad. 186, 168. 15 Mass 365. 8 Same cases. 
 
 and moderate ; otherwise the mariner may recover damages propor- 
 tionate to the injury received. — Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 156 ; 
 2 Bos. $ Pull. 224.— See also, on this subject, 1 Hag. 161, 271, 
 384, 395 ; 6 C. $ P. 471 ; 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, s. 38. 
 
THE CREW. 221 
 
 It is not necessary that the punishment should he 
 inflicted to suppress the offence at the time of its com- 
 mission. It may be inflicted for past offences, and to 
 promote good discipline on board. But the reference to 
 by-gone acts should be very clear and distinct, or they 
 will be presumed to have been forgiven 1 . In many cases 
 prudence may require a postponement of the proper 
 punishment. The authority of the master, being in its 
 nature parental, must be exercised with a due regard to 
 the rights and interests of all parties. He has a large 
 discretion, but is held to answer strictly for every abuse 
 of it 2 . The law enjoins upon him a temperate demea- 
 nour and decent conduct towards seamen. He risks the 
 consequences, if he commences a dispute with illegal 
 conduct and improper behaviour 3 . In all his acts of 
 correction, he must punish purely for reformation and 
 discipline, andneverto gratify personal feelings 4 . If a mas- 
 ter generally permits or encourages disorderly behaviour 
 in his ship, he is less excusable for inflicting unusual 
 punishment on account of misconduct arising out of that 
 disorder 5 . If the case admits of delay, and the master 
 does not make proper inquiry before punishing, he takes 
 the consequences upon himself 6 . 
 
 This power over the liberty and person of a fellow- 
 man, being against common right, and intrusted to the 
 master only from public policy, regarding the necessities 
 of the service, is to be sparingly used, and a strict account 
 will be required of its exercise. The master is respon- 
 sible for any punishment inflicted on board the vessel, 
 unless in his absence, or when he is prevented by force 
 from interfering 7 . Neither will absence always be an 
 excuse. If he had reason to suppose that such a thing 
 might be done, and did not take pains to be present and 
 interfere, he will be liable. Neither (as is often sup- 
 
 1 1 Hagg. 271. 2 15 Mass. 365. 3 Day, 294. 
 
 3 4 Wash. 340. 4 1 Pet. AJ. 168, 173, note. 
 
 5 Bee, 239. e 1 Hagg. 271. 
 7 2 Sumner, 1. Ware, 219. 
 
222 master's relation to 
 
 posed) will the advice, or even the personal superin- 
 tendence or orders of a consul, or any foreign authority, 
 relieve the master of his personal responsibility 1 . He 
 may ask advice, but he must act upon his own account, 
 and is equally answerable for what he does himself, and 
 what he permits to be done on board his vessel by others. 
 The seaman is entitled to be dealt with by his own cap- 
 tain, under whom he shipped, and whom he may hold 
 responsible at the end of the voyage ; and this responsi- 
 bility is not to be shaken off by calling in the aid of 
 others. In case of an open mutiny, or of imminent 
 danger to life and property, the master may make use of 
 the local authorities ; but then he is to remember that 
 he can use them no further than for the purpose of 
 quelling the mutiny, or of apprehending the felon. As 
 soon as his authority is restored, the parental character 
 is again thrown upon him, and all acts of punishment 
 must be upon his own responsibility. He has no right 
 to punish criminally. He has no judicial power. If a 
 seaman has committed an offence further than against 
 the internal order and economy of the ship, and which 
 moderate correction is not sufficient to meet, the master 
 must bring him home, (in confinement, if necessary,) or 
 send him immediately by some other vessel, to be tried 
 by the laws and by a jury of his country 2 . 
 
 The practice of subjecting American seamen to foreign 
 authority, or to persons whom they cannot well hold 
 answerable, — like that of foreign imprisonment, — is an 
 odious one, and must be justified by an overpowering 
 necessity. 
 
 A recent statute 3 makes it the duty of consuls to 
 exert themselves to reclaim deserters and discountenance 
 insubordination, and authorizes them to employ the local 
 authorities, where it can usefully be done, for those pur- 
 poses. But this will unquestionably be restricted to the 
 
 1 Ware, 367. Gilpin, 31. 2 I Pet. Ad. 168. 
 
 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 1. 
 
THE CREW. 223 
 
 apprehension of the deserter, and the quelling of the 
 revolt or mutiny ; and as soon as these ends are attained, 
 the sole responsibility of the master in dealing with the 
 crew will re-attach. 
 
 If the master is present while the mate, or any sub- 
 ordinate officer, inflicts punishment upon any of the 
 crew, or if it is inflicted under such circumstances as 
 would raise a presumption that the master was knowing 
 of it, and he does not interfere, he will be held to have 
 adopted it as his own act, and will be answerable 
 accordingly l . 
 
 In addition to the masters liability to the seamen in 
 damages for abuse of power, he is also liable, as a crimi- 
 nal, to fine and imprisonment. A recent statute enacts, 
 that " if any master, or other officer, of an American 
 vessel, shall, from malice, hatred or revenge, and with- 
 out justifiable cause, beat, wound, or imprison any one 
 or more of the crew of such vessel, or withhold from 
 them suitable food or nourishment, or inflict on them 
 any cruel or unusual punishment, every such person so 
 offending shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by- 
 fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprison- 
 ment not exceeding five years, or by both, according to 
 the nature and aggravation of the offence 2 ." It is held 
 that the word " crew," in this statute, includes officers ; 
 and accordingly a master was punished for unjustifiably 
 confining and otherwise mal- treating his chief mate 3 . 
 
 To constitute " malice " in the above statute, it is not 
 necessary to show malignity as it is commonly under- 
 stood, or brutality ; but the term, in law, requires no 
 more than a " wilful intention to do a wrongful act." 
 An offence is punishable under this act, even although 
 no bad passions came into play, (as hatred or revenge,) 
 for the term " malice," in law, covers all cases of inten- 
 tional wrong, in their mildest form 4 . 
 
 If a seaman desires to lay any complaint before a 
 
 i 2 Sumner, 1. * Act 1835, ch. 313, § 3. 
 
 3 3 Sumner, 209. 4 2 Sumner, 584. 
 
224 PASSENGERS. 
 
 consul in a foreign port, the master must permit him to 
 land for that purpose, or else inform the consul imme- 
 diately of the fact, stating his reasons in writing for not 
 allowing the man to land. If he refuses to do this, he 
 forfeits one hundred dollars, and is liable to the seaman 
 in damages \ 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PASSENGERS*. 
 
 Provisions. Treatment. Passage-money. Deportment. Services. 
 
 In Chapter I. of the Third Part, under the title 
 " Provisions," it will he seen that the vessel must have 
 on board, well secured under deck, at least sixty gallons 
 
 1 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 1. 
 
 * In England.] Passengers. — See note to chap, i., under this 
 title. The time when the passage-money becomes due will depend 
 upon the contract made, or the established usage. 
 
 It appears that in West India voyages, the passage-money is 
 paid before the commencement of the vojage, and is not to be re- 
 turned, although the voyage is defeated, 4 Campb., 241 ; and see 
 8 Car. # P., 392. 
 
 The rule of the East India trade requires a passenger who re- 
 fuses to go in consequence of a delay in the sailing of a vessel, to 
 forfeit half the ahiount of the passage-money agreed for ; and which, 
 it would seem, may be recovered in cases where the time of sailing 
 is not made an essential part of the contract, and the ship sails 
 within a reasonable time. 5 Car. <J- P., 569. 
 
 A passenger who is on board in time of danger, is bound, at the 
 master's call, to do works of necessity, in defence of the ship if 
 attacked, and for the preservation of the lives on board, 3 Bos. <$£ 
 Pull, j 612. Yet as he may lawfully, except under peculiar cir- 
 cumstances, depart the ship, should he voluntarily remain, at the 
 risk of his personal safety, to assist her in her distress, he may be 
 entitled to remuneration for his services, I Rob. Ad. Rep., 285, 
 306; 3 Rob. Ad. Rep., 292 ; Abbott on Shipping, 6th edition, 
 189. 
 
 As to the right to confine a passenger, see 1 Campb., 58. 
 
PASSENGERS . 225 
 
 of water, one hundred pounds of salted beef, one hun- 
 dred pounds of wholesome ship bread, and one gallon of 
 vinegar for each passenger, on a voyage across the 
 Atlantic, and in like proportion for shorter or longer 
 voyages. This, too, must be in addition to the private 
 stores of the master or passengers l . 
 
 The master is also forbidden to take on board more 
 than two passengers for every five tons 2 . 
 
 The contract of passengers with the master is not for 
 mere ship-room and personal existence on board, but for 
 reasonable food, comforts, necessaries, and kindness. In 
 respect to females it extends yet farther, and includes an 
 implied stipulation against obscenity, immodesty, and a 
 wanton disregard of the feelings. A course of conduct 
 oppressive and malicious in these respects will be 
 punished by the court, as well as a personal assault 3 . 
 
 No passage-money is due to a ship upon an engage- 
 ment to transport a passenger, before the arrival of the 
 vessel at the port of destination. Where the passenger 
 has paid in advance, he can reclaim his money if the 
 voyage is not performed. If a voyage is partially per- 
 formed, no passage-money is due, unless the expenses 
 of the passenger, or the means of proceeding to the place 
 of destination, are paid or tendered to him; in which case 
 passage-money in proportion to the progress in the voyage 
 is payable 4 . 
 
 A passenger must submit to the reasonable rules and 
 usages of the ship. He has no right to interfere with its 
 discipline and internal regulations. Indeed, in a case of 
 necessity, and for the order and safety of the ship, the 
 master may restrain a passenger by force ; but the cause 
 must be urgent, and the manner reasonable and mo- 
 derate. 
 
 In case of danger and distress, it is the duty as well as 
 the interest of the passenger to contribute his aid,.accord- 
 
 1 Act 1819, ch. 170, § 3. 2 Do. §1. 
 
 3 3 Mason, 342. 4 1 Pet. Ad. 126. 
 
 Q 
 
226 MATES AND SUBORDINATES. 
 
 ing to his ability, and he is entitled to no compensation 
 therefor. He is not, however, bound to remain on board 
 in time of danger, but may leave the vessel if he can ; 
 much less is he required to take upon himself any respon- 
 sibility as to the conduct of the ship. If, therefore, he 
 performs any extraordinary services, he becomes entitled 
 to salvage 1 . 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 MATES AND SUBORDINATES. 
 
 Mates included in the " crew/' Removal. Succession. Log-book. 
 Wages. Sickness. Punishment. Subordinates. Pilots. 
 
 In all the statutes which entitle the " crew," or the 
 " seamen," of a vessel to certain privileges as against the 
 master or owner, these w T ords, " crew" and (i seamen," are 
 construed to include the mates; as, for instance, the 
 statute requiring a certain amount of provisions to be on 
 board ; the statute requiring a medicine-chest, and that 
 which punishes the master for illegal and cruel treat- 
 ment of any of the crew. In all these cases the mates 
 are entitled to the same privileges and protection with 
 the seamen 2 . 
 
 The chief mate * is usually put on board by the owner, 
 and is a person who is looked to for extraordinary ser- 
 vices and responsibility. Accordingly, he cannot be re- 
 moved by the master, unless for repeated and aggravated 
 misconduct, or for palpable incapacity 3 . He acts in the 
 stead of the master in case the latter dies, and whenever 
 
 1 2 B. and P. 612. 1 Pet. Ad. 70. 2 Hagg. 3. 
 
 2 1 Sumner, 151 ; 3 do. 209. 4 Mason, 104. 
 
 3 1 Pet. Ad. 244. 4 Wash. 338. 
 
 * In England.] The observations as to the chief mate and 
 other officers, would seem to apply to such officers of British 
 vessels. 
 
MATES AND SUBORDINATES. 227 
 
 he is absent 1 . He is then entrusted with the care of the 
 ship, and the government of the crew. If he is appointed 
 to act as mate by the master during the voyage, he holds 
 his office at the master's pleasure 2 ; but if he originally 
 shipped in that capacity, he cannot be removed without 
 proof of gross and flagrant misconduct, or of evident un- 
 fitness. Nor will one or two single instances of intem- 
 perance, disobedience, or negligence, be sufficient; the 
 misconduct must be repeated, and the habit apparently 
 incorrigible s . 
 
 The second mate and other inferior officers do not 
 stand upon so firm a footing as the chief mate; yet 
 they cannot be removed by the master, unless for 
 gross and repeated acts of disobedience, intemperance, 
 dishonesty or negligence, or for palpable incapacity. 
 
 In case of the death or absence of the master, the 
 chief mate becomes master by operation of law, but 
 the second mate does not necessarily become chief 
 mate. It lies with the new master to appoint whom 
 he pleases to act as chief mate ; though, in most cases, 
 it should be the second mate, unless good reason exists 
 for the contrary course. The second mate cannot, 
 however, be degraded by the new master for any other 
 cause than would have justified the former in so doing. 
 
 Log-book. — It is the duty of the chief mate to 
 keep the log-book of the ship. This should be neatly 
 and carefully kept, and all interlineations and erasures 
 should be avoided, as they always raise suspicion. 
 The entries should be made as soon as possible after 
 each event takes place, and nothing should be entered 
 which the mate would not be willing to adhere to in 
 a court of justice. (See page 153.) 
 
 In Chapter III. of the Third Part, under the title 
 " Masters relation to Officers," page 213, will be 
 found a discussion of the question, whether the 
 master can compel an officer to do duty before the mast. 
 
 1 4 Mason, 541. 1 Sumner, 151. 2 Gilpin, 83. 
 3 1 Pet. Ad. 244. 4 Wash. 338. 
 q2 
 
228 MATES AND SUBORDINATES. 
 
 In Chapters VIII., X., XL and XII. of Part III., 
 under the titles " Revolt," " Forfeiture/' " Deser- 
 tion," &c., will be found the laws upon those subjects 
 relating to seamen. And it may be generally re- 
 marked, that all those laws apply as well to the 
 officers as to the foremast men. An officer forfeits 
 his wages by desertion, and is criminally liable for 
 mutiny, revolt, &c, like a common seaman. As to 
 the questions what constitutes a revolt, mutiny, &c, 
 and when absence or leaving a vessel is excusable, 
 and when it works a forfeiture, and as to when wages 
 are due, I would refer the reader to those titles in 
 Chapters VIIL, X., XI. and XII. of Part III., above 
 referred to. 
 
 Wages. — Officers may sue in admiralty for their 
 wages, and may arrest the ship, into whosever hands it 
 may have passed 1 ; which is not the case with the master, 
 who is supposed to look solely to the personal responsi- 
 bility of the owners. 
 
 Sickness. — The right of an officer to be cured at the 
 ship's expense is the same as that of a seaman 2 . The 
 law upon that subject will be found in Chapter IX., title 
 " Sickness," page 240. 
 
 Punishment. — The laws of the United States pro- 
 
 , vide that if any master or officer shall unjustifiably beat, 
 
 wound, or imprison any of the crew, or withhold from 
 
 them suitable food and nourishment, or inflict upon them 
 
 any cruel or unusual punishment, he shall be impri- 
 
 i 1 Pet. Ad. 246. 2 1 Sumner, 151. 
 
 * In England.] Wages.— If the hiring be on the usual terms, 
 and made by word or by writing only, and not by deed, the seamen, 
 or any one or more of them, and every officer, except the master, 
 may sue in the Court of Admiralty ; and may, by the process of 
 that court, arrest the ship as a security for their demand, or cite the 
 master or owners, personally to answer them. — Abbott on Shipping, 
 6th edition, 588 ; 1 Edw., 235. 
 
 If the wages do not exceed £20 they may be received in a 
 summary way under the act 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, as hereafter 
 stated. — See cap. 12. 
 
MATES AND SUBORDINATES. 229 
 
 soned not exceeding five years, and fined not exceeding 
 1000 dollars for each offence 1 . The officers, as part of 
 the " crew," are entitled to the protection of this statute, 
 against the master's acts ; and, on the other hand, they 
 are liable under it for any abuse of a seaman a . 
 
 The law as to the officer s right to punish a seaman 
 has been clearly settled, and is very simple. The sole 
 authority to punish, for correction and discipline, resides 
 with the master s . An officer has no right to use force 
 with a seaman, either by chastising or confining him, 
 except in a single class of cases ; that is, upon an emer- 
 gency which admits of no delay, and where the use of 
 force is necessary for the safety of life and property. If 
 a seaman is about to do an act which may endanger life 
 or property, and instant action is required, the officer may 
 confine him, or use force necessary to prevent him. So, 
 if the immediate execution of an order is important, and 
 a seaman, by obstinacy or wilful negligence, prevents or 
 impedes the act, the officer may use force necessary to 
 secure the performance of the duty. In these cases 
 there must be a pressing necessity which will not admit 
 of delay ; for if delay is practicable, the officer must 
 report to the master, and leave the duty of correction 
 with him. A mate can in no case punish a seaman for 
 the general purposes of correction and discipline, and still 
 less for personal disrespect to himself 4 . If the master ia 
 not on board, and cannot be called upon, the authority 
 of the officer is somewhat enlarged ; but, even in this 
 case, so far as a delay is practicable, he must leave the 
 seaman to be dealt with by the master when he returns. 
 Except in the cases and in the manner before mentioned, 
 the officer is liable as a trespasser for an}' force used with 
 a seaman. 
 
 If the officer acts under the authority, express or 
 implied, of the master, he will not be held liable, even 
 though the punishment should be excessive and unjusti- 
 
 i Act 1835, ch. 313, § 3. 2 4 Mason, 104. 3 Sumner, 209. 
 3 2 Sumner, 584. ' * Do. 1. 584. 
 
230 MATES AND SUBORDINATES. 
 
 fiable ; for he is, in such cases, only the agent of the 
 master, who is responsible for the act l . Yet, if the 
 punishment be so excessive as to show malice or wanton- 
 ness on the part of the officer, or there be anything in his 
 conduct to imply the same, he will be liable in some 
 measure himself. 
 
 Subordinates. — There are a number of men, 
 usually, in merchant vessels, who are in not any respect 
 officers, but who differ from the common seamen in that 
 they ship in particular capacities, and to perform certain 
 duties. These are the carpenter, steward, cook, &c. 
 Such persons are not to be degraded for slight causes, 
 though the master unquestionably has the power to do 
 so upon sufficient grounds 2 . He may also require them 
 to do duty, if necessary, before the mast. He may 
 require them to take the place of persons who have been 
 obliged to do their work 3 ; but he cannot exact from them 
 the duty of able seamen, unless they are such in fact. 
 Repeated acts of disobedience, intemperance, and gross 
 negligence, and evident incapacity for the duties under- 
 taken, are justifying causes of removal \ In all other 
 respects this class of persons stands upon the same foot- 
 ing with common seamen. They have the same privi- 
 leges, and are under the same obligations and penalties 5 . 
 
 Pilots *. — When a pilot, who is regularly appointed, 
 is on board, he has the absolute control of the naviga- 
 tion of the vessel 6 . He is master for the time being, 
 and is alone answerable for any damage occasioned by 
 his own negligence or default 7 . 
 
 A pilot may sue in admiralty for his wages 8 . 
 
 A pilot cannot claim salvage for any acts done within 
 the limits of his duty, however useful and meritorious 
 
 * Ware, 219. 2 4 Mason, 84. Ware, 109. 3 Ware, 109. 
 4 Ware, 109. * 2 Pet. Ad. 268. * 1 Johns. 305. 
 
 7 1 Pet. Ad. 223. 1 Mason, 508. * 1 Mason, 508. 
 
 • In England.] Pilots. — See the act 6]G. 4, c. 125, as to 
 pilot9, and the rates and recovery of pilotage. 
 
SEAMEN. 231 
 
 they may have been l . If towing is necessary, pilots are 
 bound to perform it, having a claim for compensation 
 for damages done to their boats, or for extra labour 2 . If 
 extraordinary pilot service is performed, additional pilot- 
 age is the proper reward, and not salvage 3 . If, how- 
 ever, the acts done by the pilot are clearly without and 
 beyond his duty as pilot, he may claim salvage 4 . 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 SEAMEN. SHIPPING CONTRACT. 
 
 Shipping contract — how formed — how signed. Erasures and interlinea- 
 tions. Unusual stipulations. 
 
 By the law of the United States *, in all foreign voy- 
 ages, and in all coasting voyages to other than an adjoin- 
 ing state, there must be an agreement in writing, or in 
 
 i Gilpin, 60. 10 Peters R. 108. » 2 Hagg. 176. 
 
 3 2 Hagg. 176. * 1 Rob. 106. Gilpin, 60. 
 
 * In England.] The shipping contract required to be made by 
 the law of England, is similar to the one prescribed by the law of 
 the United States. 
 
 The form of it is given by the act 5 & 6 "W. 4, c. 19 ; see the 
 schedule to the act. This agreement, called the "Ship's Articles, " 
 must specify what monthly or other wages each seaman is to be 
 paid, the capacity in which he is to act, and the nature of the 
 voyage in which the ship is intended to be employed, so that the 
 seaman may have some means of judging of the probable period for 
 which he is likely to be engaged. The agreement must also con- 
 tain the day of the month and year in which it is made ; must be 
 signed by the master in the first instance, and by the seamen re- 
 spectively, at the port or place where such seamen shall be respec- 
 tively shipped ; and the master must cause the same to be, by or in 
 the presence of the party who is to attest their respective signatures 
 thereto, truly and distinctly read over to every such seaman before 
 he is required to sign, in order that he may be able to understand 
 the purport and meaning of the engagement he enters into, and the 
 terms to which he is bound, 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, s. 2. 
 
 Any agreement contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of 
 
232 SEAMEN. 
 
 print, with every seaman on board the ship, (excepting 
 only apprentices and servants of the master or owner,) 
 declaring the voyage, and term or terms of time, for 
 
 the last-mentioned statute, and with the right to wages given to a 
 seaman hy the maritime law, in case of freight earned by ships sub- 
 sequently lost, is declared not to be binding upon him, s. 5. 
 
 By signing the agreement, a seaman does not forfeit his lien 
 upon the ship, nor is he deprived of his remedy for the recovery of 
 wages against the ship, the master, or the owners, s. 5. 
 
 The master and owners are bound, on reporting a ship's arrival 
 from "parts beyond the seas/' at her port of destination in the 
 United Kingdom, to deposit a true copy of this agreement with the 
 collector or controller of the customs there, that the means of 
 ascertaining the terms and conditions of it may be accessible to all 
 who are interested in it. 
 
 The masters of ships employed in the fisheries on the British 
 coasts, or trading from port to port of the United Kingdom, or 
 making regular voyages to the Channel Islands, or to ports on 
 the continent of Europe, between the river Elbe, inclusive, and 
 Brest, must twice in every year deposit copies of all such agree- 
 ments entered into by them during the preceding six months, s. 3. 
 
 If any master carry out to sea a seaman without having first 
 entered into such an agreement with him, he forfeits 10/. in respect 
 of every seaman so carried out. If he neglect to cause the agree- 
 ment to be read over to the seaman, he forfeits 5/. ; and if he neg- 
 lect to deposit a true copy of it with the collector or controller of 
 the customs, 50/., s. 5. 
 
 The master must deposit the ship's articles on his arrival at any 
 foreign port, with the British consul, or vice-consul, for preserva- 
 tion during the ship's stay there ; penalty for omission 25/., s. 48. 
 
 No seaman shall be shipped by the master at any such foreign 
 port, except with the privity of such consul, or vice-consul, to be 
 indorsed upon the agreement, under a penalty of 25/., s. 49. 
 
 The master must produce the muster-roll of the ship, and the 
 agreement with the crew, to the captain, commander, or other com- 
 missioned officer of any of her Majesty's ships requiring a production 
 and sight thereof, under the penalty of 25/., s. 50. 
 
 The master must also, upon demand, produce such muster- 
 roll and agreement to the registrar and officers of customs in the 
 British possessions abroad, under the penalty of 50/., s. 51. 
 
 When a written contract is made, it becomes the only evidence 
 between the parties ; and a mariner cannot recover anything agreed 
 to be given in reward for his service, which is not specified in the 
 articles. — Abbott on Shipping, 6th edition, 550; 2 Bos. $ Pull. y 
 m,2 Rob. Ad. Rep.,241. 
 
SEAMEN. 233 
 
 which such seaman is hired K This contract is called 
 the shipping-articles, and all the crew, including the 
 master and officers, usually sign the same paper ; it not 
 being requisite that there should be a separate paper for 
 each man. If there is not such a contract signed, each 
 seaman could, by the old law, recover the highest rate 
 of wages that had been given on similar voyages, at the 
 port where he shipped, within three months next before 
 the time of shipment 2 . By the law of 1840, he may, in 
 such case, leave the vessel at any time, and demand the 
 highest rate of wages given to any seaman during the 
 voyage, or the rate agreed upon at the time of his ship- 
 ment 3 . A seaman not signing the articles, is not bound 
 by any of the regulations, nor subject to the penalties of 
 the statutes 4 ; but he is, notwithstanding, bound by the 
 rules and liable to the forfeitures imposed by the general 
 maritime law 5 . 
 
 These shipping-articles are legal evidence, and bind all 
 parties whose names are annexed to them, both as to 
 wages, the nature and length of the voyage, and the duties 
 to be performed 6 . Accordingly, seamen have certain 
 rights secured to them with reference to these papers. 
 In the first place, the master must obtain a copy of the 
 articles, certified to by the collector of the port from which 
 the vessel sails, to take with him upon the voyage. This 
 must be a fair and true copy, without erasures or inter- 
 lineations. If there are any such erasures or interlinea- 
 tions, they will be presumed to be fraudulent, and will 
 be set aside, unless they are satisfactorily explained in a 
 manner consistent with innocent purposes, and with the 
 provisions of laws which guard the rights of mariners. 
 These articles must be produced by the master before 
 any consul or commercial agent to whom a seaman may 
 have submitted a complaint 7 . 
 
 i Act 1790, ch. 56, § 1. 2 Do. § 1. 3 Do. 23, § 10. 
 
 * Act 1790, ch. 56, § 1. 5 1 Pet. Ad. 212. 
 
 6 3 Mason, 161. Act 1840, ch. 23, § 3. 
 
 7 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 2, 19. 
 
234 SEAMEN. 
 
 Every unusual clause introduced into the shipping- 
 articles, or anything which tends to deprive a seaman of 
 what he would be entitled to by the general law, will be 
 suspiciously regarded by the courts ; and if there is reason 
 to suppose that any advantage has been taken of him, or if 
 the contract bears unequally upon him, it will be set aside. 
 In order to sustain such a clause, the master or owner 
 must show two things : first, that the seaman s attention 
 was directed toward it, and its operation and effect ex- 
 plained to him; and, secondly, that he received some 
 additional compensation or privilege in consideration of 
 the clause. Unless the court is satisfied upon these two 
 points, an unusual stipulation unfavourable to a seaman 
 will be set aside l . For instance, seamen are entitled to 
 have a medicine-chest on board, and in certain cases to 
 be cured at ,the ship's expense ; and the court set aside 
 a clause in the shipping-articles in which it was stipu- 
 lated that the seamen should bear all the expense, even 
 though there were no medicine-chest on board 2 . Another 
 clause was set aside, in which the voyage was described 
 as from Baltimore to St. Domingo and elsewhere, on the 
 ground that seamen are entitled to have their voyage 
 accurately described 3 . 
 
 Some clauses which are not such as to be set aside, 
 will yet be construed in favour of seamen, if their inter- 
 pretation is at all doubtful 4 . A clause providing that no 
 wages should be paid if the vessel should be taken or lost, 
 or detained more than thirty days, was set aside, seamen 
 being entitled to wages up to the last port of delivery *. 
 If the amount of wages merely be omitted in the articles, 
 there seems to be some doubt as to the introduction of 
 other evidence to show the rate agreed upon, and as to 
 the seaman's being entitled by statute to the highest rate 
 
 1 2 Sumner, 443. 2 Mason, 541. * 2 Mason, 641. 
 
 3 1 Hall's Law Jour. 207. 2 Gall. 477, 526. 2 Dods. 504. 
 Gilpin 219. 
 , * 1 Pet. Ad. 186, 215. * 2 Sumner, 443. 
 
SEAMEN. 235 
 
 of wages current *; If a seaman ships for a general coast- 
 ing and trading voyage to different ports in the United 
 States, and the articles provide for no time or place at 
 which the voyage shall end, the seaman may leave at any 
 time, provided he does not do so under circumstances 
 peculiarly inconvenient to the other party 2 . 
 
 If, however, the voyage is accurately described, and 
 the wages specified, the seaman cannot be admitted to 
 show that his contract was different from that contained 
 in the articles s . 
 
 It is no violation of the contract if the vessel departs 
 from the voyage described, by accident, necessity, or 
 superior force 4 . 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 SEAMEN CONTINUED. 
 
 Rendering on board. Refusal to proceed. Desertion or absence during 
 the voyage. Discharge. 
 
 Rendering on board *. — If, after having signed the 
 articles, and after a time has been appointed for the sea- 
 man to render himself on board, he neglects to appear, 
 and an entry to that effect is made in the log-book, he 
 forfeits one day's pay for every hour of absence ; and if 
 the ship is obliged to proceed without him, he forfeits a 
 sum equal to double his advance b . These forfeitures 
 apply to the commencement of the voyage, and cannot 
 be exacted unless a memorandum is made on the articles, 
 and an entry in full in the log-book. A justice of the 
 peace may, upon complaint of the master, issue a war- 
 
 1 Gilpin, 452. Abb.onShipp.434, note. Act 1840, ch. 23. § 10. 
 
 2 Ware, 437. 3 Gilpin, 305. 4 2 Hagg. 243. 
 5 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 2. 
 
 * In England.] Rendering on board, — See note to cap. 4, 
 under title " Shipment." 
 
236 SEAMEN. 
 
 rant to apprehend a deserting seaman, and commit him 
 to jail until the vessel is ready to proceed upon her voy- 
 age. The master must, however, first show that the 
 contract has been signed, and that the seaman departed 
 without leave, and in violation of it l . 
 1 Refusal to proceed*. — If, after the voyage has 
 begun, and before the vessel has left the land, the first 
 officer and a majority of the crew shall agree that the 
 vessel is unfit to proceed on the voyage, either from fault 
 or deficiency in hull, spars, rigging, outfits, provisions, 
 or crew, they may require the master to make the nearest 
 or most convenient port, and have the matter inquired 
 into by the district judge, or two justices of the peace, 
 taking two or more of the complainants before the judge. 
 Thereupon the judge orders a survey, and decides whe- 
 ther the vessel is to proceed, or stop and be repaired 
 and supplied ; and both master and crew are bound by 
 this decision. If the seamen and mate shall have made 
 this complaint without reason, and from improper mo- 
 tives, they are liable to be charged with the expenses 
 attending it 2 . 
 
 If, when the vessel is in a foreign port, the first or 
 any other officer and a majority of the crew shall make 
 complaint, in writing, to the consul, that the ship is unfit 
 to proceed to sea, for any of the above reasons, the consul 
 shall order an examination, in the same manner ; and the 
 decision of the consul shall bind all parties. If the con- 
 sul shall decide that the vessel was sent to sea in an un- 
 suitable condition, by neglect or design, the crew shall 
 be entitled to their discharge and three months' addi- 
 tional pay ; but not if it w r as done by accident or innocent 
 mistake 3 . 
 
 It is no justification for refusing to do duty and proceed 
 
 > Act 1790, ch. 56, § 7. 2 Do. § 3. 
 
 3 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 12—15. 
 
 * In England. ] Refusal to proceed. — What is here said would 
 seem to be applicable to British vessels. 
 
SEAMEN. 237 
 
 upon the voyage, that a new master has been substituted 
 in place of the one under whom the seaman originally 
 shipped x ; and if a blank is left for the name of the mas- 
 ter, the seaman is supposed to ship under any who may 
 be appointed 2 . The same rule applies to the substitu- 
 tion or appointment of any other officer of the ship during 
 the voyage. 
 
 Desertion or Absence during the Voyage *. — If, 
 during the voyage, the seaman absents himself without 
 leave, for less than forty-eight hours, and an entry 
 thereof is made in full in the log-book, he forfeits three 
 days' pay for each day's absence. But if the absence 
 exceeds forty-eight hours, he forfeits all his wages then 
 due, and all his goods and chattels on board the vessel at 
 the time, and is liable to the owner in damages for the 
 expense of hiring another seaman 3 . If he deserts within 
 the limits of the United States, he is liable to be arrested 
 and committed to jail, until the vessel sails 4 . If he 
 deserts or absents himself in a foreign port, the consul 
 is empowered to make use of the authorities of the place 
 to reclaim him. If, however, the consul is satisfied that 
 the desertion was caused by unusual or cruel treatment, 
 the seaman may be discharged, and shall receive three 
 months' additional wages 5 . It is not a desertion for a 
 seaman to leave his vessel for the purpose of procuring 
 necessary food, which has been refused on board ; nor is 
 a seaman liable if the conduct of the master has been 
 
 1 1 Mason, 443. Bee, 48. 2 Sumner, 582. 
 
 2 6 Mass. 300. 3 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 5. 
 4 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 7. . 5 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 9. 
 
 * In England.] Desertion or absence during the voyage. — 
 See note to cap. 4, under title "Shipment." 
 
 If the master propose to take the ship on a voyage not designated 
 by the articles, the mariners may leave the ship without being 
 guilty of desertion 1 Hag., 248 ; 2 Hag., 243. 
 
 Want of provisions will justify the seaman in leaving the ship, 
 and extreme misconduct and ill treatment on the part of the master 
 may also justify desertion. — See Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., 
 152, 153. 
 
238 SEAMEN. 
 
 such as to make it dangerous for him to remain on board 1 , 
 or if the shipping-articles have been fraudulently altered 2 . 
 Even in a clear case of desertion, if the party repents, 
 and seeks to return to his duty within a reasonable 
 time, he is entitled to be received on board again, unless 
 his previous conduct had been such as would justify his 
 discharge 3 . 
 
 As to the effect of deserting upon wages, and what is 
 desertion in such cases, see the subject, a Wages affected 
 by Desertion," Chapter XI. 
 
 Discharge *. — By referring to Chapter IV., " Master's 
 Relation to Crew," the seaman will find that, though 
 the master has power to discharge a seaman for gross and 
 repeated misconduct, yet that this right is closely watched, 
 and any abuse of it is severely punished. He will also 
 find there a statement of his own rights and privileges, 
 with reference to a discharge. It has been seen that he 
 may demand his discharge of the consul, if the vessel is 
 not fit to proceed, and is not repaired, or if he has been 
 cruelly and unjustifiably treated 4 . 
 
 If a vessel has been so much injured that it is doubtful 
 whether she can be repaired, or the repairs cannot be 
 made for a long time, during which it would be a great 
 expense to the owners to support the seamen in a foreign 
 country, it is held that the crew may be discharged, 
 upon the owners' paying their passage home, and their 
 wages up to the time of their arrival at the place of 
 shipment 5 . 
 
 As to discharge at the end of the voyage, see " Wages 
 affected by Desertion/' Chapter XI. 
 
 1 Hagg. 63. a Do. 182. 3 1 Sumner, 373. 
 
 4 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 9, 14. 5 2 Dodson, 403. 
 
 * In England.] Discharge. — See note to cap. 4, under this 
 title. 
 
239 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 SEAMEN — CONTIN UED . 
 
 Provisions. Sickness. Medicine-chest. Hospital money. Relief in 
 foreign ports. Protection. 
 
 Provisions *. — For the benefit of seamen it has been 
 enacted that every vessel bound on a voyage across the 
 Atlantic, shall have on board, well secured under deck, 
 at least sixty gallons of water, one hundred pounds of 
 wholesome ship bread, and one hundred pounds of salted 
 flesh meat, over and above the stores of master or pas- 
 sengers, and the live stock. And if the crew of any ves- 
 sel not so provided shall be put upon short allowance of 
 water, flesh, or bread, such seaman shall recover from 
 the master double wages for every day he was so allow- 
 anced l : The same rule applies to other voyages than 
 those across the Atlantic, and the amount of provisions 
 stowed below must be in proportion to the length of the 
 voyage, compared with one across the Atlantic 2 . It also 
 applies to seamen shipped in foreign ports, as well as to 
 those shipped in the United States 3 . It has been thought 
 that if the articles enumerated cannot be procured, the 
 master may substitute other wholesome provisions ; but 
 it is doubtful whether even this will free him from the 
 penalty ; at least it will not unless he can show that it 
 was impossible to procure them at the last port of de- 
 parture 4 . 
 
 Besides this special enactment, a seaman may always 
 recover damages of a master who unnecessarily and wan- 
 tonly deprives him of sufficient food and nourishment 5 . 
 If, however, the short allowance is caused by inevitable 
 
 1 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 9. 2 Do. 3 1 Pet. Ad. 223. 
 
 4 1 Pet. Ad. 229, 223. Bee, 84. Abb. 135, note. Ware, 454. 
 
 5 2 Pet., Ad. 409. 
 
 * In England.] Provisions. — See note to cap. 1, under title 
 " Provisions." 
 
240 SEAMEN. 
 
 accident, without any fault of the master or owner, or is 
 a matter of fair discretion in a case of common danger, 
 the master is not liable. Another law of the United 
 States provides, that if any master or other officer shall 
 wilfully and without justifiable cause withhold suitable 
 food and nourishment from a seaman, he shall be fined 
 not exceeding one thousand dollars, and imprisoned not 
 exceeding five years \ The master may at any time, 
 at his discretion, put the crew upon an allowance of 
 water and eatables ; but if it is a short allowance, he 
 must be able to give a justifying reason. 
 
 Sickness. Medicine-chest *. — Every vessel of one 
 hundred and fifty tons or upwards, navigated by ten or 
 more persons in all, and bound on a voyage beyond the 
 United States, and every vessel of seventy-five tons or 
 upwards, navigated by six or more persons in the whole, 
 and bound from the United States to any port in the 
 West Indies, is required to have a chest of medicines, 
 put up by an apothecary of known reputation, and 
 accompanied by directions for administering the same. 
 The chest must also be examined at least once a year, 
 and supplied with fresh medicines 2 . 
 
 In case of dispute, the owner must prove the suffici- 
 
 1 Act 1835, ch. 313, § 3. 
 
 2 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 8 ; 1805, ch.88, § 1 . 
 
 * In England.] Sickness. — Medicine-chest. — Every ship sail- 
 ing from the United Kingdom to any place out of the same shall have, 
 and keep constantly on board the same, a sufficient supply of medicines 
 suitable to accidents and diseases arising on sea-voyages ; and in case 
 any default shall be made in providing orkeeping supplied such medi- 
 cines as aforesaid, or in case any of the seamen shall receive any hurt 
 or injury in the service of the ship, the expense of providing the 
 necessary surgical and medical advice, and attendance and medi- 
 cines, which the seaman shall stand in need of until he shall have 
 been cured, or shall have been brought back to some port of the 
 United Kingdom, shall be borne and defrayed by the owner and 
 master of the ship, or one of them, without any deduction whatever 
 on that account from the seaman's wages. — 5 & 6 Wm. IV., 
 c 19, s. 18. 
 
SEAMEN. 241 
 
 ency of the medicine-chest. It does not lie with the 
 seaman to prove its insufficiency l . 
 
 If a vessel has a suitable medicine-chest on board, it 
 would seem that the ship is not to be charged with the 
 medicines and medical advice which a seaman may need. 
 But the ship is still liable for the expenses of his nurs- 
 ing, care, diet, and lodging 2 . Accordingly, if a seaman 
 is put on shore at an hospital or elsewhere, for his cure, 
 the ship is chargeable with so much of the expense as 
 is incurred for nursing, care, diet, and lodging; and 
 unless the owner can specify the items of the charge, and 
 show how much was for medical advice, and how much 
 for other expenses, he must pay the whole 3 . The sea- 
 man is to be cured at the expense of the ship, of a sick- 
 ness or injury sustained in the ship's service 4 ; but if he 
 contracts a disease by his own fault or vices, the ship is 
 not chargeable 5 . A sick seaman is entitled to proper 
 nursing, lodging, and diet. If these cannot be had, or 
 are not furnished on board the vessel, he is entitled to be 
 taken on shore to an hospital, or to some place where 
 these can be obtained. It is often attempted to be shown 
 that the seaman was put on shore at his own request. 
 This is no defence. He is entitled to be put on shore if 
 his disease requires it ; and it is seldom that proper care 
 can be taken of a seaman on board ship 6 . 
 
 If a seaman requires further medicines and medical 
 advice than the chest and directions can give, and is not 
 sent ashore, it would seem that the ship ought to bear 
 the expense ; but this point has never been decided 7 . If 
 the medicine- chest can furnish all he needs, the ship is 
 exempted 8 . 
 
 Hospital Money *. — Every seaman must pay twenty 
 
 1 2 Mason, 445. 2 1 Masoii, 541. 1 Sumner, 151. 
 
 3 1 Pet. Ad. 256, note. 4 ] Sumner, 195. 
 » Gilpin, 434. 1 Pet. Ad. 142, 152. 
 
 6 1 Pet. Ad. 256, note. 
 
 7 Gilpin, 435. 1 Pet. Ad. 142, 152, 255. 8 2 Mason, 541. 
 
 • In England.] — Hospital Money. — All masters of merchant 
 
 B 
 
242 SEAMEN. 
 
 cents a month, out of his wages, for hospital money. 
 This goes to the establishment and support of hospitals 
 for sick and disabled seamen *. 
 
 Relief in Foreign Ports*. — If a vessel is sold in a 
 foreign port and her crew discharged, or if a seaman is 
 discharged with his own consent, he can receive two 
 months' extra wages of the consul, who must obtain it 
 of the master 2 . This applies only to the voluntary sale 
 of the vessel, and not when the sale is rendered necessary 
 by shipwreck. If, however, after the disaster the ves- 
 sel might have been repaired at a reasonable expense 
 and in a reasonable time, but the owner chooses to sell, 
 the two months' pay is due. To escape the payment, 
 the owner must show that he was obliged to sell 3 . 
 
 It is also the duty of the consuls to provide subsist- 
 ence and a passage to the United States for any Ameri- 
 
 1 Act 1798, ch, 94, § 1 . 2 Act 1803, ch. 62, § 3. 
 3 Ware, 485 ; Gilpin, 198. 
 
 ships, and owners working their own ships, are to pay 2s. per month, 
 and all seamen or other persons employed in any merchant ship, 
 Is. per month, for hospital money in England. — 4 & 5 Wm. IV., 
 s. 5 and 6. 
 
 The master is to deduct this monthly duty from the wages of 
 the seaman, and to pay it, and the amount due from himself, to the 
 receiver appointed under the Act — sec. 7. 
 
 * In England.] — Relief in Foreign Ports. — See note to 
 cap. 4, under title " Discharge." 
 
 If by shipwreck, capture, or any cause whatever, any seafaring men 
 or boys, subjects of Great Britain, are cast away, or left, or be 
 in distress in foreign parts, the governors, minister, and consuls 
 appointed by her Majesty, or where none such are resident, two 
 or more British merchants there residing, are required, under a 
 penalty of £ 100 for each man or boy, to provide them subsistence 
 and a passage home. — 1 1 Geo. IV. and 1 Wm. IV., c. 20, s. 82. 
 
 And when any person forced on shore, or left behind, shall be 
 relieved under the provisions of the 11 Geo. IV., and Wm. IV., 
 c. 20, then in addition to the wages due from, and the penalties 
 imposed on, the master, her Majesty shall be entitled to sue such 
 master or owner for all the charges and expenses incurred in the 
 subsistence, necessary clothing, and conveyance home, of such 
 person.— 5 & 6 Win. IV., c. 19., s. 40. 
 
SEAMEN. 243 
 
 can seaman found destitute within their districts. The 
 seamen must, if able, do duty on board the vessel in 
 which they are sent home, according to their several 
 abilities 1 . 
 
 The crew of every vessel shall have the fullest liberty 
 to lay their complaints before the consul or commercial 
 agent in any foreign port, and shall in no respect be re- 
 strained or hindered therein by the master or any officer, 
 unless sufficient and valid objection exist against their 
 landing. In which case, if any seaman desire to see the 
 consul, the master must inform the consul of it forth- 
 with ; stating, in writing, the reason why the seaman is 
 not permitted to land, and that the consul is desired to 
 come on board. Whereupon the consul must proceed 
 on board and inquire into the causes of complaint 2 . 
 
 Protection. — Every American seaman upon ap- 
 plying to the collector of the port from which he departs, 
 and producing proof of his citizenship, is entitled to a 
 letter of protection. The collector may charge for this 
 twenty-five cents. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 SEAMEN — CONTINUED. 
 Punishment. Revolt and mutiny. Embezzlement. Piracy. 
 Punishment *. — As to the right of the master to 
 punish a seaman by corporal chastisement, imprison- 
 ment on shore, confinement on board, &c, and the ex- 
 tent of that right, and the masters liability for exceeding 
 it, — the seaman is referred to Chapter IV., " The Mas- 
 ter's relation to the Crew," title " Imprisonment," and 
 " Punishment." He will there see that the master pos- 
 
 i Act 1803, ch. 62, § 4. 2 Act 1840, ch. 23, § 1, 
 3 Act 1796, ch. 36, §4. 
 
 * In England.] — Punishment. — See note to cap. 4, page 219. 
 
 R 2 
 
244 SEAMEN. 
 
 sesses this right to a limited extent, and that he is 
 strictly answerable for the abuse of it. Disobedience of 
 orders, combinations to refuse duty, dishonest conduct, 
 personal insolence, and habitual negligence and back- 
 wardness, are all causes which justify punishment in a 
 greater or less degree. 
 
 The contract which a seaman makes with the master, 
 is not like that of a man who engages in any service on 
 shore. It is somewhat military in its nature 1 . The 
 master has great responsibilities resting upon him, and is 
 entitled to instant and implicit obedience. To ensure 
 this, regular and somewhat strict discipline must be pre- 
 served. The master, also, cannot obtain assistance when 
 at sea, as any one can who is in authority upon land. 
 He must depend upon the habits of faithful and respect- 
 ful discharge of duty which his crew have acquired ; and 
 if this fails, he may resort to force. He is answerable 
 for the safety of the ship, and for the safe keeping and 
 delivery of valuable cargoes, and in almost all cases he 
 is the first person to whom the owner of the vessel and 
 cargo will look for indemnity. Considering this, the 
 seamen will feel that it is not unreasonable that the 
 master should have power to protect himself and all for 
 whom he acts, even by force if necessary 2 . A good 
 seaman, who is able and willing to do his duty faithfully 
 and at all times, and treats his officers respectfully, will 
 seldom be abused ; and if he is, the master is liable to 
 him personally in damages, and is also subject to be 
 indicted by the government and tried as a criminal. A 
 seaman should be warned against taking the law into his 
 own hands. If the treatment he receives is unjustifiable, 
 he should still submit to it, if possible, until the voyage 
 is up, or until he arrives at some port where he can 
 make complaint. If he is conscious that he is not to 
 blame, and an assault is made upon him unjustifiably 
 and with dangerous severity, he may defend himself; 
 
 1 Ware, 8G. 3 Wash. 515. 2 Ware, 219. 
 
SEAMEN. 245 
 
 but he should not attempt to punish the offender, or to 
 inflict anything in the way of retaliation l . 
 
 In Chapter VI., title " Mates," the reader will see 
 how far any inferior officer of a vessel may use force 
 with a seaman. 
 
 Revolt and Mutiny*. — If any one or more of the 
 crew of an American vessel shall by fraud or force, or by 
 threats or intimidations, take the command of the vessel 
 from the master or other commanding officer, or resist 
 or prevent him in the free and lawful exercise of his 
 authority, or transfer the command to any other person 
 not lawfully entitled to it ; every person so offending, 
 and his aiders and abbettors, shall be deemed guilty of a 
 revolt or mutiny and felony ; and shall be punished by 
 fine not exceeding 2000 dollars, and by imprisonment 
 and confinement to hard labour not exceeding ten years, 
 according to the nature and aggravation of the offence 2 . 
 And if any seaman shall endeavour to commit a revolt 
 or mutiny, or shall combine with others on board to 
 make a revolt or mutiny, or shall solicit or incite any of 
 the crew to disobey or resist the lawful orders of the 
 master or other officer, or to refuse or neglect their 
 proper duty on board, or shall assemble with others in a 
 riotous or mutinous manner, or shall unlawfully confine 
 the master or other commanding officer, — every person 
 committing one or more of these offences shall be im- 
 prisoned not exceeding five years, or fined not exceeding 
 1000 dollars, or both, according to the nature and aggra- 
 vation of the offence 3 . 
 
 It will be seen that the first of these laws applies only 
 
 1 Do. 3 Wash, 552. * Act 1835, ch. 313, § 1. 3 Do. § 2. 
 
 * In England.] — Revolt and Mutiny — Piracy, — By 7 
 Wm. IV., 1 Vic. c. 88, s. 3, persons convicted of these offences shall 
 be liable to be transported for life, or for any term not less than fifteen 
 years, or to be imprisoned for any term not exceeding three years. 
 
 As to what offences shall be deemed piracy, see the Act 11 & 12 
 Wm. III., c. 7, s. 9, made perpetual by 6 Geo. I., c. 19 ; 18 
 Geo. II., c. 30.— Abbott on Skipp., 6th edit., 165. 
 
246 SEAMEN. 
 
 to cases where seamen actually throw off all authority, 
 deprive the master of his command, and assume the con- 
 trol themselves, which is to make a revolt. The last is 
 designed to punish endeavours and combinations to make 
 a revolt, w^hich are not fully carried out. 
 
 Every little instance of disobedience, or insolent con- 
 duct, or even force used against the master or other offi- 
 cer, will not be held a revolt or an endeavour to make a 
 revolt. There must be something showing an intention 
 to subvert the lawful authority of the master l . It does 
 not excuse seamen, however, from this offence, that they 
 confined their refusal to one particular portion of their 
 duty. If that duty was lawfully required of them, it is 
 equally a subversion of authority as if they had refused 
 all duty 8 . 
 
 If the crew interfere by force or threats to prevent the 
 infliction of punishment for a gross offence, it is an en- 
 deavour to commit a revolt 3 . 
 
 To constitute the offence of confining the master, it is 
 not necessary that he should be forcibly secured in any 
 particular place, or even that his body should be seized 
 and held ; any act which deprives him of his personal 
 liberty in going about the ship, or prevents his doing his 
 duty freely, (if done with that intention 4 ,) is a confine- 
 ment 5 . So is a threat of immediate bodily injury, if 
 made in such a manner as would reasonably intimidate 
 a man of ordinary firmness 6 . 
 
 In all these cases of revolt, mutiny, endeavours to 
 commit the same, and confinement of the master, it is 
 to be remembered that the acts are excusable if done 
 from a sufficient justifying cause. The master may so 
 conduct himself as to justify the officers and crew in 
 placing restraints upon him, to prevent his committing 
 acts which might endanger the lives of all the persons on 
 
 1 4 Wash. 528. 1 Pet. Ad. 178. 2 4 Mason, 105. 
 3 1 Sumner, 448. 4 4 Wash. 428. 
 
 5 4 Mason, 105. 4 Wash. 548. 1 Sumner, 448. 3 Wash. 525. 
 
 6 Pet. C. C.213. 
 
SEAMEN. 247 
 
 board. But an excuse of this kind is received with great 
 caution, and the crew should be well assured of the neces- 
 sity of such a step, before taking it, since they run a 
 great risk in so interfering 1 . 
 
 Embezzlement # . — If any of the crew steal, or appro- 
 priate, or by gross negligence suffer to be stolen, any part of 
 the cargo, or anything belonging to the ship, they are re- 
 sponsible for the value of everything stolen or appropriated. 
 
 It is necessary that the fraud, connivance, or negli- 
 gence of a seaman should be proved against him, before 
 he can be charged with anything lost or stolen ; and in 
 no case is an innocent man bound to contribute towards 
 a loss occasioned by the misconduct of another. If, 
 however, it is clearly proved that the whole crew were 
 concerned, but one offender is not known more than 
 another, and the circumstances are such as to affect all 
 the crew, each man is to contribute to the loss, unless 
 he clears himself from the suspicion 2 . 
 
 Piracy t. — If the master or crew of a vessel shall, 
 upon the high seas, seize upon or rob the master or crew of 
 another vessel ; or if they shall run away with the vessel 
 committed to their charge, or any goods to the amount 
 of 50 dollars ; or voluntarily yield them up to pirates ; 
 
 1 4 Mason, 105. 1 Sumner, 448. Pet. C. C. 118. 
 * 1 Mason, 105. Gilpin, 461. 
 
 * In England.] — Embezzlement. — If the cargo be embezzled 
 by the fraud or negligence of the seamen, so that the merchant has a 
 right to claim a satisfaction from the master and owners, they may, 
 by the custom of merchants, deduct the value thereof from the wages 
 of seamen by whose misconduct the injury has taken place ;-, and 
 the last proviso introduced into the usual agreement signed by the 
 seamen is calculated to enforce this rule in the case of embezzle- 
 ment either of the cargo or of the ship's stores. This proviso is 
 to be construed individually as affecting only the particular persons 
 guilty of the embezzlement, and not the whole crew ; nor, as it 
 seems, is any innocent person liable to contribute a portion of his 
 wages to make good the loss occasioned by others. — See Abbot on 
 Shipp., 6th edit., 584, 585, and cases there cited. 
 
 f In England.] — Piracy. — See note, page 245. 
 
248 seamen's wages. 
 
 or if the crew shall prevent the master hy violence from 
 fighting in the defence of vessel or property ; such con- 
 duct is piracy, and punishahle with death 1 . 
 
 It is also piracy, and punishable with death, to be 
 engaged in any foreign country and kidnapping any negro 
 or mulatto, or in decoying or receiving them on board a 
 vessel with the intention of making them slaves 2 . 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 SEAMEN S WAGES. 
 
 Affected by desertion or absence ; — by misconduct ; by imprisonment ; 
 — by capture ; by loss of vessel and interruption of voyage. Wages 
 on an illegal voyage. Wages affected by death or disability. 
 
 Wages affected by Desertion or Absence *. — It 
 has been seen that if a seaman, at the commencement of 
 
 i Act 1790, ch. 36, § 8 ; 1820, cb. 113, § 3. 
 2 Act 1820, ch. 113, § 4,5. 
 
 * In England.] — Wages affected by Desertion or Absence. — 
 See note to cap. 4, title "Shipment.'" — If any seaman, after having 
 signed the ship's articles, or after the ship has left her first port of 
 clearance, wilfully and without leave, absent himself from the ship, 
 or his duty, he forfeits (in all cases not of absolute desertion, or not 
 treated as such by the master,) out of his wages to the master or 
 owner, the amount of two days' pay for every 24 hours of absence, 
 and in a like proportion for any less period of time, or at the option 
 of the master, the amount of such expenses as have been necessarily 
 incurred in hiring a substitute to perform his work. 
 
 If after the ship's arrival at her port of delivery, and before her 
 cargo is discharged, any seaman quits the ship without a previous 
 discharge or leave from the master, he forfeits to the master or 
 owner one month's pay of his wages ; but no such forfeiture is 
 incurred, unless the fact of such seaman's temporary absence, 
 neglect of duty, or quitting the ship, be duly entered or recorded in 
 the ship's log-book; and this entry must specify truly the hour of 
 the day at which it occurred, and the period during which the sea- 
 man was absent or neglected his duty, the truth of which entry, it 
 shall be incumbent on the owner or master, in all cases of dispute, 
 
seamen's wages. 249 
 
 the voyage, neglects to render himself on hoard at the 
 time appointed, and an entry thereof is made in the 
 
 to substantiate by the evidence of the mate, or some other credible 
 witness. — 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, s. 7. 
 
 It has been decided that this section of the act applies to the 
 case of the quitting of a ship after her arrival in her port of delivery, 
 but before the discharge of her cargo. — 4 M. & W. 285. 
 
 If a seaman absolutely desert the ship, he forfeits to the owner 
 or master all wages and emoluments to which he might otherwise 
 have been entitled, and also the clothes and effects he may have 
 left on board, provided the circumstances attending such desertion 
 be entered in the log-book at the time, and certified by the signa- 
 ture of the master, mate, or other credible witness ; and the 
 absence of a seaman from the ship for any time within the space of 
 24 hours immediately preceding the sailing of the ship, without 
 permission of the master, or for any period, however short, under 
 circumstances plainly showing an intention not to return, is to be 
 deemed an absolute desertion. — 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, s. 9. 
 
 It has also been determined that this section of the act applies to 
 the case of the desertion of a ship whilst in foreign parts. — 4 M. & 
 W. 285. 
 
 A mode of ascertaining the amount of these forfeitures, where 
 the seaman has contracted for the voyage or the run, is expressly 
 provided by the act, s. 8. 
 
 If a mariner quit the ship with leave of the master, and when 
 ordered to return, refuses to do so, his wages are forfeited. — See 
 Abbot on Shipp., 6th Edit. 578., and cases there cited. 
 
 It has been already stated that' the entry into the service of her 
 Majesty is not deemed a desertion, nor followed by the forfeiture 
 of wages. But where a mariner quitted a vessel in defiance of the 
 master, with opprobrious language, and without any declaration 
 of such intention when he quitted the vessel, entered on board a 
 King's ship within 24 hours, it was held to be a desertion, working 
 a forfeiture of wages. — 2 Hagg. Ad. Rep., 403 ; Abbot on 
 Shipp., 6th edit., 581. 
 
 A forfeiture may be waived by the party entitled to take advan- 
 tage of it. 2 Campb. 590, and 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, s. 7. But a 
 forfeiture is not waived by the acceptance of a seaman's services 
 whilst the ship is in distress, unless such acceptance be continued 
 when the necessity for them has ceased. — 3 C. & P. 3. 
 
 As regards the time of payment of wages. By the 5 & 6 W. 
 4, c. 19, it is enacted that the master or owner shall pay to every 
 seaman entering into such contract as aforesaid (i. e. the ship's 
 articles), his wages, if the same shall be demanded, within the 
 respective periods following ; that is to say, if the ship shall be 
 
250 seamen's wages. 
 
 log- book, he forfeits one day's pay for every hour's absence; 
 and if he shall wholly absent himself, so that the ship is 
 obliged, to go to sea without him, he forfeits his advance 
 and as much more l . And if at any time during the 
 voyage he absents himself without leave, and returns 
 within forty-eight hours, he forfeits three days' pay for 
 every day's absence ; but if he is absent more than forty- 
 eight hours, he forfeits all the wages then due to him, 
 and all his clothes and goods on board at the time 2 . 
 
 1 Act 1790, ch. 56, § 2.] 2 Do. § 4. 
 
 employed in trading coastwise, the wages shall he paid within two 
 days after the termination of the agreement, or at the time when 
 the seaman shall he discharged, whichever shall first happen ; and 
 in every other case the wages shall be paid at the latest within three 
 days after the cargo shall have been delivered, or within ten days 
 after the seaman's discharge, whichever shall first happen ; in which 
 two cases of delayed payments, the seaman shall, at the time of his 
 discharge, be entitled to be paid on account, one fourth part of the 
 estimated balance due to him ; and if any master or owner shall 
 neglect or refuse to make payment in the manner required, he shall 
 for every such neglect or refusal forfeit to the seaman the amount 
 of two days' pay, for each day, not exceeding ten days ; during 
 which, payment shall, without sufficient cause, he delayed beyond 
 the period prescribed, for the recovery of which forfeiture the seaman 
 shall have the same remedies as he is entitled to for the recovery 
 of the wages, s. 11. 
 
 The preceding clause is not to extend to the case of ships em- 
 ployed in the southern whale fishery, or on voyages for which 
 seamen, by the terms of their agreement, are compensated by shares 
 in the profit of the adventure. 
 
 No assignment of wages, made prior to the earning of them, shall 
 be valid or binding upon the party making it. 
 
 If a seaman, after having been discharged three days, shall be 
 desirous of proceeding to sea on another voyage, and in order thereto 
 shall require immediate payment of the wages due to him, it shall 
 be lawful for any justice of the peace, on his application, and on 
 satisfactory proof that he would, by delay, be prevented from 
 obtaining employment, to summon the master or owner before him, 
 and if no satisfactory reason shall be assigned for further delay, such 
 justice shall order payment to be made forthwith ; in default of 
 compliance with which order, the master or owner shall forfeit 
 £b. ; s. 14. 
 
seamen's wages. 251 
 
 These forfeitures cannot be exacted against the seaman 
 unless there is an entry made in the log-book on the 
 same day that he left, specifying the name of *he sea- 
 man, and that he was absent without leave 1 . 
 
 But independently of these regulations, and without 
 the necessity of any entry, &c, a seaman forfeits his 
 wages for deserting the vessel, or absenting himself 
 wrongfully and without leave, by the general law of all 
 commercial nations 2 . If, however, the seaman is absent 
 without fault of his own 3 , or if he is obliged to desert by 
 reason of cruel treatment, want of food, or the like, he 
 does not forfeit his wages. But in such case, the sea- 
 man must prove that the treatment w r as such that he 
 could not remain without imminent danger to his life, 
 limbs, or health 4 . If the voyage for which he shipped 
 has been abandoned, or there has been a gross and un- 
 necessary deviation, he does not forfeit his wages for 
 leaving the vessel ; but then the change of voyage must 
 have been actually determined upon and known to the 
 seaman 5 . 
 
 Even if the seaman shall have clearly deserted with- 
 out justifiable cause, or absented himself more than 
 forty-eight hours, yet, if he shall offer to return and do 
 his duty, the master must receive him, unless his pre- 
 vious conduct would justify a discharge 6 . And if he is 
 so received back, and does his duty faithfully for the rest 
 of the voyage, the forfeiture is considered as remitted, 
 and he is entitled to his w r ages for the whole voyage 7 . 
 If, however, the owner has suffered any special damage 
 from the wrongful absence of the seaman, as, if the ves- 
 sel has been detained, or a man hired in his place, all 
 
 i Gilpin, 83, 140, 207. Ware, 309. 2 Ware, 309. 
 
 3 1 Mason, 45. Bee, 134, 48. Gilpin, 225. 
 * 1 Pet. Ad. 186. Gilpin, 225. 2 Pet. Ad. 420, 428. Ware, 
 83, 91, 109. 
 
 5 Gilpin, 150. 2 Pet. Ad. 415. 6 1 S umne r, 373. 
 
 7 2 Wash. 272. Gilpin, 145. 1 Sumner, 373. IPet.Ad. 160. 
 
252 seamen's wages: 
 
 such necessary expenses may be deducted from the 
 wages l . 
 
 A mere leaving of the vessel, though a wrongful 
 absence, is not a desertion, unless it is done with the inten- 
 tion to desert 2 . A seaman is bound to load and unload 
 cargo in the course of the voyage if required of him, and 
 a refusal to do so is a refusal of duty 3 . If the voyage is 
 at an end, according to the articles, and the vessel is 
 safely moored at the port of discharge, the seamen are 
 still bound to discharge the cargo if it is required of 
 them. If they do not, their refusal or neglect does not, 
 however, work a forfeiture of all their wages, but only 
 makes them liable to a deduction, as compensation to the 
 owner for any damage he may have suffered 4 . The 
 custom in almost all sea -ports of the United States is, 
 to discharge the crew, and not to require them to unload 
 cargo at the end of the voyage. This custom is so strong, 
 that if the owner or master wishes to retain the crew, he 
 must give them notice to that effect. Unless the crew 
 are distinctly told that they must remain and discharge 
 cargo, they may leave the vessel as soon as she is safely 
 moored, or made fast. If they are required to remain 
 and discharge cargo, they make themselves liable to a 
 deduction from their wages for a neglect or refusal, but 
 do not forfeit them 5 . The seaman must bear in mind, 
 however, that this is only when the voyage is at an end, 
 and the ship is at the final port of discharge. If he re- 
 fuses to load or unload at any port in the course of the 
 voyage, and before it is up, according to the articles, he 
 does so at the risk of forfeiting all his wages 6 . 
 
 The master and owners of a vessel are allowed ten 
 days after the voyage is up, before a suit can be brought 
 
 1 Gilpin, 145, 298, 98. 2 1 Sumner, 373. Ware, 309. 
 
 3 1 Pet. Ad. 253. 
 
 4 1 Sumner, 373. Gilpin, 208. Ware, 454. 2 Hagg. 40. 
 L * 1 Sumner, 373. Gilpin, 208. 6 1 Pet. Ad. 253. 
 
seamen's wages. 253 
 
 against them for the wages of the crew *. This is in 
 order to give them time to settle all accounts and discover 
 delinquencies. If the crew are retained to unload, then 
 the ten days begin to run from the time the vessel is 
 completely unloaded. But if the crew are not retained 
 for this purpose, but are discharged and allowed to 
 leave the vessel, then the ten days begin to run from the 
 day they are discharged 2 . 
 
 Wages affected by Misconduct *. — A seaman may 
 forfeit his wages by gross misconduct ; and if not for- 
 feited, he may be liable to have a deduction made from 
 them, for any damage caused to the owner by such mis- 
 conduct. To create a forfeiture, his misbehaviour must 
 be gross and aggravated 3 . A single act of disobedience, 
 or a single neglect of duty, will not deprive him of his 
 wages *. A refusal to do duty in a moment of high ex- 
 citement caused by punishment will not forfeit wages, 
 unless followed by obstinate perseverance in such refu- 
 sal 5 . Where drunkenness is habitual and gross, so as to 
 create a general incapacity to perform duty, it is aground 
 of forfeiture of wages.. But occasional acts of drunken- 
 ness, if the seaman in other respects performs his duty, 
 will not deprive him of his wages 6 . In this, as in all 
 cases of neglect, disobedience, or wilful misconduct, 
 
 1 Act 1790, ch. 56, §6. 
 
 2 1 Pet. Ad. 165, 210. Ware, 458. Darl. Ad. Pr. 99. 
 
 3 4 Mason, 84. Bee, 148. 4 4 Mason, 84. 
 
 b Do. 6 2 Hagg. 2. 4 Mason 541. 
 
 * In England.] — Wages affected by Misconduct. — If any 
 seaman, without sufficient cause, neglects to perform such duty as 
 shall reasonably be required of him by the master or other person 
 in command of the ship, he is subject to a like forfeiture, as in case 
 of absence, in respect of every offence, and of every 24 hours' con- 
 tinuance of it. — 5 & 6 W. 4., c. 19, 8. 7. 
 
 Any cause which will justify the master in discharging a seaman 
 during the vovage, will also deprive the seaman of his wages. — 
 2 Rob. Ad. Rep., 261. 
 
254 seamen's wages. 
 
 which do not create a forfeiture, a deduction may be 
 made if the owner has suffered any loss *. 
 
 In one instance a forfeiture of one-half of a seaman s 
 wages was decreed, in consequence of his striking the 
 master. He did not forfeit the whole, because he had 
 been otherwise punished 2 . 
 
 If the seaman is imprisoned for misconduct, he does 
 not forfeit the wages that accrued during his confinement; 
 nor, what amounts to the same thing, is he bound to 
 pay those of a person hired in his place during his im- 
 prisonment 2 . 
 
 If the crime of a seaman is against the laws of the 
 United States, and too great for the masters authority 
 to punish, he must be confined and brought home to 
 trial. But this does not forfeit his wages, though any 
 loss or damage to the owner may be deducted 4 . 
 
 In all cases of forfeiture of wages for misconduct, it is 
 only the wages due at the time of the misconduct that 
 are lost. The wages subsequently earned are not affect- 
 ed by any previous misbehaviour 6 . 
 
 If a seaman or officer is evidently incapable of doing 
 the duty he shipped for, he may be put upon other 
 duty, and a reasonable deduction may be made from 
 his wages 6 . 
 
 Wages affected by Imprisonment *. — If a seaman 
 
 1 4 Mason, 541. 1 Sumner, 384. Bee, 237. 2 Hagg. 420. 
 Gilpin, 150. 1 Pet. Ad. 168. 
 
 2 Bee, 184. 3 Gilpin, 83, 140, 33. Ware, 9. 
 
 4 1 Pet. Ad. 168. 5 4 Mason, 84. 6 Ware, 109. 
 
 * In England."] — Wages affected by Imprisonment. — It is 
 apprehended that if a seaman should do any act which would justify 
 the master in ordering him to be imprisoned, such seaman could 
 not recover wages for the time of his imprisonment ; but, on the 
 contrary, would be answerable to the owners for any loss or damage 
 they might sustain through his misconduct; and it would seem 
 they might set off such loss or damage against a demand of wages. 
 —2 Hagg. Ad. Rep., 243. 
 
SEAMEN f S WAGES. 255 
 
 is imprisoned by a warrant from a judge or justice of the 
 peace, within the limits of the United States, for deser- 
 tion or refusal to render himself on board, he is liable to 
 pay the cost of his commitment and support in jail, as 
 well as the wages of any person hired in his place l . So, 
 if a seaman is imprisoned in a foreign port by the autho- 
 rities of the place for a breach of their laws, the costs and 
 loss to the owner may be deducted from his wages ; but 
 not so if he is imprisoned at the request of the master 2 . 
 The right of the master to imprison at all is a doubtful 
 one, and dangerous of exercise ; and if he does resort to 
 it, he can never charge the expenses to the seamen, nor 
 deduct their wages during imprisonment s . 
 
 Wages affected by Capture. — If a neutral ship 
 is captured, it is the right and duty of the seaman to 
 remain by the vessel until the case is finally settled 4 . If 
 she is liberated, they are then entitled to their wages for 
 the whole voyage ; and if freight is decreed, they are 
 entitled to their wages for as much of the voyage as 
 freight is given 5 . And if at any future time the owners 
 
 1 Gilpin, 223. 2 Gilpin, 223. 
 
 3 Ware, 13, 503. Gilpin, 83, 233. 
 
 4 2 Sumner, 443. 1 Pet. Ad. 128. 
 
 5 2 Gall. 178. 2 Sumner, 443. 
 
 * In England.] — Wages affected by Capture. — The payment 
 of wages depends generally upon the successful termination of the 
 voyage. If in the course of the voyage a total loss or capture of 
 the ship takes place, the seamen lose their wages. — Abbott on 
 Shipp., 6th edit., 571. 
 
 It has heen held that the condemnation of a vessel for illegal 
 trading on the part of the master, to which the mariners were not 
 parties, does not work a forfeiture of wages, or har the mariner's 
 action against the owners. — 2 Hagg, Ad. Rep., 158. 
 
 The payment of wages is divisible, and if a ship has delivered its 
 cargo at one place, the wages are so far due, although the ship be 
 afterwards taken or sunk. But if a ship sail to one place, in order 
 to take in a cargo there to be conveyed to another place, and having 
 received the cargo accordingly, be taken before its arrival at the 
 place of delivery, nothing is payable to the seamen for navigating 
 the ship to the first place. — Abbott, 572. 
 
256 seamen's wages. 
 
 recover the vessel, or her value, upon appeal or by treaty, 
 they are liable for wages 1 . In order to secure his wages 
 in these cases, the seamen must remain by the vessel 
 until her sale or condemnation, and the master cannot 
 oblige him to take his discharge 2 . The condemnation 
 or sale of the vessel puts an end to his contract. If he 
 leaves before the condemnation or sale, with the master's 
 consent, he does not lose his chance of recovering his 
 wages 3 . Even if the vessel is condemned, and the 
 owner never recovers the vessel or its value, yet the 
 seaman is entitled to his wages up to the last port of 
 delivery, and for half the time she lay there 4 . 
 
 Wages affected by Loss of Vessel or Inter- 
 ruption of Voyage*. — If a vessel meets with a dis- 
 aster, it is the duty of the crew to remain by her so long 
 as they can do it with safety, and to exert themselves to 
 the utmost of their ability to save as much as possible of 
 the vessel and cargo h . If they abandon the vessel un- 
 
 i 3 Mason, 161. 2 1 Mason, 45. 
 
 3 1 Mason, 45. 4 1 Pet. Ad. 203. 
 
 * Ware, 49. 1 Pet. 204. 
 
 * In England.] — Wages affected by Loss of Vessel or In- 
 terruption of Voyage. — See the last note. 
 
 If a ship become disabled on the voyage, the seamen lose their 
 wages. But if the ship has earned its freight, the seamen who 
 have served on board the ship have in like manner earned their 
 wages. 
 
 And if a ship sails to several places, wages are payable to the 
 time of the delivery of the last cargo. 
 
 And where money is advanced to the owners in part of the 
 freight outward, and the ship perishes before her arrival at the port 
 of delivery, the seamen will be entitled to wages in proportion to 
 the money advanced. — Abbott, 558. 
 
 Wages are not lost by the hypothecation of the ship, nor even 
 by the sale of it, unless the sale be made under the authority of 
 a competent court ; nor by the ship being wrecked, if the seamen 
 assist in saving from the wreck sufficient to pay them. — Abbott, 571. 
 
 It is the duty of every mariner to exert himself to the utmost 
 to sa ve as much as possible of the vessel and cargo ; and he is not 
 entitled to any remuneration for such exertions beyond the wages 
 stipulated to be paid to him. — 1 Hagg. Ad, Rep., 227. 
 
seamen's wages. 257 
 
 necessarily, tliey forfeit all their wages ; and if their 
 leaving was necessary and justifiable, yet they lose their 
 wages except up to the last port of delivery and for half 
 the time the vessel was lying there, or for so long as she 
 was engaged with the outward cargo 1 . This rule may 
 seem hard, but its object is to secure the services of the 
 crew in case of a disaster. If by their exertions any 
 parts of the vessel or cargo are saved, they are entitled 
 to wages, and an extra sum for salvage 2 . If the vessel 
 is abandoned and nothing is saved, they lose their wages, 
 except up to the last port of delivery and for half the time 
 the vessel was lying there 3 . 
 
 The general rule is, that a seaman's wages are secure 
 to him whenever the vessel has earned any freight, 
 whatever may afterwards happen. And a vessel earns 
 freight at every port where she delivers any cargo. For 
 the benefit of seamen a vessel is held to earn freight 
 whenever she goes to a port under a contract for freight, 
 though she .go in ballast 4 . A seaman also secures his 
 wages wherever the ship might have earned freight but 
 for the agreement or other act of the owner 5 . If a vessel 
 is on a trading voyage from port to port, and is lost on 
 the homeward passage, wages would probably be allowed 
 for the outward passage, and for half the time she was 
 engaged in trading with the old or new cargoes ; the 
 trading and going from port to port being considered the 
 same as though she had been tying in port all the time, 
 and discharging and receiving cargo. Or else, wages 
 would be given up to the last port at which she took in 
 any return cargo, and for half the time she was lying 
 there 6 . 
 
 These rules apply only to cases where the voyage is 
 
 1 Pet. C. C. 182. 3 Sumner, 286. 
 
 2 Ware, 49. Gilpin, 79. 2 Mason, 319. 1 Hagg. 227. 
 
 3 2 Mason, 329. 1 Pet. Ad. 204, 130 ; 2 do. 391. 11 
 Mass. 545. 4 2 Mason, 319. I Pet. Ad. 207. 
 
 5 3 Sumner, 286. 2 Mason, 319. 2 Hagg. 158. 
 « Pet. C. C. 182. 2 Pet. Ad. 390. 
 
 « Pet. C. < 
 
258 seamen's wages. 
 
 broken up by inevitable accidents, as by perils of the 
 seas, capture, war, or superior force. If the voyage is 
 broken up by the fault of the seamen, they lose all their 
 wages. If, on the other hand, the seamen are com- 
 pelled to leave, or the voyage is broken up by the fault 
 of the master or owner, as by cruel treatment, want of 
 provisions, or the like, the crew would be justly entitled 
 to wages for the whole voyage contracted for. If the 
 vessel is sold, or the voyage altered or abandoned by the 
 master or owner, not from inevitable necessity, but for 
 their own interest and convenience, then the crew are 
 entitled, by statute, to wages for all the time they were 
 on board, and two months' extra pay 1 . And, by the 
 general law, they would always receive some extra 
 wages as a compensation for the loss of the voyage, and 
 as a means of supporting themselves and procuring a 
 passage home; or, perhaps, full wages for the voyage 2 . 
 
 Wages on an Illegal Voyage *. — A seaman has 
 no remedy for his wages upon an illegal voyage ; as, for 
 instance, in the slave trade 3 . Wages have, however, 
 been allowed where it was proved that the seaman was 
 innocent of all knowledge of, or participation in, the 
 illegal voyage 4 . 
 
 Wages affected by Death or Disability *. — If 
 a seaman dies during the voyage, wages are to be paid 
 up to the time of his death 5 . A seaman is entitled to all 
 his wages during sickness, and during any time he was 
 disabled from performing duty. But if his sickness or 
 disability is brought on by his own fault, as by vice or 
 wilful misconduct, a deduction may be made for the 
 
 ' Act 1803, ch. 62, § 3. 
 
 8 2 Pet. Ad. 264. Bee, 48. 2 Gall, 182. 3 Johns. R. 518. 
 * 9 Wheat. 409. 6 Rob. 207. 2 Mason, 58. Edw. 35. 
 4 9 Wheat. 409. 5 Bee, 254, 441. 
 
 * In England.] — Wages on an Illegal Voyage. — Wages 
 affected by Death or Disability. — The observations under these 
 respective heads are applicable to British vessels. 
 
SEAMEN. 259 
 
 loss of his services 1 . So where the death of a seaman 
 was caused by his own unjustifiable and wrongful acts, 
 his wages were held forfeited 2 . If a seaman, at the time 
 he ships, is labouring under a disease which incapacitates, 
 or is likely to incapacitate, him during the voyage, and 
 he conceals the same, no wages will be allowed him, or 
 a deduction will be made from them, according to the 
 nature of the case 3 . If, in consequence of sickness, a 
 seaman is left at a foreign port, he is still entitled to 
 wages for the whole voyage 4 . 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SEAMEN CONCLUDED. 
 
 Recovery of wages. Interest on wages. Salvage. 
 
 Recovery of Wages*. — A seaman has a threefold 
 remedy for his wages — first, against the master ; secondly, 
 
 i 1 Pet. Ad. 142,138. 2 Do. 142. 
 
 3 2 Pet. Ad. 263. 4 Bee, 414. 2 Gall. 46. 1 Pet. 117. 
 
 * In England.] Recovery of Wages. — As regards wages not 
 exceeding 20/., it is provided by the act 5 & 6 W. 4, c. 19, that 
 it shall be lawful for any justice of the peace residing near to the 
 place where the ship shall have ended her voyage, cleared at the 
 Custom House, or discharged her cargo, or near to the place of 
 residence of the master or owner, upon complaint on oath by the 
 seaman, or on his behalf, to summon the master or owner before 
 him, and to examine upon the oath of the parties, and of their wit- 
 nesses (if any), touching the complaint and the amount of wages 
 due, and to make order for payment as shall appear to him to be 
 reasonable and just ; and that in case such order shall not be obeyed 
 within two days after the making, such justice may issue his war- 
 rant to levy the amount awarded, and all expenses, by distress and 
 sale of the goods of the party upon whom the order shall have been 
 made ; and if sufficient distress cannot be found, may cause the 
 amount to be levied upon the ship and furniture ; and if they be 
 not within his jurisdiction, may cause the party upon whom the 
 order shall be made to be apprehended and committed to gaol, un- 
 
2(30 SEAMEN. 
 
 against the owners ; and thirdly, against the ship itself 
 and the freight earned 1 . He may pursue any one of 
 these, or he may pursue them all at the same time in 
 courts of admiralty. He has what is called a lien upon 
 the ship for his wages ; that is, he has a right at any 
 time to seize the vessel hy a process of law,- and retain 
 it until his claim is paid, or otherwise decided upon by 
 the court. This lien does not cease upon the sailing of 
 the ship on another voyage ; and the vessel may be 
 taken, notwithstanding there is a new master and dif- 
 ferent owners 2 . A seaman does not lose his lien upon 
 
 1 Bee, 254. 2 Sumner, 443. 2 Gall. 398. 
 
 2 2 Sumner, 443. 5 Pet. R. 675. 
 
 til the amount, with all costs, shall be paid ; which award and deci- 
 sion is to be final and conclusive on both parties, s. 15. 
 
 And in order to enforce the adoption of this remedy, it is by a 
 subsequent clause enacted, that if any suit for wages instituted in 
 an Admiralty Court, or in any Court of Record in the British do- 
 minions, it shall appear to the judge that the plaintiff might have 
 had an effectual remedy by the mode above prescribed, the judge 
 is to certify accordingly ; and thereupon no costs of suit are to be 
 awarded to the plaintiff, s. 16. 
 
 The burthen of producing the written contract in cases of dispute 
 with the mariners, is cast on the master and owners, s. 5. 
 
 All suits and actions brought in the Court of Admiralty for sea- 
 men's wages, must be commenced within six years next after the 
 wages become due, unless the party entitled to sue shall at that time 
 be under the age of twenty-one years, a feme covert, non compos 
 mentis, or imprisoned, or unless such party, or the party sued, 
 shall be at that time beyond the seas, in which cases the suit may 
 be brought within six years after the party suing shall be of full 
 age, discovert, of sane memory, or at large ; or either the party 
 suing, or the party sued, shall return from beyond the seas. — 4 
 Anne,c. 16, ss. 17, 18, and 19. 
 
 And actions in the courts of common law are also limited to the 
 same period of six years with the same provisoes, unless they are 
 founded on a contract under seal ; if they are founded on such a 
 contract, the statutable limitation does not apply to them; but after 
 a lapse of twenty years, the claims will be presumed to have been 
 satisfied without any proof of payment. — Abbott, 595. 
 
 As to the time of wages becoming due, see the note to chap. xi. ? 
 page 249. 
 
SEAMEN. 261 
 
 the ship by lapse of time. He may take the ship when- 
 ever he finds her ; though he must not allow a long time 
 to elapse, if he has had any opportunity of enforcing his 
 claim, lest it should be considered a stale demand. In 
 common law courts a suit cannot be brought for wages 
 after six years have expired since they became due. This 
 is not the case in courts of admiralty 1 . 
 
 The lien of the seaman for wages takes precedence of 
 every other lien or claim upon the vessel 2 . The sea- 
 men's wages must be first paid, even if they take up the 
 whole value of the ship or freight. The wreck of a ship 
 is bound for the wages; and the rule in admiralty is, that 
 a seaman's claim on the ship is good so long as there is 
 a plank of her left 3 . If, after capture and condemna- 
 tion, the ship itself is not restored, but the owners are 
 indemnified in money, the seaman's lien attaches to such 
 proceeds 4 . Besides this lien upon the ship, the seaman 
 has also a lien upon the freight earned, and upon the 
 cargo 5 . He may also sue the owner or master, or both, 
 personally. They are, however, answerable personally 
 only for the wages earned while the ship was in their 
 own hands 6 . But a suit may be brought against the 
 ship after she has changed owners 7 . 
 
 A seaman does not lose his lien upon the vessel by 
 taking an order upon the owner 8 . 
 
 After a vessel is abandoned to the underwriters, they 
 become liable for the seamen's wages, from the time of 
 the abandonment 9 . 
 
 If at the end of the voyage the crew are discharged 
 and not retained to unload, their wages are due imme- 
 diately 10 ; but J;hey cannot sue in admiralty until ten 
 
 1 2 Gall. 477. Paine C. C. 180. 3 Mason, 91. 
 
 2 Ware, 134, 41. 3 3 Sumner, 50. 1 Ware, 41. 
 * 5 Pet. R. 675. 5 Ware, 134. 5 Pet. R. 675. 
 
 6 11 Johns. 72. 6 Mass. 300 ; 8 do. 483. 
 
 7 5 pet. R. 675. 2 Sumner, 443. 
 
 8 Ware, 185. 9 4 Mason, 196. 
 Ware, 458. Dunl. Ad. Pr. 99. 1 Pet. Ad. 165, 210. 
 
 " ware, 
 10 Ware, 
 
262 SEAMEN. 
 
 days after the day of discharge 1 . If they are retained 
 to unload, then the owner is allowed ten days from the 
 time the cargo is fully discharged. If, however, the 
 vessel is about to proceed to sea before the ten days will 
 elapse, or before the cargo will be unloaded, the seaman 
 may attach the vessel immediately 2 . If the owner retains 
 his crew while the cargo is unloading, he must unload 
 it within a reasonable time. Fifteen working days has 
 frequently been held a reasonable time for unloading, 
 and the ten days have been allowed to run from that 
 time 3 . 
 
 The longest time allowed by law for unloading vessels 
 is twenty days if over 300 tons, and ten days if under 
 that tonnage. Probably seamen would not be held bound 
 to the vessel for a longer time than is thus allowed 
 by law for unloading. 
 
 Interest on Wages*. — In suits for seamen's wages, 
 interest is allowed from the time of the demand ; and 
 if no demand is proved, then from the time of the 
 commencement of the suit 4 . 
 
 Salvage t. — If a vessel is picked up at sea aban- 
 
 1 Act 1790, ch. 56, §6. 2 Do. 
 
 3 1 Pet. Ad. 165. Abb. Shipp. 456, n. 
 
 4 2 Gall. 45. 
 
 * In England.] Interest on Wages. — It has been already 
 stated, that if the master or owner shall neglect or refuse to pay the 
 seaman his wages when due, he becomes liable to forfeit to such 
 seaman the amount of two days' pay for each day not exceeding ten 
 days during which payment shall without sufficient cause be de- 
 layed, c. 11; see note to c. 11, p. 250. 
 
 If the seaman wishes to entitle himself to interest upon his 
 wages, he should give a written notice to the master or owner, of 
 his intention to claim such interest if his wages be not paid within 
 a given period. 
 
 f In England.] Salvage. — The crew of a British vessel can- 
 not claim as salvors or joint-salvors in respect of services performed 
 on board their own vessel, not even in the case of shipwreck. — 1 
 Hag. Ad. Rep., 227. 
 
 For further information on this subject, the reader is referred to 
 Abbott on Shipp., 6th edit., title " Salvage." 
 
SEAMEN. 263 
 
 doned, or in distress, and any of the crew of the vessel 
 which falls in with her go on board, and are the means 
 of saving her, or of bringing her into port, they are 
 entitled to salvage 1 . In this case all the crew who are 
 ready and willing to engage in the service are entitled 
 to a share of the reward, although they may not have 
 gone on board the wreck 2 . The reason is, that where all 
 are ready to go, and a selection is made, there would be 
 injustice and favouritism in allowing any one the pri- 
 vilege more than another. Besides, those who remain 
 have an extra duty to perform, in consequence of the 
 others having gone on board the wreck 3 . 
 
 Crews are not ordinarily entitled to salvage for ser- 
 vices performed on board their own vessel, whatever may 
 have been their perils or hardships, or the gallantry of 
 their services in saving ship and cargo 4 ; for some degree 
 of extra exertion to meet perils and accidents, is within 
 the scope of a seaman's duty. In case of shipwreck, 
 however, where, by the general law, wages are forfeited, 
 the court will allow salvage, considering it as in the 
 nature of wages due. In one instance salvage was re- 
 fused to a part of a crew who rescued the ship from the 
 rest who had mutinied ; for this was held to be no more 
 than their duty 5 . 
 
 Yet seamen may entitle themselves to salvage for ser- 
 vices performed on board their own vessel, if clearly 
 beyond the line of their regular duty ; as, when the 
 crew rise and rescue the vessel from the enemy after she 
 has been taken G . So, where a ship was abandoned at 
 sea, and one or two men voluntarily remained behind, 
 and by great exertions brought her into port 7 . If an 
 apprentice is a salvor, he and not his master, is entitled 
 to the salvage 8 . If one set of men go on board a wreck, 
 
 1 Ware, 477. 1 Pet. Ad. 306. 
 
 2 Ware, 477. 2 Pet. Ad. 281. 3 2 Dodson, 132. 
 
 4 10 Pet. R. 108. 1 Hagg. 227. 
 
 5 2 Dods. 14. 6 1 Pet. Ad. 306. 
 
 7 2 Cr. 240. 1 Pet. Ad. 48. 8 2 Cr. 240. 2 Pet. Ad. 282. 
 
264 SEAMEN. 
 
 but fall into distress and are relieved by others, they do 
 not lose their claim for salvage, but each set of salvors 
 shares according to the merit of its services. If the 
 second set take advantage of the necessity and distress of 
 the first salvors'to impose terms upon them, as, that they 
 shall give up all claim for salvage, such conditions will 
 not be regarded by the court l . 
 
 1 1 Sumner, 400. 
 
 THE END. 
 
 LONDON : 
 BUAOBURY ANO EVANS, PK1NTERS, WHITEFRIARS. 
 

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