the Editor of the is is n question worthy of coneration both by British shippers and pipers, whether in sailing vessels or steamers, After Britannia had beaten the Dutchman, the Don, and the Gaul, and thereby assumed the supreme ruling of the waves, seamen-giants arose in the old land, who took to the water with all the love and ardour of amphibious by straight and unbending Li ting examples of skill and daring in seamanship that were at once the wonder and admiration of the maritime world. All is was in the days of canvas and hemp. Phe last 30 years have seen a wonderful change. Within that period, steam has nearly superseded wind as a means of propelling merchant ships—real seamanship is no longer needed, and therefore the largest steamships now but the veriest apologies of masts and yards, in fact, sail-power that would be insufficient in case of smash of engines to give the floating monsters even steerage way. Many of these ships, with a cargo capacity of from 3,000 to 4,000 tons, are fitted with only a single fore and aft call on each diminished mast (with perhaps a square foresail), and jib. There is no going aloft, except to furl the foresail; the steam winch does all the pulling and hauling; 80 handing, reefing, and furling are at a discount, and ships are reduced to little else than luge mechanical contrivances, chiefly worked by a few blacksmiths and day labourers, There is only a very limited demand for good seamen.
There are, of course, many sailing ships still employed, which sail on long voyages—(and report says they are increasing in number)—but how are they manned? A few words now on the real subject of this epistle, What effect has the present mode of manning ocean steamships had upon the supply of real seamen to the British Mercantile Marine? Simply, and in short, its effect las been 20 to reduce the supply of the genuine article, that it is impossible now to obtain even an ordinary percentage of British A.B'; and captains are obliged to ship any riff-raff, hardly worth the rating of 2nd class ordinary. In times gone by, it was customary to regard the Merchant Navy as the nursery of the Royal Navy=as the real training school for sailors bat now, Tehabod the glory is departed. Evon'in the Royal Navy, mechanism is fast superseding muscle, and, in the construction of men-of-war, one. the most difficult problems the designer has now to solve, is to provide a sufficient amount of stowage room for coals Is this picture too-highly coloured Let those who think so go on board an} British ship lying in the Hwangpoo, ani see for themselves. They will, in the majority of cases, find the crew composed of a motley rabble of fair, brown, and black,—feliows of divers nationalities, who are not even dressed as seamen, but are clad in scare-crow fashion, that not even the dirty work on board ship can excuse, In steamers especially will this be found to be the case,—and what is the inevitable result? 'The esprit de coups of a sailor-crew is wanting—the few seamen on board (shipped as quartermasters, to steer), look with contempt on their' hybrid messmates, who are neither landsman nor seamen; there is no accord, but frequent bickerings, quarrellings, and the most childish complaints, If the Captain and officers are strict, and do all in their power to lick the motley mob into shipshape, then the ship is a "floating hell," the fellows decline to work, magisterial interference is called in, and then comes the whine, we would rather go to ison than return on board." (Vide, an tive case reported in your columns only-a fow weeks ago.) These are facts patent to i t, softly, and ion, are not captains very often themselves to for something of this In what way, is it asked? Let us seo, A man misconducts himself during a voyage 0 grossly, that it is a relief both to Cai tain and crew to get rid of him. Well, anything easier? Give him & discharge, and act him ashore? Oh, no; the fellow knows the "ropes" too well for that, He must have a good discharge, or there is no end of bother;—and in order to avoid this bother, and also to economise fellow, by its aid, soon imposes on another ood discharge is too often written, and
himeelf' got tid' of similar scum by /ho, possibly only the day before,
similar means, And so the ball goes is is by no means a fancy the germ of a great truth, that the British Merchant Navy is no longer manned in the aggregate, by, sea men, and that the Royal Navy is therefore' virtually without a nursery. Suggestions for attempted remedy must be subject of a future letter—you insert this one.—T am, Si
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.