Northern Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1859-10-08 00:00:00

SAILORS' WIVES

TO THE EDITOR OF THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES
am wishful to draw ti

ttention 'of. the

oularly

merchants, and the public generally, to
a great evil, and also a great hardship to oue merchant
sailors, viz., the not granting half pay to seamen before
the mast. lam aware that there are sonic few excep-
tions. Where the man knows the captain, it is perhaps
granted to him, as a special favour ; but if he is not so
known, he may wish, but he will never get it. And
suppose he is going on a twelve months voyage, what
shall support his wife and children during his absence ?
Let her be prudent and frugal, and willing to work
closely, hoarding the money earned by her husband on
his last voyage,---all her plans and painstaking may be
as nought, if sickness or death should visit her abode.
Her calculations are made with the supposition that she
is to be always well in health ; but with sickness,. and
the necessary, expenses attendant thereon, is an end. of
all: she finds herself pennyless and alone—her only
alternative the poor-house or the streets. She cannot
starve, nor yet see her children starve ; 'and can we
wonder that she falls from the path of honour and
virtue, and sells her soul and body for the maintenance
of her children ? And when ono she, falls, she falls for
ever ; for the same reason still operates and keeps her
down, viz., the want of means to live on during her
husband's absence; whilst he goes, on from year to year,
happy in his ignorance of his wife's misconduct, won-
dering how she manages when he is away, and yet afraid
to ask. Sailors are not what they formerly were, when
altogether uneducated, and brutish in their feelings. A
better state of things can now be witnessed in a ship's
forecastle ; and I know, from actual experience, with
what bitter regret they leave their wives and children
unprovided for. In every ship there are some few pro-
fligate men ; and how agonising it must be to the husband
and father to listen to their ribald jests and boasts,
in connection with other men's wives, and then again
to know that their own wives are open to a like tempta-
tion. This is no over-drawn picture : hundreds can
testify to its truth ; and I hold it a,.4Ta scandal on ,our
town that suck temptations are suffered to go unheeded
among the poor sailors' wives. It cannot be said that
the Shipping Interest would lose anything by granting
this boon to our sailors (beyond the interest of their
money) ; for, even supposing a man runs away from his
ship in a foreign port, the one half of his wages that
has been retained by the ship will, in nine cases out of
ten, balance the money that the wife is receiving at
home, till such time as her husband's desertion is known
at the owner's office. Let owners and captains only
think of this great evil, and I am sure they will willingly
remedy it. It rests with themselves to bring a blessing
on many virtuous houses. and to bring back to the paths
of virtue many an erring wife. Let me hope that this
note, though only coming from a sailor,
may be the
means of bringing the subject under the consideratios!
of some of our philanthropic townsmen, and
dtihenattl good
be
may result from the same.—l, am, yours o

existence of

THE GREAT EASTERN

AT HOLYHEAD,

TO: TAB:EDITOR: O.E' THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES

. •
Sin,—Your correspondent, -" One of the Public,,,
should, consider for a moment, and he" may be' led to
exercise a. little patience, and save his money.
When the Great Eastern wants freight and passengers,
with which will be in no long time, he will most probably see
her without going, to Helyhead. There is good reason
for believing. she maybe in the Mersey sooner thauxuany
of }}our readers expect. Speaking upon, this, only yes-
opinion upon such, matter, and who . has, besides, op
Tortunities of becoming acquainted with
quainted with the views'Of
thet erd
GreataY'' a gentleman well, qualified to form an
hip em a.
his answer to the question,
" Where is it proposed to find passengers and freight for
her ?" was, " She tramyt come to _Liverpool." .
I have no intention of trying to live two days in a
steamboat at this time of the year, or to endure twelve
Or-fourteen hours, calling and shunting, on the railway ;
but shall wait a short time. . .
A. B.
Liverpool, October 7, 1859.

TO THE EDITOR et? THE NORTHERN DAILY TIMES.
SIN—In. your valuable paper, under date 6th instant,
" One of the Public" complains of the arrangements
made by the Great Ship Company with the London and
North-Western Railway Company. I cannot agree with
him, that " the effect of this practically is to exclude
from the sight the numerous passengers who would have
availed themselves Of cheap steam7boat trips from
Liverpool." O i
Can the contrary, as one of the intending
passengers he refers to, I am not only still' determined
to avail myself of the superior accommodation and com-
fort offered by a steam-boat over a *railway train '

a cheap trip train'

but I rather rejoic

gsoenarsefrroesmpotnhseibslheobreodtyo
thhas e
schhiaprge
Tofhicos; nlv
understand;
be all the London and North-Western Railway Company
have the monopoly of ; and very few intending passen-
idnegrstPaansd,sento-
gers would expect that any and all steam-boa's, sailing
vessels, or boats, great or small, should be allowed to go
alongside the Leviathan to discharge their, cargoes.
While by the arrangement, as advertised by the Com-
pany, they have merely to pay the admission fee on the
pier, and are thus •saved from all extortion or over-
charge. If you can find space in your columns for this
communication, it may tend to remove some misunder-
standing which appears to exist on the subject.—l am,
sir, your obedient servant, -_

AN-OTHER OF THE PUBLIC

LITERATURE