The Sun.
London, England, 1840-03-16 00:00:00

EVENING EDITION.

MANNING OF THE NAVY.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.
MR• EDITOR,—Much praise is due to you for
again bringing forward that interesting and most diffi-
cult question, the manning of our Navy; and had you
done equal justice to all parties, you would have
deserved even more thanks; but you accuse the
officers and the cat-and-nine-tails as the causes of

the merchant seamen being unwilling to enter the
Royal Navy. Pardon me if I say a more unjust
accusation, or more unfounded reason, could ncr
have been assigned, which I hope you will ac-
knowledge when I point out to you that every able
seaman, in either service, is fully aware, that with-
out the utmost vigilance on the part of the officers,
and the fear of SUMMARY punishment, drunken-
ness, rioting, robbery, and even murder, would be
an every-day business ;to prevent which, and to
enable the good deserving seaman to (13 his duty
and live in comfort, this exercise of discipline is
absolutely necessary and unavoidable—the only
duty the captain of the ship feels a desire to avoid ;
and nothing but perfect conviction of the necessity,
and a proper sense of the duty he owes his country,
and the character and safety of the ship entrusted
to boldly
Care, could oblige him so to do. I will
assert, as a positive fact, that there were not
ten captains of the Navy in the late wars, of one
thousand sail of pendants, who would not sooner
have gone alongside an enemy of superior force,
an have gone to the gangway to punish. I have
felt it so myself, and, when a junior officer, I could
make oath of the same for those captains I served
under. The principal punishments in the Navy
are caused by complaints from the seamen, and, if
not attended to, occasion
great discontent. Nor is
the
at all extraordinary,
when so large a portion of
e crews were from the different gaols in the king-
dom'h and who were as ready to commit all sorts of
crimes as before ; add to this the small space so
many violent tempers had to move in, as well as
b absolute necessity that each individual should
e ready to meet the enemy, or save the ship in
o•tnents
ety, att on of danger--daily occurrences—when so-
ention to duty, and implicit obedience,
were
imperative. The reason merchant seamen do
not Prefer the Royal Navy, is the long confine-
ment, restraint, parade, and strict discipline—all
unavoidable. I..'n board a merchant vessel he goes
his voyage, returns, goes on shore, spends his
f"-a„neY, makes choice of another ship, at liberty to
°"°w his inclinations ; if his captain and he do not
agree, he quits for another, and so on. Could this
Possibly be allowed on hoard a ship of war? Even
hu will say impossible. Much has been said of
e
American frigates and our seamen ; recollect,

" Was nearly at' the close of a war of five-and-
twenty years. The men were exhausted by hard,
monotonous service, constant and harassing block-
ades, and not a chance of prizes—no ships to be
met with but British and neutrals. They felt
change necessary ; but put those half-dozen Ame-
r:Can frigates in the in-shore squadron off Brest, for
three months blockading the enemy—let them re-
turn home and refit to again resume the same
station --- how many volunteers would they
et for their second trip ? Not one. Yet
ittse seamen were thus occasionally ern-
t?Yed in our service for that space of
tine---twenty-five years. Your Correspondent, the
Gallant Admiral well knows that, had his comple-
ment been complete with prime seamen, he stood
,t2° chance of capturing his opponent ; but, could
he have changed ships, with his short complement
°t men, he would have made perfectly sure of
!ringing the enemy to an English port. The man
7110 can point out encouragement sufficient to in-
duce the merchant seamen to enter the Royal Navy
deserve the highest praise and most unbounded
thanks of his country. Until then, I fear, we
must class them with the militia ; and, as their
home is on the seas, the same portion of service in
defence of their country will be required.