The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-07-19 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE LIVERPOOL ST.I.7VD,IRD.

Sia,—Having observed in the Liverpool Times, of the 12th
instant, a paragraph (and which I subjoin) entitled a case of
seaman's wages," and which asserted that I, in the John
Walker, on a voyage from New Orleans to Liverpool, put my
crew on a short allowance of provisions, on account of which
they refused to do any duty for forty-eight bouri. Now, sir,
I will merely state what that allowance was, and which was not
disputed by the seamen themselves in court, and appeal to the
public whether or not it could be called u.short one-:—Tbey had,
daily, of beef, 11,1 b. or lith. of pork; bread and water, unli-
mited; pease awl barley, unlimited; tea and sugar or coffee
and mocasses, night and morning, also unlimited; flour once
a-week, also an unlimited quantity; and a glass of spirits
daily; which was proved by a naval gentleman in court to be
fifty per cent. more than that allowed in his majesty's navy.
I have now been about twenty years at sea, (eleven Of which
as master.) and have never yet had provisions of .a better
quality, although at all times accustomed to lay in the best,
and which were open for inspection, as there is still on board at
leastaa ton of bread and a sufficiency of beef and pork to carry
the vessel nut again to America.
Now, sir, my motive for not paying these men was, their
tinous conduct during the passage, after I was obliged, for the
safety of all entrusted to me, to comply with their demands of
an additional quantity of beef and pork, as will appear from my
paying the other half of them upon arrival, who conducted
themselves with prudence and propriety, although also guilty.
of the first offence; but, not bein allowed to bring before the
court, having uo attorney, led to that, letter against which was
animadverted in so strong terms, and by which I only wished
to have their conduct more fully enquired into ere 1 laid it be-
fore the public, being so unacquainted with the rules of court
as to think it unnecessary to employ an attorney, and which
Mr. Hall himself declared, on a final hearing of the case on
Thursday last, would have been of vital importance in en
earlier stage; it was also stated that the mate, when asked
whether he thought the allowance sufficient, replied, " .1 think
not," and afterwards that it was sufficient for him, Now, sir,'
I recollect that the manner in which that evidence was given
not a little astonished the court; he swore that he had never
been on an allowance before. Now, from the day the ship left
Liverpool, he himself was in the habit of serving out the self-
same quantity until the time you state, and I never yet once
heard a complaint about its insufficiency. I ant aware that the
motives which actuated him in giving his prevaricating and un-
decisive evidence were mistaken by the magistrate, as he was
a witness of mine ; yet he, nevertheless, stated that all the pro.
visions were of the best quality. But, could he have brought
forward one clause to my prejudice, lam confident it would
not have been withheld; but little short of such circumstances
must happen when a captain is situated with such officers, who
are first to set an example of intemperance and other mis-
conduct.

I have dwelt much lcuiger than I intended on the subject,.but
I am convinced the affair has been viewed in a wrong light. and
am sorry that such an example is thus set forth, holding out, as
it were, a bounty to disobedience.

Had my conduct to these men at any time been revere, (anal
I have not shrunk from the strictest. scrutiny,) I :night have
supposed that a reason for your taking such notice of the case ;
hut they had what we term watch. and watch, or, in other
words, were only required to be on deck twelve hours in the
twenty-four; but I wished to make the passage as quick as
possible, and their interests were the contrary, being shipped
at New Orleans at an exhorbitant rate of wages per month—
and there lay the grounds of contention. I uiav also remark,
for the information of captains and shipowners in general.
that these men, having absolutely refused all duty, -for, three
days and nights, (not merely forty-eight hours,) and otherwise
conducted themselves in a most mutinous and insolent manner,
leaving the ship in a state of distress by refusing to take in,
sail, all of which is stated in the mate's log-book, were awarded
their wages in full, and from which decision there is no appeal;
so that now, when a captain cannot but by mere firma, force
assert his supremacy, forbearance is of no avail, as I think the
present case sufficiently proves.
SurelY this cannot be the meaning of the sth and 6th Witirmn
IV.-I am, &c., WILLIAM BLACK.

SEAMAN'S WAGES.—ON SattirdaV, at the Police-office, Mr.
Hall gave his decision in the case of Captain Black, of the John
Walker, who had been summoned by James Dermock, for
£2. 10s. wages due for a voyage from New Orleans to this port.
The amount of wages was admitted to be correct, but the cap-
tain refused to pav on the ground of the seaman having forfeited
all claim to wage; by reason of his having, with the rest of the
Crew of the vessel, disobeyed orders, and refused to work the ship
for 48 hours. Several of the crew, in answer to this statement,
deposed that the captain, ‘N hen they had been five days at sea,_
put them on short allowance, and he the mate, who was called
to prove the captain's case, in answer to the question put by Mr.
Hall—" Do you think the men had sufficient provisions ? said,
" No, I think not." Under these circumstances Mr. 11 411 was
of opinion that the charge against the crew could not be sus-
tained, as it had been held in the courts above, that in the event
of a captain not providing a sufficient quantity of provisions for
the crew of his vessel, and they in consequence of it refused to
work, at the conclusion the voyage they could not be pro-
ceeded against for the forfeiture of their wages. Ile therefore
awarded the complainant to he paid his wages in full. Prior
to giving this decision Mr. Hall animadverted in strong let ms
upon the fact of a letter having been sent to him on -the previ-
ous afternoon from the captain, giving his version of the •case.
The captain must have had an extraordinary idea of justice, if
he imagined that a magistrate was to be trifled uith out of court,
and, in the next place, the threat that, iu the event of his de-
ciding in favour of the seaman, to report his (Mr. Hall's) - con-,
duct to the Association of Merchants. was highly improper.' He.
had Yet to learn that a magistrate was in any way responsible
,
to any body of merchants, and he must say the conteuts of the
letter were most insolent, and argued but little of the knowledge'
of decorum on the part of the writer.