The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-01-20

JAMES GORDON BENNETT, ESQ -
My DEAR SRA great deal has been, and is
being said, in and out of Congress, relative to the
proprety of having q cat on board our national
vessels, as well as our merchant vessels; or, in
other words, whether the uae Of the cato mine
tails is good for the wholesome condition Of dis
cipline. The gallant Commodore Stockton advo-
Gated, in long speech, in his place. as Senator of
the United Statee, its continued humiliation
is, it {, oud not, with his voice agd influence, be
stored Commodore Stockton says he has seen
much service r every ocean aud cline, while be-
longing to the navy, and yet no Is principled
against the Fiction of corporeal punishment as a
means Of enforcing discipline in the navy Commo-
dore Stockton is bold, fearless gallant man, and
the navy in losing BIN from among its members,
has parted with bright and shining star. But it
Is much TO he doubted II the penetrating and active
character ii such a. man, enc too, who has served
so long as Commodore Stockton in the service of
lis country has never observed, during his glorious
career, many il stances wherein the cat nine tails
has proved d salutaIy advantage to the culpt re-
cirent, ard hence served as en- example to others
Near Thirty years Of my life has been passed in
association with the navy; one third OF this time
passed on board men ofwar on distant station.
My experience therefore, brings me decidedly to the
opinion that punishment with he cat, cannot be
dispensed with entirely and discipline preserved.
On beard of almost every ship there are found
worthless, skulking vagabonds, who are perfectly
beg ond any moral euasion, other than that which
en- board Of every ship before the passage Of the
law abrogatirg its infection was passed, but, since
ts passage they have increased ten fold in number,
ara have assumed ten times moro indifference, and
have no hesitation in saying to an officer, on ra-
ceiving an order, "you dare not 6og me-" Such
incorrgibe insubor dinate characters, am infavor
OF having severely punished. | am opposed to in.
discriminate corqoreal chastisement, nor would
leave it to tho judgment OF any one man TO say,
what the punishment should be, lot the rank Of the
officer be ever SO high. This ndiscrmnate inlic-
ton of the lash have often witnessed, and that
too when wholly undescrved. In the first five years
of my service, have seen the men called down
from the tops, and from of the yards, and hogged,
each q dozen and sometimes more, for an offence
committed by some unknown delinquent | have
seen officer order daily chair to be placed upon
the berth deck before breakfast for his convenience
and there order every man within sight to stand up
andreceive punishment with the "colt," without in
many In stances, any cause whatever. The conse-
quence was, the ship was in frat rate discipline, and
hadthe enviabe cognomen ofbeing the crack ship of
the navy, Or the squadron to which she belonged
There are many officers nov in the navy, and
"crack' officers they are too, to whom these facts
are well known ! would by NO means have you to
III derstand, that he who is giving you this infor
nation possesses any more of the milk of human
kindness, than any other officer connected in any
manner with the navy; on the contrary, ! was
brought up in strict, rigid, naval school, so far as
education with the "cat' goes and have been the
means of it's use as much many who are now the
advocates for its use. | do most sincerely hope it
will be restored, but governed and restricted in
such judcious manner as to be of service, instead
OF curse--as have too often been an eyewitness
to its abuse. would, therefore, Mr.. Editor, sug-
gest the propriety Of establishing or authorizing
trial by what is termed in the army, "Drum heal
courts martial" This court shouli be compose
exclusively Of non.combatants, class Of officer
supposed to be highly educated and sensible men,
ana from the nature Of their duties entirely dis
tinct from any cooperation with the crew, and
therefore, well suited to sit in judg nent upon any
case requiring an impartial hearing court thus
constituted excludes oil 'oicers Of the line" or, in
otk or words captains, lieutenants, passed mid hip
men, and midshipmen who are, more or less, in &C.
4 iual contact with the crew. On board frgate
there are usually one surgeon, one purser, chap
lain, two assistant surgeons, one captains clerk,
and If she be n flag ship, a secretary. Vessels of
smaller class have these officers in proportion to her
size. Osber punishments, Of minor nature than
the lash, of COURSE invariably exists on boardshp;
in all cases where, in the opinion Of the Captain
o. the chip, after proper and personal investga
ticn, he deems the offence one worthy of a severer
punishment than he has power to iniict, il be re-
ported TO the highest authority present; il in the
jurisdiction Of the United States to tho Secretary
81 the Navy; If in a squadron, to the Commander
in.Chiei or should the ship be separated and acting
sirgy, ana delay prove prejudoial TO the wellbeng
u the service, then the Captain snail act, and or
Ger court composed Of officers az above eaumerat-
a.. u may perhaps, 90 argued by such as arc IN
favor Of an unrestricted restoration Of the lash as
formerly, tho mmacdcability Of constiuiiu, n
court apOn TIE basis as here presented in conse
auorce OF the few in number Of non.combatants on
/ beard ship. Il this should prove to be the case
Why not increase both the corps Of Pursors and Sur
i eeors-thc augmentations of these corrs have tor
lorg time been needed, and, believe, fro luertly
\ e.hcd for-if an Assistant Purser and additional
Assistant Surgeon be added TO each vessel, from u
/ sioopoiwar UP to feigate, there could be no ob.
\ lection to the measure; any method whereby har-
mopy, good feeling, contentment Of mind could be
| produced among the officers and with the crew.
will be acceptable, which, however, never can be
Elected without the proper and judicial aid Of the
cat ofnine.tails. X.