The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-12-24

Instructions % Merchant Captains.
JAMES GORDON BENNETT, ESQ
Having returned from voyage performed 90
cording to written instruetions," and tho event
proving Improbable to the owners Of the ship, a.
well as unpleasant to myself feel constrained to
ask your permission TO lay before the commercial
public few words ON the subject Of "tying down."
by "letters Of Instructions" masters Of ships
pecialy those of freighting ships In place Of ar
gument to prove the folly, in pscuniary point Of
view, Of "tying up masters of vessels, in whom
owners have confidence, by Instructions will
give two instances in the first Of which, being left
to do the best could, profted by the tying up Of
another by his owners and in the other case where
myself was victim Of " Instructions" with what
effect you will see.
A year or 80 ago, was at Havana with my ship,
seeking freight, which was middling at the time.
The British bark Medora, Captain McNiel, % shrewd
little bluenese,) lay alongside, having arrived ten
days before me. He had engaged freight the day
before my arrival (not being tied up at the time,)
to Cowes, for ORDERS for G3 l0s-a good lay; but
before commencing taking in, he received peremp.
tory instructions from his owners to get freight
for London direct, and on no account to take
freight for orders Captain McN came on board
my Ship and kindly made me the offer Of his freight,
which, / assure you, accepted, not being under
instructions He stated to me fact which ! had
not bad experience enough to have learned, that
from the quality Of the sugar he was as certain ~
he could be Of anything that II was destined even
tually for the London market, but his orders being
Peremptory, he was determined to obey them; that
he knew he would have to wait week or two for .
direct freight and then, perhaps, take E2 or less
which proved to be true, for he only got G2 for
London. / sailed about two weeks before him, lay
at Cowes ten days, was ordered up to London, and,
IN fvod o 9 0ffa n MedOrQ
arrived The difference on the voyage, in . pecu-
MARY point Of view, of the instructed and unin-
structed master, can readily be calculated The
destination Of the freight he had engaged, had to
give it up for the positive certainty Of broken
voyage and discontented owners. Mr.. Editor,
would not such state of things gall you! :.
My orders were, "Proceed to Porto Rico for
freight ut E2 los and per cent; lay four days
after dischargng If molasses can be bought at
$l2, buy and some home if not, proceed to avana,
and advise with j G Burnham Co." Well,
went to Porto Rico. discharged molasses could not
be had less than $l2 IS; could not buy; lay four
days trying for co 10s.; was offered G2 and per
cent, coald not take it, had also good offer for
Instructions Proceeded next to Havana; on ar
rival advised with J G Burnham s. Co. Advice
received was to lay awhile for rise; freight scarce
and dull; lay seven weeks; and finally co. ~ ius
at Cowes lay five days. and was then ordered to
Riga Had a long passage, and could get no return
freight to United States; accepted one to Liverpool
at low rate, (the first suspect ever 50 carried in
an American bottom) On arrival at Liverpool,
found letter at Cannon s. Co.'s for me, from
owners, which to have been despatched to Riga
but hearing of my engagement thence Tor Liverpool
sured me for not waiting at Porto Rico longer as in
week after left freghts rose, Gould not help IT,
had to 90 in four days); laid too long in Havana
(did so by advice OF the house was ordered to ad-
X. s. Arrn nFeArV afr avon
fIeights were active at advance, Gould not help
that, was not there then, and got blowing up for
staying there so long); winding up with that even
if had given $l3 at Porto Rico for molasses, it
would have paid, and ending with giving me Tits
Now see the difference If I had been left to edo
the best could'' on this voyage for my owners, |
should have paid l2 IS formolasses, and this would
have left 81 300 profit on the voyage to New York
Then taken freight for Havana Of what the owners
could get; and after arriving at Havana and dis
charging, would have been the berth for freight,
at just the s'two weeks after left" to take some
Of the active freights at an ADVANCE" and this
1900, and the freight to Havana, would have been
earned while the ship lay iilo at Havana. =.
/ might give you unnumbered instance of the i'll
effects of owners stying up masters Of vessels,
If they have not confidence in them, better dis.
charge them AT once; but If they have, especially
IN free htDg ships, you will SEQ that master is apt
iskept on the tenter hooks all the while; the ship is
doing bad. his owners will grumbe, and he knows
that il is their own fault. and he thus pursues the
voyage disagreeaby; everything goes bad; he gets
crusty, and sometimes surly. and in the ship, as
shore, the "devil's to pay all round" and which
was not nended when, on my return from the voy-
age alluded to- was told that, under the circum-
stances. might have strained the instructions
little, so as so give the $l2 IS for mossses. Very
good, but suppose had, and made bad thing Of
It, what then Yours respectfully,
A CAPTAIN OF FREIGHTING SHIP.
The First Locomotive West rthe Mississippi.