New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-08-25
From Chambers's Edinburg Review.
GOSSIP ABOUT SEAMEN.
BY A NAVAL OFFICER.

No men, in my opinion, are less selfish than
our seamen, or more true to their word When
[ commanded the Rifemen, we generally rehtted
at Malta, and we're ready for sea before we OBJ
tanned our pratique SO that when the yellow
flag came down | used to give two OF three days
leave to every one that wished to go on shore.
There we're always sufficient number willing
to remain to take care Of the brig. We once
came out of the quarantine harbor on Saturday,
when, on hearing from the senior officer that our
services would not be required for week, per-
| mitted every one to go on shore. The following
morning, important dispatches arrived. and
| there was no vessel to take them on the Admiral
but the Riheman. The senior officers said; $
know your men are on leave two days; when
do you think you could get them together =,
ssThis night, replied; Sc but should not
like to sail till morning" He expressed sur
prise at my thinking could assemble the peo-
pie so quickly.
'If you could but do it,s said he. :. But sit
possible 2 u
"My men, SIR replied, ss have never yet
failed me They. know that never ask Tor M eS- eS
ertion or self denial but when the good of the
service requires it." I went on board and told
the truth to the men who were not on leave,
and hunt out their messmates, about eighty
seamen and marines, and get them on board BY
sun set AT eight in the evening. oil but six
; had returned. and these sent me the following
laconic message: TELL the captain he knows
. he can depend on our word. We will be on
board in the morning before the brig is out Of
the harbor'' They came on board just as we
+ were ready to go out.
r When / was first Lieutenant Of the Queen
9 Charlotte, on oGr voyage to Algiers, we had on
! board two smuggle1s, class | nave Always
a fund 10 he fine stout men and good sailors. In
those days smugglers were sentenced as puhish
d ment to serve certain number OF years IN ths
!, navy, and the orders were to put them In irons
9 every night when the ship was at anchor. l
. proposed however, to Sir james Brlsoana 70 pue
Il these men on their honor, and to treat them iike
d the others He did so, and promised that II
e they behaved well he would endeavor to procnre 9
n remission of their sentence; and thlss IN 1aSt;
e was the result, for their conduct was SO gooo
d that the remainder of their sentence was re-
'e mitted on the return Of the Queen Charlotte
to Portsmouth.
II During this same voyage, two London thieves
70 were discovered in the ship, with all their I'M
IS plements, dark lanterns, land skeleton keys ETC.
Of They were put into irons previous to thelr pe-
sr ing punished, and so continued, until the DOM
e. bardment of Algiers commenced, when some
h, good -natured person released them, ana tns m
a. rogues ran to their guns and fought IKE honss'
n men After the general thanksgiving for the
success of our enterprise there was general mus
m ter on the quarter deck the officers on one slue
r. and the ship company on the other, with the
be two thieves between them. Lord Exmouth ad-
cir dressed the crew in the following words "Ihese
Die two London thieves proposed 10 try py cour
martial, and they were therefore put INTO irons
nd It was not my intention to permit them to fight
I'D along with honest men, will not inquire how
es. they got out Of their irons and reached then
se guns They did so: and now you, my lads
zen Shall decide their fate. / will try them by
ht court martial, as proposed to, or send them e
at India in the Minden, just as you decide . Don
st, disgrace us, SIR was the prompt and genera
,rs reply "Send them to India and to India
ht they went in the Minden, ticketed as they de
ok, served.
cir When the action of Algiers was over, the bes
ap- artist could not have done justice TO the seen
we we're leaving behind us. The nine Algerin
q ia ships and the storehouses were still one mas
i, If of flames, and the Mole, and that part OF tn
are town nearest to it, were as light as the mos
en-. splendid ball room; while over the dark gree
: II hills behind and above the town, heavy thun
has der storm was advancing, forked lightning ren
aro orc dering the darkness beyond awful. The storn
Axe burst upon us Just as we had anchored, abou
obs nine o'clock, anu had gone to our supper
bread end cheese,