The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-08-17
French Galley slaves.

given an Interesting but perhaps exa~serstsd -.
count o. the Ealeys Of France dnrins The reign 81
I.oes NV, who was wont 10 punish his protss.
ssnt suejecss BY compelling them to toll ia ths
gs'ieys. The galleys were long, shallow. Gaf.
aecked vessels, With two mAsss, seldom able %
use their broad fan sails except In Hue weather.
iners were nse slaves TO every oar, and In ali
.nsee hundred slaves. The top lawyers, or upper
eng rowsrs, were generally shaven Turks, who
were thus allotted the most laborious place In the
vessel. TO keep down these three hundred des.
Pera!e eondsnsn, each galley had crew Of ono
nandred and ATTY men, Including officers, soldiers,
seamen and servants. The officers had places of
shelter from the Ssather. but the only protee ton
Afforded the rest consfsted Of sort of tent OF AVN.
ing suspendsd By . cable slung from stsns to
s.e1n. Even tnis was removed on the appearance
dangerous overweight for the boat. Consequently :
sns slaves were often exposed to severe weather.
The slaves yearly allowance for clothes was two
coarse cassas shirts, and little red serge jerkfn
Every thTes ysars they recsiye coarse frock And
lor tnsir shaved heads little red PhYrgian cap.
siHiiar 70 that which the revolution afterwards
rsndsfed no terrible. Sick or we'll, their only bed
was board foot and . half broad
Tha fatigue Of lifting the great oars Of A salley
was excessive. The slavs rose to draw his stroke
and then fall back with humping jerk that would
have aseonished our amateur boatmen. In all sea-
sons, not or cold, the psrspirasion tickled down
the'r harrassed limbs; and when they began to
grow faint and dag, one Of the comites or boats-
| swains rau down the auebosrd vbieh ic,arsac,aa
the ship, to find OUT the rascal who Ala MT am
touch and time with ths rest Weak or law dr;nr
or worn out, they did NOT care-he m;ybs -
eapless boy, be might be decrepid old man
down came on his shoulders tbe centurion. rod
which Was 90 long generally that the tvo or ttras
est rowers also felt the blow, which left
and letters on every back on which il fell To snn
port these hardsbips, the slaves received every
morning portion Of good biscuit. and at ten a
porridge OF hot water soup, with some rancid oil
musty peas and beans floating ON ton When an
duty they had two-thirds of q pint of wine. morn
ing and evening. When in port, those who had
money were allowed TO bay meat
put to sea- aud such slaves 40 had trades ed at
them, while those who had none were tanyht tn
knit coarse stock kings the conites annnlvng than,
with yarn aud paying them half the regulae nrice
for their labor.
Such life of to,, ;mrr;.onnan, ga h.a s,o.
there was A contractad ho.pitaI in a cio.o not
some, dark corner of the oaliev,s hoia tn uhich
light and air came onIy,by miserabIe scuttie. two
teet souare A. Aach IA ~ .h;s rn M ~
fold in which the sick we're throvn ~i,hon, hsd
or pallets When the scafhid grew falI the s,aye.
were laid out on the cables sometimes as many as
eighty at once. stencil and pestiIenca ra;gn;nc
supreme, aud adding TO their di,cumfort The
captains who went into this dem Of death vrora a
frock to protect their clothes from the vermin In
this dreadful hole there was onv three feet snaca
bet cen the scaffold and the ceiling and the con-
lessor had to lie down beside the diving men to
listen to their confessions The MACE Was so hor.
rble that the sick preferred 10 die stranno at the
oar rather than come in contact with it's fouIness
There was o surgeon to attend to the unf,rtunate
creatures but his skill was powerless against tina
effects of their dreadful treatment Tia hast of
drugs too, were furnished by the xoyernmsnt .but
they were kept as perauisites by the surgeons
The steward also proved upon the unfortnuate