Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-02-07
Tno ola Fronch Galley.

A French Protestant, Whoi on account
of his religion, served ten years In the
galleys at Dunkrk, and was finally re-
leased at the instance Of Queen Anne,
of England, wrote an account OF his
servitude (l70O to l7lO), and of galley
slavery in general From this old vol
ume we learn that an ordinary galley
was about $50 feet long and 40
wide. She was provided with masts and
sails and fifty rowers' benches, twenty
FIVE on each side, and was armed with
FIVE cannon, all of which were placed in
the forward part of the galley. The
oars were fifty feet long, thirty,seven
feet without and thirteen feet within the
galley. Between the benches was pas.
sage three feet wide. The handling of
the oars was very hard work. Each
rover stood with one foot ON his own
bench and the other on the bench before
him, then he reached as far forward as
possible, raising his oar and dipping it
in the water, then he leaned back, with
his feet braced, until he came down on
his own bench. If these movements
were not made with regularity, the
rowers were in danger of hitting their
heads on the oars before them. The mar
rator says that this labor was sometimes
exacted for ,twenty-four consecutive
hours, which, however, seems too
much for human endurance. At
such times" he says, " a piece of
bread soaked in wine was, at intervals,
put into their mouths. If any one of
the rowers gave out, he was beaten as
long as there was any signs Of life in
him, and then, without further ceremony,
he was thrown overheard. Their daily
fare consisted of bread and beans; their
dress of q shirt, breeches, red stockings,
and cap, anu blouse, all Of the coars-
est material. So long as the galley was
under way no one was allowed to sleep /;
if she lay at anchor or in a harbor, the
rowers crouched down between their
benches and slept In winter, when the
galley was dismantled, their only bed
was a board. At this season Of the year
they we're variously employed, and new
er allowed to be idle lfany one OF note
visited the galleys, the convcts were put
through a series of maneuvers as hu-
initiating as they we're ridiculous.
" At the first sound of the whistle-a
whistle was not used in commanding
them as the trumpet is in commanding
dragoons-they all laid aside their caps,
at the second their blouses, at the third
their shirts, when they were ready for
the farce to begin. At given signal,
they now lay down between their benches
so that no one could be seen; then, at
given signals, they showed, first finger
above the benches, then an arm, then
the head, and so on, until they stood
each in his place, when they were put
through variety Of maneuvers, better
calculated to disgust than to amuse the
spectator.
1.-THE punishment usually inflicted
was the bastinado. The unfortunate,
after being stripped to the waist, was
made to lie fat down, while two galley
slaves held his hands and two his feet,
and another laid on the blows. This
latter was also stripped, and behind him
stood the captain also with bastinado
in his hand, which he used on the execu-
tor if he showed any disposition to spare
the criminal. After the tenth or twelfth
blow the culprit was almost speechless
end motionless; still the punishment was
continued. From twenty to thirty blows
was the usull sentence for trifiDg Of
lenses. The maximum number was one
hundred; this punishment, however, few
survived. For exceptional offenses the
criminal was sentenced to have his feet
bound to two different vessels, which
we're then put in motion in opposite di-
rections, and he was torn in pieces.