The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1874-02-05
The Old French Galley.


A French Protestant, who, ON ac-
count of his religion, served ten years
IN the galleys at Dunkirk, and was hn-
ally released at the instance of Queen
Anne, OF England, wrote an account OF
his servitude q, 700 TO 1, no, and OF gal
ley-slayery IN general. From this old
volume we learn that an ordinary galley
was about one hundred and fifty feet
long add forty feet 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. Be
tween the benches there was passage
way 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 be-
fore him, then he reached as far for
ward 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 regular
ity, the rowers were in danger of hit
ting their hea s on the oars before
them. The narrator says that this Ia
Dor was sometimes exacted for twenty
four consecutive hours, which, however
seems too much for human endurance.
IS At such times" he says, piece of
bread soaked III 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 ceremo-
ny, he was thrown overheard. Their
| - 50, al - ! L
| their dress, of a shirt, breeches. rel
stockings, and cap, and a blouse, all of
| the coarsest material. So long as the
/ galley was under way, no one was al
lowed to sleep if she lay at anchor or
| In harbor, the rowers crouched down
between their benches and slept. In
winter, when the galley was dismantled,
their only bed was a board. Al this
season of the year, they were varionsly
employed, and never allowed to be idle.
If any one of note visited the galleys,
the convicts were put through a series
of manguvTes as humiliating as they
were ridiculous.
/" At the first sound of the whistle
q whistle was 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 manoeu-
vres, better calculated to disgust than
to amuse the spectator.
"The punishment usually inflicted
was the bastinado. The unfortunate,
after being stripped to the waist, was
made to lie fiat 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 basti-
nado in his hand, which he used on the
executor if he showed any disposition
to spare the criminal After the tenth
or twelfth blow the culprit was almost
speechless and mGtionless, still the pun
ishment was continued. From twenty
to thirty blows was the usual sentence
for triding offenses. The maximum
number was one hundred; this pun
ishment, however, few survived. For
exceptional offenses the criminal was
sentenced to have his feet bound to
two different vessels, which were then
put in motion in opposite directions,
/ and he was torn IN pieces.