Morning journal and courier., 1882-11-20
RemSniscences the i'd Navy. ECn1n rlndnre Phainn h tha IIni*.d .la.xi as

lOo--A-NNN"A
 Forty years ago wherever boat was called
 away the officer was aln ost invariably charg
 ed to keep the men in the boat and unds1
 no circumstances to let them have grog."
 Any violation of this mandate resulted in all
 abusive reprimand, to which was frequently
 added one or more months "quarantine " or
 else suspension from duty, while rigid ad
 herence produced anger, hatred and contempt
 on the part of the crew, together with de sertlon whenever the men could find an op portunlty to jump and run ;'' in which case
 the unfortunate midshipnan would be sound ly rated by the officer of the deck, the first lieutenant, and by the captain in most accomplished blackguard manner, and prob- ably suspended or quarantined from one to
 three months, and afterwards hazed through out the cruise. It was by no means a rare occurrence for boy of IA or 15 years ot age, just from home and ignorant of both men and the service to be sent in charg. of boat manned by from to 16 desperate men of the worst type, some ot them assassins and convicts, to wait hours at a city landing for captain or commissioned officers until 1t suited his or their pleasure to go on board. I have known boats to waii thus from p. m. till or o'clock in the morning, with the crew in mutinous state chafpg at the very idea of being controlled by 8 "greenhorn who had never seen ban yan day in the service, ard didn't know his head from 8 shotgun" cursing and damnine u
 in town, and, worst of all, for being deprived Of glass of grog, using every device at their command to elude the midshipman's vigil ancs and desert, when probably they would have been quiet as lambs had 8 reasonable amount of liquor beel allowed them, which the poor ''reefec' dared not grant, nfeferrine to risk his life rather than disobey foolisL order and incur the odious abuse and unjust punishnent sure to follow. Another species of an abomlnable, outrageous duty to which the young gentlemen were subjected in the old days has, thank fortune, passe q away, trust, forever, viz, sending midship men for liberty men. No one wbo has not experienced this service can conceive of the disgusting horror endured by young officers in it's performance. Conceive @ lad scarcely | in his teens, fresh from the pure influences of home and 8 mothers watchful care, ren- dered conspicuous by uniform and 8 sword hanging at his side, searching for drunken reckless men in all the low dens and slums of a large city, forcing his way into tho viles, ! haunts eff the most dissolute and abandoned ! Of human beings, opposed by the lowest anc | hlthlest of both sexes, and overwhelmed b, | torrents of the most beastly obscenity that ] ever greeted mortal ears, risking his life | with these infuriated demons. and for what ! l To insure an early return of intoxicated mel l on board, when a few dollars of their pay | distributed among the police would have ac compllshed the object; and failing to bring | eiAohA Oi AuiiOuS pIiulduu WAS SuTc u meet him, and probably from one to three
 months confinement, and taunted with being
 "a worthless hound, not worth bis salts l | have known midshipman to be ''quaran
 tined'' three months for not being on board
 at sunset when the boat bringing him off was
 only three lengths away at the. moment oi
 hauling the colors down, the permission Of
 granting him leave requiring him ito be on ! board at sunset" Such were some of tn. 1 duties of 8 midshipman 40 years ago; perse
 outed by those above and hated by all below
 him, veritable Ishmaelite was hs-''his hand against every man and every mans hano
 against him." taxing his brain to '.get even
 with his enemies, and in the long run he gen I erally succeeded. In this condition he exist
 ed until examination for advancement \ surprised him, when, like a snake in his sea
 son leaving his skin behind him, he stepped
 forth into the world new mana transition
 as novel as it was astonishing to buoyan
 nature suddenly released from the effects O. l an oppression which six years endurance hae
 almost established as a second nature.