Evening star., 1900-11-20
IN THE QUEENS NAVY.
How Its Rulers Administer Justice in
Their Floating Realms.

From the London Mail.
The captain of 4 British man-of-war Is
something of czar aboard his own ship.
He does not possess power of life and death
over his subordinates, but he can make or
mar a man just as he pleases. Warrant
officers and all ranks above can be pun
ished only by court-martial. But in all the
ranks below warrant officer the captain
can promote or degrade men as he thinks
fit
Two tribunals are held daily in a battle
ship At noon the commander deals with
the lighter ofenses, while the more serious
ones are Judged by the captain at evening.
AT the dreaded evening function the cap
tain presides sternly, sitting at table on
the quarter deck with officers around him.
The prisoners stand IN row racing their
judge.
What Is this man charged with?' asks
the captain as culprit No. 1 steps forward
The master-at-armS states the charge
which is that Ordinary Seaman Jones walk
ed when he should have run, and would
mo- mend his pace when ordered TO.
Call the witnesses. commands the
skipper" and the witnesses step forward
and give their evidence
..Well you have heard what the wit
nesses said; what have you to say! asks
the captain. w ,
Jones explains that he didn't hear" or
was goin' to double or something OF the
kind.
The captain considers a moment while
he sizes up appearances as well as testl-
mony. "Wen Is his conclusion, L have
70 double so does everybody else in the
sim and you'll have to do the same. I'm
determined Uhis with very significant en-
phasis) to have everybody in my crew thor
oughly smart at his work. Seven days ~
A." '
There are a number of what are termed
| scale punishments'' laid down by the
admiralty Of these 10 A Is the most irri-
tatlng The man undergoing 1t has to take
his meals under a sentry's supervision.
work while the other men are resting, do
all the dirty work Of the ship and stand for
a couple of hours at a stretch on the quar-
ter deck with his face to the bulwarks
| "Keeping the flies off the paint" Jacks
calls 1t.
The captain may sentence man to four
teen days of this punishment or to ninety
days Imprisonment in cells. Beyond that
term he cannotsgo. But there are an in
finite number Of smaller punishments which
he may nflict for a variety of offenses that
to landsman might seem mere trlnes
Such are being late in turning out or
morning wearing socks not of the regu-
latton pattern and so on. Usually mans
previous character Is considered, and there
is a kind of unwritten first Offenders law,
which carries great weight with most com
manding officers 1t is well for Jack that
It is so, for by depriving man of badges
or disrating him, captain cannot only
seriously decrease the offenders pay while
serving, but also the pension whlch ne looks
forward to as a provision against old age
AS with the men 50 with the officers; to
stand we'll with the captain means every
| thing to them, for the captain has to make
a confidential report concerning everyone
of Them and upon what he says in this
document the officers prospects largely de-
pend.
Doubtless good many people will be sur
pr.sed to learn that corporal punishment
is still administered in the British navy
The "cat'' has been abolished. but canings
and birchings are very frequent. Only boys
young seamen up to eighteen years of
age-are subjected to this form of correc-
| ton. -.se=-sss-.- -. -.
Many people whose opinions Of service
discipline are obtained from occasionally