The daily morning journal and courier., 1905-06-03
WOES OF THE GALLEY SLAVES.

Terrible Hardships That Were Endured ,.rBy These Unfortunate Captives in
 Years By. >.~ ...
 .The galleys of Louis XIV were the last of European vessels where Christians were employed as slaves" says E. Shippen, in ''The United Service" "The Moorish galleys had Christians as rowers up almost to our own time, and the Maltese held many Turks and Moors to that hard labor, but the French of the Louis Quatorze period chained to the same bench felons who had been reprieved from the galloWs-murderers and robbers and those whose only fault was that they wished to worship God in their own way.
 .The cars of 8, first class galley were about fifty in number, and from 45 to 50 feet long, each being pulled by six men, who sat on deck, placed little obliquely to the keel. These oars were never taken inboard while the galley was at sea. but when not in use were cock billed by depressing the looms and making them fast with a toggle. The large and heavy looms had prips bolted to 1t, so that the slaves could easily grasp them. Along the middle of the deck, between the benches ran fore and aft raised bench or walk, called the scourisier,' upon which an officer called the 'comite' walked back and forth, armed with a long whip, with which he enforced silence and stimu- lated the slaves to the utmost exertion at the car.
 tsWhile the galley were in service the slaves were never allowed to leave their benches, to which they were chained, eating and sleeping in the exact place where they toiled at the oar. In very rainy or cold weather an awning was tented over the galley and stopped to the gunwals. This was generally gayly striped Victor Hugo somewhere says that the galleys of Louis XIV answered the same purposes as the steamers of our day: and indeed a first class gall 5 ley. going at steamer speed over the smooth blue Mediterranean, gayly painted, with gilt carving, streaming pendants, trumpets sounding and armored soldiers, at their posts, must ! nave been d DGduLllul SiSllt Lo IihUSG who could close their eyes to the wretched emaciated creatures who toiled at the oars.
 Each of the rowers' benches was ten or twelve feet long, covered with coarse sacking or baize, and extending from the coursier' to the side. To each bench six slaves were chained by a ring about the ankle. There was 8 footboard or stretcher for keeping their feet out of the water; seas were taken on board. AS has been said, the oars were about fifty feet long, balanced so that thirteen feet of their length was inboard and thirty-seven out. The 'comite, or boatswain, had his post aft, near the captain, while his mates. or sous-comites, were on the .coursier armed with long and heavy whips When the captain gave the or der to move, the boatswain used his silver whistle or 'call,' which was re- peated by his mates, and the slaves gave way together, the fifty oars ris- ing and falling like one machine. They ceased pulling at the same signal, and great precision was absolutely neces- sary to prevent the slaves of the next bench being struck by the loom of the heavy oar.
 ''The labor of a galley slave--the most fatiguing possible-has passed in- to a proVerb. Six naked men (for they