The Sun. — 1840-03-16 (London, England)

EVENING EDITION.  MANNING OF THE NAVY.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. MR• EDITOR,—Much praise is due to you for again bringing forward that interesting and most difficult question, the manning of our Navy; and had you done equal justice to all parties, you would have deserved even more thanks; but you accuse the officers and the cat-and-nine-tails as the causes of  the merchant seamen being unwilling to enter the Royal Navy. Pardon me if I say a more unjust accusation, or more unfounded reason, could ncr have been assigned, which I hope you will acknowledge when I point out to you that every able seaman, in either service, is fully aware, that without the utmost vigilance on the part of the officers, and the fear of SUMMARY punishment, drunkenness, rioting, robbery, and even murder, would be an every-day business ;to prevent which, and to enable the good deserving seaman to (13 his duty and live in comfort, this exercise of discipline is absolutely necessary and unavoidable—the only duty the captain of the ship feels a desire to avoid ; and nothing but perfect conviction of the necessity, and a proper sense of the duty he owes his country, and the character and safety of the ship entrusted to boldly Care, could oblige him so to do. I will assert, as a positive fact, that there were not ten captains of the Navy in the late wars, of one thousand sail of pendants, who would not sooner have gone alongside an enemy of superior force, an have gone to the gangway to punish. I have felt it so myself, and, when a junior officer, I could make oath of the same for those captains I served under. The principal punishments in the Navy are caused by complaints from the seamen, and, if not attended to, occasion great discontent. Nor is the at all extraordinary, when so large a portion of e crews were from the different gaols in the kingdom'h and who were as ready to commit all sorts of crimes as before ; add to this the small space so many violent tempers had to move in, as well as b absolute necessity that each individual should e ready to meet the enemy, or save the ship in o•tnents ety, att on of danger--daily occurrences—when soention to duty, and implicit obedience, were imperative. The reason merchant seamen do not Prefer the Royal Navy, is the long confinement, restraint, parade, and strict discipline—all unavoidable. I..'n board a merchant vessel he goes his voyage, returns, goes on shore, spends his f"-a„neY, makes choice of another ship, at liberty to °"°w his inclinations ; if his captain and he do not agree, he quits for another, and so on. Could this Possibly be allowed on hoard a ship of war? Even hu will say impossible. Much has been said of e American frigates and our seamen ; recollect,  " Was nearly at' the close of a war of five-andtwenty years. The men were exhausted by hard, monotonous service, constant and harassing blockades, and not a chance of prizes—no ships to be met with but British and neutrals. They felt change necessary ; but put those half-dozen Amer:Can frigates in the in-shore squadron off Brest, for three months blockading the enemy—let them return home and refit to again resume the same station --- how many volunteers would they et for their second trip ? Not one. Yet ittse seamen were thus occasionally ernt?Yed in our service for that space of tine---twenty-five years. Your Correspondent, the Gallant Admiral well knows that, had his complement been complete with prime seamen, he stood ,t2° chance of capturing his opponent ; but, could he have changed ships, with his short complement °t men, he would have made perfectly sure of !ringing the enemy to an English port. The man 7110 can point out encouragement sufficient to induce the merchant seamen to enter the Royal Navy deserve the highest praise and most unbounded thanks of his country. Until then, I fear, we must class them with the militia ; and, as their home is on the seas, the same portion of service in defence of their country will be required.