Year: 1864

careful discrimination, lest the unworthy
gain the honorable distinction, and the
value of the certificate becomes depreci-
ated, as we have seen in the case of the
present honorable discharge" The
commanding officer must necessarily re-
fer, in a measure, to the opinion of the
first lieutenant, and the latter cannot
consistently rely upon his memory. He
should keep a " conduct book" to which
he may refer at all times with confidence,
or,-which is of equal importance-he
may turn over his relief, should he be
exchanged before the expiration of the
cruise. But whether the good conduct
certificate be issued or not, the conduct
book is essential to the thorough carry
ing out of the duties ofexecutive officers,
and, advising all young and inexperienced
officers to adopt it, their attention is COM
mended to the following remarks by the
late Captain Boyd, R. NJ:


"For the purposes of drill, the watch
and station bill may be sufficient but II
conduct book, alphabetically arranged
and judiciously kept, is almost the only
source from which can be derived cor
rect estimate of individual character. 1t
would relieve the first lieutenant from
much uncertainty, and perhaps injustice,
if as much OF a seaman's history, occu-
patton, antecedents, capacity and con-
duct, as could be collected from his certi-
ticates, &C., together with true record
of his behavior-good and bad-while at
tached to the ship, were entered opposite
his name. Cases will arise in which
are involved not only the granting
or withholding of indulgence, Uut the
issue of those certificates on which much
of a mans prospects depend and it cam
not but be great relief to u conscien-
tious officer to have before him body of
reliable records, from which he may in
Ter the probability Of case perplexed by
the conflict or insnfficiency of evidence.
Bound as the first lieutenant is to lay be-
fore his captain the grounds on which he
may arrive at just decision, it is OF
great moment that he should have the
means of collecting the general tenor of
a mans life with the particular offence
charged against him. 1t is true the Of
fence may be in direct discord with ante
cedents, but still, when testimony is con-
Trajectory, inconclusive or equivocal, he
cannot 60 much astray it he cast tie en-
tries of the conduct book into the scale
and conclude accordingly. For all these
uses the conduct book Is too important
registerto be entrusted entirely to the care
ofa deputy. Its value consists ill its thor
ough honesty, discrimination and impair
tiality, and II marked invariably with
these features, would be felt by the crew
to be infallible. The master-at-arms may
be an upright man, but he is not far re-
moved from the men themselves. He
gets his leave in turn with the ships
company he has his likings and disnk-
ings hls tavorites and fancies. His sense
of right and wrong may be blunt and
dull, or wafped-unknown to himself
by minor considerations his estimate of
character may be based ON an undue
value for some qualities, and as undue a
OF others his prejudices
may he more powerful than hisJudgment,
and his temper may be Of that stern ma
ture which makes no allowance for extra
ordinary circumstances. All this may
contribute to render the conduct book
kept by him a very imperfect, it not un-
far, picture of the morale Of seaman
In the hands of the first lieutenant the
case is different. From position, educa-