Comment on punishment in the Navy, — Punishment in Queen Elizabeth's time,— Capt. Stockton on the subject, — Present condition of sailors, — Remarks on sea-captains, — They are often swindled, — Return to my narrative, — Become a member of the Methodist church, — Strange opinion of pious men, — Unexpected caution, — Conclude to build a house, — Curious manoeuvre,— An old miser, — Vigilance committee, — Obtain a lot, — Sickness and death of the miser, — Small business, — Agree with a brother to build a house,— Caution, — Deceived, — Break off with him, — Pay him off. Before I take leave of the naval service, I wish to indulge in a few remarks on flogging in the Navy, and of the general character of sailors.
I have had occasion several times to mention the witnessing of this brutal punishment, and to repeat the sentiments which I have previously advanced on this subject. Nothing can be more revolting to anything like a sensitive mind, than to see a man tied up, and his back cut into strips; the skin peeling from the flesh, thus leaving it a mass of clotted blood. I have been told by seamen who have spent nearly their whole lives on board a man-of-war, both in the English and American Navy, that the punishments are more frequent and much more severe in the latter than in the former. This, however, we can give as much credit to as we please. But I remember while lying at Callao in company with the Hyperion, English frigate, and at one time were quite near her, I observed every morning just after daylight, the upper end of a number of muskets peering over the hammock cloth, and moving fore and aft, or backwards and forward.
One day when one of their boats was along-side our ship, I asked one of the boat's crew what the reason was of their having so many marines on post in the gangway. The fellow looked up to me from the boat, and rolling his quid over, in a good-natured manner, replied: " Them was fellers as missed their muster. The old man, (Capt. Searle,) don't allow any flogging onboard our ship, but what he does himself." These muskets are all filled up with leaden bullets, chock up to the top, and they are obliged to carry them the whole watch. The penalty for this with us, in the United States Navy, is a dozen or two with the colt.
Now, whatever may be the opinion of some with regard to the comparison, one thing is most certain, that the latter is the most brutal, and yet in the English Navy in the time of Queen Elizabeth, the usage was dreadfully severe. Punishment of seamen in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. From the Harleian MSS. The executions and capitall punishments I finde to be thus in Queene Elizabeth's tyme aborde her own shippes. If anye one mann killed another, he was to be bownde to the dead man and soe thrown into the sea. If anye one drew a weapon wherewith to stryke his captaine, he was to loose his right hande. If anye one drew a weapon within borde in anye waye of tumult or murder, he was to loose his righte hande.
If anye one pilfered or stole awaye anye goods or monies from anye of his fellowes, he was to be thryse ducked att the boltsprite and then to be dragged at the bote sterne and sett on shoare upon the next land with a lofe of bread and a can of beere. If anye one practysed to steale awaye of her Majesty's shippes, the captaine was to cause him to be hanged by the heeles until his braines were beaten oute against the shippe's sides, and then to be cutt downe and lett fall intoe the sea. If anye one slept in his watche, for the first time, he was to be headed with a bucket of water: for the second time, he was to be haled upp by the wrysts, and to have two buckets of water poured intoe his sleeves: for the thirde time, he was to be bounde to the mayne mast with plates of iron, and to have some gunn chambers or a basket of bulletts tied to his armes and soe to remaine at the pleasure of the captaine: for the fourth time, he was to be hanged at the 344: boltsprite, with a can of beere and a biscott of breade and a sharpe knife, and soe to hange and chuse whether he woulde cutt himself downe and fall intoe the sea, or hange still and starve.