"He was nominally the commander, but the authority over the crew would be in some one inferior to himself?—Yes; he could not manage them. I can only account for it by supposing, probably, his father might have been the owner; that his father died, and he, coming to the property, possibly might say I'll be captain,' and as it was his own property nobody could turn him out of it: that he actually did command the ship there is no doubt.

"Is it mainly to the youth and incapacity of the commanders that you attribute these losses?-There is no doubt about it in my mind, having witnessed several hundred instances during the last 18 years."

Further, by the evidence of this highly intelligent witness, it appears that the officers of the East India Company's service are uniformly examined, and that during a period of two centuries there did not occur a single instance of the loss of a ship from bad equipment, want of skill in seamanship, or a deficiency in navigation, and that they did not lose one ship in ten thousand compared to the merchant service. This result he attributes to the efficiency of the officers and men, and the superiority of the ships which was a consequence of their being their own insurers. The house of Daniels and Co. of Mincing Lane, are equally careful in having their captains and mates examined in the various branches of professional knowledge, and during nineteen years they have lost but one ship, and that was in a hurricane. They attribute the safety of their ships to the precautions they take, and though they insure every ship they send out, those precautions procure them no abate. ment in the rate of premium. Cases of loss have also in numerous instances arisen from want of proper charts, chronometers, and other instruments. Many commanders cannot for want of funds purchase these things, and they are tempted to say they have them when they have not. Many captains go without chronometers, and many brought them to Mr. Coleman on the day previous to sailing, and requested to be informed of the use of them. When told that it was impossible to make them comprehend in an hour what would require several weeks of study and attention, the general reply was "Oh, never mind, the passengers will see I have a chronometer on board, which will satisfy them." As an instance of erroneous reckoning, consequent upon this ignorance, Mr. Coleman stated the following facts:

"A gentleman brought his son to me, and requested I would give him my candid opinion whether he was competent to command a ship or not; and I assured him that he was not. I declared, with much earnestness, that, in the first instance, he had not sufficient nautical knowledge or experience for such a serious trust; in the next place that he knew no more about navigation than one of my daughters. His father was exceedingly desirous of putting his son in command notwithstanding. I predicted the result, having frequently assured him that his son would lose the ship if he was trusted with the command of her. And so he did; and, at the same time, eleven or twelve lives were lost with her. It happened on one of the

islands to the eastward of New South Wales, from which he fancied he was 300 miles distant, as afterwards appeared by the reckoning in his journals. He was but eighteen or nineteen, and his father came to me and stated his regret that he had not taken my advice,"

Another instance is given of the commander of a vessel to Bombay who did not know how to take out a logarithm or to use a chronometer. Such commanders frequently take out boys with them to make the necessary calculations. These lads are nurses to the captains and actually navigate the vessels. The captain is entirely dependent upon them, and must succumb to their humours. As for lunar observations, they know nothing whatsoever about them.

Captain E. Brenton, R. N., gives a pleasant account of the captain of a merchant vessel whom he met at sea, who spoke to him and asked him if he could send a man on board to take an observation for him. The request set the whole ship's company in a roar of laughter, and Captain Brenton said, "What has led you to come to sea without a person who could take an observation for you:" the worthy captain replied, "You can have no profits if you do not run no risks.

Such then being the ascertained extent of this monstrous nuisance, is it not surprising that some efforts are not made to remedy its evil consequences, consequences involving the lives of thousands of British subjects. The law will not allow an apothecary to practise until he has given proof of his skill. It requires him to put his knowledge to the compounding of medicines to the test, before it will suffer him to administer them to a patient. But it allows the captains and officers of merchant vessels, to take charge of the lives of a crew of seamen, and as many passengers as their false repesentations and showy advertisements can allure, without troubling itself in the least as to the qualifications of such men to take upon them a trust involving such responsibility. Of the many witnesses who bore testimony to the existence of this evil, there was not one who did not declare in favour of a board of examination for licensing captains and mates in London and the outports. Has any effort been made to carry such a suggestion into effect? Has any effort been made to raise the character of British seamen, by establishing a registry of their services, conduct, qualifications &c. No! like the unreformed government, the system works well and it is impolitic to interfere with the management of private property. Turn we now to the pendant of disasters by ignorance, disasters by drunkenness. This is undoubtedly the greater and more general evil of the two, for even in cases where officers are competeut seamen, they render themselves unfit for the exercise of their knowledge and the discharge of their duties by intemperance. This is the chief cause of disasters at sea,-the great impediment to improving the character of seamen.

The remission of duty on spirits shipped for the use of the crew of merchant vessels, and the practice of distributing allowances of spirits in the navy, tend in a very great degree to foster and encourage the system of intemperance. The practice as pursued in the navy is characterised by Captain Brenton and Sir Edward Codrington as" downright insanity," and to it and it alone, they attribute insubordinations, mutinies, neglects, losses and disasters of every description. With regard to the merchant vessels, whole crews are frequently shipped in a state of beastly intoxication, the vessel being worked out of port by substitutes technically termed "riggers :" many vessels have been run ashore by the mismanagement of these bad deputies of drunken seamen, and even on the voyage the actual strength of the ship's company,-so necessary in cases of emergency-is very much diminished in efficiency by the grogginess of a greater or less number of individuals. Captain Brenton considers spirits far more dangerous than gunpowder,ships frequently taking fire from the drawing off of spirits which are always kept under hold-crews getting access to the spirit casks and becoming intoxicated-to which may be added, contradictory and improper orders from officers, mutiny and insubordination from seamen, a bad look out,-ships running foul of each other, and all the variety of forms of shipwreck.

A pilot whom he took on board at Dungeness, stated to Mr. Purnell, dock-master of Liverpool, that he frequently boarded ships in the Channel, near, or at the pilot stations, and the first sight that attracted his notice was the captain drunk and stretched on the quarter deck, or some other convenient place, and totally unable to command his ship. This statement was further corroborated by a pilot he took in below the Ness.

The statements of this witness with regard to the baneful effects of the use of spirits, and the happy effects attending the temperance plan pursued by the American ships is so valuable, that we cannot refrain from laying a portion of it before our readers.

"Are those details at all in accordance with your experience as to what you have either seen, or known, or heard of vessels sailing to and from Liverpool?—Yes; I believe nine-tenths of all the losses which occur are caused directly or indirectly through intemperance.

"Has this subject attracted very much attention at Liverpool among ship-owners and merchants and captains?—It has ; so much so, that some ship-owners have determined on sending their vessels to sea without ardent spirits on board.

"Have any vessels returned or completed their voyage, having gone out without any spirits on board ?-Several.

"What has been the impression on the minds of the merchants who tried this experiment, whether it was advantageous or otherwise?-That it was advantageous.

"Have you had communication with captains or officers in Liverpool on this point?-I have.

"Did they state that they had experienced any inconvenience from the want of spirits?-On the contrary, they state that all their previous difficulties arose from the use of ardent spirits, and that they are now resolved on an entire disuse of them.

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"In what did the advantages 'strike you as most apparent; was it in the greater efficiency of the men, or in the greater subordination and the greater prevalence of harmony?-All these combined; they are better conducted; there is less risk of life and property when men are temperate and efficient. "Is this system of sailing without spirituous liquors extensively practised by the Americans ?-To a very great extent.

"Have you any idea of the number of ships that sail on what are called temperance principles ?-Some say three-fourths, others nine-tenths of the American vessels are now sailing on temperance principles; I know it is a very rare thing to meet with an American vessel in Liverpool with ardent spirits on board for the use of the officers and crew.

"So general has the practice become in American vessels, that you more frequently find them without spirits than with ?—Yes, it is much

more so.

"In America itself is the opinion prevalent of the superior state of the ships so sailing; have the insurance companies in that country made any difference in respect of vessels sailing without ardent spirits ?—It is the general opinion that the risk is considerably lessened, and consequently the underwriters have taken the subject into their very serious consideration. I am in possession of some facts relating to that point; I find in the Seaman's Magazine,' published in New-York for 1835, it is stated, The subject of temperance among seamen, as the opinion of merchants, ship-owners on this subject was elicited by means of a circular from the New-York State Temperance Society, was recently submitted to the consideration of the Board of Underwriters in the City of New-York, and the following resolution was unanimously adopted: Resolved, That the different marine insurance companies in the city of New-York will allow a deduction of five per cent. on the net premiums which may be taken after this date on all vessels, and on vessels together with their outfits if in whaling and sealing voyages, terminating without loss, provided the master and mate make affidavit, after the termination of the risk, that no ardent spirits had been drunk on board the vessel by the officers and crew during the voyage or term for which the vessel or outfits were insured.'

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You believe that resolution to have been acted on, in the insurance of vessels ?—Yes; shortly after that the Baltimore Insurance Company passed a similar resolution in this form: Resolved, That the Baltimore Insurance Company, in the City of Baltimore, will allow a deduction of five per cent. on the net premium which may be taken after this date, on vessels terminating their voyage without loss, provided the master and mate make affidavit after the termination of the risk, that no ardent spirits had been drunk on board the vessel by the officers and crew during the voyage or term for which the vessel was insured.' The Virginia Marine Insurance Company at Richmond have adopted the same rule, and it is believed that several of the insurance companies in Boston have acted on a similar plan for some years.

"American vessels now frequent the port of Liverpool in much larger proportion to English than in any other port of England ?-They do.

"Speaking generally, what is the estimation in which American ships and American officers are held in Liverpool, as compared with English? -Generally speaking, the ships are esteemed as a class superior in construction and better governed than very many of our English ships, and consequently they have the preference of goods and passengers.

"Are goods shipped in American vessels more readily than in English vessels, supposing the tonnage and the voyage to be the same?—I have heard observations to this effect from American captains, I do not care how many English ships are put up in opposition to me, we only fear each other;' that is to say, they are only afraid of American ships opposing American ships, but are not apprehensive of loss from English ships being put in opposition to them, knowing a preference will be given to them both for passengers and goods.

"Is that consistent with your own experience ?--Yes, I believe it to be perfectly true.

"Do you think the superiority of the American ships, in their nonliability to accidents from fire and wreck, and running foul of each other from the drunkenness of the officers and men, is one of the elements in the consideration of the men who prefer it?—I have no doubt of that, and I feel afraid that our commerce suffers considerably in consequence of it. "Have you heard that assigned as a reason?—I have frequently.

"In point of fact, is the loss of American ships, sailing between America and Liverpool, equal to the loss of English ships?-I think not; it is a very rare occurence; I seldom hear of the loss of an American ship on the coast of England.

Have the Government of America taken any steps to introduce this system of abstinence from spirits in her navy?—They have."

American captains it appears are more sober, steady, and better conducted men than English captains, though it may be that they are not better seamen, although some competent witnesses have held that they are. They hold a higher rank in their country, they are better paid and more respected than the masters of merchant vessels in England, nor is it in their masters alone that the superiority of American ships consists, they have the advantage in construction, equipment, and morality of their crews. The increase in their mercantile marine is estimated as high as 12 per cent. per annum, while the losses are very inconsiderable. A large proportion of the seamen shipped on board these vessels are British, and those invariably the best seamen. This is partly owing to the temptation of higher wages, and partly to the circumstance of American ships requiring more men upon their homeward than on their outward voyage, which causes a regular annual draught of British seamen who generally continue in the American service.

With regard to a registry of seamen, the Shipowners' Association of Liverpool established an office to effect one that would give a full account of the services, character, and conduct of officers and sea