Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Excerpt from The Great Republic
The crew, instead of being hired in the usual way by the owners or agents, were chosen by the passengers the officers for the cruise, which was generally of four years' duration, and the foremast-hands, top-men, engi neers, the, just so long as they kept the ropes running Smoothly, and the machinery well lubricated, on which purpose they expended larger quantities of palm oil than any other ship's crew were known to have done. Not content with giving the choosing power to those who pos sessed some little nautical knowledge, every adult male passenger on board was allowed his say in the choice of officers, many of whom were totally unable even to sign their names to the list when they joined the ship, at a port called Castle Garden, and it was generally noticed that those passengers who had least freight or baggage on board, made the most noise, and had the most to say, when the ship was being commissioned.
The crew and passengers of the Republic were probably the most motley assemblage ever gathered in one vessel, or under one flag, and were from all parts of the earth, a large proportion from the isle of Pat-moss. Who had volun teered during different cruises, and who were principally conspicuous at the time the officers were being elected, lll(l from their evident desire to bestow and hold the commissions amongst themselves, but this the passengers generally tolerated, partially from the well-known fact of their never having been able to get abaft the foremast in their own ship.
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