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SCARCITY OF SEAMIIENO
SECOND EDITION.
In prosecuting the  work of this mission, the attention of
-your Missionary has been drawn to the fact, of the increasing scarcity of Seamen.  The subject is one of great importance when viewed in its relations to Commerce.  It has
also an intimate connection with the welfare of seamen, and
underlies all plans for their improvement.  On this latter
account I have deemed it of sufficient importance to demand prominence in my Annual Report.
It has occurred to me, that possibly somnething'might be
done through the agency of this mission, towards diminishing this evil, and however small the contribution, if it
should but increase the number of seamen, and promote
their moral elevation as a class, it would well repay all the
effort nmade.  Under this impression, I propose to present
first of all, facts, showing the extent of the evil; and then
offer such suggestions in respect to the remedy, as have presented themselves to my minid while examining the subject,
availing myself of many valuable hints fron ship-owners
and ship-masters in this and other ports of the United States;
and using my own experience as a practical seaman and
seamen's missionary, in so far as it may throw light on the
subject.  These I shall follow up, with a plan for increasing the number and efficiency of our native Saritze, which
I shall commence forthwith to carry out in connection with
my other labors.
CAUSES OF THE SCARCITY OF SEAM]EN.
Several causes have contributed to produce the present
scarcity of seamlen; prominent among which is, the customr
widely prevailing, of sailing our merchant ships with able
seamen, to the exclusion of apprentices or " green hands."
This could be done without difficulty, so long as foreign
sailors were abundant, and the offer of higher wages furnished inducement to abandon their own, and sail under




the American flag.  Of late years foreign sailors have constituted three-fourths of our entire marine. But the recent
discoveries of gold, and the increasing commerce of the
nations of Europe in a time of general peace, has created a
demand for seamen in all parts of the world, and caused a
rise in their wages, the effect of which has been, to cut off
our supply of foreign sailors.  At the last accounts, seamen's wages in England, were fully up to the ruling price
in this country. This new state of things has been taken
advantage of, and several popular outbreaks or strikes among
seamen, for higher wages, have occurred in the ports of
Great Britain.  So great is the scarcity of seamen in the
British Navy, that recently a new screw ship, commanded
by Captain Keppel - a popular officer - was detained fourteen weeks in obtaining one hundred and thirty men.  Irn
a recent report of a Committee of Naval Officers, it was
stated that not more than twenty-one thousand available
seamen axe to be found in the United Kingdom at any one
time; and the British government, from the force of circumstances, are now resorting to new and hitherto untried
measures, to induce seamen to enter the naval service. The
case is no better with us.  Speaking on this subject, a New
York paper uses the following language: "There is no
means of relieving the squadron on the Coast of Africa by
another ship, because seamen cannot be got; the clipper
ships strip Uncle Sam. of his men."  It is well known that
the Japan E. pedition was detained for want of men, and
that great difficulty exists in obtaining a supply for the
Home Squadron.  A ship-mnaster writing from New York,
under date of Decermber 13th, remarks-  "The Navy are
about to make a desperate effort to get men by raising the
pay;" and adds, "' It will be a great burden on the merchant service, to have the nation outbid the merchant, paying out the public money in such sums as to make competition ruinous."
Another cause of the scarcity of seamen will be found
in the desertiotns from our own, and the ships of other
countries in the gold regions. A New York paper, in treating of this subject, says, "it is calculated that the Pacific
Ocean service, absorbs four thousand seamen every year,
that is to say, that number go out from the Atlantic, and do
not. return; some going to California or Australia, others
lingering in the Islands, or perishing; there is no adequate
supply for such an absorption, and hence the scarcity of
seamen."'  To this statement might be added the fact, that
of those who return to the Atlantic Ports, many of them




enter our hospitals to die; while some are so broken in constitution, or debased in moral character, as ever afterwards
to prove either useless, or a mioral pest on board every vessel in which they sail.
It may be well to remark here, that the Whale Fisheries
furnish much fewer seamen to our merchant marine than is
generally supposed; the employment is not attractive, either
on the score of compensation for labor, or as a means for
gratifying the desire of travel.  To many of our young
men it has proved a deep sea lottery, with more blanks than
prizes.  As far as seeing the world is concerned, it is a
world of waters, of which adventurous spirits soon tire;
large numbers of young men who enter this service are satisfied with a single voyage, and leave the ocean, never to
return.  Even in the merchant service, this is oft times tile
case, not a few  of the better sort of young men, become
disgusted with forecastle life on account of its depraved
character, and seize the first favorable moment to free themselves from its contamination.
Another cause of the scarcity of seamen, is, -the nmulttiplication of clipper ships, requiring large crews.  From
tables connected with the report of the Secretary of the
Treasury, for 1852, it appears -that the average annual increase in size or tonnage, of vessels built in the States of
Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York, for
the previous sixteen years, was at the rate of 28s- per cent.;
while from 1849 to 1852, three years, (the last year inclusive,) it was 66 per centurn per annum.
In connection with the causes named, is, the constant
diminution by death.  An estimate made at Lloyd's, London, fixes the life of seamen at an average of II11  years
from their commencing to go to sea, or an annual decrease
by death of Sa per cent. The tonnage of the United States
for the year 1852, foreign and coastwise - gross e.stimate -
was 4,000,000 tons; that of Great Britain, for the year 1853,
was 4,424,000 tons, and employed 243,512 men and boys,
or 5~ persons for every 100 tons of shipping.  Allowing to
our own vessels 3~ persons to the 100 tons, or less than
two-thirds the complement of British crews, and our mnarine
wiinl number 140,00)0, exclusive of the naval service; subtract from  this number Si per cent. annual decrease by
death, and it amounts to 12,250; add to this one half of
the number supposed to be absorbed in the Pacific, say 2000,
and there is a loss to us of 14,250 seamen annually.
The Secretary of State of the United States, reports the
increase of seamen by Registry, for the year 1852, at 9798,
wpvrv~~ vr rywa~vr   Hd                           I




which, compared with the annual decrease as estimated
above, leaves the annual deficiency of about 4500 seamen.
The Registry is -without doubt a fair exhibit of the annual
increase of our native marine, although the impression prevails to some extent, that in the coasting trade, and the
cod and mackerel fisheries, a large number of American
seamen are employed, wlho are not Registered, and who
would, therefore, be overlooked in a general estimate.  So
far froml this being the case, three-fourths of those engaged
in the coasting trade, and one half of all our fishermen, are
computed to be foreigners; of the balance, it may be safely
affirmed, that a large majority of them  are registered seamen, who divide their time between fishing, coasting and
foreign voyages.
HEaving considered the subject of the scarcity of seamen,
and noted soine of the catuses, it remains to be seen whether
there is not some effectual remedy for this great evil —'What then is
THE  REMlEDY.
It may be safely assumed, that we have abundant means
for meeting this exigency, if we will employ them; what
the means are, and how they shall be used, are important
questions to be considered.  A New  York paper alluding to this subject, says, " The supply of -seamen has been
short for a long time past, and it is believed by those familiar
with the subject must remain so, until our ships consent to
take a certain proportion of boys, (as apprentices,) to make
up their crews; a great many boys offer themselves, but are
generally rejected."   One of our city papers uses the following language on the same subject:-"The race of
American seamen is fast becoming extinct, and unless some
remedy is immediately applied, the flag of our country will
soon be upheld by foreigners."  In this last quotation, both
the evil and the remedy are stated with force, and clearness.
We want then, a new race of American seamen, in whom
we can repose confidence; the pecuniary interests involved
in our vast commercial relations, demand such, no less than
the comfort and safety of the increasing multitudes of travellers by sea; especially do we need such a race of seamen
as the fitting representatives of a great, commercial, Christian
nation.  In justice to foreign sailors, it may be said with
truth, that there are among them  some of the best specie
mens of seamen that sail under the American flag; as officers, too, they hold a deservedly high rank.  While this is
true, there are others of the most depraved character. To
attempt to discriminate between the different nations repre



sented on board our vessels, would be invidious and unnecessary; every ship-master knows where the difference lies.
There is some doubt whether, morally considered, every
American sailor is just what he should be, although this is
not the place to discuss that question; but whether for'eign
sailors are good or bad, better or worse than our own seamen, they are fast failing us, and it is no longer a question of choice between the two, but whether we will have
American sailors, or lay our vessels up at the wharves! If
we then conclude to raise up a native marine, how is it to
be done, and what shall be its character? Two modes for
meeting the exigency present themselves, one of which, we
must choose. The first to be considered, isA DMARINE APPRENTICESHIIP SYSTEM.
Much has been said and written on this subject of late,
but no practical plan has yet appeared. Indeed, it may well
be doubted, whether a system of marine apprenticeship can
be devised, that will meet the wants of our commercial and
naval service; the attempt made in the navy, commencing
about the year 1840 —to educate and discipline boys for
the navy -signally failed. The principal difficulty in the
way of marine apprenticeship, in this country, is, that it is
not in unison with the genius and spirit of our Institutions
and people. The system of Great Britain, with which we
are. most familiar, is objectionable, on the ground of its
compulsory features; it encroaches on personal liberty.
The condition and wants of Great Britain, however, are
different from those of this country; there, a coercive system may be best, the PRESS GANG included; there, where
" the overseers of the poor for any parish, are authorized to
bind any boy who may have attained the age of 12 years,
to the sea service, provided such boy consents to be bound,"
(a happy deliverance for the pauper boy,) it may work
well.  But we have seen enough of this class of pauper
sailors, to cure us of any desire to witness the adoption of
the system among us. Surely, intelligent, free Amnerica, requires better materials for her merchant and naval marine,
than are furnished by either the prisons or poor houses of
the land; besides, a system of coerced labor cannot compete
with that which is free. The seven years legal apprenticeship, which prevailed in New England fifty years ago, has
been abandoned for the voluntary system, of labor and conmpensation, graduated upon a scale of increasing ability.
With such advantages of employment on the land, with
freedom of will and of action, it is not to be expected that




a legal apprenticeship AT SEA, abridging personal liberty, will
have commanding attractions for the high-spirited youth of
our country.  One other difficulty remains to be noticed:
The apprenticeship act of Great Britain,* " makes it lawful
for the master of an apprentice, or in case of the master's
death, his executor or administrator, with the consent of the
apprentice, if above seventeen years of age, to assign or
transfer the indenture to any other master or owner.  Some
trouble would probably be met with, in carrying out such
a provision here -- where property is widely distributed,
and joint ownership in. vessels, almost universal.  And yet,
no system will be complete, or of any practical benefit without it.  Who, then, it may be asked, on the apprenticeship
plan, is to be master to the apprentice; shall it be one of
the many owners, or the ship, or the captain? And when
the vessel changes owners and captain, what then is the
position of the apprentice, to whom does he owe service?
It will not be easy to reconcile these conflicting interests,
and less so to obtain the consent of an intelligent youth,
voluntarily to put himself into such a position.  If then,
an apprenticeship system is not the remedy for the evil,
probably it may be met by
THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEM.
This contemplates a native marine, to be created out of
volunteers or green-hands, who conmmence a sea life young,
in the merchant service, which is the proper place to learn
seaman's duties.  The plan briefly stated, is as follows: —
To open an Intelligence Office in each of our large seaports, where, on application, youth of good character may
learn of an employ, and ship-owners and ship-masters may
find youth of the right stamp for their vessels, as set forth
particularly in a circular published in connection with this
Report.  The plan proposes that every vessel take a proportion of green hands, at the discretion of owners and officers, to be selected by a competent person devoted to the
interests of the owners, to be treated as wards of the ship,
and protected in their rights, persons and property, and dealt
with in a way to make them  high minded, honorable men,
and good sailors, and with the understanding, if it prove
mutually advantageous, that they are to serve a term of from
three to five years, or until they are twenty-one years of
age, with the prospect of promotion and permanent employ
thereafter.  That during the whole period of service they
are to be considered as belonging to the ship, and identified
with their owners and employers, and under pay; receiving
* Entitled, " The Merchant Seamen's Act, 8th Victoria," now repealed,




7
such rate of wages as may be agreed upon, with an allowance for board on shore when it shall be for the interest or
convenience of the employer, with such privilege of visiting home in the interval between voyages, as may be reasonable and proper. When at length the term of voluntary
apprenticeship, (for such it is,) shall expire, that a Certificate be furnished them by their employers, of good character, ability, and faithfulness, to be registered in the Custom
House of the District sailed from, and which in addition
to its value as a means for helping them forward in the
merchant service, shall entitle them ever after, to the highest
wages as able seamen in the navy of the United States, and
to the consideration of the Naval Board as candidates for
promotion in the naval service.  Let these terms of voluntary apprenticeship become general, and there is strong
ground for believing that the character of seamen will soon
be redeemed from the reproaches now heaped upon them;
for it is in the use of such means, and through their influence, that men, living in the bosom  of society, become
honest, industrious, ambitious, thrifty and moral. It is too
much to expect of sailors, that they will be as good as
other men, when the means for making them so are left
unemployed.
HOW THE VOLUNTARY SYSTEI1 WILL WORK.
It cannot be expected that the above plan will, in every
instance, produce the exact result desired; this would be
more than is realized in the working of the system on
shore.  How is it in the contract between the merchant
and the clerk, the mechanic and his apprentice? Sometimes the youth proves too ambitious for his own good, and
desires change, or mistakes his calling, and wisely abandons
it. Sometimes employers are parsimonious-exacting dishonorable, and the youth of becoming spirit, prefers defeat
in an attempt to do better, rather than remain, to be imposed upon. At other times, employers are honorable men and
gentlemen, while those who represent them  in their business are neither the one nor the other, and a rupture is the
consequence.  And not unfrequently, superior attainments
on the part of a youth, engaged in a particular employ, may
lead a third party to desire his services with increased pay,
and unjust and dishonest interference.
These are the drawbacks to the system on shore. And
yet this class of contracts are made every day, and the principle is held to be fundamental in every department of business.  Our best merchants, mechanics, and traders, are




produced in this way, and no one thinks of abandoning the
system for its exceptive working.  There is reason for believing, that were the classes just named, in securing the
ends of their several callings, to abandon the present mode,
and resort to the employment of unknown, untried and irresponsible agents, as is the custom in our merchant marine,
that it could.not fail to endanger their success to an alarming extent.  The only reason why less apparent injury is
experienced in navigation, in pursuing such a course, is,
that the losses accruing are provided for, in increased rates
of insurance and higher freights.  It is submitted whether
the voluntary system -— shown to be beneficial on shore
if closely adhered to, would not work even better in the
sea service; seeing that in no other employment, at the
present day, is there equal promise of promotion and success in life.
As regards the term of service — three or five years -
less or more, it cannot but affect the working of the system.
favorably.  The certificate of an able seaman, which it
is supposed will not be given irrespective of desert, may be
earned in some cases in a short period of time; in others,
it will require more.  A standard of able seamanship is
necessary, and the period of majority is the best that can be
selected. But should a youth, commencing a sea life early,
be ambitious to attain to an officer's berth, before reaching
legal manhood - no unusual circumstance in our merchant
service - the system will not interfere with the accomplishing of his object. He will simply prove himself to be
of the class of honorable exceptions, not provided for by
the system, which is especially designed for the benefit of
the great body of seamen, who may be less ambitious, or
less successful.
BUT ONE SERIOUS DIFFICULTY.
The only serious difficulty to be encountered in carrying
out the Voluntary System, is, the false views and reasonings prevalent, on the subject of the sailor's character and
employments.  The idea seems to be —that sailors are a
species of wa.rphibi, with whom you cannot deal on common principles, and that their employments only make them
worse and worse.  If this were true, then, indeed, there
would be no hope; but it is not.  The real ground of effort and of hope in the case, is the fact, that the sailor is
capable of appreciating the highest obligations of a contract.
The class of youth from which it is proposed to raise iup
an efficient marine, are imbued with a passion for the sea,




9
and are generally above the average of mind, education and
social position.  The passion for the sea alluded to, is but
the working out of a great law of our being.  Our youth
desire to go to sea, from an instinctive impression of its
adaptedness to promote their happiness, and meet the highest
wants of their nature, and in this they are not mistaken.
The ocean is adapted to high intellectual, social and moral
development.  First, the employments of the sea demand
skill, ingenuity and intellectual ability, in a far greater de.
gree than the purely mechanical employments on shore.
Next, a well regulated ship affords ample opportunity for
intellectual and social culture. As regards the imagery of
the sea, it is in the highest degree suggestive and ennobling.
It is to the ocean, the painter resorts, to obtain new ideas of
beauty; the poet, to gather inspiration, and the religious
teacher to derive from its contemplation, grander conceptions of Deity.
To say, then, as some do, that "Sailors are no better
now than they were twenty years ago," that " it is of no
use to try any more to save them, heedless and headlong
they must go," and that " sailors will be sailors," is as unjust as it is untrue, when applied to those who have been
treated as men, and brought under the benificent agencies
provided for them by Christian benevolence.  And farther
still to say, that the youth from our common and Sabbath
schools, our academies, and colleges, cannot be formed- un-,
der such influences and advantages as a sea life furnish -
into a marine, that will do honor to any country on earth,
is to deny to education, social culture, morality, and religion,,
their acknowledged power over human character and des-.
tiny; for as has been shown, neither the employments of
the sea, its social relations, or its ennobling imagery, tend to
debase human character.  In conclusion, on this point, the
degradation of seamen - whatever the degree, may be safely referred to the adverse influences connected with the unnatural relations into which they are thrown, at the very
commencement of their sea life.
THE SAILOR'S TRUE POSITION.
We need, then, as a basis for the improvement of seamen,
first of all —-that just relations be established between
them and their employers, and in raising up a new, race of
seamen: this result, so much to be desired, may be brought
about; and future generations of sailors be made to occupy
their true position.




10
The voluntary system now utinder consideration, proposes
as its first object -to attach seamen to the em ploy in which
they sail.  This is of first importance, in order to successful effort for improving the character of seamen, and progress in the worlk of moral elevation, will be marked, by a
more intimate acquaintance being formed between the owner
and the sailor, than now exists.  This is the great thing to
be accomvplished.  In other departments of business, as already intimated, the contracting parties know  each other,
and the relation of employer and employee extends through
years, and constitutes the principal element of success.  In
the counting-room,. the work-shop, and factory, parties are
brought together, and moral worth as well as skill in the
several callings is demanded, and an untiring supervison
kept up; and no less an amount of pains-taking will ensure
success.  But wThen we come to the contract between the
ship and the sailor, these precautionary measures are almost
always disregarded, and their object practically defeated, by
the employment of an intermediate agency, in no wise
identified in interest with the owner; and then comes in
the additional evil, that no opportunity is afforded for correctinlg an error of judgment in the choice of a sailor, when
once the ship is at sea.
In attaching seamen to the employ in vwhich they sail,
several important advantages will be secured, that will need
to be stated separately.   The first is, that a higher order
of youth will be induced to enter the service.  Our first
class youth, as a general fact, are detered from going to sea,
on account of the prevailing impression that sailors are
grossly immoral; these impressions are not entirely without
foundation.  Take as an illustration the followving true picture of the condition of the young sailor, on board many of
our vessels at the present day.  He finds himself at length
upon the deep; the crew  are composed, in part, of desperate men, and who, if kept in subjection, require the most
despotic government; to which, of necessity, ".all hands"
must submit.  Has he a good " outfit," put up with all a
mother's care, and bedewed with a mother's tears! Before
the voyage is hardly commenced, he will be robbed of the
best portion of it, and who is there, in the present position
of parties on board the ship, to redress his wrongs? A
statement might be made of cases of this kind, gathered
from authentic sources, that would produce indignation in
the breast of every right-minded  person in community.
Now the fact is: that young men with the kind of experience described above, - and such is very common - re



11
turn home to warn others, but not to go to sea again themselves.  One experiment of this sort is quite enough.
Another advantage secured will be - that all nminors, if
they would obtain berths, will be required by the plan, to
bring with them certificates from parents or guardians, granting them permission to go to sea.  This will operate as a
check upon inconsiderate youth, many of whom run away
for the purpose of going to sea, a practice no less fatal to
their own success, than injurious to the service in which
they engage.  A youth who, in opposition to the advice,
the wishes, and even the authority of a parent, runs away
from horne, and goes to sea, cannot be expected to make a
good sailor; he breaks away from wholesome restraint, violently ruptures every family and kindred tie, alienates fond
hearts, and interposes between himself and the home of his
childhood, at the very beginning of his career, an insuperable barrier to his return. In an unguarded moment he takes
a false step, that cannot be retraced-at least he thinks soand his language henceforth is, "evil be thou my good."
His fiuture course need not be told, nor how a disappointed
and chafed spirit becomes a reckless, ungovernable and des,
perate man.  Such is the history of many a noble youth..
But instances of this kind will be rare, if encouragement
be given to enter the merchant service in a proper and legal
manner, and a reasonable assurance afforded parents and
guardians, that a youth, on leaving home, to go to sea, will
not suffer wrong, but become an object of interest to his
employer, as when embarking in other and far less honorable pursuits.  The doubt on this point has caused many a
parent to withhold consent, and prompted many a youth to
run away from home, who otherwise swould not; and con-.
tributed thereby not a little to the debasement of the native
portion of our merchant marine.
A third advantage gained, will be, in the tendency of
the plan to diminish the migratory spirit of seamen, which
is ever manifesting itself in the desire of change - change
of vessel, of voyage, of employment, and which results in
an aimless, profitless, wandering life.  To correct this unhappy, fatal tendency, the sailor needs the restraints and
promptings of domestic life.  These he can fully appreciate,
and his running away from home -as in some instances —
to go to. sea, proves nothing to the contrary; the most that
can be said, is, that the love of the sea for the time being,
is too strong to be controled, and under its influence, as of
a rising tide, he is borne away from the family moorings.
To diminish, then, the migratory spirit of the sailor, by




12
attaching him to a particular port, which becomes his homne,
and to a particular employ, with which he becomes identified, will be, in effect, to lengthen out his life. And surely
something is due to humanity in considering the advantages
of the plan proposed. Few sadder sights present, than that
of a human being, with ardent affections and sympathies -
such as the sailor is known to possess - cut off from the
enjoyments of home, and doomed to a wandering life.
That the sailor's earthly existence is abridged by reason of
this deprivation, no thinking person will, for a moment,
doubt.  How strong his love of society and of home may
be, can only be understood by those who know him best,
whose business it has been for years, to entertain him when
on shore, and who in the discharge of that duty, have been
actuated by a desire to promote his true happiness.
They know, among other things, the sailor's fondness for
children, and that he is often as playful as any of them, when
relieved from the coercive restraints of a sea life, and full
play allowed to the generous impulses of his nature. They
know the strength of his attachment to the mistress of the
house, that it is almost filial, that he calls her mother, that
he leaves her often with regret and tears when starting for
sea, and on his return hastens to the dwelling where last he
laid his weary head, previous to embarking upon an uncertain voyage. The best illustration that can be furnished of
the sailor's capacity for domestic life, is found in the superior condition of seamen sailing out of our fishing ports,
and the portion of native seamen employed in the coasting
trade.  And why this superiority?  Simply because they
have homes on shore, and many of them wives and families.  Reference is had here to commnon sailors.  It is to
the communities where they dwell, and constitute a majority of the population, that we turn with proud exultation,
as the evidence of what the mass of sailors may become.
And it may well be doubted, whether either the agricultural
or manufacturing communities of our State, can furnish a
greater number of happy families in proportion to their
whole population, or better husbands, fathers or sons, than
are found in these communities of sailors.
The last advantage to be named, will be that of correcting
the evil connected with advance wages.  This is not the
place to discuss the questibn of Seamen's Advance Wages,
which custom originated among other causes in the necessity of an " outfit," and the inability, in numerous instances,
from ordinary causes, to provide it - in the destitution accompanying shipwreck, and in the fact that the sailor has




13
no lien on the ship for wages in case of the loss of the vessel before freight is earned.  " Freight being the mnother of
wages." The paying advance wages, is not the evil, however, against which so much is said and written, but the
abuses growing out of the use made of the money.  Let
sailors become, then, attached to particular employs; elevate
them socially and morally; give them an interest in the
vessel, where the thing is possible,* and the instances will
be rare of reckless expenditure, and the money, too often
squandered in excesses, or alienated by artful villainy, will
be deposited in the Saving's Bank, or left in trust with
the owner.
THE EFFECT UPON THE NAVAL SERVICE.
Another object aimed at by this plan, is to connect together the ~mercantile interests and government, in a joint
effort to produce an eficient native marine.  The recent
Circular of the Secretary of the Treasury, instituting inquiries on several subjects connected with seamen, among
others, " whether it is expedient to require vessels belonging
to the United States, and bound on foreign voyages, to take
on board apprentices;  and the recommendations in the
Report of the Secretary of the Navy, with regard to the
increase of seamen in the Navy, " to identify them more
thoroughly with the Navy, and elevate their character by a
plan of rewards as well as punishments," the two together, show how absorbing the question of the increase of
seamen has become, and how favorable is the present time
for practical action on this subject.  It is one of the encouraging signs of the times, that government is waking up
the importance of doing something to meet the evil. The
Report of the Secretary of the Navy, in particular, is a document of great interest, exhibiting alike a high appreciation of the wants of the naval service, and the true value
of seamen.
For reasons already stated, there appears to exist insuperable difficulties in the way of an apprenticeship system,
either in the merchant or naval service; it is equally plain
that the navy must depend mainly upon the merchant marine for its supply of seamen, and consequently that the
interests of the two are identical; in these circumstances,
it would seem sound policy on the part of government, to
encourage and foster the merchant marine. This could be
done by a provision of government, (already suggested,)
*See Appendix.




14
whereby a certificate of faithfill service in one employ or
more, of from 3 to 5 successive years, with testimonials of
good character and seamanship, should entitle the holder to
the special consideration and favor of the naval department,
and to a preference over all others for employment in the
naval service.* This would connect together the merchant
and naval service, and give nationality to the entire marine
of the country.
THE TIIME IS AUSPICIOUS.
Allusion has been made to the attitude of government, as
being favorable to present action in the way of improving
seamen; elsewhere in different departim-ents of life, the
same readiness is discerned.   The Savings' Bank for the
sailor's hard earnings; the Home for his social nature; the
Bethel for his soul; the Sailors' Snug Harbor for his old
age; all of which Institutions are established in our midst,
invaluable auxiliaries to the carrying forward of rational
plans of improvement, and as yet, their power to do good,
but partially developed.   The increasing regard  for the
Sabbath among seamen, inl this port, will come in to help
on the plan proposed. It is. n mistake, that sailors want the
Sabbath only that they may drink and carouse; the sailor
is not an infidel, whatever the landsmnan may be, nor is he
less than the beast, who requires the rest designed for him
in common with man, and provided for in the commandment, to keep the Sabbath day holy.  It is not the case as
is sometimes cruelly remarked, " Sailors are too bad to be
on shore on the Sabbath, they are better off at sea, where
they are out of harm's way; there, they cannot disturb the
peace of the community."   How far this is from  being
true, is indicated by the fact, that the young men - twentyfive in number -who visit the vessels at the wharves in this
city on Sunday mornings, to invite seamen to attend church,
meet with a most gratifying reception to their kind invitations.  Another kindred fact is, that during six successive
summers of preaching on ship-board, I have met but a single instance of serious interruption of the services, and that
from well dressed, gentlemanly appearing landsmen.
A NAUTICAL FREE SCHOOL NEEDED.
In addition to the Institutions referred to, one other is
needed, to complete the circle, and that is a Nautical Free,School.  The sailor needs cultivation as well as other men,
and his efficiency no less than his self-respect requires it;
both of which would be promoted by a Free School, where
X See Appendix.




15
he could spend a month or two of each year of his seagoing life.  Many sailors have the desire of improvement,
and the means of paying their board, for a few weeks, but
cannot meet the additional expense of schooling.  In a
nautical fiee school, seamen would acquire a taste for reading and study, which would go to sea with them, and prove
of incalculable advantage to all concerned.  A library might
be added, from which books, in limited numbers, could be
obtained, taken to sea, and returned at the close of the
voyage —the common branches of education might be
taught there, with navigation, and other studies of most
practical benefit.  My experience among seamen for upwards of thirty years, has satisfied me of the existence of
this great wvant.  How  such an Institution may be provided, is not difficult to determine.  An endowment of
$100,000,-would do it all, (the amount invested in some of
our clipper ships,) and probably it would pay as well as
the best of thenm.  Why should not the government foster
such Institutions in all our large seaports, by appropriations
from the public Treasury? not with the view to exercise
control over therm, for in the ever-changing phases of parties, and of policy, under a free government, a benevolent
refolrmatory institution would either suffer from  neglect, or
be wrecked by bad management. ~ Nothing can be plainer,
than that such an Institution can only prosper when under the
supervision and influence of those who enter into the spirit
of the design, and espouse the interest as their own.  Might
not the suggestions of the late Secretary of the Navy, in
relation to the Naval Academy, and the inquiry of the
present Secretary of the Treasury, based on a resolution
of the Senate of the United States at its last session," Whether it is expedient to establish, by law, Schools of
Instrutction for mnariners, or such as are preparing to enter into that service,' find practical illllstration in such a
plan; night not the initiatory preparation for the naval
academy be effected in this way, and the best material for
the posts of honor in our navy be found in these schools?
The imlprovement in the sailor's condition on ship-board,
in substituting light and airy rooms on deck, in place of
the dark, damp, and often noisome forecastle, is promotive
of his comfort, and self-respect, induces contentment, and
helps on a reform.
The increasing travel by sea, is not without its improving influence.  The monotony of the sea is broken in upon
by intelligent intercourse, and a pleasing variety imparted to sea life, and \when passengers are intelligent and ju



16
dicious — by mueans of books, instruction, and conversation, much may be done for the sailor's good, during the
voyage.
The demand for a higher order of men to sail our princely clipper ships, comes in to help on the work of improvement. Great stress is laid on heroism in the saving of life
at sea, and well it may be, for life is of more value than all
else; and he who risks life to save life, other things being
equal, is the man to command a ship. The recent disasters
at sea, and the heroism displayed, have served to bring out
character, and to show us what kind of men is needed.
The responsibilities of officers of late years, have greatly
increased; the evidence of the fact is found in the increased pay. Mates of ships now receive $50 and 60 per month,
who, twenty years ago, received only $30. Hence a higher
order of seamen is demanded, as a foundation for a high
order of officers; this is seen and felt.
The position of Boston among other things, is favorable
for commencing here the work of improvement. Equal to
any other seaport of the United States, in the quality of
her shipping, she is in advance of all others, in respect to
the employment of means for elevating the character of her
marine, which will compare favorably with that of any
other port in the world. Why should she not, then, occupy
the front rank in a reform so humane, so in keeping with
her past history and present position, and so intimately connected with her highest interests? It is in the power of
Boston ship-owners, should they undertake this work alone,
to drive every unprincipled or worthless sailor to some other
port, to find employment, and draw to themselves the best
men that float upon the deep.
THE MATERIAL IS ABUNDANT.
We are eminently a maritime people; the love of the sea,
as already remarked, is a passion with many of our youth.
Applications for voyages are being constantly made at this
office and elsewhere in the city, by the finest young men
and boys, from all parts of the State, and I doubt not that
among them, are many who, had they but the opportunity,
would develop a character as noble as that of the lamented
Captain Richardson, of the Staffordshire.  The run upon
the "' Great Republic," at New York,* is a fine illustration
of the feeling existing; hundreds of young men and boys of
the highest respectability, from all parts of the State, offering
their services as voluntary apprentices or green hands.
* See Appendix.




17
A question arises here, of some importance to the proper
understanding of this subject.  To what extent is it either
safe or profitable to enmploy green hands and ordinary seamen, on board our mterchant ships? This question can best
be answered by employers and ship-masters, as their own
judgment and interest may dictate.  It is known that in
the whale fisheries, the proportion of green hands to able
seamen, is often very large; and although such proportion
would not answer for the West India or European trade,
there is less to object to it, in voyages across the Equator,
where time and good weather combine, to help forward the
green hand in learning ship's duty.  There is a question,
too, regarding the relative value of able and ordinary seamen.  On this point, experienced ship-nasters, who have
commanded both large and small -vessels, express the opinion, that ambitious youngl mten, actually become as good
sailors in one year, as the average of the crews usually.shipped for able seamen at full wages.  The Captain of a
first class clipper ship, states, that in a late voyage to the
Pacific, the only portion of his crew, on whom  he could
rely, were the boys who had sailed with him in a previous
voyage; the rest of the crew deserting the ship as soon as
she arrived at her outward port.  Other ship-masters have.
had similar experiences.  One ship-master referred to a
young man who shipped with him  as a green hand, andc
who performed two voyages to the Pacific, during which:
time, unaided by friends, he qualified himself for a second
mate's berth on board a first class clipper ship, for which he
recommended him.  It is probably within the recollection
of many, that a few years since, a lad on board an American East Indiaman, was thrust into the command of the
ship on the homeward voyage, by reason of the death of the
officers; this lad, by his skillful management, and knowledge of navigation, brought the vessel safely into port.
As to the difficulty attending the creation of able seamen out of green hands, it need not be greater than that of
raising up good carpenters and masons from  the raw material; but was it even four-fold greater, it would need to be
done, or a. substitute found for sailars.  The training of
young men for. able seamen, is doubtless one of the most
important duties that an officer of a vessel can be called
upon to discharge, and one as highly promotive of the interests of the owner.  "' Young men for soldiers," said 1Napoleon, and tyrant though he was, he made the young  men
love as well as obey him.  Here the motto is, " young
men for sailors," and the power of the ship-miaster, in his
3




18
particular sphere, to mould at will the young men under
his command, is not less than that of the great warrior.
Indeed, a nobler duty is rarely presented. than that of training up high spirited, intelligent youth, to bear the flag of
our country, with honor, to the ends of the earth.
THE NECESSITY IS URGENT.
IHow urgent the necessity of a plan for the employment
of green hands, has become, will be seen in the fact, that
the system now in full operation, employs a greater nunher than is contemplated in the plan proposed; but the
material is so insufferably bad, as to endanger navigation.
And this is in no wise strange; men are wanted of some
sort, and must be had, and as green hands are rejected,
as such, they must, of necessity, be shipped as able seamen. A comnimon experience of ship-masters' of late, has
been, that full one-half of their crews, on getting to sea,
are found incapable of taking the helm. The question then
is not, whether we will have green hands on board our vessels, that is settled; but what shall be the character of those
we employ. Recent occurrences show the extremity which
has been reached.  A New York Packet Ship, on her way
to London, recently, put into this port to replenish her crew,
twelve of whom were unable to go aloft.  A ship-master
in writing to the Sailor's Magazine, a few months since,
-furnishes a description of the crews that sailed with him in
two successive voyages to the Pacific; the whole number
composing these two crews, was forty-five, of which twenty-one were ignorant of ship's duty, and most of them entirely useless.  All but one of these twenty-one persons,
were shipped as able seamen, at full wages.  The amount
of advance wages charged to the ship, on their account,
was $415; out of which they were allowed, by those who
shipped them, $41 in clothing-two dollars each-but not
a dollar in money; their moral character, and the condition
of their wardrobe, sorted well with each other; they were
both execrably bad; one died with deliriunn tremens, before
getting out of the bay, and another fell off the jib-boom
in the East River, probably from the same cause, and was
drowned.  Humanity shudders at such a frightful picture,
and asks, how long shall these things be? And yet this
is but the natural working of the present system, and
its legitimate results.*   The question finally is, which
is preferable, men of the description above, at full wages,
or young men of good character, intelligence and ambition,
at half the price?
See Appendix.




19
WILL THE PLAN DIMINISH THE EXPENSES AND
RISKS OF NAVIGATION?
This last point is of equal interest with either of the preceding. The question has respect to the wages of seamen,
which constitute an important item in the expenses of the
ship, and is therefore one of grave importance.
It is sometimes argued that the lowest rate of seamen's
wages is best, as affording less temptation to extravagance.
In reference to the reckless sailor, this may, to some extent, be
true, alas! the fact.  But the results of Seamens' Savings
Banks, and other aids to social improvement and thrift in
late years, have removed this reproach from  seamen, as a
class. In considering the sailors' claim of wages, his services should be compared with those of other men in other
employments, requiring equal skill and labor.  It will be
conceded by all wvho are informed on the subject, that the
good marline-spike sailor will compare favorably with the
ship carpenter, the caulker and graver, the rope and sail
maker, the rigger, the stevedore, the painter, in several of
which arts he is found often to be well skilled.  In some
circumstances, his services are incomparably more valuable
than either of the mechanics named; a good helmsman,
in a gale of wind on board a richly freighted vessel, with
many passengers, not only commands our admiration, but
richly deserves the highest wages paid a Railroad engineer.
The labors of those several classes of mechanics, are of
no more pressing necessity, than those of seamen; require
no more skill, and infinitely less toil, self-denial and exposure. Neither have they a single demand for money, that
every seaman does not share in common with them. Some
of each of these classes are married and have families, but
this furnishes no exception to the sailors' claim of wages;
the design of marriage was to bless mankind, sailors as well
as landsmen, and the neglect or deprivation of this beneficent institution, with all its solemn responsibilities and refining and purifying influences, has been the procuring
cause of lmuch of the sailor's moral degradation. The Caps
tain of a ship who returns to his family at the close of the
voyage, the mate to his, the steward to his —no more need,
and have no better claim to the blessings of a home and a
family than the seamen belonging to the same ship; both
the one and the other have a social and moral nature that
need to be cultivated; civil rights to exercise; a name
and place among the living, to be sacredly preserved. An
ancient philosopher, in distributing the human race into




20
two classes, the living and the dead, inquires, "''Who can
determine in which class we are to enter the name of those
on the sea? "
If the sailor, however, chooses to remain unmarried, then
he needs all his surplus wages to lengthen the period of his
stay on shore; ten months out of every twelve, spent amid
the solitudes of the ocean, is too large a proportion of the
sailor's brief and stormy life.  He needs the Sabbath on
shore, with all its rich privileges; time to make acquaintance and form friendships; to see the sights of the town;
read the journals of the day, and learn his true position and
importance among men. He needs leisure for general reading, and intellectual improvement, and recreation among
the green fields and singing birds of the country.  Especially does he need to visit the home of his childhood, to look
upon the face of his mother, be enfolded again in her
loving embrace, and allowed to prove to all, that he is not
recreant to his earliest and best instincts; and that he has
virtue, manhood and love of home still ruling his true heart.
All this, and more, that requires money, the sailor needs, as
the means for promoting his happiness, increasing his efficiency, and lengthening out his days, which are fewer by
far than those of other men.  And should there remain at
any time " a shot in the locker," he will have learnt how
to secure it against a rainy day.  Superadded to the foregoing is the melancholy fact, that the sailor, unlike either
of the classes of mechanics alluded to, is subject to total
loss by shipwreck.
If the view here taken be just, and seamen both earn
and require, including their board, the wages paid other men
for services demanding equal labor and skill; then it is just
that they should receive them, and no plan for increasing
the number of seamen, or improving their character, can be
expected fully to succeed, if this principle be overlooked.
As regards the rate of seamen's wages, we have nothing to
do, the object being solely to estimate and compare their
services with those of other mechanics.  But to the question — Will the plan diminish the exrpenses and 2'isks of
Navigation? Of this, there can scarcely be a doubt. The
result will be brought about by elevating and ennobling the
employment, and raising it to the commanding position
which it is destined to occupy among the honorable pursuits of the day; and thus obviating the objections to a
sea life entertained by a large portion of community, and
securing the services of the choicest youth of our land.
By combining green hands and ordinary seamen in the




21
composition of a crew, and thereby decreasing the average
rate of wages; by diminishing the number of desertions
abroad, and the expenses consequent thereon; by securing
cheerful and prompt obedience to orders, inducing happiness " fore and aft," putting an end to insubordination and
violence, and expensive and vexatious lawsuits; by diminishing the migratory spirit of seamen, and attaching them
to one port and one employ; and by the increased care, vigilance, and devotion of a crew, indentified in interest with
the owner.*
CIRCULAR.
Frequent applications are made at this Office, by young
men and boys, residing out of the city, for information and
aid, in obtaining sea voyages.
With the view of meeting these demands in a way to
benefit the applicants, and at the same time promote the
benevolent objects of this mission, an agency has been established at this Office, whereby much of the delay and
expense of a visit to the city, occasioned by the want of
information may be avoided.
Applications by letter may be made to the Office, to contain the residence, age, physical peculiarities, and past and
present employments - if any - of the parties.  All of
which will be registered in a book kept for that purpose;
the letters in every instance to be marked " Ship," on the envelope, and the postage paid. Sickly, or feeble persons, or
boys under sixteen years of age, need not apply.
Applicants will be informed by mail or otherwise, of
vessels wanting hands; the nature of the voyage; probable wages, and time of sailing; and they will hold them,
selves in readiness to leave their homes promptly.  Those
who visit the city, with the intention of going to sea, will
do so at their own expense and risk; they will bring with
them testimonials of good character from responsible persons; and if minors, will require in addition a certificate
from parents or guardians, properly attested, consenting to
their going to sea. Applications made at the Office, in person, will be promptly attended to, and counsel and advice
given in relation to boarding house and outfit.
THOMAS V. SULLIVAN, Missionary,
OFFICE OF THE MARINE MISSION AT LARGE, }
NO. 8 LONG WHARF.
Boston, January 1, 1854.
See Appendix.




22
The following communication will serve to show in what
estimation the plan is held by practical seamen.
Vew York, Dec. 24, 1853.
CAPT. THOMAS V. SULLIVAN, Marine Missionary, Boston:
Dear Sir: — Your plan received to-day, for increasing the
number and efficiency of American seamen, strikes rne favorably, and I most heartily wish you success in your laudable undertaking.  Command my services in any way in
which I can serve you.
The boys you furnished me for the Great Republic, are
doing well.
(Signed,)                  L. McKAY.
In submitting the foregoing views, and the line of duty
indicated, your Missionary would guard against any misconception that might arise, in respect to the position to be
assumed by this blission, before the public. To make this
clear, he would state, that it is riot proposed to open a SHIPPING OFFICE, to compete with those now existing: for this,
there is no time to spare from the work of the Mission.
The objects aimed at are set forth in the Circular.  In pursuing them, certain results will be expected to follow.
Among others, that youth, desiring to go to sea, may do so
without having to spend their money in unavailing efforts
to find employment, or making the doubtful experiment of
running away from home; in either case subjecting themselves to disappointment and all its vicious and debasing
tendencies, and to the liability of falling victims to designing men. By this means, the fear of parents will be allayed,
objections to their son's going to sea removed, and ship
owners and ship-masters who desire it (and their numbers
are fast increasing,) may obtain green hands of reliable
character.
With reference to undertaking this work, your Missionary would gladly have looked on, and rejoiced in the efforts
of others; but no one entered the field. To state the want
merely, as in the foregoing pages, was theory alone, a practical effort in connection therewith *was demanded.  The
position of the Mission is favorable to the undertaking, the
direct result will be an enlarged acquaintance with those,
whose welfare you are seeking to promote. As regards the
measure of success, time will determine that; a beginning
has already been made.  The want is great; to do any
thing, however small, to meet that want-is success.




23
The whole subject is submitted to the consideration of
your Committee, and to the friends of Seamen generally.
The additional work marked out, will greatly increase the
usefulness of the Mission, and add something to its expenses which it is hoped and believed will be promptly met
by an appreciating public.
REPORT OF LABORS AND RESULTS.
The operations of the Mission since the last published
Report, have been of the same general character, as in previous years, and attended with encouraging results.  The
attendance at the religious ship-board services on the Sabbath, at 9 A. M. and 5 P. M., has been good, and the visitation of vessels at the wharves, early Sabbath mornings,
has been carried forward with constantly increasing efficiency. Twenty-five young men, all members of churches
in the city, and all volunteers, have been zealously engaged
in the work in sunshine and in storm, distributing religious
tracts, and in extending to seamen the kindly invitation to
aftend church, and the blessings of many ready to perish
have come upon them.
The labors on ship-board have been prosecuted with vigor.
Many valuable acquaintances have been made with officers
and seamen, and influences set at work calculated to do
good socially and morally. Among the agencies employed
in this department is that of supplying vessels gratuitously
with books and other reading matter for the use of the
crews at sea, especially those bound on long voyages. The
following extract of a letter from the Captain of a first class
clipper, exhibits the nature of the work.
East Boston, Nov. 12, 1853.
Capt. THOS. V. SULLIVAN,-Dear Sir: I have received
your very handsome present of most useful books. I have
examined them and think that they are much better selected than any other lot ever put on board any vessel which I
have commanded.  You will pardon me for saying that I
think the selection of books usually made for sailors are not
wisely selected; they consist almost entirely of Bibles, Testaments, Prayer Books, and Tracts, all of which are invaluable treasures.  But sailors are like other folks, at least
not more religious, and they want useful reading matter
that will enlist them.       Yours, truly.
These books, beside an assortment of Bibles in thirteen
different languages spoken among seamen, contained four
volumes of Tracts prepared by this Mission, each volume




24
containing ten different languages, an assortment of moral
and religious, entertaining and instructing books, with a set
of School Books to meet the wants of all on board, who
might desire to improve themselves from the A, B, C, of
knowledge up to the study of Latin and Greek.  A most
gratifying result in connection with these efforts has been
the hearty cooperation of ship-masters.
THE ISSUES FROM THE OFFICE OF THE MISSION,
For the past five years, including the supplying of seamen
calling' at the Office, have been 3138 Bibles and Testaments, 21,983 volumes of Books, and 86,103 copies of
moral and religious periodical literature, and over one and
a half million pages of religious and temperance Tracts.
MARINE FREE CIRCULATING LIBRARY.
Allusion has been made to the want of a " Nautical Free
School" in this city, and in connection therewith a Library,
" from which books in limited numbers might be obtained,
taken to sea and returned at the close of the voyage." As
regards the School, it may prove the work of time, although
its importance must be manifest.  In any case its final establishment may be considered as certain as that of either
the Mariner's Church, the Savings' Bank, —the Sailors'
Home, or the Sailors Snug Harbor. But there need be no
delay in respect to the Library; the experience of past years
in gathering and distributing books gratuitously, among
seamen, shows conclusively that there are books enough to
be had; and the fact, that four thousand books could be
collected and distributed annually among seamen for five
successive years, without any increase of difficulty in ob,
taining them; is worthy of being recorded. It is a fact too
of special encouragement when viewed in connection with
an attempt to establish a Marine Free Circulating Library.
Guided then by past experience, and trusting in him' who turneth the heart as the rivers of water, and as the
streams in the South,'" your Missionary will go forward in
the endeavor to establish a Marine Free Circulating Library
in connection with this Mission, and henceforth it will receive a share of his thoughts and efforts.
The principle of a Free Circulating Library has been in
operation in connection with this Mission for several years.
Many books have been loaned to seamen calling at the
office, and read and returned. And with the view of carrying out the principle as now proposed; books from time to
time have been selected from the thousands of volumes sent




25
to this office for gratuitous distribution, and set apart as the
nucleus of a Library.  In future receipts of books at the
office, other selections will be made from time to time, and
from this source, and fromt donations made expressly to the
Library, it is confidently expected, that in good time, the
object aimed at will be accomplished; and that no sailor
will have occasion to go to sea, from Boston, without a few
interesting and instructive books to read during the voyage.
It is not expected that the books of such a library will
in the circumstances, last so long, or the Library itself retain through successive years its catalogue of books entire,
as in the case of Libraries generally.  The most that can
be done or desired will be, to require a trifling deposit of
those taking out books, to induce their return; and when
worn out with the rough usage of the sea, or neglected to
be returned; then, to call upon a benevolent public for new
supplies.  The friends of seamen have yet to learn, that
there is a point, in the prosecution of wise and beneficent
plans for promoting the sailor's welfare, where the public
sentiment existing among us, will not fully justify and sustain the effort.
In entering upon the work of establishing a Marine Free
Circulating Library, the idea is, to anticipate a forthcoming
Nautical Free School, and that the Library ultimately be
donated to that Institution.  Donations of books are respectfully solicited for the Library, from city and country,
which may be sent to the Office.  Friends of seamen in
the city having books to bestow, by addressing a line to the
Missionary, through the Post Office, will be waited upon,
and their books removed without causing themn trouble.
New books and those which have been read and handled,
if in good condition, will be gratefully received, and duly
acknowledged.  Donors of books will please insert their
names upon each volume, that seamen may know -who are
their friends.
BENEVOLEN CE.
The weekly visits at the Marine IJHospital have been continued.  These labors are purely religious and benevolent,
and consist in holding religious conversation, distributing
the Scriptures and other religious reading, corresponding
with the friends of those, who from  any cause are unable
to write, inciting the ignorant to learn to read, and supplying them with books, furnishing clothing to the destitute,
and assistilng the incurable and decrepit to obtain entrance
to the Sailors' Snug HIarbor.  Occasional visits have been




made to the House of Industry, and to Deer Island, to succor some unfortunate sailor who10  has 1" broulght up" in either
of those institutions, and numerous calls of the shipwrecked and suffering have been attended to at the Office.
The resources of the Mission for usefulness, are on the
increase.  From the friends of seamen in city and country,
clothing for the destitute, and books for gratuitous distribution are being received.  There is as yet no perceptible
limit in the extent to which Iabor in these directions may
be carried.  It is hoped that the friends of the Mission will
furnish the means of enlarged effort.
Since the last Report, two of the earliest friends of the
Mission have been called from time to eternity.  One of
these, Capt. Josiah Bacon, was an original member of your
Committee, which relation he sustained at the time of his
death.  By means of his official position as Steward of
Chelsea Marine Hospital —his warm hearted benevolence,
his deep interest in the sailor's welfare, and his mature and
comprehensive judgment, he greatly aided the operations
of this Mission, and when at length he was no longer permitted in his relations here and in others kindred, to do the
sailor good, he evinced the sincerity of his devotion, by
making seamen the heirs to his worldly estate.  " The
Sailor's Snug Harbor of Boston," is an enduring memorial
of his single-hearted, unostentatious benevolence.
The other friend alluded to, was the late Capt. Josiah
Richardson, of the ship Staffordshire.  His cheerful smile,
his open handed, open hearted benevolence, are among the
cherished recollections - the green spots, of years of toilsome effort in the seamens' cause.  His friendship is enbalmed in the heart a sacred deposit -his words of encouragement and hopefulness still linger in the memory, a
vitalizing principle of future action.
In closing this Report, your Missionary would acknowledge, with gratitude, the favor of God, which has attended
this enterprise in every stage of its progress.  Commencing nearly six years agto, at first an experiment, the work
has continued on to the present time.  The effort can no
longer be considered in the light of an experiment.  To
preach the Gospel to seamen on shipboard, on the Sabbath;
to visit them through the agency of Christian young men
on board their floating homes on Sabbath morning, inviting
them to the house of God, scattering the religious Tract,
and directing the unfortunate and destitute to where they
may find friends —to get the confidence of the humble
but trusting Christian sailor, place before him motives to
effort for the salvation of the soul of his shipmate, and




27
furnish him with the means of doing good- to send the
Bible, the Tract, History, Biography, and other good and
instructive reading on a tour of benevolence around the
world -to seek out and relieve human suffering in the
Alarine Hospital, the Poor House and elsewhere, and obtain for the worn out and decrepit sailor a home in the
Sailors' Snug Harbor; such cannot be a work of experiment merely, but one of permanent interest and importance.
All of which is respectfully submitted.
THOMAS V. SULLIVAN.
TREASURER'S REPORT.
Marine Mission at Large in Account with J. S. BARBOUR, Treas'r.
To amount paid Capt. T. V. Sullivan, on account
of Salary for two years' Services,.......... $1734 79
"' amount due on account of of Salary,.......  265 21
I"  "    paid for Office Expenses, Rent, Assistant, Expenses for Books, and in
Benevolent Department,............  538 06
C"   ic  due January 1, 1852,..............  820 46..-..- $3358 52
CONTRA CaR.
By amount collected from various sources,...... 2272 85
" balance due,.............................  1085 67
_ —---- $3358 52
J. S. BARBOUR, Treasurer.
FREDERICK D. ALLEN, Auditor.
Boston, January 1, 1854.
The Report of our Missionary for t!he last two years, is herewith submitted to the public. The body of the Report is cccupied in discussing the subject of the present " Scarcity of Seamiell,"
which it is admitted is one of commanding interest, and the hope
is entertained that it will prove timely and beneficial. The Treasurer's Report is subjoined, showing a deficit of $10S5.67, notwithstanding the rigid economy observed in conducting the affairs of
the Mission-the results of which, have been truly gratifying,
and strongly contrast with the sum expended in securing them.
The present debt of the Mission is the aggregated deficiences of
successive years, and has originated, in a reluctance to employ a
paid agency to collect funds, dependence being placed mainly on
voluntary contributions.
The sum required to meet the expenses of the current year and
pay off the debt, is $2500.00. There will be occasion to employ
extra agencies, including the press, in carrying out the plans sug



28
gested in the Report, creating thereby extra demands for funds
which we look to a benevolent public to supply.  To all interested in Navigation, the Committee would respectfully commend this
benevolent work. For six years the Mission has been quietly and
unostentatiously pursuing its labor of love among the shipping in
the Port of Boston, and one of the results has been the gratuitous
circulation of over'20,000 volumes of Books and other valuable
reading Inatter.  Is it too much to ask, in view of such a fact,
that you would extend to the Mission a helping hand, in its present
time of need?'he friends of seamen in thl-e country, into whose hands this
Report may fall, are reminded that this Mission contemplates
among its benevolent designs to promote the welfare of their sons
and brothers who visit the city with the intention of going to
sea, will you not help us?  To Clergymen, in a particular manner,
would ve commend this benevolent work, and solicit their valuable co-operation in obtaining pecuniary aid.  To all who feel interested in the Sailor's welfare for time and eternity, we commend
the work of the Mission, in confidence and in hope.
Donations sent to the Treasurer, JAMrs S. BARBOUR, No. 30
Court Street, or either of the Committee, will be gratefully received and duly acknowledged.
JOrTIAM  STETSON,              WILLIAM  BLAKE,
JOHN  GOVE,                    EDWARD S. TOBEY,
CLEM1ENT DREW,                 FREI)ERICK  D  ALLEN,
AARON BR EED,                  PLINY  NICKERSON,
PEARL MARTrIN,                 GEORGE HLOWLAND.
JAMES S. BARBOUR, Treasurer.
WTo W. W. MAIR, Secretary.
fl7  An unavoidable delay in getting out this Report, has fulrnished
opportunity for obtaining facts of recent Qccurrenjce, which will be foound
in the Appendix.




29
APPEN DIX,
ILLUSTRATIVE FACTS.
MIATERIAL ENOUGH FOR GREEN HANDS.
New York, December 26th, 1853.
Capt. Tuos. V. SULLIVAN, Boston: — Dear Sir,-I have received your kind note " * I * I have a goodly number of boys,
about forty.  The Journal of Commerce of this city has a para.
graph, stating the fact that the ship was to take out a good number of young men.  I think that I have had hundreds of applications, nearly all through this notice. I get a batch of letters every
day from  all parts of the country, all referring to this notice;
proving most conclusively that there is material enough in this
country, if it was only brought into shape, to make sailors for all
our ships.       I am, in haste, your Friend,
L. McKAY.
The want of Able Seamen is general. —Among the numerous
disasters by sea during the present winter, attended with a sad loss
of human life, the recent wreck of the English ship Tayleur, on
the Coast of Ireland, stands conspicuous.  The Tayleur was a
new ship, constructed of Iron, of more than 2000 tons, and sailed
from Liverpool for Australia, with a valuable cargo, and a large
number of passengers. She experienced a heavy gale in the C(hannel, and went on shore at Lambay, in the vicinity of Dublin Bay.
The whole number of souls on board, are stated to have been 660,
of which 2S2 only were saved.  Of those lost 250 were women
and children.  The loss of the vessel was generally attributed to
errors in the compass, and to the inefficiency of her crew, fifteen
only out of fifty men were able seamen. The crew included Chinese and Lascars, who were unable to understand the English language, and the orders were therefore imperfectly executed.  The
vessel is said to have drifted about at the mercy of the winds and
waves, for several hours before the wreck.
The idea not unfrequently entertained and expressed is, that
s' seamen cannot be influenced by proper motives to do right." This
is a libel on the whole class, and bears alike on officers and seamen.  There is a strange inconsistency here.  It is common to
speak of sailors-" as a class of noble, generous hearted men,
who will go any lengths to serve a friend, or deny themselves to
benefit others; as the soul of honor, chivalrous and gallant, and
in their way polite," and yet, these same men, from among whom
a larger proportion of nature's noblemen may be produced than
from any other equal portion of the human race, " cannot be influenced by motives to de right" - cannot be treated with as other
men, have no appreciation of kindness, and as little of the value
of property; that they are too migratory in spirit to become attached to any particular place; and more of the same sort which




30
might be named. But time, and a better knowledge of the sailor,
than is now generally possessed, will set this matter right, and we
can well afford to wait the event.  For the present, by way of
commentary on the general subject, and with the design more
fully to illustrate certain points brought to view in the foregoing
pages, a few illustrative facts are furnished which may assist in
giving completeness to the view taken.
Thle Sailor needs an interest in the Ship. —Why should he not
have it, if it will be for his benefit, and that of the owners? The
principle of fractional joint interest in the ship, or in her earnings, by the common sailor, is no new doctrine, it prevails to
some extent among the Eastern vessels, and is general in the Cod,
the Mackerel, and Whale Fisheries; in the latter, not always to
the advantage of the sailor.  We hear of small "Lays," long
voyages with much wear and tear, and an inflated "slop chest,"
and sometimes the sailor, at the end of a three year's voyage, finds
himself " astern the lighter."  Nevertheless, the principle in itself
is good -good for the sailor as for the principal owner; were it
not, Commerce and the Fisheries would be at an end. It is only
when the arrangement between the parties is inequitable, and
bears unjustly on the sailor, that the principle works badly.  Applied to the case of the sailor in the merchant ship, it works as
follows:
A retired ship-master relates of himself, that "during the period in which he sailed' before the mast,' he made a voyage in a
Salem East Indiaman, to Sumatra, and thence to Europe.  On
board that ship the custom  prevailed, of allowing to each of the
crew a half ton privilege, to be filled with the Sailor's Venture;
the Captain effecting sales on the sailors' account without charge.
Navigation also, was taught on board by the officers.  As the result of all this pains-taking to benefit seamen, nearly all of that
crew subsequently became officers of vessels."
The recognition of this principle, and the progressive tendencies of the age, will be seen in the following extracts from a plan
brought forward in Philadelphia, in January of the present year,
where joint ownership by seamen associated together, is proposed
to be carried out, on a scale never before attempted.  Of the
probable success of the plan on so large a scale, it may be
premature to speak.
",PROSPECTUS OF THE
SEA3MENS' NAVIGATION COMPANY OF AMERICA.
This Company has been established for the further advancement and elevation of the mariners of the merchant service of
the United States, and upon such a basis as will enable seamen,
by an association and union of labor and capital, to become joint
owners and navigators of vessels in which they may be employed.
The capital is fixed at $500,000, div —led into 10,000 shares, at
$50 each.
It shall have for its object, the accumulation of a sufficient fund,
by means of periodical instalments from its members, to purchase




31
sailing or steam vessels, to be manned and officered by members
of the Company.  The profits and earnings arising from said vessels, to be divided among the stockholders at such times and in
such manner as hereinafter specified."
The Sailor needs to know his Enmployer. —This is the privilege
of the mechanic on shore, and why should it not be of the sailor
at sea? The former needs not the countenance and favor of his
employer as does the sailor. Around him is thrown every needed
safeguard, his every interest, personal and social, his own proper
manhood included are protected by law; and the conventionalities
of society. How different the condition of the sailor - a homeless wanderer, every where a stranger, his character and claims
seldom understood, or at least not acknowledged. To him, kindness is as rare as flowers in mid winter, and as grateful when met
with. A ship-master, who commenced his sea life about the time
of the discovery of South Shetland, and who made his first voyage
to that inhospitable region, relates the following incident to illustrate the effect of kindness and attention on the part of ashipowner.  "The gentleman (who understood sailors better than
some who rail against them,) accompanied the ship down the harbor and returned with the pilot.  While on board he addressed
the crew on the nature of the voyage, spoke of his own expectations and hopes, and expressed his confidence in the ability and
good conduct of the crew as the main dependence in the making
of a voyage.  The effect of that well timed, benevolent speech,
was like magic, and of a large ship's company of men and boys,
there was not one that did not feel its full force, or that was not
influenced by it for good, during the long and most unpleasant
voyage."
Sailors can be trusted.-In the sweeping charges often brought
against sailors, the exceptions made are usually rare, and few in
number those wilo are admitted to possess redeeming traits of
character.  This is most unfortunate, as it operates to the injury
of the whole class, and tends to depress, rather than to stimulate
and encourage to an honorable course.  A ship-master furnishes
the following, to illustrate the readiness of seamen generally to do
right, when properly influenced.  For several years " he run a
packet between New York and a port in South America.  The
custom theln, as now, was to load and unload with stevedores, the
crew being discharged iminediately on the return of the vessel to
her port, where there was a detention ordinarily of fronm  three to
four weeks.  Becoming at length wearied with bad crews, he ventured on an experiment and shipped a crew of average moral
character, selected from a number of men sent on board by the
shipping officer, and went to sea.  On setting the watches at
night, the men were called together, and he addressed them briefly,
in regard to their duty, and promised them, on his part, kind and
just treatment.  They 1-'never before been treated thus, and it
surprised and won them.  On entering port, at the close of the
voyage, they came aft in a body and asked permission to stay by
the vessel, discharge her cargo, load, and go to sea in her again.




32
The proposition was submitted to the owner, but he objected, he
had no faith, he said, in sailors.  The captain urged the suit of
his crew, to whom he had become attached, and the owner at
length consented.'hey staid by the ship, and more than realized the expectations entertained of them.  They made repeated
voyages in tile same vessel under his command, doing their duty
like men when at sea, and when in port proving the best of shipkeepers and stevedores, with much saving of expense to the ship,
and of anxiety and trouble to owners and officers."
GOOD OFFICERS MAKE GOOD MEN.
The Noble Commodlore. -The following account of an interesting occurrence which took place in this city in November,
1845, and which created no little sensation at the time, is taken
from the " Boston Post."  It speaks for itself.
" The crew  of the United States Frigate Cumberland at this
port, preceded by the brass band, and bearing aloft at regular intervals the National flag, walked in procession to the United States
Hotel, to pay their parting respects to their beloved Commlnodore.
The sailors were dressed in blue jackets and trowsers, white
frocks with blue collars, and black hats with the frigate's name on
the bands.  The farewell salutation of the tars, and the reply of
the gallant Commodore, to use one of father Taylor's phrases -'were all soul,' and the cheers and music blending, seint up parting echoes that were heard miles distant.  Nothing  can be more
morally true than the old saying, that good officers milake good
men"   and visa versa.
The following Act it is proposed to submit to the Congress of
the United States, now in session:
Be it enacted by the Senate and icouse of Rcpresentatives of
the United States, in Congress assembled, and by the authority of
the saneSE.CTION 1. That every native born or naturalized citizen of
the United States, who shall serve from three to five years next
preceding legal manhood, in the merchant marine of the United
States, and obtain written testimonials from his employers, properly attested, of faithfiul service, good character and seamanship,
shall be entitled to the consideration of government, as an able
seaman, and to such privileges and preference in connection with
the Naval and Revenue Service as the fostering patronage of
Government, fronm time to time may direct, or the exigencies of
the Naval or Revenue Service may require.
SECTION 2.  A certificate of able seamanship as provided in
the foregoing Act, shall be furnished by the Colleftor of Customs
of the District sailed from, to every applicant authorized to receive it; an(l a Registry of Able Seamen shall be kept in each
District, for the information and use C; the "3overnment.
Press of J. HowE, 39 Merchants [tow, Boston.