creditable and gentlemanlike manner, what can be expected from the
English officer with his miserable pittance, which is totally inadequate
to his rank and station! Notwithstanding which, our officers do keep up
their appearance as gentlemen, and those who have no half pay are
obliged to support themselves. And I point this out, that when Mr Hume
and other gentlemen clamour against the expense of our naval force, they
may not be ignorant of one fact, which is, that not only on half-pay,
but when on active service, a moiety at least of the expenses
necessarily incurred by our officers to support themselves according to
their rank, to entertain, and to keep their ships in proper order, is,
three times out of four, paid out of their own pockets, or those of
their relatives; and that is always done without complaint, as long as
they are not checked in their legitimate claims to promotion.

In the course of this employment in the Mediterranean, one of our
captains was at Palermo. The American commodore was there at the time,
and the latter gave most sumptuous balls and entertainments. Being very
intimate with each other, our English captain said to him one day, "I
cannot imagine how you can afford to give such parties; I only know that
I cannot; my year's pay would be all exhausted in a fortnight." "My
dear fellow," replied the American commodore, "do you suppose, that I am
so foolish as to go to such an expense, or to spend my pay in this
manner; I have nothing to do with them except to give them. My purser
provides everything, and keeps a regular account, which I sign as
correct, and send home to government, which defrays the whole expenses,
under the head of _conciliation_ money." I do not mean to say that this
is requisite in our service: but still it is not fair to refuse to
provide us with paint and other articles, such as leather, etcetera,
necessary to fit out our ships; thus, either compelling us to pay for
them out of our own pockets, or allowing the vessels under our command
to look like anything but men-of-war, and to be styled, very truly, a
disgrace to the service. Yet such is the well-known fact. And I am
informed that the reason why our admiralty will not permit these
necessary stores to be supplied is that, as one of the lords of the
admiralty was known to say, "if we _do not_ provide them, the captains
_most assuredly will_, therefore let us save the government the
expense."

During my sojourn in