al-Navy
habits, was one of the most perfect governors; professionally and by
nature zealous for cleanliness, punctuality, good order of every kind;
a humane heart and yet a strong one; soft of speech and manner, yet with
an inflexible rigor of command, so far as his limits went: "iron hand
in a velvet glove," as Napoleon defined it. A man of real worth,
challenging at once love and respect: the light of those mild bright
eyes seemed to permeate the place as with an all-pervading vigilance,
and kindly yet victorious illumination; in the soft definite voice it
was as if Nature herself were promulgating her orders, gentlest mildest
orders, which however, in the end, there would be no disobeying, which
in the end there would be no living without fulfilment of. A true
"aristos," and commander of men. A man worthy to have commanded and
guided forward, in good ways, twelve hundred of the best common-people
in London or the world: he was here, for many years past, giving all
his care and faculty to command, and guide forward in such ways as there
were, twelve hundred of the worst. I looked with considerable admiration
on this gentleman; and with considerable astonishment, the reverse of
admiration, on the work he had here been set upon.

This excellent Captain was too old a Commander to complain of anything;
indeed he struggled visibly the other way, to find in his own mind that
all here was best; but I could sufficiently discern that, in his natural
instincts, if not mounting up to the region of his thoughts, there was
a continual protest going on against much of it; that nature and all his
inarticulate persuasion (however much forbidden to articulate itself)
taught him the futility and unfeasibility of the system followed here.
The Visiting Magistrates, he gently regretted rather than complained,
had lately taken his tread-wheel from him, men were just now pulling
it down; and how he was henceforth to enforce discipline on these bad
subjects, was much a difficulty with him. "They cared for nothing but
the tread-wheel, and for having their rations cut short:" of the two
sole penalties, hard work and occasional hunger, there remained now only
one, and that by no means the better one, as he thought. The "sympathy"
of visitors, too, their "pity" for his interesting scoundrel-subjects,
though he tried to like it, was evidently no joy to this practical mind.
Pity, yes: but pity for the scoundrel-species? For those who will not
have