ngland rum, without making a wry face, as one of the
most important qualifications of a sailor!

The "old men-of-war's-men" had passed through strange and eventful
scenes; they were the type of a class of men which have long since
passed away; they could spin many a long and interesting yarn, to which
I listened with untiring eagerness. But no trait in their character
astonished me more than their uncontrollable passion for intoxicating
drinks. As cabin boy, it was my duty to serve out to the crew a half
pint of rum a day. These old Tritons eagerly looked forward to the hour
when this interesting ceremony came off; their eyes sparkled as they
received their allotted portion of this enemy to the human race; and
they practised every art to procure, by fair means or foul, an increased
allowance. If by accident or shrewd management one of them succeeded in
obtaining half a glass more than he was fairly entitled to, his triumph
was complete. But if he imagined he had not received the full quantity
which was his due, ill humor and sulky looks for the next twenty-four
hours bore testimony to his anger and disappointment. These men ignored
the good old proverb that "bread is the staff of life," and at any time,
or at all times, would prefer grog to bread.

In those days it was believed that ardent spirit would strengthen the
constitution, and enable a man to endure hardship and perform labor to a
greater extent that would be the case if he drank nothing stronger
than water. Rum was, therefore, included among the ship's stores as an
important means of keeping the ship's company in good humor, reviving
their spirits and energies when overcome with fatigue or exposure, and
strengthening them for a hard day's work.

Those days have passed away. It is now known that those doctrines were
false; that spiritous liquors, as a drink, never benefit mankind, but
have proved one of the greatest scourges with which the human race
has been afflicted. It is no longer believed that grog will insure the
faithful performance of a seaman's duty, and it is excluded from our
ships, so far as the forecastle is concerned; and if it were never
allowed to visit the cabin, the crews, in some cases, would lead happier
lives, there would be fewer instances of assault and battery, revolts
and shipwrecks, and the owners and underwriters would find the balance
at the end of the voyage more decidedly in their favor.

Among the customs on shipboard which att