rashly and criminally entrusted with the important charge of magnificent ships, with valuable cargoes and crowds of emigrants. And what has been the consequence? Discontent, dissatisfaction, and sometimes almost mutiny on the passage out, followed, in many instances, by disastrous wrecks on reaching this coast; which, with scarcely an exception, have most undoubtedly been the result either of the most glaring carelessness or the grossest intemperance. And even after the vessels reach their destination, and are fortunate enough to escape previous destruction, their troubles and misfortunes seem only then to commence. In the first place, the complaints of the passengers for bad treatment, &c. on the voyage, have to be disposed of; and these instances are sometimes so gross, that in a case occuring only last week, the captain of a vessel was fined in penalties accounting in cumulo to no less a sum of £1,800. Such, one would imagine, would be a pretty strong lesson for the future selection of captains. And the consequences of a bad choice are by no means confined to the passengers' complains; for after these have been arranged, then follow the desertion of the seamen—the landing of the goods—the difficulties of lighterage—the disputes as to freight, and other concurrent evils,—all occasioned by an incapable captain, who finds himself in a sea of litigation before he has well landed, in the midst of which the freight is swallowed up, and the ship is then detained in harbour till a course of correspondence takes place between the captain or agents and the unfortunate owner, who is thus severely punished for his injudicious selection. This is no ideal picture, though it is a strong illustration of the evils resulting from the careless, and we may add criminally culpable appointments, of captains who have been sent in charge of vessels from England to this port. But these remarks would be altogether misunderstood, if it were supposed that we thereby intended to convey any sweeping censure upon the class of captains in general. On the contrary, it is only the chaff which we desire to winnow from the wheat. We desire to condemn the drunken, the careless, and incapable; but we do not wish to overlook the claims of those, and they are not a few, who have shown by their activity, intelligence, and gentlemanly behaviour, that they are worthy of the name of British seamen. These have reaped their reward, in the respect of all who witnessed their conduct; and they have shown the value of their services, by transacting their business expeditiously, and carrying their vessels home without detention.
"We are the more encouraged to enter at this length into the subject, from seeing how easily remediable many of our greatest evils are. This time last year we were writing of the frightful mortality on board our large emigrant ships. Many instances have lately occurred, of vessels conveying hundreds of passengers without a single death from disease.
"We have referred elsewhere to the particulars of our commercial position, which is one of peculiar interest at the present moment, and, therefore, requires great caution and discrimination in judging
