Narrative of the surveying voyages of his majesty's ships Adventure and Beagle (vol.2): between the years 1826 and 1836 : describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagles's circumnavigation of the globe

1835. REFLECTIONS AN'D SUC.GKSTIOKS. 593 After examining tlie provisions and all the ship's papers, I spoke to the crew (every man of whom wished to leave the vessel) and to the nominal master ; obtained an assurance, in their hearing, that their future allowance of provisions should be unobjectionable, and, for the time, restored order. But I felt that the calm was unlikely to last, and two days afterwards fresh appeals were made, to which I could not attend, being in the act of leaving the port.* The laws which regulate our merchant shipping, especially sealers and whalers, do not appear to extend a sufficient in- fluence over the numerous vessels, which, with their often tur- bulent inmates, now range over the vast Pacific. For many years past. Great Britain and the United States have annually sent hundreds of large whale ships into the Pacific : during late years, Sydney has sent forth her ships, amounting at pre- sent in number to more than sixty, most of which are employed in whaling or trading in the Pacific : and be it remembered that their erews are not the most select seamen — the nature of many of them may easily be imagined — yet in all this im- mense expanse of ocean, little or no restraint except that of masters of vessels, on board their own ships, is imposed either upon Americans or British subjects ! There is the nominal authority of a consul at the Sandwich, and Society Islands and occasionally a man-of-war is seen at the least uncivilized places. But how inefficient is so widely separated, and so nominal a control ? When ships of war visit the less frequented parts of the Pacific, they are too much in the dark, as to the state of things, to be able to effect a tenth part of what might be done, in equal time, by a ship employed solely on that ocean. In so peculiar a portion of the world as Polynesia, it takes some time to learn what has been taking place : and what ship of war has stayed long enough for her captain to lose the sen- sation of inexperience — which must embarrass him if called upon to decide and act, in cases where he really is about the most ignorant person (as regards the special case) of any one • Afterwards (at Sydney) I heard that the men had all left the vessel, and were livinjf among the natives. VOL. II. 2 a