y use swearing, and, too often, a
profane phraseology, without any meaning. But seamen generally have
as serious ideas of religion, as landsmen; and are, in my opinion,
full as good. Hypocrisy is not among their vices. They never pretend
to more religion than their conduct proclaims. You see and hear the
worst of them; and that cannot always be said of our brethren on
shore. We have had a methodist preacher exhorting us twice a week,
until lately; but he has discontinued his visits; for he found the
hearts of _some_ of our fellows as hard as their faces, and he
relinquished the hope of their conversion to methodism. There was, at
one time, on board our ship, a little, ugly French surgeon's mate, who
had lived several years in London, and in the southern part of
America. He could speak, and read the English language equally well
with his own. He ridiculed _all_ religion, and talked in such an
irreverent style of the bible, of Jesus Christ, and of the Virgin
Mary, that our sailors would not associate with him, nor, at times,
eat with him. On one occasion, his profanity was so shocking, that he
ran some risk of being thrown overboard. He was a witty, comical
fellow, and they would listen and laugh at his drollery; but they
finally stopped his mouth from uttering things, for which he would be
severely punished in England and in America; and skinned, or fried, or
slowly roasted, in Spain.

Generally speaking, in the religious notions of our sailors, there is
mixed a portion of that superstition which we, our forefathers, and
foremothers brought with them from England, Scotland and Ireland. They
believe, for example, in spirits, or ghosts, and that they haunt
houses and ships; and that they have sometimes appeared with horrid
visage, and menacing countenances, at the bed-side of a cruel captain;
and above all, to the false hearted Tar, who cruelly deserted his too
credulous Poll, who drowned herself in despair. The common sailor
often tells such stories, and sings them in ballads, both which are
generally ended with the good moral sentiment of the punishment of
cruelty and treachery; and the reward of the kind hearted and humane.

It may appear singular that men whose conduct generally is so opposite
to the prescribed rules of the Priest, should have so firm an opinion
of another life, after their bodies are eaten up by sharks, or blown
to atoms; but it is really the case with the British and American
sailors; for they have