uncivilized men, rough, passionate,
revengeful, but likewise brave, sincere, and true to each other."

In place of inveighing against the illiberality of this statement, or
attempting to dispute its truth, as many persons, from an affectation
of enthusiastic regard for the honour of our tars, or positive
ignorance or contempt of the most incontrovertible obligations of
morality and religion, would incline, it will be vastly more
philosophical to investigate what are the principles of human nature
and the circumstances in their situation, which give rise to such a
character, that if possible some adequate remedy, or check at least,
may be discovered. This is certainly not the place for such a
discussion, as the importance of the subject demands; and the writer
can by no means imagine himself called on to enter upon it. But he
hazards a remark. He would consider British sailors as made up of
precisely the same elements as the rest of men, and that the obvious
peculiarities in which they differ from others, are the result of the
circumstances of their professional situation. It follows, that his
censure falls on the profession itself, rather than on those who are
members of it. But in fact, he conceives that there has been a
culpable neglect on the part of those who at different periods acquire
authority, to the moral condition of this class of men. It is obvious
indeed, that governments in general are little careful about the
characters of their subordinate agents, unless in so far as is
essential to the purposes for which they are employed; and
accordingly, where the base and savage principles of mankind can be
converted into so powerful an instrument, as we know they are in the
present case, we shall find, that scarcely any pains have been taken
to superinduce refinement, or even to favour the salutary operation of
those causes, by which, in the ordinary course of things, society is
gradually emancipated from barbarism. The rough virtues of the seaman
are in their estimation of sufficient excellence, without the
enhancement of moral attainments; and it is questionable, indeed, if a
sort of prejudice may not lurk in the minds of many, that the latter
would be the destruction of the former. Clearly, however, it seems to
be conceived, that there is no adequate inducement to run the risk of