We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.
from Writings
In a letter to the Times, Captain Robert Methven bemoaned in 1854 that “we have neither seamen or seamanship.” There could be no more succinct summary of both the issues and the prevailing opinion in the debate which was to obsess contemporaries for the next sixty years. From mid-century to the First World War, there was widespread concern over the quality, skill and supply of seamen in the British mercantile marine. Shipping interests - owners and masters - M.P.s and government officials all devoted much attention to the issue. So too did Royal Navy officers and parties interested in Imperial defence, for the merchant navy was seen as a source for recruitment and a wartime reserve.
The growth of concern was first visible in the late 1840s; thereafter the matter became a regular subject for discussion, investigation and the advocacy of remedial proposals. Because the issue was regarded as central to the operation and progress of British shipping, it featured in almost every official enquiry into the mercantile marine, but a list of those which addressed themselves particularly to the quality and supply of seamen illustrates the extent, regularity and high level of concern with what came to be known as the “manning question.” Commencing with a set of consular reports on seamen published in 1847-1848 (an exercise repeated in 1869-1870), government considered the matter again in two Commissions on manning the Royal Navy in 1852 and 1859. The Board of Trade reviewed labour in the mercantile marine in 1872 and produced a special report on the supply of British seamen in 1886. A Select Committee of 1878 examined the Merchant Seamen's Bill then before parliament. The Royal Commission on Unseaworthy Ships featured seamen in its reports of 1873 and 1874 as did the Select Committee on Saving Life at Sea of 1887. In 1894 the Royal Commission on Labour included seamen in its purview and Board of Trade Committees in 1896, 1903 and 1907, respectively, enquired into manning levels, the mercantile marine and the supply and training of boy seamen.
To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.
Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.
Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.
To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.
