business of punishing, but it is absolutely necessary sometimes. The very following day one of the Boatswains mates and one of the marines were confined for drunkenness and rioting; on this occasion I tried the effect of lenity. On our coming into this Port [Trinity] I called the ship’s company upon deck and represented to them my displeasure at their conduct during the short time we were at St John’s, I assured them that it was a most disagreeable thing to me to punish and I pointed out to them that every one of those who had misbehaved were in the first place intoxicated. I then expressed my hopes that I should see a different conduct for the future, but warned them against drunkenness at sea, or smuggling spirituous liquors on board in a harbour as these were amongst the offences which I never would forgive. I then informed them that one day in the week, the messes might depute a man each in whom they could confide, and these men should have a boat to attend upon them in order to their trucking their provisions against what vegetables or other articles they might want from the shore.
Again we have an example of Moore endeavouring to provide a balanced regime, introducing a restriction whilst at the same time granting a concession. But it is also important to note that Moore was driven to punish the aforesaid men, not for drunkenness but for the offences that followed as a consequence i.e. mutinous and riotous behaviour. The other real problem associated with drunkenness, and the reason it brought forth punishments, was because at sea it was dangerous and led to accident and injury.
Within days the Bonetta sailed for Trinity, where Moore opened the Surrogate Court to hear and rule on civil suits and complaints. He sat despondently listening to a succession of cases, beginning with a merchant captain who complained that the drunken sailors on his ship had caused him a large financial loss, and proceeding to complaints from servants over non-payment of wages, disputes over fishing rights etc. Having dealt with the cases, he closed the court and collected over £100 in Greenwich Hospital money from local merchants. He noted that the Surrogate Court had been warmly welcomed by the poorer residents of the town because
... the poor people are so oppressed by the rich that they are happy to seek even the rough protection of a Sea despot. I however am strongly inclined to think that our law, or rather our courts of law in England are much better calculated for the convenience of the Rich than the protection of the Poor.
Moore responded to this by tearing up the table of fees which he was supposed to charge for hearing cases and which had been given to him by the Chief Justice at St John’s. The fees, he thought,
... fall very heavy on many of the poor people, who are in general destitute of cash, and will be a trifle to the people with whom they have to contend; it may deter the former from having recourse to the Surrogate and consequently encourage the other to cheat and oppress them.
He had already had some experience of the potential inequality and corruption that existed. Local merchants had inundated him with gifts of fresh vegetables and wild duck. He had no hesitation in recognizing this as attempted bribery and was determined to refuse any further offerings.
Moore’s next port of call was Harbour Grace. Here, as soon as the Bonetta had dropped anchor, she was besieged by boats carrying people seeking to influence him in cases they wished to bring to the Court. It was not a good sign ; ‘I shall have much trouble at this damned place’ , he noted in his journal. Two days later he opened the Surrogate Court and was deluged with complaints from merchants against debtors, and a smaller number of complaints about ‘oppression’ . For three days he sat hearing cases in the Court Room, by the end of which he was heartily sick of the whole business: ‘I wish the whole town were at the bottom of the sea; for they seem
Again we have an example of Moore endeavouring to provide a balanced regime, introducing a restriction whilst at the same time granting a concession. But it is also important to note that Moore was driven to punish the aforesaid men, not for drunkenness but for the offences that followed as a consequence i.e. mutinous and riotous behaviour. The other real problem associated with drunkenness, and the reason it brought forth punishments, was because at sea it was dangerous and led to accident and injury.
Within days the Bonetta sailed for Trinity, where Moore opened the Surrogate Court to hear and rule on civil suits and complaints. He sat despondently listening to a succession of cases, beginning with a merchant captain who complained that the drunken sailors on his ship had caused him a large financial loss, and proceeding to complaints from servants over non-payment of wages, disputes over fishing rights etc. Having dealt with the cases, he closed the court and collected over £100 in Greenwich Hospital money from local merchants. He noted that the Surrogate Court had been warmly welcomed by the poorer residents of the town because
... the poor people are so oppressed by the rich that they are happy to seek even the rough protection of a Sea despot. I however am strongly inclined to think that our law, or rather our courts of law in England are much better calculated for the convenience of the Rich than the protection of the Poor.
Moore responded to this by tearing up the table of fees which he was supposed to charge for hearing cases and which had been given to him by the Chief Justice at St John’s. The fees, he thought,
... fall very heavy on many of the poor people, who are in general destitute of cash, and will be a trifle to the people with whom they have to contend; it may deter the former from having recourse to the Surrogate and consequently encourage the other to cheat and oppress them.
He had already had some experience of the potential inequality and corruption that existed. Local merchants had inundated him with gifts of fresh vegetables and wild duck. He had no hesitation in recognizing this as attempted bribery and was determined to refuse any further offerings.
Moore’s next port of call was Harbour Grace. Here, as soon as the Bonetta had dropped anchor, she was besieged by boats carrying people seeking to influence him in cases they wished to bring to the Court. It was not a good sign ; ‘I shall have much trouble at this damned place’ , he noted in his journal. Two days later he opened the Surrogate Court and was deluged with complaints from merchants against debtors, and a smaller number of complaints about ‘oppression’ . For three days he sat hearing cases in the Court Room, by the end of which he was heartily sick of the whole business: ‘I wish the whole town were at the bottom of the sea; for they seem
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