THE HORRORS OF THE GALLEYS.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1644, 8 October 1887, Page 3

THE HORRORS OF THE GALLEYS.

The life of the French galley-slaves of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been thus described by Admiral de la Graviere: —

I They, place seven men on each bench—that is to say, in a space 10ft long by 4ft wide. They are so packed away that yoa can see nothing from stern to bow but the heads of the sailors. The Captain and the officers are not miFh better off. When the seas overtake the galleys, when the north wind howls along the coast, or when the sirocco dampens the passengers with its deadly moisture, all these make the galley a perfect hell. The lamentations of the ship’s company, the shrieks of the sailors, the horrible howling of the convicts, the groaning of the timbers, mixed with the clanking of the chains and the natural noises of the storm, produce an effect that will terrify the bravest of men! Even the calm has its inconvenience. The horrid smells are so powerful that you cannot withstand them, despite the fact that you use tobacco in some shape from morning till night. Condemned in 1701 to serve in the galleys of France. Jean Martelle de Bugerac died in 1777 at Galenburg, on the Geldre, at the age of 95. He says: — “All the convicts are chained six to a bench; these benches are four feet apart, and covered with a bag stuffed with wool, on which is thrown a sheepskin. The overseer, who is the master of the slaves, remains aft, near the captain, to receive his orders. There are two suh-overseers one amidships, the other on the bow. Each one of them is armed with a whip, which he exercises on the naked bodies of the crew.

“ When the captain orders the boat off, the overseer giyes a signal from a silrer whistle which hangs from his neck. This is repeated by the two others, and at once the slaves strike the water. One would say that .the 50 oars are but one. Imagine 6 men chained to a bench, naked as they were born, one foot on the footrest, the other braced against the seat in front, holding in their hands an oar of enormous weight, stretching their bodies out, and extending their arms forward towards the backs of those before them, who have the same attitude. The oar thus advanced, they raise the end. they hold in their hands so that the other end shall plunge into the sea. That done, they throw themselves back and fall on their seats, which bend on receiving them.

“ Sometimes the slaves row 10, 12, or even 20 hours at a time, without the slightest relaxation. The overseer, or someone else, on such occasions puts into the mouth of the unfortunate rower a small morcel of bread steeped with wine, to preven his fainting If by chance one falls over—which often happens—he is beaten until ho is supposed to be dead, and then he is thrown overboard without ceremony.”