The Seaman's Friend: Containing a treatise on practical seamanship, with plates, a dictionary of sea terms, customs and usages of the merchant serviceDana, Richard Henry
Science
The Seaman's Friend: Containing a treatise on practical seamanship, with plates, a dictionary of sea terms, customs and usages of the merchant service
Dana, Richard Henry
Maritime law; Merchant marine; Naval art and science; Naval art and science -- Dictionaries; Seamanship
If the master is present while the mate, or any subordinate officer,
inflicts punishment upon any of the crew, or if it is inflicted under
such circumstances as would raise a presumption that the master was
knowing of it, and he does not interfere, he will be held to have
adopted it as his own act, and will be answerable accordingly.[100]
[100] 2 Sumner, 1.
In addition to the master's liability to the seamen in damages for
abuse of power, he is also liable, as a criminal, to fine and
imprisonment. A recent statute enacts, that "if any master, or other
officer, of an American vessel, shall, from malice, hatred, or revenge,
and without justifiable cause, beat, wound, or imprison any one or more
of the crew of such vessel, or withhold from them suitable food or
nourishment, or inflict on them any cruel or unusual punishment, every
such person so offending shall, on conviction thereof, be punished by
fine not exceeding one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment not
exceeding five years, or by both, according to the nature and
aggravation of the offence."[101] It is held that the word 'crew,' in
this statute, includes officers; and accordingly a master was punished
for unjustifiably confining and otherwise mal-treating his chief
mate.[102]
[101] Act 1835, ch. 313, §3.
[102] 3 Sumner, 209.
To constitute 'malice' in the above statute, it is not necessary to
show malignity as it is commonly understood, or brutality; but the
term, in law, requires no more than a 'wilful intention to do a
wrongful act.' An offence is punishable under this act, even although
no bad passions came into play, (as hatred, or revenge,) for the term
'malice,' in law, covers all cases of intentional wrong, in their
mildest form.[103]
[103] 2 Sumner, 584.
If a seaman desires to lay any complaint before a consul in a foreign
port, the master must permit him to land for that purpose, or else
inform the consul immediately of the fact, stating his reasons in
writing for not allowing the man to land. If he refuses to do this, he
forfeits one hundred dollars, and is liable to the seaman in
damages.[104]
[104] Act 1840, ch. 23, §1.
CHAPTER V.
PASSENGERS.
Provisions. Treatment. Passage-money. Deportment. Services.
In Chapter I. of the Third Part, under the title "Provisions," it will
be seen that the vessel must have on board, well secured under deck, at
least sixty gallons of water, one hundred pounds of salted beef, one
hundred pounds of wholesome ship bread, and one gallon of vinegar for
each passenger, on a voyage across the Atlantic, and in like proportion
for shorter or longer voyages. This, too, must be in addition to the
private stores of the master or passengers.[105]
[105] Act 1819, ch. 170, §3.
The master is also forbidden to take on board more than two passengers
for every five tons.[106]
[106] Do. §1.
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