o_199m9vaui14ib1cnu10di10pocoj4h.pdf

2 7 o THE NAVAL MUTINIES OF 1797
of two others from the Nymphe. 1 It is noticeable that in
both cases exception was taken to the captains and
lieutenants, and there can be no doubt that these officers
were chiefly to blame. The character of the discipline on
any ship was largely determined by the captain. If he
were too mild, it would be impossible for the other officers
to exercise a proper authority over the men. If he were
just, he would not allow either slackness or needless
severity. But the captains of the Nymphe and the
Marlborough—and probably several others of a similar
disposition—set an example of cruelty, and would be
inclined to condone, or even to encourage, harsh conduct
on the part of their subordinates.
On the Nymphe the chief complaints were directed
against the lieutenants. No definite accusation was
brought against Captain Cook ; but the fact of his
dismissal shows that his conduct had not been considered
satisfactory. The most notorious offender was Irwin, the
first lieutenant. The punishment of a seaman, by his
order, for " silent contempt " has passed into history as
an example of the brutality that largely justified the
mutineers in revolting. George Verry, a seaman of the
Nymphe, who must have been a man of remarkable
endurance, was seen to smile at the end of a flogging.
Irwin, noticing the smile, concluded that the flogging
had not taken proper effect. Verry was tied up again,
and was punished with thirty-six more lashes. Irwin
also belaboured him about the head with a speakingtrumpet.
2 Apparently speaking-trumpets were not
seldom used as instruments of correction. The captain
of the Marlborough used his trumpet with such violence
that the mouthpiece was broken. It was replaced by
something more substantial, made from a double sheet of
tin, with a solid iron ring round the end. 3 The lieutenants
of the Nymp-he made a practice of beating the men them-
1. Ibid.
2. Report of Colpoy?. Vashon and Jones, 19 April (A.S.I. 107, J 228).
3. Howe's report, u.s.