of a fond, long, domestic letter from any man's home, was far
better than no letter at all.

In the vicinity of the office of the Purser's Steward are the
principal store-rooms of the Purser, where large quantities of
goods of every description are to be found. On board of those ships
where goods are permitted to be served out to the crew for the
purpose of selling them ashore, to raise money, more business is
transacted at the office of a Purser's Steward in one _Liberty-day_
morning than all the dry goods shops in a considerable village
would transact in a week.

Once a month, with undeviating regularity, this official has his
hands more than usually full. For, once a month, certain printed
bills, called Mess-bills, are circulated among the crew, and
whatever you may want from the Purser--be it tobacco, soap, duck,
dungaree, needles, thread, knives, belts, calico, ribbon, pipes,
paper, pens, hats, ink, shoes, socks, or whatever it may be--down
it goes on the mess-bill, which, being the next day returned to
the office of the Steward, the "slops," as they are called, are
served out to the men and charged to their accounts.

Lucky is it for man-of-war's-men that the outrageous impositions
to which, but a very few years ago, they were subjected from the
abuses in this department of the service, and the unscrupulous
cupidity of many of the pursers--lucky is it for them that _now_
these things are in a great degree done away. The Pursers, instead
of being at liberty to make almost what they pleased from the sale
of their wares, are now paid by regular stipends laid down by law.