Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 1).djvu/437

 the master not to give the seamen any cause to mutiny; nor to provoke them by calling them names, nor wrong them, nor "keep anything from them that is theirs, but to use them well, and pay them honestly what is their due."

The fourteenth and fifteenth articles relate to the regulations of mooring ships, and to injuries sustained through "striking against each other." The law of damage is laid down at great length, and buoys, made of empty barrels, pieces of any description of light wood, baskets, or any articles which float buoyantly on the top of the water, are required to be used to prevent accidents and show where the anchors lie, when in port.

The sixteenth clause required the master to ask the crew, when a ship was ready to load, "Will you freight your share yourselves, or be allowed for it in proportion with the ship's general freight?" and the sailors were there and then bound to answer, and make their election. If they elected to take their risk, a curious practice resulted. In the event of taking on board a cask of water instead of a cask of wine, they might deal with their own stowage as of right; and, in the event of throwing cargo overboard, to lighten the ship, they had the privilege of refusing to throw over a cask of water in preference to a cask of wine. If the water, however, was thrown overboard, the mariner came in upon the general average; although, by the common law of England, a tun of water was never rated, pound by pound in value, with a tun of wine.