P. 150: “England can afford to give Russia the mechanical means of endeavouring to rival her; neither money nor ukase can create the British seaman. No ! here Nicholas must halt! He may order ships, like the “Twelve Apostles,” to be built, and guns from four-pounders to Paixhans, to be cast in unlimited numbers; but crews to man either the one or the other, neither he nor his successors can ever hope to have. Russians are the afterguard of all the sailors in Europe. One cannot help smiling when contrasting the seamen of other nations with theirs. Look at a blue jacket in our own service! he is all ease and freedom, agile and muscular; his countenance is open, his bearing independent; and though he shows implicit obedience under discipline, his
p. 151: demeanour is manly as well as respectful, and he is clean. A Russian sailor has no pretensions to be called one; his head is nearly shaved, and his jacket of green cloth, made like a dragoon’s, fits quite tight; this is buttoned all the way up the front, and padded out as an army tailor would make one for a young cornet. His lower extremities are cased in Wellingtons! and on his head is a worsted forage cap, all on one side. If a mate, his pipe is stuck between the buttons of his jacket, like an eye-glass; and last, though certainly not least, when addressed by his officer, he uncaps, and bringing his feet together, stands, oh, ye tars! at what? “at ease?” oh, no! at “attention!” with his “little fingers down the seams, and thumbs pointing outwards.” The crews of the Black Sea fleet would be considered wholly inefficient by a seaman, and to be convinced of this, it is only necessary to walk down to the pratique port at Odessa, and see a boat’s crew land their commander from a line-of-battle ship. The naval power of Russia in this quarter is a chimera, and though immense sums have been, and are expended upon their fleet, the result is, not an effective force, but merely the appearance of one. It consists of about 15 sail. In the model-room at Nicolaieff are one or two Liliputian vessels completely rigged, for the instruction of the students in the Navalschool rather an odd way of teaching them their duty! One of these models is said to have cost £ 20,000. The barracks for the seamen, and many other of the public buildings, were erected by Mr. Arkroyd, an English architect, in the employ of the Russian government.”
Source
William Jesse/captain Jesse. Russia and the war. London, 1854.
p. 151: demeanour is manly as well as respectful, and he is clean. A Russian sailor has no pretensions to be called one; his head is nearly shaved, and his jacket of green cloth, made like a dragoon’s, fits quite tight; this is buttoned all the way up the front, and padded out as an army tailor would make one for a young cornet. His lower extremities are cased in Wellingtons! and on his head is a worsted forage cap, all on one side. If a mate, his pipe is stuck between the buttons of his jacket, like an eye-glass; and last, though certainly not least, when addressed by his officer, he uncaps, and bringing his feet together, stands, oh, ye tars! at what? “at ease?” oh, no! at “attention!” with his “little fingers down the seams, and thumbs pointing outwards.” The crews of the Black Sea fleet would be considered wholly inefficient by a seaman, and to be convinced of this, it is only necessary to walk down to the pratique port at Odessa, and see a boat’s crew land their commander from a line-of-battle ship. The naval power of Russia in this quarter is a chimera, and though immense sums have been, and are expended upon their fleet, the result is, not an effective force, but merely the appearance of one. It consists of about 15 sail. In the model-room at Nicolaieff are one or two Liliputian vessels completely rigged, for the instruction of the students in the Navalschool rather an odd way of teaching them their duty! One of these models is said to have cost £ 20,000. The barracks for the seamen, and many other of the public buildings, were erected by Mr. Arkroyd, an English architect, in the employ of the Russian government.”
Source
William Jesse/captain Jesse. Russia and the war. London, 1854.
