THE
BLIGHT OF INSUBORDINATION.
THE LASCAR QUESTION AND RIGHTS AND WRONGS OF THE BRITISH SHIPMASTER
"From time to time during the growth of the Empire, questions of the Indian Government, or of the relations of the Colonies with ourselves, with each other, or with other nations have been forced on the attention of the Imperial Parliament, and it is safe to anticipate that in the future these occasions will not become more rare. It is of vital importance that when they occur, as they are bound to occur, they shall be discussed not only with sympathy, but also with knowledge."—The Duke of Devonshire in "The Empire Review."
The above remarks appear quite opportune when the Lascar Question and all it is responsible for in its importance to the national welfare is considered and known to be agitating the minds of many of our politicians and legislators both east and west. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to try and place before such readers who are interested, and do not know already, a fair statement of the case as it is, and the reasons that have led up to the present position.
It is much to be regretted that no writers of repute, especially of those qualified to deal with it from the professional point, have ever considered this subject worthy of their pen, and thus leave it to be merely touched on the outer fringe, as it were, by one whose only qualification for presuming to offer an opinion about it is the experience acquired by being closely associated with Lascars for more than the last twelve years, inasmuch as during that time they have formed about three-fourths of the crews of the various ocean steamers he has commanded, and he has, therefore, perhaps, a better capacity to handle them than ability to write of them; still, the want of knowledge of the reason why these crews obtain so largely in the present day merchant service warrants the attempt to do the needful. The
