Tobacco Boxes

There are two tobacco boxes pictured in the image entitled "Saturday Night at Sea". One appears to be of the hinged-lid variety and the other, in the pocket of the sailor on the left, appears to be a "Dutchman's Log" style box. 

Saturday night at sea. Lewis Walpole Library

Detail - Saturday night at sea, Lewis Walpole Library

A Dutchman's Log tobacco box was used as an aide-mémoire by sailors. The box is made of brass with tables inscribed on its lid and on its base. On the lid is a perpetual calendar, which allowed sailors to work out the weekday and the lunar age for any date. The table on the bottom was used in calculating a vessel’s speed. To do this, a piece of wood was thrown into the water and timed as it passed two marks on the vessel's side. The sailor then consulted the table on the box and, from the time taken in the left-hand column, read off the ship's speed from the right-hand column. 

Information on how to use a "Dutchman's log" can be found at Utrecht Univerisity Department of Mathematics website.

A few additional styles of tobacco box can be seen at the National Maritime Museum and the National Museum of Scotland. 

McNab Tobacco Box

Lewis Carr Tobacco Box

French POW Bone/Ivory Tobacco Box

The Watch

William Spavens (a seaman who gave us a rare view from the lower deck)

The ships company is generally divided into two equal parts, which are thus been denominated -- the starboard watch and larboard watch...The duration of a watch at sea, is four hours, beginning at 8 o'clock at night, which is called the first watch; from 12 to 4, the middle watch; 4 to 8, the morning watch; from 8 to 12, the forenoon watch; from 12 to 4, the afternoon watch; and that from 4 to 8 is divided into two, called the dog watches; the design of which is to prevent one watch having two night watches every 24 hours. The trick at the helm is two hours, at the lead half an hour, and that the masthead the same... And in his majesty ships and vessels of war, the lieutenants (who take charge of watches) and the inferior officers are equally divided; but the captain, master, boatswain, other warrant officers sleep all night; and there are several who are excused from watching, to occupy their trades, such as the armor, butcher, barber, &c. who are called idlers, and are occasionally called up to assist the watch when it is not necessary to call hands; these are in charge of the Master at Arms and ship's Corporal to turn up when they are called, which in squally weather is frequently three or four times in the watch. These are the common roles, on board all ships navigating in high latitudes, either for discovery or to fish for whales, &c. They make three watches, to prevent too great an exposure of the men to the intense cold, and to avoid the bad cop box of it, as they approach either of the poles, and in that case they termed the starboard, larboard and middle watch. When an anchor-watch is kept, it generally consists of only a petty officer and a few men to keep a lookout, and in blowing weather to stand by the sheet anchor to cut it away if necessary. The officers correct their timekeepers by the sun when he is in the meridian, and we then ring the bell and turn four-hour and half-hour glasses and hang them both up, and when the small one is out, we strike one on the bell; when it is out again, two; and so to seven; and when the large one is out we rang the bell, call and relieve the watch; but at 4 in the afternoon, only the little glasses turned, and that not for the last half hour; so when it is an 8:00 by the pocket watches, the bell is rung and both glasses turned for the first watch.

Watch-glasses, (horloge, Fr.) a name given to the glasses employed to measure the period of the watch, or to divide it into any number of equal parts, as hours, half-hours, &c. so that the several stations therein may be regularly kept and relieved; as at the helm, pump, look-out, &c. (Falconer 1468)

To set the watch is to appoint one division of the crew to enter upon the duty of the watch; as at eight o'clock in the evening. Hence it is equivalent to mounting the guard in the army. 

Watch bill, a list of the officers and crew of a ship as divided into watches, with their stations.

Bibliography

Falconer, William
1790 Universal Dictionary of the Marine. T. Cadwell. London.

Spavens, William 

1796 The Narrative of W. Spavens. Sheardown & Son. Louth.

Skylarking with the Midshipmen

The second day after quitting Portsmouth brought us to Torbay, where the channel fleet of thirty-six sail of the line, under Lord Bridport, was lying at anchor. I was soon transferred to my own ship and introduced to my new messmates.

We lived in the gun-room on the lower deck, and in fine weather had daylight, which was better in many respects than the old midshipmen's berths in the cockpit. Amongst the youngsters were some within a year or two as young as myself; nice boys, full of fun and mischief, who soon initiated me in the sea pranks of " sawing your bed-posts," — cutting you down head and foot ; " reefing your bed-clothes," — making them up into hard balls which, if properly done, will take one unpractised in the art a good half-hour or more to undo. It used to be a great annoyance to come off deck after a first or middle watch (from eight at night to twelve, or from twelve to four in the morning), perhaps quite wet through, thinking, on being relieved, what a nice sleep you would have, to find, on going to your hammock, all your sheets and blankets made up into hard balls, and a good half-hour's work in the dark to undo them, particularly when tired and sleepy. During your labour to effect this, you had the pleasure of hearing the mischievous fellows that had a hand in doing it, laughing in their hammocks, and offering their condolences by saying what a shame it was to play such tricks when you sent on deck, keeping your watch, and recommending you to lick them all round, if you were able, or at all events to retaliate the first opportunity.

Blowing the grampus (sluicing you with water), and many other tricks used to be resorted to occasionally. Taking it all in good part, from the persuasion that it was the customary initiation to a sea life, my torments were few, for when the art of tormenting ceases to irritate, it loses the effect intended, and it generally ends by your shipmates saying, "Well, you are a good-natured fellow, and shall not be annoyed anymore."

1879 Stanhope Lovell, William

Personal Narrative of events, From 1799 to 1815, with Anecdotes. Withbary and Co. London.

The Pipe to Dinner and the Noon Ration of GROG

"Pipe to dinner"

These words, followed by a glorious burst of shrill sounds, "long drawn out," are hailed with a murmur of delight by many a hungry tar and jolly marine.  The merry notes are nearly drowned next instant in  the rattle of tubs and kettles, the voice of the ship's cook and his mates calling out the numbers of the messes, the sound of  feet trampling along the decks and down the ladders, with the ample store of steaming provisions; such a set up and braces seaman's frame and give it vigour for any amount of physical action.

Then comes the joyous grog!  That nautical nectar, so dear to the lips of every blue-jacket, with which he washes down his Majesty's junk, as he roughly, but good humouredly styles the government allowance of beef; and while he quaffs off his portion, or his whack, as he calls it, he envies no man alive, and laughs to scorn those party philanthropists who describe his life as one of unhappy servitude.

Up to the year 1824 every man on board was allowed, each day, no less a quantity and half-a-pint of ardent spirits, mixed with three half-pints of water; but, even when thus diluted, the allowance formed a quart of extremely strong drink.  It was divided into two portions, one-half being served out soon after noon, the other between four and five o'clock.  This quantity was undoubtedly a great deal more than the average strength of a man's head could bear; and, in the opinion of the most observant officers in the navy, a large portion of all punishments were consequent upon offenses caused by the inebriating effect. The captain was not allowed to diminish the allowance, while among the man it would've been a reproach and anyone not to have drunk the whole, whatever his own taste might be.