Progress of landing the stones. The Seamen become discontented.
The building operations had for some time proceeded more slowly, from the higher parts of the Light-house requiring much longer time than an equal tonnage of the lower courses. The duty of the landing-master’s crew had, upon the whole, been easy of late; for, though the work was occasionally irregular, yet the stones being lighter, they were more speedily lifted from the hold of the stone-vessel to the deck of the praam-boat, and again to the waggons on the railway, after which they came properly under the charge of the foreman-builder; the artificers working the several purchase-tackles in raising the stones through the successive stages, from the railways to the bridge, and from thence to the top of the building, as represented in Plates [IX.] and [XVIII.] It is, however, a strange, though not an uncommon feature in the human character, that when people have least to complain of, they are most apt to become dissatisfied, as was now the case with the seamen employed in the Bell Rock service, about their rations of beer. Indeed, ever since the carpenter of the Floating-light, formerly noticed, had been brought to the Rock, expressions of discontent had been manifested upon various occasions. This being represented to the writer, he sent for Captain Wilson, the landing-master, and Mr Taylor, commander of the Tender, with whom he talked over the subject. They stated, that they considered the daily allowance of the seamen in every respect ample, and that the work being now much lighter than formerly, they had no just ground for complaint; Mr Taylor adding, that if those who now complained “were even to be fed upon soft bread and turkeys, they would not think themselves right.” At 12 noon, as before noticed, the work of the landing-master’s crew was completed for the day. But at 4 o’clock, while the Rock was under water, those on the Beacon were surprised by the arrival of a boat from the Tender, without any signal having been made from the Beacon. It, however, brought the following note to the writer from the landing-master’s crew.
Sir Joseph Banks, Tender.
“Sir,
“We are informed by our masters, that our allowance is to be as before, and it is not sufficient to serve us, for we have been at work since 4 o’clock this morning, and we have come on board to dinner, and there is no beer for us before to-morrow morning, to which a sufficient answer is required before we go from the Beacon; and we are, Sir, your most obedient servants.”
On reading this, the writer returned a verbal message, intimating, that an answer would be sent on board of the Tender, at the same time ordering the boat instantly to quit the Beacon. He then addressed the following note to the landing-master.
Correspondence with the Landing-master.
“Beacon-house, 22d June 1810,
5 o’clock, P. M.
“Sir,
“I have just now received a letter purporting to be from the landing-master’s crew and seamen on board of the Sir Joseph Banks, though without either date or signature; in answer to which, I inclose a statement of the daily allowance of provisions for the seamen in this service, which you will post up in the ship’s-galley, and at 7 o’clock this evening I will come on board to enquire into this unexpected and most unnecessary demand for an additional allowance of beer. In the inclosed, you will not find any alteration from the original statement, fixed in the galley at the beginning of the season. I have, however, judged this mode of giving your people an answer, preferable to that of conversing with them on the Beacon. I am, Sir, your most obedient servant,