The Alexandria Herald

MARINE COURT:

New-York, Dec. 14.

Having assault and battery

Gen'l District

George Matthewson, John Markwell,

and others.

The captain and crew of a vessel on the

high seas, have no right to permit or ex-

cite old Neptune to shave a passenger and

immerse him in a tub of water, contrary

to his will

This was an action of assault and

battery, alleged to have been commit-

ted on board the British ship Thomas

of Lancaster, while on the high seas

which ship, Matthewson was the cap-

tain, the other defendants—seamen, and

the plaintiff one of the passengers

It appeared that the ship came from

the chalky cliffs of Albion, with a num-

ber of passengers, and arrived on the

banks of Newfoundland. The sons of

the deity who rules the wide domain.

through which they had passed in safe-

ty, with joy beaming in every eye, met

and conferred. By a recurrence to an-

cient legends coeval with the common

law, among them, of greater validity,

it was found, that as often as a lands-

man came in view of the Banks. before

them, he must produce a bottle of old

Cognac or rum, as an acceptable sacri-

fice to Neptune.

The nature of the sacrifice was ex-

plained to the landsmen, and the greater

part complied with a requisition,

sanctioned by immemorial usage; the

defendant, with others, refused.

Whereupon the seamen invoked the

God, with sad complaints: "Oh! om-

nipotent father, king of the ocean, be-

hold the rebellious sons of Terra, who

have dared to intrude into thy domin-

ions, refusing to bend before thy divine

altar, and to render to thee an accus-

tomed oblation. Their beards, Oh! fa-

ther, are long, uncouth and unbeco-

ming; retained by them in defiance of thy

laws, and in derision of thy divinity."

The father of ocean heard, and lifted

his awful head sublime above the waves.

Attended by the Tritons, the Nereades

and all the daughters of the azure main

He saw his children and thus re-

sponded to their complaints, through a

brazen trumpet, whose reverberation

shook the distant promontory of Cha-

teau Rouge, and re-echoed through the

spacious bay of Placentia: Carry

these impious mortals from my pre-

sence—behold their beards, which they

dare to retain in defiance of my autho-

rity. They shall be shaved."

"Sic fata sinant."

He said, and taking his razor and

shaving box from his car, while Am-

phitrite held his horses,—he seized the

prow and ascended by the head rails in-

to the lofty ship His presence inspir-

ed his children with joy. But with-

out imparting his commands, through his

brazen trumpet, to the crew, the lands-

men below trembled "Bring hither

that tub, and fill it with sea-water?"

"Twas done. Bring forth the long

bearded tribe, one by one." The com-

mand was obeyed: but Duffie, when it

came to his turn, was inclined to be re-

fractory, and resisted—But who can re-

sist, when gods command?

The razor used by his godship, was

manufactured in the caverns of Etna,

by one of the Cyclops from an iron

nood; and, though somewhat rough on

the edge, did good business.

Held above the tub, Duffie under-

went the operation with streaming eye,

while the most unsavoury smell from

the lather entered his nostrils. As

soon as the office of the razor was ac-

complished and the awful oath, which

binds even Gods above, was adminis-

tered, the tub below received him;

the ceremony was done, and the god

descended into the bosom of "the vasty

deep"

It appeared that a lady passenger.

named Ann Jones, was subjected to the

same ceremony, the humour of which

was enjoyed by Duffie, in common with

the others. Markwell personated Nep-

tune, and the captain acted in the capaci-

ty of an assistant to the deity, and was

aiding, abetting and assisting in the

ceremony.

* Whenever a vessel arrives on the

equator or any remarkable head-land,

where the raw hands and passengers

on board have not been before, the sea-

men, according to an old usage, fre-

quently proceed to the ceremony of

shaving, which is thus performed: one

of the crew, who is best calculated for

drollery, is habited in a fantastic ridicul-

ous manner, and, with a speaking trum-

pet in his hand personates old Nep-

tune. He goes forward to the bow of

the vessel, while those who are to be

shaved, are kept below, and descends

until perhaps, he reaches the water, and

from thence ascends on deck, pretend-

ing to have emerged from the ocean.

He hails the crew with his trumpet; an-

swer is made, and mutual congratula-

tions pass between his godship and the

old seamen. He proceeds to order the

"requisite apparatus for shaving, which

generally consists of a piece of iron

hoop, a composition for lather made of

slum and other offensive matter, and

a tub of water. The persons who are

to be shaved, are then brought on deck

one by one, blindfolded. Those who

may be tractable are shaved lightly,

while those who are refractory, are

have their faces remaining, his god.