Captain Patterson
Captain Patterson, Esq.
Daily Alta California, Tuesday morning, June 14, 1853
The Panama papers are filled with remarks upon an alleged cruelty practiced upon a seaman by the officers of the Golden Gate.
We are unable to find what the supposed cruelties were -- the writers on the subject assuming that a terrible thing had been done, without condescending to state what the terrible thing was, and upon that assumption commenting in estenso.
From an intimate personal knowledge of the character of Captain Patterson, and the officers under him, we are warranted in saying that he is not amenable to the charge of tyranny, cruelty or unkindness to his passengers or crew, and we cannot credit such a charge without positive proof.
~ ~ ~ ~
Breverton's Nautical Curiosities: A Book of the Sea
Breverton's Nautical Curiosities" is about ships, people and the sea. However, unlike many other nautical compendiums, the focus of this book is on the unusual, the overlooked or the downright extraordinary.
Thus, someone most of us do not know, Admiral William Brown, is given equal coverage to Admiral Nelson. Without Admiral Brown releasing Garibaldi, modern Italy might not exist. And without the barely known genius John Ericsson designing the "Monitor," the Confederacy might have won the American Civil War.
You will be stimulated as you read about the remarkable people - explorers, admirals and trawlermen - who have shaped our world. The sea has had a remarkable effect upon our language. We hear the terms "steer clear of," "hit the deck," "don't rock the boat," "to harbour a grudge: and the like, and give little thought to their origins. In the pages of this book, the reader will find the roots of "bumpkin," a "brace of shakes," "born with a silver spoon," "booby prize," "above board," "bombed" (in the sense of being drunk), "blind-side," "the pot calling the kettle black," "wasteres," "barbecue" . . . Other colourful terms, which have passed out of common usage, such as "bring one's arse to anchor" (sit down), "belly timber" (food) and "bog orange" (potato) are also included, as well as important pirate haunts, technical terms, famous battles, maritime inventors and ship speed records.
