1903 The Flowing Bowl by Edward Spencer

84 THE FLOWING BOWL of Carlisle in the year 1865 some rum known to be 140 years old was sold for ^3 ; 3s. per bottle. This is not the brand served out to our army and navy; although the " tots " issued periodically to Tommy Atkins and Ben Bowline consist of good, sound liquor, wholesome enough, save for gouty subjects—and a sailor with the gout would be of about as much use to his Queen and country as a watch without works— and writing from past experience I can aver that every drop of liquor, whether ale or rum, supplied in a regimental canteen had to be previously passed by a committee of" taste." In many ships, nowadays, no rum or other intoxicant is served out j and as no equivalent is given, it might appear as though the owners made a good thing out of the temperate habits of their crews. But I do not believe in total abstinence as an aid to work j and I havenever seen a sailor the worse— on board ship—for his " tot." On the other hand, in the old days of " Green's " troop-ships, the old sailing-vessels which made the voyage to India round the Cape of Good Hope, it was by no means infrequent for a soldier to be " overcome " by the cane-spirit, of which he occasionally got rather more than his orthodox allowance. How was this managed ? The thrifty sea farers were in the habit of selling their grog allowance to the " swaddles " ; and as soon as the ship's captain found this out, he issued stringent regulations which it might have been expected •would put a stop to this practice. When all hands were piped to grog a ship's officer was