ABSTRACT
PRIZE money and patriotism were the chief incentives which made men enter the Navy, though in time of war the existence of the Press Gang obviated the necessity of any patriotic feelings on the part of the ordinary seaman. For such a man, life on board a big ship engaged on blockade duties must have been well-nigh intolerable; by contrast, the chance of winning prize money, however small his share might be, and the excitements of the chase made service in frigates particularly attractive. At every period in naval history officers and men alike preferred an adventurous cruise in a small ship to the stricter discipline and the duller routine of the line of battleship.
