Best known for his realistic account of a sailor’s life aboard a 19th-century sailing vessel, Richard Henry Dana also wrote this treatise on practical seamanship and the duties of masters and mariners. Reproduced from a rare 1879 edition of the text, it offers a wealth of information on the actual operations of a sailing ship. Part one concerns the practical details of seamanship-fitting the rigging, setting and taking in sails, getting under way, tacking, lying to, coming to anchor-and includes an extensive dictionary of nautical terms. Part Two discusses customs and usages of the merchant service, the duties of the crew, and the particulars of life on a ship. Part Three examines the duties of master and mariners relating to vessels-it cargo, passangers, officers, and seaman. Based on the author’s own experience, this volume offers a fascinating look at the seafaring world of the 19th century.