A rare glimpse into the day-to-day shipboard procedures of the 19th-century. The author of Two Years Before the Mast outlines practical aspects of seamanship such as setting sails and tying knots as well as the roles and duties of each crew member. Includes a glossary of sea terms.

PART I. A PLAIN TREATISE ON PRACTICAL SEAMANSHIP.
CHAP. I.?GENERAL RULES AND OBSERVATIONS
Construction of vessels
Tonnage and carriage of merchant vessels
Proportions of spars
Placing the masts
Size of anchors and cables
Lead-lines
Log-line
Ballast and lading
CHAP. II.?CUTTING AND FITTING STANDING RIGGING
Cutting lower rigging
Fitting lower rigging
Cutting and fitting topmast rigging
"Jib, topgallant and royal rigging"
Ratling
Standing rigging of the yards
Breast-backstays
CHAP. III.?FITTING AND REEVING RUNNING RIGGING
To reeve a brace
"Fore, main, and cross-jack braces"
Fore and main topsail braces
Mizzen topsail braces
"Fore, main, and mizzen topgallant and royal braces"
Halyards
Spanker brails
"Tacks, sheets, and clewlines"
"Reef-tackles, clewgarnets, buntlines, leechlines, bowlines, and slablines"
CHAP. IV.?TO RIG MASTS AND YARDS
Taking in lower masts and bowsprit
To rig a bowsprit
To get the tops over the mast-heads
To send up a topmast
To get on a topmast cap
To rig out a jib-boom
To cross a lower yard
To cross a topsail yard
To send up a topgallant mast
"Long, short, and stump topgallant masts"
To rig out a flying jib-boom
To cross a topgallant yard
To cross a royal yard
Skysail yards
CHAP. V.?TO SEND DOWN MASTS AND YARDS
To send down a royal yard
To send down a topgallant yard
To send down a topgallant mast
To house a topgallant mast
To send down a topmast
To rig in a jib-boom
CHAP. VI.?BENDING AND UNBENDING SAILS
To bend a course
To bend a topsail by the halyards
by the buntlines
To bend topgallant sails and royals
To bend a jib
To bend a spanker
To bend a spencer
To unbend a course
To unbend a topsail
To unbend a topgallant sail or royal
To unbend a jib
To send down a topsail or course in a gale of wind
To bend a topsail in a gale of wind
To bend one topsail or course and send down the other at the same time
"CHAP. VII.?WORK UPON RIGGING. ROPE, KNOTS, SPLICES, BENDS, HITCHES"
"Yarns, strands"
"Kinds of rope?cable-laid, hawser-laid"
Spunyarn
"Worming, parcelling, and service"
Short splice
Long splice
Eye splice
Flemish eye
Artificial eye
Cut splice
Grommet
Single and double walls
Matthew Walker
Single and double diamonds
Spritsail sheet knot
Stopper knot
Shroud and French shroud knots
Buoy-rope knot
Turk's head
"Two half-hitches, clove hitch, overhand knot, and figure-of-eight"
"Standing and running bowlines, and bowline upon a bight"
Square knot
"Tumber hitch, rolling hitch, and blackwall hitch"
Cat's paw
"Sheet bend, fisherman's bend, carrick bend, and bowline bend"
Sheep-shank
Selvagee
Marlinspike hitch
To pass a round seizing
Throat seizing
Stopping and nippering
Pointing
Snaking and grafting
"Foxes, Spanish foxes, sennit, French sennit, gaskets"
To bend a buoy-rope
To pass a shear-lashing
CHAP. VIII.?BLOCKS AND PURCHASES
"Parts of a block, made and morticed blocks"
"Bull's-eye, dead-eye, sister-block"
"Snatch-block, tail-blocks"
"Tackles?whip, gun-tackle, luff-tackle, luff-upon-luff, runner-tackle, watch-tackle, tail-tackle, and burtons"
CHAP. IX.?MAKING AND TAKING IN SAIL
To loose a sail
To set a course
To set a topsail
To set a topgallant sail or royal
To set a skysail
"To set a jib, flying jib, or force topmast staysail"
To set a spanker
To set a spencer
To take in a course
To take in a topsail
To take in a topgallant sail or royal
To take in a skysail
To take in a jib
To take in a spanker
To furl a royal
To furl a topgallant sail
To furl a topsail or course
To furl a jib
To stow a jib in cloth
To reef a topsail
To reef a course
To turn out reefs
To set a topgallant studdingsail
To take in a topgallant studdingsail
To set a topmast studdingsail
To take in a topmast studdingsail
To set a lower studdingsail
To take in a lower studdingsail
CHAP. X.?GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF WORKING A SHIP
"Action of the water upon the rudder ; headway, sternway"
"Action of the wind upon the sails ; head sails, after sails"
Centre of gravity or rotation
Turning a ship to or from the wind
"CHAP. XI.?TACKING, WEARING, BOXING, &c."
&nbs
Day's work
Working ship
"Reefing, furling, and duties aloft"
Care of ship's furniture
Stores
Duties in port
THIRD MATE
"CHAP. IV.?CARPENTER, COOK, STEWARD, &c."
CARPENTER.?Working ship
"Seaman's work, helm, duty aloft, station"
Work at his trade
Berth and mess
Standing watch
SAILMAKER
STEWARD.?Duting in passenger-ships
In other vessels
Relation to master and mate ; duty aloft and about decks ; working ship
"COOK.?Berth, watch and all-hands duty ; care of galley ; duty aloft"
IDLERS
CHAP. V.?ABLE SEAMEN
Grades
Rating
Requisites of an able seaman
"Hand, reef, and steer"
Work upon rigging
Sailmaking
Day's work
Working ship ; reefing ; furling
Watch duty
Coasters and small vessels
CHAP. VI.?ORDINARY SEAMEN
Requisites
"Hand, reef, and steer ; loose, furl, and set sails ; reeve rigging"
Work upon rigging
Watch duty
CHAP. VII.?BOYS
"Requisites, wages"
Day's work ; working ship ; duties aloft and about decks
CHAP. VIII.?MISCELLANEOUS
Watches
Calling the watch
Bells
Helm
"Answering, (at helm)"
Discipline
Stations
"Food, sleep, &c."
PART III.
LAWS RELATING TO THE PRACTICAL DUTIES OF MASTER AND MARINERS.
CHAP. I.?THE VESSEL
Title
"Registry, enrolment and license"
Certificate of registry or enrolment
Passport
"Sea letter, list of crew, bill of health, clearance, manifest, invoice, bill of lading, charter-party, log-book, list of passengers and crew, list of sea-stores"
Medicine chest
National character of crew
Provisions
Passengers
CHAP. II.?MASTER'S RELATION TO VESSEL AND CARGO
Revenue duties and obligations
List of crew
Certified copy
Certified copy of shipping articles
"Sea-letter, passport, list of passengers, manifest, sea-stores"
Unloading
Post-office
Forfeitures
Report
Coasting license
Power to sell and pledge
Keeping and delivering cargo
Deviation
Collision
Pilot
Wages and advances
CHAP. III.?MASTER'S RELATION TO PASSENGERS AND OFFICERS
Treatment of passengers
Removal of officers
CHAP. IV.?MASTER'S RELATION TO THE CREW
Shipment
Shipping articles
Discharge
Imprisonment
Punishment
Power of Consuls as to punishment
CHAP. V.?PASSENGERS
Provisions
Accommodations
Treatment
Passage-money
Deportment
Services
CHAP. VI.?MATES AND SUBORDINATES
Mates included in 'crew'
Removal
Succession
Log-book ; wages ; sickness
Punishment
Subordinates
Pilots
CHAP. VII.?SEAMEN. SHIPPING CONTRACT
Shipping contract
Erasures and interlineations
Unusual stipulations
Violation of contract
CHAP. VIII.?SEAMEN?CONTINUED
Rendering on board
Refusal to proceed
Desertion or absence during the voyage
Discharge
CHAP. IX.?SEAMEN?CONTINUED
Provisions
"Sickness, medicine-chest"
Hospital money
Relief in foreign ports
Protection
CHAP. X.?SEAMEN?CONTINUED
Punishment
Revolt and mutiny
Embezzlement
Piracy
CHAP. XI.?SEAMEN'S WAGES
Wages affected by desertion or absence
;?by misconduct
;?by imprisonment
;?by capture
;?by loss of vessel or interruption of voyage
Wages on an illegal voyage
CHAP. XII.?SEAMEN?CONCLUDED
Recovery of wages
Remedies
Time for commencing suits
Interest on wages
Salvage