There is no class of books which it more behoves future compilers of glossaries to consult, than those which treat of geography, navigation, military and naval economy, and the science of warfare both on shore and afloat. As far as the technical terms have been used by poets and dramatists, much valuable illustration may be found in the annotated editions of their works, but much more is required for general purposes, and I could point out some fifty volumes which would enable an industrious student, possessing a competent acquaintance with those subjects in their modern state, to produce a most useful supplement to our existing glossaries.
With very small pretensions to the amount of information which [Greek: S] ascribes to me, I will at once answer his query on the meaning of _grummett_.
GRUMETE is pure Spanish. It also occurs as a Portuguese word. I shall transcribe the explanations of it as given by the best authorities on those languages:--
"GRVMETE.--El muchacho que sirue en el nauio, y sube por el mastil, o arbol, y por la antena, y haze todo { 338} lo demas que le mandan con gran presteza."--Sebastian de Couarruuias, 1611.
"GRUMETE.--El mozo que sirve en el navío para subir á la gavia y otros usos. _Tirunculus nauticus_."--La real academia Española.
"GRUMETE.--Grumete he o moço que serve como de criado aos marinheiros, sobindo pellos mastros atè à gavea, etc."--Raphael Bluteau.
We have a statement of the rank and ratings of the officers and men of a ship of war in the _Sea grammar_ of captain Smith, 1627. 4to. The word in question, as a _rating_, had then become obsolete. The duties of the seamen are thus described:
"The _sailers_ are the ancient men for hoising the sailes, getting the tacks aboord, haling the bowlings, and steering the ship.
"The _younkers_ are the young men called fore-mast men, to take in the top-sailes, or top and yard, for furling the sailes, or slinging the yards, bousing or trising, and take their turnes at helme."
Now, a comparison of the definitions of the Spanish and Portuguese _gromete_, and the English _younker_, leads me to infer that the latter term had been substituted for _grummett_ or _gromet_, and that the duties of both classes were nearly the same.