One of the Patrick O'Brian websites includes the following:
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Captain Whall's book has been republished many times, and is still in print. He was born in 1837 and died in the 1920's. Originally, he intended a career in the Church, and studied music at Oxford. In 1861, he went to sea and served with some veterans of the Napoleonic wars. He is quoted as saying, "Since 1872, I have not heard a Shanty or Song worth the name. Steam spoilt them."
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Regards