Cedric W. Windas, "Traditions of the Navy," Brooklyn, N.Y. (1942), p. 132:

                        "PADDY WESTER

"Here is an old-time term of opprobrium for a seaman whose lubberly behavior belied the rating recorded on his discharge.

"It came into use in the '80's, and had reference to a scoundrelly boarding house keeper in Liverpool named Paddy West.

"Sail was on the decline; seamen for deepwater square-riggers hard to get. Masters waiting to clear would pay big money to any crimp who could provide a crew. Paddy had a bright idea. He traversed the slums of Liverpool and gathered up the outcasts of that city on the Mersey. Drunks, barflies, the importunate, and the needy . . . took 'em all to his boarding house and fed 'em. But he was careful to lock them up at night, so that none might escape back to their natural habitat, the gutters.

"In his dining room was a table above which was suspended a pair of varnished cow-horns.

"Each outcast was made to walk around the table so that when the time came he could truthfully say he had 'been around the Horn.'

"In an enclosure back of the house, Paddy set up an old ship's wheel. Here the outcasts stood and swung the wheel until they had digested the rudiments of 'port your helm,' 'up helm,' etc., etc.

"Paddy's wife now enters the picture. This old harridan would perch
on the fence near the embryo helmsman, and throw buckets of salt
water over him, to give his pitiful clothes the appearance of being caked with brine.

"The training period was now finished. The dead-beats were now fully qualified A.B.'s, and received a cleverly faked discharge which testified to same.

"Remained then only for Paddy to contact the masters and mates of the waiting ships.

"Sure! He had plenty of men. All A.B.'s and crackerjack helmsmen. Plenty of 'em been 'round the Horn' half a dozen times.

“'How much? Well, now, “Honest Paddy" they calls me, and I wouldn't want ter take advantage of the good captain's needs. Shall we say three month's advance on each man's wages? . . .'”