Hi Mister Red. I don't remember saying the statement was from Hugill's Shanties of the 7 Seas. Try Songs of the Sea by Stan Hugill page 78, you'll find it there. You'll also find pretty much the same story related with the addition of the expression "shall we tap the admiral" meaning shall we have a drink. this is from the Ocean Almanac by Robert Hendrickson, copyright 1984, page 258. You'll also find this (not the story but the song) in Doerflinger's 'Shantymen & Shantyboys' as "We'll roll the GOLDEN chariot along" pages 49-50. Rum in itself won't spoil but add water to it (Grog, see story of Admiral Old Grog) & it won't last long, saving the navy some money & keeping the sailors from storing it up, which could lead to??? Nelson also gets credit for the expression "turning a blind eye". During the battle of Copenhagen (1801) Nelson held his telescope up to bis blind eye so he couldn't see the order to 'break off'. Realizing that to withdraw would mean failure in an important campaign. The result was a great victory, to which he later would remark the he had a blind eye so he sometimes had the right to use it (from "When a Lose Cannon Flogs a Dead Horse There's the Devil to Pay, by Olivia A Isil, 1996, see page 105. Time for me to shake a leg & turn in, goodnight, Barry