This article examines the use of scribes in letters of one group of men during a specific period: British Royal Navy servicemen below the rank of commissioned officer during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1793–1815. The letters of one such seaman in particular, Richard Greenhalgh, are unusual in that he himself could write, but preferred to have someone to write for him, as is shown by many references to ‘his freind who writes for me’. Contrasts between the scribe’s style of writing and that of Greenhalgh are noticeable, especially after Greenhalgh and his scribe were parted by being sent to serve on different ships. The letters also reveal the relationship between writer and scribe, and the writer’s family and his scribe. The letters contain messages to be passed between a network of family and friends on board ship and on shore, strengthening ties between them, vital in wartime to the morale of the seamen and for the reassurance of those at home. References found in other surviving letters demonstrate the use of scribes by different seamen, also seamen acting as scribes for shipmates, adding to knowledge of scribal culture among this social group.

中文翻译：

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“为我写作的朋友”：海员信函中的文士和文士关系，1793-1815

本文研究了特定时期一组人在信件中使用抄写员的情况：1793 年至 1815 年法国大革命和拿破仑战争期间，军官级别以下的英国皇家海军军人。尤其是这样一位海员理查德·格林哈尔 (Richard Greenhalgh) 的信件很不寻常，因为他自己会写，但更喜欢有人为他写信，正如许多提到“为我写作的朋友”所表明的那样。抄写员的写作风格与格林哈尔格的写作风格形成鲜明对比，尤其是在格林哈尔格和他的抄写员因被派往不同的船只而分道扬镳之后。这些信件还揭示了作家和抄写员之间的关系，以及作家的家人和抄写员之间的关系。这些信件包含要在船上和岸上的家人和朋友网络之间传递的信息，加强他们之间的联系，这在战时对提高海员士气和让国内人员放心至关重要。在其他幸存的信件中发现的参考资料表明，不同海员使用抄写员，也为船员担任抄写员，增加了该社会群体对抄写员文化的了解。