Ashby

The purser is the officer in charge of the accounts, and is often also the head steward.

The HMS Cormorant was a warship with a side-wheel paddle sloop, launched from Sheerness dockyard in 1842. As a steam vessel, it strengthened the British naval presence there in opposition to American interests. It was broken up in 1853.

Sources:

• “HMS Cormorant.” Colonial Despatches. http://bcgenesis.uvic.ca/vessels.htm.
• Oxford Dictionary Online. s.v. “Purser.” http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/purser?q=purser.