Is Captain Smollett a better leader than John Silver?....

This is only a short answer space. Smollett is probably a better captain in terms of a typical crew. Silver, however, is a better manipulator of men and certainly more entertaining than Smollett. Robert Louis Stevenson paints this character much more vividly than any of the "good" or "bad" characters and Long John Silver is not "good" or "bad" but rather a composite of both. Because of his openness about his greediness and mercileness, his pursuit of the gold seems more justified than the greediness and evilness of the "good" characters. This character is based on the Stevenson's friend, the poet W.E. Henly, who lost one of his feet. Of all the characters painted in Treasure Island, Long John Silver is the most vivid, most remembered, and most picturesque.