The remaining 954 hours which go to make up the total of the week are Miscellaneous (including dressing, prayers, and religious service).. Total 95 The students rise at five o'clock every day in the year. Three-quarters of an hour are occupied with dressing, prayers, and stowing hammocks; after which, the early morning study takes place for an hour and a quarter on five days in the week, varied on Thursday and Sunday by exercises in practical navigation. The study is followed by half an hour of exercise, either gymnastics or fencing. All this is done before breakfast. The routine of lectures, study, and exercises in the forenoon and afternoon has already been given. The aggregate number of hours of recreation during the week, 16, seems sufficiently large, but the programme is so arranged as to cut up the time into little scraps or recesses, making it hardly available for solid amusement. Thus there is a recess of fifteen minutes after breakfast, from 7.45 to 8; of 30 minutes, from 9.30 to 10, between the cours and study; of 30 minutes after dinner, from 12.30 to 1; of 15 minutes in the period of afternoon exercise, from 2.45 to 3; from 15 to 30 minutes after afternoon luncheon, between 4.30 and 5; and of 15 minutes between the evening cours and study, from 6 to 6.15. After supper there are no studies; recreation lasts from 8 to 8.45, followed by prayers and turning in at 9. On Thursday and Sunday the programme is modified in order to give six hours in the afternoon on board the corvette; while the whole of Thursday morning is taken up with infantry drill on shore, and of Sunday morning with inspection and mass. As both these days are harder working days than the others, the hour for turning in is thirty minutes earlier. There are four meals a day on board the Borda, as follows: Breakfast, 7.30 a. m.; dinner, 12 m.; afternoon luncheon, 4.15 p. m.; supper 7.45 p. m. The table is good, though exceedingly simple. The breakfast consists, after the French fashion, simply of coffee and bread and butter, while the afternoon luncheon (goûter) is of bread alone. Dinner is composed of soup, two dishes (plats)-one of meat, the other of vegetablesand dessert; and supper of meat, pudding or vegetables, and cake or sweetmeats. Half a pint of wine is allowed at dinner and at supper. On Friday the dishes of meat are replaced by fish. The regulation requires that the bill of fare shall be so arranged as to provide for the twelve meals per week, of which meat forms a part, four of boiled beef, two of roast beef, three of mutton, two of veal, and one of poultry.* * The bill of fare for one day is given in the Appendix, note K. Students are re quire 1 to take a bath (grand bain or bain complet) once a month, and to take a foot-bath once a week. This somewhat infrequent ablution is supplemented in summer by sea-baths. The half hour devoted to the regular baths is that assigned in the programme to gymnastic exercise, just before breakfast. The uniform of élèves is the usual blue jacket and trousers; but it is not much worn on board ship, the customary dress being the white canvas blouse and overalls. This is worn even at studies and lectures. Blue is worn at mass and at inspections and on shore. When on liberty ashore students are required to wear a sword. There is sick-call every morning and evening on board. In case of light illness students are placed in the sick-bay. Severer cases are sent to the hospital on shore, where a ward is specially reserved for the school. In the latter case the correspondent is immediately notified. Religious service consists of prayers morning and evening, and mass on Sunday morning. The latter lasts half an hour, and attendance is required of all except the Protestants. The number of these is very small, there being five in 1878. They are allowed to have such service as they see fit by themselves in the sick-bay. An hour is set apart on two evenings in the week, during which the students who feel so disposed may visit the chaplain. The general impression obtained by an examination of the Borda system is that it is one of extreme severity and repression. Not that the application of the system or the method of administration is harsh. On the contrary, the relations of the governing authorities and the students seem to be of the most amiable and cordial character. A spirit of subordination and a general desire to perform well the allotted tasks and duties is said to pervade the school; and though the punishments are severe they are infrequent. The essential features of the system are the close and constant supervision maintained over the pupils, and the prevention of violations of discipline, by the imposition of the heaviest pen alties. Such offences as hazing or going ashore without leave are impossible. The constant watch, the isolation of the ship, and the absolute authority of the Préfet Maritime in and about the port effectually prevent any co-operation of outside persons in an attempt to go ashore without leave. The penalty for disobeying the orders of a sentry is the cachot, a penalty which no one who has once undergone it would care to run the risk of repeating. The features of the system that make the discipline so perfect, from a military point of view, are those which tell most severely on the students. In considering its effects upon the latter, however, considerable allowance must be made for peculiarities of national character and modes of thought. Certainly the colorless life of the Borda, its close confinement, its constant supervision, and the absence of all that gives charm or variety to existence would be intolerable to an American or English boy of the age of the French élèves. 6.-FEES AND ACCOUNTS. As in other French Government schools, and as in most naval schools in Europe, the pupils in the Borda are required to pay the expenses attending their maintenance during the period of education. The regular fees are 700 francs a year for board (pension), and 1,000 francs for outfit (trousseau). The board is payable quarterly in advance; the outfit in two payments, 800 francs at admission and 200 francs at the beginning of the second school year. The amount for board may be paid either at the treasury in Paris or at the office of the receiver of finances in the departments, and the authorities at the school have no control of it, nor does it even pass through their hands. The other payment is made directly to the treasurer of the school, and is expended by him in the purchase of the articles prescribed by regulation. The weekly allowance of students and the cost of certain personal services of a minor character are also paid from this source. All the required articles are procured by the administrative officer of the school without the intervention of the student; and though he is allowed to keep the clothing brought from home that conforms to the regulations, no deduction is made on this account from the required deposit. So far from this, he is even obliged to give up all the money remaining in his possession after his arrival, which is deposited in the school treasury and credited to him on the books, being expended from time to time to meet any extra expenses that may be incurred for him. Any balance in his favor at the close of the course is turned over to him at the final settlement. Exemption from the payment of the whole or part of the pension or the trousseau, or both, is granted to persons who are too poor to pay them, upon application. The application must be sent in by the 1st of August to the prefect of the department, by whom it is forwarded to the Ministry of Marine, with an attestation of the municipal council of the place where the applicant resides; a statement giving detailed information in regard to his means of support, the number of children or persons dependent on him, and an extract from the tax-list. The applications, with the other documents, are referred to the council of instruction of the Naval School; and, according to their decision, the whole or some part of the customary charges is remitted. A similar arrangement may be made with reference to the outfit at graduation, which costs 570 francs. The number of pupils receiving assistance (boursiers) in one shape or another is not limited, but it amounts to about one-fourth of the whole number at school. The accounts of the school with the pupils or their families, and with the general disbursing officer of the Ministry of Finance, are in the charge of the council of administration, and more particularly of the commissariat officer. The charges against pupils are as follows:* I. Ordinary expenses: 1. Outfit, including clothes, books, instruments, &c. *These charges are all in addition to the pension, which goes directly to the treasury. 2. Personal service of certain kinds, including bootblack, barber, small repairs of clothing. 3. The weekly allowance of 1f. 25c (25 cents). (All the above, except 3, are covered by the indemnity for trousseau, in the case of beneficiaries.) II. Extraordinary expenses: Injury to public property, and books or clothing lost or prematurely destroyed. III. Optional expenses: Lessons in fencing, dancing, or other accomplishments (leçons d'agrément.) The items chargeable on the accounts of the school against the naval appropriation are for the students' mess, and washing, the indemnities. for trousseaux, the extra pay of warrant and petty officers, and the small running expenses. All purchases are submitted to one of three boards of inspection. Of all these boards the senior lieutenant is the presiding officer, and the commissary is a member. The third member is the senior medical officer for the inspection of provisions, a professor for books and instruments, and a chief of section for articles of outfit. 7.-PRACTICE CRUISE. The final practice cruise begins immediately after the close of the vacation following the two years' course in the Borda. Though the practice-ship is independent of the captain of the Borda, it may be considered as in some sense a part of the same general establishment. Both are under the direction of the Préfet Maritime, and the captains of both are members of the committee on improvement at the Naval School. The practice-ship is the Flore, a screw-steamer, first class, of 18 guns, and engines of 380 horse-power. The duration of the cruise is about ten months, from the 1st of October to the latter part of July. It is followed. by a week of examination, after which the ship remains at Brest for six weeks preparing for another cruise. The cruising-ground of the Flore is generally among the French West India Islands. The course of instruction includes the theory and practice of steam-engineering, gunnery, seamanship, navigation, hydrography, and landing drill. The students perform duty in turn as officers of the deck, under supervision, and work the ship. A thorough practical course is given in steam-engineering. The details of the programme are somewhat varied from year to year, but it always includes the subjects mentioned, and generally some others; among them, naval hygiene, taught by the surgeon, and drawing, by a master specially appointed. Last year, instruction was given in gymnastics by an ensign. On passing the examination, the graduates of the Flore become aspirants of the first class, or midshipmen, and they are shortly after sent to sea in cruising-ships. They remain in this grade two years, making a total of five years from their admission to the service to their promotion to the grade of ensign. CHAPTER XV. THE ENGINEERS' SCHOOL (Ecole d'application du Génie Maritime). The School of Engineers (constructors) at Cherbourg is simple in its organization, as would be expected from the small number both of students and professors. The classes are two in number, and are composed of from three to six members, averaging about four. The school is under the general supervision of the Préfet Maritime, and is inspected from time to time by the inspector-general of the corps of engineers. At its head is a constructing engineer as director. Changes in organization are considered by the committee on improvements (Conseil de Perfectionnement), composed of a vice-admiral as president, the inspector-general of engi neers, the director and subdirector of the school, a director of naval construction or other superior officer of engineers, and a captain. The committee, with the exception of the subdirector, acts also as a board of examiners, and conducts the final examinations of each class. The personnel of the school consists of the director, two constructing engineers of lower rank, and two civil professors, one of them for instruction in English, the other in freehand drawing. This is the whole teaching staff. The director has personal charge of one course of lectures. The English professor gives three lessons a week, of an hour and a half each, and the professor of drawing two lessons a week, of two hours each. The remaining courses are conducted by the engineer professors. The latter are appointed for five years, but may be retained at the school three years longer, upon the recommendation of the director. The engineer next in rank to the commanding officer is called the subdirector, and has the charge of carrying out the interior discipline of the school; but owing to the small number of pupils, the discipline is of the simplest character. A clerk and draughtsman complete the personnel of the establishment. The cost of the school is insignificant, especially in comparison with the important object it fulfils-the professional education of a corps of accomplished naval constructors. A thorough preparatory training in physics and mathematics is given to the pupils in their course at the Polytechnic; all that remains to be done is to give the principles already learned the fullest and widest application of which the profession admits. The material wants of the school are largely supplied by the ordinary resources of the arsenal and dockyard at Cherbourg; and the teaching staff, as has been stated, contains a minimum of special teachers employed for this purpose alone. A small appropriation is made yearly, |