of the course, on the passing of which depends the certificate necessary for a torpedo-officer.

The course for superior officers (captains and commanders) lasts five months, beginning May 1 and November 1; that for lieutenants and ensigns is six months, beginning April 1 and October 1. Torpedo officers (officiers torpilleurs) stationed regularly at the seaports are sent once every three years for the five months' course. The course for warrant officers, petty officers, and men lasts six months, beginning January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1, so that there are always at the school a division in the first half, and another in the second half of the course. The pupils in this course are selected by a board of officers appointed for the purpose at each port. The candidates must be men of good record as to conduct, and of a certain intelligence and aptitude; and they must belong to one of the three corps of gunners, helmsmen, and machinists, or to the seamanship branch (manœuvre). They are examined upon their arrival at the school, and sent back if found disqualified. At the end of the course they pass an examination, and receive certificates of their fitness for torpedo duty. The best men are promoted at the end of each course, the choice being determined by a board of officers (conseil d'avancement) at the school.

The practical researches and experiments with the torpedo are conducted by a board known as the Commission permanente d'expériences. It consists of the members of the board of instruction, with the addition of an assistant engineer (constructor), and a captain of marine artillery. The lieutenants in charge of the course of instructing warrant and petty officers are admitted with a consulting voice only. All officers pursuing courses at the school have the advantage of being able to attend discussions and witness experiments of the permanent commission. A late decree (March 14, 1878) fixes the course for machinists in Whitehead torpedoes at four months, beginning January 1, May 1, and September 1, of each year. Still another decree (April 4, 1878) has added to the list of pupils in each course an assistant constructing engineer and a variable number of foremen and other officers of dockyard works (maistrance des arsenaux). The reason for this lies in the fact that the direction of naval constructions at the dock-yards is charged with the safe-keeping and delivery of torpedo materials; and it is therefore highly important that there should be officers connected with the corps of constructors who understand their properties.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE SCHOOL OF MACHINISTS (Ecole théorique et pratique des mécaniciens).

The school of machinists is situated at Toulon. It was established by the decree of February 13, 1879, and took the place of the two schools that formerly existed for a similar purpose at Brest and at Toulon.

The superior officers at the head of the school are a captain and commander. The instructors are composed of (1) professors of hydrography, for the scientific courses; (2) principal mechanicians and first master machinist, for the technical courses; and (3) a first master machinist, to direct the workshop instruction. The first are selected by the Minister of Marine, and the last by the commandant of the school. A novel feature is introduced in the appointment of the other class, in the requirement of an examination for the position of instructor. Examinations of applicants are held yearly at Toulon, by the permanent commission for the examination of machinists. Lists are kept of those who pass, and from these lists the instructors are selected. The subjects of the examination include arithmetic, algebra, geometry, elementary descriptive geometry, physics, mechanics, and the steam-engine. The instructors, or professors as they are called, are assisted by master or second master machinists in the capacity of répétiteurs.

The pupils at the school consist of firemen artificers (ouvriers chauffeurs), candidates for promotion to quartermaster machinists; of quartermasters and machinist pupils (élèves mécaniciens), candidates for second masters; and of second masters, candidates for first masters. The course for the firemen artificers is six months; for all the other classes one year. Competitive examinations for promotion are held at the end of each course. There are two "commencements" or dates of entry in each year, on May 1 and November 1. By this arrangement two classes in each category of candidates (except the six months' pupils) are always together at the school; one class in the first half, the other in the last half of the course.

Admission to the school is only obtained after passing a double examination: first, at the shore station or on board the ship where the candidate is employed for the time being, and, secondly, at the school itself. Twice a year the five Préfets Maritimes, and the commanders-inchief of the various squadrons, send to the Ministry lists of the names of machinists of all grades whom they propose for admission to the school. The lists are drawn up after an examination of candidates in the arrondissement or squadron, conducted by a board composed of a line officer, a constructing engineer, and a principal mechanician. A

good-conduct record, and a certain period of sea-service, the latter varying according to the grade of the candidate, are essential qualifications for admission to the official lists; and the board graduates the candidates according to their professional capacity. The classified lists are sent to Paris twenty days before the half-yearly dates of admission, and from them the Minister of Marine makes a selection according to the number of pupils for whom provision is made at the school. The selected candidates are sent in detachments to Toulon, where they undergo the final examination for admission, conducted by the authorities of the school. Candidates failing at this examination are sent back to their divisions.

The method of instruction is similar to that at other French schools. Courses of lectures are given by professors, and full synopses of each lecture, covering all the material points, in fact sometimes the whole lecture itself, are delivered to the students. These are the well-known feuilles autographiées that have already been mentioned in connection with the Polytechnic School and the Borda. Further instruction is given and recitations are held on the subjects of the lectures by the répétiteurs, and marks are given at the recitations. Theoretical instruction consists of the following subjects * :

Candidates for first master:

1. Arithmetic, elementary algebra, geometry, and plane trigonometry. 2. Mechanics and physics.

3. Theory and description of engines.

4. Management of engines.

5. Repair and preservation of engines.

6. Erection of engines.

7. Regulation of engine-work.

Candidates for the grade of second master, and machinist pupils, have a course in the same subjects, omitting algebra and trigonometry. Candidates for quartermasters omit also subjects 2, 6, and 7. This grade, as well as that of second master, is divided into two branches, the theoretical and the practical; and the course for candidates for the latter branch is more limited than the other. For example, candidates for practical quartermasters have no lectures at all, and those for practical second masters have a special limited course in mathematics, and omit the lectures on the management and the erection of engines altogether. For all students, there are classes in mechanical drawing and in shopwork; and one day in the week is devoted to visits made by the students in company with their instructors to ships of the reserve, to ships in construction or making trial trips, and to workshops.

The examinations for promotion are competitive and are conducted by a board composed of a captain, a commander, a constructing engineer, a hydrographic examiner or professor, and a principal mechanician. The members of the board are appointed for two years, but they continue to * Detailed programmes of the course are given in the Appendix, Note L.

perform during the period such other shore duty as may be assigned to them. While actually conducting the examinations they have the privileges and emoluments attached to special service.

The examination consists of three parts

(1) A piece of manual work, in boiler-making, forging, or fitting. This is not required in the examination for the highest grade.

(2) A scale-drawing, of objects more or less difficult according to the class examined, as follows:

Candidates for quartermasters, a simple part of the machinery, as a crank, cock, or beam.

Candidates for second masters, and machinist pupils, an apparatus or complex part of the machinery, as a piston, pump, or donkey-engine. Candidates for first masters, a complete engine or boiler.

(3) An oral examination, on the subjects of the theoretical course. The exact subjects of the examination may be seen in the detailed programmes of the courses, given in the appendix. Each candidate draws a question from each chapter of the programme for his grade; and a supplementary question, also selected from the programme, is given by the president. This somewhat imperfect form of examination is supplemented in the case of candidates for the highest grade by a written paper on a single question given to all the candidates. The candidates of all grades also answer questions on the management of engines, taken from the supplementary programmes. No limit is fixed to the number of these supplementary questions; and the mark of the candidate in the branch of management of engines is obtained by combining the mark for his first answers with those of the supplementary questions. For machinist pupils, all the questions are selected by the commission, and the two questions are given on each of the first two chapters. Candidates for the practical masters and quartermasters pass a limited examination, based on the limited course pursued at the school.

The system of marking is somewhat complicated, and it will hardly be necessary to go into its details. The drawing, manual work, and each theoretical subject count equally in determining the final mark. Additional marks (points supplémentaires) are given in recognition of remarkable professional aptitude, and of previous good service. Upon the arrangement of the candidates in the final class-list depends their seniority, and therefore the order of their promotion; but those who fall below a certain standard-and quite a high standard-are not entered at all upon the lists for promotion.

The extent and character of the course may be seen from the programmes of study. These programmes, as they stand, contain the questions given in the examinations, each paragraph representing a question, any one of which may be drawn by a candidate. The programmes may therefore be depended on as an exact statement of the course of study.

CHAPTER XVIII.

THE SCHOOLS FOR COMMISSARY PUPILS (Cours d'administration des élèves commissaires).

The schools for commissary pupils are at the various naval ports, whither the pupils are sent upon their admission to the service. The instructors are a professor and assistant professor at each station, both of whom are officers of the pay or commissariat corps of the navy. The course lasts two years, and the session begins on the 3d of November in each year and ends on the 30th of September following. During this period instruction is given on at least three days in the week. Besides the courses in naval administration, pupils are required to pursue the course of study in the English language, which is opened at all the naval ports for the benefit of officers generally; unless they can give adequate proof of a thorough acquaintance with either English or Spanish. The courses in naval administration are as follows:

1.-GENERAL VIEW.

1. The Navy; its purpose; the mercantile marine and its relations with the Navy; French establishments abroad.

2. The ministry of marine and of the colonies.

3. General organization of naval arsenals and other establishments. Organization of the colonies.

4.

*

5. Composition and organization of the various corps in the navy. 6. Legal status of an officer of the Navy.

7. Recruitment of the naval forces.

f. Naval pensioners (Etablissement des Invalides de la Marine).

3. Duties of commissary officers in connection with surveys or boards of audit, in

relation to

a. Staff officers, foremen of dockyard works, and other officials.

*

b. The administration and accounts of the different corps.

4. Armaments.

5. Administrative service at sea.

* The starred subjects are those taught during the second year of the course.

This subject enters only into the examination for higher grades.