CHAPTER IV.

FORMER SYSTEMS OF EDUCATION.

The way in which the present complicated system has grown up can only be fully understood by reference to former regulations.

The Naval Academy was first established at Portsmouth dockyard in 1729, for the education of 40 students. The age at admission was between 13 and 16. In 1806 the name of the school was changed to the "Royal Naval College," and in 1816 the age was fixed at from 12 to 14 years. The course lasted two years, and comprised various branches of elementary mathematics and English studies, somewhat similar to the present Britannia course. After leaving the college, the students served for a year as "volunteers of the first class," on board cruisers, and were then rated as midshipmen. After six years' service as midshipmen, and after passing an examination in seamanship and navigation, they became mates (the present sub-lieutenants), and were eligible for promotion to lieutenants. During the term of service at sea, some little instruction in navigation was given by the chaplains, or naval instructors, if there happened to be any on board.

Only a part of the young officers of the Navy went through the course at the Naval College, and those who did had no incentive to continue their studies after they left it. Accordingly, in 1837, the college was abolished, and the efforts of the Admiralty were directed towards the improvement of the corps of naval instructors.

In 1839 the Royal Naval College was again opened, but on an entirely different basis; in fact, it was practically another establishment. It was to provide further means of scientific education" for a certain number of officers and mates, the latter of whom studied at the college for a year. At the same time the instruction given on shipboard was improved and broadened. By subsequent orders the college was extended so as to take in, in a certain measure, students in the higher ranks of the Navy and marines, officers qualifying for the marine artillery, masters, naval instructors, and engineers. Its intention was to teach advanced pupils, and it corresponded to the present college at Greenwich, as its predecessor had corresponded to the Britannia.

But the Admiralty, which, in 1837, discovered the want of higher education in the Navy, and to that end abolished the old college, in 1857 discovered the want of elementary training, and again opened a junior school, this time, however, without abolishing the other. The new school was the beginning of the present Britannia system, though much has since been changed in details. It comprised a stationary training ship, an easy entrance examination, and a course of fifteen months, afterward lengthened to two years. The limits of age at admission were fixed at 13 and 15 years, which were changed in 1859 to 12 and 14, then to 12 and 13,

and lastly to 12 and 134. In 1868 a special sea-going training ship was attached to the school, but this has since been discontinued, and cadets are now sent to sea in every variety of large cruiser. The course in the sea-going ship lasted a year. The examination for admission to the school was competitive, only half the number of candidates examined receiving appointments. The number nominated varied from 40 to 80, and the number appointed was always one-half; but competition was entirely done away with in 1875.

After leaving the special training ship, cadets were rated midshipmen and began their regular duties in ships of the fleet. Here they had still some limited instruction from naval instructors, or navigating officers, or officers specially detailed for the duty. A half-yearly examination of a somewhat crude character was held by the captain, and at the end of two years and a half (later eighteen months) midshipmen passed the thorough intermediate examination in navigation, chart-drawing, surveying, steam, French, and seamanship. In 1873 both the half-yearly and the intermediate examinations were discontinued, and in their stead full examinations were held in January of each year. These new annual examinations differed from the intermediate examinations in several points, but chiefly in the addition to the required subjects, of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, mechanics, and hydrostatics. The change was made on account of the general complaint that junior officers forgot or neglected the elementary mathematics they had already learned. In 1875 the annual examinations were placed in July, and the half-yearly examinations were revived in December, a regulation still in force. Meanwhile a more important change had been accomplished in the final abolition of the Naval College at Portsmouth, which had been in existence since 1839, and the opening of the new college at Greenwich, with a vastly improved organization, on the 1st of February, 1873.

It will be well to notice in this connection the School of Naval Architecture, first opened in 1811 at Portsmouth, and closed, for no particular reason, in 1832. It was reorganized, with considerable changes, as the Central School of Mathematics and Naval Construction, and closed, with as little reason as before, about 1853. In 1864 a third school was opened at South Kensington, which, in 1873, was united with the Naval College at Greenwich; and this last organization bids fair to be permanent.

It will be seen from the above sketch of the history of naval education in England that, while there has been undoubted progress, it has been after a long series of changes, experiments, renewed experiments, and expedients of all kinds, from which even now it cannot be said that a harmonious or satisfactory system has been evolved. In fact, it is rather a combination of makeshifts, resulting from a series of tentative and spasmodic efforts in almost every form which naval education is capable of taking. The naval administration never seems to have looked at the subject as a whole, from the beginning in the entering examination of cadets to the final stage at the promotion to sub-lieu

tenants, and to have worked out a systematic plan which should have both consistency and coherence. It appears rather to have adopted from time to time such partial views as were presented to it by advocates of a particular theory, by officers who leaned one way or another, a process which has sometimes resulted in its going back upon its own tracks, and making experiments which had been already proved failures. This is partly due to the want of attention hitherto given to the subject, a want which is now in a fair way to be met. Every year more is to be heard in the way of discussion of naval education, and every year more comprehensive and reasonable views seem to gain ground. That the government is likely to stop at its present stage in reforming the education of officers is very improbable; and as the Naval College at Greenwich is now firmly established, it will hardly be many years before further, and perhaps more radical, changes take place in the English system.

CHAPTER V.

NAVAL CADETS AND THE BRITANNIA COURSE.

The training school for naval cadets is at Dartmouth, a picturesque old town in South Devonshire, on the river Dart, about two miles from its mouth. Two old ships of the line, the Britannia and Hindostan, are moored head and stern in the stream, and on board of these two ships the cadets sleep, study, and live. They go ashore only for amusement, or in case of serious illness, the only parts of the establishment which are on land being the hospital, gymnasium, bowling-alley, park, and cricket-field. One-half of the cadets sleep in the Hindostan, and all have meals and musters in the Britannia, the two ships being connected by a bridge. The Britannia has six studies and one large lecture-room under the poop. The main deck is the sleeping place for the two upper forms, with baths in the bow, and the captain's cabin is aft on this deck. The middle deck is used for muster and inspection, and has the wardroom and cabins in the after part. The lower deck aft is devoted to the cadet's mess. The orlop contains a model-room and officers' cabins, and is also the men's berth-deck.

In the Hindostan, which is a two-decker, there are, as in the Britannia, six studies under the poop. On the main deck are officers' cabins and one study and place for muster. The lower deck is the berth-deck for the two lower forms.

All the masts and spars are removed from the two ships, except the foremast and bowsprit of the Britannia, which are set up and fully rigged. Attached to the Britannia as a tender is the Dapper, a screw gun-boat, with engines of 262 horse-power, bark-rigged, and used for exercises in seamanship. There are also two launches, schooner-rigged, a schooneryacht of 50 tons, six launches, and thirty gigs and dingeys; the last for amusement.

The officers of the establishment consist of a captain, commander, two staff-commanders, and three lieutenants; a chaplain, and the requisite number of surgeons and paymasters; one chief naval instructor, eight naval instructors, two French masters, two drawing masters, and one Latin master; and warrant officers, comprising gunner and carpenter, and four boatswains. There are also three or four officers attached to the Dapper.

1.-EXAMINATION FOR ADMISSION.

Cadets are nominated by the Admiralty. The number seems not to be prescribed by law, but averages about 43 at each half-yearly examination for admission. The examinations for admission are held, as a matter of convenience, at the Royal Naval College at Greenwich, on the third Wednesday in June and the last Wednesday in November; but

the appointments date from the 15th July and January following. The limits of age are fixed at not less than 12 nor more than 13 years, at the date of appointment.

A medical examination of the usual kind is first held, at which it must appear that the candidate is free from any physical defect of body, impediment of speech, defect of sight or hearing, and predisposition to constitutional disease; and he must be generally active and well-developed for his age. Candidates rejected at the medical examination are, upon approval by the Admiralty, finally excluded from the Navy.

The mental examination covers three days, and is conducted by the Admiralty examiners, under the Director of Studies. It includes the following subjects:

Candidates are required to make 40 per cent. on each subject; and those who fail are allowed to come up a second time at the next examination, six months later. A third trial is never allowed, nor a second trial if the candidate is over thirteen at the date when he should, if successful, have entered.

The character of the examination is simple, and the standard may fairly be called high for boys of this age. The third subject, arithmetic, includes proportion and vulgar and decimal fractions, and there are no puzzling or difficult questions, nor any involving long calculations. No. 4, algebra, includes simple equations with one unknown quantity; and the questions are chiefly simple examples in the four elementary processes, with one or two very easy equations. No. 5, geometry, includes definitions, axioms, postulates, and demonstrations of the first twelve propositions in the first book of Euclid's Elements. The paper in Latin, No. 6, consists of translation of a passage from Cæsar or Nepos, the explanation of some of the more common constructions, and a few simple sentences in Latin composition, and is a thorough test as far as it goes. In French, No. 7, the paper is also elementary, and omits translation into French, but includes grammar. The use of dictionaries is allowed in both these examinations.

As has already been stated, the examination for admission, until the year 1875, was competitive, the number of candidates designated being double the number of vacancies. The system was changed, owing to the severe effects of such a competition upon the nervous system of boys of that age, and the excessive cramming that it fostered.

It should be added that seven nominations are given annually in the colonies. In these cases, candidates pass their examination on board