vessels cruising on foreign stations where they might never be required. Those who preferred the former system, and ourselves among the number, pointed out that a few small vessels of light draught were comparatively inexpensive-that one or two of them on each station gave the means of protecting our commerce against barbarous enemies or pirates, and afforded our consuls and consular jurisdiction adequate means of support. In addition to this, and it was no mean advantage, it gave young officers a constant training in self-reliance; when far away from any higher authority, they had opportunities of acting upon their own judgment in affairs requiring energy and promptitude, and frequently of great importance to the country. We pointed out besides that telegraphs might enable the authorities to call squadrons from the vasty deep,' but would they come and at least it was certain they could not come by telegraph. The return of the flying squadron was accompanied by a Parliamentary paper detailing its proceedings. When the FrancoPrussian war broke out in July, it was at the antipodes and out of reach even of telegraphs, and it was not till the 28th of August that it received orders to sail for England from Valparaiso, which were immediately obeyed, the squadron reaching England five months after War had been declared, and when its fortune had been practically decided. The result of this cruise also, which was performed at high pressure all the way, was doubtless to give some experience to a few officers but in spite of the good provisions which they were able to obtain, it would appear 'that the effect of the cruise has been' (we quote the words of the Report) 'to stunt the physical development of the boys, and to reduce the stamina of the men.' The Report also points out that the sudden and extreme alterations of temperature were exceedingly trying, and says with reference to the passage across the North Pacific: 'As it was blowing best part of a gale of wind' (where bitterly cold weather was experienced), 'for some considerable part of the time accompanied by a heavy sea, the men were necessarily much exposed; and in view of the continuous heat they had been subjected to during the last passage, it can readily be believed that their discomfort was intense.' Similar bad weather had been experienced on the passage from the Cape of Good Hope to the Australian colonies, and the principal result of this flying cruise to the country seems to have been the wearing out of two good frigates and the loss by desertion of 300 men. Scarcely had the flying squadron returned and Parliament assembled, when it was discovered that, another economical crisis having affected the Admiralty, they had determined to use as a transport an old worn-out store ship, which had seen its best days. half-a-dozen years before. Questions were asked in Parliament as to whether it was really true that the old worn-out Megæra' was about to be patched up to make a voyage round the world, following in the track of the flying squadron. But before discussing the fitness of the Magara' herself for this voyage, it will be as well to examine at some length the policy which dictated the voyage at all. When Mr. Childers made his absurd rule which discharged from the profession Captains who had not served afloat for seven years, it became necessary to shorten very much the periods of command to be held by any particular officer. But it was felt that though the 'personnel' must be always in a transition state, the ship herself-the material'-might be capable of more exhaustive service. Formerly a ship was commissioned, and, failing death or some other cogent cause of separation, the Captain, the officers, and crew stuck together to the end of a commission, generally lasting from four to five years. As a rule they became accustomed to each other, proud of their ship, and firmly united in the bonds of discipline. They regarded with pride an association, the recollection of which might possibly include many stirring adventures and much good service rendered, and looked forward with regret to a separation from those on whose good qualities they could mutually rely. All this is changed. From the time a ship leaves the dockyard a continuous stream of officers and men is passing through her. And to effect this, transports are employed to convey this constant change of men to the ships stationed in various parts of the world. This is done regardless of expense; and it has a double disadvantage. Transports are employed to do that which the men-of-war in commission ought themselves to do; and officers and men are kept for months in transports as passengers, doing nothing, instead of being on board their own ships perfecting their drill and discipline. Two or three instances may suffice to show the enormous disadvantages to the public of the present system. At Bermuda, lately, it was decided to pay off and recommission certain vessels of the West Indian Squadron. Amongst these was H.M.S. 'Vestal. A report had been received from her that she could be kept running for a year or two longer if her boilers were thoroughly re 6 No sooner were the stores and men embarked in the 'Megara' than it was found she leaked from stem to stern. Remonstrances were made by her officers and crew; but the orders of the Admiralty hurried her away from Devonport to Cork. There, again, her leaky condition was plainly mani fested, and the ship lightened by a hundred tons of stores. paired. H.M.S. troopship Himalaya' took | but a saving again was to be effected, and out the new crews for the various ships. the ship, in addition to her Australian The new crew embarked on board the cargo, was crammed with stores for the 'Vestal.' Her old officers and crew re- Cape of Good Hope, in order to attempt to turned to England. No sooner had the new show a low transport bill. crew embarked than it was discovered that the boilers would not stand much more work, and that Bermuda (Has this dockyard, too, been reduced?) had not the means to repair them. The Himalaya' brought the officers and crew of the former commission to England, and within a few days the 'Vestal' herself followed, navigated by the new officers and crew, to effect the needful repairs in England. Here we had another example of the arrangements of a Government whose claptrap cry is, forsooth, Efficiency and Economy.' Again, the 'Ocean,' in China, had her new crew and change of officers completed by transport within the last two years, and now that ship is ordered home as unfit for further service. Those who know anything of naval discipline will understand thoroughly how very disadvantageous it must be to keep hundreds of men in idleness as passengers; and it must also be apparent, that it must be wiser to send out the ship in a sea-worthy condition of thorough repair rather than to put officers and crews into half-worn ships, which will begin to fail them just as they have learned to act together, and know and depend on each other. Faithful reports, no doubt, were made by the officers at Cork, so far as they could see; but the ship was not docked; and the plates so thin that the labourers at Sheerness employed to survey her could put a knife through them-could not be gauged when the ship was afloat and filled with stores. But in spite of remonstrance, in spite of warning, in spite of entreaty, the 'Megara' was packed off, with her leaky topsides, her thin plates, her heavy cargo, and her 380 men. What became of her we all know. Her perilous passage ended on St. Paul's Island in the Southern Ocean, and the examination there seems to show that the cause of the leak was that the plates were worn through.' We see what this Administration does with the men. Five hundred drowned by their culpable negligence in the Captain;' three hundred deserted, on account of their recklessness, from the Flying Squadron; three hundred and eighty shipwrecked on a desert island, on account of their niggardlifitness, from the 'Megæra;' and if we add the cost of the ships so sacrificed to the bill, we shall not find so much saving as is claimed by the friends and supporters of the Ministry. In this manner it came about that the Megara' was commissioned to take out the reliefs for three ships on the Australian station. A bad ship on a bad errand. The Megara,' an old iron ship, built about 1849, had been surveyed in 1866, and reported to be used as store-ship for two years. On the strength of this report, she was used during the late administration for short passages, with stores to Rio Janeiro, to Ascension, and to the Mediterranean. After this her history is still in doubt. Temporary repairs were ordered, it seems, and the estimates cut down to save expense. And then suddenly this old, worn-out ship, steaming badly, and never a good sailor, is sent on a service round the world in the depth of the antarctic winter. At that very time the 'Thalia and the Urgent,' if not other transports, were lying uncommissioned and unemployed in our home ports. But it would have cost money to bring these vessels into commission and so the old storeship was employed. The route chosen for her also showed a total disregard, not only for the comfort of the men, but for the safety of the ship. The Suez Canal would have given a smoother and a safer passage for such a ship at such a time of the year, For the claim of this Government to the confidence of the country has been based entirely upon its supposed economy. In the three successive years in which they have framed the Navy Estimates they boast a large saving. Let us test this claim. For 1869-70 a saving was claimed of 957,357, but of this 600,9607., was, as admitted by Mr. Childers, due to Mr. Corry's reforms; 356,3977. is, therefore, the saving in the first year of economy. In 1870-71, a further saving is claimed of 746,1117.; so that the total saving supposed to be effected in three years is to be obtained by multiplying the first of these sums by 3, and the second by 2, and adding the products. This shows a saving in three years of 2,561,4131. Per contra, we have the increase in this year's estimate 385,8267. and 500,000l. appropriated to the Naval service out of the 2,000,000l. voted | is the better shipbuilder. It is at least satisas a supplementary estimate last year, when factory to find that the 'Fury' has disappearwar broke out between France and Prussia, ed harmlessly from the dockyard, where she making 885,8267., which reduces the saving had no crew and was altogether imaginary, in three years to 1,675,587., or about half-a- rather than that she should have gone down million a year; but when we set against with all hands, as befel the 'Captain.' Mr. this the fact that our naval stores have been Childer's 'own' ships-in whose designs we reduced from a stock of three-years' season- are not aware that he received the valuable ed articles in store to a hand-to-mouth policy, assistance of the Prime Minister-are the and charge the 'Captain' and 'Megæra,' 'Devastation' and 'Thunderer' of one class, worth at least half-a-million, to the account, and the Cyclops,' 'Hecate,' 'Hydra,' and we shall find that the saving to the country Gorgon' of another. Of the Devastation' has resulted in inefficiency and may terminate and Thunderer,' the Committee on Design in disaster. The cautious and strong sense report that the Devastation' should be comof the Duke of Somerset has pronounced pleted with a heavy superstructure, to give sentence on the Administration which he her more freeboard; and that the Thundergenerally supports, and which he has vainly er' should be completed as originally designendeavoured to save from folly. In a caustic ed. The Committee think that, as they have and terse epigram, which will never be for- no masts, they will not be blown over like gotten, he has stigmatised for ever the mili- the 'Captain.' Two very able members of tary and naval policy of the present Admin- the Committee, Admirals Elliot and Ryder, istration :-'An army that can't march, and have urged strongly what they consider very ships that won't swim,' as the result of three grave defects in these ships; but the Comyears of boastful economical government. mittee state 6 The ships that won't swim deserve something more than a passing notice. After the loss of the 'Captain,' when Mr. Childers and his colleagues in the Cabinet were devising every means to shift the responsibility from their shoulders, they hit upon the expedient of appointing a Committee of scientific and naval men, presided over by a colleague of their own, to report on the designs of ships of war. At first, reports were diligently circulated to the effect that this Committee was to make a searching inquiry into the cause of the loss of the Captain; and thus another stop was put to any Parliamentary inquiry into that disaster. Then, when the order of reference to this Committee was made public, it was found that it was not called upon to enquire into the cause of the loss of the 'Captain' at all, from which consideration, indeed, it was entirely excluded. Nevertheless, the Government organs still continued to mislead the public by calling the Committee on Designs 'the "Captain" Committee,' which, like the difficult derivation in the Latin Grammar of lucus a non lucendo, will give plenty of food for inquiry to future commentators. The Committee on Designs of Ships of War has, however, concluded its valuable labours. It was specially summoned to consider the ships which Mr. Childers caused to be constructed. The Fury,' as we anticipated last year-the joint product, as we were assured by the Times,' of Mr. Gladstone and Mr. Childers-has entirely disappeared from Pembroke Dockyard, so that we shall not have this grand opportunity for ascertaining whether Mr. Gladstone or Mr. Reed 6 'That the fact has necessarily been present to their minds that the "Devastation," as well as her sister ship, is already in a very advanced state, and that, once satisfied as to her safety at sea, nothing short of very obvious defects and a certainty of arriving at any manifest improvements would justify them in introducing into a carefully considered design of this kind, any large changes.' They further say that they feel when it becomes their duty to re-examine their design regarded as a type, and with a view to the construction of future ships of war, it is not impossible that, untrammelled as they will then be by considerations connected with the best mode of treating a nearly completed hull, the suggestions put forward by our colleagues, and other modifications, may commend themselves to our judgment.' The paraphrase of this is, 'We can't recommend these ships. Stop the "Fury;" but, as the "Devastation" and "Thunderer" are both far advanced, we cannot recommend you to leave them unfinished and waste all the labour and material already expended. It does not much matter how they are finished. Try one one way, and one another. As they have no masts, they won't capsize; so go on and prosper, but don't do it again.' The four ships of the 'Cyclops' breed are, however, not so well spoken of. They, too, may be finished, as so much has been spent on them. They may prove useful vessels for the defence of our harbours; but take care that you choose fine weather for proceeding even from one port to another on our storm-beaten western shore. If they attempt to make passages from one port to another in' anything but ' favourable weather' | cover their reputation, determine to show they would be dangerous ships. The Sub- what strong men they are, and sacrifice both Committee recommend for their safety a the admirals to save themselves. In the first superstructure. With this, they state, 'these place, it must be obvious to the public conships would be both safe and steady science, that it is wrong to punish any one amongst waves of a period not longer than without giving him an opportunity to defend 10 seconds. Amongst waves of a longer himself. This, unless the Prerogative is period they would roll considerably; but again to set up the Star Chamber, is still the with superstructures they would not be un- privilege of every Englishman. The sacrisafe.' The Committee on Design publish the fice of Admiral Wellesley is probably the Report of the scientific Sub-Committee, which meanest act ever perpetrated by public men. reports these ships unsafe under certain ordi- A year ago he was Commander-in-Chief in nary conditions without superstructures; but North America; a command was, however, finding that these superstructures would in- required for an excellent officer, the brotherterfere with the all-round fire of the guns, in-law of the Secretary of State for War. recommend that no superstructure shall be The command of the Channel Fleet falling added. Truly valuable ships, which, if left vacant, a telegram was sent to Admiral Welable to fight the purpose for which they lesley, asking him to resign the most imporare intended-must run the risk of rolling tant command in peace, except the Mediterover if employed in going from port to port; ranean, which an Admiral can hold, and to or, if made safe for a coasting voyage, will take command of the Channel Fleet. He be incapacitated for fighting an action in declined; a further communication was made stormy weather in the narrow seas! Shade to him, that there was a possibility of war, of Drake! what would he have thought of and that he was looked to as the man to such a condition for ships to attack a Spanish command the Channel Fleet. Under these Armada? Is the Duke of Somerset not circumstances he had no alternative but to more than justified in his friendly criticism accept the command forced upon him; and on the SHIPS THAT WON'T SWIM'? the brother-in-law of the minister was cleverly provided for in a pleasant command. Admiral Wellesley came home and found that our Ministry had determined not to go to war, and that he had been juggled out of his command under false pretences. change of station brought, of course, its expenses, and the Channel command was less highly paid than the North American. The Admiralty were so afraid of exposure, however, that they increased the pay, especially, for Admiral Wellesley, in command of the Channel Fleet. And now this man, on whom a year ago they relied (or said they relied), above all others, to command a fleet in war, is deprived of his command without trial for what is at the worst but one slight error in judgment, which could not have happened if he had been well supported by the officers appointed for this special purpose. เ The Our chronicle of naval events would not be complete if we omitted to notice the grounding of the Agincourt,' and the mode in which it has been dealt with by the Admiralty. The squadron is coming out of the bay of Gibraltar. To save coal (one of the chief hobbies of this Admiralty) it is to be kept well out of the strong current running through the Straits. The squadron is what, with a single ship, would have been called well clear of all danger. Admiral Wellesley's ship was clear of danger, and it is idle to say that the second in command was so rigidly bound by the prescribed order of steaming to run stem on to a well-known danger, any more than he would have been bound to run over a P. and O. steamer if he had met her in the Straits steering across the path of the squadron. Admiral Wellesley was no doubt shaving it close, but he had no right to expect from an able, experienced officer like Admiral Wilmot such unreasoning pipeclay obedience, to the manifest risk of the line he was leading. However, the mistake being made, and a display of vigo-ble to the country should have the selection rous and active seamanship having saved the ship, a court-martial investigates the matter, tries the captain and two officers of the Agincourt,' and inflicts on them what it considers sufficient punishment. The Admiralty, who feel that with the Megara,' and 'Slaney,' and Psyche,' and 'Captain' lost, and the general course of their administration much discredited, something must be done to re Two points of detail here arise for consideration; and first, we think that the old plan, which allowed an Admiral to select his staff officers, should be revived. It is for the public good that the officer who is responsi of those who are to carry out his orders. A complete chain of responsibility can never be established unless all the staff are men whose peculiarities are known to the Commanderin-Chief, and on whose zealous and friendly co-operation he can fully rely. The same argument holds good with regard to the second officer, be he commander or first lieutenant, in every ship. The captains should select, We have one slight glimpse of the working of this economy. A piratical outrage had occurred in the Straits of Malacca. Fifteen persons claiming British protection had been murdered. Captain Robinson, of the 'Rinaldo,' was called upon by the Governor of the Straits to inflict the necessary punishment upon these freebooters. He at once proceeded to perform his duty in a manner that shews that there is not any decay of spirit in the officers and men of the Navy. Condign punishment is inflicted, and in doing so eleven of our men are wounded, and there is no medical officer to attend to their wounds. It is gratifying to believe that, so soon as this was known at the Admiralty a medical officer was appointed to the Rinaldo.' under certain restrictions, and we should then | Smollett's famous advice: When the sick see discipline maintained in a more harmo- sailor complains, give him the key of the menious manner. Secondly, we earnestly trust dicine chest and stop his grog, and he will that no ignorant popular outcry will lead to be sure to give you no more trouble.' But the abolition of the class of Navigating Of the surgical duty cannot be so easily disposficers. It is a mistake to suppose that, be- ed of. It will not do to hand the surgical cause one carefully trained officer is appoint- instruments to the wounded man. ed to take charge of the details of navigation, therefore all the other officers, from the captain downwards, must be supposed to know nothing about it. The captain ought to be a good seaman, a good navigator, a good gunner, a good drill; but he has to superintend all, and time would fail him for his other duties if he were to attempt personally to perform the hourly duties which devolve upon the navigating officer. Constant observations for the latitude and longitude by day and night, constant observations to correct the compasses and establish their deviation, variation, and local attraction; the care of all the sounding apparatus, the certainty that men can steer and take the lead, the care of the anchor-gear and groundtackle and steering apparatus; the care of the charts, of the instruments, and of the winding and rating of the chronometers; the care of the stowage of the hold, of the economical issue and use of stores, and of the accurate survey of unknown anchorages, the due record of every occurrence in the ship's log; at sea constant attention to the position on the chart, and, in going in and out of harbour, the supervision of the pilotage, give him quite enough for one man to attend to. If you make the captain do all these duties personally, you must appoint another captain to do captain's work; if you leave it to be done by any lieutenant, it will not, in many cases, be so well done as at present, because a young lieutenant will ordinarily be selected for the duty, and the duties named require practice and experience. Besides, the navigating officer is expected to be a pilot for the English Channel, and, in war, ships will be lost if you have not an officer so qualified. We trust, therefore, that this valuable class will not be improved out of the English Navy. The Admiralty, however, if not prepared to add the details of the navigating duties to the already serious labours of a captain, seem to have determined that he shall at least be responsible for the duties of the medical officers. Among the economies of the present Ministry has been a reduction of the numbers of medical naval officers, and their want may be seriously felt at any moment. But in the Navy, not only medical but surgical duties are required. The medical duty may perhaps be performed if the Admiralty will only reprint, for the use of officers, The wasted time of Parliament this Session prevented that inquiry into the supply of stores for the Navy, and especially of coal, which is so necessary; but the fright which Government received last year has led them to do something to replenish the foreign coal depôts, though we fear the quality is still very inferior. Fortunately, too, for the country, Mr. Childers and Mr. Baxter have left the Admiralty. We may hope for honest and straightforward information from Mr. Goschen, so far as he knows; and we have a political Secretary who is not likely. to undertake, on his own unchecked responsibility, the duties of purchase and sale. The present Government have, however, added nothing to the ironclad navy since they came into office, except completing, in a dilatory manner, the ships commenced by their predecessors. We have FIRST CLASS. Hercules, built by the Duke of Somerset. " Conservative Government Audacious, Invincible |