The Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1860-03-05 00:00:00

THE MERCANTILE "A.

DETERIORATION IN THE SEAMEN OF

ARINE.

vetY Impftant letter* on this subject has been
addiegSed tro' First Lord of the Admiralty, by
Captalifilytleivß.;s7.; late colinniseisoner of inquiry into
th'e state of the na-.7*ati'ohlsehobl'ss, at S: 'raves, Esq.,
Chairman of the Local Ma Board', LiVetpoef. These
Ontlemen give as their reasons 44t: 'ritin in: concert,
ancl-fol fAlopting this mode of addressfq. hil,, Grace the

First Lord of flt! Admiralty, that "as membeis of the

4
Royal Commission on I..itlithorises, Buoys, and Beacons,
they have, within this year, visited together nearly all
the principal ports of the United tiler:dor; and they
hate frequently made school ships, and their' important
bea ring on the welfare of the Royal Navy and the eom-
itieftitil Marine,- the subject of conversation ;” moreover,
,that " iibilf of the' v/titers, one from his position in the
Royal Navy and his idle employment under the Com-
.
Asian 0 couiltn. on Education as Commis•sioner of
Sc
Inquiry 'iter fhe' State of the .Ifavigatiori hools, and
the other froM his' Vatin'g a' large personal interest in
the progress of the commertM Marii e,. lia've had many
onpOrtunities of gaining a practical knowledge of the
stifklet-t on' which they are writing." These' were eer-
tainly good add' satfibient reasons for their mode of
proceeding, and more Indti,Alarly since they found "that
their opinions agreed and coincOed with ticat universally
held of the necessity that exists for spet-..4.i1y establiihing
the twelve school ships that were proposedby the
Manning Commission to be placed at the 'i—nc. In;
pal ecru-
inefeial Orto;"
With flafi pkaCtical knowledge of the subject which,
Wit their, respeetiVe positions, and the opportunities
. they Pgie both` thereby had of actriring information,
thiraelfrea_nnot.
Certainly the eftfows of ditch gentletnat are eminently
entitled to' respect afZll iionsidetation ;, and vw
hn't think that the First tad of the M
&resider himself much obliged to thow for the" must
they hiti'e (hen' fo' giVe him the benefit K 'so, much
valuable inforntatien' Oti sn important a subjeei as that
which is contained in fir"' letter. "It is impossible,,,
they remark, "to over-estimafe the advantages which
t
the nation will derive from the operati6* 6f a comphe
re_
hensive and well organised system of school dr ,is
ears to the writers to be t‘trw
establishment of which app
absolutely necessary ; and it is with the view of insurinc,e,
the success of sneh a system, that the writers are desirous
of reviewing the changes which are taking place in our
, seamen as a body, and while inquiring into the origin of
i theed Changes, to point out the means which appear to
them' fo be &st efilnalated to check, and in time remedy,
a most serion's Oil, iiit..! the deterioration of the seamen
i
lin the. nier6rinfilie Marine. The existence .of this dete-
riorated; itritf tfi'at a a' Most alarming
uyr
then
extent, is uni-
versally adraittedf and threatens to imperil our maritime
supremacy, for the niefeaßthe Marine will! be n l
and most important VOW reserve in time of ' The
proceed with their inquiry respecting 36 gad, as dete, iota_
tion, as it is but too evident has ariseff ainVOlig our
seamen. • The proposed School Ships, they shoe., are
absolutely necessary as an auxiliary means of checking
such deterioration, and restoring a better state of things •
for without them, a modified apprenticeship law, whichthey dtt convinced is indispensable to its prosperity, can
no,ff be established and maintained. With
scareely
respect to such a lfiti they admit that its adoption
" would entail on all shipowners a heavy pecuniary
burden; atid. it must be evident that no such measure
could be introdneed with any yobability of success,
unless the consent Cl lik'e shipoTMs was first seerired.,,
But they are of opinion thett it would. be in the Dower of
Government to secure this coileent, provided
a fair
equivalent was offered for the loss int/yowl. n Taiing
into consideration," they continue, " that th, ship_
owners will ultimately benefit by any decided improve-
ii ent of our seamen as a class, the writers are convinced
'a they will readily recognise the great national import-
ance of silt nitting to a modified apprentice law, and that
they will be kind willing to discuss such a measure with
the Government on a fair and reasonable basis." The
whole force of their argutnetif in favour of a modified
but such an obligatory apprentiteShip fa, they as
ular
suggest, as the most certain and the most pop
method of regaining for the mercantile marine thme
It irraluable properties which it now fails to possess, and
Whi;li if mast have if it is to be that efficient institution
which not ohty the shipping interest, but great national
interests require that it should be,—its whole force, we
say, they do not hesitate to declare, must turn upon
the truth of the statements which are here so clearly

expressed •.
" Ist. That our ma-in reserve, the commercial marine,
should be so composed as to be able to supply, *hen
required, a very large number of able seamen ; seeing
it
that although it is essential that able seamen
ureonshould,
possible, farm the majority of the crews
reserves will utterly
e
men-of-
war, yet the existing and proposed
fail; iri the Case of' a continuous naval war, to supply a
faitelY developed navy with the requisite number of
able gentler&
" 2ndly. That the drain. of seamen in our mercantile
marine (which, it mast aIWaS-s be remembered, is our last
and main reserve), largely owe& the number of entries
of useful recruits, in the proportion of art least two to
one, and probably of more nearly three to one and that
it is absolutely necessary, therefore, to ensure in some way
or other the constant annual entry of a much larger
number of youthful recruits than is at Present received,
so as to arrest. as soon as possible the steady. progress of
that deterioration which inevitably results from the above-
tti6ritioned disproportion between the drain and the useful
entries.

" 3rdly.. That it is impossible that the boys from the
twelve proposed sChoot ships may, in the absence of an
apprentice law, fail to be reteived in sufficient numbers.
And that even if they are all apprenticed, the effect on
the mercantile marine will be quite insiifficient to leaven
I the mass, unleSs an obligatory apprentice lair, or some
equally efficient measure, is enacted : for otherwise the
lads from the school ships will, in all probability to a
gteitt Mott, be merely substitutes for the same number
of apprentices now entered annually, instead of an
addition to therre'l
Having recapitulated the arguments in favour of the
re-enactment of the apprentice Imo,. the writers then
proceed to some general remarks upon what appear to
them to be principles that may generally be adapted, and
which are to the following effect :
" 1. To ensure.success, the co-operation of the shipping'-'
interest should be enlistedin the management of the school
ships; and the writers are of opinion that the Marine
Boards of the United Kingdom should be entrusted with
a local control over them, and that it is worthy of con-
sideration hove far it might be desirable to associate
with these boards, fer this special object, two gentlemen
at each port, who have taken a leading part in the local
educational efforts.
"2. The internal arrangement of The schcrbl ships
should resemble as much as possible the discipline, order,
and system adopted on board her Majesty's ships.
a. The United Kingdom should be divided into as
many districts as there are school ships, and the boys
should be selected, to a large extent, at the schools'
throughout the kingdom, by the Inspectors of the Corn-
inittee of Council on Education. In the heart of the
ports owning the largest amount of tonnage, the school
ships should at first be placed, for although there may
be drawbacks attending their being moored in crowded
tide' ways or frequented docks, it is, in the writers'
opinion, essential to the scheme that at the outset these
ships should be brought before the public as much as
,possible. The tenders, which should in all cases be
attached, might be worked to greater advantage in quiet
.roomy harbours of the district, easy of access.
" 4. In order to prevent the school ships from beim.,
considered a charitable institution. and to enhance the
value of a nomination, the parent or „guardian, schools,
or parishes, on consenting to a nomination, should
be called upOn in every instance to contribute a small
which might be allowed to
fixed periodical payment,
accumulate till the boy was leaving the school ship,
when the amount might be put in a savings' bank, to be
repaid to him on completion of his apprenticeship. The
suggestions of the Manning Report, to have half the
boys free and half paying a large portion of the expenses
incurred for them,t and also to admit day boys and
apprentices on their return from sea, appear to the
writers to be open to grave objections
"5. If the modified but obligatory apprentice law,
which the writers have suggested, be passed, it may be
worthy of consideration whether an additional induce-
ment might not be held out to the shipowners to take
the apprentices from the school ships, by offering
nominations (under proper restrictions as to the class to
be selected from), in proportion to the number they take,
as for instance, one for every one, two, or three boys.
thus indentured by them annually from the school
ships, and whether facilities should not be afforded for
cancelling the indentures of lads who can be satisfactorily
proved to be from any cause unfit for the sea.
6.
The number of eligible boys in the schools
throughout the United Kingdom will, it is probable, be
us, that a selection will have to be made by
t shoeniunentsperc°tors. To be the sons of respectably conducted
parents, to he of good moral character, to read, write,
and cypher well, should be qualifications necessary in
every case; but among the competitors so qualified, the
nominations should be given, not to the most highly
educated or to the cleverest, but
in
to the most active and
robust. Skill, daring, and agility gymnastic exercises
and athletic games should count highly, therefore, among
the qualifications for a nomination.
o 7. Each boy, on entering a school ship, should come
under an obligation to join her Majesty's navy for a
specified period, or the merchant service, and the naval
reserve, as required, during or on expiration of appren-
ticeship. Joiniug the naval reserve should not be
optional.
"8. It may also be worthy of consideration whether
certain privileges, such as the following, should not be
crranted to apprentices from the school ships, who have
faithfully served their time To be allowed, when
they apply for second mates certificates, to count as sea
service their last six months passed on board the school
ship. 2. The remission of fees when being examined
for officers
certificates. 3. Permission to wear a 'distin-
guishing badge.
«9. The writers entirely concur in the suggestion in
paragraph sixty of the Manning Report, that great benefit
would result from uniting the training Ships for the
navy, and for the volunteer force, and raising, boys for
both services on board the same ship.' Unless this be
acted on, there will be two competing systems at work,
varying in their inducements ; they would therefore
recommend that, in the first instance, all boys for the
Royal Navy should be selected from the school ships;
hut to carry out this necessary point, a very considerable
extension of the scheme will be required."
Such are, in substance, the suggestions which Captain
suggest
Ryder and Mr. Graves have taken upon them to
to the First Lord of the Admiralty, and, through his
grace, to the government of the country, on this important
subject,—a subject which, in a great maritiro,, town like
Liverpool, we need scarcely say is of such importance,
as not only to be a sufficient reason for gentlemen or
the ability and experience of the writers of this letter
addressin,, one in the high position of the First Lord of
the Admiralty upon it, but who by doing so have, we
are sure, entitled themselves to the gratitude not only of
the shipping interest, but of the country at large, for
the pains they have taken in doing so. The pamphlet
is well worthy of an attentive perusal by all who feel
interested not only in our mercantile marine, but in the
national navy, to which that marine must always be
regarded as an indispensable reserve in every case of
need.

A Letter on the National Dangers which result from the
great Deterioration in the Seamen of the Mercantile Marine;
with reasons for the Adoption of anApprentice System.
t See comments of W. S. Lindsay, M.P., a member of the
Manning Commission, at p. xxv of his report.
At several of the principal ports navigation schools have
been opened on shore ; they are aided and inspected by the
Committee of Council for Education, and have classes for boy*
in the day time, and in the evening for apprentices.

DIRECTIONS TO BE OBSERVED AT THE
VOLUNTEER COURT.

Regulations to be observed at the Volunteer Court,
which will be held by her Majesty, at St. James's
Palace, on Wednesday, the 7th of March, MO.
" The officers of volunteer corps who are desirous of
attending the Queen's court at St. James's Palace, on
Wednesday, the 7th of March next, should forthwith
communicate their intention to the Lord, Lieutenants. of
the several counties in which their corps have been
estahrtshed,
" A list of the officers who have thus signified their
wish to be present will be transmitted by the Lord
Lieutenant of each county to the Secretary of State for
the War Dhpartment.
" These lists, which will distinguish the rank of each 3.
officer, and the corps or company to which he belongs,.
will be forwarded to the Lord Chamberlain from the-
War Department, at latest, upon Monday, the sth of
M Welt.
" The Lord Lieutenants and the military authorities
summoned to attend,the court will enter the palace at
the entrée entrance in Ambassadors'-court, and will pass
at once to the entree room.
"The officers of volunteers will enter the palace at
the usual corridor entrance, opposite Marlborough-house,
and will be shown at once to the room appointed for
the assembling of their corps, where they will form
into companies in the order in which they are to pass
the Queen. In order to facilitate this arrangement,
each officer should furnish himself with a card on which
is distinctly written his county, the number of his county
in the Army Liat, and the name and number of his.
corps. company, or cub-division. ' Artillery' shonid be•
specially marked on the cards of officers of artillery
volunteet corps.
"The doors of St. James's Palace will be opened at
half-past twelve o'clock, and no officer can-be admitted
after a quarter before two o'clock.
" Officers will ' appear in the uniforms approved for
their corps by the Lord Lieutenants.
" They will pass before the Queen by regiments, com-
panies, or sub-divisions, headed by the senior officer
present.
"The officers of each corps will be introduced by the
Lord Lieutenants of their counties, who will join them
before entering the throne-room. In the absence of the
Lord Lieutenants they will he introduced by the Under-
Secretary of State for the War Department. The officers
will draw up in a line before the Queen, and the senior
officer of each corps or company present will hand a card!
containing the names of those about to pass before her
Majesty to the Lord Lieutenant. This card will be
passed to the Lord Chamberlain, who will read the
names to the Queen. The officers will then pass on.
" Cards proper for this purpose may be obtained at
the Lord Chamberlain's office, either upon personal or
written application, and the names of the officers of t
corps or company will be filled up by the senior officer,
who will take the card to the reception."
The word " Artillery " should be specially marked on
the cards of officers of Artillery Volunteer Corps. In.
order to remier the matter perfectly intelligible, we
subjoin specimens of the cards to be used on. the
occasion :

Lancashire
/Co. 3.

14 Company (Liverpool).

The card which it will be the duty of the
officer of each corps or company to hand to the
Chamberlain will be in the following form :

Number of County County . .
Designation of Corps
Captain
Lieutenant
Ensign
To be introduced by

Le various corps will take precedence actor,
seniority in the Army List.

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vW
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nr 33, LUDGATE-HILL.
LONDON WEST-END BRANCH,
teir 110, REGENT-STREET.
Observe Numbers particularly.
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