The Express.
London, England, 1859-11-17 00:00:00

CAPTAIN SIR ADOLPHUS BLADE ON THE

NAVY.•

This pamphlet is well worth reading. It contain,
information interesting to the public, and especially
important to Lords of the Admiralty—if they will
early take advantage of it. Naval expenditure is
still a mystery. There is, indeed, a general impute
sion that extravagance and jobbing are the order of
the day at the Admiralty; and those who have had
an opportunity of mixing with naval officers know
something of the scandalous way in which things
are managed. Bat gallant as our military and naval
officers are before the enemy, it is the rarest thing
in the world to fled one who will boldly states all
be knows to tie pablic. The author of the pamphlet
before us, In this respect, has not failed in hls duty.
He has trammed up in some forty pages the causes
which have led to the enormous waste of public
money in the construction of the British Navy, and
the absurd system of promotion which senores the
young men of family end inflame in their promo-
tion, whilst it breaks the hearts of hundreds of
deserving officers. Besides this, the gallant author
points out the change which ban come over naval
warfare, and describes in a forcible manner the dan-
gers to this country of invasion which this change
has introduced. It is impossible to read this pam-
phlet without recognising that Sir Adolphus Slade
is a man of sterling common sense, intellectual
vigour and ability. His experience gives additional
value to his opinions. A Captain in the British
Navy he knows the rules and practice of the British
service, and his residence at Constantinople as the
sassawor of Sir Baldwin Welker in the command
of the Turkish fleet has, no doubt, placed him
in a position to enlarge his views, and
test his conclusions. Besides this, it is impossible
that an officer occupying his position during the
Crimean war, when the fleets of England, France,
and Turkey were actively engaged in the Black Sea,
should have failed to derive some important observa-
tions from the comparison.
It would certainly seem that the French system of
promotion is superior to the English. The French
system combines promotion by seniority and promo-
tion by selection ; giving preponderance to the
former in the lower grades, to the latter in the
upper:

This system gives every officer practical experience with
fair prospects, and debars no officer from the hope of ad-
vancement to the highest rank. The seniority principle pre-
trails where the duties are subordinate, its stringency lemon- 1
Miein the inverse ratio of responsibility, and disappears
exceptional abilities are required. Long *mien
without other claims meet with due reward, and superior
amok is made co-relative with high rank. French recess
are nom * the position of " half-pay." When not am-
WOW they reeds at the porta to which they are respectively
salmited, on fall pay, but without table money ; thee are
ender the orders of the maritime prefect, and may be. am-
ployal as dudes consected with the Pardee. At the end of
twantrlvo rare' service a French °dicer is entitled to claim
hie redessessit. Hs meat retire at a given age, varying with
mak, the only exception being in favour of admirals. This
meeptics ambles the state to retain, by promotion, the
ernes. of any diathignialead vice-admiral, who would se
such have had to retire at the age of sixty-five.
The Bugle& system to the reverse of the above. Promo-
tion by selection rules to the lower, by rotation in the upper
ranks. Where choice la immaterial, the freest scope is given ;
where choice is vital a bar is opposed. This system is an
artful contrives°, for perpetuating favour and restricting the
honours of the serrioe to a class instead of throwing them
open to ootopetition. The favour which places an officer
early on the captains' hat might be linable to edema, him
higher, in preference to avowedly worthier officer& Public
opinion, silent about the selection of an inferior lieutenant or
commander for promotion respectively to the next higher
rank, would exclaim against the 'election of an inferior cap-
tain for promotion to flag rank. The latest of the mischief
in the former came would be the loss or indiscipline of a ship,
—an ill-timed dispute with the chief of • group of South Sea
Islands, or the governor of a Chinese province. In the latter
Due great national interest, might be imperilled. Therefore
to silence scruples and obviate objections, the seniority prin-
ciple is brought into play, at the point whore It ceases to
operate in every other service.
An NW* captain becomes on ethnical by the force of
=Mr ow lie soy combine in himself the quokka of Anson
and Nelms ; they will not suffice unless ha live to reach the
top of tits list. No other tat is vigorously exacted. The era
tiro mato, to qualify him for his flag m be practically
evaded : that time me, be passed in command of a guard, •
training, or • skip, moored in harbour, or in the
saperutiendeney *a dockyard.
It is possible la the English navy for an officer to become
an admiral on the active list without having served a day at
sea awe he his examination for a lieutenancy ; end it
Is also for °Noire who have served long end merit°.
;toady at am to toosis their lives on the lowest grade of
ooseWeeboad soak. The public see in the seniority principle
in regard of captains • surname that their admirals at all
events will not owe their rank to influence. The public little
think that their admirals in the wiped being employed have
goossolip been misread, sot Ia truth from the captains' list,
bade* the midshipman's berth. One may eoaddently pre-
diet that such or such a osidahipotan will, barring premature
drama become an admiral, not on account of early developed
taint or acquired distinction, but through the *dunce
which will not fall to promote him young to captain's rank,
when he is on the emWty tramway.

Another important point in the French service is
that some uniformity of discipline is a necessity.
He says :
Every French squadron has a the! d'etat major, t captain
designated by public opinion for Bag rank, who is reopen-
: sible to the minister of marine as well se to his immediate
chief far maintaining uniformity of discipline, in accordance
with mend ordinances binding on the whole service,
whereby twoaquedrona meetiog from opposite sides of the
globe ing themselves under the same conditioe• of order,
' treatment, sad discipline. The flag captain is nominated
inespelive of the admirers predilections the admiral's
mereitery le a navel raker ; hie flag lieutenant has not got
idscessmaader's 001•11WIi013, so to speak, in his pocket. In
the Raiff& navy, where it it more needed, a staff In the
real ems of the ward, Is unknown. There may or may not
he a captain of the Beek the negation being the rule ; the
leg captain is a nominee ; the secretary is a civilian ; the
leg lieutenant is minally a relation. Discipline, there being
no one specially to attend to it, is thereby capricious. During
the lest dozen years we have seen British flieta conducted on
diametrically opposite principles. We have seen a Beet of
penitentiaries in peece—we have seen a fleet of yachts in
war. We have sees the commander of en English fleet re-
tire leave to his crews to go on shoes during three year, end
Ids encemeor on the station giving leave by watches from the
day of taking command. In the same squadron, one ship
My be happy, another mieerable, under the inflames of •
blue or a black list ; one ship msy be healthy, another sickly,
through different view. on washing and holystonieg deck' ;
one ship may be managed with little, another with mack
paniehment.
Uncertainty of treatment and discipline ranks high among
the cam's of seamen's kmoillmgnese to enter the nary.
•

With respect to the mode of constructing ships, it
is impossible to exaggerate the importance of the
following extract. The false principles upon which
the office of the Surveyor of the Navy is founded
it, no doubt a great cause of the expenses of our
naval administration. Sir Baldwin Walker is an ad-
mirable officer at sea, but ea for the principles of
ship-building, he knows nothing. Comparing the
English and French practices on this point, he
says :

ire wfll soppose in both mem the timber felled in the right
mom sod duly summed the other materiels of the beet
quality, sad artimisablp irreproachable. The French piece
flair meting and building materials under the control at •
Mitelei semi aasWMot, sided by a ometel et aaval arobitecte.
letkellam the deatription abip required, sod the Ware of
Wee movies else is intended for, they kliTel the e&
mad me-

• " Maritime States and Military Navin." B 7 N'
B} Adagios 81aie. &N., K.C.B. Ridgway.