The Sun.
London, England, 1853-12-19 00:00:00

THE ROYAL NAVAL SERVICE.

The seamen of the present day are greatly improved
in intelligence compafed with those of any former period
in the service of this country. Every new measure and
every Admiralty circular is now carefully perused, and
Seamen will not now enter to serve in the fleet until they
fully comprehend the duty they are to perform, the re-
muneration they will receive, and the treatment they
will experience on board the ships of war or war steamers
in which they may have to serve on joining the Royal
navy. A circular, No. 121, was recently issued, Mich
has been much criticised by the seamen, and they framed
certain questions relative to it for transmission to the
Admiralty. Their lordships have instructed' their secre-
tary to answer the said questions, which has been done
in the following
" Circular No. 130.

" Admiralty, Oct. 3.

" Questions raised on Circular No. 121 by certain
seamen of the fleet with their lordships' answers there-
to : •
. _ .

" Question 1. Whether men entering for continuous
service would interfere with their entering for the Ex,
cellent ? Whether men can now enter ?—Men entered
for continuous service will be eligible to be received
into the Excellent as seamen-gunners, in preference to
those entered for limited service. The periods of service
for the Excellent will terminate with the periods of con-
tinuous service.

" 2. Whether three years' service in ship then in
would reckon as part of 10 years' service, or other
period ?—lt would not ; but men now in the service
may enter for seven years, or under clause 4, page 5,
circular 121, and receive the higher rates of pay and
pensions from the age of 18. The time to be so served
!mist reckon from the date of volunteering for continu-
ous service. The higher rates for petty time, when
pensioned, can be given only to men who enter for 10
years, and serve for that period of continuous service.
"3. Whether on paying off they would be allowed to
join the guardship nearest their houses at the expiration
of their leave ?—Continuous service men, when paid off,
!nay choose the port to which they will return at the ex-
piration of their leave. Continuous service petty officers
will retain the ratings of their class, but all such men
will be sent to ships afterwards as tequired.
" 4. Whether putting their names down for continuous
service would make them liable to be draughted into
other ships on the station, so as to be kept longer
abroad ?—All men, whether entered for continuous or
limited service, are- already liable to be draughted to
other ships when the exigencies of the service require it ;
but continuous service men will not in general be kept
longer abroad than at present.
"5. Whether any time served as boy, after the age
of' 18, would reckon for pension ?—Time served in boy's
rating, after the age of 18, will reckon as time for pen-
sions to continuous service men, and no others.
" G. Whether continuous service men, on paying off,
will receive all their wages, ' or only a portion ?—Con-
tinuous service men on paying off will receive the whole
of the wages due to them.

" 7. Whether seamen on old system will require 7 or
14 years' service for coastguard 9 Seamen whether en•
tered under the old or new system will in future require
10 years total service from the age of 18 to be eligible for
the coastguard.

" 8. \Ville on leave, after paying off, can a man
volunteer for any particular ship ?—Continuous service
men when on leave in England will not be entitled to
volunteer for particular ships, but must return to the
ships on which their names are borne. Facilities for
exchange may be given when the service will admit.
"9. Whether continuous service men before their
service expires could enter for riggers in dockyard or
Coastguard ?—Continuous service men may be discharged
by special order to be entered as riggers in a dockyard,
or to serve in the Coastguard, but in general they will
be expected to complete their engagements.
" 10. Seamen-gunners now serving as formerly, if
they volunteer for continuous service, will they be re-
tained on the books of the Excellent, and can they
volunteer for a second five years as seamen-gunners on
the expiration of the first ? -Seamen-gunners now
serving, and volunteering for continuous service, will be
retained on the books of the Excellent until the expira-
tion of their periods of continuous service.
"11. Whether any petty officer or seaman, who has
less than 10 years to serve to complete 20, will he, if
volunteering for continuous service, receive any increase
of pension to what he would receive if remaining on the
old system to complete 21 years ?—No increased rate of
pensions will be given to men who do not enter for and
complete 10 years' continuous service, but men now in
the service, and entering for seven years longer, or under
clause 4, page 5, circular 121, will be entitled to the pre-
sent rate of pension at the end of 20 years from the age
of 18, instead of 21 years from the age of 20.
" 12. A seaman having nine years' sea service and
nine years' Coastguard service, will it reckon as 18
ye trs' full service ?—Nine years' sea service and nine
years in the Coastguard will reckon as 18 years' service
as time for pensions, but men entering the Coastguard
only receive their pensions on being finally discharged
from that service.

" 13. Will seamen, not continuous service men, have
the same privilege of entering the Coastguard service as
fo,merly ?—The regulations for entry in the Coastguard
will be the same for all men, and in future no men will
be eligible with less than 10 years' service from the age
of 18.

"14. Whether clause 5, page 13, under head of pen-
sions, will include petty officers who have already
served 13 years, and are only required to volunteer 7
years' further service ; and, if not, whether they will be
obliged to volunteer for 10 years, so as to come under
that scale ?—All men must enter for and complete 10
years' continuous service, to become entitled to the
higher rates for petty time, unless disabled by hurts in
the service during the time.
" 15. Whether seamen-gunners, who may volunteer
for 7 years' further service, will belong to the Excellent
for that period, as at present, and return to her after
being paid off from a ship I—Seamen-gunners who may
volunteer for 7 years' further service, will be retained on
the books of the Excellent till it expires, and from the
date of volunteering.
" 16. Whether apprentices are allowed to enter for
general and continuous service !—Apprentices may enter
for continuous service from the age of 18.

" 17. Whether a man entering for continuous ser-
vice abroad can pass for a seaman-gunner, as formerly,
receiving the increase of pay at once I—Continuous ser-
vice men may pass for seamen-gunners abroad, and will
belong to the Excellent during their term of continuous
service.

" 18. Men from the Excellent wish to know if, on
volunteering for a term of 10 or 7 years, they will be
considered to belong to the Excellent for that time, and
if service to commence at once or only when discharged
from the Excellent ?—Seamen-gunners entered for five
years may volunteer for continuous service without con-
tinuing to belong to the Excellent beyond the original 5
years, but should state their intention at the time of
volunteering.

" By command of their Lordships.

" OSRNE.
`'To all Commanders of her Majesty's ships and vessels,'

GENTLEMAN KILLED BY THE EXPLOSION OF A GUN.—
Yesterday afternoon a young man named James B. Lay
expired in Cornelius Ward, Guy's Hospital, from the
effects of injuries received under the following melan-
choly circumstances. Mr. Lay and a friend went out
shooting in the neighbourhood of Beckenham, and as
his friend was handing the gun to the deceased, by some
means a branch of the hedge caught the trigger, and the
piece went off, lodging the contents in his intestines.
He was conveyed to the above valuable institution,
Messrs. Byrkett and Wilbe, the surgeons, were unre-
mitting in their attentions, until death terminated his
sufferings, •