The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-23 00:00:00

advanced, in many cases exceeding the possibility of ex-
pecting good and sufficient service from them ; and there
seemed to be an admission on the part of all the naval
wituesces that a very large portion of each class was
altogether inefficient for service. And, doubtless, an
~qual degree of inefficiency would have been shown in
the army, if the statements had contained, as those from
the Admiralty do, one general table of all ranks, either
oa full-pay or in retirement, or who had at any time
belonged to the service.
From the comparatively small number of naval officers
employed upon full-pay afloat, which may be stated to
he in the following proportions--
Captains, one in eleven,
Commanders, less than one in ten,
Lieutenants, one in six,
it is evident that by far the greater number of the two
superior elapses have little expectation, even if the ser-
vice of the navy were performed by an accurate rollster,
of ever being called upon for duty with an establishment
on the limited scale required in time of peace, and the
consequence must necessarily be, that a large number
may be considered to hold their existing commissions on
the commanders' and lieutenants' lists, without prospect
of further employment or advancement. In proof of this
we refer to some returns in the navy appendix, showing
what full-pay service has been rendered by the officers
of each class, and what period has passed since their em-
ployment.
These returns exhibit the state of the officers of the
navy in June, 1838, just previous to the last general
promotion.
The numbers at that time of each of the three ranks
of captain, commander, and lieutenant, and the numbers
who had never served afloat in those ranks, is shown in
the following statement :---

Have never served
as such afloat.
313
402
530

and vessels on a peace est,

scale :
First rates 24
Second sates.
Third rates

Fourth and
101
Fifth rates
. . .

,ablishment at the following

Sixth rates . 8
Sloops
Cutters, gun brigs
Guard-ships

and directing that the captain should be hound to
take of this complement the following cstablisment of
mates who had passed both examinations, if serving at
home, or the examination for seamanship, if serving
abroad one year, viz.—
First rates
. .

Second rates
Third rates _ 5 Guard-ships

Fourth, Fifth, and }
... 41
Sixth rates

Up to this point the career of the naval candidate is
uninterrupted, with such exceptions as may have oc-
curred in the difficulty of obtaining service ; and his ad-
vancement through the ranks of petty and warrant
officer is a certainty dependent solely upon his own con-
duct and exertions.

He passes for a mate at the expiration of six years'
sea service. The examination ho then undergoes is
that qualifying him for a lieutenant's commission, which
he might receive aL nineteen years of age ; but it is by
selection only, made by the Board of Admiralty, that he
can obtain this rank.

If he should be selected for a lieutenant's commis-
sion, he becomes eligible, after a service of two com-
plete years at sea in that rank, for promotion to the
commission of commander, which is also regulated by
selection ; and with one complete year's service at sea
as commander, he is eligible for the rank of captain,
also upon selection.
From this last rank the promotion to the flag is now
regulated by seniority ; the captain obtaining the com-
mission of a flag officer, or being placed upon the retired
list of rear-admirals, according to the period of his sea
service as a captain.
The promotions to the flag, and the advancement of
the various classes of flag-officers, take place contempo-
raneously with the general brevets of the army.
Previously to February, 1830, the promotions in the
navy were in no respect limited to any fixed establish-
ment for each class, but were regulated entirely by the
discretion of the First Lord of the Admiralty, and the
numbers promoted varied in each year, the Minister of
the Crown responsible for the service having reference
probably to the claims of the candidates rather than to
the wants of the navy.
The irregularity of these promotions will be seen in
the following statement of the promotions of each class
of commission officers, during the years from Ist Jan.,
1816, to the Ist Jan., 1830, as delivered in to the Com-
mittee on Army and Navy Appointments, by Sir John
Barrow, in 1833 :

Statement of the promotions of Commission Officers
of the Royal Navy, from Ist January, 1816, to the
Ist January, 1830 :