The Sun.
London, England, 1859-07-18 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Silt,—When a gentleman makes a statement in the
House of Commons he ought to be very careful that what
he asserts is fact, and not endeavour to mislead that assem-
bly, and stultify its deliberations, by giving false data on
which to base its decisions.

On Thursday last, when the navy estimates were under
discussion, Mr. W. S. Lindsay stated that " officers in the
mercantile marine had to undergo an examination quite as
strict as that of the officers of the Royal navy." Now, one of
two things is evident—either that Mr. Lindsay did not
know how the examinations were conducted in either the
royal navy or mercantile marine, or that, being fully aware
of the great difference which exists between these examina-
tions, he wilfully misled the House of Commons. Which
ever of the above cases is correct, Mr. Lindsay deserves
severe censure for daring to tamper with fact in order to
impress the Legislature with the correctness of his ideas.
The fact is, that the examination now undergone by can-
didates for appointment as naval cadets, by lads under 15
years of age, is such as, I have no hesitation in saying,
not one in one hundred of the Masters in the merchant
service could go through. I give a sketch of the two exa-
minations, by which any one can at once see the difference.
This secures gentlemen and educated men for the navy:;
whilst that simply ascertains whether the candidate for a
certificate of competency in the mercantile marine
can determine the position of a ship on the chart,
decide the longitude by lunar observation or chro-
nometer, with a few equally simple problems, such
as finding the latitude by observation, the variation of the
compass, and this, together with a few viva voce questions
in seamanship, constitutes the qualifications requisite for the
grade of " master," who must, of course, be of mature age.
Compare this with the examination at the " Royal Naval
College" of naval cadets, who of necessity must be under
fifteen years of age ; it is in " Euclid, algebra to equations,
arithmetic to decimal and vulgar fractions, trigonometry,
the use of the globes, with sections of a sphere, geography,
dictation, French and Latin, to write, construe, and parse."
Besides this, after serving five years afloat, another severe
examination in the higher branches of science—the diffe-
rential calculus, conic sections, &e., with a proficiency in
French and navigation, is to be undergone before a mid-
shipman can become a lieutenant.
This system secures gentlemen and men of matured in-
tellect for officers in the royal navy, such as could not by
any possibility be supplied from the mercantile marine ;
and it is to be hoped that no party in the House of Com-
mons will be found to support Mr. Lindsay's crotchet, or
we may very soon bid farewell to our naval power. No one
is more sensitive and ready to appreciate a gentleman than
an English sailor, and it will be an evil day when naval
officers cease to be such.

Mr. Lindsay especially instances "the officers in the
merchant steam vessels" as well fitted for naval officers.
Here he again shows his ignorance and recklessness in as-
sertion ; those officers brought up in steam vessels are not
sailors in the true sense of the term, and would be found
wofully deficient in those points on which a seaman most
prides himself, such as handling a ship under canvas, mak-
ing allowance for leeway or heave of the sea, &c., when a
ship is upon a wind or running with a strong swell upon
the beam ; these can only be acquired by experience on
board a sailing vessel. It is ignorance of the above points
which has caused so many fine steam vessels to be run on
shore and wrecked. The fact is, officers brought up and
trained on board of merchant steam vessels are not fit for
any other employment.
Trusting this brief statement of facts may remove any
impression made by the misstatements of Mr. Lindsay,—l
remain, your obedient servant,
July 16, 1859.

NAUTICUS.

LONDON, BRIGHTON, AND SOUTH-COAST

RAILWAY DIVIDEND.