The Sun.
London, England, 1859-10-18 00:00:00

MANNINO THE NAVY.

Sir Charlos Napier presents his compliments to
the Editor of The Situ, and requests he will have
the kindness to publish the enclosed letter.
Oct. 17.

To THE DUKE OF SOMERSET, FIRST LORD OF THE
ADMIRALTY.

My Lord,—As the country seems determined
that the navy should he in an efficient state, and
more popular than it has been, I beg to point out to
your grace what changes appear to me necessary
to accomplish that object ; and, having done so, 1
shall then exaniine into the plan for the proposed
reserve.

When a sudden augmentation of the navy is re-
quired, and ships are commissioned, the marines,
blys, and officers are appointed, and part of the

much
paieffittcyuol
ty e rls
nant
hdisidslteartse'atrici
eobsthaiipn ertclqlnvaiitilitsouint
onths,
having the most expensive part of her crew on
board. Thus we have two ships in commission,
one with a full crew on board waiting to be relieved,
and another, with perhaps a third of litr crew, wait-
ing for men. This has been going on ever since
the peace of 1815; and although we have an Admi-
ralty costing upwards of £lOO,OOO a-year, no
board has ever hit on a method of manning
the navy economically and expeditiously.
And if Parliament had not induced the
late Board of Admiralty to appoint a commission
of inquiry, we might have rermiiiied in the same
state for the next 20 years, seeing other nations
manning their fleets Nvithout &triunity, and this
great maritime country helpless, With material iu
abundance, but the personnel to set that material in
motion not to be had. Surely there must be some-
thing wrong, but that something no Admiralty has
been able to dicover.

It is admitted that when men are voted and en-
tered there is no difficulty in keeping. up the nu►n-
ber; the difficulty is to-keep under the vote, but the
moment an emergency arrives and some thousands,
or indeed hundreds, are wanted, we are all abroad.
This is not surprising, as the sailors are employed
in the different trades; and they will not leave their
employment to enter the navy unless it is made
worth their while; and experience tells us we nave
never yet come up to their mark. ..
I do not say that improvements have not been
made, but our improvements have not kept pace
with the times; there are still many grievances,
and the Admiralty are slow in redressing them.'
The greatest of all evils is the confinement men ,
aro subject to on board a ship. It is true, when a
ship is fitting out there is no lack of leave, but the
moment she goes to Spithead, or to the Sound,
leavois stopped and drill begins, and the drill is
seldom carried on with judgment ; this disgusts the
men and deters others from entering.
Another cause of complaint is the discomfort of
the hulks when the ships are fitting out; and there
is not the least necessity for this. 1 and others have
brought this under consideration over and over
again, but without effect. No ship ought to be com-
missioned till she is perfectly ready to receive men,
and discipline ought to begin the first dry the pen-
nant is hoisted ; the men should be paid weekly,
moderate leave given, and officers and men made
as comfortable as if the ship had been six months in
commission.

Suppose, my lord, we required artificers for the
dockyard, and did not pay their wages for four or
five months. Do you think, my lord, they would
outer ? Not a man of them ; they would go to the
merchant yards, where they arc better treated.
The Admiralty never seems to know that when a
man goes on board a shiphe has seldom a farthing; in
his pocket, and perhaps not a rag to his back. He
is obliged to take up his bed and bedding from the
paymaster, clothe himself and fit out his mess.
That, thanks to the manning commission, is now
remedied, but he has not wherewithal 10 buy his
little comforts, but must, go in debt to the bumboat
man, and pay 25 per cent. above the value, and
perhaps be cheated out of 25 per cent. more ; and
not till the ship is ready for sea does he receive
more than his monthly money, and sometimes not
that; and when he is paid what is called his two
months' advance, he hag perhaps four or five months'
due. All this time lie has been running in debt to
the bumboat man for himself, and, if married, fel-
his wife and family. It is true the seamen now
get a bounty, but that is only temporary, and given
because they were not to be had without it, and
even now it has been cried down in parliament by
some of the wise men who have hitherto ruled the
navy. Another grievance,' which is, I believe,
about to be remedied, is the delay in paying the
allotments to seamen's wives, which ought to be
done immediately they enter, and not keep them in
poverty for months.
• Some improvement has been made in the method
of clothing, but more is wanted. Why should not
a captain be allowed to contract with a tailor to
supply his men P When an officer or a private gen-
tleman wants a coat he does not go to a slopseller ;
he is not obliged to have his clothes pulled to pieces
and renewed, but a sailor is.
The men should be measured, and a contract
made in the presence of the signing officer of the
ship, and the clothes paid for by the paymaster,
and charged to the men if they have no money, or
paid by themselves if they choose; the Admiralty
taking care that a standard cloth is fixed. This
would put an end to all contract jobbery.
When the ship is ready for sea, drill, which is
absolutely necessary, commences, but that ought to
be conducted with judgment, and experienced men
ought not to be confounded with.rtcruits. And ships
ought not to be sent to out.of-the•way places, and
leave stopped. Drill is always irksome, and as
much indulgence should be shown as possible.
Some captains have no idea of this, and are at
it Morning, noon, anti night, while both captain
and officers go on shore for their amusement,
and the men are kept on board, sometimes
seeing; their wives rowing round the ship and not
allowed to come on board, a distant view of their
wives being the only matrimonial comfort allowed

them.
When a ship conies into port she should
to
epaid
immediately, and leave given to the men go on
shore to enjoy themselves, and not kept on board
till the ship is ready for sea, and then paid per-
haps the day before she sails, and in war time
very often on the day she sails.
When a ship arrives from a foreign station, and
is to be paid cif, it would be much better to turn
her over to the Superintending Admiral, who
would unrig her and return her stores in an or-
derly manner instead of getting rid of them in the
hurried, slovenly way that is too often the case.
This is, I believe, at last discontinued, after hun-
dreds of repreventations having been made to the
Admiralty. If such a system. were adopted, both
in fitting out and paying off, I verily believe
nearly one-half of the expanse would be saved.
We have now a Channel Fleet, which we never
ought to be without ; and we have also a Mediter-
ranean Fleet, and surely there can be no necessity
for keeping ships so long on one station. What
is to hinder one of the Channel ships sailing for
the Mediterranean, and one of the Mediterranean
ships sailing for England the same day, thus
giving the men an opportunity of seeing their
friends a little oftener? A merchant sailor is never
absent more than a year ; but a man-of-war's man
may be four or even five years from home at a
time.

When a ship is in want of repairs she ought to
be returned to the Superintending Admiral, and
all hands be moved into another ship ready to
receive them, taking with them all the little com-
forts they have collected for tl is last five years, and
not sent about their business, with orders (if con-
tinuous service men) to join the flag-ship when
their leave is expired.
This would obviate the need, ssity of that want
of all system, paying a ship c when. She is in a

I now come to Greenwich Hospital, which is re-
garded by the public as a splendid retirement for
British seamen ; but jobbery is carried to a great
length there. Last session I asked for a committee
of inquiry. The bona!, I think generally, admitted
that it was required, but the Admiralty bogged so
hard, and former First Lords, who had done nothing
to improve it, succeeded in persuading the house to
adjourn the appointment °ea counnittte to another
session ; and perhaps your grace may order an in-
quiry, which, if a searching ono, might be more
efficient than a committee of the House of Coin-

mons.
Th..: public are not aware that when an officer
goes into Greenwich Hospital he retains his half-
pay, and, if wounded, his pension ; but when a
sailor or marine goes therein, loses his pension, and
if he happens to be wounded he loses that also. No
matter if he has lost both legs—aye, and both arms
to boot—he gets no more indulgence than the man
who goes into Greenwich for his length of service,
viz., a shilling a week tobacco money. A wounded
sailor ought certainly to preserve his pension for
wounds, and a simple pensioner should have six-
pence a day.
Were Greenwich Hospital got rid of, and the re-
venue given over to worn•out and wounded men,
they would have a handsome retirement, and live
at home with their friends in happiness and com-
fort, instead of living in splcalid misery at Green-
wich. A man applied to me some time ago for a
pension. The following was the red-tape reply of
the Admiralty ;—" You may httend at the Admi-
ralty-office, tiomerset-honte,-,:f yi;ti think proper, on
ho firm; Thursday in any Month; at 10 o'clock,
a.m., for examination as to your elhint for this in-
dulgence; but I am to add, that unless you are very
old, and altogether disabled (from wounds or hurts)
you will stand very little chaßce of admission.—
James Chapman, 22, Shf:re-street, Dundee."
Now, my lord, it was very easy for the Secretary
of the Admiralty to write such a letter. But where
was a worn-out old man to find money to convey
him to Somerset-house on the chalice of gettinginto
Greenwich Hospital? This I pointedout to the Ad-

miralty, and suggest ed he sho•:Id be surveyed at Dun-
dee. This was not complied with, but I received
another letter, saying if he came to town he should be
admitted and taken care of at Rockingham House.
This was something better, but how he is to get to
town I do nc.t know.
When men receive a rupture in the service they
only get gratuities of five or six pounds, and Utile),
cannot do a man's work they must go to the unim ;
and yet we are told one of the great encourage-
ments to men to enter the navy is being taken care
of if disabled in the service.

I now come, my lord duke, to the projected re-
serve, and if the ameliorations I have recommended
be carried out, I do not believe there would be any
great difficulty in forming it.
It seems now understood we are always to have a
Channel fleet, and if any attempt is m ,do by the
House of Commons to destroy it, I hope we shall
have a Prime Minister who has virtue enough to
resin his place, and independence to tell the
House of Commons that without a fleet he will not be
responsible fez the safety of the country ; and if we
bare not a Minister capable of so doing, I trust we
shell have an Admiralty who will not serve under
such a Minister. Depend upon it, my lord duke, it
will never come to that. No House of Commons
would ever think of reducing the navy contrary to
the opinion of the Government, and the country
would never allow the house of Commons t.. 9 do
anything of the sort. Well, I shall suppose wo
have a Channel fleet of 10 sail of the line ; and, for
the sake of clearness, they should be manned with
SOOT offiCers, men, and boys, and 200 marines. All
the blue-jackets ought to be able seamen. In time
of peace only 100 marines should be embarked, and
their number filled up by A.B's. I don't mean to
reduce the marines, quite the contrary, they should
be increased and the seaport towns garrisoned by
them.

In the event of war one watch should be dis-
charged into another ship ready to receive them,
and the mArines completed. This would give us at
once 20 sail of the line, manned with 650 men each.
The officers, boys, and idlers (which are eadly ob-
tained) would amount to 150 more.

To complete them we are obliged at present to
fall back on the coast-guard and coast volunteers.
The first being drafted would endanger the revenue ;
and the second would •be comparatively useless,
as they arc not obliged to go more than 100
leagues from the land; besides destroying your fleet
for the defence of the coast, "all of which should
be efficient ships," and never touched till the last
extremity. It is to obviate this that we aro now
searchin .• fora reserve of disciplined seamen to the
of 3
extent3o,ooo men.

On 111.1! first breaking out of war we must not
suppose that 20 sail of the line and 10 sail of the
coast ships, which c.m only be considered sea-militia,
would be sufficient for the home stations and to rein-
force our squadrons abroad ; it is for that purpose
that the 30,000 men are required, and that the
marines should garrison our seaports.
We have now in all our ports ships quite ready to
receive men, and in the event of war the necessary
number would immediately be commissioned, and
the reserve, which ought all to be at home, would be
ordered to join their respective ships, to which they
ought to be told off beforehand ; in addition to the
reserve the marines should be embarked, and the

moment the crews get on board, they should find the
captain and the officers ready to recieve them, the
hammocks slung, the mess utensils on the table, and

their dinner cooked. The next step to be taken is to
call out the militia, to replace the marines in the
seaport towns; they would have ample time to be
disciplined, protected by the fleet, and thus in one
month the country would be armed to the teeth, and
ready to fight any two nations that thought proper
to attack us.

I now come to the most difficult part, that is, the
formation of the reserve : that is purely a money
question ; so, if the money is forthcomineti; the diffi-
culty vanishes. If the cNtutry will not give the
money we must remain as we are, open to attack and
insult by nations better prepared than ourselves ;
and if we meet with a disaster it will not be so easily
recovered as many people imagine.
Parliament has voted £lOO,OOO to form this
reserve. It is proposed to give each man £5.
For this he must be ready at all calls. He must
serve 28 days each year, and must know all his
drills. During this time he will receive the same
pay, provisions, and the same privileges as seamen
serving. Now, my lord, to make this reserve effi-
cient, they must give up all trades except the
coasting trade. Now, a sailor in the prime of life
does not like to be thus restricted. He is fond of
wandering all over the world ; and if he is not in the
prime of life, he is not fit for the reserve. Your
grace will find that £5 is not a sufficient induce-
ment for a good seaman to take up such a line. It
appears to me the formation of the•reserve must be
begun with men who have served ten years in
actual service. At present those men aro entitled
to a pension; that should be abolished, and they
should only be entitled to enter the reserve.
They should be designated the Queen's Naval
Guards; and they should be exempt from corpo-
ral punishment when serving ; they should be
men of exemplary conduct, and after having been
ten years in the reserve they should receive a
good pension, but subjected to be called upon, if
fit, and wanted, and then designated the OH
Guard, and receive, as they do now, both pay
and pension. They should ba eligible to civil situ-
ations, and care should be taken to employ them
if fit. If artificers, they should be preferred to

others to serve in the dockyards, which is never
nes
thought of; on the contrary, the dockyard officers
aregz my lord, comes generally sgrait tleisem. This ought not to be.
No
the question, what pay
is sufficient to induce men to join the reserve?
Five pounds will certainly not do. We must be
careful not to risk a failure, and we ought to
make searching inquiries among the men them-
selves what, in their estimation, would be suffi-
cient encouragement to induce them to adopt the
coasting trade, so as to be at hand at all calls.
Whatever is thought just must be given. There
is no help for it, for neither the sailor nor the
country will stand compulsion.
The ballot will be fair, but the ballot would
not furnish trained men. It would he easy to
register all the 'long-shore men, and draw them
,for the naval service; but, as I have already said,
that would not get you trained seamen—it would
only get you coast volunteers, which you have
alroady.
In Mr I brought a bill into Parliament for regis-
tering the seamen, and authorising the Queen to
cAll them out by classes, beginning with those just
out of their apprenticeship. This.bill provided that
all masters and owners should be obliged to dis-
charge men coming under the proclamation, and to
those men a haunt v should be given. That was cer-
tainly a mild compulsion, but still it was compulsion,
and the House of Commons would not entertain it;
and the Admiralty shortly afterwards gave up Z
in 1815. So man im rovements have . taken p 3
registration tickets, and left us just where We wl
ystem, or
in all the navies of thep world, that
atnhdisifs-we aro to
y. ace
rather no system, will not now. do ;t,
Commons and
be lost in doing what the House of .
l conclude this letter, my
ccuntry expect.
thatha,l ,
be preserved from danger and insult, no time should
lord by saying England eYpects the Admi-
ralty' will do its duty.—l remain your grace's obe-
dient servant, CIAS. NAPIER.
18, Albemarle-street, London, Oct. 14.