The Story of the Britannia""

ficers-Cadet Robert H. Harris-A Successful Experiment-Institution of Cadets' Training Ship-Captain Harris Suffers for His Zeal-Commendatory Letters-He is Superseded-The New Admiralty Circular-General

Knapp's Circles"-Penalty of Fidgeting-Prince

allowed to go to sea, is inseparably connected with the name of one man, but for whose energy, ability, and urgent and repeated represe

ithout some account of his personality and services

as a midshipman, in the Cambrian, October 20th, 1827, and when she was wrecked, in January, 1828. He returned to England early in 1829, and was borne on the books of the Royal George yacht for some time, during which, however, he was in reality serving in one of her tenders, the Onyx or Pantaloon, on the coast of South Amer

IN HA

ieutenant of the Melville, serving in

at the Royal Naval College, he commanded the Flying Fish in the experimental Brig Squadron, and afterwards on the West Coast of Africa, from 1844 to 1846, subsequently serving

period of eight years-for it was practically continuous, though in two different vessels-and in whi

e vacancies in the Fleet. They were shipped under the name of "novices," and were popularly known as "Jemmy Graham's novices," the scheme being probably regarded with some disapprobation, not untinged with ridicule, by m

n a marked degree the somewhat rare gift of being able to combine with unflinching strictness the power of winning the goodwill of his subordinates; and so zealously and effectually did he perform his office that "Jemmy Graham's novices" were s

ing to Captain Harris s

us for sea service in time of war; but Sir James Graham, after consulting with myself on the subject, came to the

magic lantern. Describing his arrival on board, the writer says: "The captain is on the quarter-deck, awaiting his visitors; he is a tall, upright, good-looking man, having an air of much activity and determination, but being apparently on the best of terms with those about him"; a description which those who were personally acquainted with Captain Har

T HARRIS, K.C.B., K.C.

milar school for officers? The Royal Naval College was, as we have seen, only available for a certain proportion of young aspirants for the service, many going straight to sea, and even this had, nearly

ers, some of whom had possibly been instrumental in bringing about the closing of the College, opposed the notion strenuously,

mediately applied for permission to have the boy for twelve months under training before going to sea. This was conceded, with the result that Robert Hastings Harris (now Vice-Admiral Sir Robert H. Harris, K.C.B., K.C.M.G.) was,

"the initial cause of the Britannia system"; for had he proved to be a failur

after the expiration of his twelve months' training that a circular was issued from the Admiralty, inaugurating an entirely new régime for the e

mmences thus on January 10th, 1856; the Admiralty

n general terms, though it may be necessary to refer to him again later on. His command of the two ships-the Illustrious up to January 1st, 1859

fered in a certain degree through the very fact of his efficiency. He was debarred from the advantages accruing to services at sea, and from o

by numerous communications from such men as Admirals Sir W. F. Martin, Sir Thomas Hastings, Sir Sydney Dacres, Sir John Erskine, Sir Richard Smart, and others; while his contemporar

alty, writing on July 17th, 1857, when the new

l commence the work with as good a prospect of succes

gain on April

Illustrious. I hope that the present Board will carry out the work in the same spirit in which it was conceived; and I am

ommand in the Mediterranean,

reat good. There is no man in England whose opportunity of doing good to our country

, on September 14

of the vast improvement of the present system over the old plan of bringing boys from their homes, often without even the rudiments of education, and hardly knowing what order meant. I am sure your great satisfaction must be in looking at the very small number of your boys that have got into serious scrapes, and the

tement; their recollection is that of a superior who, while most emphatically captain of his ship, exerc

sed on the ground that he was doing such good work in the Britannia; and when he was superseded, in October, 1862, without being given anot

ained; he was not again employed, and

ghter of Captain Penruddocke, of the Scots G

new regulations, and great indeed must have been his satisfacti

August of that year. It commences with regulations for the new "five yearly" examination for lieutenant, which does

e Appe

uarterly examination after joining, and if he passed, would be discharged. The maximum time was one year, and this could only apply to cadets who were und

efficient staff selected to assist Captain Harris, so as to commence, as Sir Charles Wood says in his letter,

d from the Victory as principal naval instructor. He had long been associated with Captain Harris

dea was by no means in universal favour among the captains and admirals of those days, the new step attracted attention in m

hich perhaps in most instances the writers were not very well qualified to discuss-they all with

their power to bestow on their children the results of the long experience of a man who has pas

Portsmouth Harbour, near the entrance, and there on August 5th, 1

f was as

Robert

t Geo. Y.

Lowther (in comman

omson (in command o

al Instructor Re

al Instructor Re

uctor Kemps

al may be deduced from the subjects of study, as laid down in the Admiralty circul

ly favourable to the ship; very great pains were taken with their educati

Illustrious and Britannia), as Captain Harris's senior executive and right-hand man. Before he joined the cadets were in charge of a gunner; of course t

al Sir George S. N

liked by the youngsters, in spite of being compelled to come down on them pretty sharply at times. He was a thoroughly practical seaman, and his seamanship book was always considered the most complete

e of ships' corporals for disciplinary purposes. These men were, of course, taken from the ordinary ships' police, and great care was no doubt exercise

intimacy; a man who was in the least degree retiring, or afraid to assert his authority when necessary, would speedily find hi

t men of this class would exercise their authority with the strictly judicial mind of an officer of education and experience, e

ion's share in the discipline of the establishment, while at the same time some at least were permitted

is probably over stating the case; youngsters are not able to discriminate accurately in such matters, and the fact that they were brought into more close

, on the other hand, to favour those who thought it worth while to make up to them, calling "Good-night, Corporal Smith!" as he passed under their hammocks, in place of the mu

umps and Co

in an old

e oars and Tay

ow they got o

had just learned to make a bowline knot, and

contained much that was attractive to youth. Going aloft to loose, furl, or reef the topsails; sitting astride of the yardarm, in the post of honour, and calling "Light out to windward" or "Haul out to leeward" in an authoritati

s and make them work the vessel, learning to "haul, reef, and steer," like Dibdin's proverbial "jolly tar"; though it is doubtfu

e a sine qua non in every big school, and which was to be very enthusiastically carried out on the Britannia. Nine boys out of ten, however, will play some kind of cricket if they get a chance, and the sort of cricket played by most naval men and boys in those days was not exactly "county f

enough to permit his feet to touch the deck when at rest. He, and all the others who joined in the game, were armed with a hard-knotted handkerchief, or sometimes a bit of rope-anything in the form of what was known as a "cob" or a "togey"-and the mutual effort of the monkey and the crowd was to get in a good one with the "cob." The

etimes they were made to "pay their footing" the first time they went aloft-a time-honoured custom in the Navy, as Captain Marryat testifies; but if the toll too

ent on in his ship, especially while the number of boys was small, and

nly did chaplain's duty-had all their work cut out; the whole system being an untried innovation,

ome walking backwards in front, and following up behind as he went back-many of them taller than he was, for he was a little man, with a large heart; and many were the strange sea-tales related during these pleasing promenades. He always had a kindly word for any lad whom he might casually encounter: "Well, Smith, we tackled that chronometer this morning, didn't we?" or, "How does the Great Circle s

is to be presumed that he occasionally amused himself by trying

the ship being, of course, surrounded by voracious sharks of enormous dimensions, he suddenly recollected his bricks, and was seized with a remarkable inspiration. Hurrying down to his chest, he took several bricks to the galley, and got the cook to heat them; then wrapping them up, all hot, in a blanket, he watched his opportunity when a m

INSKIP AND

" his ball, a perfect circle with one rapid sweep of his hand, and then, after regarding it with a complacent twinkle in his eye for a few moments, dot in the centre with unfailing accuracy. "Knapp's circles" became a by-word in his class, and all would watch with breathless interest the few little trial strokes in the air, followed by the swift and masterly consummation, which would often be hailed with a murmur of applause, not unpleasing to the master. Those who used to be in his class will recall, however, some occasions on which, after a few preparatory flourishes, he would suddenly drop his arm, and walk, with quick, impatient stride,

y good qualities, and as time went on it came to be regarded as an excellent thing to be put in "Knapp's study," his

was turning out a complete success. The letter of Sir Charles Wood to Captain Harris, already quoted, after the training-ship had been established about nine

devoted exclusively to the training of cade

red (the late Duke of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha)

board the Illustrious, but attended daily f

RST "BRITANNIA,

assell &

62, when he was getting on towards the time of his examination for sub-lieutenant, he writes to Captain Harris thanking him for a number of

nother, and the vessel selected for the purpose was the Britannia, a fine three-decked ship of 2,616 tons, carrying 120 guns. She was launched as far back as 1820, and was a large ves

IRD "BRITANNIA,

carried twenty-four brass 42-pounders, thirty 18-pounders, twenty 9-pounders, fifteen 5?-pounders, and five 3-pounders, a formidable

n commission, taking part in the action off Cape St. Vincent in 1797, and finally being present at Trafalgar, where she carried the flag of Rea

when several sailing line-of-battle ships were employed, being usually towed into action by steamers; she took part in the bombardment of Sevastopol,

adets for their Christmas leave, Captain Harris shifted his pennant from the Illustrious