In his final summing up Mr. Inskip says:—
“Having now shown that the young officers have maintained their original classification up to the time of passing their final examinations for sub-lieutenant, we may allude to the opinions entertained in some quarters respecting the education of the cadets: it having been asserted that their knowledge was of a superficial character, and that when they first joined a sea-going ship they were deficient in many branches of study relating to their profession. * * * It was shown by examinations held in the Flying and Detached Squadrons (some years ago) that the knowledge of the midshipmen was inversely as the time elapsed since leaving the training-ship, the seniors as a body standing at the bottom. (Report of the Rev. J. B. Harbord, M.A., Inspector of Naval Schools.) This state of education at sea may in some measure be accounted for by the fact that in many ships no attempt had been made to keep up any subject but navigation, the others not being given at the final examination; it proves, however, that the younger officers possessed the most information, and among these were included all who had recently left the training ship; and it also removes any just reason for asserting that they had learnt but little while there.”
In such fashion does this champion wield his statistics in defence of the institution which he had such a large share in starting; and it must be admitted that anyone who wished to refute his arguments would have a very tough task; though he lays himself open to the reply, that a clever or industrious cadet would in all probability turn out a clever and industrious midshipman or sub-lieutenant. This, however, only touches a portion of the case; his contention that the training ship was satisfactorily fulfilling its object is fully borne out.
It will be observed that this diagram, and the arguments based on it, are completed and printed in 1875, four years after Mr. Inskip retired; so he must have employed his leisure time in compiling these statistics after he had practically severed his connection with the Service.
An officer who was first lieutenant of the Britannia during the early seventies—Captain A. W. Warry—gives his impressions of the ship at that time as follows:—
“I joined on January 22nd, 1870. The boys had not returned, and I had time to look round. The new ship had not been long at Dartmouth—a year or so—and was certainly a great improvement on what the old Black Sea flagship must have been. Captain John Corbett had, I understood, been appointed to the command with a view of establishing a milder rule than prevailed in Captain Randolph’s time, when I believe there was a good deal of corporal punishment. There was none in Captain Corbett’s time, nor has there, I believe, been any since. There did not seem much for the three lieutenants to do. We took alternate day duty, and on these days heard and dealt with minor offences, or remanded them for the commander next morning. We attended at meals, looked round the seamanship classes, saw to the boys going and returning from recreation, received any applications and went the rounds, etc. As first lieutenant I had a more special supervision of the seamanship classes and periodical examinations. I also had the superintendence of the games and recreations, and was entitled to draw on the cadet fund for any requirements for them. Everybody who has been in any way connected with the Britannia must have felt the great inconvenience and waste of time in going and returning from recreation; a lumbering old pinnace was used; I trust some quicker mode of transit has since been adopted. The air on the sleeping decks, when the boys were turned in, was, I thought, far from being as pure as was needful; nor did it appear to me that, situated as the ships were in a narrow tidal river with high land on either side, the general state of the atmosphere was sufficiently bracing. The studies were as good as circumstances would admit, but at best a ship is a noisy place, and the partitions were far from sound-proof. A college on shore was constantly spoken of, and it seems strange that upwards of thirty years have elapsed since then, and this great need is only yet under construction. The question of “bounds” was always a source of trouble and constant punishment, for any extension of a walk beyond these was an offence; and Corporal McEwen had a disagreeable knack of turning up at most inopportune moments from behind some hedge, and pouncing on the youthful offenders.
“Previous to my time I heard that “goose dinners” (four to a goose) were provided at a farmhouse in the direction of Dittisham, at 2s. 6d. per head. Beer, too, was provided, the effect of which led to its discovery, and a more rigid institution of bounds. The cadets could not land on the Kingswear side unless with an officer in charge, so on Sunday afternoons I frequently got a lot to join me in a walk, which they liked. In this way I got into closer conversation, and it is my pleasant recollection of the boys generally that they were a delightful lot of little chaps, with whom it was a pleasure to be brought into contact. Fighting occasionally took place beside the rocks in the field above the cricket ground. Permission was asked, and if granted the fight was carried out in due form under the cadet captains. I never heard of any bad result, though I am not sure that it would not be better to try and avoid it.
“On January 24th, 1871, I took command of the Dapper. Occasionally in the fine weather I took the senior classes outside the harbour and cruised for the afternoon under sail. Dinner was served as we steamed out, but any motion outside caused sea-sickness, which interfered with the interest in the work. More often the Dapper was employed in going to Plymouth for stores, etc. Twice in my summer we had a general picnic, to Slapton Lee and Salcombe Harbour; both were very successful.
“During my time there was no bullying to speak of; the boys were happy, and used to say they liked the Britannia much better than their former schools; the food, they all agreed was excellent.”
The Dapper, alluded to above, was one of the old 60-horse-power gunboats, built during the war in China, 1857 to 1860; she was rigged as a barque for instructional purposes, but apparently was not very freely used; and, indeed, a craft of that size and build would be so exceedingly lively in the slightest approach to a sea-way, that inexperienced lads would not be able to “lay out” on her small spars with much advantage, or without a certain amount of danger.