The recommendations of the committee bear fruit in the prominence accorded to Latin; but they did not stipulate for the relegation of French to the background, which is rather a surprising step, considering the relative importance of the two languages to a naval officer, who may not unfrequently find himself deputed to deliver complimentary messages to the captain of a French ship. He may get safely through the little sentence he has prepared, in which his captain or admiral fait ses compliments, etc.; but when the Frenchman replies, with the politeness and volubility characteristic of his nationality, the British officer is more often than not at a loss.
ROYAL GALLEY. PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR (DUKE OF CLARENCE) COXSWAIN, PRINCE GEORGE (DUKE OF YORK) PORT BOW OAR.
Photo: Smale & Son, Dartmouth.
This being an undoubted fact—at least in those days—it scarcely seems a wise policy to impress the young aspirant, hard at work with his crammer, with the idea that he must “mug up” his Latin, but may take geography instead of French, which “does not matter”!
However, there were the orders, signed by the permanent secretary, “by command of their Lordships,” and one can only marvel who it is that engineers some of these curious circulars, which, while usually inaugurating some beneficial innovations, almost invariably contain others which any one who has any accurate knowledge of the necessities of the case must inevitably condemn.
The recommendation of a college on shore, although no notice was taken of it, apparently, at the time, bore fruit later on. A committee was appointed in 1876, composed of the following gentlemen: Admiral George G. Wellesley, Captain Charles T. Curme, Captain W. E. Gordon, Inspector-General of Hospitals and Fleets Jas. Dornet, and Jno. Sutherland, Esq., M.D., to ascertain the best site for a college.
In their report, dated November 30th, 1876, they state that they have inspected possible sites at Milford Haven, Hayling Island, Westward Ho, the Isle of Wight, Dartmouth, Southampton Water, and Poole. At the last-named place a choice of three sites was very generously offered by Sir Ivor Guest, the one selected to be a free gift to the nation; but the committee did not find that they were able to recommend the situation.