One precaution of a decidedly drastic nature is prescribed in this book of 1876:—
On the return of the cadets from leave the whole of their clothes and bedding are disinfected; the cadets themselves are also marched by terms into the bathroom of the Britannia, which for a time is made into a sulphur room for disinfecting, and they remain in from five to ten minutes.
This clause is in manuscript, and does not appear in the next edition of regulations, so it was presumably deemed to be ill-advised; and no wonder. Imagine forty or fifty lads crammed into the bathroom, coughing and choking with sulphur fumes!
The officers who commanded the Britannia during the ’seventies were as follow:—
Captain John Corbett, appointed September 19th, 1867. (He held the appointment for nearly four years, but this is unusual.)
Captain the Hon. F. A. C. Foley, appointed August 31st, 1871.
Captain William Graham, appointed August 31st, 1874.
Captain Henry Fairfax, appointed August 31st, 1877.
The total number of cadets entered during this decade was 731, who are accounted for as follows:—
Active List.
Captains, 100; commanders, 162; lieutenants, 50.
Retired List.
Captains, 11; commanders, 38; lieutenants, 28.
thus leaving 339, or 46 per cent., to be reckoned as dead or removed from the Navy List.