The Direction for the Regulation of the Affairs of Pensioners and retired people of the service forms a separate department of the Ministry. The Hydrographic Office, Bureau of Longitudes, Museum, Naval and Apprentice Schools and the Artillery experimental firing-ground of Gavre form separate departments.
The general administration of affairs is carried on at the naval ports. The maritime territory of France is divided into five grand districts, each under the control of a Préfet Maritime, who is a Vice-Admiral, Commander-in-Chief of the station; the districts are subdivided, each subdivision being under the control of a Chief and a Captain of the Port. The First District extends from the Belgian frontier to Cherbourg; headquarters, Cherbourg; sub-districts, Dunquerque, Havre, and Cherbourg. The Second District extends from Cherbourg to Quimper, including adjacent islands; headquarters, Brest; sub-districts, Saint Servan and Brest. The Third District extends from Quimper to the Loire, including adjacent islands; headquarters, L’Orient; sub-districts, Nantes and L’Orient. The Fourth District extends from the Loire to the Spanish frontier; headquarters, Rochefort; sub-districts, Bordeaux, Rochefort, and Bayonne. The Fifth District comprises the whole Mediterranean coast and Corsica; headquarters, Toulon; sub-districts, Marseilles, Bastia, and Toulon.
The Préfet Maritime, being at the head of maritime affairs in his district, is assisted by—1st. Major-General of Marine, who has immediate command of all the personnel in the district, the instruction of officers and men, details for dock-yard duty, library, observatory, hydrographic establishment, inspection of vessels fitting out, and the receipt and transmission of reports. This office is as a rule filled by a Rear-Admiral. 2d. A Commissary-General, who has control of the receipt and distribution of funds, enlistment of civil employés, the direction of the marine inscription, administration of police, detail of officers of the commissary department, and general charge of all accounts kept in the district, receiving, arranging, and forwarding them. 3d. A Director of Port Movements (Captain of the Port), who has charge of all vessels either in or out of commission, superintending their movement, anchorages, ballasting, careening, entrance into basins, etc., charge of fire apparatus, clearing of channels, placing of buoys, lights, and signals. 4th. A Director of Naval Constructions. 5th. A Director of Artillery. 6th. A Director of Hydraulic Works and Buildings. 7th. A Council of Health, composed of the surgeons stationed in the district. All of these officers are found at the headquarters port; at the ports of the sub-districts there are always two naval representatives: 1st. The “Chef de Service,” who is a Commissary-General and whose principal charge is in relation to the inscription. 2d. The Captain of the Port, who in general is a Lieutenant.
The French Navy is manned by voluntary enlistment and by inscription. Every seafaring person is placed upon the inscription list upon reaching the age of eighteen, and between that and twenty he is bound to present himself at the headquarters of the district within which he lives. Here he passes through a preliminary course of instruction on board the school-ships lasting for a few months, at the expiration of which time if his services are not required in the fleet he is granted a leave of absence, without pay, which may be extended from time to time. During this period he may make foreign voyages, the only restriction being that he shall not change his calling. At the end of five years he passes into the first reserve, where for a period of two years he cannot leave the country. At the end of this time he passes into the second reserve and is practically free, being only liable to service under especial circumstances. Special inducements are held out for seafaring people. None but those who are or have been inscribed are allowed to fish in French waters or to be employed on French coasting vessels. While they are serving their time, troops cannot be billeted on them; they travel at military rates, and have the benefits of naval hospitals and naval insurance.
In drafting for active service great care is taken to only draft those who can be best spared from their homes, leaving the others at almost entire freedom.
NAMES AND ASSIMILATED GRADES
OF THE DIFFERENT NAVAL CORPS.
| Corps de la Marine | Art. et Inf. de Marine | Corps du Génie |
|---|---|---|
| Amiral | ||
| Vice-Amiral | Général de Division | |
| Contre-Amiral | Général de Brigade | Inspecteur Général |
| Directeur | ||
| Capitaine de Vaisseau | Colonel | Ingenieur de 1ʳᵉ clss. |
| Capitaine de Frégate | Lieuten’t-Colonel Chef de Bataillon | Ingenieur de 2ⁿᵈᵉ clss. |
| Lieutenant de Vaisseau | Capitaine 1ʳᵉ cl. 2ⁿᵈᵉ ” | Sous-Ingé’r 1ʳᵉ cl. 2ⁿᵈᵉ ” |
| Enseigne de Vaisseau | Lieutenant 1ʳᵉ cl. 2ⁿᵈᵉ ” | Sous-Ingénieur de 3ᵐᵉ classe |
| Aspirant 1ʳᵉ classe 2ⁿᵈᵉ ” | Sous-Lieutenant | Élève |
| Corps du Commissariat | Corps de Santé | Mécaniciens |
| Inspecteur Général | ||
| Commissaire Général | Directeur de Santé | |
| Commissaire de Marine | Médecin en Chef | |
| Commissaire Adjoint | Médecin Principal | Mécanicien en Chef |
| Sous-Commissaire | Médecin de 1ʳᵉ classe | Mécanicien Principal, 1ʳᵉ classe |
| Aide Commissaire | Médecin de 2ⁿᵈᵉ classe | Mécanicien Principal, 2ⁿᵈᵉ classe |
| Aide Médecin |
At Brest there is a special school of instruction for apprentices, who are received under ordinary restrictions with regard to age and character, and who are obliged to serve for ten years after finishing their apprenticeship. The apprentice school and the schools of instruction for the “inscrits” are amongst the best of their kind in the world, complete records being kept of every man under instruction and the system of rewards being such as to render the inscription a benefit to the seafaring population instead of being a draft on them.
All officers, without distinction of corps, below the grade of Capitaine de Frégate, are obliged once in two years to submit to the Minister of Marine an essay on any subject that they may choose that is of interest to the profession. These essays are examined and reported upon by a special committee. Those that are unsatisfactory are returned, and the writer is required to furnish a satisfactory one within three months. Those that are satisfactory are recorded or disposed of by being published at government expense in the Revue Maritime or Journal Officiel. Rewards for satisfactory essays range from an honorable mention to promotion and the gift of the “Légion d’Honneur.” Officers showing an especial aptitude are placed on a list for special duty. In this way all departments requiring specialists are filled by the best talent of the service.
Promotions are by seniority except in the highest grades. Retirement takes place forcibly after 65 years of age or 45 years of active service. The officers of every corps are graduates of separate naval schools, except in the medical corps, where the naval tutelage consists of a course of naval-hospital practice combined with an advanced course of medical lectures. In time of peace the grade of Admiral is honorary, bringing no especial command except that of appointment by chance to Minister. The marine artillery and infantry do no service in the fleet. The former have charge of the manufacture of ordnance and the garrisoning of naval fortifications; the latter do garrison duty at dock-yards, arsenals, and in the colonies. The Génie Maritime superintend the construction of ships and engines, hydraulic works, buildings, hydrographic work, and civil-engineering duty. They have no duty in the fleet. Machinists have duty almost exclusively in the fleet or in the schools of instruction of firemen. The effective force of the fleet is 1783 officers and 46,500 men; in addition to this force there are 155 officers of Génie Maritime, 825 officers of commissariat, 557 medical officers, 61 chaplains, 63 machinists, 1769 persons connected with the administration; four regiments of marine infantry, 16,000 men; 4500 men of the marine artillery, and 5 companies of gendarmerie with a complement of 660, making a grand total of 71,104 exclusive of the civil employés of the administration. Properly the marine artillery and infantry should be excluded, as their service is principally colonial and carried on by the army in other nations.