The administration of the Navy of the United Kingdom is vested in the Board of Admiralty, composed of five members, who are styled “Lord Commissioners for executing the office of Lord High Admiral,” which was formerly charged with all naval matters. The First Lord Commissioner is a member of the Cabinet, and dispenser of patronage, and, with his associates, goes out with the Premier.
The effective strength of the Navy in February 1, 1869, was:
| Classes of Ships. | Steam. | Sailing. | Total. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AFLOAT. | BUILDING. | AFLOAT. | |||||
| Iron. | Wood. | Iron. | |||||
| Armor-plated ships, | 1st Class, | 1 | — | 1 | . . | 3 | |
| “ “ | 2nd “ | 3 | — | 3 | . . | 6 | |
| “ “ | 3d “ | 5 | 4 | — | . . | 9 | |
| “ “ | 4th “ | 3 | 5 | — | . . | 8 | |
| “ “ | 5th “ | 4 | — | — | . . | 4 | |
| “ “ | 6th “ | — | 2 | — | . . | 2 | |
| “ “ | Sloops and gun-boats, | 3 | 2 | — | . . | 5 | |
| “ “ | Special, with turrets, | 5 | 1 | 5 | . . | 1 | |
| “ “ | Floating batteries, | 3 | 1 | — | 1 | 5 | |
| 27 | 15 | 9 | |||||
 | |||||||
| Total iron-clads, | 42 | 9 | 1 | 52 | |||
| Ships of the line (screw), | 43 | 2 | 2 | 47 | |||
| Frigates (screw), | 29 | — | — | 29 | |||
| Frigates (paddle), | 3 | — | 1 | 4 | |||
| Block ships (screw), | 1 | — | 2 | 3 | |||
| Corvettes (screw), | 24 | — | — | 24 | |||
| Sloops (screw), | 33 | — | 1 | 34 | |||
| Sloops (paddle), | 7 | — | 1 | 8 | |||
| Small vessels (paddle), | 8 | — | — | 8 | |||
| Dispatch vessels (paddle), | 4 | — | — | 4 | |||
| Gun vessels (screw and double screw), | 50 | 1 | — | 51 | |||
| Gun-boats (screw), | 58 | 1 | 9 | 68 | |||
| Tenders, tugs, &c., (screw), | 4 | — | — | 14 | |||
| Tenders, tugs,&c., (paddle), | 8 | — | — | 38 | |||
| Mortar ships (screw), | — | — | 2 | 2 | |||
| Troop and store ships (screw), | 1 | — | — | 11 | |||
| Troop and store ships(paddle), | 1 | — | — | 1 | |||
| Transports for India reliefs (screw), | 5 | — | — | 5 | |||
| Yachts (paddle), | 4 | 1 | — | 5 | |||
| Total screw, | 0 | 14 | — | 324 | |||
| “ paddle, | 5 | 1 | — | 66 | |||
| Grand total, | 375 | 15 | 18 | 408 | |||
Not included in the above list are several ships for the defense of the colonies. The total naval force, August 30, 1870, was:
In Commission—238 ships, of 57,205 horse-power, 1,984 guns and 314,449 tonnage. In Reserve, &c., 318 ships, 64,286 horsepower, 3,610 guns, and 318,845 tonnage. The total number of officers, seamen, boys and marines, in 1870-71, was 55,430, besides 4,300 in the coast-guard and 1,270 in the Indian service. Among the officers were 143 flag officers; 29 superintending dockyards, and 3,193 other commissioned officers on service.
[III. MERCANTILE MARINE.]
The Mercantile Marine of the United Kingdom in number of vessels, their registered tonnage, and men employed, together with the value of property and number of passengers transported in them, exceeds that of any other country. The total number of vessels in the home and foreign trade, registered in 1869, was 21,881, with a tonnage of 5,575,303, employing 202,477 men, and freighted with imports and exports to the total value of 532,475,266l.
All matters relating to merchant ships and seamen, and the mercantile marine generally, are committed to the general superintendence of the Board of Trade, which, as constituted in 1786, is composed of certain high officers, (members of the Privy Council), and its President is a Cabinet officer. To this Board all consular officers, all officers of customs abroad, and all local marine boards and shipping masters must make reports in matter and form as required. Inspectors, duly appointed by this Board, may visit any ship, examine any registry, machinery, boats, equipments, &c., to ascertain if they are conformable to law. In every seaport a Shipping Master is appointed by the Local Marine Board, who must keep register of names and character of seamen, facilitate their engagement and discharge, as well as the apprenticeship of boys to sea-service. The Local Board must provide for the examination of persons who intend to become masters or mates according to rules laid down by the Board of Trade. And to such as pass a satisfactory examination as to sobriety, experience, ability, and general good conduct on board ship, shall be given a certificate of competency; and to those who have served as masters or mates, under certain conditions, a certificate of service with specifications must be given. Shipping Masters must assist, when applied to by parents or guardians, or masters of ships, in apprenticing boys to the sea-service. No person can be employed as master or mate, who does not hold a certificate of competency, and under certain conditions, of service. Opportunities of preparing for these examinations are now provided in all the large seaports, in Navigation Schools; and the Government, through the Department of Science and Arts, encourages the study of astronomy, navigation, steam and steam machinery, and other branches, which are serviceable to officers in command of vessels, whether propelled by sails or engines, by making appropriations of money to schools according to the number of pupils who pass satisfactory examinations in these studies.