most useful and desirable results; but then this end is purely onesided, for, so far as we can discern, no practical and useful advantage accrues therefrom to the general community. And this is exactly what we should like to see. Not for a moment do we deprecate the Englishman's inherent love of the water and its sports, or the existence of the institutions it has given birth to. The argument is simply this, that, if the same love can be directed into a channel where it can produce substantial and useful benefits as well as amusement and pleasure, there is surely no palpable reason or ground why such a course should not be pursued. This was probably Mr. Brassey's view of the matter, for, by the establishment of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, he created an admirable field for the attainment of this end. Not only does a member of this force derive the same amount of aquatic enjoyment as an ordinary boating-man, but it is greatly enhanced, we should say, by the sense of its usefulness to the country. Besides this, the duties of the Naval Volunteer need never materially interfere with the yachting or boating engagements he may otherwise have to perform, for, although the regulations may be stringent as regards the attainment of efficiency, and attention to the various prescribed drills, &c., on the part of each member of the corps, yet there is no immoderate demand made upon his time. But, notwithstanding the endeavours made by the promoters of the Naval Volunteer Force to accomplish this object, the attempt has, unfortunately, been very far from successful, for the members of our yachting and boating clubs have, contrary to expectation, not responded to the appeal, being, so far at least as London is concerned, afraid lest the instruc

tion they would have to undergo in pulling men-of-war boats should jeopardise and spoil their up-river stroke, of which stroke they appear to be mightily jealous. The reason can hardly be considered a good one, but, however that may be, it is a fact that the most hearty supporters of the corps have come from among the denizens of City warehouses and mercantile establishments.

be numehave been a brigade

Considering the nature of the employment daily engaged in by this class of men, it is hardly surprising, perhaps, that the exhilara ting and health-restoring character of the exercises and duties of the Naval Volunteer Corps should have had a greater fascination for them than for other persons. It would no doubt have been better could the force have been recruited as originally desired, which might have been wholly composed of the men sought for, since, as Mr. Brassey points out, it is not at all necessary that it should rous. Enough will done, it seems, if varying from 200 to 600 men in strength can be raised at each of the principal ports of the kingdom, and there is a sufficient number of yachtsmen and oarsmen to accomplish this end. It is almost unnecessary to supplement the argument by pointing out that the knowledge of boating, &c. possessed by the latter gives them a superiority over actual "land-lubbers" -to be nautical-as regards naval volunteering, for the preliminary instruction in the handling of oars, and a certain amount of seamanship required by landsmen would thus be saved and more time could be given to the actual and proper duties of the corps. As it is, however, the authorities have little reason to complain of the efficiency of the men they have secured, for their aptitude and quickness to

learn and become acquainted with the routine of naval duties have proved contrary to all unfavourable anticipations, as more than six years' experience of the experiment has amply shown.

The Act of Parliament of 1873, by which the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers were raised, placed raised, placed them under the control of the Admiralty; consequently, they are subject to all regulations made with regard to them by that department. The regulations already

issued are no less than 123 in number, and enter into the minutest details respecting the corps, thus affording the most complete guidance to the members. It is not necessary that we should traverse them in any measure, but the notice of one or two of the rules may serve to give an idea of what is really expected of our Naval Volunteers. In regulation No. 2, for instance, we have the exact terms of their liability to serve given as follows: "By Royal Proclamation, the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers may be assembled for actual service; and when so assembled, they will be liable to serve on board any of Her Majesty's ships or vessels employed in the defence of the coasts of the United Kingdom, or in any of the tenders or boats attached to such vessels." The sphere of action for the force is here clearly defined, and is, of course, simply in accordance with the original object in founding it; the recruit, therefore, incurs no liability to serve in any sea-going vessels at any time. Even in time of peace, service afloat is not compulsory. When serving in any of Her Majesty's vessels-for the above-mentioned purpose the naval volunteers "will be liable to perform all the ordinary duties of the vessel in which they may be embarked, in the same manner as those duties are performed by the

regular crews of Her Majesty's ships, except those duties that can only be performed by practical seamen." For example, we are told they will not be required to go aloft or to attend the fires in the stoke-hole, but they will have to accommodate themselves to the berthing and messing arrangements usual for seamen of the Royal Navy. Those regulations which relate to the discipline of the force are explicitly to the point, and show us that members while on duty must submit to strict naval discipline; further, every officer and petty officer is required to make himself acquainted with and duly to observe and obey, and, as far as in him lies, to enforce the due execution of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Act, 1873, and the Regulations for the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteer Force, together with all regulations, instructions, and orders which may from time to time be given or issued by the Admiralty, or by any superior officer, and shall in all respects conform his conduct to the customs and usages of Her Majesty's Naval Service. It may also be added that while assembled with the Regular Forces of the army either in camp or for training, Naval Volunteers come under the Naval Discipline Act, 1866, in the same manner as if they were on actual service, and will be placed under the immediate command of an officer of Her Majesty's Navy.

The strength of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers at the present time amounts to three brigades, namely, one at London, one at Bristol, and one at Liverpool, and the establishment of each brigade, which may consist of four, six, or eight batteries, is laid down by the Admiralty as follows: one lieutenant commander for each brigade, and for each battery of the same two sub-lieutenants, one chief petty

officer, two first-class petty officers, two second-class petty officers, two buglers and a staff of lieutenant instructor, first-class petty officer instructor, a surgeon, bugle-major, and armourer. The strength of leading gunners and gunnersequivalent to leading seamen and able-bodied seamen-is from fiftyone to seventy-one. All officers of the staff hold substantive commissions, the honorary officers being quite distinct from the actual volunteer officers. The officer - instructor to the brigade and the petty officer-instructor for each battery composing brigades are appointed by the Admiralty, and hold their posts for five years, or such lesser period as may be thought fit by that office. The former is selected from among the officers of or retired from the Royal Navy, being commissioned as a lieutenant in the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers, and he is required of course to qualify himself in the various artillery exercises in which it is his duty to give instruction, and the Admiralty strictly prohibits him from holding

any

other appointment, either public or private. The petty officerinstructor is also selected from the Royal Navy, being taken from the pensioned petty officers, and his duty is to give instruction to the volunteers under the guidance of the superior office-instructor.

Of the three brigades already mentioned as being now established, that at London is the oldest, numerically the strongest, and being immediately under our eyes, so to speak, it is also probably the one in which most interest is taken; we naturally single it out, therefore, for special notice as model of the system

pursued in respect of all the brigades. The London Brigade, which is under the command of Lord Ashley, is divided into three corps, as follows: 1. London Corps, numbering 321 members; 2. Brighton Corps, with 56 members; and 3, the Hastings Corps, with 46 members, making an aggregate strength of 423. Mr. Brassey- the founder-occupies the post of additional lieutenant, besides largely aiding the force with liberal subscriptions. The post of lieutenant-instructor is held by Commander St. Vincent Nepean, R.N., whose devotion as regards time and labour has contributed in a very large measure towards the success of the brigade.* The Admiralty has given this brigade the use of two ships, namely, H.M.S."President," lying at the West India Docks, and H.M. Gunboat Rainbow," which is moored off Somerset-house, and drill takes place on board the former vessel every evening between six and eight o'clock. The "Rainbow" is only used as an armoury and for boating purposes, and the want of a large ship of the "President" class, where the "Rainbow" now lies, is, we understand, very much felt, as it is found to be a great tax on the volunteers to have to go to the West India Docks for their drills, for the room on board the "Rainbow" is not sufficient to teach the various exercises which have to be gone through. We can only hope that the members of this brigade may not have long to wait before a paternal Government, recognising the patriotic zeal, the perseverance and assiduity of its semi-naval sons, will gracefully accede to their wishes by providing a suitable ship

generally,

of the kind required. The muster at the drills on board the "President" is, as a rule, pretty strong. Indeed, the stringency of the rules and regulations on this point is alone calculated to enforce a good attendance on the part of the volunteers, while Lord Ashley, in his special book of rules issued to the London Brigade, considers "It is a breach of faith on the part of any member who wilfully neglects opportunities of making himself efficient, which cannot be too much censured, and officers commanding batteries are authorised to remove from the muster-roll of their respective batteries the names of any members who fail to attend drill regularly." Although the rule as regards attendance is thus stringent, still, as already pointed out in this paper, there is no unnecessary demand made upon members' time.

The duties of the naval volun

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teers consist of " great-gun drill," in which they have to run out, level, and fire a 7-inch 6-ton gun with all the deftness, precision, and agility of a true blue jacket," and of exercises with small arms, namely, rifle, pistol, and cutlass. Class instruction is the method used for teaching the use of the great gun, the strength of the class being of course determined by the number of men required to work a 7-inch gun; viz., fourteen men, with four spare members to fill up casualties caused by sickness. All drills are carried on as in the Royal Navy, and from them no deviation is permitted. Besides, too, the volunteers are taught to pull men-of-war boats, there being two cutters, pulling ten oars each, and two gigs supplied to H.M. gunboat Rainbow," in which great interest is taken, and Commander Nepean is of opinion that those who man them are in no way inferior to yachtsmen and

up-river men in their capacity of oarsmen. On board the "Rainbow" knotting and splicing are also taught, and, whenever opportunity offers, the volunteers, it appears, are always glad to go aloft to learn the elements of seamanship, although this is not actually required of them. To become an efficient," the naval volunteer 'must be able to perform in a satisfactory manner the duties of any number, except No. 1, at heavy gun to the 64-pounder (i.e. 7-inch 6-ton gun) guns mounted on gunboats; and he must be possessed of a good knowledge of the manual, platoon, and cutlass exercises."

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On the subject of dress the rules of the London Brigade of the Royal Naval Artillery Volunteers are emphatic, requiring all members when on duty to be in uniform, and strictly forbidding the practice of appearing in partial uniform. The wisdom of this injunction is praiseworthy. There is hardly a more incongruous or absurd sight than a muster of volunteers, some in uniform, others partially so, while as regards the majority, perhaps, there is not the shadow of a pretence of being in uniform; and yet this is by no means an uncommon spectacle in the case of the rifle volunteers. We cannot help thinking that it is much to be regretted and deprecated. Uniformity in every detail is exactly what is aimed at by the naval volunteers, and there can be no doubt that if true military or naval efficiency be designed as the main end of the drills, exercises and instructions which in both classes the volunteers undergo, uniform ty is one of the most prominent and important features in the standard of such efficiency. The dress of the naval volunteers is of the same pattern as worn by members of corresponding rank in the Royal Navy, with

the exception of some details as to lace, buttons, epaulettes, trimmings, badges, &c. It is perhaps scarcely necessary to remark that badges, stars, and the like ornaments are the privileges of those members who are efficient or have made themselves specially acquainted with the duties of the corps.

Perhaps the most interesting feature of the London Naval Volunteer Brigade is the gunboat cruise made every year, generally in August, for about eight or ten days, of which advantage may be taken by all members who are able to show in their returns a regular attendance at drill for three months.

Some very pleasant trips have thus been made in one of Her Majesty's gunboats, and although strict naval discipline is all the while maintained, they appear to be most popular among the members of the brigade. Nor need this be wondered at if it be borne in mind that the cruisers derive all the benefit to health which is naturally to be expected from a ten days' sea voyage and a respite -involving a complete change of scene and mode of living-from city labours, and to this may be added the extremely gratifying knowledge of being for the time the ship's crew of a real man-of

be difficult to overcome. In the first place, the Admiralty, it seems, has no control whatever over this part of the country's defensive measures, it being entirely vested in the hands of the Royal Engineers, who only took the "torpedo defence in hand on the understanding that the Admiralty would not interfere with them in any way further than to supply boats and coal. This reason alone, therefore, would render the proposition referred to impracticable. Secondly, the course of instruction on this subject would have to be so stringently laid down before volunteers could be allowed to handle such dangerous weapons that very few, probably, would be found willing to bind themselves down to go through the course. Furthermore,

we

the appliances on water anywhere near London are so deficient that it would hardly be possible to find a place sufficiently near the metropolis for the purposes of practical experiments. For the rest cannot do better than quote the opinion of Commander Nepean upon the subject. He says: "It has been proved that boats attacking chains of torpedoes for coast defence can cut the wires and render torpedoes utterly useless at night time if not properly defended by gun-boats and steam-launches, but these very vessels manned by volunteers are what is required. The naval volunteers are therefore invaluable for the defence of the coasts, and to protect those torpedoes which would girt the shores of the United Kingdom." We quite agree with Commander Nepean in believing that, under existing circumstances, it is not possible for the naval volunteers to engage further than this in torpedo operations. There is, however, little use in entertaining such an idea, for we understand that Colonel Crossman, R.E., who has