water, which proves the necessity of a rudder at the other end; as this will not be the case with the fore or stem rudder, which will be acted upon by unbroken water, and will therefore have its full effect in turning the vessel when she is propelled a-head: the same reasoning will apply to the stern rudder when she is propelled sternward by the back motion of the paddles. "By having a helm at both ends, a steam-vessel will be enabled to tack in any sea, and turn in nearly her own length, going at full speed either backward or forward: surely this is of some importance in the circumstances of the present day, and of how much greater consequence will it be to the steam-vessels in His Majesty's service in the event of a war, the number of which will doubtless be greatly encreased, and their use of momentous concern in every naval action of consequence. "Having a rudder at both ends of a sailing ship, of the construction above mentioned, will be productive of similar advantage, as it will enable her to turn with double the quickness and certainty which she can do at present when going a-head; and when she has way, the effect of the two rudders will be equally quick and certain. The benefit of this quickness to all ships in situations of danger, and to His Majesty's ships in the tactics of war, will not be denied ; and I confidently submit the improvement I suggest to the seaman's judgment, accompanied by the following remarks. "That there is no necessity to use both rudders at the same time, unless circumstances require it. In dangerous situations, or in a high sea, they should be used simultaneously; in some cases it will be convenient to keep the stern rudder fixed in midships, and to steer with the fore one, as when the captain or pilot is obliged to be in the fore part of the ship, he will have the helm close to him, instead of having to call the whole length of the ship to the man at the stern helm, which frequently occasions mistake and accident; and when working to windward the use of the fore rudder will be found to tack the ship quicker, and without stopping her way so much as the stern rudder. In other cases, it will be more convenient to keep the fore rudder fixed in midships, and only to use the stern rudder as when in the open sea. I will only farther observe, that it gives the means of steering the ship in duplicate, as she may be safely steered in ordinary circumstances either by the fore or after rudder, in the event of an accident happening to one of them, and if necessary the injured one may be disengaged from the stem or stern-post by drawing out the pin which connects the rudder to the stem or stern-post. "If this principle is admitted, there can be no difficulty in altering the present mode of fitting and rigging to accommodate it, A A Helms a Starboard. BB Helms a Midships. CC Helms a Port (according to the present phraseology.) E the After Rudder. RR the 2nd Water-line. F the Fore Rudder. PP the Keel. F "I entertain no doubt as to the efficacy of having two rudders of the description above-mentioned; my only fear is that they may be too expensive for common use, as they must be made in part, if not wholly of metal, so as to unite durability and strength to the greatest perfection of shape. "My own opinion is, that they must be composed of oak, strongly sheathed with copper, or wholly of copper; but I offer it with entire submission to the experimental knowledge and superior judgment of the principal officers of His Majesty's dock-yard, who are employed in the shipbuilding department; these gentlemen must be the best judges of the proper materials and their mechanical application. "While addressing your Lordship, I beg leave to offer another sugges tion, touching the present construction of ships. The keel (or rather false keel) of ships is at present made of equal thickness at the upper and lower edge, the consequence of which is, when they get aground in stiff clay or amongst rocks, they become so fastened by their keel, that thepower of the sails to get them off is rendered useless, and even that of anchors and cables, unless they can be laid out right astern in a direct line with the keel; whereas, if the false keel were triangular, the ship would easily be got off by the use of the sails. When there is wind, the sails would heel the ship over on her bilge-lift the keel out of its hold, and lessen the draft of water-or when the weather is calm, or the wind unfavourable, the same effect may easily be produced by the use of an anchor and cable, or hawser. It appears to me, that these advantages would be obtained by a triangular keel, together with equal lateral resistance and good effect in keeping the ship to windward. WILLIAM MANNING, Late Commander in the Hon. E. I. Company's own Service. No. 6, Euston Square, Management of Regimental Messes. MR. EDITOR,-I have often wondered that there should be no book containing a complete detail of the system to be pursued in forming and conducting a regimental mess. It seems that each body of officers is left to hit upon the best plan they can, trusting to experience to correct whatever may be defective. But, Mr. Editor, I need hardly observe, that experience is often dearly bought; and that one great advantage to be derived from printing, is the power of handing to others the perfected results of many experiments. Why then should regiments, on returning from India, the Mediterranean, America, or any other of our numerous colonies, be obliged to flounder in the mud of uncertainty or ignorance, when a work of the kind I mention, would relieve them from all difficulty? It might commence by a short statement of the object and advantages of messes, the orders extant on the subject, and the liberal allowance granted in aid of messing by His Majesty's Government. It might then give a full minute list, with prices, of what articles of plate, china, glass, table-linen, cutlery, and cooking utensils, are required for an ordinary mess, as also the names of those manufacturers, with their addresses, from whom they might be best procured. Then would come the item of mess-servants, and their full and half liveries; their wages and duties. Then the supply of newspapers and periodicals, together with the various expences of washing, light, fire, furniture, &c. Then would be considered the rate and style of messing, with remarks on the employment of a serjeant or civilian as messman. Articles of agreement between him and the committee might be detailed. Next might be discussed the subject of wine and spirits; and the entire or partial appropriation of the allowance, formerly called Regent's, to this purpose. Then a scale should be given of officers' subscriptions, regard being had also to contingent fees on promotion, appointment, &c. A good collection of mess rules would prove very useful, embracing every point of practical economy. The mode of keeping the accounts, both of particular items, as wine, &c. and of the whole fund, might be explained by forms. A subdivision of the mess equipment on the formation of a depôt, should also be detailed, together with the mode of apportioning annual subscriptions. In short, every single point that could be thought of, should be fully handled, and I am convinced, if the work were well managed by one who fully understood it, the service at large would feel much indebted. If I might mention one officer to whom this task might with greater propriety than another be entrusted, it would be Lieut. Colonel Powell, of the 30th; who, during a long period of years, was permanent President of the Mess Committee; and when more exalted rank and imperative duties compelled him to relinquish it, his brother officers testified their unqualified approbation of the manner in which he had presided over their common interests, by presenting him with a silver vase, valued at one hundred guineas. With many apologies for trespassing at such length, permit me to subscribe myself, Your most obedient servant and constant reader, Plymouth Citadel, Oct. 25th, 1831. Old Passed Midshipmen. "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west; nor yet from the south."-Psalms lxxv. verse 7. MR. EDITOR, Amongst the numerous letters which periodically appear in your very excellent and impartial Journal, it has often occurred to me as a matter of surprise, that none ever came forward to advocate the cause of a class universally allowed to be much neglected, at the same time possessing claims,-I mean the Old Passed Midshipmen, or as they are now termed Mates."* At a former period, their case was brought before the House of Commons, and it was then promised by a gallant Admiral then in office," that all who had undergone their examinations for lieutenant ten years, should, provided nothing derogatory appeared against them, be entitled to their promotion, making their services as midshipmen sixteen years: this regulation, which embraces a probation of extreme length compared with other professions, nevertheless, from despondency, imparted hope and confidence to them, and was for a time in force, or at all events a portion were made annually by seniority; but unfortunately, from some circumstance or other, this boon was taken from them. When his present Most Gracious Majesty hoisted his flag as Lord High Admiral, arrange ments were being made to do something for them, but to the universal sorrow of the whole service he resigned. Since that period they have been utterly forgotten, and only in cases of general promotion (which are like angels' visits) are brought forward, and then only in a very limited proportion. Two recent regulations bear particularly hard on these officers, the doing away with the acting midees, but above all, depriving them of their Admiralty appointments; so that a young man may now, after sixteen or eighteen years' service, on his ship being paid off, (and it will be scarcely credited,) unless he is lucky enough to have a personal knowledge of some captain employed to give him a vacancy, be turned adrift without a farthing to support him, until he can muster interest to get another; and lamentable indeed is their case who have no home or parents to go to. It seems singular, that all other inferior petty officers on such occasions are permitted to join the flag-ship, if they choose, until others be provided for them. The senior mates are now twelve and thirteen years passed without a hope, except in the event of a general promotion, and there are very nearly eight hundred mates in all. U. S. JOURN. No. 37. Dec, 1831. 2 N Now, what I beg to propose is, that an arrangement be made similar to that respecting their messmates, the old clerks, viz. that a certain number be promoted at the commencement of every year from the top of the list, or at any rate for every two that are made by interest, let one be made by seniority. Such a regulation would lessen the numerous claims on the Admiralty, which, from a total stagnation of promotion among these officers, is daily increasing, and would at the same time revive that hope, which deferred too long, "maketh the heart sick." I have been induced to offer these observations, in the hope that they may meet the eye of some influential person, willing, and more competent than the present writer, to advocate the cause of helplessness and neglect. The present just Lord, whose urbanity and condescension has made him so justly popular in the navy, is well known to patronize the claims of old officers, and would, I am convinced, should such an individual be found to state their case, make some arrangement to alleviate their present forlorn condition. Trusting, Mr. Editor, you will give this a berth in your valuable Journal, I remain, your very obliged and humble servant, Portsmouth, Nov. 14th 1831. We alluded to this subject in a special article, entitled “Passed Midshipman," published in a former Number.-ED. Irish Detachments. MR. EDITOR, I shall be much obliged by your giving publicity to a suggestion, which, if considered and acted upon, will, in my opinion, materially mitigate inconveniences but few regimental officers serving in the south of Ireland have not experienced. The inconveniences I allude to spring from officers, detached from the head-quarters of their regiments, entering upon their stations utterly unacquainted with the character of the inhabitants with whom they afterwards have dealings, and totally ignorant of the extent and description of the accommodation the place is capable of affording to them individually. An officer, thus detached, reaches his destination in the middle of the day, the officer he relieves having departed early in the morning. Immediately on his arrival he is accosted by tradesmen, lodging-letters, innkeepers, &c. often the most worthless of their several classes, but possessed of so much effrontery, that the modest and honest have no chance of successfully competing with them. The officer having heard of no other character of these suitors for his custom, save the very excellent one they give of themselves, fancying, perhaps, none but they can accommodate him, impatient, moreover, to get himself at once settled, consents to employ them. He is probably brought to a miscellaneous shop, where he lodges, and whence he gets most things that he requires. Every thing goes on well till the bill is sent in, the details of which, like another more celebrated, are unfair and inaccurate. A dispute ensues between the officer and the tradesman; but the former, for the sake of peace and quietness, at length pays it, resolving, however, to have no farther dealings with the other. He looks out for lodgings elsewhere, and finds some he thinks will suit him; he is just about going into them, when, to his unspeakable delight, he hears he is shortly to be removed from the station; he considers it hardly worth while to change his quarters for perhaps only a few days, and so he remains where he was. The period of his continuance is probably much longer than he was led to expect; and the poor pigeon stops, enduring every day the torture of a plucking, without energy to take his flight until the long-expected and much desired route arrives, and then the unfortunate bird is frequently so completely deplumed that he can hardly make his way out of the place. Now, if officers on being relieved were to leave for the officers who succeed them, a statement of the treatment they have experienced from the various tradesmen with whom they have had dealings, the prevailing system of imposing on them would be effectually destroyed. I propose, that officers take this step merely with a view of mitigating their inconvenience, but it will be recommended to many of them by a more worthy object, viz. to exemplify the trite, but oftentimes apparently unsound maxim-“Honesty is the best policy." Your obedient humble servant, ONE WHO HAS OFTEN BEEN CHEATed. Ballymore, Ireland, Nov. 14, 1831. Manning the Fleet. MR. EDITOR,-As the King's ships have found it difficult to procure seamen in time of peace, I have endeavoured to explain the reason and the remedy; but as writing is what I am but little accustomed to, I do not expect this will be found worth appearing in your publication; it may, however, enable you to make some remarks on the nature of the service, for you may depend on the whole to be true. It is well known that the men-of-war's best men are those that were brought up in merchant-ships: these men never will like men-of-war. I will show how the service might do without them. First, why do not menof-war make seamen, when every duty in them is done as well as in other ships? one reason is, it is always performed by the same old hands. When a man-of-war is manned, every man is stationed according to his abilities; the landsmen are put in the waist to do the drudgery, and they generally return from a three years' station nearly the same as they went: perhaps a hundred young fellows never higher than the lower-yards the whole time, and that but seldom. These men might be made seamen of in the time, if the ship's company had been worked in this manner: a few landsmen should go on the top-sail-yards with the seamen to reef, which there is opportunity for, as it is generally the rule to reef every evening in King's ships: they should also be taught to secure the ear-rings, what seamen pride themselves so much upon, though any man with common understanding would learn in a month or so; but there are men in these ships for years, who never saw an ear-ring passed in their lives. There are always plenty of landsmen to be had that are anxious to learn; but how seldom it is we see one ever made seaman enough to take helm and lead: but why they should not, I could never see. Was there any plan of learning in the service, they would be well manned; for, as far as my recollection goes, the few that came as landsmen, and became seamen, were always the best-disposed men. Esher-street, Milbank. J. S. *The matter of our humble correspondent being good, is quite as welcome to us as if it were clothed in more eloquent language.-Ed. Remarks on the Purveyors' Department. MR. EDITOR, A severe accident has hitherto prevented me from noticing the observations which your Correspondent M. M. has farther made upon the Purveyors' Department, which appeared in your Journal of October last, occasioned by former remarks which I offered upon this subject, and introduced by you in the United Service Journal for the month of September. Apprehensive that M. M. may judge from my silence, he has fairly beaten me out of the field, I avail myself of the first opportunity to state, that I have not yielded to his argument, viz. that "Purveyors are Commissaries |