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mistaken the moon's unenlightened limb, when visible after new moon for a round cloud, and thought it had been at full moon. It is even said by a person who was mate with him that, he cannot compute the longitude by chronometer.

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"Another nautical examiner' petitioned to be appointed one, at or about the same time Capt. Hawkins of the Bahamian, applied for examination. He is over-looker for a firm, in whose employment the captain formerly was, and it is said, offended his employers by leaving their employ to join a ship belonging to another house. Capt. Hawkins had a certificate from one of the scientific examiners for first class, and a letter from Mr. Riddell of Greenwich school, expressing a hope that he would be allowed the "extra." On that day two of the examiners were informed that they were not to attend the examination. The captain was rejected on the alleged ground, that he was not sufficiently acquainted with charter-parties and bills of lading.

3rd. It is supposed more than 53 Masters have been examined, and there were several forfeitures, but even on the shewing of this Report the fees amounted to £112, one fourth of which is 28. The examiners have received £23 12s. 6d.

4th. The secretary issued orders to the scientific examiners as to the class each candidate was to receive a certificate for, and one of the scientific examiners refused to certify that a Captain Case was entitled to the "extra". The secretary and nautical examiners however, gave him the "extra" for, as a newspaper expressed it "his superior knowleds of Nautical Astronomy". Mr. Case had stated that he had been revising for a considerable time under Mr. Coleman, in London, prior to being examined here; and the examiner having been blamed for refusing the "extra," and learning it had been granted, wrote to Mr. Coleman, who in a reply dated 17th of July 1847, says, "I remember Captain Case well: am surprised to hear he obtained the "extra" class; I much doubted whether he would be able to secure himself the first class certificate".

Soon after Mr. Dobie was nominated secretary, he started a Tea and Coffee shop, where it was well understood candidates were permitted to be customers, and the meetings for examination were transferred from the observatory to a room over his shop, of a polygonal figure of about 10 feet by 8 for which he receives payment. Such a room furnished as a bedroom in the same situation would not let for more than 2s. or 2s. 6d. per week.

5th.-Mr. Dobie states the books cost upwards of £30. The machinery consists of a parallel rule, and a pair of compasses. There is one Norie's chart of St. Georges' Channel, and a slate also.

6th.-No faults or deficiency of abilities are alleged against the scien tific examiners, but that they are teachers. So was Dr. Inman at Portsmouth; so is Mr. Gray at Newcastle. Both the examiners here have had classical educations, one of them at Edinburgh College; both of them were for many years commanders of various vessels; and it is well known how much both of them have contributed to Purdy's North

Atlantic Memoir, Columbian Navigator, &c., and one of them to the late revered Major Rennell's work on Ocean Currents. They have made no complaint of the insufficiency of their emoluments; but no doubt they reaped some advantage from persons applying to them to be prepared for examination.

7th.-Mr. Cox is probably an able navigator as he is a half-pay master of the Royal Navy, and £150 per annum added to his half-pay, and the rental of his house-property in Rodney and Mount Streets, might be acceptable to him, more particularly at present, as there has been a resolution of the Committee of the Dock Trustees recommending that his services under the Dock Surveyor be dispensed with; and on the subject being a second time brought forward, a late Liverpool Mercury states, that the Committee saw no reason for altering their recommendation that Mr. Cox's services be dispensed with," or words to that purpose.

8th. It appears certain that neither the Dock Trustees, nor the Corporation of Liverpool will furnish the funds to pay a salaried examiner, therefore the voluntary examination of masters and mates, in Liverpool, is virtually at an end.

9th.-As from anything this Report shows it does not appear that there is any intention of paying the nautical examiners; it is presumed the whole of the fees would then go to the secretary, which does not seem to have been the intention of the Board of Trade.

10th. Great fault, it is said, has been found by Mr. Boulter J. Bell, the scientific examiner, at the Trinity-House, with the scientific examiners here, as having passed the examinations too slightly. Now, copies of almost all the examinations have been lodged with Mr. Dobie, and there can be no doubt that both the examiners would be truly rejoiced that these examinations should be ordered up by the Board of Trade, and examined by any competent and unprejudiced, as well as uninterested person; but, probably, they would consider Mr. Bell as both of the latter, as from persons being driven from hence to be examined in London; and his emoluments depending on the numbers examined there, he cannot be presumed to be uninterested.

11th,-No one has been passed by the scientific examiners here who was not fully competent to answer all as far as is required by the regulations of the Board of Trade, for such certificates as the secretary ordered them to be examined for; and no one has received a recommendation for the "extra" without a good knowledge of great circle sailing, some knowledge of spherical trigonometry, of marine surveying, and a superior knowledge of nautical astronomy,-such as computing altitudes of celestial bodies, finding the latitude by altitudes of stars, or by the altitudes taken for clearing a lunar distance; and several have computed eclipses and occultations by Kerigan's methods. A few volunteered a few examples from Euclid, and understood somewhat of algebra, but these were almost all from Greenwich school.

12th. The examiners had to find apartments, coals, candles, &c., for all they examined, without any additional allowance therefore.

13th.-A vice chairman of the Pilotage Committee has hitherto directed every thing, and it is understood is the unit member of the Board of which this Report professes to express the opinions; and if such is the case (as he introduced Mr. Dobie, and recommend Mr. Cox) all patronage lies in his disposal. True, he is a very rich man; and probably may acquire some knowledge of what ought to be done, if he consults competent advisers who dare venture to advise him.

14th. The suspension of the examination here has given rise to great inconvenience, and some expense to many persons:-one or two have had to proceed to London, and some to Glasgow to be examined. During the last fortnight there have been at least seven applications for examination: one very gentlemanly young man came all the way from Belfast, and like many others was disappointed.

15th. The classification of the certificates depended entirely on the nautical examiners, and the secretary. The scientific examiners neither having been allowed to be present at the public examinations, nor required to sign the certificates.

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16th. Mr. Bell is said to have lately refused a person a first class certificate, (who certainly was entitled to one, if it be permitted to judge by a comparison with others to whom at the commencement of the examinations he did grant such,) explaining to him that the Admiralty were satisfied with second class certificates; and this person adds, he was told there was no more pay, and much more trouble to both parties with first class than with second; a truism which the secretary here has also stated.

17th-Perhaps an alteration in the charges would be advisable, say

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18th. It would be most desirable that the Board of Trade should explicitly state if candidates must be examined in, say the first six books of Euclid, and in algebra for first class, or first class extra; but if they insist on that, it is much to be feared, more college-bred than able seamen would get into commands. Another thing, ought the nautical examiners to cross question candidates as to insurances, averages, partial averages, charter-parties, bills of lading, &c., which appear to be things which the merchants and shipowners are competent to judge of themselves.

19th. Great inconvenience frequently arose from examiners failing to attend on the days the secretary appointed for examination, it being difficult for the secretary frequently to prevail on two to attend, which gave him much trouble; prior to the attendance of two being forbidden, there were only one or two days of disappointments. A Mr. Oates attended three days, and a Capt. McDougal also three days by the secretary's express appointment; and no Board meeting they had both to sail unexamined. Many others were in similar predicaments.

20th. There are many retired master mariners in Liverpool who having little to do, would possibly gladly attend for a fee of five shillings per diem, which would be no great tax upon the funds.

21st. One of the Trinity-House Examiners who is said to talk so much about Euclid, analytical demonstrations, &c.; and to speak with so much contempt of all the scientific examiners out of London, must surely have acquired more knowledge than he possessed when he edited Thomson's Tables, printed in 1845, as he seems then to have been unaware of precession, aberration, and nutation.-Vide p. 21.

On February 27th 1844

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All Examiners ought to be themselves examined by some person whose abilities are undoubted and who can neither have prejudiced nor interested motives, say some one nominated, by Admiral Beaufort, Mr. Raper, Mr. Riddel, or many others, such as Mr, Coleman senior; but such as Mr. Griffin, or Mr. B. J. Bell could not be supposed impartial.

ANONYMOUS.

(The report being also anonymous.)

Liverpool, 12th Oct., 1848.

THE SAILOR'S HOME.

In 1835.-In Well Street, London Docks, this establishment, to improve the habits and raise the character of British Seamen, was opened. Under the patronage of the Bishop of London a society was formed and officers of the Institution appointed, and rules were adopted for its management, among which we find the following :

"That this Institution be designated, "The Sailor's Home, or Brunswick Maritime Establishment," having for its object, the providing a receptacle for seamen paid off from their respective ships in the port of London, or otherwise out of employ, where they may be boarded and lodged at as low a charge as possible, during the time they may have occasion or choose to remain there; and where the utmost efforts will be made to improve their moral condition, by affording them religious instruction, and by urging upon them a careful performance of their duties, both to God and man.

"That all subscribers of one pound annually, be members of this Institution; and contributors of ten pounds, or upwards, be considered members for life.

"That the chaplain of the Institution shall be a Clergyman of the Church of England, to be nominated by the Directors, subject to the approval of the Bishop of London.

"That there shall be domestic worship morning and evening at the Sailor's Home; and that all meetings of the Institution, whether public or private, shall be commenced with prayer.

"The Directors meet at the Sailor's Home the second Thursday in each month, at twelve o'clock, for transacting the business of the Institution".

The institution is designed to afford protection to sailors from a long established and well organized system of extortion and imposition to which the acknowledged carelessness of their professional character, their habits of intemperance, and the pecularity of their circumstances render them singularly liable.

No one in England can be indifferent about the condition of the seaman without the danger of incurring the blame of neglecting the interest, or of being willing to compromise the credit of the nation. In Divine providence the security of this country from outward enemies is made materially to depend upon her seamen; the prosperity of the kingdom is closely connected with the success of its commercial transactions; and the character of the land stands immediately associated with the conduct of its seamen in all the distant parts of the world.

But there is still a higher and more important purpose to be considered in the object of the Sailor's Home, and it rests in the means that are adopted to impart, and the opportunities that are presented to the inmates, of receiving religous knowledge while they remain in the institution. From the very nature of their employment, there is not a class of men in Britain who labour under greater disadvantages than seamen do, with respect to the momentous concerns of a future state, and from the long removal they frequently experience in many cases, from the privilege of attending public worship. The seaman, on his return from a foreign voyage, and discharged from his ship the moment she arrives in the Dock, falls as a matter of necessity into the hands of the publican, or the crimp; his health, his morals, and his hard-earned wages, are alike sacrificed in scenes of riot and debauchery, and he again leaves the shores of England with the bitter feeling of having been robbed and injured in that land which should have afforded him a kind and christian reception.

But now the establishment of this Institution forms a board and lodging for seamen and sea apprentices, during the time they must unavoidably remain on shore between their voyages, where they live comfortably and pay moderately. It registers their characters, ships them when they are ready to go to sea again, and provides instruction without any charge to those who wish to improve themselves in navigation. The Building (on the site of the Brunswick Theatre) is large and well ventilated and is now capable of receiving 300 boarders, giving to each man a sleeping cabin to himself, which, with every other part of the building is kept

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