IN tracing the consequences of that current of improvement which we noticed in our last Number, as at present fast setting the Navy to windward of its old habits and maxims, it is proper to observe, that most of them are already in progress, got under way, as by common signal, by the spirit of the times. We shall notice, therefore, under each head, both what is already done, and what we think likely to be yet achieved, by the springs actually now at work; but as, in arranging the subject, there is, properly speaking, no first or last point, we shall be guided in the classification chiefly by the relative importance of the parts, and their dependence on each other.

Thus determined, the first place is unquestionably due to the improved moral and religious education now in course of dissemination among all ranks in the navy, officers as well as men; and the progress of which is exemplified in a great many ways. In the years 1802-3, some little improvement in morals, or rather, perhaps, in manners, had already commenced; but as yet religion was unthought of, only a few line-of-battle ships being supplied with chaplains, such chiefly as had admirals' flags on board, or were commanded by pacing old captains, who loved the parade of a Sunday sermon. Their duty, when they were on board, was exclusively this sermon,* with perhaps an occasional visit to a sick or dying man in his birth; and any interference on their part beyond this, would have been taken very ill, if attempted. Nothing like schooling at the same time went on in the navy,

except a few lessons in navigation given the young midshipmen, by a schoolmaster who messed with them, and whose appointments were so small, the place was scarcely ever filled by a man of real talent or education, or even by one whose habits were respectable when off duty. Sunday was either familiarly said to keep the excise limits, and never come over five fathoms water, or if noticed at all, was honoured by being exclusively devoted,-in the morning to a muster of the men in clean clothes, and reading the Articles of War,-in the afternoon to idleness, and, in some sort, dissipation. What became of the Bible Society's Bibles at this time, we do not profess to know; but even down to a very much later period, we never saw them in circulation, The scene is now different in a great many particulars,-not very much, it is true, as yet in morals, which always mend more slowly than opinions, but in those things which will improve them also, in their turn. Even during the war, almost every line-of-battle ship was supplied with a chaplain, and now even some frigates have them; they have been encouraged, besides, to qualify themselves to do the duty also of schoolmasters, by which means the young midshipmen have come to be considered as in some degree under their care in every thing; and their sphere of general duty has been equally extended. The ship's boys are in almost all cases formally instructed by them; their presence is beginning to be felt as a restraint on swearing, and other immoralities of a grosser and more seducing kind, which it was once

expected that they should at least over look in others, if they did not themselves indulge in them; and the custom is rapidly extending, for them to visit the men both in sickness and health, and do something more than merely discharge the formal duties of their office in respect to them. In ships on board of which no chaplains are embarked, the difference is chiefly perceptible in the observance of Sunday, dissemination of the Scriptures, and instruction of the ship's boys; this last in a very considerable degree brought about by a regulation of the Admiralty, not originally destined to this purpose, but which provided that such of them as were not officers' ser-vants, should be distributed and placed under the particular care of the chief petty officers in the ship, to be brought forward both as seamen and artificers, two-handed fellows, as they were called, instead of being left, as formerly, to glean instruction as they could, in :the mizen top. This order was issued, if we recollect right, as early as 1809, and with the most marked good effects in every way. Service, however, and very frequently also a sermon, is, in al most all cases, read to the people by the captain, or one of the officers; a liberal allowance of Bibles and Tracts is to be found in every ship; the men are encouraged, and the boys constrained, to read in them, even the masters of these = latter beginning to take an interest in their instruction, and very frequently recommending them, for this purpose, to the care of an old quarter-master or seaman of good character, with whom they oblige them to mess. And there is no doubt that this machinery will yet further improve, and be successful to a certain point, which we shall presently endeavour to mark, because it is not set in motion merely by the zeal of a few individuals, whose sphere of action, whatever their worth, must necessarily be limited, but is in exact accordance at once with the spirit of the times, and the wants of the service; and thus, as we have just seen

in one instance, works in many points, in conjunction with, and assisted by, regulations and circumstances which have no immediate or necessary connexion with it. The rationale appears to be as follows:

The great temporal purposes of religion in the abstract seem to be, first, to raise men's thoughts above this world, fixing them on the next, and thus giving them views, and motives, and principles of conduct above the vacillation of immediately surrounding circumstances; and, next, to serve thus as a cope-stone to society here, a cement, so to speak, by which its elements are kept together, and prevented from being dissipated at every breath of men's passion or caprice. It is very well worthy of observation, however, account for it how we may, that every modification of it, true and false alike, produces these effects almost equally well, so long as it is believed in; and for their sakes merely, therefore, the value of different religions seems to depend, not altogether, perhaps, but certainly very much more, on the progress of society, than on any abstract quality in any creed. For example, the religion of Homer's heroes had an infinitely deeper influence on their minds, than the very same mythology had on those of the poets and philosophers of the court of Augustus; it was, therefore, a better religion in the one case than the other, and was, accordingly, suffered, under Providence, to maintain itself until it lost this character; for it is sometimes strictly philosophical to reason from consequences. On the other hand, when Christianity was first introduced into the world, it was a great deal too good for its age; it seems to have been a portion of the plan of its Divine Author, that other times should be instructed, and present ones benefitted, by its corruption, for certainly but for this, neither should we now know the futility of theological controversy, nor could Christianity ever have become an universal religion,'

and it was corrupted accordingly. As society went back in the dark ages, it fell more and more, still keeping pace with the deterioration of the other, never a piece of new cloth patching up an old garment, but always in due harmony and proportion with every thing around it—until at length, men began to awake from their slumber, after the revival of letters, when its gradual purification became necessary, that it might maintain its place in the world; and it has been gradually purified accordingly. And, in like manner, in consonance both with reason and prophecy, as civilization spreads, it will spread in name and in purity, doubtless; not faster, but a little slower ::-even as it will be found, on examination, to have done in all times past, instruments having been raised up, and success given to them, or withheld, in exact accordance with the wants of the age and country in which they have appeared.

But sailors, within the last forty or fifty years, have come to want an improved religious education, very much for their own sakes, and within the last twenty, as we have seen, for their officers' sakes also; and they will thus surely get it. They are essentially and by profession, we have elsewhere observed, a devout race of men; and, in addition to the enumeration there given of the different avenues by which devotional feeling is calculated to reach 'their hearts, and which ascertains the probable accuracy of this remark on them, we may now observe further, that very many of their popular songs, their superstitions, some even of their vices, and a portion of their history, demonstrate it. Their habits of profane swearing, for example, were unquestionably in the beginning misguided and abominable, but yet devout imprecations; and it is even recorded of Columbus, and the fact is quoted by his son as a proof of his piety, that when irritated, his familiar oath was "God take you," and no But this etymology of a great many expressions of very different import, has been now long forgotten; in

more.

like manner, the zeal for reformation which Lord Clarendon states as, in his day, especially characterizing the fleet, has some time merged in a mere traditional contempt for Popish and Heathenish rites and ceremonies; sailors no longer now desire to sail on a Sunday "that they may have the prayers of the church with them," nor scruple to sail on a Friday from immemorial custom, because it was once a Fastday. Even the more modern of their songs have lost that devotional character which made almost psalms of their earlier ditties, and still gives a character to the music most in vogue with them ; and, in a word, they were really growing very fast out of the form of religion altogether, however a vague feeling of it might still abide with them, an occasional comfort and support in danger, but scarcely ever a restraint on them; when circumstances were overruled to renew it in them, purified and improved; when the long arm of power, which, as far as this world is concerned, had kept them steady without it, was shortened, the conscience of some of their officers was roused, the prudence of others alarmed, and even general society, which meanwhile had got a long start, was called in to contribute to the entire effect.-All working together in the most beautiful manner for the benefit of these poor fellows, who otherwise seemed outcast, both of heaven and earth; and all calculated to be successful, we think, thus far.

All proper means of religious instruction and communion will, in this way, come, within no very distant period, to be extended to seamen on board of men-of-war, as already every external respect is paid by them to its observances; and these will, on the whole, have fully more effect on their minds, than on those of the average population on shore, although certainly some careless tempers will find aliment from the circumstances, generaly unfavourable for this purpose, in which seamen must be placed. Profane swearing has already much gone out among them, and it will do so yet

more. The present generation will not part with their habits of sensual indulgence, to any material extent at least it must be remembered that they are separated from their families, and constrained to certain long abstinencies by their situation; that besides this, early habit, and ignorance of better sources of enjoyment conspire to fetter them; and that thus circumstanced, not only is it sheer wildness to expect to turn them over in mature years, by any external impulse whatsoever, but the attempt has in sundry cases, in which it has been suggested by an indiscreet zeal, been attended with the very worst imaginable consequences. The rising generation will, however, be better taught; and disgust, together with some other assistances to be afterwards noticed, will so far aid conscience in their case, that we think it probable a most material change may thus in time be effected. On the other hand, however, we are persuaded that our men-of-war never can be made conventicles of, in any way: seamen will never be allowed to set themselves up as preachers or leaders of prayer in them; nor will the casuistries of religion ever become to pics of deep or common conversation among them in such a scene. The impressions made in this way on some of them while idle on shore are mere delusions; indeed we have no hesitation in saying, that a number of the examples of this kind quoted in the reports of the Bethel Society, bear in ternal marks of downright imposture, the nautical imagery contained in them being either incorrect, or wire-drawn beyond the habits or taste of a genuine seaman. The truth is, however, that the spirit of the times, and much more the spirit of the place, are against such extremes in the case before us. There are no prayer-meetings any where else, however they are insisted on by the very zealous, for soldiers and sailors; there is too much good sense now afloat in the world to be drawn aside from the private feelings of devotion to its mere exhibition. In like manner there is

little or no separation at présent ashore, nor any great attachment to dogmas, unless either hereditary, or founded on a mere preference of one preacher to another: men walk too firm now to trip at the mole-hills over which their fathers stumbled,-they are too busy and too enlightened.-And although sailors have yet to pass through that state of society in which, while knowledge is in its infancy, these things are most to be apprehended, there are peculiar disabilities in their situation on board of men-of-war, which promise, we think, certainly to exempt them from them. They can have no choice of pastors at any time in such a scene:did their habits of obedience and submission to those over them suffer them even to make the attempt, they never could be permitted there to raise their voice above that of those entrusted with their instruction and command,-not on any subject, but much less on this, in which, it not being an exact science, babbling may so easily pass current with the half-educated for wisdom. It is chiefly with a view to reinforce discipline that it is now brought before them at all;-(we mean in fact, not in theory, nor is this the only example in the world of the servant being greater than his lord,-the means being more valuable than the end :)—and it will never be suffered to minister occasion for its breach. At least we think this; and deem, indeed, that already we see the homely sense which never deserts practical men, and which, under the name of tact, we have noticed as having carried naval officers in safety through the vicissitudes of past times, declaring itself among them against these extremes in the present.* And we are persuaded that did they appear more manifestly, it would yet more strongly express itself; although we think at the same time that there will never be much occasion for this, there are ingredients enow in the caldron to prevent, without its being necessary formally to suppress this effervescence. The second effect already, in a de-.

" too

VOL. X.

3 T

gree, brought about in the navy by the causes we have named, or rather by the progress of society, of which they may all be considered features, is the more extended general and professional education now also disseminating among its members, and of which we equally see the traces in its institutions. We have already adverted to the state of tuition on board ship in 1802-3; besides which, how ever, there was even then an establishment at Portsmouth, in the nature of a college, for a limited number of boys, chiefly officers' sons destined to follow their fathers' profession. But the root of the evil lay in the examination for lieutenants having become a mere form. It had once been strict, as to the practical branches of seamanship; these, however, were found, in time, so easy, that nobody was puzzled about them; theory was, as yet, neglected; on no branch of science was there, accordingly, any desire to excel; the ordinary level of information was low; and those who entered above it, in most cases speedily sank to its neighbourhood. Candidates to pass as lieutenants are now, however, subjected to two examinations- each in their way strict, on the theory and practice of their profession; the stimulus thus given is everywhere felt; and but one thing seems to us yet wanting to complete the effect, viz. the institution of an advanced college, such as is possessed in the army, which should be a certain avenue to distinction and promotion, but into which only decided talents and previous attainments should be able to enter.* Such an establishment would improve the service as much by the exertions made by un successful as successful candidates; and we think that it will ultimately be given to it. Meanwhile, the scientific spirit of the age is doing a great deal in this way; and we ought to add, that already a class is formed for the special instruction of shipwrights in every branch of theory, even to hy draulics, connected with their depart ment; this being among the many recent institutions in the navy, to the general spirit of which too much praise cannot be awarded.

The entire prospect thus held out, however, is not uninteresting, even as

regards science itself; for, habits of application once formed among na val officers, will speedily diverge into many tracks not strictly professional; and the number of competent obser vers and investigators of Nature thus sent to every part of the world, will be incalculably increased. Its moral influence on the situation of sailors, and prospectively on their characters, is, however, most to our purpose. The tastes and pursuits thus given to the officers will, in time, descend, in a degree, to the people under their command: their time will be thus employed, their minds enlarged, their thoughts occupied, their pleasures varied and purified, and the whole tone of their character raised. And there is a collateral effect also calculated to be thus produced on their mere situation as seamen, not quite so obvious in theory as these, which yet is already shewing itself in no inconsiderable degree; and, like every genuine result of a real, not merely an apparent change of circumstances, is capable of being traced to several causes at a time. Hitherto, in the navy, or at least up to a very recent period, the spirit and activity of temper which are indispensible in the composition of a good of ficer, have had no fields of exertion, except either fighting, when it could be had, or very minute internal regulations. The consequence has been, that the state of order constituting ef ficiency, was, in a great many instances, particularly where the service engaged in was inactive, considerably overstated. Some officers whose tempers were mercurial, deservedly rating promptness of manoeuvre very high, laid their watches on the binnaclehead, and demanded almost impossi bilities of their people in this way. Others carried their notions of neat ness to a similar excess, others those of uniformity, respect, &c,; and as failure was, in many cases, unavoidable, so punishment was certainly, in some, capricious and severe. Much of this, however, was stopped, as these last came to be progressively restrain ed; and when liberal information shall be generally disseminated through the navy, it will all terminate in the ea siest and best manner possible for both parties. The superabundant en