That gallant officer, Sir William Hoste, who commanded the _Albion_, one of the harbour guard-ships, used to visit us during play-hours and tip the Norfolk boys with a half-guinea each, although himself a poor man. We were proud at being noticed by the gallant Hoste, who commanded at the finest frigate action off Lissa, with such men as James Gordon Phipps Hornby, Whitby, and others with whom I subsequently became intimately acquainted. There was also a young fellow, Lieutenant the Hon. William Anson, belonging to the _Tribune_, 42-gun frigate, who used to come and see me and chat about Holkham. Adjoining the Naval College was the house of the President-Commissioner, Captain Hon. Sir George Grey, brother of the Premier. His nephew George and I became great friends: he joined the service, but not through the College. While at the College we had repeated visits from those who had previously left, and who put us up to the orgies that went on in the hulks alongside the ships to which they belonged. I did not fail to remember this when my turn came. My brother Tom joined on December 5, so that when we returned in January, 1824, from the Christmas holidays, we had only been two months together. Among the friends I made at College were Hallowell, Suckling, Francis Blackwood, all more or less connected with Nelson. [Sidenote: 1824.] I went up with others for examination, but failed to get full numbers on account of having in my possession a penny handkerchief, given me by one of my late playfellows, on which was printed an outline of a map of the coast of England. Now, the geographical master, who was short-sighted, always read with his nose close to the paper. Through a sheet of foolscap he had pierced a hole with a pin, and before I could blow my nose he was down on me like a hawk. The consequence was that on February 7, 1824, I was appointed to His Majesty’s ship _Tweed_, Captain F. Hunn, half-brother to Mr. Canning, with one year ten months two weeks and two days’ time, instead of two complete years of service. [Illustration: _During the Examination._] Uncle Tom Garnier kindly undertook to give directions for my outfit, and for a while my valuable services were dispensed with. CHAPTER II THE _TWEED_, 1824 [Sidenote: 1824. Feb.] Having paid many parting visits, I returned to Portsmouth, and, dismounting from the “Regulator” coach, went straight to the outfitters’ and was soon in uniform. What I thought most of was a small dirk suspended from my waist. Having viewed myself in various positions, I sallied forth. From mids who revisited the College I learnt the sort of fun that went on in the refitting hulks. I was not so green as I looked. Instead of reporting myself on board the _Topaze_, I ascertained that Captain Hunn lived with wife and family at No. 15 Jubilee Terrace, Southsea. The time being that when he would be going to dinner, although dusk, I took up a position on the south side of the sallyport bridge.