The advantage of this system is at once apparent: each lot of boys, when they join, find themselves placed under the care of an officer, who remains as their instructor, monitor, and "sea daddy" during the whole period of their sojourn on board. He soon gets to know each one intimately, and they can go to him for advice in any difficulties which may crop up. He takes an interest in their conduct and progress, and encourages healthy emulation and a proper _esprit de corps_ among them; indeed, he may do an immense amount of good, of which the lieutenants were not afforded the opportunity under former regulations. [Illustration: CAPTAIN A. W. MOORE. (Now Vice-Admiral Sir A. W. Moore, K.C.B., C.M.G.) _Photo: Smale & Son, Dartmouth._] The arrangement is also a far more satisfactory one for the lieutenants, who thus have a definite line of work prescribed, instead of the somewhat vague position which they used to occupy. It is a curious thing that nobody ever thought of it before! That it has worked well from the outset everyone is agreed. Another disciplinary measure was the abolition of cadets' corporals, with their chief man--master-at-arms or serjeant-major--and the substitution of a cadets' gunner, known as "chief of the staff," with four chief gunner's mates under him, one to each term. [Illustration: THE "VICTORIA AND ALBERT" AT DARTMOUTH. _Photo: Smale & Son, Dartmouth._] Everyone who knows anything about naval matters will appreciate the advantage of having a gunner placed in this position. The warrant officers are an admirable body of men; they have been "through the mill" in the lower grades, know their work practically and thoroughly, and usually display considerable capacity for command and a quite remarkable amount of tact in the discharge of their duties. The gunners are the pick of the "warrants," and there would be no difficulty in finding a man for the newly created post in the _Britannia_ with every possible qualification for it; moreover, he ranks in the Navy above a midshipman or cadet, so that there is no incongruity about his position of authority. The chief gunner's mates are the "makings" of gunners, and consequently the best subordinates possible in this department. The chief of the staff has to keep the cadets' defaulters books, see all punishments on board properly carried out, take charge of the sleeping decks, messroom, servants' mess place, and to see that the cadets' servants are clean and tidy and perform their duties properly; and is, altogether, a sort of sub-executive officer, and no doubt invaluable to the commander. These changes from within were speedily followed by others, of equal importance, from without; for in January 1897, the Admiralty issued a new circular, initiating radical alterations in the regulations for entry and training. The limits of age for entry were altered as follows:--