PAGE A Youthful Diplomat--Old Methods of Entry--Captain's Servants--King's Letter Boys--Lord Dundonald--A Warrior at Eight--Sir P. W. P. Wallis--Absurd Regulations--Education at a Discount--Midshipman Easy--Peter Simple--The "Pitchfork" System--The Royal Naval Academy--Letter to the Navy Board--Commendable Promptitude--The Scheme Approved--Delay in Building--Scheme of Instruction--Uniform Instituted-- Scholars' Expenses--Rules and Orders--"They are cursed troublesome"--Commissioner's Report--Entry and Final Certificates--Captain Broke's Work Book--A Comprehensive Course--A Successful Institution 1 CHAPTER II. THE ROYAL NAVAL COLLEGE. New Brooms--Radical Changes--The Academy Closed--Wanted, a Professor--James Inman--An Enthusiastic Scholar--His Love of Fair Play--Senior Wrangler--Antarctic Astronomer--Appointed Professor--"Inman's Tables"--The College Opens--A Master's Untimely Optimism--A Poser for Their Lordships--The New Course of Studies--John Irving, Silver Medallist--A Mathematician's Device--The Rod and the "Black Hole"--New Regulations--Commissioned Officers Admitted--Elastic Hours of Study--The End Approaches--The "late" Royal Naval College--Inman's Pension--Sir H. Keppel's Recollections--The Box Seat--A Retaliatory Cascade--Sir W. R. Mends--Alleged Toadying--Sir G. R. Mundy's Letters--Keeping a "Mess"--The "Black Hole" in Being--"A Blow-out," and After--Sir B. J. Sulivan--Bullying Studious Juniors--A Discouraging Experience--The Captain Converted--The College and the _Excellent_--Professor Main--The "Pitchfork" System Again--A Slender Equipment--Naval Cadets--Haphazard Methods--A Little More Detail 16 CHAPTER III. THE "ILLUSTRIOUS." Captain Robert Harris--His Birth and Career--Appointed to the _Illustrious_--"Jemmy Graham's Novices"--A Model School for Seamen--A Visit to the _Illustrious_--Why not Train Young Officers?--Opposition of Old Officers--Cadet Robert H. Harris--A Successful Experiment--Institution of Cadets' Training Ship--Captain Harris Suffers for His Zeal-- Commendatory Letters--He is Superseded--The New Admiralty Circular--General Approval of the Scheme--The Staff of the _Illustrious_--Lieutenant George S. Nares--Disciplinary Methods--The Cadets' Corporals--Withering Sarcasm-- Old-fashioned Seamanship--Cricket--"Sling the Monkey"--Rev. R. M. Inskip--His Sea Yarns--Mr. Kempster Knapp--"Knapp's Circles"--Penalty of Fidgeting--Prince Alfred--Enter the _Britannia_--Her Predecessors 35 CHAPTER IV. THE "BRITANNIA" IN THE 'SIXTIES.