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Experiment--Institution of Cadets' Training Ship--Captain Harris Suffers for His Zeal--Commendatory Letters--He is Superseded--The New Admiralty Circular--General Approval of the Scheme--The Staff of the _Illustrious_--Lieutenant George S. Nares--Disciplinary Methods--The Cadets'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. The story of the institution of a training ship for naval cadets, through which all must, of necessity, pass satisfactorily before being allowed to go to sea, is inseparably connected with the name of one man, but for whose energy, ability, and urgent and repeated representations it is quite safe to assume that this step would have been postponed for some years, though it was no doubt inevitable in the end. The name of this man is Captain Robert Harris; and without some account of his personality and services the story of the _Britannia_ would indeed be incomplete. He was the son of James Harris, an independent gentleman, of Wittersham Hall, Kent, and was born on July 9th, 1809. He entered the Navy, in 1822, as a "First Class Volunteer," and went to sea on board the _Euryalus_, in which vessel he served as a midshipman during the little war with Algiers in 1824; and was at Navarino, also as a midshipman, in the _Cambrian_, October 20th, 1827, and when she was wrecked, in January, 1828. He returned to England early in 1829, and was borne on the books of the _Royal George_ yacht for some time, during which, however, he was in reality serving in one of her tenders, the _Onyx_ or _Pantaloon_, on the coast of South America, the West Indies, the coast of Spain, and the Channel. He was promoted to lieutenant May 21st, 1833, and in December of the same year was appointed to the _Excellent_, recently established as a school of gunnery, at Portsmouth, commanded by Captain (afterwards Admiral Sir Thomas) Hastings, who was always his staunch friend. [Illustration: CAPTAIN HARRIS.] In 1836 Harris was appointed gunnery lieutenant of the _Melville_, serving in her under Captains Douglas and Dundas.