In connection with this, he makes a very good point; speaking of the seamanship examinations for sub-lieutenant, he says: "The certificates awarded may be taken as the collective opinion of all the captains who have been actively employed during the past eleven or twelve years, and we find that of the midshipmen sent from the training ship with first-class certificates, no fewer than 51·2 per cent. have been considered to merit first-class certificates; of the seconds, 28·7 per cent.; and of the thirds, 17·5 per cent." This was rather a "facer" for the captains--and there were not a few--who held that the _Britannia_ training was useless, or worse than useless, in regard to seamanship. "The evidence given above," continues Mr. Inskip, "abundantly proves that each original class falls into its natural place at the final examinations, from which fact we can only infer that unless the original certificates had been awarded with the utmost care, and a scrupulous regard to the individual merits of each cadet, a coincidence so remarkable could not have occurred." In his final summing up Mr. Inskip says:-- "Having now shown that the young officers have maintained their original classification up to the time of passing their final examinations for sub-lieutenant, we may allude to the opinions entertained in some quarters respecting the education of the cadets: it having been asserted that their knowledge was of a superficial character, and that when they first joined a sea-going ship they were deficient in many branches of study relating to their profession. * * * It was shown by examinations held in the Flying and Detached Squadrons (some years ago) that the knowledge of the midshipmen was inversely as the time elapsed since leaving the training-ship, the seniors as a body standing at the bottom. (Report of the Rev. J. B. Harbord, M.A., Inspector of Naval Schools.) This state of education at sea may in some measure be accounted for by the fact that in many ships no attempt had been made to keep up any subject but navigation, the others not being given at the final examination; it proves, however, that the younger officers possessed the most information, and among these were included all who had recently left the training ship; and it also removes any just reason for asserting that they had learnt but little while there." In such fashion does this champion wield his statistics in defence of the institution which he had such a large share in starting; and it must be admitted that anyone who wished to refute his arguments would have a very tough task; though he lays himself open to the reply, that a clever or industrious cadet would in all probability turn out a clever and industrious midshipman or sub-lieutenant. This, however, only touches a portion of the case; his contention that the training ship was satisfactorily fulfilling its object is fully borne out.