A NAVAL SCRAP BOOK A Naval Scrap Book. By Admiral
Sir Reginald Bacon' (Hutchinson. 248.) ADMIRAL Sin REGINALD BACON'S Naval Scrap Book deals with the years from 1877 to 1900 ; deals, that is, " with the Old Navy of masts and sails, muzzle-loading gunS, short fighting ranges and obscure tactics ; while glimpses are afforded both of the old crews of lithe, active, cat-like men of poor education, but giants in muscle and pluck, and also of their officers, with whom the habits and manners of the late. ,-eairs of the Georges in some cases still lingered." These are his own words about his own book, and both they and its title are true descriptions. It is a Scrapbook, and can only be justly criticized in bits. Taken a few pages at a time almost all of it can be enjoyed by a landsman, but we think that only naval men will read it through.
In the Navy of Admiral Bacon's childhood it was not easy for a midshipman to get much education in his profession, though, "of course, the best always did well, since mere disadvantage will never stop youth and energy." When in 1877 he joined the ' Britannia,' the training ship for Naval Cadets was looked upon as a great achievement, and it " cer- tainly did vastly improve the general run of naval officers." Meanwhile the naval cadets in the early days still suffered under the rule of those whom " mere disadvantage " had injured. The officer whose duty it was to read prayers in the evening was often too drunk to be articulate, and it was not extraordinary for midshipinen to help a drunken officer to bed. We are given to understand that the Navy drank very deep long after fashion was compelling all other professions to keep sober. We are therefore not surprised to hear that " eccentricity to the verge of madness was not uncommon among captains in the old days." .Ships then sometimes remained for four or five years in foreign stations, " during which time .the captain remained in complete isolation." Even to-day " the 'principle of isolation holds good." The captain " lives alone and feeds alone Unless he invites any of his officers to lunch or dine, otherwise he meets his officers only on deck on duty, or perhaps for a ramble ashore." . This modified form of solitary confinenient lasting, as it usually does at present, for shorter times than formerly, has still a very bad effect upon temper, but long spells of it coupled with drink ,produced strange results indeed. A terrible story is told here of the fierceness of a man who was at last confined in :In ernergency-made padded room, and a funny one of an old captain who always took off his uniform to read the Bible, " since in uniform he could recognize no authority higher than himself." Human life was held very cheap in those. days of " lithe and cat-like sailors." The deaths due to men falling from aloft in-one-ship in the Fleet at-that time (the Admiral's youth) totalled more than one for every month of the ship's commission." All that is over now, but the Admiral himself even at this date deprecates too great a precaution. " Youth will ever look on the Ship he commands as his own property and risk it." With this " risking it " he has sym- pathy. " The possession' of young officers_ who do not sit down and think too much of risks (the older ones are the proper ones to do this) cannot be assessed in mere money, or even in a few lives." Both in officers and men pluck is the greatest asset in war-time. In illustration of supreme indiffer- ence. to danger he tells the following story of " two stokers in a North Sea Destroyer Scrap, during the Great War." When it .was. over .`!.and ;the telegraphs rang. down half-speed, up flicked the stoke-hold hatches for the grimy, sweating men below to get a breath of cool air, and two swarthy heads appeared from two hatches facing, each other. One of the officers, thinking he. would like to hear .a siokehold opinion of the small action and how the noise and absence of know- ledge of what was going on affected- those below, walked slowly forward past the men. All he heard was : Well, all I can say, Bill, is, he ought to have married the girl.' Evidently the fight had been to them only an unwelcome interruption of an interesting conversation about current local events ! "
In the face of such a story it is difficult to give due importance to that " efficiency of material " whose evolution lies so very near our author's heart, and about which we fe:1 as though. he sometimes insists a little dogmatically.
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