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HISTORICAL SKETCH 
 
 United States JVaval Acade^my. 
 
 PREPARED BY DIRECTION OF 
 
 REAR-ADMIRAL C. R. P. RODGERS, U. S. N. 
 
 Superintendent U, S. Naval Academy, 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AT THE 
 INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION, 1876. 
 
 Professor JAMES RUSSELL SOLEY, A. B., 
 
 u. S. NAVY, 
 
 HEAD OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH STUDIES, HISTORY, AND LAW," AT 
 THE L". S. NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 WASHINGTON: 
 
 GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE. 
 1876. 
 
CONTENTS, 
 
 PART I.— HISTORICAL SKETCH. 
 Ckap. Page. 
 
 I. The EDUc.vnoN OF THE OLD Navy 7 
 
 II. The Naval School— Five years' COURSE 62 
 
 III. The PERIOD OF transition — Seven YEARS' COURSE 90 
 
 IV. Final ORGANIZATION — Four years' course 98 
 
 V. Grounds 114 
 
 VI. Buildings 123 
 
 VII. Library 135 
 
 PART II.— THE NAVAL ACADEMY IN 1876. 
 
 I. Academic ORGANIZATION 139 
 
 II. Examination FOR admission 151 
 
 III. Departments and course OF instruction 170 
 
 IV. Practice CRUISES 216 
 
 V. Relics and TROPHIES 219 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 Note. 
 
 A. Report OF Secretary Branch, 1830 231 
 
 B: Report OF House Committee ON Naval Affairs, 1834 233 
 
 C. Report OF Secretary DiCKERSON, 183s 237 
 
 D. Report of Senate Committee on Naval Affairs, 1836. .. 239 
 
 E. First Regulations OF Naval School 241 
 
 F. Specimens OF work of cadets, (Physics and Chemistry). 246 
 
 G. Commander Buchanan's PLAN OF A NAVAL SCHOOL 321 
 
 H. Classification OF books IN library 324 
 
 I. List OF Officers 328 
 
 J. Supplementary Notices ,.. 334 
 
PART I. 
 
 HISTORICAL SKETCH, 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 THE EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 
 
 I79S-I84S- 
 Before the Navy Department was established by the act 
 of 1798, the Navy could hardly be said to have any inde- 
 pendent existence. The acts of Congress had provided for a 
 small armament, and a body of officers proportioned to the 
 number of ships. The officers were selected from the mer- 
 chant service, the upper grades being filled by those who had 
 served with distinction during the Revolution. The Navy 
 thus got a few commanders of tried ability and courage; and 
 most of the junior officers proved themselves brave men and 
 good seamen. As a beginning of the future organization, 
 eight midshipmen were placed on board each ship.* These 
 were appointed by the President from civil life, under no lim- 
 itations as to age, education, or fitness, except what the 
 appointing authority saw fit to impose on itself. Most of 
 them had never been at sea before, and very few knew any- 
 thing of either the theory or practice of navigation. Some 
 of them, like Decatur,t got help and instruction by attending 
 schools of navigation; but such cases were rare, and in gen- 
 
 * Act approved March 27, 1794; act approved July i, 1797. 
 t Mackenzie's Life of Decatur, p. 25, (in Sparks's Am. Biog.) 
 
8 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 eral they had to pick up the necessary knowledge by noticing 
 what went on about them and by asking questions. They 
 became the pupils of the older oflScers, when the latter were 
 willing to teach them: but whatever education they got was 
 fragmentary and technical, and depended chiefly upon their 
 own efforts. 
 
 The Naval Regulations issued in 1802 assigned no particular 
 duties to the midshipmen,* but directed the commanding 
 officers to consider them as meriting in an especial degree the 
 fostering care of the Government. Commanders were to see 
 that the " schoolmasters " performed their duty toward the 
 midshipmen by "diligently and faithfully instructing them in 
 those sciences appertaining to their department;" while the 
 midshipmen, on their part, were to consider it a duty they 
 owed to their country " to employ a due portion of their time 
 in the study of naval tactics, and in acquiring a thorough and 
 extensive knowledge of all the various duties to be performed 
 on board of a ship of war." 
 
 The schoolmaster had for many years been a part of the 
 English naval organization; but as yet he did not exist in our 
 service. No provision had been made for schoolmasters in 
 the acts of Congress, and the reference here must be to the 
 chaplains, who at that time supphed their place. The same 
 regulations say elsewhere of the chaplain : t " He shall perform 
 the duty of a schoolmaster; and to that end he shalLinstruct 
 the midshipmen and volunteers in writing, arithmetic, and 
 navigation, and in whatsoever may contribute to render them 
 proficients. He is likewise to teach the other youths of the 
 ship, according to such orders as he shall receive from the 
 captain. He is to be diligent in his office, and such as are 
 
 * Naval Regulations issued by command of the President, January 25, 
 1802, p. 23. 
 t Page 18— (y the Duties of a Chaplain. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 9 
 
 idle must be represented to the captain, who shall take due 
 notice thereof."* 
 
 The system of giving instruction on board of cruising-ships, 
 imperfect at the best, was barren of results where the chap- 
 lains were the teachers. The duty had no necessary connec- 
 tion with their profession, and the subjects they were compelled 
 to teach were wholly foreign to their training and studies. 
 They were appointed without any reference to their fitness 
 for this work, ahd their qualifications for the place of teaclier 
 of navigation were not submitted to any test ; they had no 
 
 * Taken, with modifications, from the EngUsh regulations, as will be 
 seen by the following extract from the ' ' Regulations and Instructions re- 
 lating to His Majesty's Service at Sea," London, 1734, p. 136: 
 
 "The Schoolmaster. 
 "Article I. 
 "No Person shall be warranted to serve as a Schoolmaster in any of 
 His Majesty's Ships, who has not been first examined before' the Master, 
 Wardens, and Assistants of the Trinity-House of Debtford-Strond, and 
 produced a Certificate, under their Hands, of his being well skilled in 
 the Theory and Practice of the Art of Navigation, and qualified to teach 
 Youth therein ; and another, under the Hands of Persons of known 
 Credit,- testifying the Sobriety of his Life and Conversation. 
 
 "H. 
 " He is to employ his Time on board in instructing the Voluntiers in 
 Writing, Arithmetic, and the Study of Navigation, and in whatsoever 
 may contribute to render them Artists in that Science. 
 
 " in. 
 
 " He is likewise to teach the other Youths of the Ship according to such 
 Orders as he shall receive from the Captain, and with Regard to their 
 several Capacities, whether in Reading, Writing, or otherwise. 
 
 "IV. 
 ' ' He is to be early every Morning at the Place of Teaching, and to 
 represent the Names of such as are idle, or averse to Learning, to the 
 Commander, in order to his taking Course for their Correction," 
 
THE NA VAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 examination before appointment like that which the school- 
 masters of the old English navy had to pass before the 
 master and wardens of the Trinity House. It was only in 
 cases of fortunate accident that they knew anything about 
 the subject before they were called upon to teach it. Except 
 as far as their calling presupposed a liberal education, they 
 were no better fitted for the work than any other officer of 
 the ship. They might help out what was wanting in the 
 rudimentary training of the midshipmen, but they were in no 
 way qualified to make them " artists," or even " proficients," in 
 their profession. 
 
 Notwithstanding the faults of this system, it continued in 
 force for many years with only slight modifications. The 
 act of January 2, 1813,* authorizing the construction of 
 four seventy-four-gun ships, provided that each of them 
 should carry a schoolmaster, appointed by the captain, with 
 a pay of $25 per month. Each ship had twenty midshipmen, 
 who were under the instruction of the schoolmaster. In 
 1816, again, ten seventy-fours were authorized,! and the pro- 
 vision of the act of 1813, in regard to the number and grade 
 of officers, applied to them, in the absence of special legisla- 
 tion^ 
 
 This change, slight as it was, was a change rather for the 
 worse. In the first place, the professional teachers were lim- 
 ited to the line-of-battle ships, and the midshipmen who went 
 to sea in a vessel of any smaller class had to get what they 
 might from the chaplain ; the old regulation in regard to the 
 duties of that officer continuing still in force with very slight 
 changes. I Moreover, the compensation was so small that 
 
 * Statutes at Large, 2, 789. 
 
 t Act of April 29, 1816. Statutes at Large, 3, 321. 
 f See Naval Regulations of 1818, American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 
 '. 532- 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NA VY. n 
 
 only an inferior class of men could be obtained for the service. 
 The schoolmasters held a very subordinate position on board 
 the ship, being quartered either with the warrant-officers, or with 
 their pupils, the midshipmen ; and their pay ceased when the 
 cruise was finished. Under such circumstances no teacher of 
 ability would be found who would give up higher compensa- 
 tion on shore, and submit to the confinement of the ship, the 
 restraints of military discipline, and the discomforts of a sea- 
 voyage. 
 
 The Hon. William Jones, who was Secretary of the Navy 
 during President Madison's administration, saw the necessity 
 of some improvement in the system of instruction, and made 
 a recommendation accordingly, in a communication addressed 
 to the Senate, in regard to the re-organization of the Navy.* 
 He said : " I would suggest the expediency of providing by 
 law for the establishment of a naval academy, with suitable 
 professors, for the instruction of the officers of the Navy in 
 those branches of the mathematics and experimental phi- 
 losophy, and in the science and practice of gunnery, theory 
 of naval architecture, and art of mechanical drawing, which 
 are necessary to the accomplishment of the naval officer." 
 
 This recommendation evidently had in view a school or 
 college which should do for the Navy what the West Point 
 Academy had already begun to do for the Army. The 
 Military Academy, founded in 1802, was then in full opera- 
 tion. There was no good reason why a naval academy 
 should not have been established at the same time, and the 
 plan was certainly proposed. In a report! made by the Sec- 
 retary of War, James McHenry, in 1800, submitting a plan 
 for a military academy, he mentioned four schools — a funda- 
 mental school, a school of engineers and artillerists, a school 
 
 * November 15, 1814. American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 1, 320. 
 t American State Papers, Military Affairs, I, 133. 
 
THE NA VAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 of cavalry and infantry, and a school of the Navy. The 
 last was to have a director, a professor of mathematics, a 
 professor of geography and natural philosophy, an archi- 
 tect, and a drawing master. It was to teach those ap- 
 pointed to or destined for the Navy " the application of the 
 knowledge acquired in the fundamental school in arithmetic, 
 algebra, geometry, statics, and navigation. To this end, 
 after having passed examination, {sic) they shall make voy- 
 ages or cruises, under skillful officers, for certain periods, 
 during which time they ought to be exercised in the maneu- 
 vers and observations most useful in service, and be in- 
 structed in whatever respects rigging ,of vessels of war, 
 pilotage, and the management of cannon." 
 
 The main defect of this plan, otherwise a good one, was 
 the union of the schools for two dissimilar branches of the 
 service, necessarily controlled by different departments of 
 the Government, upon one foundation — a sort of military 
 university, where all branches of the. art of war might be 
 taught in the various schools. It is a question whether this 
 would not have seriously interfered with the efficiency of the 
 institution. At any rate, it was not adopted. In the acad- 
 emy which grew out of the plan, as is well known, there was 
 no provision for the training, of naval officers, and the Army 
 from that time enjoyed an incalculable advantage in the 
 systematic training of its cadets, — an advantage which, for 
 more than forty years, was denied to the Navy. 
 
 If the friends of the Navy who were in high official posi- 
 tions in the early part of this century had understood the 
 wants of the service, and had pressed them upon the atten- 
 tion of Congress with the earnestness shown by the advocates 
 of a miHtary academy, the Naval School would perhaps have 
 been founded at the same time ; or, on the other hand, greater 
 demands might have been thought extravagant, and might 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. ,3 
 
 have killed the whole project. The Navy, at that time, had 
 had no opportunity of fighting its way into popularity, and 
 any step looking to its increase or improvement was bitterly 
 opposed by the anti-federalists, then and long afterward the 
 party in power. When the nation, rather than expend a 
 reasonable sum for the building of frigates, was willing to 
 give away a far greater amount in the shape of a disgraceful 
 tribute to the Barbary Powers, to secure exemption from 
 piratical depredations, it is not extraordinary that no move- 
 ment was made toward the foundation of a school solely for 
 the benefit of naval officers. At that time many men doubt- 
 less thought and hoped that the prosperity of the United 
 States was in no way dependent upon a Navy, and that the 
 existing estabhshment might presently be abolished. They 
 had not yet learned the fact that a nation with a large com- 
 merce is bound to do its part in maintaining the police of 
 the ocean ; and they made the fatal mistake of supposing 
 that, upon the outbreak of a war, a navy could be built to 
 order, and an efficient maritime force organized, with the ease 
 and rapidity with which a militia is transformed into a body 
 of combatants. Hence, in 1802, the Navy was not generally 
 looked upon as a permanent organization. 
 
 After the war with Tripoli, popular and official prejudices 
 gave way to some extent. In 1808, Col. Jonathan WiUiams, 
 the senior officer of the Corps of Engineers, made a report 
 of the progress of the Military Academy,* in which he sug- 
 gested its removal to Washington, and advised the appoint- 
 ment of a professor of mathematics, with assistants, who 
 should teach, among other things, nautical astronomy, geog- 
 raphy, and navigation. In this he clearly had in view the 
 education of naval officers, some of whom were afterwards 
 taken from the graduates of West Point. The President 
 
 ' American blaie Papers, Military Affairs, i, 22S. 
 
j^ THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 transmitted Colonel Williams's report to Congress, with a 
 message, in which he said : " The idea of removing the insti- 
 tution to this place is worthy of attention. Besides the 
 advantage of placing it under the immediate eye of the 
 Government, it may render its benefits common to the Naval 
 Department." 
 
 The message was referred to a committee in the Senate, 
 and ten days later a bill was reported; but, after being twice 
 considered and postponed, it was finally laid aside for other 
 business.* 
 
 In a plan for a peace establishment of the Navy, pre- 
 pared in compliance with a resolution of the House of Rep- 
 resentatives by Secretary Thompson, he said:t "Although 
 perhaps not falling strictly within the scope of the resolution, 
 yet the present affords a fit opportunity of suggesting the 
 importance of establishing a naval academy for the instruc- 
 tion of our young officers in the sciences connected with 
 their profession. As this is intended as a mere suggestion of 
 a measure deserving consideration, I have not thought proper 
 to present any plan for carrying it into effect. This may be 
 done hereafter should the measure meet with a favorable 
 reception ; nor is it deemed fit for me, at this time, to urge 
 the many considerations which will readily occur to all liberal 
 and enlightened minds in favor of such an institution." 
 
 Mr. Southard, who succeeded Mr. Thompson at the head 
 of the Navy Department, and who filled the office for six 
 years with great ability, never ceased to urge upon Congress 
 the importance of the step proposed by his predecessor. He 
 pointed out clearly the defects of the existing system. In 
 
 "Annals of Congress, Tenth Congress, first session, i, pp. 171, 176, 
 36J. 
 
 t American State Papers, Naval Affairs, i, 8r6. Communicated to the 
 House of Representatives, December 10, 1822. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. jr 
 
 his report on the plan for a peace establishment, made Jan- 
 uary 24, 1824,* he said: "A great portion of the science of 
 naval commanders can be acquired only on the ocean, and 
 by years of labor and discipline. It is vain to hope for a 
 triumphant defence of our national interests and character 
 there without we thoroughly train, educate, and discipline 
 those who have to fight our battles. To insure such a defence 
 beyond hazard, it is confidently believed that the nation will 
 cheerfully meet the requisite expense. Connected v«ith this 
 point it is not improper to suggest that the early education 
 of most of our officers is very unequal to the character they 
 have subsequently to sustain, and that an effectual remedy 
 can be found only in the establishment of a naval school." 
 In another place in the same report he said : " Schoolmasters 
 are proposed for the two highest rates of vessels, and, as we 
 have yet no school for the instruction of young officers, and 
 as the duties of the chaplains, both as clergymen and teachers, 
 demand purity of character, enlargement of mind, and scien- 
 tific attainments, a higher salary would be useful to secure 
 the services of those who are wortliy of the station." 
 
 In his annual report on the condition of the Navy, made 
 December i, 1824,! he said: "Several laws seem necessary 
 to render the establishment economical and efficient; but 
 especially some provision should be made for the education 
 and instruction of the younger officers. We have now the 
 light of experience on this point in the Army, and its salutary 
 effects are very manifest. Instruction is not less necessary to 
 the Navy than to the Army." 
 
 One month later, in a special report | to the President in 
 regard to alterations in the organization of the Navy, Secre- 
 
 * American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 1, 907. 
 + American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 1, 1003. 
 % January i, 1825. American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 2, 44. 
 
1 6 THE NAV-AL ACADEMY. Part 1. 
 
 tary Southard pressed yet more earnestly upon the attention 
 of Congress the want of a naval school: "There is still 
 another alteration which, in my opinion, ought to be made,, 
 and which is even more important than those already men- 
 tioned, to promote discipline, efficiency, and economy, and 
 to prevent the recurrence of courts-martial in the service — 
 the establishment of an academy, or providing in some 
 effectual mode for the instruction of the young officers. These 
 are taken from the poor, who have not the means of a good 
 education, as well as the rich, who have. They enter, from 
 the nature of the .duties, at so early an age that they cannot 
 be accomplished, or even moderately accurate, scholars. 
 They are constantly employed on shipboard or in our navy- 
 yards, where much advancement in learning cannot be ex- 
 pected. Their pay will afford them a support, but no means 
 of literary improvement. The consequence necessarily is, 
 and such is well known to be the fact, that very many advance 
 in age and rise in grade much less cultivated and informed 
 than their own reputation and that of the country require. 
 For this evil there is bat one remedy, and that is to be found in 
 the wisdom and beneficence of the Government, from which 
 they receive their offices, and to whose honor and interest 
 they are devoted. It is the formation of a school which 
 shall combine literary with professional instruction; a compe- 
 tent portion of common learning with a profound knowledge 
 of everything connected with military science, seamanship, 
 and navigation; the theory with the practice of their profes- 
 sion. The considerations which urge respect for this recom- 
 mendation are connected with everything which the nation 
 has to hope from the naval establishment. They may be 
 glanced at, but cannot be suitably discussed, in this report. 
 The situation of our country, the nature of its territory and 
 its coasts, the extent of its commerce, the character of its insti- 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. i-j 
 
 tutions and its political connections, all point unerringly to 
 that establishment as the security for its peace. and honor. It 
 no longer remains a debatable question whether we shall 
 look to the Navy as one of the means by which our interests 
 are to be most cheaply and most securely protected. It has 
 been settled by a course of events which have carried the 
 nation forward to a point where, on this subject, it has scarcely 
 the liberty to choose. It has interests to protect and duties 
 to discharge which it cannot, if it would, disregard. 
 
 "The problem now to be solved by it is in what mode our 
 naval means may be commanded mcst surely, and with the 
 least possible burden, combining most efficiency with the 
 smallest expense. 
 
 "The answer is believed to be plain. By giving to our 
 officers the greatest amount of science and skill, by fitting all 
 to command the vessels we may choose to build and the sea- 
 men we may be enabled to enlist. By these means, and these 
 only, may we, in times of quiet, keep in employment as small 
 a number of vessels as our commerce may absolutely require; 
 and yet, at the moment of trouble, swell it to the full extent 
 which our protection may demand and the number of our 
 seamen will permit; the latter being the only limit which can 
 be placed to our naval power. It is not, however, in this 
 circumstance alone that well-instructed officers will induce 
 economy. The better instructed and more intelligent an 
 officer is, the more skillfully and precisely, and, of course, the 
 more economically, will he perform the duties assigned him. 
 Ignorance is always, skill never, prodigal. There is no busi- 
 ness, profession, or occupation in the circle of society to which 
 this principle applies with more energy than to our naval 
 establishment. Discipline and efficiency, also, necessarily 
 result from the same cause. Educated in such a school as it 
 becomes the Government to establish, moral principles are 
 secured, good habits formed, subordination learned, honorable 
 
J 8 THE XAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 feelings encouraged and confirmed, skill acquired, science and 
 discipline necessarily combined. 
 
 "The illustration of these truths is before us in another 
 branch of our national defence, to which the favor of the 
 Government has been extended; and the suggestion will be 
 pardoned that no sound argument can be urged in its favor 
 which does not receive additional force from the situation in 
 which the Navy is placed, and the interests and hopes which 
 are connected with it. 
 
 "Our future national conflicts are to rest principally on it, 
 come when they may. It is also the bearer of our honor 
 and our fame to every foreign shore. The American naval 
 officer is, in fact, the representative of his country in every 
 port to which he goes, and by him is that country in a greater 
 or less degree estimated. With a well-regulated national 
 pride, this consideration alone should insure him ample means 
 of instruction and improvement. 
 
 "A school, to be useful to the Navy, must combine theory 
 with practice. It must, therefore, be located where the 
 attention may be directed to -the" construction, equipment, 
 armament, and sailing of vessels. Governor's Island, in the 
 harbor of New York, seems to be well fitted for all these 
 objects. The buildings and improvements already upon it, 
 with slight alterations and repairs, would probably be sufficient 
 for present accommodation ; and if the public interests would 
 permit its transfer for a time from the War to the Navy 
 Department, and an appropriation were made of $10,000 
 for the support of instructors, the school might be put into 
 operation with very little delay, and its permanent location 
 be hereafter determined." 
 
 In response to these recommendations, a resolution was 
 introduced in the House early in the session* by Mr. Liv- 
 
 • January 3, 1825. Gales & Seaton's Register of Debates, i, pp. 
 112, 113, 127. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. ig 
 
 ingston, of Louisiana, calling for a committee to consider the 
 expediency of establishing a naval academy. It was briefly 
 discussed, and excited little interest. The next day it was 
 called up again, and meeting with a slight opposition and 
 only a feeble support, the question was put and lost. 
 
 Notwithstanding this failure, the Secretary returned to the 
 attack again at the beginning of the next session. In his 
 report* of December 2, 1825, he said : " Without an organi- 
 zation of some kind, without a revision of our penal code 
 and of our rules and regulations, and without a naval school, 
 tardy amendments may be made in the naval service and in 
 its administration, but it is in vain to hope for speedy, useful, 
 and very practical changes. The power of the Department 
 is unequal to such objects." 
 
 This report was sent to Congress among the executive 
 documents accompanying the first annual message of Presi- 
 dent John Quincy Adams, who had come into office in the 
 preceding March. He had held consultations with the Sec- 
 retary on the subjectjt and was firmly convinced of the im- 
 portance of the measure and of the benefits that would result 
 to the naval service. He made special reference to it in the 
 message, and urged the necessity of immediate action. Al- 
 luding to the early organization of the Navy, he showed very 
 clearly how the service had been left to develop of itself, and 
 how little systematic attention had been paid to its growing 
 •wants. He said:| 
 
 " Our Navy commenced at an early period of our political 
 organization, upon a scale commensurate with the incipient 
 energies, the scanty resources, and the comparative indigence 
 of our infancy, and was then found adequate to cope with 
 
 * American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 2, 98. 
 
 t Memoirs of J. Q. Adams, by C. F. Adams, 7, pp. 57, 90. 
 
 t Gales & Seaton's Register of Debates, ii, part 2, p. 6 of Appendix. 
 
THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 all the powers of Barbary, save the first, and with one of the 
 principal maritime powers of Europe. But it is only since 
 the close of the late war that, by the number and force of 
 the ships of which it is composed, it could deserve the name 
 of a Navy. Yet it retains nearly the same organization as 
 when it consisted only of five frigates. The rules and regu- 
 lations by which it is governed earnestly call for revision, 
 and the want of a naval school of instruction, correspond- 
 ing with the Military, Academy at West Point, for the forma- 
 tion of scientific and accomplished officers, is felt with daily 
 increasing aggravation." 
 
 About two months after the opening of the session,* Mr. 
 Storrs, of the Naval Committee of the House, reported a bill 
 for the establishment of a naval school. It proposed that 
 the President should fix the location of the school on any of 
 the lands held by the United States for military or naval 
 purposes ; that he should appoint one professor of natural 
 and experimental philosophy, one professor of mathematics 
 and navigation, one teacher of geography and history, and 
 one of French and Spanish, and one fencing-master ; for all 
 of which an appropriation was made, the amount Of which 
 was to be fixed. Later in the session the same or a similar 
 bill was introduced in the Senate,t but neither of them came 
 to anything. Congress showed itself still apathetic in regard 
 to the whole subject. 
 
 About the time when these bills were under consideration, in • 
 January, 1826, a resolution was adopted by the Maryland 
 House of Delegates, in session at Annapolis, which is of curi- 
 ous interest in connection with the history of the Academy. 
 It was as follows : 
 
 "Resolved by the general assembly of Maryland, That our 
 
 'January 20, 1826. In Gales & Seaton's Register of Debates, ii, 
 p. 1055, the text of the bill is given in full, 
 t May 8, 1826. Gales & Seaton, ii, 696. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 21 
 
 Senators and Representatives in Congress be, and they are 
 hereby, requested to call the attention of their respective 
 houses to the superior advantages which the city of Annapolis 
 and its neighborhood possesses as a situation for a naval acad- 
 emy, and that they use their best exertions in favor of the 
 establishment of such an institution." 
 
 This resolution was communicated to the Senate February 
 7, 1826, and would doubtless have had some effect in fixing 
 the locality had the school been established ; though the de- 
 cision in favor of Annapolis in 1845 had no connection with it. 
 
 In the second annual message, December 5, 1826, the 
 President again suggested the expediency of establishing a 
 school, together with other improvements in the naval organ- 
 ization. By this time the attention of Congress, or at least 
 of the Naval Committees, had become aroused, and a bill 
 for the gradual improvement of the Navy was introduced in 
 the Senate,* embracing several measures, and especially the 
 foundation of an academy. It was wider in its scope than the 
 bill of the last session, and less specific in its details, giving am- 
 pler powers to the President, and leaving more to his discretion. 
 It met with warm opposition, and led to many spirited de- 
 bates, in which the proposed academy was advocated with 
 great eloquence and ability by Robert Y. Hayne, of South 
 Carolina, the projector of the bill, and by others, especially 
 General William H. Harrison, Asher Robbins, of Rhode 
 Island, and Samuel Smith, of Maryland. It passed the Sen- 
 ate, but the House made several amendments, one of which, 
 to strike out the clauses relating to the academy, was carried 
 by a vote of 86 to 78. The Senate refused to agree to any of 
 the amendments, except the one mentioned, which was carried 
 by a vote of 22 to 21. The House finally yielded the other 
 
 * February 15, 1827. Gales & Seaton, iii, 348, 379, 501, 506-524, 
 1363, 1500. 
 
22 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Past I, 
 
 points, and the bill in its modified form became a law. But 
 for this majority of one in the Senate, the academy might 
 now be in its fiftieth instead of its thirtieth year of existence. 
 
 At the opening of the next Congress, Secretary Southard 
 again "respectfully but earnestly" presented the subject of 
 a naval school to the consideration of the Government. He 
 said : * " The reason for the preference of the Army over the 
 Navy in this respect is not perceived;" a statement which no 
 one could controvert. The President in his message reiter- 
 ated with still greater emphasis the old arguments :t 
 
 "The establishment of a naval academy, furnishing the 
 means of theoretic instruction to the youths who devote their 
 lives to the service of their country upon the ocean, still 
 solicits the sanction of the Legislature. Practical seamanship 
 and the art of navigation may be acquired upon the cruises 
 of the squadrons which, from time to -time, are dispatched 
 to different seas ; but a competent knowledge even of the art 
 of ship-building, the higher mathematics, and astronomy ; the 
 literature which "can place our officers on a level of polished 
 education with the officers of other maritime nations ; . the 
 knowledge of the laws, municipal and national, which, in their 
 intercourse with foreign states and their governments^ are 
 continually called into operation ; and, above all,^ that ac- 
 quaintance with the principles of honor and justice, with the 
 higher obligations of morals, and of general laws, human and 
 divine, which constitute the great distinction between the 
 warrior-patriot and the licensed robber and pirate ; these can 
 be systematically taught and eminently acquired only in a 
 permanent school, stationed 'upon the shore, and provided 
 with the teachers, the instruments, and the books adapted to 
 
 *American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 3, p. 54. 
 t Third Annual Message, December 4, 1827. Gales & Seaton, ii, p 
 2784. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD A'AVY.' 23 
 
 the communication of the principles of these respective sci- 
 ences to the youthful and inquiring mind." 
 
 No action followed the message, and the Navy remained 
 without a school. In 1829, when Jackson became President, 
 John Branch succeeded Southard as Secretary of the Navy. 
 In two successive reports he called attention to the want of 
 a school, but without success. In the -first annual report on 
 the condition of the Navy,* December i, 1829, he brought 
 forward some new arguments in its favor. " The establish- 
 ment of schools for the junior officers of the Navy, in the 
 various branches of science appertaining to their profession 
 has so often been recommended to the favorable considera- 
 tion of Congress, and has so uniformly been passed by with- 
 out obtaining their sanction, that it is with reluctance that the 
 subject is again introduced to their notice. A firm behef, 
 however, that its tendency would be to qualify them for a 
 better discharge of the high trust, which may, at some future 
 day, devolve upon them in their capacities as commanders, 
 forms a sufficient motive for renewing the recommendation. 
 It has been remarked by a naval officer of much experience 
 and observation that no inconvenience in the Navy is more 
 sensibly felt than the general ignorance of the officers of 
 foreign languages, in addition to which there is often great 
 difficulty in procuring competent and proper persons to act in 
 their ships of war as interpreters and linguists ; nor has any 
 allowance ever been made by Congress for the pay and sub- 
 sistence of such persons. The perplexities and disadvantages 
 under which our officers are placed by these circumstances 
 may readily be conceived. They are brought into contact 
 during their cruises with nations speaking different languages ; 
 subject to be drawn into correspondence with the authorities 
 of different places ; under the necessity often to board vessels 
 
 * American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 3, p. 350. 
 
24 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 of other nations for the purpose of examining their papers 
 and documents ; and often without the ability to understand 
 their import and tendency. In time of war valuable prizes 
 are lost from an inability to translate their papers and to de- 
 tect covered property and simulated documents ; unnecessary 
 and illegal detentions of vessels are made, and consequent 
 damages obtained from the Government. 
 
 "The schools which have been employed at New York* 
 and Norfolk in the instruction of midshipmen in the element- 
 ary branches of mathematics have been mere temporary 
 arrangements made by the Department, and have never 
 been fostered or recognized by law. Their introduction into 
 use has not been effected by means very regular or direct, 
 but they have been tolerated by Government, having been 
 found useful, notwithstanding the very limited range of 
 instruction afforded by them. It is respectfully proposed 
 that, until some better system can be matured, these schools 
 be authorized by law, and that such appropriation be made 
 for their extension and support as will enable young officers 
 to acquire a knowledge of such foreign languages as may be 
 important for them to possess in the future pursuit of their 
 profession." 
 
 In his next annual reportt Secretary Branch used the same 
 strong arguments, dwelling specially upon the necessity of 
 giving naval officers a thorough training in international 
 law and in the law of courts-martial; and he contrasted 
 ■ forcibly the elaborate school which had been given to the 
 Army, with the pitiful provision of twenty-five dollars per 
 month allowed to the schoolmasters on board the larger 
 ships of war; but all to no purpose. 
 
 * The Naval Register for the years 1827 and 1828 mentions nine chap- 
 lains in the service, and one of them is specified as being on duty at the 
 " naval school, New York." 
 
 t See Appendix A, where the extract is given in full. 
 
Chap. I. 
 
 EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 
 
 Three years afterwards, when Secretary Woodbury was at 
 the head of the Navy Department, " A bill relative to naval 
 schools " was introduced in the House by the Naval Commit- 
 tee.* The object of the bill was not to establish any new sys- 
 tem of instruction, but to make the existing system more effi- 
 cient. It appears from the report of the committee that there 
 were at this time three " naval schools,"! as they were called, 
 in existence, connected with the navy-yards at Boston, New 
 York, and Norfolk. Attached to each were one or two instruct- 
 ors and a few pupils. The Department had lately issued an 
 order (so called in the report, but more properly a suggestion) to 
 all midshipmen not otherwise employed to repair to one of these 
 schools to receive instruction ; but as there was no provision 
 for allowing them traveling expenses, few had taken advan- 
 tage of it. This difficulty the new bill proposed to remove, 
 
 * See Appendix B for report of committee and drauglit of bill. 
 t See American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 4, 486. 
 
 Statement of the actual condition of the naval schools as at present or- 
 ganized^ the number and character of the professors employed^ of youths 
 instructed, and the annual expenditures to maintain them, December, 
 1833- 
 
 Number and character of 
 
 Number of 
 youths in- 
 structed. 
 
 Annual expenses. 
 
 
 professors. 
 
 Pay,&c. 
 
 Contingencies. 
 
 
 BOSTON, 
 
 One teacher of mathematics 
 and languages. 
 
 NEW YORK. 
 
 One teacher of mathemat-"] 
 ics. 'r 
 
 One teacherof languages. J 
 
 NORFOLK. 
 
 One teacher of mathematics 
 
 6 
 31 
 
 $981 75 
 
 98^ 75 
 662 50 
 
 981 75 
 
 Small amount 
 for books, in- 
 struments, and 
 stationery. 
 Quarters o r 
 rooms are fur- 
 nished in re- 
 ceiving-ships. 
 
 Since the late 
 order the num- 
 bers will, at the 
 
 ■ endofthisquar- 
 ter, probably 
 be more than 
 doubled. 
 
26 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 as well as that which arose from the want of competent 
 teachers and from the low rate of compensation. It provided 
 that the chaplains and schoolmasters should receive $1,200 
 a year, and that the former should be required, in addition 
 to the duties novr imposed upon them, to instruct the junior 
 officers in mathematics, in natural and moral philosophy, in 
 history, and in such other branches of science as might be 
 deemed by the Secretary best calculated to advance the in- 
 terests of the service. 
 
 The tendency of this measure was to increase the faults of 
 the old system, by giving the chaplain more work that was 
 foreign to his profession, about which even the best chaplain 
 Could not be presumed to know much. Teaching was still 
 to be given largely at sea; and the shore-schools were to be 
 carried on without any uniform system or careful supervision. 
 The bill failed to meet with hearty support, even from the 
 Secretary, and it led to nothing. 
 
 Next year, however, one feature of it was adopted — that 
 J-elating to the pay of instructors. In the act to regulate the 
 pay of the Navy,* the compensation of professors of mathe- 
 matics, when attached to vessels for sea-service, or in a yard, 
 was fixed at $1,200; and from this period dates the first 
 connection of some of the more eminent men of that corps 
 with the service. Secretary Dickerson, in his report t on the 
 condition of the Navy in the following December, spoke ot 
 the importance of the change, and of the regulations which 
 had been adopted with a view to getting the best men for 
 the vacant professorships. He pointed to the need of an 
 institution, and suggested sending a class of 100 midshipmen 
 to West Point to receive scientific instruction. This sug- 
 gestion was never acted upon ; the schools wgre continued 
 
 * Approved March 3, 1835, Statutes at Large, 4. 
 t See Appendix C for extract in full. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 27 
 
 at the navy-yards, and schoolmasters (or professors, as they 
 were usually called) were ordered to sea. The number of 
 ■ teachers was not fixed by law, and it varied according to the 
 wants of the service and the balance of the contingent fund 
 of the naval appropriation.* 
 
 The inducements of higher pay secured the services of 
 good men as teachers, but they had no better opportunities 
 than their predecessors. They continued to be the compan- 
 ions of their pupils, until by a special act of Congress,! passed 
 solely for this purpose in 1842, it was provided that professors 
 of mathematics in the Navy should be entitled to live and 
 mess with the lieutenants of sea-going and receiving vessels. 
 
 Before this time the officers of the Navy had themselves 
 set on foot a movement to bring the wants of the service to 
 the notice of Congress. A meeting of officers was held on 
 board the U. S. S. Constitution^ and an earnest protest was sent 
 to the Secretary of the Navy. The resolutions were signed by 
 fifty-five officers, several of whom are still in the service, and 
 among them the present Vice-Admiral of the Navy. The 
 report of the proceedings, transmitted to the Senate April 
 23, 1836, is given in full :% 
 
 " At a meeting of the commissioned and warrant officers 
 of the United States Ship Constitution, held on board for the 
 purpose of concerting measures to effect the establishment of 
 a naval academy, the following preamble and resolutions 
 were unanimously agreed to : 
 
 " Whereas, having ever felt the most ardent desire to prose- 
 cute successfully the profession to which we are devoted, to 
 advance the interests of the Navy, and to perpetuate the 
 comhiercial prosperity of our common country, consigned in 
 
 * The table given on page — will show the extent of this variation. 
 
 + Approved August 31, 1842. 
 
 t From the copy in American State Papers, Naval Affairs, 4, 884. 
 
2& THE NAVAL ACADEMY. PaM I. 
 
 part to our safe-keeping; and taught by the experience of the 
 past that neither industry nor talent can spare the advantages 
 offered by early education, earnestly desirous of the means of 
 securing it, and deploring the inadequacy of the existing 
 system to accomplish either the object of the Government or 
 to meet our heartfelt wishes for professional instruction, and 
 believing, as we do, that a respectful representation of the 
 anxious hopes which the entire Navy have ventured to indulge 
 for so many years, and to the consummation of which they 
 look with the deepest interest, will receive the consideration 
 to which so excellent an object is entitled, and find from 
 liberal authorities that indulgence which is ever acceded to 
 generous aspirations and laudable exertions; we have, there- 
 fore, 
 
 " I. Resolved, That we deem education to be of peculiar 
 importance to the sea-officer, and that amid the progressive 
 improvements in the arts and sciences which distinguish the 
 present age the military marine would be most conspicuous 
 if guided in its advance by the lights of education. 
 
 " 2. Resolved, That we look to the establishment of a naval 
 school as the only means of imparting to the officers of the 
 Navy that elementary instruction in scientific knowledge 
 which at the present day has become almost indispensable 
 to the military seaman. 
 
 " 3. Resolved, That from circumstances arising in part from 
 professional causes, the ship's schoolmaster can rarely, if ever, 
 impart such elementary or scientific knowledge, or advance 
 the education of the naval officer, and that were the office 
 absolutely abolished (of so little utility is it) that no evil 
 would arise therefrom. 
 
 "4. Resolved, That believing the expense incurred by Gov- 
 ernment in providing ships' schoolmasters and professors of 
 mathematics for the benefit of the junior officers of the Navy 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. , 29 
 
 (and from which little or no advantage is derived) would 
 liberally sustain a scientific institution, we should see with 
 pleasure said funds directed to the establishment and sup- 
 port of a naval school. 
 
 " 5. Resolved, That copies of these proceedings be furnished 
 to the Secretary of the Navy, with a request that he will 
 lend his countenance and support to our undertaking. 
 
 " 6. Resolved, That we will severally and collectively use 
 our most strenuous exertions to effect an object so dear .to 
 us, and which promises to confer so much dignity upon the 
 Navy, so much honor on our beloved country. 
 
 " 7. Resolved, That a committee of ten be appointed to 
 take charge of the subject, and conduct it to its final dis- 
 position. 
 
 "8. .^«i?/wa^. That the Secretary of the Navy be requested 
 to lay a copy of the foregoing resolutions before the Presi- 
 dent of the United States, and that a copy of them be sent 
 to the chairman of the Committee on Naval Affairs in the 
 Senate and in the House of Representatives. 
 
 "J. B. MONTGOMERY, Lieutenant. 
 
 "F. ELLERY, Lieutenant. 
 
 "ISAAC BRINCKERHOFF, Assistant Surgeon. 
 
 " EDW. C. RUTLEDGE, Lieutenant. 
 
 " G. F. PEARSON, Lieutenant. 
 
 "JAMES FERGUSON, Master. 
 
 "THOMAS THEO. .SLOAN, Lieutenant Marines. 
 
 "»LEVIN MYNN POWELL, Lieutenant, {nma Rear- Admiral.) 
 
 "THOMAS I. BOYD, Surgeon. 
 
 "JAMES EVERETT, Chaplain. 
 
 "HENRY ETTING, Purser. 
 
 "JOS. L. C. HARDY, Lieutenant U. S. M. C. 
 
 "MONTGOMERY LEWIS, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "J. W. REVERE, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 " CHAS. CRILLON BARTON, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 * The names starred are those of officers still in the service. 
 
3° 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Tart I. 
 
 "JAMES B. LEWIS, Midshipman. 
 
 "R. LLOYD TILGHMAN, Midshipman. 
 
 "JNO. N. MKFYTT, Midshipman. 
 
 " GEO. T. SINCLAIR, Midshipman. 
 
 "GEO. W. RANDOLPH, Midshipman. 
 
 "JOHN F. MERCER, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "* FRANCIS S. HAGGERTY, Midshipman, {now Captain.) 
 
 "B. r. SHATTUCK, Midshipman. 
 
 "*JOHN M. BERRIEN, Passed Midshipman, {now Commodore.') 
 
 " JAMES L. HENDERSON, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 " JAMES W. COOKE, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "•WILLIAM RONCKENDORFF, Midshipman, {nmi Commo- 
 dore. ) 
 
 "E. E. ROGERS, Midshipman. 
 
 "•STEPHEN D. TRENCHARD, Midshipman, {now Rear-Ad- 
 mi ml.) 
 
 "A. HUBLEY JENKINS, Midshipman. 
 
 " W. T. MUSE, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "JAMES F. DUNCAN, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "FREDERICK OAKES, Jr., Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "W. C. NICHOLSON, Lieutenant. 
 
 " F. A. NEVILLE, Lieutenant. 
 
 "'CHARLES STEEDMAN, Passed Midshipman, {noxu Rear-Ad- 
 miral. ) 
 
 " FRANCIS P. HOBAN, Midshipman. 
 
 " 'WILLIAM RADFORD, Passed Midshipman, {nmu Rear-Ad^ 
 miral.) 
 
 " ROBERT WOODWORTH, Assistant Surgeon. 
 
 " The undersigned, officers of the Unifed States ship Van- 
 dalia, concur entirely in the above preanible and resolutions.. 
 
 " THOMAS T. WEBB, Master, Commandant. 
 
 " ISAAC N. BROWN. Midshipman. 
 
 "EDWIN A. DRAKE, Midshipman. 
 
 "•R. N. STEMBEL, Midshipman, {now Rear-Admiral.) 
 
 " FAYETTE MEYNARD, Midshipman. 
 
 •"S. C. ROWAN, Acting Master, {noio Vice- Admiral of the Na-jy .), 
 
 '• WILLIAM M. WALKER, Passed Midshipman. 
 
 "C. A. HASSLER, Assistant Surgeon. 
 
 "E. T. DOUGHTY, Lieutenant. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 31 
 
 "THOS. W. GUMMING, Midshipman. 
 '■WILLIAM PLUMSTEAD, Surgeon. 
 "E. MUSSON, Midshipman. 
 " FRANCIS ALEXANDER, Midshipman. 
 "M. C. WATKINS, Midshipman. 
 "WILLIAM SMITH, Lieutenant. 
 "JAMES BROOKS, Purser:' 
 
 The resolutions were transmitted by the Secretary of the 
 Navy to Congress, and the Naval Committee of the Senate, 
 of which Ex-Secretary Southard was a prominent member,, 
 made a favorable report.* The report was similar in argu- 
 ment and expression to many of the reports made by South- 
 ard on the same subject when Secretary; but, like so many 
 earlier efforts at legislation, it failed to produce any result,, 
 partly from party opposition, and partly from a dread of the 
 expense it might possibly entail upon the Government. 
 
 In 1838 the Secretary of the Navy, J. K. Paulding, in his 
 annual report, dated November 30, again mentioned the 
 subject : 
 
 "The subject of a naval academy has been more than once 
 presented for consideration. Such an institution is earnestly 
 desired by the officers of the Navy, and it is believed would 
 greatly conduce to the benefit of the service generally. The 
 propriety of affording young midshipmen the means and 
 opportunities for the acquisition of. that knowledge and those 
 sciences which are either absolutely necessary or highly use- 
 ful to their profession, would seem to have been recognized 
 by Congress in the liberal provision for teachers and profess- 
 ors of mathematics on board our ships of war and at the 
 principal navy-yards. Those, however, who have had the 
 best opportunities for observing the practical operation of 
 this system are of opinion that it does not answer the pur- 
 
 * May 16, 1836. See Appendix D. 
 
32 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 poses for which it was intended, and that other/and more 
 effectual means are required." 
 
 In March, 1839, the first appropriation was made for build- 
 ing three steam-vessels for the Navy.* This was the begin- 
 ning of a change in the motive-power of vessels that was 
 destined to revolutionize the methods of naval warfare and 
 the character of the naval profession. The skillful handling 
 of a ship under sail was the chief accomplishment of the old 
 sea-captain, and could be learned nowhere so weU as on the 
 deck of the vessel itself; and a certain period of sea-training 
 early in life was necessary to make a successful officer. By 
 the introduction of steam, though practical seamanship was 
 still an essential, other things were superadded with which a 
 naval officer must be familiar if he would assist instead of 
 retarding the development of his profession. The progress 
 of science was to have a new interest and a new importance 
 for him. Hence, if the school was a want of the service 
 before, it now became a necessity. Though schoolmasters 
 might have been able to teach young officers something 
 of the theory of navigation at sea, and chaplains to supply 
 in some measure the defects in the early education of mid- 
 shipmen, when stationed for a few months at a navy-yard, it 
 was not to be supposed that either of these classes of teachers, 
 situated as they were, could give even an empirical knowl- 
 edge of the laws of physics or the workings of marine engines. 
 Accordingly, the Secretary of the Navy, Abel P. Upshur, in 
 1841, called attention once more to the urgent need of a 
 naval school : t 
 
 "The propriety of estabUshing naval schools has frequently 
 been submitted to the consideration of Congress. I again 
 
 * Approved March 3, 1839. 
 
 t Executive Documents, Twenty-seventh Congres?, second session, No. 
 2, p. 364. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 33 
 
 respectfully bring it to your notice, as a subject of increasing 
 interest to the Navy. The use of steam-vessels in war will 
 render necessary a different order of scientific knowledge 
 from that which has heretofore been required. This impor- 
 tant objfect can be best attained by the establishment of naval 
 schools, provided with the necessary means of uniting practice 
 with theory. The advantages which the Array has derived 
 from the Academy at West Point afford a sufficient proof 
 that a similar institution for the Navy would produce like 
 results. 
 
 "The professors of mathematics have no permanent con- 
 nection with the Navy, but are called in only as their serv- 
 ices are needed, and are not paid except when on actual 
 duty. The consequence is that they cannot rely on this 
 employment for support, and are often reluctantly driven to 
 other pursuits. It is to be presumed that men whose talents 
 and attainments qualify them to be teachers in the Navy are 
 equally qualified to be teachers on land; and as this latter is 
 the less precarious position, the best qualified will be the most 
 apt to seek it. Hence the Department cannot rely with any 
 assurance on being able to command suitable professors at 
 all times when their services may be required. It is, I think, 
 of great importance, that some provision should be made on 
 this subject. I also recommend that a certain rank or posi- 
 tion be given to the professors, which will relieve them frotn 
 the necessity of messing and sleeping with their pupils.* 
 This close and constant association is well calculated to 
 weaken the respect and influence which their relation to the 
 young officers ought to inspire, and which is necessary to 
 give due effect to their instructions. I doubt whether their 
 services upon the present system are worth the money which 
 
 * This objection to the position of professor was removed, as has been 
 already stated, in the following summer. 
 3 
 
34 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 they cost, although they would be highly valuable under 
 proper regulations.'' 
 
 In the following August * a bill was introduced in the Sen- 
 ate to establish five naval schools, at unoccupied fortifications 
 to be transferred from the War Department to the Navy. 
 After a short discussion, the bill was amended so as to pro- 
 vide for only one school, at some fortification near Fortress 
 Monroe. In this form it passed easily by a large majority, 
 only five Senators voting in the negative, t Congress, how- 
 ever, adjourned soon afterwards, and the bill was never reached 
 in the House. 
 
 In his annual report of December, 1842, Secretary Upshur 
 called attention to the need of statutory enactments provid- 
 ing for the selection and appointment of midshipmen : " The 
 Department has been left free to appoint whom it pleased, 
 and as many as it pleased, without any law whatever to guide 
 y regulate its judgment.'' 
 
 As a remedy for the existing evils, he proposed : 
 
 "i. The naval establishment shall be fixed by law, ascer- 
 taining the number of officers to be allowed in each grade. * * 
 
 "2. There should be established proper naval schools on 
 shore. Little or no attention has hitherto been paid to the 
 proper education of naval officers. Through a long course of 
 years the young midshipmen were left to educate themselves 
 and one another; and it is creditable to them that they lost few 
 opportunities of doing so. Suitable teachers are now pro- 
 vided for them ; but their schools are kept in receiving-ships 
 and cruising-vessels, in the midst of a thousand interruptions 
 and impediments, which render the whole system of little or 
 
 * Debated August 8 and 9, 1842. See Benton's Abridgment of Debates, 
 xiv, p. 478. 
 
 t Executive Document, Twenty-seventh Congress, third session, No. 2, 
 p. 539 et seq. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD XAVY. 35 
 
 no value. Under such circumstances, the foundation of a 
 solid education can rarely be laid. This subject was brought 
 to the attention of Congress at its last session; I again ear- 
 nestly recommend it. The schools shall be established at such 
 of the old military fortifications on the seaboard as may afford 
 suitable accommodations, and as may not be required by the 
 War Department. The officers and teachers shall be sup- 
 plied from those actually in the naval service, and all nautical 
 instruments, boats for practice, &c., shall be furnished from 
 the Navy." 
 
 In continuation, he dwelt upon the fact that the West 
 Point cadets were furnished with an education which naval 
 officers lacked, thiaugh the latter " need it much more, and have 
 fewer opportunities." 
 
 The evil alluded to in regard to the selection of midship- 
 men had long existed, and steps had been taken to remove 
 it. By an act approved August 4, 1842, the appointment of 
 midshipmen had been limited to the number in the service on 
 the ist of January, 1841,* beyond which they were not to 
 be increased till the further order of Congress ; but no pro- 
 vision was made for their distribution. As a consequence, 
 certain sections of the country were far more highly favored 
 than others.t This was corrected by a clause in the appro- 
 priation bill approved March 3, 1845, providing that mid- 
 shipmen should be appointed from each State and Territory 
 in proportion to the number of Representatives and Delegates, 
 the appointee being an actual resident of the State from 
 which he was appointed. As it was impossible for the Secretary 
 
 » Modified by act 3d August, 1848, so as to extend to 464 midshipmen. 
 
 + According to a statement of Mr. Everett, in a debate on the naval 
 appropriation bill in the House of Representatives, May 13, 1842, out 
 of 158 midshipmen appointed in the past year, 31 were from Virginia, 20 
 from the District of Columbia, and 19 from Maryland. See Army and 
 Navy Chronicle for May 31, 1842. 
 
36 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 of the Navy to know much about the. inhabitants of each 
 congressional district, he naturally came to rely somewhat 
 upon the testimony of the member representing the district in 
 regard to the fitness of an appUcant for appointment. From 
 this it was an easy step to the present system, legalized by the 
 act of August 31, 1852, by which no one can be appointed a 
 midshipman except on the recommendation of the member 
 of Congress representing the district in which the applicant 
 resides. This system had already been adopted in making 
 appointments of cadets at West Point. 
 
 Between 1842 and 1845 the subject of improved instruc- 
 tion for the Navy came constantly before the public, in the- 
 shape of bills introduced in Congress, petitions, reports of the 
 Secretary of the Navy, and articles in the newspapers.* The 
 existing system of schools at the navy-yards and on ship- 
 board was the object of much unfavorable criticism, as well 
 as the corps of professors itself. 
 
 Early in 1844,1 Senator Bayard introduced a bill providing 
 for the establishment of schools of instruption in the naval 
 service, and two weeks later | the same Senator presented 
 a memorial from the officers of the United States Ship 
 Vincennes, praying that the office of professor of mathematics 
 be abolished and that naval schools of instruction be 
 established in its stead. About the same time a report § on 
 the organization of the Navy, prepared by Commodore 
 Charles Stewart, was transmitted to Congress by the Secre- 
 tary of the Navy. Commodore Stewart advocated a school 
 with a limited course of instruction, with special reference to 
 
 • See files of the Madisonian, the Southern Literary Messenger, and 
 Army and Navy Chronicle, for these years. 
 
 + January 23. See Army and Navy Chronicle February I, 1844. 
 X February 3. Army and Navy Chronicle February 8, 1844. 
 § February. I, 1844. Army and Navy Chronicle April 4, 1844. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 37 
 
 mathematics, languages, international law, and the principles 
 and mechanism of the steam-engine. 
 
 The position of the professors was still in many respects 
 unfortunate. They had no rank, and only within two years 
 had they been quartered apart from their pupils ; and their 
 pay was intermitted when they were not actually performing 
 duty. * This point is of importance, as it had a direct bear- 
 ing upon the foundation of the Naval Academy, and was in 
 this way a fortunate thing for the service ; but it made a 
 serious reduction in the compensation of professors, and com- 
 pelled them to take short and infrequent vacations. 
 
 In 1842 Mr. Fessenden had introduced a bill in the House 
 to give professors commissions with rank and continuous pay; 
 thus placing them on the same footing as the pursers, sur- 
 geons, and other staff-officers; but the attempt failed at that 
 time. For six years the professors kept up their efforts to 
 improve their position ; and finally, in 1848, an act was passed 
 limiting their number to twelve, and giving them the privi- 
 leges they had asked for.t 
 
 In the mean time other changes had taken place which had 
 a direct influence upon the reform. In 1840, the professors 
 on duty at the four great naval stations were employed at 
 
 * See a letter of " A Veteran Professor " on this subject in the Army 
 and Navy Chronicle December 9, 1841. 
 
 t "An act making appropriations for the naval service," approved 
 August 3, 1848, % 12, Statutes at Large, 9, p. 272, provides: 
 
 "That the number of professors of mathematics in the Navy shall not 
 exceed twelve ; that they shall be appointed and commissioned by the 
 President of the United States, by and with the advice and consent 
 of the Senate, and shall perform such duties as may be assigned them by 
 order of the Secretary of the Navy, at the naval school, the Observatory, 
 and on board ships of war, in instructing the midshipmen of the Navy 
 or otherwise ; that when on duty, the pay of a professor of mathematics 
 shall be at the rate of $1,500 per annum, with a ration, and when on 
 leave or woiling orders, $800." 
 
38 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 the receiving-ships in giving midshipmen their final prepara- 
 tion before the examination for promotion, which was held 
 every summer. This examination was chiefly in seamanship 
 and navigation, and was conducted by a board of naval offi- 
 cers of high rank. One of the professors, Mr. McClure, was 
 at the Naval Asylum in Philadelphia. In 1841,* McClure 
 dying, WilUam Chauvenet, who had just been appointed a 
 professor, was ordered to succeed him. Chauvenet showed 
 so much ability and met with such marked success, that it was 
 decided to close the other schools gradually and to discon- 
 tinue all shore instruction elsewhere. A French instructor t 
 was akeady attached to the Philadelphia school, and in 
 1844 Lieut. J. H. Ward and Prof. Henry H. Lockwood were 
 ordered there, to instruct in gunnery and kindred branches. 
 The midshipmen preparing for examination were now sent, 
 as far as possible, to Philadelphia, but the attendance was 
 voluntary, and there was little or no discipline. The instruct- 
 ors were able men, but the school had no organization. Pro- 
 fessor Chauvenet had charge of the instruction in mathematics 
 and navigation, and Lieutenant Ward of that in gunnery, 
 while Professor Lockwood, a graduate of West Point, and 
 previously an Army officer, occasionally relieved both the 
 other instructors. Gunnery was not required at the examina- 
 tion for promotion, so that Lieutenant Ward could only 
 depend upon the interest he might arouse and the desire of 
 his pupils to learn as an incentive to exertion. His first 
 lecture, delivered early in 1844, was full of earnest advice 
 to the midshipmen, and pointed out with great force and 
 clearness the importance of scientific study to the young 
 naval officer. It is well worth reading, as showing the spirit 
 
 * Perhaps early in 1842, as his name appears in the Register of that 
 year. 
 
 t Called in the Register a professor of mathematics. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 39 
 
 which prompted the movement for a higher education in the 
 service.* 
 
 At this time (1844), there were in the service fourteen 
 professors at sea, one at Boston, one at Norfolk, three at Phila- 
 ladelphia, and three on special service. There were also three 
 teachers of languages, employed respectively at Boston, New 
 York, and Norfolk. 
 
 The yearly cost of maintaining this force was as follows : 
 
 22 professors, at $1,200 $26,400 
 
 3 teachers of languages, at $624 i, 872 
 
 Total 28,272 
 
 This money was not appropriated by Congress specifically 
 for this purpose, but was considered in the estimates for the 
 yearly appropriation bill ; and it was the custom of the Depart- 
 ment to take this amount from the pay of the Navy and from 
 the allowance for contingent expenses, putting its expenditure 
 in a separate item of "Instruction." Owing to the fact that 
 professors received no pay when off duty, the amount ex- 
 pended in any year might be reduced or increased by placing 
 a greater or less number of professors on waiting orders. 
 Thus in 1845, when two professors were waiting orders, the 
 sum allowed for instruction remained the same as in 1844, 
 while the amount spent was reduced. 
 
 The following tables show the number and assignment of 
 professors and teachers from 1835 to 1850, inclusive, being 
 made up from data furnished by the Navy Registers for six- 
 teen successive years ; 
 
 * See Army and Navy Chronicle, May 30, 1844, where the lecture is 
 given in full. 
 
40 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Part I. 
 
 Table i. — 1835-1842. 
 
 PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS. 
 
 
 1835- 
 
 1836. 
 
 1837- 
 
 1838. 
 
 1839. 
 
 J840. 
 
 184Z. 
 
 L842. 
 
 
 I 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 1 
 1 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 I 
 2 
 
 8 
 3 
 
 
 New York 
 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 At sea 
 
 
 2 
 
 I 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 2 
 
 
 9 
 
 I 
 
 13 
 
 4 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total 
 
 3 
 
 ' 
 
 9 
 
 ir 
 
 14 
 
 15 
 
 16 
 
 
 
 
 TEACHERS OF LANGUAGES. 
 
 
 183s. 
 
 1836. 
 
 1837- 
 
 1838. 
 
 1839. 
 
 1840. 
 
 184I. 
 
 1B42. 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 
 I 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 New York 
 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 1 
 
 I 
 1 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 Z 
 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 Total 
 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 I 
 
 3 
 
 
 1837. John H. C. Coffin appointed January 23, 1836, 
 
 1838. J. C. Fremont appointed April 4, 1837. 
 
 1840. D. McClure appointed June 17, 1839. 
 1B41. M. Yarnall appointed February 1, 1839. 
 
 1841. J. Meiere appointed November g, 1840. 
 
 1842. M. H. Beecher appointed June 14, 1841. 
 
 1842. H. H. Lockwood appointed November 4, 1841, 
 1842. W.Chauvenet appointed December 30, 1841. 
 
 McClure appears last in Register for 1842. The first date indicates the Register 
 in which the name first appears. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 
 
 41 
 
 Table 2. — 1843-1850. 
 
 PROFESSORS OF MATHEMATICS. 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 1844. 
 
 1845. 
 
 1846. 
 
 1847. 
 
 1848. 
 
 1849. 
 
 1850. 
 
 
 J 
 I 
 I 
 2 
 
 I 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 New York 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Norfolk 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Naval School, Philadelphia . . 
 
 
 I 
 
 - 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 7 
 3 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 2 
 5 
 11 
 
 22 
 
 4 
 2 
 2 
 13 
 
 5 
 2 
 
 T 
 12 
 
 T 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14 
 
 4 
 
 14 
 
 9 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 
 Total 1 
 
 23 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 22 
 
 21 
 
 12 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 
 TEACHERS OF LANGUAGES. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1843. 
 
 1S44. 
 
 .1845- 
 
 1846. 
 
 1847. 
 
 1848. 
 
 1849. 
 
 1850. 
 
 Boston 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 I 
 I 
 
 I 
 I 
 
 £ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 New York 
 
 
 
 
 ■ 
 
 
 Norfolk . 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 
 Total. 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 3 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 
 The provision for instruction in the Navy for the ten years- 
 before the foundation of the Naval School may be clearly 
 seen from these tables. They illustrate all the faults of the 
 system. Instead of concentrating the force, and thereby 
 giving it strength and unity and the basis of an efficient 
 organization, it was spread out in fragments at navy-yards, 
 and, worse still, in cruising-ships. The increase of the force 
 had led to no corresponding improvement of results. The 
 intermission of pay prevented stability in the corps, and the 
 
42 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 prolessors designated as being on waiting orders might as 
 well have been omitted from the Register, as far as their con- 
 nection with the service was concerned. 
 
 Such was the state of affairs in 1845, when George Bancroft 
 became Secretary of the Navy. His own profound scholarship, 
 his rich and varied culture, and his personal familiarity with 
 educational methods, enabled him to appreciate the want of the 
 service and to devise a way in which it might be supplied. 
 To him the Navy owes the foundation of the Naval Academy. 
 He saw, as his predecessors had also seen, that a dozen sep- 
 arate schools without organization or intelligent supervision, 
 constituted as appendages to navy-yards and sea-going men-of- 
 war, could produce no satisfactory results. He had seen, more- 
 over, the failure of many efforts at legislation with a view to re- 
 forming the system. But he discovered what those before him 
 had failed to see, that with him lay the authority to remedy the 
 evils, and that the means were already provided. By placing 
 a large number of the professors upon waiting orders — that 
 is, by dispensing with their services — a large part of the 
 annual outlay* for instruction might be saved ; and by concen- 
 trating a few of the best men of the corps of instructors at a 
 suitable place, a school might be formed with an independent 
 organization. 
 
 On the 2d of June, 1845, a board of officers convened at 
 the Philadelphia Naval Asylum for the examination of mid- 
 shipmen entitled to promotion.t This board was composed 
 of Commodores George C. Read, Thomas Ap Catesby Jones, 
 and Matthew C. Perry, and Captains E. A. F. Lavallette and 
 Isaac Mayo. 
 
 In addition to the examination of midshipmen, the Secre- 
 tary gave them certain dutie s as an advisory board to make 
 
 * $28,200. See page 39. 
 
 t Niles's Register, 68, p. 276. 
 
Chap. I. EpUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 
 
 43 
 
 suggestions in regard to a naval school. His instructions 
 were given in the letter which follows : 
 
 Secretary Bancroft to the Board of Examiners* 
 
 "Navy Department, 
 " Washington, y^une 13, 1845. 
 
 "Sir: I desire the assistance of your board in maturing a 
 more efficient system of instruction for the young naval offi- 
 cers. The opportunity which your present arduous and respon- 
 sible duties as examiners of the school afford you of giving 
 practical and useful advice leads me to solicit your co-opera- 
 tion by as full a communication of your opinion as is con- 
 sistent with your convenience. 
 
 " Fort Severn has been recommended to me as a more suita- 
 ble place for such a school than the Naval Asylum, especially 
 as a vessel could be stationed there to serve as a school in 
 gunnery. 
 
 "The present term of instruction is too short. Might it not 
 be well to have permanent instruction, and to send all mid- 
 shipmen on shore to the school ? What plan of studies is 
 most advisable ? I hope your board will find time and will 
 be disposed to aid me by their suggestions. 
 
 " I wish, also, that they would nominate for my considera- 
 tion a board of three experienced officers, whose qualifica- 
 tions incline them to give long-continued attention to this 
 subject, and who could have the permanency necessary to 
 assist me, until a plan can be matured. If from your own 
 number you would select such a board, or would take a 
 wider scope in your selection, it would be acceptable to me. 
 " I am, respectfully, yours, 
 
 "GEORGE BANCROFT. 
 
 " Commodore Geo. C. Read, 
 
 "President Board of Examiners, &fc., Philadelphia, Fa." 
 * From the copy in the Navy Department. 
 
44 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 In compliance with these directions, the board gave the 
 subject a fuller and more exact discussion than it had ever 
 had before from any official body. In the course of their 
 deliberations they called on the professors at the Asylum for 
 advice, and the conclusions reached were drawn up in an 
 elaborate report. 
 
 KEPORT OF THE BOARD OF EXAMINERS.* 
 
 " U. S. Naval Asylum, 
 ^'■Philadelphia, J-une 25, 1845. 
 
 "Sir: Your communication of the i3tli instant, addressed 
 to Commodore Geo. C. Read, calling on the Board of Ex- 
 aminers of Midshipmen for the present year to render the 
 assistance of its members 'in maturing a more efficient 
 system of instruction for the young naval officers,' has been 
 received and respectfully considered, and, after due consulta- 
 tion and mutual interchange of opinion, the undersigned beg 
 leave to make the following report : 
 
 I " Three of the undersigned are ignorant of the precise situation 
 of Fort Severn and of its fitness for a naval school in regard to 
 accommodations, healthiness of location, and conveniences of 
 the vicinity for gun-practice, but they are told by their asso- 
 ciates, Commodore Jones and Captain Mayo, that the fort 
 embraces sufficient space and the harbor and neighboring 
 shores offer all the requisite advantages for gun-practice and 
 evolutions of steamers and boats. Supposing, then, that Fort 
 Severn is selected, and there is ample accommodation 
 within its walls for the officers and students of the establish- 
 ment, it may be remarked that the Government already 
 possesses all the necessary means for commencing at once a 
 naval school, which may be enlarged and perfected at some 
 future time. It would be very desirable that a grade of 
 • From the copy on file at the Navy Department. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 45 
 
 naval cadets inferior to that of- midshipmen should be 
 created by law, who should compose the primary classes of 
 the naval school, and from which all appointments of mid- 
 shipmen should be made after the candidate for such ap- 
 pointment should have passed through a stated course of 
 elementary professional education, and acquitted himself 
 to the entire satisfaction of the authorities of the school, and 
 a board authorized to determine with rigid scrutiny his 
 fitness for an ultimate career in the Navy. These cadets 
 should be appointed in the same manner as those at West 
 Point, and their pay, over which they should have no con- 
 trol, should be only sufficient to clothe and feed them. 
 Twenty dollars per month would be adequate. By making 
 this grade the source from which all others shall spring, and 
 by imposing upon it acquirements of a comparatively high 
 character, most of the delinquencies now so common in the 
 Navy would be unknown when the proposed system shall 
 have been thoroughly incorporated into the service. But, 
 whether a grade of naval cadets may or may not be created, 
 a naval school such as it is proposed to recommend would 
 operate equally to the advantage of acting midshipmen as 
 now appointed; the difference would lie only in the designa- 
 tion and pay of the existing and proposed grades. It having 
 been assumed that the school shall be established at Fort 
 Severn, and the necessary accommodations having been pre- 
 pared, it is recommended that the following be a part of its 
 regulations : 
 
 " OFFICERS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT. 
 
 " One captain, to command in chief ashore and afloat. 
 " One commander, as executive officer. 
 "Three Heutenants. 
 " One surgeon. 
 
46 THE XAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 " One assistant surgeon. 
 
 " One purser. 
 
 "One chaplain. 
 
 " One secretary to senior captain and superintendent-in- 
 chief. 
 
 " One clerk to commander. 
 
 " One purser's, clerk. 
 
 " One purser's steward. 
 
 "An officers' guard of marines, the commanding officer of 
 which, assisted by competent drill-sergeants, to give instruc- 
 tion in infantry tactics and the sword exercise. A sufficient 
 number of servants, cooks, &c. 
 
 "BOARD OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 "One professor of the English language, to embrace instruc- 
 tion in constitutional and international law. 
 
 "One assistant professor of the English language. 
 
 " One professor of the French language. 
 
 " One professor of mathematics, to embrace instruction in 
 marine surveying. 
 
 " One assistant professor of mathematics. 
 
 "One professor of natural philosophy and chemistry. 
 
 " One instructor of drawing and mapping. 
 
 " In connection with the primary school there should be sta- 
 tioned at some suitable anchorage in the vicinity a practice- 
 frigate and a small steamer, for the purpose of facilitating ■ 
 instruction in naval-gunnery tactics and the operation of the 
 steam-engine. These vessels should have full appointments 
 of commissioned and warrant officers, with the exception of 
 midshipmen, of which class there should be, of those who have 
 passed their examination, six for the frigate and four for the 
 steamer. The practice-frigate would necessarily be stationary, 
 but the steamer might be advantageously employed in trans- 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 47 
 
 porting munitions, provisions, &c., to the naval school, dur- 
 ing which employment practical instruction in the use of the 
 steam-engine might be imparted. 
 
 " Having thus given a plan of the entire establishment of 
 the school both ashore and afloat, and supposing it to be 
 authorized and ready for operation, the undersigned would 
 recommend that all persons who may from the time of its- 
 commencement be appointed to the Navy, whether desig- 
 nated as acting midshipmen or cadets, shall be required to- 
 enter the primary plass, through which and the succeeding 
 steps they should only reach a permanent position in the 
 service; and to make them eligible for their final examination 
 for promotion to the rank of lieutenant they should accom- 
 plish the following course of studies and sea-service: First,, 
 after appointment to the Navy, they should be required to- 
 remain two years attached to the primary school, at the ex- 
 piration of which period they may receive their warrants as 
 midshipmen, provided their conduct and scholastic advance- 
 ment lias been satisfactory. From the primary school they 
 should proceed, as warranted midshipmen, to a sea-going 
 ship to remain constantly at sea three years. On returning 
 from their first sea-service a leave of absence, not exceeding 
 three months, is to be granted to them to v;sit their friends, 
 with orders to join, on its termination, the practice-frigate, 
 in which vessel and in the steamer they are to pursue a course 
 of practical studies, to which the information previously ac- 
 quired at the primary school and at sea will be applied. To 
 the practice-ship they are to remain attached at least one 
 year, when they will be entitled to their second and final 
 examination ; and it is recommended that no greater number 
 be examined and passed than may be actually required for 
 the immediate exigencies of the service. It now remains to 
 point out more particularly the course of studies to be pur- 
 
48 THE A^AVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 sued at the primary school. As experience has shown that 
 the system of instruction estabhshed at the Mihtary Academy 
 at West Point has operated most happily, it is recommended 
 that the laws for the government of that institution be adopted 
 in the organization of the naval school, so far as it can be 
 done compatibly with the genius of the two services and the 
 ulterior professional pursuits of the naval student. To this 
 end, it is proposed that the requirements enforced at West 
 Point in regard to the physical and mental qualifications of 
 applicants for admission be rigidly exacted at the naval school. 
 That the students at the naval school be divided into two 
 classes, corresponding with the third and fourth class of the 
 Military Academy, and the course of studies and exercises to 
 be almost identically the same ; the only difference should be 
 in omitting in the mathematical department the abstruse study 
 of the Calculus, and occupying the time thus saved in more 
 practical branches. That there take place at the naval 
 school semi-annual examinations, to be conducted by the 
 academic board under the supervision of the captain or 
 superintendent-in-chief, of the results of which full reports 
 be transmitted to the Navy Department, setting forth the 
 conduct of the student and recommending the dismissal of 
 all who may be found delinquent, either in reference to their 
 studies or personal deportment. That annual examinations 
 (the first to be held at the end of two years firom the com- 
 mencement of the school) be conducted by the academic 
 board, assisted by three persons to be appointed by the Sec- 
 retary of the Navy, the whole to be under the direction of 
 the superintendent-in-chief. Before this board all the stu- 
 dents shall be brought who may have been attached to the 
 primary school the whole period of two years, and in case of 
 passing their examination, they will receive their appointments 
 as midshipmen and be ordered immediately to sea. Those 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. ^g 
 
 who may fail to pass should be invariably dropped from the 
 rolls. By making the final examinations of the primary stu- 
 dents extremely strict, both in regard to moral conduct and 
 academic improvement, none but the meritorious will find 
 their way into the Navy. It is suggested that the primary 
 school be of a strictly probationary character; that the age 
 of admission of the students should not be less than thirteen 
 nor more than fifteen years, and for the reason that, in 
 case of failure to pass the final examination, they will be of 
 suitable age to enter upon some other profession. The un- 
 dersigned might go further into details, but as it is the intention 
 of the Department to institute a board to assist in forming a 
 code of regulations for the government of the proposed school, 
 they refrain from extending their report. 
 
 " In regard to that part of your letter in which you express 
 a wish that the undersigned should nominate three of their 
 number, or some other suitable officers, to compose the con- 
 templated board, they beg to remark that a feeling of delicacy 
 impels them to prefer that the nomination should rest with 
 the Department. If called upon, the whole or any three of 
 them will most cheerfully contribute their best services in 
 perfecting a work which promises so much good to the coun- 
 try, and to the Navy in particular. 
 
 " We have the honor to be, sir, respectfully, your obedient 
 servants, 
 
 " GEO. C. READ, 
 "THOS. AP C.JONES, 
 " M. C. PERRY, 
 " E. A. F. LAVALLETTE, 
 " I. MAYO, 
 "■Board of Examiners of Midshipmen for the Year 1845." 
 
 From this correspondence it appears that the Secretary had 
 decided to establish the school, and that Annapolis was the 
 4 
 
50 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 place regarded most favorably for its location. Previous 
 measures had looked to the transfer of one of the old Army- 
 posts in the neighborhood of Washington to the Navy De- 
 partment for this purpose ; and Fort Severn seemed to be in 
 every way the best adapted. The Secretary of War was will- 
 ing to give it up, but Mr. Bancroft undertook first to satisfy 
 himself by personal inspection of its fitness. Accordingly, 
 soon after the report was made, the following paragraph ap- 
 peared in an Annapolis newspaper : * 
 
 " Official visit to ^nnapous. — Secretary Bancroft, 
 Governor Marcy, Secretafyof War, an'd Com. Warrington t 
 arrived in this" city last evening fron^ Washington, and took 
 quarters at the City Hotel. We~understand the object of 
 their visit to be to examine the condition of Fort Severn and 
 the^mprovement's commenced last fall, and now being com- 
 pleted. There is a rumor afloat that it is the intention of 
 Governnient to remove the J^aval School from Philadelphia 
 to Fort Severn, which may be one of the reasons of this visit." 
 
 A short time after this visit of inspection, the Secretary 
 directed a board, composed of Commanders McKean, Buch- 
 anan, and Du Pont, to consider the subject, and to recommend 
 place and persons. This board decided upon Annapolis as 
 the place, and Ward, Chauvenet, and Lockwood as the pro- 
 fessors. 
 
 Commander Franklin Buchanan had already been selected 
 by the Secretary to be at the head of the new institution. Born 
 in Baltimore in 1800, this officer had entered the service at 
 the age of fifteen, and had risen to the grade of commander, 
 with a high reputation for ability in his profession, as a skill- 
 ful, energetic, and systematic organizer. He had had several 
 commands at sea before he was called to the new duty ; and 
 
 * Copied in Niles's Register, July 19, 1845. 
 
 t At this time Chief of the Bureau of Navy-yards and Docks. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 51 
 
 his selection by the Secretary was itself an evidence of his fit- 
 ness for the position, Mr. Bancroft was no ordinary authority 
 on matters of education. He had taken his degree at Har- 
 vard University in 1817, and at Gottirigen in 1820, and had 
 since that time had personal experience in teaching. He 
 had taken a prominent part in literature and in public affairs, 
 and he was therefore eminently qualified to devise a system 
 of education and to choose fit men to fill positions of authority 
 at the newly-established school. His directions to Comman- 
 der Buchanan were full and exphcit, as will be seen from the 
 following letter which accompanied his orders : 
 
 Secretary Bancroft to Commander Buchanan* 
 
 " Navy Department, 
 
 "August 1, 1845. 
 
 "Sir: The Secretary of War, with the assent of the Presi- 
 dent, is prepared to transfer Fort Severn to the Navy Depart- 
 ment for the purpose of establishing there a school for mid- 
 shipmen. 
 
 " In carrying this design into effect, it is my desire to avoid 
 all unnecessary expense; to create no places of easy service, 
 no commands that are not strictly necessary; to incur no 
 charge that may demand new annual appropriations, but by 
 a more wise application of moneys already appropriated and 
 offices already authorized, to provide for the better education 
 of the young officers of the Navy. It is .'my design not to 
 create new offices, but by economy of administration to give 
 vigor of action to those which at present are available; not 
 to invoke new legislation, but to execute more eflfectually ex- 
 isting laws. Placed by their profession in connection with the 
 world, visiting in their career of service every climate and 
 every leading people, the officers of the American Navy, if 
 
 * From the original document on file at the Naval Academy. 
 
52 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 they gain but opportunity for scientific instruction, may make 
 themselves as distinguished for culture as they have been for 
 gallant conduct. 
 
 " To this end it is proposed to collect the midshipmen who 
 from time to time are on shore, and give them occupation, 
 during their stay on land, in the study of mathematics, nau- 
 tical astronomy, theory of morals, international law, gunnery, 
 use of steam, the Spanish and the French languages, and 
 other branches essential in the present day to the accomplish- 
 ment of a naval officer. 
 
 "The effect of such an employment of the midshipmen can- 
 not but be favorable to them and to the service. At present 
 they are left, when waiting orders on shore, masters of their 
 own motions, without steady occupation, young, and exulting 
 in the relief from the restraints of discipline on shipboard. 
 In collecting them at Annapolis for purposes of instruction, 
 you will begin with the principle that a warrant in the Navy, 
 far from being an excuse for licentious freedom, is to be held 
 a pledge for subordination, industry, and regularity, for sobri- 
 ety and assiduous attention to duty. Far from consenting 
 that the tone of discipline and morality should be less than 
 at universities or colleges of our country, the President expects 
 such supervision and arrangement as shall make of them an 
 exemplary body of which the country may be proud. 
 
 " To this end you have all the powers for discipline conferred 
 by the laws of the United States, and the certainty that the 
 Department will recornmend no one for promotion who is 
 proved unworthy of it from idleness, or ill conduct, or con- 
 tinuing ignorance, an^ who cannot bear the test of a rigid 
 examination. 
 
 "For the purposes of instruction the Department can select 
 from among twenty-two professors and three teachers of lan- 
 guages. This force, which is now almost wasted by the man- 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 53 
 
 ner in which it is appUed, may be concentrated in such a 
 manner as to produce the most satisfactory results. Besides, 
 the list of chaplains is so great that they cannot all be em- 
 ployed at sea ; and the range of selection of teachers may 
 be enlarged by taking from their number some who would 
 prefer giving instruction at the school to serving afloat. The 
 object of the Department being to make the simplest and 
 most effective arrangement for a school, you will be the high- 
 est officer in the establishment, and will be intrusted with its 
 government. It is my wish, if it be possible, to send no 
 other naval officer to the school except such as may be able 
 an,d willing to give instruction. Among the officers junior 
 to yourself there a,re many whose acquisitions and tastes may 
 lead them to desire such situations. For this end the De- 
 pg,rtment would cheerfully detach three or four of the lieu- 
 tenants and passed midshipmen, who, while they would give 
 instruction, would be ready to aid you in affairs of discipline 
 and government. 
 
 " Thus the means for a good naval school are abundant, 
 though they have not yet been collected together and ap- 
 pHed. One great difficulty remains to be considered. At 
 our colleges and at West Point young men are trained in a 
 series of consecutive years. The laws of the United States 
 do not sanction a, preliminary school for the Navy; they only 
 provide for the instruction of officers who already are in the 
 Navy. The pupils of the Naval School being, therefore, 
 officers in the public service, will be Hable at all times to be 
 called from their studies and sent on public duty. Midship- 
 men, too, on their return from sea, at whatever season of the 
 year, will be sent to the school. Under these circumstances, ' 
 you will be obliged to arrange your classes in such a manner 
 as will leave opportunity for those who arrive to be attached 
 to classes suited to the stage of their progress in their studies. 
 
54 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. " Part I. 
 
 It will be difficult to arrange a system of studies which will 
 meet this emergency, but with die fixed resolve which you 
 will bring to the work and with perseverance you will suc- 
 ceed. 
 
 "Having thus expressed to you some general views, I leave 
 you, with such assistance as you may require, to prepare and 
 lay before this Department, for its approbation, a plan for 
 the organization of the Naval School at Fort Severn, An- 
 napolis. 
 
 " The posts to which you and those associated with you will 
 be called are intended to be posts of labor, but they will also 
 be posts of the highest usefulness and consideration. To 
 yourself, to whose diligence and care the organization of the 
 school is intrusted, will belong, in a good degree, the re- 
 sponsibility of a wise arrangement. Do not be discouraged 
 by the many inconveniences and difficulties which you will 
 certainly encounter, and rely implicitly on this Department 
 as disposed to second and sustain you under the law in every 
 effort to improve the character of the younger branch of the 
 service. 
 
 " I am, respectfully, your obedient servant, 
 
 "GEORGE BANCROFT. 
 
 "Commander Franklin Buchanan, 
 
 " United States Navy, Washington." 
 
 Commander Buchanan had already given much thought to 
 the subject, so that his answer was ready very shortly. 
 
 Commander Buchanan to Secretary Bancroft. 
 
 "Washington, August 14, 1845. 
 " Sir : I have the honor to acknowledge the receipt of your 
 communication of the 7 th instant, directing me to lay before 
 the Department for its approbation a plan for the organiza- 
 tion of a naval school about to be established at Fort Severn, 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 55 
 
 Annapolis, the government of which you have been pleased 
 to honor me with. 
 
 " Feeling sensibly the importance of the trust confided to 
 me, after mature reflection, a close examination of the reports 
 in relation to this subject from officers of high rank in the 
 Navy, professors, and others, placed in my hands by the De- 
 partment, and with the aid of Commanders McKean and 
 Du Pont, the former of whom was so successful in his govern- 
 ment of the Naval Asylum while the school was there held, 
 I respectfully present for your consideration the inclosed plan, 
 embracing, I believe, generally, the views expressed in your 
 letter of the 7th instant. 
 
 "According to your instructions, the plan submitted is kept 
 strictly, so far as my knowledge extends, within the means 
 now at the disposal of the Department. As the Navy 
 increases, and the country becomes alive to the advantages 
 of a more extended education to those who are intrusted 
 with the maintenance 6f its honor abroad, and who are so 
 frequently called upon to perform intricate diplomatic serv- 
 ices, an enlarged system will doubtless be provided for. Most 
 oPttie'reports made to you on this subject recommend a pre- 
 liminary school and a more extendfed academic term. For 
 the first no authority exists. Should the extension of the term 
 of instruction be in accordance with your own views, it can 
 be so arranged. But for the midshipmen now in the service 
 I recommend that the present probation of five years be 
 adhered to, and the proposed division of that period is based 
 upon this view. 
 
 "All of which is respectfully submitted, by 
 "Your obedient servant, 
 
 "FRANKLIN BUCHANAN, 
 
 '■^Comiiiander. 
 
 " Hon. George Bancroft, 
 
 "Secretary of the Navy'' 
 
jg THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 Accompanying this letter was the "plan" devised by Com- 
 mander Buchanan, with the aid of Commanders McKean 
 and Dupont. This plan was afterwards revised by the Sec- 
 retary and by Commander Buchanan, and approved by the 
 Department.* 
 
 PLAN OF THE NAVAL SCHOOL AT FORT SEVERN, ANNAPOLIS, MD. 
 
 " I. The Superintendent of the school will be appointed by 
 the Secretary of the Navy firom the list of officers not higher 
 in rank than commander. 
 
 " 2. The board of examination annually appointed will com- 
 prise at least two captains in the Navy; but except on that 
 board no officer of higher rank than that of commander shall 
 be ordered on duty at the Naval School. 
 
 " 3. The Superintendent will have the immediate govern- 
 ment of the institution, will be responsible for its management, 
 direct all academic duties, and command all professors and 
 others connected with the school. He will frame a code of 
 rules and regulations for the internal government of the 
 school, to be submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for his 
 approval. 
 
 "4. Professors and instructors will be selected, so far as 
 practicable, from officers of the Navy. 
 
 " 5. Professors, under the orders of the Superintendent, will 
 constitute a board for the transaction of business, will conduct 
 the examinations during the course, decide on the merits of 
 the midshipmen, report on the system of instruction, and sug- 
 gest any improvements or alterations which their experience 
 may dictate.'' 
 
 * The original plan is given in Note G of the Appendix of this volume. 
 The approved plan went into operation, and, supplemented by Buchanan's 
 regulations, governed the workings of the school until 1850. Both doc- 
 uments are copied from the originals in the Navy Departinent. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 57 
 
 " 6. Every applicant for admission to the school must be of 
 good moral character, not less than thirteen nor more than 
 sixteen years of age, and must be examined by the surgeon 
 of the institution to ascertain if he be free from all deformity, 
 deafness, nearness or other defect of sight, or disease or in- 
 firmity of any kind which would disqualify him from perform- 
 ing the active and arduous duties of a sea life. He must be 
 able to read and write well, and be familiar with geography 
 and arithmetic. The Academic Board will examine him on 
 these branches, and certify to his capacity for admission into 
 the school. 
 
 " 7. When an acting midshipman receives his appointment, 
 he is to be attached to the Naval School, subject to the exi- 
 gencies of the service. Semi-annual examinations will be 
 held at the school. Those who shall be found deficient at 
 any examination will be dropped from the lists and returned 
 to their friends. Those whose conduct and proficiency meet 
 with the approbation of ths Superintendent and Academic 
 Board will be retained in the service and ordered to sea. 
 After performing sea-duty for six months, and receiving a fa- 
 vorable report of his conduct during that time from his com- 
 mander, he will be entitled to a warrant bearing the date of 
 his acting appointment. Otherwise he will be dropped from 
 the lists and restored to his friends. 
 
 "8. All midshipmen on shore, not on leave of absence, will 
 be ordered to the Naval School. 
 
 "9. A midshipman, after serving three years at sea as now 
 required, and having received a short leave of absence, at the 
 discretion of the Department, to visit his friends, will report 
 at its expiration to the Naval School to pursue his course of 
 studies preparatory to his final examination. 
 
 "10. The course of studies will include English grammar 
 and composition; arithmetic, geography, and history; naviga- 
 tion, gunnery, and the use of steam; the Spanish and French 
 
58 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 languages; and such other branches desirable to the accom- 
 plishment of A naval officer- as circumstances may render 
 practicable. » ' v 
 
 " II. The professors will be required to keep records of all 
 the recitations, and report weekly to the Superiritendent the' 
 progress and relative merit of the students. From these 
 weekly reports the Superintendent will make quarterly reports 
 to the Secretary of the Navy. 
 
 "i2. Classes will be arranged according to the acquirements 
 and capacity of the midshipmen. 
 
 " 13. The final examination for promotion will embrace all 
 the branches taught at the school. 
 
 " 14. All midshipmen at the Naval School must provide 
 themselves with such books as are necessary to pursue their 
 studies, a quadrant, their uniform, and bedding. 
 
 "15. A sloop of war, or brig, may be connected with the in- 
 stitution as a school of practice in seamanship, evolutions, 
 and gunnery^ / 
 
 " 16. ^The boarii-annually appointed under the Regulations^ 
 
 of the Navy^pr the examination of midshipmen for promotion 
 
 j are to inspect generally the management of the institution, 
 
 ( and report to the Secretary of the Navy on its condition and 
 
 the means of improving it. 
 
 "GEORGE BANCROFT. 
 "Approved. 
 
 "Navy Department, August 28, 1846." 
 The transfer of Fort Severn from the War Department was 
 made at once in accordance with the following orders : 
 
 "General Orders No. 40. 
 
 "War Department, Adjutant-General's Office, 
 
 " Washington, August 15, 1845. 
 " I. Pursuant to the orders of the President, Fort Severn 
 and the military site and jurisdiction near Annapolis, Md., is 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 
 
 59 
 
 hereby transferred to the Navy Department; and will be placed 
 in charge of Commander Franklin Buchanan, who has been 
 designated by the Secretary of the Navy to receive the same. 
 
 " 2. The public stores appertaining to the Quartermaster, 
 Subsistence, and Ordnance Departments will be disposed of 
 in such manner as may be directed by the chiefs of those 
 Departme'nts. 
 
 " 3. Having seen that due precautions are taken for the se- 
 curity of the public property, the commanding officer (Bvt. 
 Maj. J. L. Gardner, Fourth Artillery) will then proceed with 
 his company to join the headquarters of his regiment at Fort 
 Monroe. 
 
 "By order: 
 
 "R.JONES, 
 ^^ Adjutant- General." 
 
 Secretary Bancroft to Commander Buchanan. 
 
 " Navy Department, August 15, 1845. 
 , " Sir : The Secretary of War has issued an ordeJr for the 
 transfer of Fort Severn and the whole military site near 
 Annapolis to such officer of this Department as may be au- 
 thorized to take charge of the same. 
 
 " You are authorized to make the necessary arrangements 
 and to receive possession of the station. 
 " Respectfully, yours, 
 
 " G. BANCROFT. 
 " Commander F. Buchanan, 
 
 " United States Navy, Washington." 
 
 It was subsequently agreed upon between the two Depart- 
 ments that the armament, as it stood, and everything belong- 
 ing to the battery, should remain at the fort in charge of the 
 
6o THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 ■ordnance sergeant, the whole to be under the control of the 
 naval officer in command.* 
 
 Fort Severn was an old Army post, the site of which had 
 been bought by the Government in 1808, at a time when 
 Annapolis was considered a point of military importance. 
 The grounds comprised about ten acres, nearly square in 
 shape, inclosed on two sides by a brick wall, the other sides 
 being open to the water. At the angle of the water-front 
 stood the battery, a small circular rampart, mounting en bar- 
 bette ten heavy guns, with a magazine in the centre. The 
 point upon which it stood projected into the water, with the 
 Severn River on one side and an arm of Chesapeake Bay 
 forming the harbor of Annapolis on the other. The buildings 
 consisted of officers' quarters and barracks, and were sufficient 
 for the immediate wants of the new institution. 
 
 It was generally supposed at the time that the change was 
 merely a removal of the Asylum school, and that, substituting 
 Annapolis for Philadelphia, the details and general scope of 
 the two would be the same. But such was clearly not the 
 aim of the founder; and it soon became apparent that a new 
 era was beginning in naval education. For the time being> 
 the change showed itself more in an improved discipline than 
 in an extended course of study. As the school was not rec- 
 ognized by law as an institution to fit candidates for the 
 naval service, but only to educate those who had already 
 become officers, it was only in the intervals of leisure from 
 sea-duty that midshipmen could be taught. They might be 
 compelled by the needs of the service to break off suddenly 
 at any point in their studies ; and they might be ordered to 
 
 * R. Jones, Adjutant-General, to Lieut. Col. G. Talcott, Ordnance De- 
 partment, August 21, 1845. Lieut. Col. Talcott to Commander Buchanan, 
 August 22, 1845. The Secretary of the Navy to Commander Buchanan, 
 August 22, 1845. 
 
Chap. I. EDUCATION OF THE OLD NAVY. 61 
 
 join the school in the middle of the academic year. Hence^ 
 the greatest irregularity prevailed in the periods of study of 
 different midshipmen, and in their coming and going, during 
 the first five or six years, and it is difficult to give with exact- 
 ness the number in attendance at any one time. The effect 
 of this system was to render courses of study broken and 
 instruction fragmentary. 
 
 In matters of discipline, however, the change was more 
 apparent. Commander Buchanan was a man of inflexible 
 will, and a stern disciplinarian, and his hands were strength- 
 ened by the prompt and cordial support of the Navy De- 
 partment. He had, moreover, an able executive in Lieu- 
 tenant Ward. The composition of the school' made it a 
 hard one. to manage. The older midshipmen ranged from 
 the age of eighteen to twenty-seven. They had no strong 
 incentive to work, their opportunities for mental training had 
 been few and slight since they had entered the service, and 
 their sea-life of three or more years was followed by the im- 
 providence and recklessness incidental to the sudden removal 
 of restraint. For such a class of students an old provincial 
 capital was a much better place than a commercial metrop- 
 olis; and under Buchanan's management the institution 
 prospered accordingly. 
 
 On the 7th of August the directions of the Navy Depart- 
 ment were issued to Commander Buchanan. On the 14th,. 
 the "plan for a naval school" was submitted to the Depart- 
 ment; and on the loth of October the school was formally 
 opened. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 THE NAVAL SCHOOL. 
 OCTOBER, 1845, TO ^OLV, 1850. 
 
 The academic staff of the school at its organization was 
 a^ follows ; 
 
 Commander Franklin Buchanan, Superintendent. 
 ' Lieut. James H. Ward, executive officer, and instructor in 
 gunnery and steam. 
 
 Surgeon John A. Lockwood, instructor in chemistry. 
 
 Chaplain George Jones, instructor in English branches. 
 
 Prof. Henry H. Lockwood, instructor in natural philosophy. 
 
 Prof William Chauvenet, instructor in mathematics and 
 navigation. 
 
 Prof Arsfene N. Girault, instructor in French. 
 
 Passed Midshipman S. Marcy, assistant instructor in mathe- 
 matics. 
 
 Lieutenant Ward* was president of the Academic Board, 
 
 * James Harman Ward was a son of Col. James Ward, of Hartford, 
 Conn., and was born at that place in 1806. He graduated at the 
 Vermont Military Academy, ait Norwich, Vt., and entered Trinity Col- 
 lege, Hartford. March 4, 1823, he was appointed a midshipman on 
 board the United States ship Constitution, then under the command of 
 Captain McDonough. March 3, 1831, he was promoted to the rank of 
 lieutenant, which he held at the time of his appointment to the Naval 
 School. Previously to his connection with the school he had been attached 
 to the Mediterranean squadron, and had been for several years on the 
 
Chap. II. THE NAVAL SCHOOL. 63 
 
 the Superiji-tendent taking no part in its proceedings. Passed 
 Midshipman Marcy acted as secretary. 
 
 The formal opening of the school took place on Friday, 
 October 10. At 11 o'clock on the morning of that day, the 
 Superintendent assembled the officers of the school and the 
 midshipmen who had reported, in one of the recitation-halls, 
 and read to them the Secretary's letter, showing the views and 
 purposes of the Department in regard to the organization of 
 the school. He also read them the rules and regulations 
 which he had established for the government of the students,* 
 and addressed them "impressively and feelingly,'' says the 
 National Intelligencer, in regard to their duties. His address, 
 was as follows: 
 
 "Gentlemen:^ In^prej^aring the rales and regulations 'for 
 the internal government of the Naval School, I have endeav- 
 ored to confine myself to those points so absolutely necessary 
 to'the preservation of good discipline and harmony at an-in- 
 stitution yet in its infancy, which we all, I am well assured, 
 feel a pride should rank high in the estimation of our country- 
 men. Those among you who have served several years in 
 the Navy know the value of wholesome laws and regulations; 
 and to you I look with confidence for assistance in impress- 
 coast of Africa. Here he wrote his Manual of Naval Tactics, published 
 in 1858, and still used as a text-book at the Naval Academy. In 1842 he 
 delivered popular lectures on gunnery in Philadelphia, and later he pub- 
 lished his Instructions on Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, a vi^ork which 
 has accomplished much in the improvement of naval science. He also 
 published a popular work called "Steam for the Million." He was 
 detached from the Naval School in 1847. In 1853 he became a com- 
 mander. At the outbreak of the war, in 1861, he was employed in 
 defending the water-approach to Washington. He organized the Potomac 
 flotilla, and was doing most" efficient service, when he was killed in a gal- 
 lant attempt to destroy a rebel battery on Matthias Point, June 27, 1861. 
 
 • See Appendix, note E. 
 
64 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 • , , 
 
 ing upon the minds of those youths who have lately entered 
 the service the absolute necessity of obedience. 
 
 "The Government, in affording you an opportunity of ac- 
 quiring an education, so important to the accomplishment of 
 a naval officer, has bestowed upon you all an incalculable 
 benefit. But few, if any, now in the service have had the 
 advantage that you are about to receive. 
 
 " The Regulations of the Navy require you to pass through 
 a severe ordeal before you can be promoted; you must un- 
 dergo an examination on all the branches taught at the Naval 
 School before you are eligible to a lieutenancy; your morals 
 and general character are strictly inquired into. It is there- 
 fore expected that you will improve every leisure moment in 
 the acquirement of a knowledge of your profession; and 3'ou 
 will recollect that a good moral character is essential to your 
 promotion and high standing in the Navy. 
 
 " By carefully avoiding the first step toward intemperance, 
 shunning the society of the dissolute and idle, and by cherish- 
 ing the wish to deserve and the hope of receiving the appro- 
 bation of your country, you can alone render yourselves able 
 to occupy with honor the high standing in the Navy to which 
 many of you are destined. 
 
 _ "I feel confident that all of you attached to this institution 
 will endeavor to hold a high rank in the service by your ap- 
 plication, zeal, inteUigence, and correct deportment; and I 
 shall deeply regret to hear that any individual among you has 
 brought disgrace upon himself or upon his associates. 
 
 " Every indulgence, consistent with the rules and regula- 
 tions of the institution, will be granted to those who merit 
 it. The laws of the Navy point out the punishment of those 
 who violate orders; and no commander is justified in over- 
 looking offences against those laws, however painful it 
 may be to him to enforce them. There is no discretionary 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. gc 
 
 power granted to him, although' that power is sometimes ex- 
 ercised from necessity; the responsibiUty resting with the 
 commander, from which he can only be relieved by the Sec- 
 retary of the Navy or the President of the United States. 
 
 " It is at all times an unpleasant duty to a commander to 
 be compelled to punish the misconduct of his juniors; but 
 as an omission on his part to do his duty makes him as cul- 
 pable as the offender himself, no officer who feels a proper 
 respect for the service or himself will subject himself to so 
 unpleasant a situation. We have no right as individuals to 
 do that which may involve others in our misfortunes ; and 
 when we, as naval men, intentionally violate the laws that 
 govern us, we cannot without dishonor to ourselves expect 
 to escape punishment by making others responsible for our 
 crimes. 
 
 " Having thus briefly given you my views on the subject 
 of discipline, and the importance I attach to a strict compli- 
 ance with all laws, orders, and regulations, I submit them to 
 you all with the hope that you may be benefited by them." 
 
 The character of Commander Buchanan's administration 
 is Shadowed forth in his opening address. The first lesson 
 of the young naval officer is subordination; and it was of 
 paramount importance that the first administration of the 
 school should exact this if nothing else. Two years of lax 
 discipline at the start, in the period when the tone of a 
 school is set and school traditions are fixed for all time, would 
 have been a lasting element of weakness, from which the 
 Academy was saved by the strong government of Buchanan. 
 The opening of the school was noticed in the papers of the 
 day with favorable comments. The National Intelligencer 
 said:* 
 
 "We understand the object of Mr. Secretary Bancroft, 
 * Quoted in Niles's Register, October i8, 1845. 
 
66 1'HE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 in removing this school from Philadelphia to Annapolis, to 
 be: ist. To avoid the temptations and distractions that 
 necessarily connect with a large and populous city to the 
 detriment of young officers ; 2d. To concentrate the serv- 
 ices of excellent teachers, a:lready in the employ of the 
 Government, which have been hitherto in a great degree 
 lost; 3d. To insure moral discipline and mental culture, 
 by organizing and maturing an academy where the profess- 
 ors and students may be habitually kept together when on 
 land, under the wholesome restraints of laws. To these pur- 
 poses the Government property at Annapolis is admirably 
 ■adapted. The situation is healthy and secluded, and yet of 
 easy access. It is situated at the mouth of theSevem River, 
 a beautiful tributary to the noble Chesapeake, affording am- 
 ple opportunity to the young officers to apply their profes- 
 sional acquirements practically by being from time to time 
 afloat. AVe conceive that Mr. Bancroft has discovered a 
 most commendable sagacityj as well in selecting this admira- 
 ble location, as in making it one of the leading features of 
 his "administration of the Navy Department to mature an 
 institution indispensable to the welfare of this favorite branch 
 of the public service."* 
 
 The Maryland Republican, an Annapolis paper, a few 
 days later, said:* 
 
 " The school is being organized with all the rapidity con- 
 sistent with methodical arrangement. The various build- 
 ings have been repaired and surprisingly improved, consid- 
 ering the small expenditures and the brief time allowed, 
 especially the quarters allotted to the midshipmen; and the 
 professors are busily employed in classifying the sailor-stu- 
 dents agreeably to grade, merit, and the nature of the pre- 
 scribed studies. About forty young gentlemen have already 
 * See Xiles's Register, October 18, 1845. 
 
Chap. II. THE XAVAL SCHOOL. 
 
 67 
 
 reported themselves, whose handsome appearance and gen- 
 tlemanly deportment give a cheerful aspect to the streets of 
 our quiet city." 
 
 As the Republican said, the classification of the "sailor- 
 students" had already been undertaken. On the 4th of 
 October, the Superintendent directed the professors to con- 
 vene as a board and arrange the classes of midshipmen, lay 
 out the course of instruction, and fix the hours of recitation. 
 In his letter to the board he named as subjects of the course 
 mathematics, natural philosophy, chemistry, gunnery and 
 the use of steam, geography, English grammar, arithmetic, 
 history, the French and Spanish languages, " and such other 
 branches desirable to the accomplishment of a naval officer 
 as your judgment may dictate." 
 
 Lieutenant Ward, as president of the board, called the pro- 
 fessors together, and after two days' deliberations submitted 
 a report, which was approved by the Superintendent. On 
 the nth, the day after the opening of the school, the profes- 
 sors met their pupils and gave them the first directions in re- 
 gard to studies and hours of recitation ; and on Monday, the 
 13th of October, the school was fairly in operation. 
 
 The report of the board of professors, prepared in accord- 
 ance with the Superintendent's instructions, is given below.* 
 
 " REPORT. 
 
 "The board assumes that the academic year will extend at 
 least until the last week in June, thus allowing nine months 
 for the course of study. 
 
 "I. Course of instruction. — The instruction in this school to 
 be comprised under the following six professorships : 
 
 "i. Mathematics. 
 
 "2. Natural philosophy. 
 
 "Journal Academic Board, I. 
 
68 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 "3. Chemistry. 
 
 "4. Ordnance and gunnery, and the use of steam. 
 
 "5. History, geography, English grammar, &c. 
 
 " 6. French and Spanish languages. 
 
 '• The board would suggest that instruction be given in fenc- 
 ing. It is presumed that a competent person, to be rated as 
 gunner's mate, may be procured, who will be otherwise use- 
 ful in the institution. This instruction to be given in the 
 hours of recreation, and not to be obligatory upon the mid- 
 shipmen. 
 
 " The board would also suggest that the manual exercise, or 
 infantry-drill, be introduced. It would occupy not more than 
 a half-hour daily, would be a healthy exercise, and would 
 tend to elevate the military character of the school. Pro- 
 fessor Lockwood offers his services as instructor in this branch 
 for the present. 
 
 "The board is also of the opinion that, in the present ar- 
 rangement of the studies, regard should be had to the eventual 
 introduction of drawing. 
 
 "II. Classification of midshipmen. — It is proposed to call the 
 two principal classes in this school the junior and senior 
 classes. 
 
 " Midshipmen who have just been admitted into the service 
 and have not yet been at sea, to be members of the junior 
 
 class. 
 
 "Midshipmen entitled to examination for the grade of passed 
 midshipman at the end of the academic year to be members 
 of the senior class. 
 
 " Midshipmen who have been at sea, but are not entitled to 
 said examination, to be assigned to either the junior or senior 
 class, or to such sections of these classes as they may be best 
 fitted to join. 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 
 
 69 
 
 " III. Division of studies. — The studies of the junior class 
 to be arithmetic, elements of algebra and geometry, navigation 
 as far as the sailings and the use of the quadrant, geography, 
 English grammar and composition, and the French or Spanish 
 language. The junior class to attend, also, the lectures in 
 natural philosophy, ordnance, and chemistry, which are deliv- 
 ered to the senior class. 
 
 " The studies of the senior class to be algebra, geometry, 
 plane and spherical trigonometry, nautical astronomy, naviga- 
 tion, descriptive astronomy, mechanics, optics, magnetism^ 
 electricity, ordnance, gunnery, the use of steam, history, com- 
 position, the French or Spanish language. 
 
 " Both classes to be exercised in the infantry-drill and fencing, 
 in case these branches are introduced. 
 
 "IV. Division of time. — (Provisional.)* 
 
 "I. General programme for the whole school. 
 
 " School from 8 a. m. to 12 m. 
 
 " Recreation and dinner from 12 m. to 1.30 p. m. 
 
 "School from 1.30 to 4.30 p. m., except on Saturday. 
 
 " Recreation and supper from 4.30 to 6 p. m. 
 
 " Study from 6 to 10 p. m. 
 
 " 2. Programme of recitations and study of the senior class. 
 
 " In mathematics and natural philosophy, the class to be 
 divided for the present into two sections ; 
 
 " Mathematics, daily, first section from 8 to g a. m. ; second 
 section from 9 to 10 a. m. 
 
 " Natural philosophy, daily, first section from 8 to 9 a. m. ; 
 second section from 9 to 10 a. m. 
 
 "Study from 10 to 11. 
 
 " Ordnance, gunnery, and steam on Tuesday and Saturday, 
 from II a. m. to 12 m. 
 
 ' Altered October 29, 1845. Rec, Academic Board, I, p. 6. 
 
70 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 " Chemistry on Thursdg.y, from ii a. m. to 12 m. 
 
 " History and composition on Monday, Wednesday, and 
 Friday, from 11 a. m. to 12 m. 
 
 " Frencli or Spanish, daily, except Saturday, from 1.30 to 
 4.30 p. m. 
 
 "Study from 6 to 10 p. m. 
 
 " The sections to be exercised in the use of the sextant and 
 other astronomical instruments at any hour favorable to 
 observations, provided such exercise does not in any way 
 interfere with recitations in other branches, or with the. prep- 
 aration for the same. 
 
 "3. Progj-amme of recitation and study of the junior class. 
 
 " Lecture on natural philosophy, daily, from 8 to 9 a. m. 
 
 "Study from 9 to 10 a. m. 
 
 "Mathematics, daily, from 10 to 11 a. m. 
 
 "Lectures on gunnery, &c., and chemistry, from 11 a. m. to 
 12 m. 
 
 "French or Spanish, excepting on Saturday, from 1.30 to 
 2.30 p. m. 
 
 " Geography, English grammar, and composition, daily, ex- 
 cepting Saturda}', (study and recitation,) from 2.30 104.30 p,m. 
 
 " Study from 6 to 10 p. m. 
 
 " The class to be exercised at suitable times in the use of the 
 quadrant. 
 
 "V. Merit and demerit rolls.— IhR merit of all recitations 
 to be registered upon a scale ranging from ten downwards; 
 the demerit roll ranging from one upwards, — the demerit of 
 unexcused absence from recitation being 10, of unexcused 
 tardiness 5, and all other dehnquencies according to the de- 
 cision of the Superintendent in the particular case. 
 
 "At the end of the academic year the average merit of the 
 midshipmen to be made out from the merit and demerit marks 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 7 1 
 
 made during the year, and this relative rank, at the final ex- 
 amination, to be determined by combining their marks for 
 the studies pursued in the school with those given by the 
 board of. examination for proficiency in seamanship. 
 
 '■'The relative weight to be allowed to the different branches 
 studied in the school, (in combining them for rank) : mathe- 
 matics 3, and all other branches 2 ; in other words, that 10 in 
 mathematics be reckoned 30 ; in all other branches as 20.* 
 
 " VI. Reports. — The professors to make weekly reports to 
 the Superintendent, stating the merit of each recitation and 
 the average merit for the week, the absences and other delin- 
 quencies of the midshipman in his class or section. The form 
 ■of these reports to be according, to the model herewith sub- 
 mitted. 
 
 " VII. Meetings of the Academic Board. — The Academic 
 Board to hold weekly meetings to deliberate on the transfer 
 ■of midshipmen from one class or section to another, and upon 
 such other matters as may arise for their consideration. 
 
 " No transfer of any midshipman from one class or section 
 to another to be made until it shall have been approved by 
 the: Superintendent. 
 
 '•■ VIII. Roll-calls. — The rolls to be called at each recitation, 
 within five minutes after the ringing of the bell. All mid- 
 :shipmen entering after that time to be marked and reported 
 to the Superintendent as tardy." 
 
 The. report was approved, and on the 13th the work of 
 instruction began. On the same day Commander Buchanan 
 wrote to the Secretary : " I am highly gratified at the disposi- 
 tion shown by the young gentlemen to apply themselves with 
 ■energy and zeal to their studies." 
 
 This first arrangement, crude and hasty as it Mas, is to be 
 noticed as forming the groundwork, together with the plan 
 
 » Modified by resolution of Academic Board, February 14, 1846. 
 
72 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 and regulations, of the school organization for the next five 
 years. It will be observed that the senior class was made up of 
 midshipmen who had been three or more years at sea, and 
 who were preparing for their examination for promotion. 
 The junior class was composed of acting midshipmen, newly 
 appointed, who had never been at sea, and who were sent to 
 the school to wait their turn. The accessions to either class 
 might take place at any time during the year, and midship- 
 men of either class were liable to be detached at any time, as 
 the exigencies of the service demanded, and as actually hap- 
 pened many times during the first years. It is therefore diffi- 
 cult to determine with exactness from the records how many 
 of either class were at the school during the year, the 
 arrivals and departures being so frequent, and the numbers in 
 consequence constantly changing. At the end of January, 
 1846, four months after the opening of the school, there 
 appear to have been 36 midshipmen of the date of i84o,t 
 who were preparing for examination, 13 of the date of 1841, 
 who were to remain pursuing studies and attending lectures 
 until drafted for service at sea, and 7 acting midshipmen, 
 appointed since September of the previous year. The last 
 joined the school under a conditional letter of appointment 
 from the Secretary of the Navy. " If approved by the sur- 
 geon and found respectable in intellect and acquirement," 
 they were enrolled as acting midshipmen and received war- 
 rants, which were given them conditionally, and which con- 
 tained this proviso : "After a course of attendance at the Naval 
 School, if the Superintendent shall report favorably of your 
 merits, but not otherwise, you will be retained in the service." 
 By regulation, they were to remain at the school one year, 
 and at the end of it to pass a satisfactory examination and be 
 ordered to sea. At the end of a probationary term at sea, they 
 t Date of entry into the service. 
 
Chap. IJ. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 73 
 
 were to receive, as had previously been the case, a midship- 
 man's warrant ; and after three years of sea-service, they were 
 to return and spend another year at the school preparatory to 
 examination for promotion. This programme was not regu- 
 larly carried out, though it served in a general way to govern 
 the practice of the institution. The midshipmen of the date 
 of 1840 — that is, who had entered the service during that 
 year — were the first to graduate at Annapohs, finishing their 
 course in July, 1846, and they were followed in succession by 
 the subsequent dates until the re-organization of the school 
 in 1851. The number of midshipmen of the date of 1841 
 being 186, too large to be examined at one time, and that of 
 1842 very small, the former were divided into three classes, 
 who came in successive years, the last division graduating in 
 1849. The date of 1842 graduated with them, but were 
 classed separately. There were no appointments in 1843 or 
 1844, in consequence of the act of 1842 limiting the number 
 of midshipmen, and the date of 1845 followed the last 
 division of the '41's and '42's.* 
 
 The examination for promotion of midshipmen of six years' 
 standing continued to be held every summer, as heretofore, 
 by a board of naval officers of high rank. Formerly, the 
 examination had been confined to seamanship and naviga- 
 tion; now, according to article 13 of the "plan," it was to 
 embrace all the branches taught at the school, and seaman- 
 ship in addition. The examiners were to act as a board of 
 visitors, to inspect the workings of the school and to suggest 
 improvements. 
 
 An article in the Nautical Magazine,! published near the 
 close of the year 1845, speaks in terms of high praise of the 
 new school and its Superintendent. " The appearance, order, 
 
 * Circular of Navy Department February 26, 1846. Lull, p. 10. 
 t Quoted in Niles's Register, January 31, 1846. 
 
74 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 and studious habits of the midshipmen generally reflect the 
 highest credit upon them, upon the institution, and upon the 
 service of which they are members. The police and disci- 
 pline are conducted by the Superintendent in person, with - 
 the tone, system, and energy for which, he is distinguished* 
 Aided by the zealous efforts of those having charge of the 
 various branches of instruction, he has already given to the 
 institution a. consolidated character which would render it. 
 difficult for an observer to detect traces of its recent origin. 
 Under his administration of affairs its friends may look with 
 confidence for such development of usefulness from year to 
 year as eventually to produce results which will equal the 
 wants and expectations of the Navy, and will: stand as a 
 monument of honor to the Secretary by whose patriotic, zeal- 
 ous, and judicious efforts it has been founded." 
 
 Thus it was that in four months after the fir-st inception of 
 the plan, and less than eight months after ass:uming the duties 
 of his office. Secretary Bancroft was enabled to present to 
 the country a fully-organized academy, in efficient working 
 order, which was destined to do for the Navy what West 
 Point had so long done for the Army. He had accomplished 
 during a single recess of Congress what his predecessors had 
 for thirty years in vain attempted to secure by legislation ; 
 ajid it had been done simply by a more judicious application 
 of the means which Congress had already provided. In his 
 annual report* of December i, 1845, he. stated briefly the 
 steps he had taken : 
 
 " Congress, in its great desire to improve the Navy, had 
 permitted the Department to employ professors and instruct- 
 ors at an annual cost of $28,200; and it had been used, 
 besides the few employed at the receiving-ships and the Naval 
 
 * Executive Documents, Twenty-ninth Congress, first session, No. 2, 
 p. 647. 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 
 
 75 
 
 Asylum, to send professors with the midshipmen to every 
 ocean and every clime. But the ship is not friendly to study, 
 and the office of professsor rapidly declined into a sinecure; 
 often not so much was done as the elder officers would cheer- 
 fully do for their juniors. The teachers on board of the 
 receiving-ships gave little instruction,, or none whatever; so 
 that the expenditure was fruitiess of great results. Many of 
 the professors were able and willing, but the system was a 
 bad one. The idea naturally suggested itself of seizing the 
 time when the midshipmen are on shore and appropriating 
 it to their culture. Instead of sending migratory professors 
 to sea with each handful of midshipmen, the midshipmen 
 themselves, in the intervals between sea-duty, might be col- 
 lected in, a body and devote their time to suitable instruction. 
 For the, pay of the instructors Congress has provided. In 
 looking out for a modest shelter for the pupils, I was encour- 
 aged to ask: for Fort Severn, at Annapolis. The transfer was 
 readily made by order of the Secretary of War, and a school was 
 immediately organized on an unostentatious and frugal plan., 
 This institution, by giving some preliminary instruction to 
 the midshipmen before their first cruise; by extending an, 
 affectionate but firm supervision over them as they return 
 from sea; by providing them suitable culture before they pass 
 to a higher grade; by rejecting from the service all who fail 
 in capacity or in good disposition to use their time well, will 
 go far to renovate and improve the American Navy. 
 
 "The plan pursued has been unpretending, but it is hoped 
 will prove efficient. A few professors give more and better 
 instruction than four-and-twenty at sea. IjJo supernumerary 
 officer has been ordered to Annapolis; no idle man is attached 
 to the establishment.. Commander Buchanan, to whom the 
 organization of the school was intrusted, has carried his 
 instructions into effect with precision and sound judgment. 
 
76 THE A^AVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 and with a wise adaptation of simple and moderate means to 
 a great and noble end." 
 
 The progress of the school during the year i84.5-'46 was 
 such as to satisfy its authorities and justify the expectations 
 of its friends. Such breaches of discipline as occurred were 
 followed by prompt punishment, and in some cases by dis- 
 missal. A vacation of a fortnight was given the students 
 at Christmas. This practice continued till 1849, when the 
 time was reduced to two days.* In January, 1846, it was 
 ordered that examinations of acting midshipmen should be 
 held in the April and October following.? In February a 
 regulation J was adopted depriving midshipmen whose weekly 
 average was below 40 per cent., of liberty to leave the grounds 
 of the institution — a rule which still exists in a modified form. 
 At this time the liberty-hours, according to article 23 of the 
 regulations, were from 4 to lo p. in. A few days later, a 
 scale of numbers was adopted § fixing the relative weights ot 
 different branches of study in computing the final marks. 
 These numbers were used as co-efficients, the final mark ii^ 
 each branch being multiplied by the co-efficient of the branch, 
 and the aggregate of the products making the final mark of 
 the midshipman. The scale was as follows : 
 
 Mathematics and navigation, 3. 
 
 Gunnery, 2. 
 
 French, 2. 
 
 Natural philosophy, 2. 
 
 English, I. 
 
 Chemistry, i. 
 
 * Rules, Regulations, and Orders, 36, 46, 56, 82. 
 
 t Rules, Regulations, and Orders, 37. 
 
 X Rules, Regulations, and Orders, 38. Revoked October, 1846. 
 
 § Report of Academic Board and letter of Secretary Bancroft, February 
 14, 1846, in letters of the Secretary of the Navy on file in the Superin- 
 tendent's office, United States Naval Academy. 
 
Chap. II. THE NAVAL SCHOOL. yy 
 
 The scale is stated in the report to be based upon — i. Pro- 
 fessional importance of each branch; 2. Time or ability 
 required to obtain a competent knowledge of the branch, in 
 connection with time actually assigned it at the school; and, 
 3. Known disposition of students to reject certain branches. 
 
 The first annual examination was held in June, 1846. The 
 Board of Examiners, which assembled on the 20th of that 
 month, was composed of Commodores Lawrence Kearney 
 and M. C. Perry, and Captains McKeever, McCauley, and 
 Mayo. During the examination the school was visited by 
 the Secretary of the Navy. According to the instructions of 
 the Secretary, all the midshipmen were examined in the 
 branches they had studied, the professors questioning the 
 students in the presence of the board. In addition, the senior 
 class had the usual examination in seamanship. The order 
 upon the navy-list of the midshipmen examined for promotion 
 was determined by these examinations. The final mark was 
 found by the same method as that used by the professors in 
 determining academic standing ; 5 was assigned as a factor 
 in seamanship, and the table of relative weights remained 
 otherwise the same.* 
 
 At this examination there were examined fifty-two midship- 
 men of the date of 1840, or earlier. Of these, eighteen had 
 joined the school later than December i, 1845, and had con- 
 sequently had but six months- at their studies. Some of these 
 had even had less than three months. The irregularity of at- 
 tendance stood very much in the way of successful instruction, 
 and could only be justified by the necessities of the service. 
 The attendance at the school during the first year may be seen 
 approximately from the following table : t 
 
 * Record of Examining Board, 127. 
 
 t Obtained by a collation of the Navy Register for 1846 with the jour- 
 nal of the officer of the day and the record of the Examining Board. 
 
yg THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 Members of the senior class present throughput the 
 year 34 
 
 Members of the senior dass arriving after December i, 
 1845, and remaining till end of year '. . . 18 
 
 Seniors present, June examination 52 
 
 Seniors detached before June 39 
 
 Total connected with senior class at any time 91 
 
 Junior class, or acting midshipmen, (periods wholly un- 
 certain) 10 
 
 Total at school loi 
 
 Except for the unavoidable irregularities in the periods of 
 study, the career of a midshipman from his first appointment 
 to his promotion would have comprised one year at the school,, 
 three years at sea, and a fifth year at the school, followed by 
 the final examination. The examination was conducted ac- 
 cording to the following rules, prescribed by the Secretary ot 
 the Navy: 
 
 "RULES TO GOVERN EXAMINATIONS AT THE NAVAL SCHOOL AT 
 FORT SEVERN, ANNAPOLIS, MD.* 
 
 "The Board of Examiners will meet at the Naval School, 
 Annapolis, Md., on the ijlh of July annually, and examine 
 all the midshipmen attached to the school. The midshipmen 
 whose warrants bear date prior to [date left blank] are to be 
 examined in aU the branches taught at the school, in conform- 
 ity with the plan for a naval school. 
 
 "These rules are found in a'piamphlet issued by the Navy Department, 
 entitled, ' ' Plan and Regulations of the Naval School at Annapolis. Wash- 
 ington: C. Alexander, Printer. 1846." They agree substantially with 
 the copy of the orders of the Department to Commodore Lawrence Kear- 
 ney, president of the Board of Examiners of 1846, bearing date June 19, 
 1846, and preserved in the record of the board of 1846, page 10. 
 
Chap. II. THE XAVAL SCHOOL. -jg 
 
 " The professors are to examine the midshipmen in the sev- 
 eral brandies of their studies in the presence of the board. 
 The board is to judge of the merits of the candidates in these 
 branches; but in giving numbers, the general average on the 
 professors'^ reports, which will be submitted to the board by 
 the Superintendent after the academic examination, must be 
 considered the basis. These reports will contain the aca- 
 demic standing, deduced from all the branches, and give the 
 aggregate for each candidate, or sum of the products obtained 
 by multiplying the average in each branch by its proper fac- 
 tor. To this aggregate the board will add the product ob- 
 tained by multiplying the averages in seamanship by its factor 
 in order to obtain the aggregate representing the relative 
 merit in all the academic branches and seamanship combined. 
 The list thus obtained will be modified by the board on the 
 ground of the officer-like qualities of the candidates, their 
 moral and general character, the correctness of their journals, 
 and the character of their letters from the commanders with 
 whom they have served. When the board deems it necessary 
 to modify the list referred to, its reasons must be specifically 
 given in the final report to the Department, and the proposed 
 modification will be subject to the revision of the Department. 
 The list, as approved, will establish rank. 
 
 "As it is important that the Department should be fully in- 
 formed as to the respective merits of the candidates, the 
 board will make separate reports of their qualifications in 
 the several branches upon which they shall be examined, and 
 also a general report showing the relative rank to which they 
 should be entitled. 
 
 " The board will adopt the scale of merit from one to ten in 
 seamanship, as in the other branches; and in making up 
 their general average for the assignment of rank, the multi- 
 plier of five will be used in this branch. As a much higher 
 
8o THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 value is tlius placed on seamanship than on the other 
 branches, the board is directed to exercise a sound judgment 
 in deciding upon the numbers to be given to the candidate 
 before them, previous to the examination of another. 
 
 "A failure to pass in any branch other than seamanship and 
 navigation is not absolutely to reject an officer, provided he 
 passes high in those branches. An officer who shall be re- 
 jected will be dropped from the navy-list and restored to his 
 friends. An officer who shall fail to pass in any of the 
 branches taught at the school, and yet displays character and 
 talents that will render his services valuable to the Navy, 
 may, if the board is satisfied that there is a good excuse for 
 the failure, have his case suspended upon its recommendation 
 till the next examination, when, if he pass, he is to be as- 
 signed his proper rank among those with whom he may b^ 
 examined. A failure to pass a second time can admit of no 
 excuse, and must remove him from the service. Sickness, 
 which may have prevented an officer from studying, may be 
 considered a good reason for a second examination, provided 
 his general deportmlsnt be correct. The time spent at the 
 sc'hool by each midshipman will be considered by the board, 
 and a due allowance made for any deficiencies resulting from 
 the want of time to acquire a knowledge of the various 
 academic studies. 
 
 "In regard to the Junior classes of midshipmen, the same 
 rules in general must apply to them which are hereby directed 
 to be observed in the examination of the class for promo- 
 tion. The examination of the juniors may be more cursory ,^ 
 and seamanship will be omitted. The board will inform the 
 Department if they have severally made good use of their 
 time at the Naval School; and if any show a clear incapacity 
 for the naval service, they must be reported, and their names 
 will then be dropped from the list, and they will be restored 
 to their friends. 
 
Chap. II. THE NAVAL SCHOOL. gj 
 
 "The board will, in conformity with the sixteenth article of 
 the 'Plan for a Naval School,' inspect generally the man- 
 agement of the institution, and report to the Department on 
 its condition and means of improving it. 
 
 "All the proceedings of the board will be recorded in the 
 ' Examination Record-Book,' and deposited with the Super- 
 intendent of the school. 
 
 "Approved: 
 
 " GEORGE BANCROFT. 
 
 " Navy Department, August 28, 1846." 
 
 In addition to these instructions, before the examination of 
 1845, a special order had been given by Secretary Bancroft 
 that the Examining Board should make a preliminary inquiry 
 of each midshipman whether he had incurred any debts at 
 the Academy which remained unpaid; and if his answer was 
 not satisfactory, he should be considered as having failed to 
 pass. The letter of the Secretary* containing these instruc- 
 tions said: "The Department is determined to do all in its 
 power to encourage habits of frugality and strict honor in 
 pecuniary transactions, and consequently to discourage a 
 disposition to incur debts beyond the means of punctual 
 payment." Secretary Mason, Mr. Bancroft's successor at the 
 head of the Navy Department, wrote, later,t to Commander 
 Buchanan in the same spirit. He spoke of the importance 
 of guarding "the young gentlemen against pecuniary indebt- 
 edness, which, without means of payment, leads to swindling," 
 and ordered that " no actingimidshipman shall visit a tavern, 
 hotel, or eating-house without permission.'' 
 
 These regulations, more or less modified, have continued 
 in force to the present time. 
 
 + May 4, 1846. 
 
 * December 17, 1846. The shore-pay of a midshipman at this time 
 was $350 per annum. 
 
 6 
 
82 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 Towards the end of the first academic year the want of 
 additional buildings began to be felt. The Board of Exam- 
 iners of 1846, in their report on the condition of the school, 
 remarked upon the crowded state of the midshipmen's quar- 
 ters, and upon the need of new buildings and apparatus. 
 Commander Buchanan stated that want of space had com- 
 pelled him to put from three to ten midshipmen in a room. 
 
 The Secretary had already foreseen these difficulties, and 
 had made an appeal to Congress in behalf of the school. 
 The expenditure, under the last appropriation, for instruction 
 had now been reduced one-half, by placing eleven professors, 
 out of twenty-two, on waiting orders. (See table.) Fur- 
 ther reductions were contemplated, and were rapidly being 
 carried out. The Secretary was, therefore, in a position to put 
 the matter before Congress in these terms : " It has been your 
 custom to appropriate a certain sum for instruction in the 
 Navy, to pay the persons employed for this purpose. Within 
 the past year the number of these persons has been dimin- 
 ished, while the benefit to the service has been vastly increased. 
 All that is now asked is that you will continue to appropriate 
 the same amount as formerly, but that it may be devoted 
 specifically to this new system of instruction." To this Con- 
 gress made a ready response in the appropriation bill of that 
 year.* " Of the money appropriated in this act for pay of 
 the Navy and contingent expenses, enumerated, an amount 
 not exceeding $28,200 maybe expended, under the direction 
 of the Secretary of the Navy, for repairs, improvements, and 
 instruction at Fort Severn, Annapolis, Md." This, it will 
 be noticed, was exactly the amount of the former appropria- 
 tions. 
 
 No time was lost in setting about the work. Three da3s 
 after the bill became.a law the Secretary informed Commander 
 * Act approved August 10, i846, % 4. 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 83 
 
 Buchanan* that a certain sum was to be expended "in such 
 additions and alterations as will enable the Department to 
 attach to the school 100 midshipmen, to be well accommo- 
 dated." The work, begun at once, consisted in the enlarge- 
 ment and refitting of the quarters, and the erection of a 
 building to be used for a dining-hall, athenseum, andiitchen. 
 The foundation of a hospital was laid, the chaplain's quarters 
 were enlarged, and other changes and improvements were 
 carried out. 
 
 After the June examination the school had a vacation from 
 the loth of July to the loth of October. At the latter date 
 the students again assembled, and on the 12th the school was 
 re-opened by the Superintendent, who met the professors and 
 students, and read out to them the plan and regulations, as 
 had been done the year before. This custom was kept up by 
 Buchanan's successor. 
 
 Meanwhile Secretary Bancroft had been appointed minister 
 to Great Britain, and he was succeeded at the head of the 
 Navy Department by the Hon. John Y. Mason, of Virginia. 
 Mr. Mason continued the policy of his predecessor in foster- 
 ing and developing the school. In a letter to Buchanan, of 
 December 17, 1846, he spoke of the great interest which he 
 felt in the Naval School, and of " an anxious desire that the 
 favor of Congress may not be withdrawn." He closed his 
 letter by saying: "I have read with satisfaction and a hearty 
 approval your remarks to the midshipmen at the opening of 
 the school. No branch of the military service can be main- 
 tained without the observance of discipline and subordination. 
 If officers do not set the example of obedience to the laws 
 and regulations of the service, they cannot require or expect 
 it of the men under their command, and the consequence 
 must be inefficiency of the Navy, mutiny, and disgrace to the 
 
 * The Secretary of the Navy to Commander Buchanan, August 13, 1846. 
 
84 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 flag, which every officer ought to be ready to lay down his 
 Hfe to honor and defend." 
 
 In his annual report,* December 5, 1846, the Secretary 
 gave a statement of the progress of the school and renewed 
 the appeal to Congress. "The Naval School during the past 
 year has been continued under the judicious superintendence 
 of Commander Franklin Buchanan, and gives renewed prom- 
 ise of usefulness to the service. At the last session of Con- 
 gress it was made the subject of no special appropriation, 
 but permission was given to apply a limited sum ($28,200) 
 from the existing appropriations. This moderate provision 
 has enabled the Department to make some necessary addi- 
 tions to the accommodations of the school, and has been 
 found sufficient for its economical support. It is hoped a 
 similar provision will be adopted for the ensuing year." 
 
 Accordingly, the appropriation bill for i847t repeated ex- 
 actly the provision of the year before, with this addition : 
 "And for the purchase of land for the use of the Naval School 
 at that place, not exceeding twelve acres." The purchase al- 
 luded to was made in the following summer. It comprised 
 land lying northwest of the fort territory, and was the first 
 addition to the original site made under the Navy Depart- 
 ment. The details of the purchase will be found in the chap- 
 ter on ' Grounds.' 
 
 At the beginning of the second academic year slight 
 changes had been made in the programme of study. Exam- 
 inations of acting midshipmen were held in March and June. 
 The class numbered twelve at the first examination, and nine 
 at the second. These examinations were oral, and the pres- 
 ident and professors of Saint John's College were invited to 
 
 * Executive Documents, Twenty-ninth Congress, second session,- No. 4, 
 
 P- 385- 
 tApproved March 3, 1847. 
 
Chap. II. THE KA VAL SCHOOL. 85 
 
 be present.* Most of the midshipmen examined were 
 ordered immediately to sea. 
 
 The war with Mexico was now in progress, and Com- 
 mander Buchanan had applied for active service soon 
 after the first outbreak of hostiUties.t The important work 
 in which he was engaged at the time led the Department to 
 postpone action upon his request, and early the next year he 
 renewed it. The school being now fairly under way, the ap- 
 plication was granted, and on the i6th of March, 1847, he 
 left Annapolis to take command of the United States ship 
 Germantown. He took an active part in the later operations 
 of the war, being present at the capture of Vera Cruz, and 
 at several other engagements.! He was succeeded at the 
 school by Commander George P. Upshur, lately promoted 
 from the grade of lieutenant. The corps of instructors re- 
 maining much the same, the school routine was not affected 
 by the change of Superintendents. 
 
 At this time, according to the Navy Register of 1847, there 
 were fifty-seven midshipmen at the school, besides the acting 
 midshipmen. The examination for promotion took place in 
 July, Commodore Thomas Ap Catesby Jones being president 
 of the board; and during the examination the school received 
 an official visit from the Secretary of the Navy. 
 
 * Record Academic Board, I, pp. II, 12. 
 
 t Commander Buchanan to the Secretary of the Navy, May 14, 1846. 
 
 tAfter the close of the war Captain Buchanan returned home, having 
 fully sustained his reputation as an able officer. In 1852 he commanded 
 the Susquehanna in Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan, vifhich re- 
 sulted in the opening of that country to foreigners. In 1861 he took 
 the side of the South, and, his resignation not being accepted, he was 
 dismissed the service. He took a prominent part in the war, being in 
 command of the Merrimac in her engagement with the Monitor, and of 
 the ram Tennessee in the Mobile fight in August, 1864, on both of which 
 occasions he was wounded, and on the second taken prisoner. After the 
 war he was for a time president of the Maryland Agricultural College. 
 He died May 12, 1874. « 
 
86 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 Before the beginning of the new academic year, in Septem- 
 ber, 1847, Lieutenant Ward was ordered to sea. He went 
 as executive officer of the Cumberland, then flag-ship of the 
 Gulf squadron, under Commodore Perry. Professor Chauve- 
 net was elected to succeed him as president of the Academic 
 Board, and Lieut. John A. Dahlgren took his place as in- 
 structor in gunnery.* During the year Dr. Lockwood gave 
 lectures on international law, and the course in general was 
 revised and improved. 
 
 There were, however, defects in the system which the 
 board had no power to remove, and they now began to be 
 seriously felt. The chief difficulty arose from the irregu- 
 larity in regard to admission, attendance, and graduation. 
 During the academic year i847-'48 thirty-one acting mid- 
 shipmen attended the school, of whom more than half re- 
 ported after January i, 1848.! They were admitted one 
 at a time at intervals of a few days ; and hence the class 
 under instruction contained students in every stage of prog- 
 ress, but no two alike. The professors were at a loss how 
 to classify them, or, indeed, how to conduct their studies at 
 all, without having as many classes as there were pupils. At 
 short intervals, also, came orders detaching them, sometimes 
 singly, sometimes in bt)dies of three or four. At such times 
 notice was given to the professors, an examination was held, 
 and the party of midshipmen discharged, to renew their 
 studies at any time in the distant future when it might be 
 convenient for the Department to order them home. With 
 regard to the senior midshipmen, the case was nearly as bad. 
 
 * On temporary service. Journal of officer of the day, October 23, 
 1847. He was soon afterward detached. 
 
 t Thirty -seven candidates for admission presented themselves during 
 the year, and for the examination of these thirty-seven, the committee of tlie 
 Academic Board convened thirty-one times, between November and June. 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 87 
 
 They were ordered to and from the school at irregular inter- 
 vals, only a portion remaining through the year. 
 
 In spite of these obstacles, the school was doing a good 
 work. The examinations in the several branches served to 
 give point and direction to the studies of young officers, and, 
 if they accomplished nothing else, they at least had some 
 effect in excluding unworthy candidates for appointment. 
 Secretary Mason said in his report of 1847, in speaking of the 
 Naval School :' " The examinations before an applicant can 
 enter the service, and those which determine his qualification 
 for promotion, after five or six years of service, exert the most 
 beneficial influence in retaining only those who have the 
 mental endowments essential to a skillful and accomplished 
 naval officer." 
 
 With the limited force of instructors at the command of the 
 Department, it was impossible to have accomplished teachers 
 in each branch, and it was necessary to shape the course 
 according to the abilities and attainments of the officers whom 
 the school was fortunate enough to get. After Ward and 
 Dahlgren left, their places could not be exactly filled, and 
 Professor Lockwood, whose range of scientific study was very 
 wide, took charge of gunnery and other subjects, while steam 
 was joined with chemistry. In October, 1848, the academic 
 faculty was as follows :t 
 
 Commander G. P. Upshur, Superintendent. 
 
 Lieut. Sidney S. Lee,' executive officer. 
 
 Dr. John A. Lockwood, instructor in chemistry and steam. 
 
 Prof W. Chauvenet, instructor in mathematics. 
 
 Prof H. H. Lockwood, instructor in astronomy, mechan- 
 ics, and gunnery. 
 
 Professor Girault, instructor in French. 
 
 Chaplain Jones, instructor in English. 
 
 ' Executive Documents, Thirtieth Congress, iirstsession, No. ii, p. 957. 
 f Journal Academic Board, i, p. 36. 
 
88 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 William M. Chauvenet, assistant in French. 
 
 Passed Midshipman William N. Jefifers,* assistant in mathe- 
 matics. 
 
 Changes meanwhile were suggested, and it was even pro- 
 posed to apply to Congress for legislation. But, in view of 
 the peculiar character and purpose of the institution, the 
 Secretary wisely thought that such an effort should be post- 
 poned until a larger experience and more careful thought and 
 study had enabled naval officers and professors to mature a 
 plan which would meet the wants of the service for some time 
 to come. Regulations once established by hasty legislation, 
 however injudicious they might be, could only be modified by 
 the slow process of repeal or amendment. It was much that 
 some steps had been taken, and that no mistake had been 
 made so far. That the steps had been in the right direction, 
 the Secretary was assured. In his report for 1848 he said :t 
 " The beneficial effects of the Naval School upon the service 
 are already beginning to be sensibly felt. The truth is ad- 
 mitted by all that the services required of officers are more of 
 the head than the hand. The result of experience in the 
 Army, that in proportion as education has been encouraged, 
 and the means of acquiring it afforded, so have the character 
 and efficiency of the officers been improved, will not fail to 
 be confirmed in the Navy. * # * The lad who leaves 
 his parents at the age of fourteen or fifteen years to enter the 
 service as a midshipman cannot be expected to have laid 
 the foundation even for so broad a superstructure of knowl- 
 edge. The Naval School promises to furnish the means 01 
 attaining these ends, so important for the Navy. It will pro- 
 duce, I trust, the same happy fruits of skill and knowledge 
 which the Military Academy has already produced for the 
 
 * Now Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance. 
 
 t Executive Documents, Thirtieth Congress, second session. No. 1, 
 p. 6l2. 
 
Chap. II. THE NA VAL SCHOOL. 89 
 
 Army." In another part of the report the Secretary spoke 
 of flags of captured vessels and trophies in the rooms of the 
 Navy Department at Washington, and recommended their 
 removal to the school. This removal was afterwards made, 
 and the flags are still to be seen in the gunnery-room of the 
 Academy. 
 
 In March, 1849, the administration of Taylor came in, and 
 William Ballard Preston, of Virginia, was appointed to suc- 
 ceed Mr. Mason as Secretary of the Navy. Early in this 
 year the Academic Board had had the subject of the course 
 of instruction under long and careful consideration; and they 
 had made a formal report and recommendations which had, 
 as yet, been followed by no action of the Department. At 
 lengjth, on the 4th of September, 1849, Secretary Preston 
 appointed a board to consider the subject and draw up a 
 system of regulations embodying their views. The board sat 
 at Washington, and was composed of the following officers: 
 
 Commodore William B. Shubrick, 
 
 Commander Franklin Buchanan, 
 
 Commander Samuel F. Dupont, 
 
 Commander George P. Upshur, 
 
 Surgeon W. S. W. Ruschenberger. 
 
 Professor William Chauvenet. 
 
 Capt. Henry Brewerton, of the Corps of Engineers, at 
 that time Superintendent of the Military Academy at West 
 P&int, was to confer with the board on the discipline of that 
 institution. 
 
 The new regulations were reported to the Secretary in 
 October. They were soon after approved, and went into 
 operation at the beginning of the next academic year, July 
 I, 1850. At the same time, Commander C. K. Stribling 
 succeeded Commander Upshur as Superintendent. The pro- 
 visions of the new regulations are given at length in the 
 following chapter. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. 
 JULY, 1850, TO NOVEMBER, 1851. 
 
 The essential features of the new organization were the 
 following :* 
 
 The institution, to be called henceforth the United States 
 Naval Academy, was placed under the supervision of the 
 Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography, who was 
 to inspect it personally once a yeac, and through whom its 
 routine business with the Department was to be conducted ; 
 but in matters of discipline the reports were to be made 
 directly to the Secretary of the Navy. The Superintendent, 
 as before, had immediate charge of the institution. An expe- 
 rienced lieutenant or commander was to be the executive 
 officer and instructor in naval tactics and practical seaman- 
 ship. He was to be known as the commandant of midship- 
 men. The other instructors were as follows : 
 
 Professor of mathematics. 
 
 Professor of natural and experimental philosophy. 
 
 Professor of gunnery and infantry tactics. 
 
 Professor of ethics, &c. 
 
 Professor of modern languages. 
 
 Instructor of drawing and draughting. 
 
 Instructor of the art of defence. 
 
 * From the copy of the report of the board in the Superintendent's 
 office, United States Naval Academy. 
 
Chap. III. THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. gi 
 
 The five professors, with the Superintendent and comman- 
 dant of midshipmen, were to compose the Academic Board, of 
 which the Superintendent was president ex officio. Its duties 
 were to fix the order of instruction and the time devoted to 
 each branch, to recommend text-books, changes in' course, 
 and purchases of books and apparatus, and to take cognizance 
 of other academic matters. 
 
 But the main feature of the change was the extension 
 of the course and the arrangement of the examinations for 
 admission. These latter were to be held between the ist and 
 5th of October, in each year, and at no other tim.e. After 
 passing this examination the acting midshipman was to remain 
 at the Academy for two years from the time of admission, 
 and if he passed this course he was ordered to sea. After 
 six months of satisfactory sea-service he received a midship- 
 man's warrant, bearing the date of his appointment as acting 
 midshipman. By the ist of October, three years from the 
 time of leaving the Academy, he was to return to it, and 
 continue the studies of the finaj qourse of two years. At the 
 end of this, time he was to be examined for promotion. Four 
 classes were thus provided for, there being an intermission of 
 three years between the end of the third-class and the begin- 
 ning of the second-class course. 
 
 The course of instruction embraced six departments : 
 
 1. Naval tactics and practical seamanship. 
 
 2. Mathematics, including pure mathematics, navigation, 
 astronomy, and land and nautical surveying. Drawing and 
 draughting were in charge of this department. 
 
 3. Natural and experimental philosophy, including me- 
 chanics, the use of steam, the construction and management 
 of the steam-engine, especially of marine engines, the phe- 
 nomena of chemistry, heat, electricity, and light. Mineral- 
 ogy and geology, treating especially of coal and iron. 
 
92 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 4. Gunnery and infantry-tactics, theory and practice of 
 gunnery, and artillery and infantry tactics. Instruction in 
 the art of defence, including fencing, was in charge of this 
 department. 
 
 5. Ethics. English grammar, rhetoric, physical and de- 
 scriptive geography, history, moral philosophy, constitutional, 
 national, and international law, and military and naval law. 
 
 6. Modem languages. Speaking, reading, and writing 
 French and Spanish. 
 
 Each head of department was to be the judge of the meth- 
 ods of teaching to be employed in his department, and he 
 was given considerable liberty in transferring students from 
 their positions in the class as fixed by the marks of his assist- 
 ants. 
 
 A sloop of war was to be attached to the Academy for 
 sea-service and gunnery-practice during the summer. She 
 was commanded by the commandant of midshipmen, and 
 officered in part from the Academy. 
 
 The examination for admission was made very light. Can- 
 didates were to be between thirteen and fifteen years of age, 
 and were to be able to read, write, and spell, and perform the 
 four "primary rules of arithmetic." They were also required 
 to pass before a medical board. 
 
 Semi-annual and annual examinations were held during 
 the course, and students reported deficient in any branch of 
 study were to be dropped; and they were not to be restored 
 unless upon the recommendation of the Academic Board. 
 
 The final examination of the graduating cla.ss for promotion 
 took place in October, instead of June, as was the case with 
 the others. It was conducted by a board of three captains 
 and two commanders, together with the Superintendent and 
 commandant of midshipmen, and included all the branches 
 taught at the Academy. The professor in charge of a branch 
 
Chap. III. THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. 53 
 
 put the questions orally to the students in the presence of the 
 board, and the final standing, which determined the order of 
 the midshipmen on the navy-list, was made up by combining 
 all the marks of the course, but was subject to the revision 
 of the board. At the same time a board of visitors, consist- 
 ing of the Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance and six other 
 " gentlemen of scientific attainments," made an inspection of 
 the working of the Academy, and reported their views upon 
 it to the Secretary of the Navy. 
 
 The student's conduct had a very considerable weight in 
 determining his final standing, being counted as equal in im- 
 portance to mathematics. Two hundred demerits in any year 
 involved dismissal. The other provisions in regard to conduct 
 were not unlike those which have since been in force. Duel- 
 ing, cards, tobacco, liquor, clubs, and societies, the use of 
 fire-arms, the marriage of midshipmen, were forbidden. As a 
 general rule, leave was only granted on Saturdays. The re- 
 striction to the grounds, singularly enough, included officers 
 as well as midshipmen.* A midshipman was detailed daily 
 to serve as officer of the day- He had an office at the gate, 
 and the same duties of inspection and record as were enjoined 
 by the earlier regulations. A master was to be attached to 
 the Academy, to act as instructor in mathematics. He had, 
 in addition, certain police duties, among which was the charge 
 of the mess-hall. The other provisions of the regulations 
 consisted of minute details in relation to the interior discipline 
 of the institution. 
 
 Several changes were made about this time in the force of 
 officers. Lieutenant Lee was relieved by Lieut. Thomas T. 
 Craven,t to whose long connection with the Academy — 
 
 * Chap. 9, § 6. " Ho professor, instructor, midshipman, or acting mid- 
 shipman, nor any other person doing duty in the institution, is to go beyond 
 the limits of the inclosure without the permission of the Superintendent." 
 
 t Now rear-admiral. 
 
g^ THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 nearly eight years in all — is especially due the commence- • 
 ment and elaboration of the system of practice-cruises, than 
 which no other feature of the course has proved more bene- 
 ficial. He remained as second in command till 1855; and, 
 returning again in 1858, he finally left the Academy in i860. 
 Among other changes, Mr. Jones was relieved of his duties 
 of instruction and acted as chaplain. He was afterwards 
 detached, to accompany Commodore Perry's expedition 
 to Japan.* He was succeeded by Prof. Joseph E. Nourse, 
 in the English department. About the same time Prof W. 
 F. Hopkins took the place of Dr. Lockwood. The staff was 
 now composed of the following officers : t 
 
 ACADEMIC BOARD. 
 
 Cornelius K. StribHng, Superintendent, and President ex 
 officio. 
 
 Thomas T. Craven, Lieutenant, and Commandant of Mid- 
 shipmen. 
 
 William Chauvenet, Professor of Mathematics. 
 
 William F. Hopkins, Professor of Natural and Experimental 
 Philosophy. 
 
 * The Rev. George Jones, A.M., was born July 30, 1800, near Yorkr 
 Pa. He graduated at Yale College in 1823, with the highest honors of 
 his class. In 1828 he was appointed tutor in Yale College, an office 
 which he held till 1830. He was commissioned chaplain in the United 
 States Navy in 1833. His published works consisted of — i. Sketches of 
 Naval Life. New Haven, 3 vols. 2. Excursions to Cairo, Jerusalem, 
 Damascus, and Balbec. New York, 1836. 3. Observations on the 
 Zodiacal Light. 4°, 348 plates, pp. 750. The last work forms the third 
 volume of the report of Perry's Japan Expedition, during which the ob- 
 servations were made. "The new theory of a nebulous ring around the 
 earth is a deduction from these observations. See Bouvier's Familip.r 
 Astronomy, 405." (Allibone's Dictionary of Authors, vol. i. See also 
 Navy Register, and Yale Catalogue.) Chaplain Jones died in 1870. 
 
 t From the Navy Register of 1851. 
 
Chap. III. THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. 
 
 95 
 
 Henry H. Lockwood, Professor of Gunneiy and Infantry- 
 Tactics. 
 Joseph E. Nourse, Professor of Ethics. 
 Arsene N. Girault, Professor of Modern Languages. 
 
 OFFICERS, PROFESSORS, ETC. 
 
 Daniel S. Green, Surgeon. 
 George Jones, Chaplain. 
 Samuel Marcy, Acting Master, \ 
 
 William P. Buckner, Passed Midshipman, \ Mathematics. 
 James Armstrong, Passed Midshipman, \ 
 Samuel P. Carter, Passed Midshipman, Infantry -Tactics. ■ 
 Alexander M. De Bree, Passed Midshipman, Natural and 
 Experimental Philosophy. 
 
 Alfred H. Barber, Assistant P-ofessor of Ethics. 
 Edward Seager, Instructor of Drawing and of Defence. 
 Williafn M. Chauvenet, Assistant in French. 
 Edward A, Roget, Assistant in Spanish. 
 
 The new system, though in many ways defective, was a long 
 step in advance of the old; and the progress was all- the more 
 remarkable in view of the natural conservatism of military or- 
 ganizations, and the difficulty of making considerable changes 
 which require departmental support and legislative action — 
 a movement, in short, of the whole machinery of one branch 
 of the . Government. As it was, however, neither the Aca- 
 demic Board nor the more intelligent officers of the Navy were 
 wholly satisfied. It was a great gain that four years were se- 
 cured for study, and that the students of each class should be- 
 gin and end their courses at the same time; but the long in- 
 termission in the middle of the course, before habits of study 
 were thoroughly formed, tended to break up and scatter the 
 force of instruction, and to destroy the unity of the system. 
 
96 
 
 THE NA VAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 During the next year the board was actively engaged in fur- 
 ther measures of organization, and in revising the lately-adopt- 
 ed rules. July 30, 1850, the marking-scale of 4 was adopted, 
 which has continued in use since that time. In the following 
 spring (_May 31, 1851) a system of maximum numbers and 
 common differences was introduced, to be used in making up 
 the rank of the students. The following scale was used: 
 Mathematics, 3 ; English studies, 2 ; French, 2 ; gunnery and 
 infantry-tactics, 2; drawing, 1.* This scale has undergone 
 repeated modifications, almost yearly, during the progress of 
 the school, to meet new exigencies. The common differences 
 were retained in use until the end of the academic year 
 1874-75, when the system was laid aside for that of co-efii- 
 cientsj the one in use during the first five years of the school. 
 After the close of the session in July, 1851, the Academic 
 Board addressed a letter to the Secretary of the Navy, calUng 
 his attention to the importance of so changing the system as 
 to insure a consecutive course of study of four years before 
 actual service. From this letter t it appears that the board 
 had always held this view, and that it had the approval of 
 the Secretary, but that it had not been urged previously in 
 deference to the opinion of distinguished officers of the serv- 
 
 * Corresponding maxima and minima: Mathematics, 300-100; Eng- 
 lish, French, gunnery, 200-67; drawing, 100-33. The method used 
 was as follows : After determining the order of merit in each branch, the 
 number expressing the maximum of merit in each branch was attached to 
 the first name on the roll of that branch. One-third of the maximum was 
 attached to the last name on the list of those who had passed in that 
 branch, and was the minimum number of the branch. The difference be- 
 tween the maximum and the minimum was then distributed by a common 
 difference among all the members of the class, and the series of whole 
 numbers most nearly coinciding with the series so found was taken to ex- 
 press the relative merit in that branch of the members of that class. (Rec- 
 ord Academic Board, I, 134.) 
 
 + Record Academic Board, i, p. 157. 
 
Chap. III. THE PERIOD OF TRANSITION. gy 
 
 ice, who considered it indispensable that the young midship- 
 man should go to sea early in order to form those tastes and 
 habits which were deemed essential to the naval officer. 
 These objections, however, had since been obviated by the 
 introduction of the annual practice-cruise, in which it was 
 found that the midshipmen obtained more, and more valu- 
 able, experience than in their first cruise under the old sys- 
 tem. It was understood that the opposition under which the 
 plan had labored the year before had been withdrawn, and 
 the board accordingly had drawn up a series of revisions 
 which they presented to the attention of the Department. 
 The changes were favorably regarded, and referred to the 
 board, which convened in October, 1851, to examine mid- 
 shipmen for promotion, and which was composed of the fol- 
 lowing officers : 
 
 Commodore David Conner. 
 
 Captain Samuel L. Breese. 
 
 Commander C. K. Stribling. 
 
 Commander A, Bigelow. 
 
 Commander F. Buchanan. 
 
 Lieut, Thomas T. Craven. 
 
 This board considered the matter and incorporated such 
 changes as it deemed best in the regulations ; and the modi- 
 fied system was approved by the Secretary of the Navy, Hon. 
 William A. Graham, November 15, 1851, since which time 
 it has formed the basis of the academic organization. 
 
 7 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE FINAL ORGANIZATION. 
 1851-1876. 
 
 The essential part of the change from the regulations of 
 1850 consisted in the arrangement of the course in four suc- 
 cessive years, as recommended by the Academic Board ; in 
 putting the age of admission between fourteen and sixteen ; 
 and in withholding the warrants until the end of the four 
 years. At that time each acting midshipman who passed his 
 final examination received a certificate of graduation, which 
 entitled him to a warrant bearing the date of the certificate. 
 No one could have a warrant who was not a graduate of the 
 Academy. The final examination was to take place in June, 
 at the close of the course. Candidates for admission were 
 appointed before March of each year, and the examination 
 was held between the 20th and 31st of May.* Candidates 
 who were qualified were admitted to advanced standing. No 
 candidate or midshipman rejected at an examination or 
 discharged from the Academy could be re-appointed or 
 restored. 
 
 Slight changes were made in the course. The department 
 of modern languages was divided into those of French and 
 Spanish, and a department of drawing was created. The 
 instruction in the latter comprised right-line draAving, sketch- 
 ing, and perspective. Spanish and drawing were not at- this 
 
 ' Changed to September, by order of N avy Department, November 29, 
 1852. 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGANIZA TTON. gg 
 
 time represented upon the Academic Board. Pyrotechny 
 was added to the course in the department of gunnery. 
 
 A master was to be detailed as assistant to the executive 
 officer, to have general charge of police duty; and a purser 
 was to be the treasurer and disbursing officer of the insti- 
 tution. 
 
 A suitable vessel of war was to be attached to the Acad- 
 emy as a practice-ship, and the midshipmen were to be em- 
 barked immediately after the June examination. The second 
 class had leave of absence till, the 30th of September, instead 
 of going on the practice-cruise. 
 
 Midshipmen in service before January i, 1851, continued 
 to a certain extent the old course, and after three years at 
 sea remained one year at the Academy to pursue such a 
 modified course as might suit their peculiar situation. Their 
 examination for promotion was governed by the old regu- 
 lations.' 
 
 A circular of the Navy Department, issued July 23, 1852, 
 made provision for the examination for promotion of the 
 midshipmen who came under the new system — i. e., those 
 appointed after January, 185 1. This examination was to be 
 held at the Naval Academy or elsewhere, by a board of three 
 captains and two' commanders. The midshipmen came up 
 after getting a certificate of graduation and performing three 
 and a half years of sea-service, including their practice- 
 cruises. The subjects were seamanship and naval tactics 
 only, and the marks given were combined with those of the 
 academic course to determine the relative rank of the mem- 
 bers of each class. 
 
 The organization adopted in 185 1 has thus far met the 
 wants of the institution. Changes in detail have been made 
 at intervals,* but the general system has been preserved 
 
 • Many of these are referred to in the chapter on the course of instruc- 
 tion. 
 
THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 throughout the administrations of the able Superintendents 
 who have for the last twenty-five years presided over the 
 Academy. Except for the temporary interruptions caused 
 by the war, the records during these years bear witness to the 
 steady prosperity and growth of the school. Of late years 
 the academic staff has been mainly composed of graduates 
 of the four-year course, with a considerable number of in- 
 structors appointed from civil life. Among the latter, who at 
 one time or another have been connected with the school, 
 may be mentioned the late Professor Winlock, of Harvard 
 University; Prof J. H. C. Coffin, the superintendent of the 
 Nautical Almanac; Professor Chauvenet, afterward chan- 
 cellor of the Washington University of Missouri; Dr. Augustus 
 W. Smith, for many years president of Wesleyan University; 
 William F. Hopkins,* at one time professor of chemistry at West 
 Point, and afterward at William and Mary College, Virginia; 
 Prof. C. J. White, registrar of Harvard College; W.Woolsey 
 Johnson, professor of mathematics at Saint John's College ; 
 Prof George A. Osborne, of the Massachusetts Institute of 
 
 • Prof. William Fenn Hopkins, LL.D., was a graduate of the Military 
 Academy at West Point, in the class of 1825. He was commissioned 
 second lieutenant in the Fourth Artillery, and was promoted to the rank 
 of first lieutenant September 14, 1834. He served at the Military 
 Academy as assistant, and afterwards as acting, professor from 1825 to 
 1835. He resigned his commission June 30, 1836. He subsequently 
 became principal of the Norfolk Academy, Virginia, (1843,) professor of 
 natural sciences at the Western Military Institute, Georgetown, Ky., 
 ( 1846, ) president of Masonic University, Clarksville, Tenn., and professor 
 of chemistry at William and Mary College, Virginia. He was professor of 
 natural and experimental philosophy at the Naval Academy from Sep- 
 tember I, 1850, to March i, 1859. Upon his resignation he was appointed 
 United States consul at Jamaica, W. I. , a position which he held only 
 four months. He died in the island of Jamaica July 13, 1859. Professor 
 Hopkins received the degree of A. M. from Yale College in 1833, and that 
 of LL. D. from Trinity College, Geneva, N. Y., in 1853. (See Cullum's 
 Biographical Register of United States Military Academy, vol. i.) 
 
CnAr. IV. 
 
 THE FINAL ORGANIZA TION. 
 
 Technology; and J. W. Langley, recently appointed professor 
 of chemistry and physics at Michigan University. 
 
 The period from 1850 to 1852 had been one of transition ; 
 and even until 1856 the old and the new systems worked side 
 by side, compelling a provisional arrangement of studies. The 
 class which entered in October, 1851, was the first class 
 under the present system. This class graduated in 1855. At 
 the semi-annual examination in February, 1852, however, ten 
 members of this class were selected for advancement, and of 
 these ten, six completed their course in three years, graduat- 
 ing in June, 1854. Of these six, only two, Commanders 
 Thomas O. Selfridge and Joseph N. Miller, are still in the 
 service; and they are therefore the first graduates of the pres- 
 ent academic course in the Navy. Subsequent classes fol- 
 lowed in regular order. 
 
 Meanwhile, the midsliipmen who had entered the service 
 before 1851 continued to report for study at the end of their 
 cruises. The following table will show the order in which 
 they came : 
 
 Number examined. 
 
 4- 
 2 . 
 
 16. 
 2. 
 
 25- 
 
 6. 
 22. 
 
 7- 
 IS- 
 
 I. 
 
 7- 
 20. 
 
 Original entry into the 
 service 
 
 184s 
 1845 
 1846 
 1846 
 1847 
 
 1847 
 1848 
 1848 
 1849 
 1848 
 1849 
 1850 
 
 Examined in — 
 
 October, 1851. 
 I June, 1852. 
 
 Uune, 1853. 
 
 I June, 1854. 
 
 I June, 1855. 
 
 VJune, 1856. 
 
102 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. I'art I. 
 
 The midshipmen of the date of 1850, examined in Jmie, 
 1856, were the last students who came under the old system. 
 The date of 1851 had already graduated, six in 1854, and 
 the remainder in 1855 ; those of the date of 1852 graduated 
 in 1856, and so on uniformly till the breaking out of the war. 
 
 In October, 1853, the subjects of astronomy and navigation 
 were taken from the department of mathematics and placed 
 in a separate department, of which Professor Chauvenet 
 assumed the charge. Other transfers of a like character were 
 made from time to time, but none of them of such import- 
 ance as to alter the general organization. 
 
 Commander Louis M. Goldsborough relieved Captain 
 Stribling as Superintendent on the ist of November, 1853, 
 and retained the charge for four years. In September, 1857, 
 he was in turn relieved by Capt. George S. Blake. In 1859 
 Professor Chauvenet resigned to accept an appointment in 
 the Washington University. The connection of Professor 
 Chauvenet with the Academy for a period of nineteen years, 
 from its foundation, is one of the most important facts in its 
 early history. The thoroughness and efficiency which have 
 always characterized the instruction in mathematics and navi- 
 gaition are largely due to his earnest and successful efforts.* 
 
 * William Chauvenet, LL. D., was bornin Milford, Pa., May 24, 1819, 
 and died at Saint Paul, Minn., December 13, 1870. He graduated with 
 high honors in 1840 at Yale College, and immediately became associated 
 with Alexander Dallas Bache in important meteorological and magnetic 
 observations at Girard College. He was appointed December 30, 1841, 
 a professor of mathematics in the Navy. He was attached to the Naval 
 School at Philadelphia, and was one of the most active and efficient pro- 
 moters of the establishment and organization of the Academy at Annapolis. 
 In 1859 he was called to the chair of mathematics and astronomy at Yale 
 College, and to the same position at the Washington University of St. 
 Louis. He accepted the latter, and retained it till 1868, when ill-health 
 compelled him to resign. He had in the mean time been appointed chan- 
 cellor of Washingcon University. Many of his contributions to scientific 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGAh^IZATIOh\ 103 
 
 The age and qualifications for admission have undergone 
 occasional modifications. The standard has been somewhat 
 raised, but the changes have been gradual and slight, so that 
 even at the present time the examination is of a very ele- 
 mentary character. The regulations of 1 85 5 fixed the required 
 age as over fourteen and under seventeen years. In i860 
 the maximum was fixed at under eighteen; and these limits 
 are still preserved. 
 
 The first summer practice-cruise was made in the United 
 States steamer John Hancock, commanded by Lieutenant 
 Craven, in 1851. The cruise was short, and was confined to 
 Chesapeake Bay. Later in the summer the midshipmen em- 
 barked in the sloop of war Preble and cruised for some time 
 at sea and off the coast of Maine. Since that time cruises 
 have been made every year, except in 1861. 
 
 In October, 1859, it was found that the quarters were too 
 small to hold all the midshipmen, and the experiment was 
 tried of quartering a part of them on board of one of the 
 practice-ships. The sloop of war Plymouth was at that time 
 moored off the Academy. The battery was removed, with 
 the exception of four guns, and the main deck converted into 
 study and recitation rooms. The new fourth class were put 
 on board, messing and sleeping on the berth-deck. Gas and 
 steam were carried from the shore, and a scow served as a 
 means of communication. The crew, twenty-five in number, 
 
 knowledge were of great practical value, such as his methods of determin- 
 ing the longitude at sea, of rating chronometers, a:nd of great-circle sailing- 
 charts. His "Treatise on Practical and Spherical Trigonometry" (1863) 
 was said by Professor Bond, of Harvard College, to be " the most thorough 
 and complete which had appeared in any country or language." His 
 othei- works include "The Binomial Theorem Theory of Exponents and 
 of Logarithms," (1843;) " Plane and Spherical Trigonometry," (1850;) 
 and " On Elementary Geometry," (1870.) (The above notice is taken 
 miinly from the revised edition of Appleton's Cyclopedia, 4, p. 346.) 
 
104 
 
 THE NA VAL A C A DEMY. Part I. 
 
 lived forward on the main deck.* In the next year the frig, 
 ate Constitution took the place of the Plymouth. She was 
 arranged somewhat as the otlier vessel had been; a house 
 was built for the crew on the spar-deck, and the two lower 
 decks were used by the midshipmen. The Constitution was 
 ill-adapted for practice-cruises, and was attached to the Acad- 
 emy solely as a school-ship, for which purpose her historical 
 associations seemed to make her peculiarly appropriate. 
 
 During the following winter, the growing complications in 
 national affairs caused serious apprehensions at the Academy. 
 As one State after another seceded, strong pressure from home 
 was brought to bear on midshipmen from the South, and 
 some of them sent in their resignations. By the middle of 
 April the situation had become alarming. Disaffection to the 
 Union prevailed to some extent in the neighborhood, and 
 the Superintendent, Captain Blake, received intimations of a 
 threatened attack. It is uncertain whether any such attack 
 was really projected, but the officers in charge of the station 
 had every reason to apprehend one. On the 15th of April, 
 Captain Blake wrote to the Secretary of the Navy, describing 
 the defenceless character of the place and submitting a plan 
 of action in case of attack. He proposed to destroy the guns 
 and stores that he could not carry away, embark officers and 
 midshipmen on board the Constitution, and take her to Phil- 
 adelphia. He was especially anxious that this vessel should 
 not fall into the hands of the insurgents, having " had in- 
 formation," as he says in one of his letters, " that it is the 
 determination of a great many people of this 'State that the 
 Constitution shall be the first ship of war to hoist the flag of 
 the Confederate States.'' At this time she was in her position 
 as school-ship, moored to the wharf, and under the command 
 
 ■ Lull, p. 49. 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGANIZATION. 105 
 
 of Lieut. George W. Rodgers. Her guns were double-shotted, 
 and every preparation was made which the limited means at 
 the disposal of her commander allowed. 
 
 In the mean time the state of affairs outside grew daily- 
 worse. Communication with Washington was uncertain. 
 The telegraph-wires were cut. It became necessary to send 
 dispatches to the Department by officers of the school ordered 
 to make their way as well as they could to the capital. 
 Every precaution was taken to prevent an attack. The 
 Superintendent endeavored to maintain a conciliatory policy 
 toward the citizens; but, notwithstanding the good disposition 
 of the better classes without the walls, the officers passed 
 several days and nights in great suspense and anxiety. 
 
 On the 19th of April, the Massachusetts Sixth Regiment 
 was attacked by the mob in Baltimore. General B. F. Butler 
 with the Massachusetts Eighth was then at Philadelphia, and 
 seeing the impossibility of taking his men through Baltimore, 
 consulted with Commodore Dupont, commanding the Phila- 
 delphia navy-yard, and General Patterson, as to the best 
 route to be taken to Washington. It was decided that the 
 troops should leave the railway at Perryville and go by water 
 to Annapolis, from which place it was supposed they might 
 easily reach their destination. Butler left Philadelphia on the 
 20th, seized the large ferry-boat Maryland at Perryville, em- 
 barked his men, and arrived off Annapolis a little, after mid- 
 night. He was surprised to find the town and the Academy 
 lit up, and the people astir. Rumors had been spread that 
 the attack on the Constitution was to be made that night by 
 a party from Baltimore, joined by southern sympathizers in 
 the town, and the officers were making such preparations as 
 they could to resist it. At first the troops in the Maryland 
 were supposed to be enemies, and the people on board the 
 Constitution were just about to open fire upon her when they 
 
io6 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 found, to their surprise and their great relief, that she carried 
 their friends.* 
 
 General Butler immediately offered the use of the Maryland 
 to Captain Blake to tow the Constitution away from the 
 wharf and beyond the reach of danger. In performing this 
 service the Maryland got aground, and remained so during 
 the next day and night. Governor Hicks, of Maryland, who 
 was then at Annapolis, (his official residence being just out- 
 side the Academy grounds,) protested against the landing of 
 the troops; and during the day letters were exchanged, and 
 a conference took place between him and the General on the 
 subject. On the morning of the 22d, General Butler having 
 already determined to land, the steamer Boston appeared in 
 the harbor with the New York Seventh Regiment on board. 
 The latter was landed at the Academy wharf, and the steamer 
 then took off the Massachusetts troops from the Maryland. 
 They were quartered, as far as was possible, in the buildings, 
 and the rest encamped on the grounds. 
 
 By this time the routine of the school was broken up and 
 the place was transformed into a camp. The two regiments 
 soon left for Washington, the Massachusetts Eighth rebuild- 
 ing the railway on its march, which had been torn up by se- 
 cessionists. Before their departure, other troops had arrived. 
 On the 23d, ten members of the first class of midshipmen 
 were ordered to report at the Navy Department for active 
 service. On the 24th, the remaining midshipmen were trans- 
 ferred to the Constitution, and Captain Blake wrote to the 
 Department recommending the immediate removal of the 
 school. He proposed Fort Adams, at Newport, R. I., as the 
 most available place for the moment; and he suggested that 
 the steamer Baltic, then used as a transport between New 
 York and Annapolis, should take the officers and their families. 
 * Lossing, I, p. 435. 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGANIZATION. 107 
 
 As there was no probability that instruction could be suc- 
 cessfully resumed at Annapolis for a long time, Secretary 
 Welles adopted the recommendation, and on the 27th the 
 Academy was ordered to Newport. The Baltic, commanded 
 by Capt. Oliver Eldridge, was placed in charge of Lieut. C. 
 R. P. Rodgers,* the commandant of midshipmen at that time. 
 All the books, furniture, models, and apparatus that could be 
 transported were packed and placed on board. The officers 
 and professors embarked with their families, and on the even- 
 ing of the 9th of May the Baltic arrived at Newport. The 
 Constitution, under Lieut. G. W. Rodgers, with the midship- 
 men on board, which had been for some days at New York, 
 came in about two hours before the Baltic. 
 
 The quarters at Fort Adams were in casemates which had 
 not been inhabited for eighteen months, and were found very 
 damp and unwholesome. They furnished a scanty accommo- 
 dation for about one-half of the officers and professors who 
 had been quartered at Annapolis. They were made ready 
 with all dispatch, and in the mean time lodgings were hired 
 for the officers in town. Captain Blake having remained in 
 Annapolis, the commandant of midshipmen, Lieut. C. R. P. 
 Rodgers, had charge of the re-organization of the school. So 
 rapidly was it accomjjlished, that on the 13th instant, four 
 days after the arrival, studies and recitations were in full oper- 
 ation; and this in the face of the greatest obstacles, most of 
 the line-officers on duty having been detached and ordered 
 into active service. The midshipmen, also, were ordered off in 
 large numbers. The remaining half of the first class, and all 
 the members of the second and third classes, except a few re- 
 tained to assist in the discipline of the school, were detached 
 soon after the loth of May. The studies of these midshipmen 
 were, of course, much abridged; those who entered had in '59 
 * Now Superintendent of the Naval Academy. 
 
io8 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 going over only the elementary course of the first two years. 
 But the needs of the country admitted of no alternative. At 
 the close of the year the fourth class was the only one at the 
 Academy. They were kept steadily at exercises and drills 
 throughout the summer, with a limited course of study and 
 recitation. The detachment of the upper classes having 
 caused numerous vacancies, a very large class, two hundred 
 ill number, entered in the summer of >i86i. All these were 
 quartered on board the school-ship. 
 
 As the fort failed to give adequate or comfortable accom- 
 modation to the officers and upper classes of midshipmen, the 
 Atlantic House, a large hotel in a central part of the city, was 
 rented for a year by the Government. The Academy was 
 moved in by the ist of October, the beginning of the next 
 academic year. This arrangement proved the most satisfac- 
 tory that could be made, and it was followed for the next 
 three years. The Constitution was still used as a school-ship, 
 and was moored alongside the wharf on Goat Island, with the 
 fourth class on board. The frigate Santee was also attached 
 to the Academy as a school-ship. 
 
 In September, 1865, Commodore Blake was relieved by 
 Admiral Porter,* after an able administration of eight years, 
 under the most trying circumstances — the longest in the his- 
 tory of the Academy.t 
 
 •At this time rear-admiral. 
 
 t Commodore George Smith Blake was born at Worcester, Mass., in 
 1803. He was the son of Francis Blake, esq., a distinguished lawyer of 
 Worcester. He was appointed midshipman in 1818, and lieutenant in 
 1827 Soon after the latter date he made a cruise in the Grampus, on 
 the West India station, for the suppression of piracy. In 1832 he was 
 employed on a special survey of Narragansett Bay, and from i835-'46 
 he was attached to the Coast Survey. He commanded the lo-gun brig 
 Perry in 1846, and vi'as wrecked on the coast of Florida. From i849-'52 
 he was attached to the Mediterranean squadron. In 1855 he was pro- 
 moted to captain, and in i852 to commodore. After his retirement from 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGANIZATION. ,09 
 
 Congress had already decided upon the return of the 
 Academy to Annapohs,* and the change was to be made be- 
 fore the beginning of the academic year of 1865. Soon 
 
 the Academy, he was for some time light-house inspector. He died at 
 Longwood, Mass., June 24, 1871. 
 
 He is spoken of as a gallant and accomplished officer, a man of fine 
 culture, a graceful and elegant writer, and as having possessed good ex- 
 ecutive ability and a genial and affable address. 
 
 The Secretary of the Navy, in a letter to Captain Blake, October 9, 
 1 86 1, said: 
 
 "Your letter of the 3d instant, informing the Department of your 
 readiness for any service, is received. 
 
 "Appreciating your motives, but valuing your services in the present 
 condition of the institution over which you preside, the Department spe- 
 cially desires your continuance at least for the present.'' 
 
 After the close of the war the Secretary addressed the following letter 
 to Commodore Blake : 
 
 , "Navy Department, August, ■^o, 1865. 
 
 " Sir: In relieving you from the important position of Superintendent 
 of the Naval Academy, which you have conducted with zeal and ability 
 for the last eight years, the Department takes occasion to express to you 
 its acknowledgment of your valuable services during an excited and in- 
 teresting period. 
 
 " The removal of the Academy from Annapolis to Newport, which was 
 effected under your superintendence, and the final termination of the 
 school at the latter place, have been events of importance in the history 
 of the institution, and with them your name and services are honorably 
 identified. In retiring from the position which you have so long occu- 
 pied with distinction, I tender to you the respectful regard of the De- 
 partment. 
 
 " Very respectfully, 
 
 "GIDEON WELLES, 
 
 " Secretary of the Navy. 
 
 " Commodore George S. Blake." 
 
 (See Drake's Dictionary of American Biography; Hamersly's Records 
 of Living Officers; and Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia, 1871.) 
 
 *Act approved May 21, 1864, "making appropriations for the naval 
 service," section 4. 
 
no THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 after the dose of the war, the War Department, which had 
 used the buildings and grounds as a hospital and military 
 station, restored them to the Navy, and the transfer of the 
 Academy from Newport took place immediately after Admi- 
 ral Porter's accession. All traces of the military occupation 
 were removed or destroyed. 
 
 During Admiral Porter's administration many important 
 changes and improvements were made, both in the extension 
 of the course of instruction, and in additions to the grounds 
 and the erection of buildings. In 1865 the new department 
 of steam-engineering was established, and in the next year 
 a class of acting third assistant engineers was ordered to the 
 Academy for instruction. Their course embraced the subjects 
 of steam -engineering, iron-manufacture, -chemistry, mechan- 
 ics, and practical exercises with the steam-engine and in the 
 machine-shop. This class graduated in June, 1868, together 
 with two cadet-engineers, who had entered the Academy in 
 1867. A building was erected foi: the new department, and 
 furnished amply with the best apparattts for giving instruc- 
 tion. In 1868 the chapel was built and the old chapel was 
 converted into a hall for trophies and the models of the de- 
 partment of gunnery. In the next year the large hall known 
 as the " new quarters '' was finished, and the use of the Consti- 
 tution as a school-ship was presently discontinued, the build- 
 ings now affording accommodation for all the students. The 
 Santee had been previously fitted up as a gunnery-ship. The 
 fourth class of 1 868-69 ^^^^ the last class quartered on board 
 the Constitution. Three years later she was removed from 
 the Academy. 
 
 During Admiral Porter's administration, also, the executive 
 mansion of the governor of Maryland, with the grounds 
 belonging to it, was bought from the State by the Govern- 
 ment. The whole purchase, together with parts of Scott street 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGANIZATION. m 
 
 and Governor street adjoining, was inclosed within the aca- 
 demic walls. The wings of the governor's house were 
 removed, and a new row of officers' quarters, including a 
 house for the board of visitors, was built upon the new acqui- 
 sition. The governor's house became the library-building of 
 the Academy. 
 
 When the Bureau of Navigation was established, in 1862, 
 the Academy was placed under its supervision, as it had 
 formerly been under that of the Bureau of Ordnance and 
 Hydrography. On the ist of March, 1867, it was placed 
 under the direct care and supervision of the Navy Depart- 
 ment, the administrative routine being still conducted through 
 the bureau. This system was followed until March 11, 1869, 
 when all connection with the bureau ceased. 
 
 In December, 1869, Admiral Porter was succeeded by 
 Rear- Admiral John L. Worden. Admiral Worden's admin- 
 istration extended to October, J874, and the period was one 
 of steady progress. In October, 1871, a new class of cadet- 
 engineers was admitted. It followed a two-year course, 
 somewhat more extended than that of the class of 1868, and 
 graduated in 1873. Similar classes were admitted in 1872 
 and 1873, graduating respectively in 1874 and 1875. By an 
 act of Congress approved February 24, 1874, the course of 
 instruction for cadet-engineers was made four years instead 
 of two, and the new provision was first applied to the class 
 entering in 1874. During Admiral Worden's administration 
 many improvements were made in the buildings and grounds. 
 The most important of these was the purchase of four acres 
 of land in the rear of the midshipmen's quarters, and the 
 removal or destruction of the dilapidated frame dwellings 
 and tenements which occupied the neighborhood. 
 
 In September, 1874, Admiral Worden left the Academy to 
 take command of the Mediterranean squadron, and his 
 
1 1 2 THE NA VAL A CADEMY. Part I. 
 
 place was taken by Rear-Admiral C. R. P. Rodgers, who had 
 been commandant of midshipmen at the outbreak of the 
 war. At the. present time Admiral Ro'dgers still holds the 
 office of Superintendent. During the last two years various 
 improvements have been made. The brick structure origi- 
 nally built for the convenience of the photographer has been 
 considerably enlarged and altered into a chemical laboratory, 
 which is provided with all the necessary appurtenances. The 
 physical laboratory has been refitted, and its accommoda- 
 tions have been enlarged. A mess-hall for the officers' mess 
 has been provided in the bachelors' quarters, and the old 
 mess-hall has been converted into a spacious and much-needed 
 lecture-room. The library has been altered so as to give 
 much greater shelf-room, and a considerable extension has 
 been added to the observatory. The four houses near the 
 hospital, built for officers' quarters during the superintendency 
 of Captain Goldsborough, and known as Goldsborough Row, 
 have been altered into apartment-houses, with four excellent 
 suites of apartments in each house, each suite occupying a 
 floor. One of these houses was previously occupied by the 
 medical officer of the Academy, and each of the other three 
 was given to three famiUes, though originally built for only 
 one. With the alterations which have been made, the four 
 houses now accommodate sixteen families with far more ease 
 and convenience than they formerly held ten. A part of the 
 upper floor of the new quarters has been utilized by fitting it 
 up as a drawing-room for the class in descriptive geometry; 
 and a considerable piece of land has been reclaimed by the 
 extension of the sea-wall on Severn River. 
 
 In the fall of 1874 the name of " cadets" was adopted as. 
 a collective designation for the students of the Academy, 
 comprising cadet-midshipmen and cadet-engineers. In Janu- 
 ary, 187s, it was decided to turn back the deficient cadets of 
 
Chap. IV. THE FINAL ORGANIZATION. 113 
 
 the fourth class to review the studies of the first term, instead 
 of allowing them to go on with a class already far in advance 
 of them and droppirig them in June, as had been the previous 
 custom. Two or three months later, a thorough revision was 
 made of the course of study in all departments, one of the 
 objects of which was to put the professional studies as far as 
 possible into the last two years of the course, leaving the 
 first years for those which were more general or elementary. 
 At the same time, the system of copimon differences used 
 since 185 1 in computing marks, was laid aside, and a system 
 of co-efficients or factors was adopted, the same, it will be 
 remembered, which was first used in the school. During the 
 first three months of the academic year 1875-76 a revised 
 code of regulations was prepared, which went into operation 
 January i, 1876. 
 
 In 1873, a law was passed enacting that "from and after 
 the thirtieth day of June, 1873, the term of the classes in the 
 Naval 'Academy at Annapolis shall be six years, instead of 
 four, as now provided by law, and this provision shall first 
 apply to the class entering the Academy in the year 1873 
 and to all subsequent classes."* 
 
 * Act approved March 3, 1873, "making appropriations for the naval 
 service " for the year ending June 30, 1874. 
 
 8 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 GROUNDS. 
 
 The territory around Fort Severn, transferred in 1845 with 
 the fort to the Navy Department, comprised about nine acres. 
 It had been under the control of the War Department since 
 1808, when the Government bought part of it from the heirs of 
 the Dulany family,* in whose possession the place had been for 
 many years, and part of it from the city of Annapolis.t The 
 fort itself was built upon the land known as Windmill Point, 
 the easternmost extremity of Annapolis. The Dulanys had 
 purchased the place in 1753, but considerable additions had 
 been made to it during the fifty-five years that it remained 
 in the family. 
 
 The grounds transferred in 1845 extended from the fort, 
 in a northwesterly direction along the bank of Severn River 
 to a point opposite the middle gate of the Academy. The 
 river at that time came to the foot of the terrace in the rear 
 of the Seamanship Hall. On the side toward Chesapeake 
 
 * Deed of November 14, 1808, from Henry Moore Ridgely, executor 
 of Walter Dulany, for seven acres of land in the city of Annapolis, on 
 which Fort Severn was built. Liber N. H., No. 14, folio 540, &c. 
 
 t Deed of December 12, 1808, from the mayor, recorder, aldermen, 
 and common council Of the city of Annapolis to the United States, for 
 one undivided half of two and three-quarters acres of land in the city of 
 Annapolis. Recorded December 13, 1808, in Liber N. H., No. 14, folio 
 543, one of the land-records of Anne Arundel County. 
 
Chap. V. GROUAWS. 115 
 
 Bay the shore curved in from the fort toward the centre of 
 the Plain, and curved out again to the angle in the present 
 sea-wall. At the innermost point of the curve, and near the 
 water, stood the large' mulberry-tree which is now in the 
 middle of the Plain ;. a considerable segment of the latter 
 being made land. At the angle in the sea-wall a point of land 
 ran out into the harbor, from which the wall bounding the 
 territory of the fort extended in a line parallel with the general 
 course of the Severn River. The wall was of brick, about 
 nine feet high, and buttressed at intervals. One side of the 
 commissary's office, at the old post, was built upon it; and 
 this little building, with one story added, has since been used 
 as quarters for officers, and later as a paymaster's office. In 
 1873 this house again became a dwelling, and it is now No. 27, 
 officers' quarters. The fort-wall may still be seen distinctly 
 in the side of this house, from which it runs back some dis- 
 tance, bounding the gardenl. This fragment of the old wall 
 is about 80 feet in length. 
 
 Just outside of the old wall ran a street, called Scott street, 
 long since taken into the Academy grounds. The line of 
 this street is still distinctly marked, however, by a row of fine 
 maple-trees, planted by Commander Buchanan in the spring 
 of 1847, and running almost without interruption from the 
 rear of the wooden cottage occupied by the secretary, to the 
 road leading from the upper gate to the steamboat-wharf 
 This road is itself an old street of Annapolis, being a contin- 
 uation of Maryland avenue, (at that time called Northeast 
 street;) and the last of the row of maple-trees is near this 
 street and marks its junction with Scott street.* 
 
 The avenue leading from the middle gate was also in for- 
 mer times a street, known as Governor street. At its end it 
 
 * The tree alluded to is about 40 feet above the path leading to the main 
 entrance of the cadets' quarters. 
 
ii6 THE NAVAX ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 was crossed by Scott street ; and here was the gate opening 
 into the grounds of Fort Severn— on Scott street, that is, -oppo- 
 site Governor street, and, consequently, opposite the middle 
 gate of the Academy. The grounds of the fort ended just 
 beyond this gate, and the wall, turning at right angles, and 
 continuing the line of Governor street, ran in a straight line 
 to Severn River. 
 
 During all this period of possession by the United States 
 the jurisdiction of the State of Maryland within the territory 
 had not been given up, though it had never been exercised. 
 Less than a year, however, after the foundation of the Naval 
 School, at the request of the authorities, the following act 
 was passed : 
 
 "AN ACT ceding to the United States jurisdiction over the sites of 
 Forts Madison and Severn." 
 
 "Section i. Be it enacted by (he general assembly of Mary- 
 land, That the jurisdiction and control over the lands owned 
 by the United States, and constituting the site of Fort Mad- 
 ison, on the Severn River, and the site of Fort Severn, on 
 Windmill Point, both situated in Annapolis Harbor, in the 
 county of Anne Arundel, be, and the same is hereby, ceded 
 and vested in the. said United States for military purposes : 
 Provided always, and the cession and jurisdiction aforesaid 
 are granted upon the express condition, that this common- 
 wealth shall retain a concurrent jurisdiction with the United 
 States in and over the said lands and ceded territory, so far 
 as that all civil and such criminal process as may issue under 
 the authority of this commonwealth against any person or 
 persons charged with crimes committed without the said lands 
 and ceded territory, may be executed therein in the same way 
 and manner as though this cession and consent had not been 
 
 "Passed by the general assembly of Maryland, March 3, 1846. 
 
Chap. V. GROUNDS. 117 
 
 made and granted, except so far as such process may effecs 
 (sic) the real and personal property of the United State t 
 within the ceded territory. 
 
 "Sec, 2. And be it enacted. That the property over which 
 jurisdiction is granted by this act shall be exonerated and dis- 
 charged from all taxes and assessments which may be levied 
 or imposed under the authority of this State, while the said 
 lands and ceded territory shall remain the property of the 
 United States, and shall be used for the purposes intended by 
 this act." 
 
 , The first addition to the original grounds of the Naval 
 School was made under Commander Upshur, and included 
 the land adjacent to the school and lying between Scott street 
 and the Severn. It reached to Northeast street, (Maryland 
 avenue extended,) and was comprised in three lots bought by 
 the United States at different times during the year 1847. 
 The boundary of this acquisition is distinctly shown by the 
 row of trees before mentioned, in the rear of the Herndon 
 monument Several buildings were standing on this land at 
 the time of purchase, all of which have since disappeared. 
 The only buildings now standing on it are the gunnery hall, 
 the observatory, the hall of the department of steam-engineer- 
 ing, and the band-stand. 
 
 The next additions were made during the administration 
 of Commander Stribling, in i8t;3, one or two of the final 
 transfers not being completed till the arrival of his successor. 
 Commander Goldsborough. One part consisted of land lying 
 between Scott street. Governor street, Hanover street, and 
 Northeast street, now occupied by the Academy chapel and 
 by the row of officers' quarters numbered from one to eleven, 
 called Blake row, and including the lawns in front as far as 
 the old line of Scott street.* The other addition comprised 
 
 * This side of Scott street is marked by five locust-trees, among them 
 the one struclc by lightning May 15, 1876. 
 
ii8 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 the land lying along Severn River on the opposite side of 
 -Northeast street, and between it and Tabernacle street, the 
 fourth side being the line of Hanover street extended. A 
 high hill stood upon this land at the time of purchase. This 
 has been cut away, and the material used to fill up the space 
 inclosed by the sea-wall. The buildings since erected upon 
 the tract are the quarters known as Goldsborough row, the 
 cadets' quarters, the hospital, and the physical and chemical 
 laboratories. 
 
 In 1853 the city of Annapolis ceded Scott street, and 
 Northeast street between Hanover street and the river, on 
 condition that the Academy should pave and curb one side 
 of the bounding streets, and should open Hanover street as 
 far as the Acadamy wall extended. The latter was done by 
 the purchase of a strip of land in 1858, which now forms the 
 extension of the street. 
 
 In 1866, while Admiral Porter was Superintendent, the old 
 official mansion of the governors of Maryland, with the 
 garden adjoining, was bought by the United States, and 
 Governor street became one of the avenues within the inclo- 
 sure of the Academy. This purchase comprised four acres. 
 The governor's mansion is now the library of the Academy, 
 and Porter row has been built upon one side of the terraced 
 lawn between the house and the water. 
 
 In 1867 ten acres of land were bought of Saint John's 
 College, between the college yard and the creek; but these 
 have never been inclosed, the intermediate land being un- 
 available. Still another outiying tract of sixty-seven acres, 
 known as Strawberry Hill, was bought in 1868. This land 
 touches the grounds of the naval hospital, (thirty-two acres 
 in extent,) and the whole is laid out as a park, one portion of 
 it being used as a burial-ground. It is connected with the 
 college lot by a wooden bridge thrown across the creek. 
 
 The last addition to the grounds of the Academy proper 
 
Chap. V. GROUNDS. ng 
 
 was made by the purchase of four acres of land, known as 
 Lockwoodville, lying on the river, between Tabernacle, Han- 
 over, and Wagner streets. It was variously owned, and filled 
 with cheap dwelling-houses and tenements, in very close 
 proximity to the cadets' quarters. Some of the lots were 
 condemned upon an inquisition, the owners being unwilling 
 to fix a reasonable price. The wall has been extended around 
 the tract, and the houses have been removed, with the excep- 
 tion of one, which has been rebuilt and is used as a bakery. 
 The rest of the ground has been sown with grass, and the 
 sea-wall has been built along the shore nearly to the end of 
 the inclosure. 
 
 After the purchase of the governor's house the lower part 
 of the garden was filled in, and the sea-wall was extended 
 across its width to a point just below the lower gate. 
 
 During the past year a considerable piece of land adjoining 
 the steamboat-wharf has been reclaimed from the river, and 
 a wall protecting its face is nearly finished. 
 
 Summary of land. 
 
 Acres. 
 
 Grounds about Fort Severn 9 
 
 Purchases of 1847 and 1853, including streets 33 
 
 Purchase of 1866, (governors' mansion) 4 
 
 Purchase of 1874, Lockwoodville 4 
 
 Total within the academic walls 50 
 
 Acres. 
 
 Hospital grounds 32 
 
 Strawberry Hill 1 67 
 
 College lot 10 
 
 Outside academic limits 109 
 
 Total 159 
 
THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 List of deeds showing additions to the grounds of the Utiited 
 States Naval Academy, taken from the certified copy in the 
 Superintendent's office* 
 
 1 . Land lying between Fort Severn, Scott street, North- 
 east street, and Severn River: 
 
 1847, March g. F. Buchanan and others to United States, 
 
 page 140. 
 May 8. Rebecca Nicholson to United States, page 135. 
 July 2. Edward Lloyd and R. Nicholson to United 
 
 States, (deed to secure the title of Mrs. Nicholson's 
 
 lot,) page 136. 
 December 22. A. Randall, trustee for W. O'Hara and 
 
 others, to United States, page i. 
 
 2. Land lying between Scott street. Governor street, 
 Hanover street, and Northeast street : 
 
 1853, June 16. A. Randall, trustee, and R. Welch to United 
 States, (three lots,) page 46. 
 June 18. A. B. Hagner and wife, page 33. 
 June 25. Benjarriin Taylor and wife, page 30. 
 June 25. John Mullen and wife, page 10. 
 June 25. Amelia Pinkney and others, page 20. 
 June 25. H. Morgan and others, page 25. 
 June 30. P. Clayton and wife, page 5. 
 June 30. W. T. and J. D. Parkinson, trustees, page 45. 
 July I. E. A. Roget and wife, page 36. 
 July 2. J. E. Nourse and wife, page 8. 
 July 18. Thomas B. Slye and others, (deed to confirm 
 
 title,) page 39. 
 November i. W. E. Wyatt and wife, page 49. 
 December 7. P. Clayton, trustee for G. Jones and oth- 
 ers, page 52. 
 
 " The pages given are those of the volume of certified copies. 
 
Chap. V. GROUNDS. 
 
 3. Land lying between Northeast street, Hanover 
 street extended, Tabernacle street, and Severn River : 
 
 1853, June 27. G. W. Hughes and F. Markoe, page 13. 
 July 6. T. S. Alexander and A. Randall, page 41. 
 
 4. Streets: 
 
 1853, June 29. Mayor, recorder, and aldermen ofj Annapolis. 
 
 Scott street and Northeast street. Page 17. 
 1858, January 12. D. M. Sprogle and others. Lot to open 
 
 Hanover street from Northeast street to Tabernacle 
 
 street. Page 56. 
 
 5. Land lying between Hanover street. Governor 
 street, Scott street, and Annapolis Harbor: 
 
 1866, August 17. State of Maryland. The governor's mansion 
 
 and four acres of land. Page 59. 
 
 6. Outlying lands: 
 
 1867, November 5. Visitors and governors of Saint John's 
 
 College. Ten acres lying between the college and 
 Graveyard Creek. Page 63. 
 i868, July 15. Charles Reese and wife. Strawberry Hill, 67 
 acres. Page 66. 
 
 7. Lands lying between Tabernacle street, Hanover 
 street, Wagner street, and Severn River, formerly 
 known as Lockwoodville: 
 
 1873, December 22. Mary Hayden, page 76. 
 December 22. J. W. Bourke, page 83. 
 December 22. Heirs of W. Lawrence, page 89. 
 December 22. Widow of J. W. Wagner, page 96. 
 December 22. T. O'Brien, page 109. 
 
 1874, January 22. J. Mullavell, page 102. 
 February 4. J. R. Howison, page 116. 
 February 6. A. Randall and others, page 117. 
 February 9. N. C. Stephen and others, page 121. 
 
122 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 February 9. T. K. Carey, page 127. 
 February 11. John Hughes, page 120. 
 February 11. George Lee, jr., page 126. 
 March 21. M. Gill and others, page 123. 
 November 17. Annapolis and Elkridge Railroad Com- 
 pany, page 131. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 BUILDINGS. 
 
 At the time of the transfer of the Fort Severn property to 
 the Navy Department, eight buildings stood upon the grounds, 
 as follows : Fort Severn, the commandant's quarters, a block of 
 officers' quarters, the quartermaster's office, hospital, quarters 
 for enlisted men, quarters for married men, and bakery. There 
 were also small shops for the sutler and blacksmith of the 
 post. Of these buildings, only the first four are now stand- 
 ing. The block of officers' quarters is that adjoining the house 
 of the Superintendent, and containing four houses, numbered 
 from 1 6 to 19. The quartermaster's office is now No. 27,. 
 officers' quarters. The building for enlisted men was on a 
 line with the Superintendent's house, and midway between it 
 and the present recitation hall. The building for married 
 men occupied nearly the position of Nos. 3 and 4, cadets' 
 old quarters. The bakehouse was between the present site 
 of the store and Building No. 9. The hospital stood near 
 the bakehouse, a httle higher up on the slope. 
 
 An article in the Nautical Magazine in 1845* describes the 
 use made by the Naval School of its newly-acquired buildings : 
 "The houses formerly occupied by the commandant and 
 subalterns of the post afford ample accommodations for the 
 Superintendent and most of the other officers of the insti- 
 
 • Given in Niles's Register, January 31, 1846. 
 
124 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 tution. The midshipmen are made very comfortable in frame 
 buildings/which were in use for various purposes of the post, 
 and are put in good repair for the accommodation of the 
 present occupants. Each room contains from three to eight 
 midshipmen, according to its size. Two large barrack-rooms 
 serve excellently well for recitation halls, and the two rooms 
 of equal size below are used, one for a kitchen, the other for 
 a mess-hall." 
 
 The same article says : "The inclosure of the post is by a 
 brick wall, and comprises an area of about ten acres. In an 
 angle of the water-front stands the battery, which is a small 
 circular rampart, mounting en barbette ten heavy guns, and 
 is provided with a magazine and a furnace for heating shot." 
 
 The barracks and shops in time disappeared, as more suita- 
 We quarters were erected for the midshipmen. The hospital 
 also was removed ; but the other buildings have remained 
 till the present time, having undergone occasional alterations. 
 
 The War Department began fortifications at Annapolis as 
 ■early as 1794, employing a French engineer, named Vermon- 
 net, to superintend them. In 1796, another engineer, su- 
 perseding Vermonnet, condemned the plan of the works, and 
 they were abandoned.* Nothing further, except the survey 
 of a new site, was done until 1808, when the United States 
 bought nine acres of land, from the city of Annapolis and the 
 heirs of Walter Dulany, and proceeded to build a circular 
 battery of mason-work at the extremity of Windmill Point, 
 which formed part of the purchase. Secretary Dearborn in 
 his annual report, communicated to the Senate January 6, 
 1809, announced that the work was nearly completed and 
 the cannon were mounted.! By December of that year, 
 
 * American State Papers, Military Affairs, i, pp. 93, iii. 
 t American State Papers, Military Affairs, i, p. 237. 
 
Chap. VI. BUILDINGS. 
 
 125 
 
 quarters for two companies had been erected in the rear of 
 the work. In 1822 the battery comprised four 24-pounders, 
 six i2-pounders, and two 6-pounders. 
 
 The fort, as far as can be ascertained by a careful study of 
 plans and records, consisted of a stone wall about 14 feet in 
 height, inclosing a space 100 feet in diameter, in the centre of 
 which was a small circular magazine, built of brick. The 
 space between the magazine and the wall was covered by a 
 terre-plein or platform, upon which the battery stood. The 
 parapet was two or three feet higher than the platform, and 
 the top was sodded. The conical roof of the magazine rose 
 some feet above the platform. The furnace was without the 
 wall, on the land side. 
 
 After the foundation of the school the midshipmen were 
 exercised at great-guns in this battery, with the old Army 
 guns, mounted en barbette. At one time a wooden frame was 
 built at the foot of the Plain, near the water, to represent a 
 section of the gun-deck of a ship, and this structure may be 
 seen in old representations of the Naval School. Its use was. 
 presently discontinued. 
 
 In 1 85 1 a wooden wall was built around the platform, inside 
 the parapet, and pierced with small embrasures to represent 
 the ports of a ship, and the whole building was roofed over.. 
 The great-gun exercise was held here till i86i, and from 1865. 
 till some time during Admiral Porter's administration. It 
 was then transferred to the Santee, which had been fitted up 
 as a gunnery-ship, and the fort was turned into a gymnasium. 
 A floor was put in in place of the old platform, the magazine- 
 was taken out and the contents removed to the monitor, and 
 a gallery, or corridor, was built around the outside of what 
 might now be called the second floor of the building." From 
 this gallery a covered way was thrown across to the fencing- 
 rooms. A bowling-alley was put on the ground floor, and 
 
126 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 the openings used in the great-gun drill were much enlarged, 
 so as to admit of free passage between the main floor of the 
 gymnasium and the gallery. Since that time hardly any 
 change has been made in the building. 
 
 The house which was occupied by the commandant of Fort 
 Severn, and which has been since 1845 the residence of the 
 Superintendent, was built by Simon Duff,- an architect, who 
 settled in the colony some time before 1728.* The exact 
 date of its erection is not known, but it was certainly built 
 before 1751, and probably much earlier. The fact that the 
 house was standing at that date appears from the following 
 advertisement, published in the Maryland Gazette of May 
 29, 1751:! 
 
 "The subscriber, intending to break up housekeeping, will 
 either rent or sell his dwelling-house in town, which is sixty- 
 five feet in length and twenty-one feet in breadth, to which is 
 a good cellar, garden, and all necessary out-houses; delight- 
 fully situated, near a good landing, so that no vessel can pass 
 up or down the bay but may be fairly viewed from the lower 
 story; and is well finished and in good repair, outside and 
 inside, and would suit any gentleman either in a public or 
 private way of business. 
 
 "Any person inclining to purchase or rent the said house 
 may apply to 
 
 "SIMON DUFF." 
 
 Duflf waited two years before he received a satisfactory 
 answer to his advertisement. He sold the house June 30, 
 1753, as appears by a deed of that date in the land-office,| 
 
 * E. Allen, Historical Notices of Saint Ann's Parish, 
 
 t The discovery of this advertisement is due to the laborious researches 
 
 of Professor Karney, the indefatigable librarian of the Academy. 
 
 X Recorded in Liber E. J., No. 9, folio 370, one of the records of the 
 
 Provincial Court of Maryland. 
 
Chap. VI. BUILDINGS. 127 
 
 in which he' conveyed to Walter Dulany, for the sum of ^250, 
 a lot of land lying in the new town of the city of Annapolis, 
 with a dwelling-house "wherein the said Simon Duff now 
 liveth." 
 
 Apart from the evidence of age about the house itself, the 
 fact that this was the same house as that sold to the United 
 States in 1808, by the heirs of the second Walter Dulany,* is 
 put beyond a doubt by the nearly exact correspondence of 
 the dimensions given in the advertisement with those of the 
 house as it now stands. The Dulany family occupied it 
 from 1753 to 1808. At first there was only a half-acre lot 
 conveyed with the house by Duff. In 1754 there is record 
 of the deed to W. Dulany of a half-acre lot adjoining, for 
 ^60. Further acquisitions were made until, at the time of 
 the Government purchase, the family owned nearly the whole 
 of Windmill Point.t The house was a large and substantial 
 mansion of the colonial style, and gardens stretched away at 
 the rear nearly to the water. When the fort was built this 
 house was assigned to the commandant of the post. Since 
 1845 it has been occupied by the successive Superintendents 
 of the Academy. Various alterations and additions have 
 been made from time to time, but the main building is still 
 essentially the same as that of 1808, and, doubtless, as that 
 of 1750. ) 
 
 The block of four dwellings adjacent to the house of the 
 commandant of the post was built for officers' quarters in 
 
 * Son of Walter Dulany who bought the house from Duff, and father 
 of the late Grafton Dulany, esq., of Baltimore. 
 
 t The northeasternmost point of the Academy grounds. According to 
 Ridgely, (Annals of AnnapoUs, p. 135, ) a stone windmill was built in Sep- 
 tember, 1760, on the point where Fort Severn now stands. It was de- 
 stroyed when Fort Severn was built, but it had already given a name to 
 the point. The same name is now given on the Coast Survey chart to a 
 point on Spa Creek, at the extremity of Duke of Gloucester street. 
 
128 THE- NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 1834, under the supervision of Captain Samuel B. Dusenbury, 
 quartermaster at the fort. They had at that time one story 
 and a half and a basement. At the opening of the Naval 
 School one of them was occupied by Lieutenant Ward, and 
 the others by three of the professors. The only extensive 
 alteration in these buildings was made in the summer of 
 1848, during the administration of Commander Upshur, and 
 consisted in raising the roof so as to admit of another story. 
 The contract, dated May 28, 1848, was given to Richard A. 
 Gilpin, esq., an architect of Philadelphia, and the work was 
 completed September 20 of the same year.* 
 
 The small brick building used as a quartermaster's officet 
 was raised one story and a half in the summer of 1846,}: and 
 given as a residence to Chaplain Jones, who had reported at 
 the school after the other quarters had been assigned. The 
 house was built upon the wall of the post, part of the latter 
 forming the lower portion of the side wall of the building, 
 which accounts for its peculiar shape. The buttresses in the 
 side of the house are those of the old fort wall, which runs 
 back 80 feet in rear of the house, as stated in the last chap- 
 ter. The building has since been used for quarters, and 
 occasionally for offices. It is now known as No. 27, officers' 
 quarters. The present hall of the department of seamanship 
 was begun at the same time with the alterations fn the chap- 
 lain's house, in the summer of 1846, and was the first build- 
 ing erected at the school after the Navy Department took 
 possession. It was much smaller than at present, being 80 
 by 33 feet, and had no projection in the middle of the south- 
 west front, as now. It was built for a " dining-hall, athenaeum, 
 
 * Commander Upshur to ihe Secretary of the Navy, April 13, 1848 ; 
 April 28, 1848; September 20, 1848. See Letter-Book, i, pp. 391, 397, 
 447- 
 
 tSo designated on the plan of the fort in 1834. 
 
 t Journal of Officer of the Day, i, p. 78. 
 
Chap. VI. BUILDINGS. 
 
 129 
 
 kitchen, &c."* The library was on the second floor. The 
 building was finished in about six months, and on the 21st 
 of January, 1847, "a naval ball was given in the new mess- 
 hall,"! it having just been completed. On this occasion 
 the Secretary of the Navy and the Naval Committees of 
 both Houses made a visit to the school. In 1853 the build- 
 ing was lengthened and an addition thrown out in front. It 
 was still used for the original purposes in Admiral Porter's 
 administration. In 1869 the library was transferred to the 
 newly-purchased Government house ; and in the same year 
 the midshipmen moved into their new quarters, which con- 
 tained a spacious dining-hall. The old mess-hall was thence- 
 forth used as a dining-room for officers, and, as a matter of 
 convenience, for the small class of midshipmen at the Acad- 
 emy during the summer. It is still used for the latter pur- 
 pose during vacation, and at other times it serves as a recita- 
 tion-room. 
 
 In 1846 the foundation of a hospital was laid on the Plain 
 below the Superintendent's house, near the old mulberry-tree. 
 The building was finished after some delay; but it was moved 
 in the spring of 1859,^ after the erection of the present hos- 
 pital, to the rear of the . house which had been the quarter- 
 master's office in the fort, and a wing was added to it, which 
 touched the old fort wall. Before its removal the house had 
 been used as officers' quarters, and it serves this purpose 
 now. It is a small wooden cottage-like building, and is 
 known as No. 28. 
 
 The gunnery-room and the recitation-hall were begun dur- 
 ing Commander Stribhng's administration, and finished under 
 his successor.§ The former was built for a chapel, and was 
 
 •Journal of Officer of the Day, I, p. 78. 
 t Journal of Officer of the Day, I, pp. 117, 118. 
 t Contract dated March 17, 1859, Contracts, p. 38. 
 § They are mentioned in a letter of Commander Goldsborough in Jan- 
 uary, 1854, as being nearly completed. 
 
 9 
 
130 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 so used until the new chapel was built by Admiral Porter. 
 It was then filled with the models and apparatus of the de- 
 partment of gunnery, and decorated with captured flags.* 
 The observatory was also built by Commander Stribling. 
 
 The row of nine buildings known as the cadets' old quar- 
 ters was built partly by Commander Stribling and partly by 
 Commander Goldsborough. The exact dates are not known, 
 but the whole was probably completed between 1851 and 
 1856. Nos. I, 2, 3, and 4 were certainly finished by January, 
 1854, and the others at intervals later. 
 
 A small building (date of erection not known), on the site 
 of the present store, was early used for instruction in physics 
 and chemistry. This was enlarged about 1854 to its present 
 size and shape. The main building contained the labora- 
 tory, the eastern wing was the armory, and the western was 
 used for instruments.! It was found that the frequent shocks 
 occasioned by the close vicinity of the battery injured the 
 precision of delicate instruments, and in Admiral Porter's 
 term a new laboratory was built. The main building and 
 western wing were then converted into store-rooms and offices 
 for the storekeeper. The other wing, upon the erection of the 
 armory, became a fencing-school, and was connected by a cov- 
 ered gallery with the gymnasium. In 1872, offices were fitted 
 up above the store for the paymaster of the Academy, who 
 had previously been in the small brick house used by the 
 quartermaster of Fort Severn. 
 
 The cadet hospital and the two double houses near it, now 
 altered into apartment houses, were built by Commander 
 Goldsborough. The hospital was finished early in 1855, but 
 the dwellings were not ready until November 25, 1857.^ By 
 
 * The portico of the gunnery-room was erected about 1858 or 1859. 
 
 t Commander Goldsborough's plan, 1857. 
 
 \ Letter-book No. 5, p. loi ; Report Board of Visitors June 16, 1855. 
 
Chap. VI. BUILDINGS. 131 
 
 the alterations of the last two years the capacity and conven- 
 ience of these buildings have been very much increased. 
 
 Several houses were standing upon the land purchased for 
 the school in 1847. Three of these, the Nicholson, O'Hara, 
 and Buchanan houses, were utilized as officers' quarters. The 
 Nicholson house, the one nearest the Superintendent's in po- 
 sition, was assigned to the commandant of midshipmen; the 
 O'Hara house, next to it, a brick building, was occupied by 
 Prof. W. F. Hopkins ; and the third house, on the Buchanan 
 lot, by Professor Karney. All of them were near Scott street. 
 While this was still the boundary of the Academy, two new 
 blocks of brick houses were built on the same line, occupied 
 respectively by the chaplain and Lieutenant Simpson, and by 
 Professors Roget and Seager. A third block, near the last, 
 but facing Northeast street, below the present middle walk, 
 was built for the carpenter and sailmaker. 
 
 When the large acquisitions of land were made by Com- 
 mander Stribling in 1853, the situation of these houses, in the 
 middle of the grounds, came to have many inconveniences ; 
 and, after much deliberation, it was resolved to take them all 
 down and use the materials in building new quarters nearer 
 the outer wall. The row between the chapel and the upper 
 gate was accordingly built by Captain Blake. These houses 
 are now called Blake row, and are numbered from i to 11. 
 They were completed in the following order:* Nos. 8, 9, 
 10, II, April 20, 1859; Nos. 6 and 7, November 23, 1859; 
 No. 1, (commandant's house) December i, 1859; Nos. 2,3, 
 4, 5, February 23, 1861. It will be observed that the last 
 four were finished only three months before the removal of 
 the Academy; so that they had hardly been occupied at all 
 when they were handed over to the troops to be used as a 
 military hospital. 
 
 Many buildings were erected after the close of the war, 
 
 * Contracts, pp. 35 and 82; Letter-book No. 7, p. 112. 
 
132 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 during Admiral Porter's administration. The new quarters 
 (a five-story brick building) were finished in the summer of 
 1869, and were occupied by the midshipmen in the following 
 fall. On the ground-floor of this building are offices, recep- 
 tion-rooms, recitation-rooms, and a dining-hall. On the floors 
 above, the greater number of the cadets are quartered, each 
 room having two occupants. On the attic floor are the large 
 rooms of tlie drawing department and of the instructor in 
 descriptive geometry. The kitchens, laundry, and bath-rooms 
 are in the basement. 
 
 The building of the department of steam-engineering was 
 finished in 1866. The main building is 100 feet by 45, and 
 has two stories. The wings increase considerably the size of 
 the building. The physical laboratory and the photographer's 
 building were built about the same time, or soon after. Both 
 have undergone alterations. The lecture-room and labora- 
 tory proper in the first building have been much improved, 
 while the second has been rebuilt, and is now an excellent 
 chemical laboratory. 
 
 The chapel* and armory were also built by Admiral Por- 
 ter, the former about 1868, the latter in the fall of 1865. 
 The row of officers' quarters below the governor's house was 
 built during the same period, Nos. 20 and 21 in 1867; Nos. 
 22 and 23 in 1868; and Nos. 24, (board house,) 25, and 26 
 in 1869. 
 
 The governor's house and grounds were conveyed to' the 
 United States by deed of Aygust 17, i866. The Superin- 
 tendent of the Academy proceeded to build as soon as pos- 
 sible upon the land, but there was some delay about the 
 cession of the house. It was finally given up in 1869; the 
 
 *The site of the chapel was >i part of the Pinkney lot, purchased 
 June 25, 1853. The old Phikney house was removed in i860, having 
 been previously occupied for a time as officers' quarters. (Contracts 
 p. 89.) 
 
Chap. VI. BUILDINGS. 133 
 
 wings and outbuildings, which were very extensive, were 
 removed, and the library was brought over from the seaman- 
 ship hall and put in the rooms of the lower floor. The second 
 floor was fitted up for the offices of the Superintendent and 
 secretary, which had previously been in a small building near 
 the wall, northeast of the middle gate. This building, seen 
 on all the old plans of the Academy, was immediately removed. 
 
 The date of erection of the governor's house is not known, 
 but it is undoubtedly some time before the middle of the last 
 century. According to Ridgely,* (and there is no question 
 about the fact,) the house was built by the Hon. Edmund 
 Jennings, of Lincoln's Inn, secretary of the province of Mary- 
 land and judge of the land-office. By deed of February 20, 
 1 769,1 he conveyed it to Governor Robert Eden for ^^1,000, as 
 follows: "All that messuage or capital mansion-house, with 
 the garden, yards, coach-houses, stables, and outhouses 
 thereunto belonging," "as the same now is or was late in the 
 tenure or occupation of his excellency Horatio Sharpe, as 
 tenant to the said Edmund Jennings." 
 
 This house, it will be noticed, was not the official residence 
 of the proprietary governors, as the present executive man- 
 sion is of the State governors. There was no such official 
 residence in the province. Governor Bladen made an attempt 
 to build one in 1744, employing as architect Simon Duff, the 
 same who built the old Dulany house, now the residence of 
 the Superintendent; but the plan was on too grand a scale 
 to be completed. The housenvas partly built and then left 
 to decay, and after many years it became one of the halls 
 of Saint John's College.^ Horatio Sharpe, the governor 
 next but one after Bladen, rented the house owned by Jen- 
 
 ' Annals of Annapolis, p. 236. 
 
 t Liber D. D. , No. 4, 1 764-1 770, one of the records of the provincial 
 court, now in the office of the commissioner of the land-office of Mary 
 land. 
 
 X McDowell HsU. 
 
134 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 nings, as a mansion worthy of the representative of the Pro- 
 prietary, and lived in it during his term of office, from 1753 
 to 1769. In the latter year he was succeeded by Governor 
 Eden, who bought the house from Jennings, and who resided 
 there for seven years. At the outbreak of the Revolution 
 Governor Eden took the tory side, and in 1776 he sailed 
 from Annapolis in H. B. M. frigate Fowey for England.* 
 His property was confiscated in consequence, and the house 
 and grounds in Annapolis came into possession of the State. 
 It was thenceforth used as the residence- of the State govern- 
 ors until its purchase by the Academy. 
 
 William Eddis, surveyor of the customs at Annapolis in 
 1769, describes the appearance of the house in October of 
 that year: "The governor's house is most beautifully situ- 
 ated, and when the necessary alterations ar§ completed it will 
 be a regular, convenient, and elegant building. The garden 
 is not extensive, but it is disposed to the utmost advantage; 
 the centre walk is terminated by a small green mount, close 
 to which the Severn approaches. This elevation commands 
 an extensive view of the bay and the adjacent country. The 
 same objects appear to equal advantage from the saloon and 
 many apartments in the house; and perhaps I may be justi- 
 fied in asserting that there are but few mansions in the most 
 rich and cultivated parts of England which are adorned with 
 such splendid and romantic scenery ."t 
 
 * Eddis, Letters from Annapolis, p. 312. 
 
 + Letters from Annapolis, p. 17. Ridgely (Annals of Annapolis, p. 
 236) says that Governor Eden "built the wings and the long room." 
 This statement must, however, be taken with modifications. Eddis 
 speaks of the saloon in 1 769, and it is hardly likely that Governor Eden 
 had already built it when he had been so short a time in possession. 
 Moreover, this long room or saloon is almost unmistakably an integral 
 part of the house. It is quite possible that Eden built the tower at the 
 back of the house, which enlarged this room by adding to it a deep semi- 
 circular recess. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 LIBRARY. 
 
 Soon after the establishment of the school, in 1845, the 
 Navy Department transferred to it a number of books which 
 Iiad been in use in navy-yards and men-of-war; and this col- 
 lection, with small additions made from time to time between 
 1845 and 1850, constituted the nucleus of the present library. 
 
 In the fiscal year ending June 30, 1852, and so on there- 
 after, additions were made by allowing a sum yearly out of 
 the congressional appropriations for " contingent expenses of 
 the Naval Academy," or, as now, for "general maintenance." 
 The following table shows the 
 
 INCREASE OF THE LIBRARY BY DECADES. 
 
 Volumes. 
 
 December 31, 1855 4, 751 
 
 December 31, 1865 9> 593 
 
 December 31, 1875 17, 678 
 
 This number has been further increased during the past 
 year. 
 
 The library possesses in addition 26 manuscripts, 705 pam- 
 phlets, a set of the United States Coast Survey charts, a set 
 •of the British admiralty charts, the Pilote Franjais, and the 
 Cotes M^ridionales de France. In making additions the 
 chief aim has always been to render the greatest possible aid 
 to the departments of instruction, and especially to make the 
 
136 ' THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part I. 
 
 collection rich in works on professional subjects. The library- 
 possesses a large number of the most approved treatises on 
 naval subjects published in America and Europe. Every 
 new publication of this sort of any merit is added at once to 
 the collection. In order to do this, however, it is not found 
 necessary to sacrifice the interests of the scientific student or 
 the general reader. The total amount expended upon the 
 library is estimated at $35,180. 
 
 While the Academy was at Newport, most of the, books 
 were kept in the boxes in which they had been carried from , 
 Annapolis, as there was no suitable place for them, nor any 
 certainty as to how long the Academy would stay there. 
 About one thousand volumes, consisting of the most impor- 
 tant books of reference, were arranged for temporary use. • 
 Only 633 books were added during this period. 
 
 During Admiral Porter's administration the library under- 
 went a thorough and careful re-arrangement. Excellent rooms 
 were prepared for it on the first floor of the governor's man- 
 sion, and it was transferred to the new rooms in the spring of 
 1869. About the same time the card-catalogue was begun, 
 and the library was arranged in departments by Mr. Poole, 
 formerly of the Boston Athenasum. The catalogue was fin- 
 ished in 1870, and it has been kept up since that time. A 
 printed catalogue was prepared in i860, but the great in- 
 crease in the number of books has rendered it of little or no 
 value. 
 
 The library has received no bequests, and the gifts consist 
 of less than 300 volumes. 
 
PART II. 
 
 The IVayal AcADEyviY in 1876. 
 
CHAPTER I. 
 
 ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION. 
 
 The Naval Academy is under the direct care and super- 
 vision of the Secretary of the Navy. 
 
 The Superintendent is a line officer of the Navy, of a rank 
 not below that of captain, assigned to this duty by the Sec- 
 retary of the Navy. He is charged with the general super- 
 intendence and government of the Academy, and all officers, 
 professors, instructors, and cadets are under his command. 
 He has charge of the grounds, buildings, and vessels belong- 
 ing to the institution, and he may appoint and remove all 
 persons employed in it, except those for whose appointment 
 or discharge special ijrovision is made by the laws or regula- 
 tions for the government of the Navy, or of the Academy. 
 
 The commandant of cadets is a line officer of the Navy, 
 and is next in authority to the Superintendent. He has im- 
 mediate charge, under the Superintendent, of the pohce and 
 discipline ; and the drills and tactical instruction in the de- 
 partments of seamanship and gunnery are under his general 
 direction. The officers in these departments are the assistants 
 of the commandant in carrying out the discipline. 
 
 The senior aid is a line officer of the Navy, and has special 
 charge of the grounds and buildings, of purchases and ac- 
 counts relating to the public property, and of the workmen 
 employed upon the grounds and about the buildings. 
 
 The academic staff, engaged specially in the work of in- 
 struction, comprises line officers, officers of the Engineer Corps, 
 
I40 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 and professors of mathematics, in the Navy, and a number of 
 professors and assistant professors appointed from civil life. 
 The branches taught are divided into groups, and these 
 groups of studies are in charge of separate departments. 
 Each department has an executive head, a naval officer or 
 civil professor, as the case may be, and several assistants. 
 The heads of departments arrange the details of the courses 
 of study, and have general supervision of the work of their 
 assistants, giving personal instruction when it may be desir- 
 able. The work of actual instruction is performed by the 
 officers, professors, and assistant professors, attached to the 
 several departments. 
 
 The Academic Board, or faculty, of the Academy is com- 
 posed of the Superintendent, the commandant of cadets, and 
 the heads of departments. The Superintendent, or, in his 
 absence, the commandant of cadets, is the presiding officer ; 
 and all reports and returns of the board are made to or 
 through the Superintendent. The board prescribes the sub- 
 jects and arrangement of the course of instruction and the 
 text-books to be used,* the time of examinations, the rela- 
 tive weight of recitations and examinations, and the relative 
 weight of diiferent branches of study. The board also makes 
 recommendations to the Department in the cases of deficient 
 cadets ; and " cadets found deficient shall not be continued 
 at the Academy, or in the service, unless upon the recommen- 
 dation of the Academic Board." (Revised Statutes, §§ 1519, 
 
 1525-) 
 Outside of the academic staif, there are attached to the 
 
 Academy a chaplain, a number of officers of the Medical 
 and Pay Corps of the Navy, and four officers of the Marine 
 Corps, in charge of the marine guard; and three civil at- 
 taches — the librarian, commissary, and secretary. 
 
 ' Subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Navy. 
 
Chap. J. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION. 
 
 141 
 
 There are two classes of students, the cadet-midshipmen 
 and the cadet-engineers, destined for two different branches 
 of the service — the line officers and the Engineer Corps. The 
 examinations for admission are distinct for the two corps, but 
 the four-years' course is pursued in many branches in com- 
 mon. In these branches, as well as in matters of daily routine 
 and discipline, the- same organization and regulations apply 
 to both. 
 
 The number of cadets at the beginning of the academic 
 year 1875-76 was as follows : 
 
 CADET-MIDSHIPMEN. 
 
 First class 42 
 
 Second class 61 
 
 Third class 53 
 
 Fourth class 118 
 
 274 
 
 CADET-ENGINEERS. 
 
 First class* 3 
 
 Third class ■ 17 
 
 Fourth class 28 
 
 48 
 
 Total 322 
 
 The academic year begins on the 20th of September and 
 ends on the 20th of June, consisting of two terms; the first 
 term from September 20 to the Saturday nearest to January 30, 
 and the second term from the close of the first term to June 
 20. At the close of the academic year the graduating class 
 are granted leave of absence until ordered to sea, or to 
 
 * The first-class of cadet-engineers came in under the old system of a 
 two-years' course ; the third and fourth classes represent the four-years' 
 course, first applied to the class which entered in September, 1874. See 
 page. 
 
142 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 some other duty, by the Navy Department. Durmg the three 
 months of summer the cadets of the newly-formed first and 
 third classes go on the practice-cruise, and those of the new 
 second class have leave of absence until the beginning of 
 the next year. The candidates that have passed successfully 
 the June examination for admission are quartered for the sum- 
 mer on board the frigate Santee, as the nucleus of the fourth 
 class, and have a light course of study and drill. The 
 routine of the Academy is in general suspended, and the 
 charge of the new cadets is given to officers detailed in turn 
 for short periods during the summer. 
 
 At the beginning of each academic year the cadet organ- 
 ization for the year is prescribed. This organization is retained 
 throughout the year, and is" followed in all the drills, and in 
 all formations (except those for recitation) including the mess- 
 formation. All the cadets are arranged in four divisions for 
 great-gun exercise, the divisions containing an equal number 
 of guns'-crews. Each gun's-crew is composed of sixteen men,, 
 distributed as nearly as possible among the several classes.. 
 Each division constitutes a battery for light-artillery drill and 
 a company for infantry drill. For exercises in seamanship 
 the guns'-crews are grouped in watches, the odd-numbered 
 .crews making the starboard-watch and the even-numbered 
 crews the port-watch. The watches are stationed as a ship's, 
 company at seamanship-exercises. 
 
 The cadet-officers are appointed from the first class, as far 
 as practicable, and are chosen with special reference to their 
 fitness for the positions; and they hold their offices during, 
 good behavior and efficiency. They are as follows : 
 
 One cadet lieutenant-commander; 
 
 Four cadet lieutenants ; 
 
 Five cadet masters; 
 
 Four cadet ensigns ; and 
 
Chap. I. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION. 
 
 145 
 
 Cadet petty officers, according to the number of the guns'- 
 crews. 
 
 The cadet lieutenant-commander bears the same relation 
 to the cadet organization that an executive officer bears to a 
 ship's company. He is present at all general formations, and 
 receives reports from the officers in command of divisions,, 
 which are made through him to the officer in charge. In the 
 battalion organization he acts as lieutenant-colonel. 
 
 The divisions, or companies, are commanded by a cadet 
 lieutenant as captain, with a cadet master and a cadet ensign 
 as the other commissioned officers. One of the cadet masters 
 is selected as adjutant of the battalion. 
 
 The cadet petty officers act as first and second captains of 
 guns'-crews in the great-gun drills, and as sergeants and cor- 
 porals in the infantry drills. Each table in the' mess-hall is. 
 occupied by a gun's-crew, the first and second captains being 
 placed at the head and foot of the table. The cadet officers, 
 whenever they are in charge of those portions of the organiza- 
 tion under their command, are responsible for the preservation 
 of order and discipline. 
 
 DAILY ROUTINE. 
 
 The day is divided, for purposes of study and recitation,. 
 into three periods of two hours each, two of which are in the 
 morning and one in the afternoon. The programme of studies, 
 is so arranged that each cadet has three recitations a day, one 
 in each period. The remainder of the period, as well as the 
 greater part of the evening, is devoted to study or reading, — 
 the cadets being required to remain in their rooms at these 
 times. A drill takes place daily, when the weather permits, 
 after the last recitation. On Saturday morning studies and 
 recitations end at half past 10, and the rest of the day, after 
 the usual drill, is given to recreation. On other days, out-of- 
 
144 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 door recreation is limited to a portion of the afternoon and 
 to the short intervals between meals and study. Reveille is 
 sounded at 6 a. m. in the fall and spring, and at 6.15 a. m, 
 in the winter. At this hour cadets are required to rise and 
 arrange their rooms. Evening gun-fire and tattoo are at 9.30 
 p. m., at which time study-hours, as such, are over. At taps, 
 half an hour later, the lights are put out, and the cadets retire 
 for -the night. 
 
 RELIGIOUS SERVICE. 
 
 Prayers are said by the chaplain, daily, immediately after 
 the morning roll-call, and the attendance of all cadets is re- 
 quired. Divine service is held in the chapel Sunday morning 
 and evening. Cadets are required to be present in the morn- 
 ing, but attendance at the evening service is voluntary. 
 
 Cadets whose parents or guardians desire it, may attend 
 service permanently in the city of Annapolis, at any one of 
 the churches of the various denominations. In such cases 
 they are excused altogether from the chapel service, but they 
 must attend every Sunday morning at their regular place of 
 worship. 
 
 HOSPITAL. 
 
 The sick-call is sounded soon after breakfast every morn- 
 ing, at which time a medical officer of the Academy is in 
 attendance to examine and prescribe for any cadets who may 
 be ill. After this examination, lists are made up of cadets to 
 be excused from drills, and of those whose illness is serious 
 enough to prevent their studying. Cadets who are ill at any 
 other time during the day have an opportunity of consulting 
 the physician immediately. The cadet hospital, in the imme- 
 diate neighborhood of the cadets' quarters, contains several 
 rooms for patients, and is furnished with a complete dis- 
 pensary. An officer of the medical staff is constantly on 
 duty at the hospital. 
 
Chap. I. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION. 145 
 
 cadets' quarters. 
 
 The cadet-midshipmen of the second class and the cadet- 
 engineers occupy the old quarters between the recitation-hall 
 and the gymnasium. The other cadets are quartered in the 
 new building at the northwestern end of the grounds. Each 
 roo.m is occupied by two cadets. The furniture of the rooms 
 is simple, and the arrangement prescribed with exactness. 
 The occupants of the room alternate weekly as superintend- 
 ents of the room, and the superintendent for the time being 
 is responsible for the cleanliness and order of the apartment 
 and for tlie safe-keeping of public property. Cadets are re- 
 quired to remain in their rooms during study-hours, except 
 when at recitation. 
 
 An officer of the academic staff is always in charge of 
 the quarters during the day and night. The day duty is per- 
 formed by the assistants in the departments of seamanship 
 and gunnery, and the night duty by the other line officers in 
 rotation. The officer in charge has similar duties and responsi- 
 bilities with the executive officer on board ship ; in general, he 
 sees that the regulations are enforced, and attends to the pre- 
 servation of order and discipline. In this duty he is assisted 
 by the officer of the day, a cadet-midshipman of the first 
 class detailed for. the purpose for twenty-four hours ; a regu- 
 larly-recurring duty coming to each cadet of the first class 
 once in three or four weeks. 
 
 The officer in charge makes a daily inspection of the rooms 
 at a regular hour, and other inspections at irregular times, as 
 he sees fit. Under his direction the officer of the day makes 
 up the conduct-report, comprising all the reports that may 
 have come in during the day of delinquencies in recitation, 
 drill, or elsewhere. This report, made up every evening, is 
 read out the next morning at the roll-call, before breakfast. 
 
146 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 In addition to the officer in charge and officer of the day, 
 there is a superintendent on each floor, (or, in the old quar- 
 ters, in each building,) who has special charge of the floor or 
 building, and wl>o is responsible for any disorders that may 
 occur there. The superintendents are taken from the whole 
 list of cadets in turn, and their tour of duty is twenty-four 
 hours. 
 
 FIRE QRGANIZATION. 
 
 In addition to the modern appliances usually placed in 
 large buildings to extinguish fires, the Academy is supplied 
 with one steam fire-engine and one hand-engine. For exer- 
 cise with the fire-apparatus the cadets are organized in guns'- 
 crews. This exercise takes place early in the year, and is 
 repeated at intervals. The fire-bell, designating the station 
 of each cadet at fire-quarters, is posted in a conspicuous 
 place throughout the year. Whenever the fire-alarm is 
 sounded, the cadets proceed at once to their stations. In 
 case of an actual fire the marines get under arms, and the 
 whole force of the Academy is very shortly on the ground. 
 
 STORE. 
 
 The store is in charge of an officer detailed from the Pay 
 Corps of the Navy. Clothing and other necessaries are sup- 
 plied to cadets from the store at cost price, with a small per- 
 centage to cover transportation and breakage. Cadets in 
 need of articles kept at the store send in requisitions at a 
 specified time during each month to the commandant of 
 cadets; and, if approved by him, the requisitions are filled 
 by the store-keeper. 
 
 PAY AND ACCOUNTS. 
 
 The pay of cadets is $500 per annum. This sum is not 
 paid out to them to be expended at pleasure; but their ac- 
 
Chap. I. ACADEMIC ORGAKIZATION. 
 
 147 
 
 counts with the store-keeper, as well as the mess and laun- 
 dry accounts, are setried by the treasurer and charged to the 
 cadets. Sixty dollars per annum is reserved for the purchase 
 of an outfit at graduation ; and the very small balance re- 
 maining is paid at that time to the cadet to whom it is due. 
 No cadet is allowed to contract debts without the sanction 
 of the Superintendent. 
 
 RECITATIONS. 
 
 Each class is divided into sections for purposes of recita- 
 tion. The sections are small, usually numbering ten or less, 
 so that instructors are enabled to give careful attention to 
 the individual wants of their pupils. The sections in each 
 branch are arranged according to the order of merit, so that 
 students of nearly similar capacity or attainments recite 
 together. The section-arrangement is renewed every month, 
 and the sections are not kept continuously under the same 
 instructor throughout the term. The cadet at the head of 
 each section is its leader, and is responsible for its conduct 
 while in his charge. 
 
 MARKS. 
 
 The scale of marks ranges from 4 as a maximum to o ; and 
 a mark below 2.5 is given to a recitation or exercise which is 
 not considered satisfactory. The marks in each branch are 
 averaged, and the rank-list is made out and published at the 
 end of every month; and a report of the marks and stand- 
 ing of each cadet is sent at the same time to his parent or 
 guardian. At the end of the year the general standing of 
 each class is made up. The final mark of each cadet is 
 found by adding together the products obtained by multiply- 
 ing the final mark in each branch by the co-efficient of that 
 branch. 
 
 Cadets whose mark at the end of the year is below 2.5 (or 
 62.5 per cent.) in any branch are deficient, and they are 
 
148 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part 11. 
 
 recommended to the Secretary of the Navy for dismissal. In 
 cases of sHght deficiency they are turned back into the next 
 class, or subjected to a re-examination ; but in no case can a 
 cadet graduate from the school who has failed to get 62.5 
 per cent, as his yearly mark in each and every branch of 
 study pursued during the four-years' course. 
 
 INTERIOR DISCIPLINE. 
 
 All officers and cadet officers are authorized and required 
 to report offences coming under their notice in the line of 
 duty to the commandant of cadets ; and any cadet, in a re- 
 sponsible position, who becomes answerable for a. breach of 
 the regulations, is required to answer the questions of his 
 superior officer relating to the offence, and relieve himself of 
 his responsibility by reporting the offender. All the reports 
 are deposited with the officer in charge ; and they are col- . 
 lated and arranged upon the conduct-report every evening 
 by the officer of the day. This conduct-report is read out in 
 the morning, as has been stated, and remains posted during 
 the day. Cadets are thus given an opportunity of presenting 
 excuses and explanations, which are examined and acted 
 upon the next day in connection with the report. Demerits 
 are given for each offence, but only as a record of miscon- 
 duct, and in no case as a punishment. Certain limits are 
 fixed to the number of demerits allowed any cadet, and if 
 the number is reached the case is reported to the Navy De- 
 partment with such recommendation as the Academic Board 
 may think proper. 
 
 The punishments inflicted are comprised in the following 
 list: 
 
 Removal from the service. 
 
 Solitary confinement. 
 
 Coventry. 
 
 Public reprimand on parade, by written orders. 
 
Chap. I. ACADEMIC ORGANIZATION. 140 
 
 Confinement under guard or in quarters. 
 
 Deprivation of leave or recreation. 
 
 Extra duties or drills. 
 
 Suspension. 
 
 Reduction of cadet rank. 
 
 No officer at the Academy, except the Superintendent, is 
 authorized to order or inflict punishment of any kind ; and 
 dismissal from the service can only be ordered by the Secre- 
 tary of the Navy. 
 
 AMUSEMENTS. 
 
 The water around the Academy is very good water for 
 pulling, and the class boat-clubs among th» cadets have sev- 
 eral shells, mostly four-oars and six-oars. The clubs have a 
 four-oar race in June, and a flag kept at the Academy is given 
 to the winning crew, whose names are engraved on the staff- 
 plate. The class-crews have good opportunities for training 
 and practice, going out twice a day after they have fairly 
 settled down to work for the season. The regularity of their 
 daily life, the total interdiction of tobacco and liquor, the 
 abundance of exercise afforded by daily drills, with the gym- 
 nasium and boxing, and the simplicity and excellence of their 
 table, do away with the necessity of rigorous training, and 
 give them at the start a better average form than the ordi- 
 nary class-crew at college. 
 
 Base-ball is a favorite sport, each class having a nine of its 
 own, besides the Academy nine. Match games are played 
 on Saturday afternoons, frequently during the spring, with 
 clubs from Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis. Foot- 
 ball is played during the winter, and there is more or less 
 riding on Saturdays at all times. Cadets who cannot swim 
 are required to learn as soon as possible after admission, and 
 they receive instruction and practice until they are good 
 swimmers. One of the buildings on the wharf contains a 
 swimming-bath for exercise and swimming-lessons in winter. 
 
I JO THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Pakt II. 
 
 with a tank 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 4 feet deep. The 
 water is. pumped in from the river, and heated by steam-pipes. 
 
 At all times during recreation-hours cadets have access to 
 the pistol-gallery and bowling-alley, and, with certain limita- 
 tions, to the gymnasium. Two or three times a year the 
 best gymnasts give an exhibition, with sparring and fenc- 
 ing matches, and exercises with the rings, bars, clubs, and 
 trapeze. 
 
 On Saturday evenings the gymnasium is usually cleared, 
 decorated, and opened for dancing, from half-past 7 o'clock 
 till 10. On the night before holidays an entertainment is 
 given, and dancing is prolonged to a later hour. In Janu- 
 ary the cadets of the first class give a ball, and in June those 
 of the second class give a similar entertainment to the cadets 
 about to graduate. 
 
 Leave to go beyond the academic limits is only granted 
 on Saturdays and on holidays, and ends at evening parade. 
 This privilege is forfeited by misconduct, or by neglect of 
 study during the week, being denied to cadets whose mark 
 for the week in any branch is below 62.5 per cent. The 
 privilege is also restricted to the first class and one-fourth of 
 the three lower classes, at any one time. The restriction is 
 not, however, severe in practice, as there are greater resources 
 for amusement within the walls than without. 
 
 MESS. 
 
 All cadets are required to board at the mess-table. The 
 dining-room is a large and well-lighted hall on the ground- 
 floor of the new quarters. Captains of crews havecharge of 
 separate tables, and the officer-in-charge has general super- 
 vision of the hall at meals, as well as ' at other times. The 
 cost of living is about $20 per month. The fare is simple, 
 but carefully prepared and abundant. 
 
CHAPTER 11. 
 
 EXAMINATION AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 I. Cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 1 . Nomination. — The number of cadet-midshipmen allowed 
 at the Academy is one for every Member or Delegate of the 
 House of Representatives, one for the District of Columbia, 
 and ten appointed annually at large. After March 5 of each 
 year the Secretary of the Navy notifies each Member or 
 Delegate of any vacancy that may exist in his district. The 
 nomination of a candidate to fill this vacancy is made upon 
 the recommendation of the Member or Delegate; but if not 
 made by July i of that year the Secretary of the Navy is re- 
 quired to fill the vacancy. The nomination of candidates 
 from the District of Columbia and at large is made by the 
 President. 
 
 2. Examinations. — There are two examinations for admis- 
 sion, one on June 21, the other on September 12. Candidates 
 who are nominated in time to attend the fijst examination 
 come up in June; the others hold over until September. 
 Should any candidate that ought to come up in June fail to 
 report, or be rejected for any reason, the Member or Delegate 
 from whose district he was nominated is notified to recom- 
 mend another, who is also examined in September. 
 
 All candidates must be over fourteen and less than eighteen 
 years of age, and no one is examined whose age does not 
 fall within the prescribed limits. They must be physically 
 
1^2 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 sound, well-formed, and of robust constitution. To test this, 
 they are required to pass a satisfactory examination before a 
 medical board, composed of the surgeon of the Academy and 
 two other medical officers designated by the Secretary of the 
 Navy. Any one of the following conditions is sufficient to 
 cause the rejection of the candidate : Feeble constitution, 
 greatly-retarded development, permanently-impaired general 
 health, decided cachexia, diathesis, or predisposition, and all 
 chronic disease, malformation, or results of injuries, that would 
 permanently impair efficiency. Attention is also paid to the 
 stature of the candidate, and no one manifestly under size 
 for his age is admitted. No candidate rejected by the medi- 
 cal board is allowed a re-examination. 
 
 Candidates must pass an examination before a committee of 
 the Academic Board in reading, writing, spelling, arithmetic, 
 geography, and English grammar. All the examinations, ex- 
 cept in reading, are written. Candidates who fall below the 
 standard (62.5 per cent, in each branch) receive a second and 
 final examination in the subjects in which they fail. Deficiency 
 in any one of the subjects at the second examination is suf- 
 ficient to insure rejection. By the Revised Statutes, § 1515, 
 "candidates rejected at such examination shall not have the 
 privilege of another examination to the same class, unless 
 recommended by the board of examiners." 
 
 3. General character of questions : 
 
 ARITHMETIC. 
 
 Notation and numeration. 
 Denominate numbers. — The tables of money, weights, and 
 measures ; addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division 
 of denominate numbers ; the relation between the troy and 
 avoirdupois pound ; the reduction of differences of longitude 
 to their equivalents in time, and the reverse. 
 
Chap. II. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 153 
 
 Fractions. — The candidate must be familiar with all the 
 processes of common and decimal fractions, and must be 
 able to give clearly the reasons for the processes; and he 
 should be familiar with the contracted methods of multiplica- 
 tion and division given in the ordinary text-books of arith- 
 metic. 
 
 Properties of numbers. — The test of the divisibility of num- 
 bers by 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, II, 25, 125, &c. ; the resolution of 
 composite numbers into prime factors ; the method of deter- 
 mining whether a number is prime or composite, and of find- 
 ing the greatest common divisor and least common multiple 
 of large and small numbers. 
 
 Ratio and proportion. — The definition and explanation of 
 ratio and proportion; the methods of writing a proportion ; 
 the solution of problems in simple and compound propor- 
 tion. 
 
 Analysis. — Miscellaneous problems similar to those in the 
 common-school text-books. 
 
 Percentage, interest, and discount. 
 
 Mensuration. — The measurement of rectangular surfaces 
 and volumes. 
 
 Evolution. — The extraction of square and cube roots. 
 
 An algebraic solution may be given, in place of an arith- 
 metical solution, in problems which admit of it. 
 
 Candidates must be thoroughly proficient in all branches 
 of arithmetic, and unusual excellence may be allowed to 
 count in their favor in case of a slight deficiency in other 
 subjects. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 Candidates are questioned upon the grand divisions of 
 the land and water ; the character of coast-lines ; the direc- 
 tion and position of mountain-chains, and the locality of 
 important peaks; the position and course of rivers, their 
 
154 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 tributaries, and the bodies of water into which they empty ; 
 the position of important seas and bays ; the political divis- 
 ions of the land, their position, boundaries, and capital cities ; 
 the position and direction of great peninsulas, and the situ- 
 ation of important and prominent capes ; straits, sounds, 
 channels, and the most important canals; great lakes, and 
 inland seas ; position and political connection of important 
 islands and colonial possessions ; locality of cities of histor- 
 ical, political, or commercial importance ; the course of a 
 vessel in making a voyage between well-known sea-ports. 
 
 GRAMMAR. 
 
 Candidates are examined upon the whole of English gram- 
 mar, as treated in the common-school text-books, embracing 
 all that is usually given under the head of orthography, 
 etymology or classification, the formation and inflection of 
 words, and syntax, including parsing and the analysis of sen- 
 tences. The questions in grammar are based upon the school- 
 books found by actual inquirj' to' be in most common use. 
 
 READING. 
 
 Candidates are examined in reading aloud English prose in 
 a standard work. 
 
 WRITING AND SPELLING. 
 
 Candidates are required to *rite a short original letter and 
 an exercise in dictation, and to spell twenty-four words in 
 common use. An exercise having eight or more mistakes in 
 spelling is not considered satisfactory, and is enough of itself 
 to cause the rejection of a candidate. 
 
 4. Preparation of candidates. — It is a matter of remark to 
 the examining board that a considerable majority of the can- 
 didates come very poorly fitted for this or any other examina- 
 
Chap. 11. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 155 
 
 tion. The subjects required are of an elementary character, 
 the papers set are simple and easy, and the marking is in- 
 dulgent. The question occurs at once, Why is it that selected 
 boys from all parts of the country, of an average age of 
 over sixteen, and none of them younger than fourteen, should 
 be unable to pass a creditable examination in grammar, geog- 
 raphy, spelling, and arithmetic ? Or, leaving out of consid- 
 eration the first two branches, as candidates are rarely rejected 
 for a deficiency in geography or grammar alone, why is it that 
 out of 200 boys of sixteen, presented annually for examina- 
 tion, hardly half could be called proficient in arithmetic and 
 spelling ? 
 
 The reason seems to He partly in the circumstances or ca- 
 pacity of the candidates selected, and partly in the defective 
 condition of the fitting-schools, and a want of time for special 
 preparation. Candidates are appointed from every part of 
 the country, often with very brief notice of the coming exami- 
 nation. As a rule, they are selected without reference to 
 scholastic attainments, very few being required to pass a com- 
 petitive examination* for their appointment. Some of the 
 papers show a degree of ignorance so remarkable that the 
 most superficial preliminary examination would have disclosed, 
 it. But these examinations are clearly the exception rather 
 than the rule. 
 
 Some illustrations of this defective training have been 
 selected from the examination-papers of candidates for ad- 
 mission. They are taken from the English papers, as the 
 want of training is seen more readily in these answers than 
 in arithmetical examples, although it is quite as marked in 
 the latter. " 
 
 * At the examination for admission in September, 1875, there were 11 
 candidates out of 92 who had been appointed after competitive examina- 
 tions, of whom two were rejected and one failed to complete his first year 
 at the Academy. 
 
156 THE NA VAL A CADEMY. 
 
 Part II. 
 
 
 SPELLING. 
 
 
 June, 1874 : 
 
 
 
 " MuUicous. 
 
 Opinon. 
 
 Privelige. 
 
 Milta. 
 
 Litarray. 
 
 Linen. 
 
 Vengence. 
 
 Soverighty. 
 
 Colonal. 
 
 Citzen. 
 
 Perserve. 
 
 Extradonary. 
 
 Colony. 
 
 Sympathy. 
 
 Talent. 
 
 Acadmey. 
 
 Embarrass. 
 
 Sarcfice. 
 
 Escential. 
 
 Deslipine. 
 
 Speech. 
 
 Milatary. 
 
 Siendentifc. 
 
 Discreet." 
 
 September, 1873 : 
 
 
 
 " Agreeable. 
 
 Skillful. 
 
 Seperate. 
 
 Condemn. 
 
 Linnen. 
 
 Academy. 
 
 Accessible. 
 
 Literary. 
 
 Severn. 
 
 Formmible. 
 
 Obveious. 
 
 Masculin. 
 
 Dissention. 
 
 Exenent. 
 
 Circle. 
 
 Cornel. 
 
 Recede. 
 
 Lilly. 
 
 Amalgamate. 
 
 Procede. 
 
 Forren." 
 
 Suciside. 
 
 
 
 The following is part of a paper handed in by a candidate 
 from Massachusetts, who brought a letter of recommenda- 
 tion from the master of the high-school which he attended in 
 a considerable town of that State. The letter stated that the 
 candidate stood No. 2 hi a class of twenty at his school, and 
 that he had previously attended a Boston grammar-school. 
 The letter was such as to give the impression that this was 
 one of the most creditable pupils at the high-school in ques- 
 tion. The paper is copied literatim. 
 
 Dictation, (Bancroft's United States, i, p. 234 :) 
 " Equally proverbial was the hospitality of the Verginians 
 labor was valuable land was cheap compitance prompty fol- 
 
Chap. II. 
 
 EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 
 157 
 
 lowed industry there was know nead off a scramble abound- 
 ance » * * • # j-jjg morasses were alive with 
 water foul the creeks abounded with oisters in inexausterble 
 beds * # # the woods russled with quails." * * 
 
 " Forfetture. 
 Synonimous. 
 Judgeitial. 
 Mantinance. 
 Acknowlagement. 
 Encouragement. 
 Tenement. 
 Reccompence. 
 
 SPELLING. 
 
 Grievences. 
 
 Beneficeary. 
 
 Fundimental. 
 
 Perpetuate. 
 
 Heredditary. 
 
 Descendant. 
 
 Aillion. 
 
 Eclesiastical. 
 
 Precarious. 
 
 Privalleges. 
 
 Equivilant. 
 
 Matrimonial. 
 
 Corporation. 
 
 Simpathetic. 
 
 Agreable. 
 
 Dicernment." 
 
 According to the practice at that time, this candidate was 
 examined orally in the branches in which he had failed at 
 his written examination. The examining committee gave 
 him eight words to spell at the blackboard. 
 
 A copy of this exercise is given : 
 
 " Engenire. 
 Exhauxtiveness. 
 Ceddiment. 
 
 Incriment. 
 
 Finantial. 
 
 Pylgramage. 
 
 Quarrantine. 
 Chemastry. '' 
 
 After this it was deemed unnecessary to go any further 
 with the examination in this branch. 
 
 A still more inexcusable case came very recently before 
 the board of examiners, which, perhaps, explains in some 
 degree the inefficiency of secondary schools. A young man 
 nearly eighteen years of age presented himself, under appoint- 
 ment, from one of the western counties of the State of New 
 York, for examination as to his qualifications for admission. 
 In filling up the required blanks, before examination, he 
 
158 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 stated that he had been appointed after a competitive exam- 
 ination of seventeen candidates, and that he had taught school. 
 Careful inquiry disclosed the following facts in regard to the 
 last statement. Candidates wishing to become teachers were 
 examined as to their proficiency by the school commissioner 
 of the district before appointment. The commissioners were 
 chosen at a general election by the voters of the school-dis- 
 trict. This young man had been examined in the regular 
 way and appointed teacher in the district-school. The school- 
 year consists of two terms of twelve or fourteen weeks each, 
 and the candidate had taught school during five such terms. 
 He had nine pupils at first, to whom he taught arithmetic, 
 geography, grammar, reading, and spelling; and in the. last 
 Tjvinter he had risen to the responsibility of thirty-four pupils, 
 and he was teaching algebra and United States history. 
 
 He brought with him the following letter of recommenda- 
 tion from a judicial functionary of the neighborhood: 
 
 " , N. Y., . 
 
 " SUPERETENDENT OF NaVAL ACADEMY 
 
 Anapilos Md 
 '• This is to certify that I am well acquainted with 
 
 & can cheaifully say that he is a Yong Man of 
 
 Good Moral charictor & highly respected by all who know 
 him 
 
 " (Signed) " ^ ." 
 
 So much for the antecedents of the candidate. At his ex- 
 amination-for admission to the Academy he failed on three- 
 fourths of the questions on his first arithmetic-paper, and 
 he barely succeeded in passing on the second. The follow- 
 ing are his papers in spelling and geography, copied ex- 
 actly, though no copy can do justice to the penmanship and 
 form: 
 
Chap. II. 
 
 EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 
 159 
 
 • Millionheir. 
 Snoar (!) 
 Depravity. 
 Tollerance. 
 Inferraery. 
 Clamor. 
 Stratagem. 
 Penetant. 
 
 SPELLING. 
 
 Supercilleous. 
 
 Honorous. 
 
 Engineer. 
 
 Brigadier. 
 
 Icicle. 
 
 Proficency. 
 
 Discenlion. 
 
 Malisceous. 
 
 GEOGRAPHY. 
 
 Demagogue. 
 
 Inflamable, 
 
 Scientific. 
 
 Trancient. 
 
 Verticle. 
 
 Privalege. 
 
 Democracy. 
 
 Concession.'' 
 
 Questions. 
 
 " I. Give the position of the following cities, and tell on or 
 near what water they are situated : 
 
 "i. Toledo. 2. Carthagena. 3. Cracow. 4. Trebizond. 
 5. Calcutta. 
 
 " II. From what land and into what water do the following 
 capes project? 
 
 " I. Montauk Point. 2. Cape Canaveral. 3. Cape Race. 
 4. Cape Matapan. 5. Point de Galle, 
 
 " III. Make a coasting voyage from Archangel to Calcutta 
 via the Suez Canal. Name all the important bodies of 
 water you pass through, in order. 
 
 " IV. Name and locate six islands of the Mediterranean 
 Sea, and tell to what country each one belongs. 
 
 "V. Describe the following rivers, telling where ihey rise, 
 in what direction they flow, into what water they empty : 
 
 " I. Orinoco. 2. Pruth. 3. Columbia. 4. Po." 
 
 Answers. 
 
 " I. Toledo on the western end of Lake Erie".' Carthigena 
 norther part of france eng chanell Calcutta southern part 
 europe Mediteranean sea. 
 
i6o THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 " II, Montauk pt from canida into lake Huron. Canaveral 
 west of California in to the pacific cape race from western 
 part Labrador. 
 
 " III. east on the Bay of Bangal Arabian sea North-east 
 on the red sea east on the Mediteranean Mediteranean sea 
 Arabian sea Bay Bangal red sea. 
 
 " IV. Corsica & Sardinia to Candy to Turkey sicily 
 
 to Itily 
 
 " V. The Orinoco Rises in the the Andes Mountans in 
 south America flows North-East and Empties into the carrib- 
 ean sea 
 
 "Columbia, is formed by the Lewis and snake river flows in 
 a westerly direction into the pacific ocean Po river rises in 
 the northern part of Itily and flows in easterly dir into the 
 archapelago sea " 
 
 The second papers were equally bad, or perhaps worse. 
 And this from a district-school teacher of two years' stand- 
 ing! If such cases are common, the boasted American 
 school system must be in some places a sham or a burlesque. 
 Certain interesting questions present themselves as to the 
 kind of education generally diffused among a community 
 with such a school system. If this young man is the best of 
 seventeen candidates, what must be the other sixteen ? If a 
 judicial functionary of the neighborhood can spell " charac- 
 ter " " charictor," how would a district-school teacher, for ex- 
 ample, spell it ? And if the district-school teacher spells the 
 word "snore" "snoar," what must be the proficiency of his 
 scholars in spelling? 
 
 But even supposing that this example is a very exceptional 
 one, as is to be hoped is the case, it helps to account for 
 the large number of rejections. In these. cases, want of time 
 for preparation is hardly a valid excuse for inability to pass 
 an examination as elementary as that for admission to the 
 
Chap. II. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. i6i 
 
 Academy — certainly not for cases of gross ignorance like 
 those just quoted. Any properly-trained boy of fourteen or 
 fifteen years of age ought to need little previous notice to 
 prepare himself to answer plain questions in the simplest 
 branches of knowledge. There are, it is true, rare cases 
 where circumstances have compelled a boy to devote most 
 of his time to manual labor. There are also cases, pre- 
 sumably rare, among a picked class of boys chosen as being 
 worthy to receive a beneficiary education from the Govern- 
 ment, of constitutional dullness or incapacity ; but the large 
 majority of rejections must be referred to the insufficient 
 training of the schools. If the schools of the country, pri- 
 mary and secondary, do not teach their pupils between the 
 ages of seven and fifteen to spell, to cipher, to answer sim- 
 ple questions in geography and grammar, what in those 
 ■eight years do they teach ? The letter of the master of the 
 IMassachusetts high-school is not the only one of its kind — 
 a letter which finds a charitable explanation either in self- 
 delusion or incompetency. 
 
 5. Admission. — Candidates who pass the physical and the 
 mental examination receive appointments as cadet-midship- 
 men, and become inmates of the Academy. Immediately 
 after admission they are required to sign articles by which 
 they bind themselves to serve in the United States Navy eight 
 years, (including the time of probation at the Academy,) un- 
 less sooner discharged. At the same time they are required 
 to make a deposit with the treasurer, which is credited on his 
 tooks, to be expended, under the direction of the Superin- 
 tendent, in the purchase of clothing, furniture, text-books, 
 and other authorized articles. The amount required varies 
 somewhat, besides being reduced more or less by the value 
 of clothing brought from home. Last year {1875-76) it was 
 $229.99.. 
 II 
 
1 62 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 One month after admission each cadet is credited with the 
 amount of his actual expenses in traveling from his home to 
 the Academy; but a cadet who voluntarily resigns his appoint- 
 ment within a year from the time of his admission is required 
 to refund this amount. 
 
 II. Cadet-engineers. 
 
 Applications from persons wishing to enter the Academy 
 as cadet-engineers are made to the Navy Department. Out 
 of the whole number of applicants a part are selected by the 
 Secretary of the Navy, to whom permission is given to present 
 themselves for examination. The number of cadet-engineers 
 allowed by law is twenty-five per annum. Candidates must 
 be not less than sixteen nor more than twenty years of age 
 at the time of their examination. 
 
 The examination is held on the sth of September of each 
 year, and is competitive; the first twenty-five on the list of 
 candidates, as determined by the examination, being selected 
 for appointment. The subjects of the examination are as- 
 follows : 
 
 1. Algebra, through equations of the first degree. 
 
 2. Plane geometry. 
 
 3. Elementary physics. 
 
 4. Sketching. 
 
 5. Arithmetic. 
 
 6. Reading. 
 
 7. Writing. 
 
 8. Spelling. 
 
 9. Geography. 
 
 10. English grammar. 
 
 The examination in the six last-named subjects is similar to 
 that for cadet-midshipmen. Candidates who show the great- 
 
Chap. II. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 
 163 
 
 est skill and experience in the practical working of machinery, 
 other qualifications being equal, have precedence for admis- 
 sion. 
 
 Candidates are required to pass a physical examination, 
 and if rejected by the medical board are excluded ■ from 
 further competition. The other requisites and conditions are 
 the same as those for cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 Table I. — Average age of cadets at the date of admission during 
 the past ten years. 
 
 CADET-MIDSHIPMEN. 
 
 Yrs. Mos. 
 
 Admitted in 1866 16 4 
 
 1867 16 4 
 
 1868 16 o 
 
 r86g 16 2 
 
 1870 16 5 
 
 1871 16 3 
 
 1872 16 4 
 
 1873 16 7 
 
 1874 16 3 
 
 1875 16 9 
 
 Average age for 10 years, r866-i875 16 4 
 
 CADET-ENGINEERS. 
 
 Yrs. MoF, 
 
 Admitted in 1874 18 6)^ 
 
 1875 17 10 
 
164 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Part II. 
 
 Table II. — Examinations of candidates for admission as cadet-midship- 
 men — 1870-1875. 
 
 « 
 
 •5 
 
 S 
 
 E 
 
 3 
 
 
 
 il 
 
 p 
 
 a? 
 0< 
 
 Rejected by Academic Board. 
 
 d 
 
 e 
 
 •a 
 
 
 Date. 
 
 
 S 
 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 "ST 
 
 i 
 
 June, 1870... 
 Sept., 1870... 
 June, 1871 . . . 
 Sept, 1871... 
 June, 1872... 
 Sept, 1872... 
 June, 1873... 
 Sept, 1873... 
 June, 1874... 
 Sept, 1874... 
 June, 1875 . . . 
 Sept, 1875... 
 
 51 
 102 
 42 
 54 
 74 
 76 
 83 
 106 
 74 
 106 
 95 
 92 
 
 4 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 2 
 I 
 I 
 
 4 
 6 
 8 
 10 
 S 
 
 7 
 14 
 4 
 
 2 
 
 8 
 11 
 
 7 
 9 
 14 
 17 
 
 1 
 4 
 3 
 6 
 8 
 3 
 11 
 I 
 3 
 
 10 
 II 
 7 
 9 
 21 
 17 
 18 
 
 33 
 23 
 
 24 
 
 23 
 18 
 
 17 
 25 
 II 
 10 
 27 
 30 
 32 
 52 
 33 
 44 
 38 
 38 
 
 I 
 1 
 I 
 
 2 
 
 7 
 
 I 
 2 
 
 5 
 
 I 
 
 21 
 31 
 13 
 13 
 
 30 
 
 31 
 39 
 57 
 41 
 5^ 
 53 
 44 
 
 Note. — ^Discrepancies between the numbers of the table and those 
 published in the Annual Register are explained by the following : 
 J. B. Alexander, admitted June, 1870, not in Register for i87o-'7r, 
 M. D. W. Burnett, admitted June, 1871, not in Register for 1871-72. 
 Two students from Japan were admitted in 1872. 
 Oae student from Japan was admitted in 1873. 
 Two students from Japan were admitted in 1874, 
 
Chap. II. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 
 165 
 
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i66 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Part II. 
 
 
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Chap. II. EXAMINA TIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 
 167 
 
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1 68 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Part II. 
 
 Table IV. — Percentage of candidates from each State and Territory ■who 
 succeed in completing the course. 
 
 State or Territory. 
 
 Percent- 
 age. 
 
 State or Territory. 
 
 Percent- 
 age. 
 
 
 67 
 50 
 44 
 43 
 40 
 40 
 36 
 
 36 
 36 
 34 
 33 
 33 
 33 
 33 
 32 
 30 
 30 
 28 
 26 
 
 
 26 
 
 
 
 25 
 
 =5 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 25 
 
 24 
 24 
 
 
 
 
 New York 
 
 
 
 
 
 Alabama 
 
 
 Louisiana 
 
 
 Maine 
 
 West Virginia 
 
 Ohio 
 
 
 
 
 Virginia 
 
 15 
 13 
 
 
 
 Rhode Island 
 
 
 Texas 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 
 
 Indiana 
 
 
 
 North Carolina 
 
 
 
 District of Columbia 
 
 
 
 
 
Chap. II. EXAMINATIONS FOR ADMISSION. 
 
 169 
 
 Table V. — Percentage of successful candidates from each State and Terri- 
 tory who succeed in completing the course. 
 
 State or Territory. 
 
 Percent- 
 age. 
 
 State or Territory. 
 
 Percent- 
 age. 
 
 Connecticut 
 
 80 
 80 
 70 
 67 
 60 
 56 
 55 
 55 
 54 
 54 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 50 
 5° 
 SO 
 50 
 
 West Virginia 
 
 50 
 47 
 47 
 46 
 40 
 40 
 40 
 39 
 38 
 33 
 30 
 
 
 
 Iowa 
 
 New York 
 
 
 
 Michigan 
 
 Maine 
 
 
 
 Indiana ' 
 
 Vermont 
 
 
 Illinois 
 
 Alabama 
 
 Tennessee 
 
 
 
 Delaware 
 
 Virginia 
 
 
 
 Kansas 
 
 Maryland 
 
 
 
 
 17 
 17 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ohio 
 
 
 
 Texas 
 
 
 
 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 I. Seamanship. 
 
 Before 1845, seamanship and navigation were the only 
 subjects required at the examination of midshipmen for promo- 
 tion. There was this difference between the two branches, — ^ 
 the first could only be learned at sea, while much of the 
 second was more readily acquired on shore, away from the 
 •distractions of the ship. Consequently, the plan adopted in 
 1845 did riot contemplate academic instruction in seaman- 
 .ship, but left it to be learned during the three years' cruise 
 Ihat acting midshipmen were sure to make before they came 
 up for promotion. 
 
 The revised regulations of 1850 created a new and sepa- 
 rate department, of naval tactics and practical seamanship, 
 with the commandant of midshipmen as its head. The 
 system, however, still provided for an intermediate cruise 
 between the first two and last two years of the academic 
 •course, and instruction in these branches at the Academy 
 •was confined chiefly to practical exercises. 
 
 When the four year course was adopted in November, 
 185 1, (it was hardly in operation till the next year,) seaman- 
 ship became a recognized part of the academic course. 
 The first book used was Totten's Naval Text-Book. This 
 was changed in 1852 for Brady's Kedge- Anchor, which was 
 in turn replaced in 1863 by Luce's Seamanship. From time 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 171 
 
 to time kindred branches have been introduced in connection 
 with the course in seamanship, and the practical exercises 
 have been improved and their scope extended until the 
 course has developed into its present form. The practice- 
 cruises, begun in the summer of 1851, have always been a 
 most important auxiliary to the instruction in seamanship. 
 
 From 1850 to 1875 the commandant of midshipmen has 
 been nominally head of the department of seamanship, 
 though of late years having little connection with it except 
 in matters of routine. The senior assistant has been virtu- 
 ally head, though the authority to prescribe for the depart- 
 ment lay with the commandant. The department of ord- 
 nance and gunnery was governed by the same system. In 
 187s the senior assistants were made actual heads in name 
 as well as in fact, the commandant merely retaining a super- 
 vision of the practical exercises in the two departments. 
 
 The cadet-midshipmen of all the classes are taught sea: 
 manship by practical exercises, and the two upper classes 
 receive instruction, besides, from books, models, and lectures, 
 in the section-room. 
 
 The department has a great variety of working models and 
 apparatus for practical instruction, including full-rigged ships, 
 both with and without sails; working models to illustrate the 
 processes of getting in and out masts, boats, and guns, of 
 sending up and down spars, and of heaving down; models 
 of boats, anchors, chains, capstans, knots, splices, and tackles; 
 and models of ships in process of construction, to illustrate 
 the study of ship-building and naval architecture, showing 
 the lines, timbers, plankings, and fittings of a vessel. The 
 United States sloop of war Dale is moored at one of the 
 wharves, and is used for practical exercises in seamanship. 
 There are also several cutters for boat-drill, and a complete set 
 of signal flags, lanterns, &c., for practice in signaling. 
 
172 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 Fourth class — First year. — Four drills a week during 
 the first two and last two months of the academic year, as 
 follows : 
 
 Exercises on board the Dale. — The class learn the names of 
 the masts, yards, ropes, and sails, and of the different parts 
 of the vessel. At drills they are stationed as landsmen, and 
 they become familiar with the duties of this class of men. 
 These drills take place three times a week during the period 
 specified. 
 
 Boat-exercise. — The cadets go out once a week during the 
 months named, in twelve 12-oared cutters fitted with oars and 
 sails. A special organization is used for the boat-drill, and 
 each boat is in charge of a cadet-officer. The object of this 
 drill is to teach the fourth-classmen how to pull an oar. 
 
 Signals. — Exercises in signals (Myer's code) are held at in- 
 tervals. The instructor has one division of the class at a 
 time, and the division is broken up into squads of four, each 
 squad in charge of a first-classman. The squads or groups 
 are stationed at various points about the grounds and signal 
 to one another. Proficiency is tested by sending signal-mes- 
 sages through five or six parties, stationed at considerable 
 distances, in a circle, in such a way that each party can see 
 only the one from which it receives the message and the one 
 to which it is transmitted. The message is thus finally received 
 by the original senders, and the accuracy of the process can 
 be determined with exactness. 
 
 Third class — Second year. — Practice-cruise, three sum- 
 mer months. Practical exercises, as before. 
 
 Practice-cruise. — After the annual examination, cadets who 
 have passed into the third class make their first practice- 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 173 
 
 cruise at sea. Here they occupy the positions of landsmen 
 and ordinary seamen, and are exercised in making the vari- 
 ous knots, spHces, hitches, and bends, and in fitting rigging ; 
 boxing the compass, heaving the log and the lead;, steer- 
 ing; and in loosing, furling, and reefing sail. At times they 
 have exercise in rowing, and in working boats under sail. 
 The instruction in Myer's code of signals is continued. 
 
 Exercises on board the Dale. — The times and methods of 
 instruction are the same as those of the first year, except that 
 the cadets are stationed more generally aloft and on the light 
 yards than before. Boat and signal exercises, similar to those 
 of the previous year. 
 
 Second class — Third year. — Recitations : seamanship, 
 three hours a week; naval tactics, one hour a week, second 
 term. Practical exercises, as before. 
 
 Seamanship. — The recitations are conducted orally in the 
 sectioh-room, with much illustration from models and other 
 appliances. The text-book is Luce's Seamanship, and the in- 
 struction comprises the following subjects : Knotting, splicing, 
 and tackles; compass, log, and lead; rope-making; blocks; 
 cutting and fitting rigging; masting; rigging ship; cutting,^ 
 fitting, bending, unbending, making up, and stowing sails ; 
 stowage; purchasing heavyweights; ground-tackle. Organ- 
 ization; making preparation for sea; handling boats. Rules 
 of the road. Duties of midshipmen as officers of the fore- 
 castle and quarter-deck, and as mates of the lower decks ; 
 duties of the officer of the deck. Getting under way and 
 coming to anchor ; making and taking in sail ; reefing and 
 hoisting ; making to windward. 
 
 Naval tactics. — The organization, formation, and maneu- 
 vering of a fleet, under steam or sail, in Ward's Manual of 
 Naval Tactics and Parker's Steam Fleet Tactics; and the 
 code of signals in the United States Naval Signal-Book and 
 Myer's Manual of Signals. 
 
'74 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Exercises on board the Dale. — The cadets of the second 
 class are stationed as seamen and ordinary seamen, and are 
 instructed in sending up and down masts and yards, and in 
 loosing, furling, reefing, making, and shortening sail. 
 
 First class — Fourth year. — Practice-cruise, three 
 months. Ship-building and naval architecture, three hours 
 a week, first term. Seamanship, three hours a week, second 
 term. Exercises. 
 
 Practice-cruise. — After the annual examination of the second 
 class, cadets who pass into the first class go on their second 
 practice-cruise. Upon this cruise they perform the duties of 
 seamen and petty officers, and they act at intervals as officers 
 of the forecastle, and mates of the lower decks, and as officer 
 of the deck. 
 
 Ship-building and naval architecture. — This branch includes 
 the construction of ships, both iron and wooden, and the 
 designing of ships. It is completed in the first term. The 
 text-books are Wilson's Ship-Building and Thearle's Naval 
 Architecture. 
 
 Seamanship. — The first class take up theoretical seamanship 
 again at the beginning of the second term, and review the 
 second-class course. In addition, they study the theory of 
 storms and hurricanes, and the method of handling ships 
 under all circumstances, particularly in gales, squalls, and bad 
 weather. They also take up the following subjects: Making 
 preparations for sea; handling steamers; chasing, anchoring, 
 mooring and unmooring, tending ship, and clearing hawse ; 
 emergencies, such as parting rigging, losing sails or spars, 
 getting ashore, and springing a leak; the bearing of officers 
 and the management of men ; port and sea routine; ceremo- 
 nies and salutes, and the various duties of all the officers of 
 the ship. The text-books are Luce's Seamanship, the United 
 States Naval Regulations, and the pamphlet of the Hydro- 
 graphic Office on Hurricanes. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 175. 
 
 Fractical exercises. — The time allotted to exercises is the 
 same as that in the lower classes, but the duties are of a higher 
 character. On board the Dale the cadets of the first class 
 are stationed as petty officers, and at boat-exercise they have 
 command of boats or divisions, according to their cadet rank^ 
 At signal-exercise they have charge of signaling parties. 
 
 The course in seamanship is closed with a final review, and 
 with the accompanying exercises. The desire is to graduate 
 the cadets as good topmen, good helmsmen, and good leads- 
 men, and with a fair understanding of the duties of the several 
 officers of a man-of-war. This knowledge, with the practical 
 experience they get on ship-board after their graduation, while 
 midshipmen and ensigns, will fit them for the various duties- 
 required of deck and divisional officers. 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 
 The cadet-engineers study ship-building with the second- 
 class and naval architecture with the first class, but have no 
 other instruction in the subjects taught in this department, 
 and they take no part in the practical exercises, except in the 
 signal-drills. 
 
 MODELS AND APPARATUS. 
 
 Models of vessels. 
 Antietam. — The largest and most perfect model in the col- 
 lection is that of the screw sloop of war Antietam. The origi- 
 nal vessel was begun at Philadelphia in 1864. It is a full- 
 rigged working model, 41 feet in length, with all sails and spars, 
 complete — the hull being represented from water-line to rail.. 
 The hull of the model was built at Washington, and the- 
 spars and sails ms-de. at Philadelphia. The model was put 
 together and rigged at the Academy in 1872 and. 1873. It 
 stands in the lower hall of the department of seamanship.* 
 
 *At this time (June, 1876) it forms a part of the naval department 
 of the Centennial Exhibition, in the United States Government Building. 
 
176 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Other models of parts of the same vessel, showing the de- 
 tails of the interior construction, are used to illustrate the 
 course in ship-building. One of these, 13 feet long, is a full 
 model of the hull, in frame, showing timbers; another, of 
 the stem of the vessel, shows the stern-post, dead-wood, and 
 keel; and a third, 4 feet high, shows four midship-frames 
 connected. 
 
 Colorado. — Full model, full sparred and rigged. 
 
 Columbus. — Square stern-frame, showing fashion-pieces. 
 
 Congress. — Half-model of hull, showing diagonal braces, 
 planking, &c., 12 feet long. 
 
 Steam frigate, hove down. — Full model ; lower masts se- 
 cured, &c. ; tackles, blocks, and purchases. 
 
 Iroquois. — After body in frame, showing timbers. 
 
 Marion. — Full model of hull, shears, masts, &c., for exer- 
 cising and masting. 
 
 North Carolina. — Full model of hull, full sparred and 
 rigged. 
 
 Omaha. — Half model of hull, showing diagonal braces 
 and planking, 7 feet 8 inches long. 
 
 Saint Lawrence. — Full model; full sparred and rigged. 
 
 Half-models of the hulls of the following vessels : 
 
 Adriatic. Barge, (designed by Rear-Ad- 
 Adirondack, miral T. O. Selfridge, U. 
 Alabama. S. N.) 
 
 Alaska. Barge, (Brooklyn's.) 
 
 Albany. Benicia. 
 Alleghany, (submerged paddle-Brig, (12 guns.) 
 
 wheels.) Brooklyn. 
 
 Amphitrite. Central America. 
 
 Arizona. Chattanooga. 
 
 Bainbridge. Clipper-ship. 
 
Chap. III. 
 
 COURSE OF IXSTRUCTION. 
 
 177 
 
 Columbia. 
 Columbus. 
 Congress. 
 Connecticut. 
 Constantine. 
 Constitution. 
 Dale. 
 Delaware. 
 Dolphin. 
 Dunderberg. 
 Erie. 
 Franklin. 
 Florida. 
 Germantown. 
 Great Republic. 
 Idaho. 
 
 Independence. 
 Iowa. 
 Iroquois, 
 luka. 
 Java. 
 
 John Adams. 
 Juniata. 
 Kansas. 
 Kearsarge. 
 Lancaster. 
 Launch, (steam.) 
 Mackinaw. 
 Miantonomoh. 
 Mississippi. 
 Monadnock. 
 Monitor. 
 Monongahela. 
 12 
 
 Nantasket. 
 
 New Hampshire. 
 
 Niagara. 
 
 Nipsic. 
 
 North Carolina. 
 
 Nyack. 
 
 Ontario. 
 
 Ossipee. 
 
 Pawnee. 
 
 Peacock. 
 
 Pennsylvania. 
 
 Perry. 
 
 Plymouth. 
 
 Potomac. 
 
 Preble. 
 
 Princeton. 
 
 Resaca. 
 
 Samson. 
 
 Santee. 
 
 Saratoga. 
 
 Sassacus. 
 
 Severn. 
 
 Shawmut. 
 
 Shenandoah. 
 
 Steam-sloops, (designed by 
 Rear-Admiral Selfridge, 
 Chief Naval Constructor 
 Delano, and Naval Con- 
 structor Wilson.) 
 
 Spark. 
 
 Saint Louis. 
 
 Saint Mary's. 
 
 Trajano. 
 
178 
 
 THE NA VAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Truxtun. Warren. 
 
 Tuscarora. Weehawken. 
 
 Union. Worcester, 
 
 Wabash. Wyoming, and several others. 
 
 Full models of the hulls of the following: 
 
 Amphitrite, (with turrets, &c.) 
 
 Brig, (French man-of-war.) 
 
 Le Didon, (French frigate.) 
 
 Discovery. 
 
 Iron-clads, with turrets, &c. 
 
 Life-boats. 
 
 Powhatan, (on launching-ways.) 
 
 Ville de Paris. 
 
 Warren, (after body, with main and mizzen masts in.) 
 
 The department is also provided with the following appa- 
 ratus : 
 
 Twenty-three small tackles, arranged upon racks or stands, 
 with heavy shot attached, to illustrate different purchases, 
 (now on exhibition at Philadelphia.) 
 
 Models of anchors, capstans, masts, &c. 
 
 Model of navy-yard shears, with tackle, crab, stays, &c., 
 4J feet high. 
 
 Binnacle-stand and compass, presented by the Grand Duke 
 Alexis of Russia in 1872. 
 
 On the walls of the lower hall are placed sixteen panels, 
 upon which are displayed all the common knots, splices, 
 bends, and hitches, and the various kinds of rope. The 
 halls also contain many photographs of foreign men-of-war, 
 and other illustrations of the various branches of seamanship 
 and naval architecture. 
 
 II. Ordnance and gunnery. 
 
 This department may be said to have been established in 
 1844, when Lieutenant Ward delivered his first course of lee- 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTIOX. 179 
 
 tures at the Naval Asylum in Philadelphia. When the school 
 was opened the next year, at Annapolis, one of the branches 
 of the course in the arrangement made by the Academic 
 Board was " Ordnance, gunnery, and the use of steam." 
 This group of studies was arranged with special reference to 
 the attainments of the officer who was to teach them. Pro- 
 fessor Lockwood, whose West Point experience specially 
 qualified him for the work, took charge of the infantry-drill. 
 He also gave some instruction in pyrotechny. 
 
 When Lieutenant Ward was ordered to sea, in 1847, Lieut. 
 John A. Dahlgren took his place. But the war was then 
 hardly over, and Dahlgren's services were required for ord- 
 nance duty; so that he remained only a short time. After 
 he left, Professor Lockwood took charge of the instruction in 
 gunnery, in addition to astronomy and mechanics. He suc- 
 ceeded so well that on the re-organization, in 1850, he was 
 made head of the new department of gunnery and infantry 
 tactics. He held the position till 1857, when the subject of 
 the theory of gunnery was placed unjier the supervision of 
 the commandant of midshipmen, and taught by Lieut. Edward 
 Simpson. Professor Lockwood retained the field-artillery and 
 infantry-tactics. 
 
 Exercises in great-guns began April 4, 1846, with the battery 
 left at Fort Severn by the Army. Exercises in field-artillery 
 were introduced in February, 1848, two 6-pounder brass guns 
 having been procured from the Army for that purpose; other 
 pieces were afterward obtained. 
 
 In 1 85 1 Jeifers's Theory and Practice of Naval Gunnery 
 was used for a short time, but in 1852 Ward's book was re- 
 stored, and, accompanied by lectures and a small pamphlet 
 on great-guns by Professor Lockwood, it constituted the 
 course of instruction. Two Navy howitzers, 12-pounders, 
 were at this time procured, and took the place of the old 
 
i8o THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part IT. 
 
 6-pounder Army guns. The Ordnance Instructions, issued 
 by the Navy Department, came out in 1852. It was imme- 
 diately adopted as a text-book, and has been taught since that 
 time. 
 
 In 1854 the text-books in this department were as follows: 
 Ordnance Instructions, United States Navy, taught by Lieut. 
 J. P. Greene ; Mordecai's Notes on Gunpowder ; Jeffers's 
 Theory and Practice of Naval Gunnery; Dahlgren's . Boat- 
 guns and Percussion System ; Le Page's Theorie du Pointage^ 
 Lockwood's Small-Arms. 
 
 In 1859, Simpson's Ordnance and Naval Gunnery and the 
 Ordnance Instructions were the principal text-books. A 
 translation of Le Page, also by Lieutenant Simpson, was 
 used until the publication of an enlarged edition of the Ord- 
 nance and Naval Gunnery, in 1862. 
 
 Soon after Professor Lockwood was assigned to the Army, 
 in October, 1861,* Master Joseph D. Marvin took his place as 
 
 * Professor Lockwood was a graduate of West Point, of the class of 
 1836. In i836-'37 he served in Florida against the Seminole Indians. 
 He resigned his commission as second lieutenant in the Second Artillery 
 September 12, 1837. In 1841 he was appointed professor of mathe- 
 matics in the Navy, and he was on duty at the Naval Academy from its 
 foundation till 1870, except during the rebellion, when he was engaged 
 in active service. He was commissioned colonel of the First Delaware 
 Volunteers May 25, 1861, and brigadier-general of United States Vol- 
 unteers August 8, 1861. In November of that year he went in com- 
 mand of an expedition to the eastern shore of Virginia, and remained in 
 command there until January, 1863 ; in command at Point Lookout, and 
 the defences of the Lower Potomac, January to June, 1863; .in the 
 Pennsylvania campaign, (Army of the Potomac, ) July, 1863, being en- 
 gaged in the battle of Gettysburg, July 1-3, 1863; in command of 
 Harper's Ferry, Va., July to October, 1863, and of Middle Department, 
 headquarters at Baltimore, Md., December, 1863, to April, 1864; in the 
 Richmond campaign (Army of the Potomac) May to June, 1864, partici- 
 pating in the actions near Hanover Court-House, Va., May 30 to June 
 I, 1864; in command of provisional troops for the defence of Baltimore 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. igi 
 
 instructor in infantry-tactics. He performed this duty till 
 1864, at which time he again became engaged in active 
 service. He was relieved by Lieutenant-Commander A. 
 P. Cooke. In the spring of 1862, Lieut. S. B. Luce re- 
 stored the artillery-drill, which had been dropped in Pro- 
 fessor Lockwood's absence. In the fall of the same year 
 Lieutenant-Commander E. O. Matthews relieved Lieuten- 
 ant-Commander Simpson, in charge of the department. 
 He also continued the artillery-drill. Two batteries of 
 heavy 12-pounder howitzers were used in this drill. At the 
 same time the great-gun drill was conducted on board the 
 sloop IVfacedonian, and target-practice from a small battery 
 on Goat Island. The subject of field fortifications was intro- 
 duced in the spring of 1861, to give the midshipmen a suflS- 
 cient knowledge of intrenchments to enable them to protect 
 themselves in case of being sent on shore with a body of men 
 in an enemy's country. In November, 1865, the instruction 
 in infantry-tactics was transferred to the department of ord- 
 nance and gunnery, as field-artillery had been in October, 
 1862. 
 
 Down to 1875 the commandant of midshipmen was head 
 of the department of gunnery as well as of seamanship, in 
 addition to his other duties. In that year the change was 
 made, already described under the department of seamanship, 
 which put the heads of both departments on a separate footing. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 All classes. — Practical exercises four hours a week dur- 
 ing the year as follows: 
 Infantry-drill. 
 
 against the rebel raid under General Early, 1864, and of brigade at Bal- 
 timore, Md., July, 1864, to August, 1865. General Lockwood was 
 mustered out of service August 24, 1865, and returned to his duties at the 
 Naval Academy. (Cullum, Biographical Register United Stales Military 
 Academy, volume i.) 
 
1 82 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Field-ariillery and boat-howitzer exercise. 
 
 Great-gims. — Exercises and target-practice on board the 
 United States ship Santee. 
 
 Fejicing. — Exercises with small-swords and broadswords. 
 
 Second class. — One hour a week, first term; two hours a 
 week, second term. 
 
 Infantry -tactics. — Organization and formation of squad^ 
 company, and battalion ; school of the soldier; company and 
 battalion drill, including" instructions for skirmishers and the 
 bayonet-exercise. Text-book: United States Infantry-Tac- 
 tics. 
 
 Gunnery. — Practical naval gunnery, as laid down in the 
 Ordnance and Gunnery Instructions for the United States 
 Navy. 
 
 First class. — Two hours a week, first term ; three hours a. 
 week, second term. 
 
 Ordnance and armor. — Preparation of gun-iron from crude 
 ore, including the description and use of furnaces; manufac- 
 ture of wrought iron, steel, and bronze ; fabrication of guns, 
 of all descriptions; manufacture of gunpowder and fuses, and 
 of all kinds of projectiles and fireworks. 
 
 Theory of gunnery. — Motion of projectiles in vacuo and in 
 the atmosphere; initial, remaining, and final velocities, and 
 the methods of determining their values ; the effects of varia- 
 tions of charge, windage, and weight of projectiles; deviation 
 of projectiles ; systems of pointing ; tangent-sights, and de- 
 termination of their values ; penetration and shock of prd- 
 jectiles, and recoil of guns. The text-books in this course 
 are Commander A. P. Cooke's* Naval Ordnance and Gun- 
 nery; Ordnance Instructions, United States Navy; Gunnery^ 
 Instructions, United States Navy. 
 
 * Formerly head of the department of ordnance and gunnery at the 
 Naval Academy. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 183 
 
 Mortar-practice. — The class have field-lectures and practice 
 with the mortar at intervals during the second term, in the 
 course of which they load and fire, weigh out the charges, 
 fill shells, and cut fiises. 
 
 Monitor-practice. — The monitor is put under steam, and the 
 class are exercised in working the machinery of the guns and 
 turret. 
 
 Target-practice with the rifle, at long and short ranges, 
 frequently during the first class year. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 
 The cadet-engineers attend the drills with great-guns and 
 in infantry-tactics, field-artillery, and fencing, but have no 
 other instruction in this department. 
 
 MODELS AND APPARATUS. 
 
 For great-gun drill on board the gunnery-ship Santee: 
 24 new-pattern Vlll-inch guns, on iron carriages, on the gun- 
 deck. 
 24 new-pattern 32-pounders, on iron carriages, on the spar- 
 deck. 
 
 For light-artillery drill: 
 24 Hght i2-pounder howitzers. 
 4 new 3-inch breech-loading rifled howitzers. 
 6 launches. 
 
 For infantry-drill : 
 490 Remington rifles, Navy pattern. 
 
 For mortar-practice : 
 I Xlll-inch mortar, mounted near the sea-wall. 
 
 Models of all the different great-guns at present used on 
 shipboard, with both wooden and iron carriages. 
 
 Models of all the different howitzers at present used in the 
 Navy, with boat and field carriages. 
 
184 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Full-size wooden model of new pattern 32-pounder, on iron 
 carriage, for using inspecting-instruments. 
 
 One Gatling gun, with equipments complete. 
 
 Model of a section of a mortar-schooner, with mortar and 
 equipments complete; the model showing the construction 
 of the vessel. 
 
 Model of a ship's magazine, with all the equipments com- 
 plete. 
 
 Models of fortifications. 
 
 Model of flask, core, &c., used in casting guns upon the 
 Rodman plan. 
 
 Model illustrating the Navy process of casting shells. 
 
 Presses and implements for the manufacture of the Navy 
 time-fuse and Bormann fuse. 
 
 Rodman's testing-machine, capacity ioo.,ooo lbs. 
 
 Rocket and port-fire molds. 
 
 Inspecting-instruments for guns, powder, shot, and shells. 
 
 Schultz's electro-chronoscope. 
 
 Set of tools for making cannon-primers. 
 
 Beardsley's magneto-electric torpedo-machine. 
 
 Wheatstone's magneto-electric torpedo-machine, (presented 
 by Commander T. O. Selfridge.) 
 
 Samples of powder and of the ingredients, used in its man- 
 ufacture. 
 
 Samples of fuses. 
 
 Samples of primers. 
 
 Samples of shot and shell. 
 
 Samples of torpedoes. 
 
 Samples of no different kinds of small-arms, including, 
 among others, the needle-gun, Snyder, Werner, Chassepot, 
 Vincennes, Jaeger, Enfield, Martini-Henry, and other rifles ; 
 Bavarian, Belgian, Austrian, French, and Spanish rifles; Rem- 
 ington, Ward and Burton, Spencer, and Sharp breech-loaders; 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 i8S 
 
 and many others, including rifles, muskets, carbines, pistols, 
 and revolvers of various make and pattern. 
 
 Samples of 33 kinds of metallic ammunition, (presented by- 
 Commander D. L. Braine.) 
 
 Drawings of electro-chronoscope and electro-ballistic pen- 
 dulum, by Commander Montgomery Sicard. 
 
 Drawings of Bloomfield furnace. 
 
 Drawings of gun-foundery furnace. 
 
 Drawings of projectiles used in the campaign of 1864. 
 
 Densimeter. 
 
 Photographs of breech-loading small-arms and their parts 
 in use in the United States. 
 
 Photographs illustrating the manufacture of Krupp guns. 
 
 III. Mathematics.' 
 
 This department, at its organization in 1850, included the 
 following subjects: Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, trigonom- 
 etry, descriptive geometry, analytical geometry, the differen- 
 tial and integral calculus, astronomy, navigation, and sur- 
 veying. 
 
 These subjects were distributed over four years, the first 
 year being devoted mainly to arithmetic and algebra, and 
 the second to geometry, trigonometry, and descriptive geom- 
 etry. Analytical geometry, the calculus, and astronomy were 
 taught in the third year, and navigation and surveying in the 
 fourth. In 1853 the three subjects last mentioned were 
 assigned to a new department. 
 
 The course in the calculus was short, and was only required 
 of the higher portion of the class. From 1858 to 1870 de- 
 scriptive geometry was omitted by the lower sections of the 
 class, and from 1866 to 1870 little attention was paid to 
 analytical geometry. With these exceptions, the course re- 
 mained substantially the same, only such changes being made 
 
i86 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 from time to time as were required by the introduction of 
 new text-books. In 187 1, under a new arrangement of 
 studies, arithmetic was discontinued and the calculus was 
 transferred to the department of physics and chemistry, to 
 be taught in connection with mechanics. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen and cadet-engineers. 
 
 Fourth class. — Six hours a week; algebra and geometry. 
 Third class. — Six hours a week ; trigonometry, analytical- 
 geometry, and descriptive geometry. 
 
 ELECTIVE COURSES. 
 
 In addition to the required studies of the course, two elect- 
 ive courses, established in 1875, are now open to those 
 cadets who display marked ability in mathematics. During 
 the year just ended the course has been as follows : 
 
 Fourth class. — The theory of equations, and curve- 
 tracing. 
 
 Third class. — The elements of the differential and inte- 
 gral calculus. 
 
 All the members of a class now pursue nearly the same 
 studies in the required course, a few of the more difficult sub- 
 jects only being omitted by the lower sections. Written ex- 
 aminations are held either once or twice a month, and each 
 instructor aims to prepare his section for the coming exami- 
 nation. Written examinations were first introduced in 1865, 
 and were then held twice a year; previously to that time, ex- 
 aminations had been, oral. The system of monthly examina- 
 tions has been in use since 1871. 
 
 In descriptive geometry the elements of the subject are 
 taught by recitations from a text-book, in addition to which, a 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 187 
 
 period of two hours a week during the year is taken for prac- 
 tical geometrical drawing. Original problems in descriptive 
 geometry are given each week, and each cadet is required to 
 solve them accurately. 
 
 The drawing-room used is conveniently arranged, and has 
 accommodations for one hundred students. No models have 
 as yet been provided. 
 
 The requirements in mathematics for admission to the Acad- 
 emy have hitherto been below what would seem to be neces- 
 sary as a preparation for the course of the first year. From 
 1850 to 1863 candidates were required to "perform with 
 accuracy the various operations in the primary rules of arith- 
 metic, viz: numeration, addition, subtraction, multiplication, 
 and division of whole numbers." In 1863 this regulation 
 was changed to include "vulgar and decimal fractions and 
 the rule of three." After 1871 the examinations included 
 operations upon denominate numbers; and by the present 
 regulations, which take effect this year, the examinations in- 
 clude percentage, interest and discount, and the extraction 
 of square and cube roots. 
 
 IV. Steam-engineering. 
 
 Instruction in the applications of steam to machinery was 
 first given in lectures by Lieutenant Ward, who was after- 
 ward known as the author of a popular treatise on steam. 
 The subject was at that time one of the branches of the de- 
 partment of gunnery. After Ward left the school the^branch 
 was joined with chemistry, but little attention was paid to it. 
 In 1850 it was put into the new department of natural phi- 
 losophy. The text-books were very simple — Ward's lec- 
 tures, printed after he left the school, and a chapter or two 
 in Miiller's Physics. Later, Main and Brown on the Marine 
 Engine became the text-book. The equipment of models. 
 
igg THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 and apparatus was very meagre. A small beam-engine, with 
 ■boilers, together with sectional and working' models of a 
 ■beam-engine, was used for practical instruction. 
 
 In 1 865 Chief Engineer W. W. W. Wood was ordered to the 
 Academy, and a new department, that of steam-engineering, 
 (or enginery, as it was at first called,) was established. The 
 building now used by the department was erected in the 
 summer of 1866, and during the next few years a collection 
 of models and apparatus for practical instruction was pro- 
 vided, which is now one of the most complete in the Acad- 
 «my, and for its purpose probably the most complete in the 
 country. In the main hall is a pair of marine engines of 600 
 indicated horse-power, complete, with boilers, propeller, and 
 all the auxiliary machinery commonly found on board vessels 
 of war. The boilers, four in number, such as are employed 
 in small corvettes, are placed in a wing in the rear of the main 
 hall. Two of them are used to generate steam to supply the 
 engine, and two are kept open and can be lighted within by 
 gas-jets, so that the student may see the whole interior con- 
 struction, and learn exactly how the braces, stay-bolts, &c., 
 are arranged and secured. The space above the engine is 
 surrounded by a broad and well-lighted gallery, and the 
 •whole machinery may be seen at a glance. 
 
 The wings at the sides of the main building are arranged , 
 for offices and workshops, for practical instruction in the art"^ 
 of the machinist, the pattern-maker, the smith, the boiler- 
 maker,' and the molder. The workshops ' contain a well- 
 selected collection of machine and other modern tools. 
 
 The building also contains recitation-rooms, a room fitted 
 for practice in mechanical drawing, and a spacious model- 
 .room. The apparatus in the latter consists of illustrations of 
 •the details of steam machinery ; of methods of construction ; 
 •of fractures and other injuries to machinery; and of engineer- 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 189- 
 
 ing implements of all kinds. Among these are models of boil- 
 ers of different kinds ; propellers; steam and vacuum gauges;, 
 air-pumps; feed-pumps; a complete set of drawings in oil, upon 
 wood, of the monitor class of iron-clad vessels ; working models 
 of slide-valves, showing their operation and adjustment; 
 and many similar pieces of engineering apparatus. Cadets 
 have frequent access to the whole collection, and are exer- 
 cised in the management of the large engines under steam,, 
 and in overhauling and taking them apart, and putting the 
 parts together anew. In these exercises the methods used 
 follow the practice of the naval service, at sea and in port. 
 Both the cadet-midshipmen and cadet-engineers take part 
 in them, but the instruction in hand-work and in the use 
 of machine-tools is given chiefly to the cadet-engineers.. 
 The latter get a good knowledge of all the mechanical oper- 
 ations which underlie the practice of steam-engineering. 
 The cadets have a theoretical course in addition to the exer- 
 cises. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 First class. — Three hours a week. This time is devoted 
 to giving the class a general knowledge of the varieties of 
 marine engines, of the principles governing their care and. 
 management, and of the methods of determining the quality 
 of engine performances. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 
 Fourth class.^Two hours a week. Mechanical draw- 
 ing. 
 
 Third class. — Two hours a week, first term. Mechani- 
 cal drawing. 
 
 Second class. — Five hours a week. Mechanical draw- 
 
igo ' THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part 11. 
 
 ing, one hour; fabrication of machinery, two hours; ma- 
 rine engines, two hours. 
 
 First class. — Seven hours a week.' Mechanical drawing, 
 three hours ; fabrication of machinery, two hours ; designing 
 of machinery and marine engines, two hours. 
 
 Text-books of cadet-engineers.— '^ovxvit:^ Handbook of the 
 Steam-Engine ; Warren's Elements of Mechanical Drawing ; 
 Rankine's Steam-Engine and other Prime Movers. 
 
 It will be seen that the cadet-engineers have a much more 
 extended course in these branches than the cadet-midship- 
 men. In addition to the theoretical course, the cadet- 
 engineers have more frequent practice with the engines, tak- 
 ing these exercises whenever the cadet-midshipmen have ex- 
 ercises in seamanship, great-guns, or boat-howitzers. 
 
 The instruction received by the cadet-engineers during the 
 
 practice-cruise is spoken of in another place. It is given by 
 
 assistants in the department of steam-engineering detailed for 
 
 the duty. 
 
 V. Astronomy and navigation. 
 
 From 1845 to 1853 astronomy and navigation were a part 
 of the course in the department of mathematics, and were 
 taught by Professor Chauvenet, except during 1848 and 1849 
 when Professor Lockwood took astronomy. In October 
 1853, a separate department of astronomy and navigation 
 was created, with Professor Chauvenet at the head. Pro- 
 fessor Coffin succeeded him as head of mathematics. When 
 Chauvenet resigned, in 1859, Coffin became professor of 
 astronomy and navigation; and from i86r to 1864, owing to 
 the difficulty of obtaining suitable men, he took charge of 
 both departments. In 1865, Commander Robert L. Phyth- 
 ian succeeded him in astronomy and navigation ; and since 
 that time the department has been in charge of line offi- 
 cers of the Navy. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. jgi 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 Second class. — Three hours a week during the first term. 
 
 Astronomy. — Descriptive and practical astronomy, in 
 eluding the use of instruments, especially those for determin- 
 ing terrestrial latitudes and longitudes. The text-book is 
 Professor Charles J. White's* Elements of Astronomy. 
 
 First class. — Practice-cruise, three months. Navigation 
 and surveying, four hours a week throughout the year. 
 
 Practice-cruise. — Practical instruction is given to the first 
 class in navigation four days in each week. The ship's 
 position is fixed by observations of the sun, planets, and 
 stars, made by cadets, with the sextants. During the last 
 cruise, in addition to the usual keeping of dead-reckoning 
 and the time and latitude sights, the class constructed Mer- 
 cator's charts, projected the coast-line and islands near the 
 cruising-ground, and made sketches of prominent headlands 
 on different bearings. 
 
 Navigation and surveying. — Theoretical navigation is taught 
 from Prof. J. H. C. Coffin's Navigation, in connection with 
 Bowditch's Navigator. The theory is supplemented by 
 constant practice in working out original examples, both in 
 and out of the section-room. The cadets are also taught the 
 duties of the navigating officer, and the use of the sextant and 
 other navigating instruments. This course occupies the first 
 term. 
 
 The second term, comprising seventy-two periods, is di- 
 vided as follows : 
 
 The deviation of the compass,t with examples, sixteen 
 hours. The text-book used is Merrifield's Magnetism and 
 Deviation of the Compass. 
 
 * Formerly assistant professor of astronomy at the Naval Academy, 
 t Introduced in 1875. 
 
j„2 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 The construction of charts on polyconic projections,* eight 
 hours. 
 
 Surveying, forty hours. This branch is taught by practi- 
 cal exercises, consisting of surveys of the mouth of the Sev- 
 ern River, and the projection of charts. Jeffers's Nautical 
 Surveying is used as a book of reference. 
 
 Solution of original problems in navigation, forty-four 
 hours. 
 
 Field-practice with the sextant, twenty-eight hours. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 
 The first class of cadet-engineers take a special course in 
 astronomy. 
 
 The great aim of the department being to prepare gradu- 
 ates to become, first, trustworthy navigators, and, secondly, 
 competent surveyors, little time can be given to practice in 
 the use of either the permanent or portable instruments of the 
 observatory. During the past year five members of the sec- 
 ond class have devoted a portion of their recreation-hours to 
 observations with the meridian circle and portable transit 
 and zenith telescope. It is hoped, by an elective course, to 
 be able to advance in this direction without any bad effect on 
 the course in navigation. 
 
 APPARATUS. 
 
 The observatory, which is in charge of this department, is 
 
 supplied with the following instruments : 
 
 I equatorial telescope, made by Alvan Clark & Sons, Bos- 
 ton; object-glass, 7^ inches clear aperture, 9)^ feet focal 
 length, with three positive eye-pieces, three negative eye- 
 pieces, one filar micrometer, and a driving-clock. Sup- 
 ported on a brick pier on an iron frame, and provided 
 with revolving turret. 
 
 * Introduced in 1875. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 153 
 
 I meridian circle, by Repsold of Hamburg, mounted on 
 stone piers; object-glass, 4 inches aperture, 4 feet focal 
 length ; circles 30 inches diameter. Provided with four 
 reading microscopes; one micrometer, with movable 
 threads, for measuring difference of declinations; three 
 eye-pieces ; mercurial collimator, levels, reversing-car, 
 and observing-couch. 
 
 I sidereal clock, by Arnold & Frodsham, London, with a 
 chronograph, of the Morse register type. 
 
 6 chronometers, (two sidereal, four mean time.) 
 
 I portable equatorial, by Plosel; clear aperture 3 inches, 
 focal length 3 feet. 
 
 I portable transit and zenith telescope combined, by Stack- 
 pole, (lent from Washington Observatory ;) focal length 
 28 inches, object-glass 2^ inches. 
 
 I portable transit, by Wurdeman; focal length 26 inches, 
 object-glass 2 inches. 
 
 I zenith telescope, by Wurdeman ; focal length j^t, inches, 
 object-glass 3 inches. 
 (The last three instruments are conveniently mounted on 
 
 three piers of stone, placed in the meridian, 7 feet from each 
 
 other.) 
 
 I universal instrument, by Ertel; circles ?>y^ inches. 
 
 I theodolite, by Wurdeman ; 8-inch linib, telescope 16 
 inches. 
 
 4 surveyor's transits. 
 
 I level and staff. 
 
 4 reflecting circles. 
 80 sextants. 
 
 34 artificial horizons. 
 
 5 azimuth-compasses. 
 20 comparing-watches. 
 r plane-table. 
 
 13 
 
jg^ THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 VI. — Physics and chemistry. 
 
 The course in natural philosophy^ begun in 1 845, under 
 Professor Lockwood, included mechanics, optics, electricity, 
 and magnetism; but, owing to the scanty preparation of 
 even the senior class, the professor was able to teach little 
 beside mechanics. Peschel's Physit;s was used as the text- 
 book. At the same time chemistry was taught by Surgeon J. 
 A. Lockwood. The junior class attended lectures in this 
 branch, and the seniors had lectures and recitations. 
 
 In 1864 Olmstead's Natural Philosophy was substituted 
 for Peschel, and it was kept in use till the four years' course 
 was established, in 1850. Up to this time the school had no 
 philosophical apparatus worthy of notice. 
 
 In 1850 the department of natural and experimental phi- 
 losophy, including chemistry, was fully established, and Prof. 
 W. F. Hopkins took the place of Professor Lockwood, the 
 latter taking charge of the new department of gunnery and 
 infantry tactics. The course in natural philosophy was con- 
 fined to the two upper classes. The second class had thfee 
 recitations a week throughout the year in chemistry and elec- 
 tricity, and daily recitations in mechanics during the second 
 term. The first class also had three hours throughout the 
 year, studying optics and heat. Geology and mineralogy were 
 included in the course, but no record remains of the nature 
 of the instruction. The use of steam was taught from Main 
 and Brown's text-book on the marine engine. 
 
 In 1854 the course in mechanics was improved by the in- 
 troduction of Bartlett's Elements of Mechanics in place of 
 Peschel. At the same time Lardner's course in physics was 
 adopted for the first class. 
 
 In i860 Prof. A. W. Smith* was appointed head of the 
 
 * Rev. Augustus William Smith, LL. D., was born in Herkimer County, 
 New York, May 12, 1802; died at Annapolis, Md., of pneumonia, March 
 
ClIAP. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. ige 
 
 department. During his administration, and that of Professor 
 Lockwood, who resumed the position at the death of Pro- 
 fessor Smith, in 1866, many improvements were rnade, both 
 in the outfit of the department and in methods of instruction. 
 Smith's Mechanics was adopted as the text-book of the sec- 
 ond class, and SilKman's Physics for the first class. From 
 1868 until the re-arrangement of the course in 1875, Ganot's 
 Physics was used instead of Silliman's. 
 
 In 1869 Lieutenant-Commander (now Commander) W. T. 
 Sampson succeeded Professor Lockwood, and since that time 
 the department has been in charge of naval officers. In 187 1 
 the name of the department was changed to "physics and 
 chemistry," and the calculus was transferred to it. This 
 branch was taught mainly by lectures, and with reference to 
 its applications to mechanics. The growing importance of 
 
 26, 1866. His early years were passed on a farm, but, having a strong 
 desire to acquire an education, he attended the academies of his native 
 county and qualified himself to teach, and thus acquired the means to 
 prosecute his studies. He graduated at Hamilton College, Clinton, in 
 1826, and had been for a year previous one of the teachers in the Oneida 
 Conference Seminary, at Cazenovia, where he continued till 1831, being 
 the principal of the seminary from 1828 to 1831. In the latter year he 
 was chosen professor of mathematics in Wesleyan University, at Middle- 
 town, Conn., and continued in that chair till 1851 — twenty years — when 
 he was chosen president of the university. His retiring disposition had 
 made him very unwilling to assume or retain the presideney of the uni- 
 versity, and after eight years of service he resigned the office in 1859, 
 when he was appointed professor of natural philosophy in the Naval 
 Academy. He remained in this position till his death. He was an ex- 
 cellent mathematician and thoroughly fiimiliar with all the appUcations 
 of mathematics to science, and in his field of research had few superiors. 
 His administration of the affairs of the Wesleyan University was charac- 
 terized by great discretion and sound judgment. He had published sev- 
 eral valuable text-books. He received the honorary degree of LL. D. 
 from Hamilton College in 1850. (See Appleton's Annual Cyclopedia, 
 1866.) 
 
196 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 the subject, and the increased necessity of its frequent appli- 
 cation in the solution of problems in other scientific and pro- 
 fessional branches, have made it advisable to create a new 
 department of mechanics and applied mathematics, to in- 
 clude the subject of calculus. The department was accord- 
 ingly organized in March last, in charge of Prof J, M. Rice.* 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen and Cadet-engineers. 
 
 Third class. — Three hours a week. First term, physics ; 
 second term, chemistry. 
 
 When the course was re-arranged in 1875, the study of ele- 
 mentary physics was introduced in the third class. Up to this 
 time it had been confined to the two upper classes. In the 
 new course Balfour Stewart's Physics was adopted as a text- 
 book. By thus taking a brief and comprehensive view of 
 all branches of physics, the student early gets a clear idea of 
 the leading facts and principles, and, what is not less impor- 
 tant, of the relations between the forces with which he has 
 to deal. Half the year is given to this elementary course, 
 the other half to chemistry. The latter subject is deemed of 
 special importance, not only as being an essential part of a 
 liberal education, but as having a direct practical application 
 in the service. Its importance to the naval officer is readily 
 illustrated by the improvements which have been made in 
 the art of war by the introduction of gun-cotton and nitro- 
 glycerine, the picrate and chlorate powders, and their various 
 applications in torpedoes and otherwise, for use in military 
 operations. These improvements in miUtary science have 
 begun and ended in the chemist's laboratory; and it follows, 
 as a necessary consequence, that scientific attainments are 
 
 * See page zoi. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. jg- 
 
 among the most important of professional qualifications. 
 Moreover, a naval officer is constantly in the line of duty 
 visiting remote parts of the earth's surface which are com- 
 paratively inaccessible to the ordinary scientific observer- 
 He has peculiar opportunities of aiding scientific investiga- 
 tion by noting and recording those natural phenomena with 
 which he comes in almost daily contact. It is, therefore, of 
 the greatest consequence that he should have trained powers 
 of observation, and be able to make a scientific record of 
 what he sees. 
 
 These considerations led to the introduction of the courses 
 in physics and chemistry at the yVcademy, and the results 
 have gone so far to prove their usefulness that increased time 
 and opportunity have been given to the two subjects. The 
 course in elementary chemistry is supplemented by lectures 
 and laboratory practice. The aim is to familiarize the stu- 
 dents with general principles and nomenclature, and to teach 
 them the applications of chemistry to professional work. 
 
 An advanced class, composed of those who show most 
 aptitude for the study, receive special laboratory instruction 
 in the analysis and preparation of explosives. It is hoped 
 that the course may be so extended in time as to give cadets 
 a training in analytical work which will enable them to make 
 or superintend such analyses as the exigencies of the service 
 may require.* 
 
 The laboratories are open to graduates who wish further 
 instruction in physics or chemistry. Several such students 
 have been pursuing courses during the last two years, and 
 they, as well as the officers attached to the department, will 
 be fitted by their training for a much higher class of work 
 than those who pursue only the required course. 
 
 * For specimens of the wovk of cadets, see Appendix, Note F. 
 
j„g THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Second class.— Three hours a week for one term ; elec- 
 tricity. 
 
 Jenkins's Electricity and Magnetism is 'used a^a text-book, 
 and Ganot's Physics, Maxwell's Electricity and Magnetism, 
 and Kohlrausch on Physical Measurements, as books of 
 reference. The course is accompanied by experimental lec- 
 tures, in which subjects are considered which were too diffi- 
 cult for the third class. From four to six hours a week are 
 given to laboratory work by those who show most aptitude 
 for the subject. In the second-class course cadets learn to 
 measure the resistance of conductors, insulators, and electro- 
 lytes, and of batteries; to determine galvanometer constants 
 by electrolysis and by calculation; to measure current 
 strength and electro-motive force in various ways ; to deter- 
 mine electro-chemical equivalents; and to determine tem- 
 perature factors for magnets, the magnetic intensity, and de- 
 clination, dip, &c. Some examples of the work of cadets of 
 this class are given in the Appendix.* 
 
 First class. — Three hours a week for one term. 
 
 Heat and light. — Maxwell's Theory of Heat is used as a 
 text-book, with Ganot and Kohlrausch as books of reference. 
 This course, also, is illustrated by experimental lectures, 
 which are a continuation of those given in the same subject 
 to the third class. The best-prepared students of this class 
 devote a portion of the time to laboratory work, in rnaking 
 such measurements as are best suited to give them the care 
 and skill required while investigating the laws of nature. 
 Having had previous experience in the laboratory, the class 
 are left very much to their own resources. In almost every 
 measurement some portion of the. apparatus has been im- 
 proved by each student* 
 
 More time is given to electricity and heat because of the 
 * See Appendix, Note F. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 199 
 
 direct professional bearing of these studies. Considerable 
 attention is paid to the study of the different methods of 
 exploding submarine mines and torpedoes by electricity. 
 A right understanding of magnetic phenomena is, of course, 
 important to those who have to deal with the mariner's com- 
 pass, and especially in modern men-of-war, built largely of 
 iron, whose influence upon the needle must be determined 
 and allowed for with the greatest care. 
 
 For similar reasons, in the course in heat, which is intended 
 as an introduction to the study of the steam-engine, those 
 problems are most dwelt upon which prepare the student for 
 his ultimate pursuit. At the same time the more difficult 
 problems of thermodynamics are not neglected. 
 
 APPARATUS. 
 
 The first considerable appropriation for the purchase of 
 apparatus was made in 1850. Since then moderate sums 
 have been appropriated almost every year for its gradual 
 increase. During the past few years many valuable instru- 
 ments of precision have been added, so that the department 
 is well supplied with general lecture apparatus, and at the 
 same time has facilities for more precise instruction in physi- 
 cal measurements and for original research. The following 
 is a partial list of the most ilnportanfinstruments. 
 
 In acoustics, Helmholtz double siren, (Koenig, Paris.) 
 
 In optics, Duboscq's p9lariscope; Duboscq's spectroscope, 
 (four prisms;) diiect-vision spectroscope, (Browning, five 
 prisms;) Silberman's heliostat; two electric-hght regulators 
 and lanterns; two microscopes; one solar microscope; one 
 goniometer, (Wallaston's.) 
 
 In heat, Melloni's apparatus; Tyndall's apparatus for ra- 
 diation and absorption of gases; Bianchi's apparatus for 
 liquefying gases; cathetometer. 
 
200 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 In electricity, one Carre's machine; one Holtz machine; 
 one quadrant electrometer, (Tomson's ;) one absolute elec- 
 trometer, (Tomson's;) two short-coil reflecting astatic gal- 
 vanometers ; one long-coil astatic reflecting galvanometer, of 
 35,000 ohms' resistance, (Tomson's,;) one marine galvanome- 
 ter ; one short-coil reflecting galvanometer ; two differential 
 galvanometers; two tangent galvanometers; one large electro- 
 dynamometer; Helmholtz's arrangement of coils; coils 50 
 centimetres in diameter, (Elliott Bros.;) one magnetometer; 
 one dip circle; one Rhumkorff coil, giving spark of 13 inches; 
 four dynamo-electrical machines, one producing a light equal 
 to 3,000 candles. 
 
 Upon application of the Superintendent of the 'Academy, 
 the president of the Transit of Venus Commission, Rear- 
 Admiral C. H. Davis, U. S. N., has supplied the department 
 with a set of the instruments used by one of the transit par- 
 ties. Among these are included the magnetometer and dip 
 circle mentioned above, an equatorial telescope, 6-inch ob- 
 jective, with driving-clock; a sidereal clock, and chronograph. 
 
 The department also possesses three fine balances — two 
 by Becker, the other by Newman of London. 
 
 A copy of the standard yard and metre is deposited at the 
 observatory of the Academy. 
 
 In 1869 the building now occupied by the department of 
 physics and chemistry was completed. The building is 80 by 
 40 feet, two stories high, with an attic, which has recently 
 been converted into a battery-room. 
 
 Until 1875 a portion of this building was occupied as a 
 chemical laboratory. ■ In the fall of 1875 a building adjoining 
 was enlarged and fitted up as a chemical laboratory. This 
 building is 55 by 48 feet. It contains two laboratories, one 
 SS by 22 feet, fitted for work in general chemistry and qual- 
 itative analysis. It has desk-room for fifty students at one 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 201 
 
 time; each desk being fitted to accommodate two students, 
 or one hundred in all. Many conveniences, suggested by 
 recent experience, have been introduced into this laboratory. 
 Being one story high, it is well lighted and ventilated. 
 
 The second laboratory is fitted for more advanced students 
 in quantitative work, and is amply supphed with all the mod- 
 ern appointments. 
 
 The physical laboratory building contains three recitation- 
 rooms, an office, a general work-room, and a galvanometer- 
 room on the first floor, besides a small room in the centre of 
 the building for experiments in heat on radiation and absorp- 
 tion. In the galvanometer-room the large dynamometer and 
 the galvanometer of high resistance are solidly mounted. 
 On the second floor is a lecture-room, 50 by 40 feet, and a 
 physical laboratory, 30 by 40 feet. The building is supplied 
 with water, gas, vacuum and blast pumps, &c. 
 
 The lecture-room, as well as the laboratory, may be used 
 for analytical practice. 
 
 "VII. Mechanics and applied mathematics. 
 
 This department was formed by a division of the depart- 
 ment of physics and chemistry, in accordance with the recom- 
 mendation of the Superintendent of the Academy, and of the 
 head of the department. The change was ordered March 6, 
 1876, and Prof. J. M. Rice was placed in charge of the new 
 department. 
 
 The course of instruction includes the differential calculus,, 
 the integral calculus, theoretical and applied mechanics, and 
 the strength of materials. It is arranged as follows: 
 
 Second class, cadet-midshipmen^ five hours a week. First 
 term, calculus ; second term, mechanics. 
 
 First class, cadet-engineers, three hours a week, first term; 
 one hour a week, second term. Subject : Strength of mate- 
 rials. 
 
202 THE KAVAL ACADEMY. Part 11. 
 
 The text-books used are: Rice and Johnson's Calcuhis, 
 Todhunter's Mechanics for Beginners, Smith's Mechanics, 
 and Wood's Resistance of Materials. 
 
 It is proposed to have in the department an elective course 
 in WiUiamson's Integral Calculus, for the benefit of those 
 •cadets ' who take the elective course in the department of 
 mathematics. 
 
 Instruction is given by recitations and occasional lectures, 
 and special attention is given to the practical application of 
 all the branches taught. Written examinations are held semi- 
 monthly. 
 
 VIII. E^fGLISH STUDIES, HISTORY, AND LAW. 
 
 Before 1850 the senior and junior classes received instruction 
 in the English branches from Chaplain Jones. In the regula- 
 tions of 1850 a new department was organized, embracing a 
 miscellaneous list of subjects, and called "the department of 
 ■ethics," though ethics was only one of the many subjects in 
 the care of the department. Later it was called " ethics and 
 English studies.'' Prof. Joseph E. Nourse was head of the 
 ■department from 1850 to 1865, and from 1865 to 1873 it 
 was in charge of line officers of the Navy. At this time the 
 •course comprised the following subjects and text-books : 
 
 Fourth class — Worcester's History, BuUions's English 
 Gfammar, Cornell's High-school Geography. 
 ■ Third class — Eliot's History of the United States, Quack- 
 enbps's Rhetoric. 
 
 First class — Kent's Commentaries, volume i. 
 
 Ethics was taught first in recitations in Wayland's Mora! 
 ■Science, and afterward in familiar lectures by the chaplain. 
 Otherwise, instruction was chiefly given in recitations, exami- 
 nations being held semi-annually. Subsequent!)-, instruction 
 in ethics was wholly discontinued, and in 1873 the name of 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCT/OX. 203 
 
 the department was changed to " English studies, history, 
 and law." 
 
 The course now covers the four years of the academic 
 course, except during the first term of the fourth year. In- 
 struction is given mainly in recitations, and, in one or two 
 history courses, in lectures. Monthly and term examinations 
 are held in all the courses, except that of the second class 
 in themes. The object aimed at is threefold : to give the 
 cadets, first, a certain amount of literary culture ; secondly, a 
 clear, simple, and graceful habit of expression, and facihty in 
 the proper use of English ; and, thirdly, such an acquaintance 
 with the history of their own and other countries, and of the 
 service to which they belong, as will enable them to under- 
 stand the character and development of the Government 
 they serve, its relation to foreign states, and their duties 
 toward it as public officers. A special course is given in 
 international law. 
 
 In the matter of English training, the work done in the 
 monthly examinations is held to be of great importance. 
 Upon entering the Academy, the written work of nearly all 
 the cadets is in very bad form, as is shown by the papers at 
 the examinations for admission, and still more by those at 
 the first monthly examination. To correct this, the papers 
 in English and history are examined and marked by the 
 instructors, not only with reference to the subject-matter, 
 but to faults in spelling and punctuation, to bad writing, to 
 looseness of thought, and slovenhness of form and expres- 
 sion. The examiners designate the faults on the papers by 
 using a list of abbreviations, with which the cadet is furnished 
 and to which he can refer for explanation. The papers are 
 then returned to the writers, by whom they are corrected, 
 handed in to the examiners at the following recitation, and 
 inspected anew to insure thorough correction. Cadets are 
 
204 
 
 THE NA VAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 required to notice in some way every mark made on the 
 papers by the examiner, and the process of revision is con- 
 tinued with each paper until it is complete ; ample opportu- 
 nity being given the writer of asking and receiving expla- 
 nation. 
 
 This system of examination and correction of course 
 entails great labor on the instructors, but it is believed that 
 the results justify the method. Cases have occurred since its 
 introduction in which the papers of a cadet at the November 
 examinations contained upward of four hundred marks. of 
 correction, while those of the same cadet in May had less 
 than thirty ; while a corresponding improvement was seen 
 in neatness and accuracy of expression. 
 
 In addition to the monthly examinations, the cadets re- 
 ceive special practice in English composition, as follows : 
 
 Fourth class. — Prose versions of extracts from classical 
 English poets. 
 
 Third class. — Official reports, once a fortnight, during half 
 the year. 
 
 Second class. — Themes, once a month. 
 
 In all- these exercises the same system of revision and 
 correction is rigorously followed. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmeii and cadet-engineers. 
 
 Fourth class. — Five hours a week. 
 
 Puncttiation. — The cadets begin the course in English with 
 the chapter on punctuation in Hart's Rhetoric. The manual 
 and exercises take up two hours a week for five weeks, at the 
 end of which an examination is held. During the rest of 
 the course all the examinations and exercises of cadets in 
 this department are required to conform to the practice of 
 the manual. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 205 
 
 History. — The class take Freeman's General Sketch of 
 History simultaneously with the course in English, and recite 
 in it three hours a week during the term, going over the first 
 twelve chapters, which comprise European history down to the 
 Reformation. Part of the last month, as in all the studies of 
 this department, is given to a review of the course prepara- 
 tory to the term examination. Especial stress is laid in all 
 the history courses on territorial changes and historical geog- 
 raphy, Labberton's Atlas being used in connection with 
 Freeman. 
 
 In the second terra the class have Eliot's History of the 
 United States for three hours a week in place of Freeman. 
 A modern atlas is used in connection with it, and the course 
 is supplemented by lectures, as time allows and occasion 
 requires. 
 
 English. — After the Manual of Punctuation is finished the 
 rest of the term for two hours a week is occupied with Tan- 
 cock's English Grammar. This book contains a sketch of 
 the growth of the language, which is taken up in connection 
 with the chapters of Freeman relating to early English his- 
 tory. The grammar proper is treated very briefly, the time 
 being devoted mainly to the etymological and syntactical 
 analysis of passages of English prose and poetry, a fair selec- 
 tion of which accompanies the grammar. A small etymo- 
 logical dictionary is used in preparing the lessons. 
 
 In the second term the class take up the " English Les- 
 sons," by Prof. J. R. Seeley and Mr. E. A. Abbott, for two 
 hours a week through the term. In connection with the 
 te.xt-book, they have regular practice in writing prose ver- 
 sions of poetical extracts from the collection in Tancock's 
 Grammar. They have also much practice in correcting the 
 common faults of speaking and writing, and exercises in the 
 use of figures, and in the solution of simple problems in 
 logic. 
 
2d6 the naval academy. Part II. 
 
 Throughout the year the lesson in history for the day is 
 considered a lesson in spelling. This takes about seven min- 
 utes from the recitation in history, but some definite practice 
 of the kind is necessary, and this method seems to give the 
 best results at the least expense of time. It has been already 
 shown that the examination for admission is not severe 
 enough to exclude bad spellers. 
 
 The necessity of the course in English grammar also arises 
 from the rudimentary character of the examination for ad- 
 mission. On account of the variety of school-grammars now 
 in use throughout the country,* and the confused arrange- 
 ment of the subject in these text-books, the examination in 
 grammar is, of necessity, general and indulgent in its char- 
 acter. If it could be made specific and rigorous, the most 
 rudimentary part of the course might be dispensed with; but 
 at present it is not safe to presume upon any degree of gram- 
 matical training in the successful candidate for admission. 
 
 * Inquiry made at the June and September examinations in 1875 showed 
 that the following works on English grammar had been used by the can- 
 didates : 
 
 Number of candi- 
 Text-book. dates by whojUi 
 
 studied. 
 
 Harvey — 2o- 
 
 Green , 16 
 
 Bullions 15 
 
 Butler 14. 
 
 Brown II 
 
 Kerl II 
 
 Pinneo , lo- 
 
 Smith 10 
 
 Clark 7 
 
 Quackenbos 7 
 
 Weld 4. 
 
 Fewsmith 3 
 
 Norton 
 
 3 
 
 Swinton j 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 207- 
 
 The exercise in writing prose versions, instead of original 
 composition, has the advantage of furnishing beginners with 
 their subject-matter and enabling them to give attention more 
 exclusively to the form of expression. The great difficulty 
 of a novice in learning to write is the want of ideas ; if these 
 can be furnished, all his effort can be expended upon the 
 form in which they are to be put. If he is left to his own 
 resources, his strength is wasted in the production of boyish 
 and immature thought in a style which runs either into fine 
 writing or commonplace formalism. 
 
 Third class. — Three hours a week. 
 
 History. — The first term is mainly occupied with the last 
 five chapters of Freeman's General Sketch, (from the Refor- 
 mation to the present time,) and a general review of Euro- 
 pean history. 
 
 In addition to the general course, a course of twelve or 
 more lectures is given on the history of the United States 
 Navy, The cadets take notes, and the substance of the lec- 
 tures may be required at the final examination. 
 
 Number of candi- 
 Text-book. dates by whom 
 
 " studied. 
 
 Tancock 3 
 
 Arnold 
 
 Bain 
 
 Bingham 
 
 Burt 
 
 Chandler 
 
 Covell , 
 
 Fowler 
 
 Holmes 
 
 Kirkham 
 
 Notes by teacher .' 
 
 147 
 Twenty-five text-books on grammar among 147 students — i. e., one gram- 
 mar for every five or six students. 
 
2o8 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Rhetoric. — Bain's Rhetoric, including the whole of Part I 
 and the first four chapters of Part II, occupies three hours 
 a week during the second term. 
 
 Composition. — The class write official reports once a fort- 
 night during the second term upon some designated subject; 
 as, the performance of a certain duty, or the execution of a 
 specific order. The report may relate to a fictitious expedi- 
 tion or survey, or may be based upon information obtained 
 during the summer cruise. The writers are required to ob- 
 serve the forms prescribed by the Naval Regulations in regard 
 to official correspondence. 
 
 Second class. — Themes, once a month. 
 
 Composition. — The instructor meets the class once a month 
 and gives out subjects, suggests methods of treatment, and 
 notes books of reference. A part of the time iS given to the 
 reading and revision of corrected themes and to commenting 
 upon them. Three subjects are usually given out, differing in 
 aim and scope, of which the cadet may choose any one, and 
 suggestions are made about them with a view to stimulate 
 individual thought. Occasionally cadets are allowed to write 
 on subjects of their own choice; but, as a general rule, the 
 other way is found more satisfactory.* 
 
 * The following are some of the subjects given for i875-'76 : 
 November : 
 
 1. What good is to come from arctic explorations? 
 
 2. The naval hero of the Revolution — ^his character and career. 
 
 3. On leave ; being an incident of the vacation. 
 
 December : 
 
 I. The qualifications of a naval officer. 
 
 "None other than a gentleman, as well as a seaman both in theory and 
 practice, is qualified to support the character of a commissioned officer in 
 the Navy ; nor is any man fit to command a ship of war who is not also 
 capable of communicating his ideas on paper, in language that becomes 
 his rank." (J. Taul Jones, letter to the Marine Board, 1777.) 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF IA^STRUCTION: 
 
 209 
 
 First class. — Two hours a week for one term. 
 
 Constitution of the United States. — The text of the Consti- 
 tution is studied by the class, with as full explanation and 
 comment as the time permits. 
 
 International law. — The greater part of the term in the 
 hours allotted is occupied with Woolsey's International Law. 
 The leading cases are studied in connection with the text- 
 book, and many original cases, of greater or less complica- 
 tion, involving such principles of international law as may 
 arise in the experience of naval commanders, are given as 
 problems for solution in the recitation-room. 
 
 IX. Modern languages. 
 
 Professor Girault taught French at the school from 1845 
 to 1850. At the latter date, the department of modern Ian- 
 January: 
 
 1. Are standing armies and navies dangerous to civil liberty? 
 
 "The relinquishment of privateering would not be a gain to the United 
 States, where a poviferful navy is not maintained, on account of its great 
 cost and its danger to civil hberty." (W. L. Marcy, dispatch to Sartiges, 
 July 28, 1856.) 
 
 (Captain Luce's answer to Secretary Marcy's statement.) 
 
 2. The Anglo-Saxon, the German, and the Celt — three elements in 
 American character and civilization. 
 
 February : 
 
 1. The Eastern question. (E. A. Freeman in Fortnightly Review, 
 December, 1875.) 
 
 2. A narrative version of Shakspeare's Merchant of Venice. 
 
 3. What is culture, and how is man to get it ? 
 
 March : 
 Subjects chosen by writers. 
 May: 
 
 1. The volunteer-militia system versus standing armies. 
 
 2. How far is non-professional culture a desirable part of the education 
 of a naval officer ? 
 
 14 
 
210 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part IT. 
 
 guages was founded, and included French and Spanish. In 
 November, rSsi, the two languages were separated, and Prof. 
 E. A. Roget became head of the department of Spanish, an 
 office which he continued to hold until 1873. Professor 
 Girault remained in charge of the French department till 1866, 
 when he was succeeded by Prof L. V. Dovilliers. In 1870 
 Commander E. Y. McCauley became head of the department. 
 In 1873 French and Spanish were again combined in one 
 department, under Commander W. Scott Schley. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen and cadet-engineers. 
 
 Fourth class. — Three hours a week. 
 
 French. — Fasquelle's Grammar throughout the year. 
 
 Third class. — First term, two hours a week; second 
 term, three hours a week. 
 
 French. — The use of Fasquelle is continued, with Howard's 
 Aid to French Composition, and exercises in composition 
 and dictation. 
 
 Second class. — First term, four hours a week; second 
 term, three hours a week. 
 
 French. — The class read Erckmann-Chatrian's Le Conscrit, 
 continuing the use of Fasquelle, with exercises in composition 
 and dictation. The class also study Prud'homme's French 
 Nautical Phrase-Book. 
 
 Spanish.— 'S>$wS&\ is taught through the medium of French, 
 the text-books being Roget's Spanish :\Ianual and Tolon's 
 Reader. 
 
 First class. — Two hours a week for one term. 
 
 Spanish is continued as before. 
 
 In the study of both languages the grammar is used 
 throughout the course, to tix principles of pronunciation and 
 construction, the inflection of verbs and the formation of 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTIWCTIOK. 211 
 
 tenses, and the rules and idiomatic peculiarities of the two 
 languages. When the classes are far enough advanced in 
 the grammar, they have practice in translation into English, 
 and in French and Spanish composition, followed by the ana- 
 lytical study of both languages, and conversations, to educate 
 the ear and tongue. 
 
 The instructors in the department are now, and have gen- 
 erally been, natives of France or Spain. Their fitness for 
 the position has always been determined by rigid examina- 
 tion of their qualifications in French, Spanish, and English, 
 the last acquirement being of absolute importance. 
 
 The limited time allowed the students stands in the way 
 of their attaining as high proficiency as in the more profes- 
 sional branches, though it serves to fix the knowledge of prin- 
 ciples which must be of great use to them in their future 
 intercourse abroad. The immediate object has been to teach 
 them to read and write with correctness, and so to familiarize 
 the ear that, with a little study and opportunity, they will be 
 enabled to use these languages with ease in their official and 
 social intercourse on foreign stations. 
 
 X. Drawing. 
 The department of drawing was established in 1851, with 
 Prof. Edward Seager in charge. He held the position till 
 1867. From that time till 1873 it was in charge of line offi- 
 cers of the Navy; and in 1873 Prof R. S. Smith, previously 
 professor of mathematics, was transferred to this department. 
 
 PRESENT COURSE. 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 Fourth class. — Two hours a week. 
 
 Line-drawing and topography. — The course in the latter 
 branch consists of the representation of ground in detail by 
 the usual conventional methods. The system of contour-Hnes 
 
THE iVA VAL A CADEMY. 
 
 Part II. 
 
 and that of the line of greatest descent are both taught. 
 Each map is illustrated by a marginal pen-drawing of a coast 
 view, according to the usage of the United States Coast Sur- 
 vey. 
 
 Third class. — Two hours a week for one term. 
 
 Free-hand dratving. — The aim of the instruction in this 
 branch is to attain as high a culture of hand and eye as pos- 
 sible in the student, with special view to its usefulness in the 
 profession. For this purpose, drawings are made altogether 
 from object-models, varying in complexity from a square box 
 40 a statue. They comprise groups of boxes, vases, draper- 
 ies, anchors, blocks, cordage, &c., models of boats and ships, 
 objects, used in artillery and ordnance, casts of hands, feet, 
 masks, and of antique statues. 
 
 Summary. 
 First year. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 Algebra. 
 Geometry. 
 English. 
 History. 
 French. 
 Drawing. 
 
 Practical instruction in — 
 Seamanship. 
 Naval tactics. 
 Great-guns. 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 Field-artillery. 
 Boat-howitzers. 
 Fencing. 
 Dancing. 
 S wimming. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 Algebra. 
 Geometry. 
 English. 
 History. 
 French. 
 
 Mechanical drawing. 
 Practical instruction in — 
 
 Use of tools. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Great-guns. 
 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 
 Field-artillery. 
 
 Fencing. 
 
 Dancing. 
 
 Swimming. 
 
Chap. III. 
 
 COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 
 
 213 
 
 Second year. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 Trigonometry. 
 Descriptive geometry. 
 Analytical geometry. 
 History. 
 Rhetoric. 
 
 Elementary physics. 
 Chemistry. 
 French. 
 
 Drawing, (free-hand.) 
 Practical instruction in — 
 
 Seamanship. 
 
 Naval tactics. 
 
 Great-guns. 
 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 
 Field-artillery. 
 
 Boat-howitzers. 
 
 Signals. 
 
 Fencing. 
 
 Gymnastics. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 Trigonometry. 
 Descriptive geometry. 
 Analytical geometry. 
 History. 
 Rhetoric. 
 
 Elementary physics. 
 Chemistry. 
 French. 
 
 Mechanical drawing. 
 Practical instruction in- 
 
 Use of tools. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Great-guns. 
 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 
 Field-artillery. 
 
 Signals. 
 
 Fencing. 
 
 Gymnastics. 
 
214 
 
 THE NA VAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Part II. 
 
 Third year. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 Seamanship. 
 Ship-building. 
 Naval tactics. 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 Ordnance instructions. 
 Astronomy. 
 Applied mathematics. 
 Mechanics. 
 Electricity. 
 French. 
 Spanish. 
 
 English composition. 
 Practical instruction in — 
 
 Seamanship. 
 
 Naval tactics. 
 
 Great-guns. 
 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 
 Field-artillery. 
 
 Boat-howitzers. 
 
 Signals. 
 
 Fencing. 
 
 Boxing. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Ship-building. 
 
 Fabrication and designing of 
 
 machinery. 
 Mechanical drawing. 
 Applied mathematics. 
 Mechanics. 
 Electricity. 
 French. 
 Spanish. 
 English composition. 
 
 Practical instructio?i in — 
 Use of tools. 
 Marine engines. 
 Great-guns. 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 Field-artillery. 
 Signals. 
 Fencing. 
 Boxing. 
 
Chap. III. COURSE OF INSTRUCTION. 215 
 
 Fourth 
 
 year. 
 
 Cadet-midshipmen. 
 
 Cadet-engineers. 
 
 Seamanship. 
 
 Mechanics. 
 
 Naval architecture. 
 
 Astronomy. 
 
 Ordnance and armor. 
 
 Mechanical drawing. 
 
 Navigation and surveying. 
 
 Naval architecture. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Physical measurements. 
 
 Light. 
 
 Fabrication and designing of 
 
 Heat. 
 
 machinery. 
 
 Spanish. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Pubhc law. 
 
 Light. 
 
 
 Heat. 
 
 
 Spanish. 
 
 
 Public law. 
 
 Practical instruction in — 
 
 Practical instruction in — 
 
 Seamanship. 
 
 Use of tools. 
 
 Naval tactics. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Great-guns. 
 
 Great-guns. 
 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 
 Infantry-tactics. 
 
 Field-artillery. 
 
 Field-artillery. 
 
 Boat-howitzers. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Mortar-practice. 
 
 Signals. 
 
 Marine engines. 
 
 Fencing. 
 
 Signals. . 
 
 Boxing. 
 
 Fencing. 
 
 
 Boxing. 
 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 PRACTICE-CRUISES. 
 
 The cadets of the newly-formed first and third classes are 
 embarked, immediately after the June examination, on board 
 the practice-ships, to perform such a cruise as the Secretary 
 of the Navy directs. 
 
 The practice-ship of the cadet-midshipmen is a sailing 
 vessel, (or vessels,) commanded by the commandant of cadets, 
 and the cruise generally extends along the coast as far north 
 as New Bedford. The cadets are stationed in the watch and 
 station bills with the crew, and perform the same duties ; those 
 of the first class being rated as seamen, and those of the third 
 class as ordinary seamen. The cadets of the first class are 
 also detailed to do duty in turn as midshipmen of the fore- 
 castle, quarter-deck, and tops, and as mates of decks and 
 hull; and they have frequent opportunities in charge of 
 the deck of working ship and performing evolutions. All 
 the cadets receive special instruction in seamanship and 
 navigation; the latter is more especially given to the first 
 class. This class, during the practice-cruise of 1875, per- 
 formed the following work, using their own observations in 
 every case : Latitude and longitude by dead-reckoning ; course 
 and distance made good; bearing and distance of port; cur- 
 rent; longitude, by time-sights, of sun, moon, and star; lati- 
 tude by meridian-altitude of the same, by observation of the 
 sun off the meridian, by three different methods, and by alti- 
 
Chap. IV. PRACTICE-CRUISES. 217- 
 
 tude of * Polaris ; determination of deviation by azimuth and 
 by amplitude of sun ; determination of time of high water and 
 of sunset ; of ship's position, by Sumner's method and by cross- 
 bearings. They also filled in the coast-hne between Cape 
 Hatteras and Cape Cod on skeleton charts, and constructed 
 a Mercator's chart of Buzzard's Bay and Vineyard Sound ; 
 and plotted the ship's track on the coast-chart, and measured 
 linear distances. Scale-sketches were made of the various 
 anchorages, and descriptions written in their sketch-books. 
 
 The third class keep seamanship note-books, in which they 
 describe and illustrate by drawings the fitting and lead of all 
 the rigging of the ship. They are taught to heave the log,, 
 get a cast of the lead, and steer, and have frequent exercise 
 aloft. Examinations in seamanship are held, to test their 
 progress. 
 
 The practice-ship of the cadet-engineers is a steamer, com- 
 manded by an officer detailed from the academic staff. The 
 cadets are divided into watches at stations in the engine and. 
 Qre rooms. Each cadet is required to keep a rough note and 
 sketch book, in which notes and sketches are made on the- 
 spot of all points of interest. The rough notes are carefully 
 rewritten in their journals, and from the rough sketches care- 
 ful drawings are made in their sketch-books. The general 
 plan of instruction is to familiarize the cadets with the con- 
 struction, care, and management of the engines of the ship. 
 They are required to make sketches of all the steam and 
 water pipes, and of the different parts of the engines and. 
 pumps ; and they are constantly on watch with their instruct- 
 ors whenever the ship is under steam. Their stations are fre- 
 quently changed, in order that each may have an opportunity 
 of learning all the duties required of those in care of the 
 engines, and they are detailed in turn to keep the steam-log. 
 
 Upon this cruise the cadet-engineers visit the principal 
 
•218 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Paut II. 
 
 founderies, rolling-mills, machine-shops, iron-works, and ship 
 yards at the cities on the Atlantic coast. In this way the 
 ship usually visits New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Provi- 
 dence, Chester, and Wilmington; at which places the cadets ■ 
 go ashore, and, in c'pmpany with an instructor, examine such 
 works and mechaniial processes as may be specially pointed 
 out.* The instructor gives explanations, and designates the 
 machinery or process which each is to sketch. The visits to 
 shops on shore are made during four or five days of the week 
 when in port, each visit being four or five hours long. The 
 jest of the time is devoted to writing up journals and making 
 drawings. 
 
 Besides the regular officers of each ship, who are taken, as 
 far as possible, from the academic staff, offiters are specially 
 ■detailed to instruct the cadet-midshipmen in navigation, and 
 the cadet-engineers in the principles of steam-engineering. 
 
 •About forty such establishments were visited during the practice- 
 cruise of 1875. 
 
 As showing how great opportunities of special training in seamanship 
 are afforded by the practice-cruise of the cadet-midshipmen, it maj be 
 -Stated that 380 separate maneuvres were performed during the summer 
 cruise of 1876. The cadets of the first class, numbering 47, had there- 
 fore eight maneuvres each, including tacking, wearing, boxhauling, chap- 
 elling, getting under way, and anchoring. These movements were 
 directed by the cadet, under the immediate supervision of the command- 
 ing or executive officer, or officer of the deck. The cruise in this way 
 gave the cadets practice which they would hardly have got in years of 
 sea-service, though liable at all times during their career to emergencies 
 in which this very experience might be called into requisition. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 RELICS AND TROPHIES. 
 FLAGS. 
 
 United States. 
 
 Lawrence. — A square red flag, bearii,ig the words " Don't 
 •GIVE UP THE SHIP." The Lawrence was the flag-ship of Com- 
 modore OHver H. Perry in the battle of Lake Erie, Septem- 
 ber lo, 1813, and upon going into action he displayed this 
 flag at the mast-head. The Lawrence was named after Capt. 
 James Lawrence, commander of the Chesapeake in the action 
 with the Shannon. 
 
 Ainerican ensign. — This flag was used at the landing of 
 Commodore Matthew C. Perry, at Uraga, near Jedo, in July, 
 1853, and was the first American flag displayed in Japan. 
 
 Great Britain. 
 
 Alert. — Sloop of war of 20 guns, commanded by Capt. T. 
 L. P. Laugharne, captured August 13, 181 2, by the frigate 
 Essex, 32 guns, Capt. David Porter, in the North Atlantic. 
 The fight lasted eight minutes. The Alert had three men 
 wounded, and was converted into a cartel and sent in. The 
 Essex ha"d no casualties. ^ 
 
 Boxer. — Fourteen-gun brig, commanded by Capt. Samuel 
 Blyth. Captured September 5, 1813, off Portland, Me., by 
 the brig Enterprise, 16 guns, Lieutenant-Commanding William 
 Burrows. Both commanders were killed early in the action. 
 
220 TBE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Confiance, Beresford, Chubb, Linnet. — Part of the English 
 fleet captured in the battle of Lake Champlain, off Plattsburg, 
 September ii, 1814, by the fleet under Commodore Thomas 
 McDonough. The EngHsh force was commanded by Com- 
 modore George Downie, and the Confiance was his flag-ship. 
 He was killed by the dismounting of one of his long 24- 
 pounder guns by a shot from the Saratoga, Commodore 
 McDonough's flag-ship. 
 
 Cyane, Levant. — Ships of 20 and 18 guns, respectively, cap- 
 tured off Madeira, February 20, 181 5, by the Constitution, 
 44, under Capt. Charles Stewart. The Cyane was com- 
 manded by Capt. Gordon T. Falcon, the Levant by Capt. 
 the Hon. George Douglass. 
 
 Detroit, Lady Prevost, Hunter, Little Belt, Chippewa. — Part 
 of the English fleet captured by Commodore O. H. Perry in 
 the battle of Lake Erie, September 10, 1813. The English 
 force was commanded by Commodore R. H. Barclay. 
 
 Dominica. — English schooner of 16 guns, captured August 
 5, 1813, by the privateer schooner Decatur, Captain Diron, 
 of 7 guns. 
 
 Duke of Gloucester. — Brig of 14 guns, captured at York,, 
 (now Toronto,) Upper Canada, April 27, 1813, by the Lake 
 Ontario squadron, under Commodore Isaac Chauncey. The 
 flag is a royal standard. 
 
 Epeniier. — Brig of 18 guns, commanded by Capt. R. W. 
 Wales, captured April 29, 1814, off Cape Canaveral, by the 
 Peacock, 22, Master-Commandant Lewis Warrington. 
 
 Frolic. — Brig of 22 guns, commanded by Capt. T. Whin- 
 yates, captured October 18, 181 2, by the Wasp, 18, Capt. Jacob 
 Jones. Both vessels were captured later in the same day by 
 the Poictiers, 74. 
 
 Guerriere. — Ship of 38 guns, commanded by Capt. J. R. 
 Dacres, captured August 19, 181 2, in lat. 41° 30' N., long. 
 55° 30' W., by the Constitution, 44, Capt. Isaac Hull. 
 
Chap. V. RELICS AND TROPHIES. 221 
 
 J-ava. — Ship of 38 guns, commanded by Capt. H. Lam- 
 bert, captured December 29, 1812, in lat. 13" 6' N., long. 
 38° W., by the Constitution, 44, Capt. WiUiam Bainbridge. 
 
 Macedonian. — Ship of 38 guns, commanded by Capt. John 
 Carden, captured October 25, 1812, in lat. 29° N., long. 29° 
 39' W., by the United States, 44, Capt. Stephen Decatur. 
 
 Peacock. — Brig of 18 guns, commanded by Capt. William 
 Peake, captured off Demerara, February 24, 1813, after an 
 action of fifteen minutes, by the Hornet, 18, Master-Comman- 
 dant James Lawrence. 
 
 Penguin. — Brig of 18 guns, commanded by Capt. J. Dick- 
 enson, captured ofiFTristan d'Acunha, March 23, 1815, by the 
 Hornet, 18, Master- Commandant James Biddle. 
 
 Reindeer. — Ship of 18 guns, commanded by Capt. William 
 Manners, captured June 28, 1814, in lat. 48° 36' N., long. 
 II" 15' W., by the Wasp, 18, Capt. Johnston Blakely. 
 
 St. Lawrence. — Schooner of 1 5 guns, commanded by Lieut. 
 I. E. Gordon, captured February 26, 1815, off Havana, by the 
 privateer schooner Chasseur, 14, Capt. T. Boyle, of Baltimore. 
 
 France. 
 
 Berceati. — Ship of 24 guns. Captain Senes, captured Octo- 
 ber 12, 1800, latitude 22° 50' N. longitude 51° W., by the 
 Boston, 28, Capt. G. Little. 
 
 Instirgente. — Ship of 40 guns, commanded by Captain Bar- 
 reau, captured February 9, 1799, off Basseterre, West Indies, 
 by the Constellation, 36, Commodore Thomas Truxtun. 
 
 Algiers. 
 
 Estidio. — Brig of 22 guns, captured June 19, 1815, off Cape 
 Palos, by the Guerriere, 44, flag-ship of Commodore Stephen 
 Decatur. 
 
 Mezoura. — Ship of 46 guns, captured June 17, 1815, off 
 Cape de Gatt, by the Guerriere, 44. 
 
222 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 Mexico. 
 
 Flag captured at Mazatlan by a landing-party from the- 
 Pacific squadron November ii, 1847. The force was sent 
 from the United States ships Independence, Congress, Cyane,. 
 and Erie. The squadron was under the command of Com- 
 modore William Branford Shubrick. 
 
 Flag captured at Tuspan, April 18, 1847, by a force of sea- 
 men and marines from the Gulf squadron, under Commodore- 
 Matthew C. Perry. Commander Buchanan took part in this 
 expedition. The town was taken with but little loss to the 
 Americans. 
 
 Corea. 
 
 Flag of the Coirean generalissimo, Fort McKee, Corea, 
 captured June 11, 1871, by Capt. McLane Tilton, United 
 States Marine Corps; Corporal Brown, United States steamer 
 Colorado, and Private Purvis, United States steamer Alaska.. 
 Fourteen other Corean flags, captured at about the same time. 
 
 JAPANESE BELL. 
 
 The Japanese bell suspended in the grounds was presented, 
 July 12, 1854, by the Regent of the Lew-Chew Islands, a de- 
 pendency of the empire of Japan, to Commodore Matthew 
 C. Perry, at that time the commander-in-chief of the United 
 States squadron in the Asiatic seas, and Minister Plenipoten- 
 tiary charged with the duty of opening intercourse between 
 the United States and Japan. After the death of the Commo- 
 dore, March 4, 1^58, it was presented to the Naval Academy 
 by his widow, in fulfilment of his wish. 
 
 A copy of the Japanese inscription on the bell having been 
 made by a citizen of Japan, Cadet-Midshipman J. G. Kuni- 
 tomo, now of the second class of the Naval Academy, and 
 transmitted to the Japanese legation at Washington for trans- 
 lation, the following was very kindly furnished : 
 
Chap. V. XELICS AND TROPHIES. 223-. 
 
 " In the eighth year of Eiraku and of Kanoye Tora, of the 
 reign of the King of Lew-Chew, Kei-shi-yo-ho-Ho-o offered 
 a prayer of benevolence for the people, and afterward ordered 
 a large bell to be founded. He did this as an act of thanks- 
 giving, and presented it to -the temple of Daizen Anji, in the 
 kingdom, in order that the King might reign prosperously 
 and live long, and that the people of the three worlds, — 
 Heaven, Earth, and Hades, — might be saved from infernal 
 doctrines ; and therefore it was that he instructed Shokoku 
 Ansai to frame this inscription : 
 
 '"This beautiful Bell has been founded, and hung in the 
 tower of the temple. It will awaken dreams of superstition. 
 If one will bear in mind to act rightly and truly, and the 
 Lords and Ministers will do justice in a body, the barbarians- 
 will never come to invade. The sound of the bell will convey 
 the virtue of Fushi, and will echo like the song of Tsuirai; 
 and the benevolence of the Lords will continue forever like 
 those echoes.' 
 
 "The 20th day, loth. month, 7th year Keitai.* 
 
 "SHIU EISHI, 
 '' Chief Iciest of the lenifle. 
 
 " Emonnoske Fujiwara KuNiMiTO, Founder of the Bell. 
 
 " YoNAFUKU CB.i\3S¥A,Fresidentof the HangingCeremonies."' 
 
 FICURE-HEADS -OF VESSELS PLACED IN THE GROUNDS OF 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Franklin. — Line-of-battle ship, rating 74, and carrying 86- 
 guns. She was built at Philadelphia in 1815, and launched 
 ; in the same year. 
 
 Columbus. — 'Lmt-oi-ha.ttXe: ship, rating 74, and carrying 80 
 guns. She was begun in 181 6, at Washington, and launched 
 in iSig. She was burned at Norfolk, Va., on the 20th of 
 
 * Corresponding to the year 1456. 
 
2 24 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 April, i86i,by order of the Government, to prevent her fall- 
 ing into the hands of the enemy. 
 
 Delaware. — Line-of-battle ship, rating 74, and carrying 84 
 guns. She was begun in 18 17; at Gosport, and launched in 
 1820. 
 
 Macedonian. — Ship of 38 guns, captured first from the 
 French by the Enghsh, and from the latter by the United 
 States ship United States, as already described. The figure- 
 ihead belonged to her originally when in the French service. 
 
 Constitution. — This vessel, for fifty years the favorite ship 
 •of the Navy, was launched at Boston, September 20, 1797, 
 ibeing the third vessel of the newly-organized Navy, in the 
 water. She first went to sea July 20, 1798. She was the flag- 
 ;ship of Commodore John Barry during the war with France, 
 .and of Commodore Edward Preble in the Tripolitan war, in 
 1804. In the war of 181 2 she was victorious in many engage- 
 ments. Soon after the outbreak of the war she sailed from 
 Annapolis under the command of Capt. Isaac Hull. On the 
 17th of July she fell in with an English squadron, under Com- 
 modore Broke, consisting of the Africa, Shannon, Guerriere, and 
 •other vessels, and got away from them after a remarkable chase 
 ■of three days, which has become famous in naval history. 
 Her exploits later in the war have been already mentioned. 
 After its close she made repeated cruises, and up to the year 
 1853 she was constantly in commission. Since the war of 
 1 81 2 she had made twenty -four separate cruises. 
 
 The figure-head now in the grounds of the Naval Academy 
 is a representation of President Jackson, and was put on the 
 vessel while she was lying at Boston, under the command of 
 Commodore J. D. EUiot, during the second term of Jack- 
 son's administration. It occasioned some demonstration of 
 partisan feeling, and about two months after its attachment 
 to the vessel the head of the figure was cut off and carried 
 
Chap. V. RELICS AND TROPHIES. 
 
 225 
 
 away by some person, at the time unknown. A new head 
 was afterward carved and put on in New York. The follow- 
 ing extracts from papers of the day give in full the history of 
 tlie affair — an affair which created much talk and excitement 
 at the time : 
 
 Niles's Register for May 17, 1834, (vol. 46, p. 189,) refers 
 to the excitement at Boston on the subject, and states that 
 the figure-head had been placed on the bows of the Consti- 
 tution "about two or three weeks ago'' — /. e., early in May, 
 1834. 
 
 The number for July 12, 1834, says: "Individuals in pub- 
 lic employment have no right to force their private prefer- 
 ences on the people's attention. A great excitement had 
 been caused by placing a wooden effigy of President Jack- 
 son on the bows of the frigate Constitution. To say the 
 least of that proceeding, it was ill-advised and in bad taste. 
 On the bows of that ship the head of no living man should 
 be placed; or, if so, the place belongs to that of the 'Father 
 of the Constitution,' the illustrious Madison." 
 
 The same paper quotes from the Boston Courier of July 
 4, 1834: " It appears that during the night of Wednesday" 
 (i. e., July 2) "the head of this wooden image was sawed 
 off by some person or persons unknown. It is rather a 
 mysterious affair. The Constitution lies at the navy-yard 
 between two seventy-fours, and it is understood that a guard 
 or watch is continually kept on board. It seems impos- 
 sible that the deed could have been executed without dis- 
 covery, notwithstanding that the night was dark and rainy. 
 The head, which has been severed from its trunk, it is said, 
 was at least 25 feet above the surface of the water. It is 
 the opinion of several intelligent men who examined the 
 premises yesterday that the perpetrators must have gone to 
 their work through the navy-yard. 
 
 IS 
 
2 26 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 " It was reported last evening that Commodore Elliot had 
 offered one thousand dollars for tlie discovery of the person or 
 persons who committed the deed." 
 
 The number for July 19, 1834, in a short article, says: 
 "There is much feeling on account of the mutilation of the 
 figure-head of the frigate Constitution, and we fear that it 
 may be turned into an important public concern, (though 
 probably the uncounseled and unassisted act of a solitary 
 individual, yet unknown,) through the indiscretion of politi- 
 cal parties ! ! ! One of these laughs immoderately at the. pro- 
 ceeding, and the other is immoderately angry about it; and 
 some are crawling enough to compare it with the personal 
 attack that was made on the President by Ex-Lieutenant 
 Randolf of the Navy." It adds: "There is no relation be- 
 tween the two cases ; and thousands who would defend the 
 person of the President at the risk of their own lives, see no 
 great harm in sawing off the head of a wooden image. * * * 
 
 " No discovery has been made of the head or beheader, 
 whose adroitness and courage was equally remarkable. Ru- 
 mor, however, says that it was the act of a boy, without coun- 
 sel or assistance; that he was two hours engaged in the work, 
 during all which he heard the tread of the ^sentinels, though 
 it rained in torrents; and some particulars are given as to his 
 operations. How were they known?" 
 
 It appears that the persons engaged in the affair became 
 afterward known. Volume 53 of ' Niles's Register for 1837, 
 p. 147, contains the following: 
 
 "The figure-head. — The New York Journal of Com- 
 merce contains a report of a trial in one of the courts there 
 of an action for assault and battery, in which Samuel W. 
 Dewey was plaintiff vs. Joseph Fay and Edward H. Dixon, 
 defendants. In the course of the evidence one of the wit- 
 nesses stated that Dewey, who it seems is a captain, informed 
 
Chap. V. RELICS AND TROPHIES. 227 
 
 him on the evening of the assault that he (Dewey) cut off 
 the figure-head of the frigate Constitution. But for a turn 
 the court's proceedings suddenly took, the whole matter 
 would have been exposed. The Boston Sentinel adds : ' There 
 is no doubt that Captain Dewey, who is a native of Cape 
 Cod, cut off the figure-head as stated. It is now in the Navy 
 Department at Washington, where it was lodged by Captain 
 Dewey, the Secretary of the Navy giving him a written obli- 
 gation that he should never be prosecuted for the offence he 
 had committed.'" 
 
 Niles's Register of March 21, 1835, volume 48, page 42, 
 contains this : 
 
 "The following is from the New York Daily Advertiser of 
 Monday last," (March 16 :) 
 
 ".'On Saturday forenoon " (March 14) " the head carved by 
 Messrs. Dodge & Sons, of this city, was placed on the trunk 
 representing President Jackson on the bow of the frigate 
 Constitution. The whole affair has been managed with great 
 care and secrecy. It was given out when the frigate came 
 into port that she would remain some five or six weeks, and 
 on Saturday we learn some of her officers were in Philadel- 
 phia. When the •'frigate came up, a few days since, she an- 
 chored in the stream, opposite the navy-yard. The head has 
 been carved with great caution, and a few hours after it was 
 put on, two steamboats towed the frigate down the lower bay, 
 where she anchored, some fifteen or tv/enty miles from the 
 city, so as to be out of the reach of any popular excitement. 
 The manner of placing this head on the frigate appears 
 wholly in character. As the frigate has been provisioned at 
 Boston, there can be no doubt that she came around here 
 for no other object than to accomplish that which could not 
 have been done at Boston. We are exceedingly gratified 
 that, since it has been determined at Washington that the 
 
THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 bead shall be placed on the bows of this most favored of all 
 other ships in the Navy, that it has been done by stealth. 
 Had the ship been at the wharves of our city, or at any 
 place where the populace could have reached her, we very 
 much fear a riot of the most serious consequences would 
 have followed, the end of which no human being could fore- 
 tell. So far as we can judge, the opinion is general among 
 all classes of respectable citizens, that neither the head of 
 General Jackson or that of any other living man should be 
 placed on the bow of that of all other frigates, but that she 
 should continue with the same head and appearance with 
 which she has won so many laurels in the wreath of our 
 country's glory. The frigate, however, with whatever block 
 she may have for a head, go where she may, will have the 
 best wishes of every American.'" 
 
 OTHER TROPHIES. 
 
 Wooden figure of the British lion, crowned, and with one 
 paw resting on the globe. Taken from the quarter-deck of 
 H. B. M. ship Macedonian, after the battle, October 25, i8i?, 
 in which she was captured by the United States, Captain 
 Decatur. 
 
 Two iron guns, 24-pounders, captured on board the Brit- 
 ish frigate Confiance, at the battle of Lake Champlain, by 
 Commodore McDonough. These guns are placed vertically 
 one on each side of the entrance of the hall of the department 
 of steam-engineering. One of them is indented on the face of 
 the muzzle by a shot, and slightly cracked; it is the gun which, 
 by its recoil, killed Commodore Downie, the commander of 
 the British fleet. It was identified by Commander Piatt, 
 who was in the action, and by Commodore Alexander S. 
 Wadsworth, who saw the guns soon after the fight.* 
 
 * Letter from Commodore D. N. Ingraham, Chief of Bureau of Ord- 
 nance, to Captain BlaJce, March 3, i860. 
 
Chap. V. RELICS AND TROPHIES. 229 
 
 Two 32-pounder carronades, captured with the British 
 frigate Cyane, by Captain Stewart, in the Constitution. They 
 are placed in the gun-park, in front of the armory. 
 
 Eight long brass guns, originally French, captured at the 
 Castle of San Juan d'Ulloa, Vera Cruz, Mexico, which ca- 
 pitulated March 27, 1847. Commodore M. C. Perry was at 
 this time in command of the fleet. The guns are in position 
 in front of the Tripoli monument. 
 
 One Whitworth rifled gun, 8o-p3under, captured at Morris 
 Island, South Carolina, 1863. 
 
 One Armstrong Vlll-inch rifled gun, mounted en barbette. 
 Built by Sir W. G. Armstrong in 1864, and captured at Fort 
 Fisher. ' In position in the gun-park. 
 
 One Blakely 20-pounder rifled gun, captured at Fort Fisher. 
 In position in gun-park. 
 
 One Italian rifled gun, presented to the United States by 
 the Italian government. Gun-park. 
 
 One 60-pounder rifled gun, manufactured at Galveston, 
 Tex., from the shaft of the United States steamer Westfield. 
 Gun-park. 
 
 One so-pounder Dahlgren rifled gun. 
 
 Two small brass signal-guns, captured from the cruiser 
 Shenandoah. Placed at the entrance of the gunnery-room. 
 
 Two suits of Mexican armor, captured in 1847. 
 
 Mexican drum, machete, and comiri|ander's baton, cap- 
 tured in 1847. 
 
 Corean head-piece, breast-piece, and gingals, captured in 
 1871; and other relics or trophies of various countries and 
 miscellaneous description. 
 
 In the library are portraits in oil of John Paul Jones, Deca- 
 tur,* Preble, Jacob Jones, O. H. Perry, Rodgers, Macdonough, 
 D. Porter, Stewart, J. Biddle, and M. C. Perry. There are 
 
 » By Sully. 
 
23° 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 also large paintings of the battle of Tripoli, of Barney's ac- 
 tion in the Delaware with the General Monk, and of the 
 fight between the Constitution and the Guerriere. The origi- 
 nal of Barry's commission as senior captain in the Navy, 
 signed by Washington, hangs in the library, in a frame made 
 out of wood of the Constitution. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Note A. 
 
 Extract from Second Annual Report of J-ohn Branch, Secre- 
 tary of the Navy,* December 6, 1830. 
 
 As a measure tending to give reputation and efficiency 
 to the Navy, tlie cultivation of tlie minds of those who are to 
 •compose its active members is a subject of great national in- 
 terest. It is a fact which will not be questioned that the 
 -early education of the officers of the Navy is entirely unequal 
 to the character they have subsequently to sustain. 
 
 Few appointments under the Government involve the ne- 
 cessity for more general and scientific attainments. As offi- 
 cers of the Navy, they are required to act as judges of the law 
 and evidence on trials of their brother officers, for offisnces 
 affecting the lives and character of the accused ; as command- 
 ers of ships, they should possess not only a practical acquaint- 
 ance with seamanship, but an accurate knowledge of those 
 branches of mathematics connected with the science of navi- 
 gation, with astronomy and geography; and as commanders 
 of fleets or squadrons, they must be well-informed on all 
 points of international law, having reference to the rights of 
 neutrals and belligerents, the often-recurring question of the 
 lights of blockade, and other interdictions of intercourse be- 
 
 •American State Papers, III, p. 758. 
 
230 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. Part II. 
 
 also large paintings of the battle of Tripoli, of Barney's ac- 
 tion in the Delaware with the General Monk, and of the 
 fight between the Constitution and the Guerriere. The origi- 
 nal of Barry's commission as senior captain in the Navy, 
 signed by Washington, hangs in the library, in a frame made 
 out of wood of the Constitution. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 Note A. 
 
 Extract from Second Annual Report of J-ohn Branch, Secre- 
 tary of the Navy,* December 6, 1830. 
 
 As a measure tending to give reputation and efficiency 
 to the Navy, the cultivation of the minds of those who are to 
 compose its active members is a subject of great national in- 
 terest. It is a fact which will not be questioned that the 
 .early education of the officers of the Navy is entirely unequal 
 to the character they have subsequently to sustain. 
 
 Few appointments under the Government involve the ne- 
 cessity for more general and scientific attainments. As offi- 
 cers of the Navy, they are required to act as judges of the law 
 and evidence on trials of their brother officers, for offences 
 affecting the lives and character of the accused ; as cornmand- 
 ■ers of ships, they should possess not only a practical acquaint- 
 ance with seamanship, but an accurate knowledge of those 
 branches of mathematics connected with the science of navi- 
 gation, with astronomy and geography ; and as commanders 
 of fleets or squadrons, they must be well-informed on all 
 points of international law, having reference to the rights of 
 neutrals and belligerents, the often-recurring question of the 
 rights of blockade, and other interdictions of intercourse be- 
 
 •American State Papers, III, p. 758. 
 
234 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 called for in the billj under the judicious management of the 
 Secretary, will effect much. The third and fourth sections of 
 the bill, which provide an increase of the pay of the two re- 
 spective grades of the service, the chaplains and schoolmasters, 
 it is hoped will have the effect to enhance greatly the bene- 
 fits to be derived from the appropriations ; while, in truth, 
 they do no more than fulfill the original intention of Congress 
 in creating those grades, by placing them on a footing con- 
 sistent with their dignity and usefulness. Their present rate 
 of pay is admitted on all hands to be entirely insufficient. A 
 reference to the annexed letter of the Secretary, (marked " B,") 
 with its accompanying statement, (A,) shows the actual con- 
 dition of the schools, the amount expended from the contin- 
 gent fund, but under no law, and the limited number of 
 youths who are enabled to avail themselves of what benefits 
 do result. It is true the Department has lately issued an 
 order requiring all midshipmen, not otherwise employed, to 
 repair to some one of these schools ; but as the Government 
 does not feel itself authorized to allow the traveling-expenses 
 incidental to such an order, few will be able to avail them- 
 selves of its benefits. The fifth section of the bill is intended 
 to obviate this difficulty. If, however, the whole number 
 should repair as required, it would only afford an additional 
 and paramount obhgation to the passage of the bill. 
 
 A BILL relative to naval scliools. 
 
 Be it enacted, arc. That the President of the United States 
 be, and he is hereby, authorized to improve the means of in- 
 struction now in operation at New York, Norfolk, and the 
 navy-yard at Charlestown, Mass. 
 
 Sec. 2. That the sum of $10,000 be, and the same is 
 hereby, annually appropriated, until otherwise ordered by law, 
 
Note B. APPENDIX. 
 
 235 
 
 out of any moneys not otherwise appropriated, to carry into 
 effect the provisions of this act. 
 
 Sec. 3. That from and after the passage of this act, the 
 pay of chaplains in the Navy shall be $1,200 per annum, 
 and that, in addition to the duties now imposed upon them, 
 they shall be required to instruct the junior officers in mathe- 
 matics, in natural and moral philosophy, in history, and in 
 such other branches of science as may be deemed by the 
 Secretary of the Navy best calculated to advance the inter- 
 ests and elevate the character of the service. 
 
 Sec. 4. That from and after the passage of this act, the 
 pay of schoolmasters in the Navy of the United States shall 
 "be $1,200 per annum, and it shall be the duty of the Secre- 
 tary of the Navy to see that no individual shall be appointed 
 to said station unless his application be accompanied by the 
 most satisfactory testimonials of intellectual and moral at- 
 tainments. 
 
 Sec. 5. That each midshipman or junior officer, when not 
 under orders. Or furloughed by competent authority, shall be 
 directed by the Secretary of the Navy to attend at such one 
 of the schools as may be designated by the Secretary, and 
 dihgently to submit himself to instruction, and while there 
 shall be subject to all the rules and regulations for the better 
 government of the Navy, as though actually engaged in serv- 
 ice on shipboard; and the order of the Secretary of the 
 Navy, or of any superior officer competent to give the same, 
 to any midshipman to repair to said schools, shall be deemed 
 a sufficient voucher to entitle said midshipman to the full 
 amount of his transportation. 
 
 Sec. 6. That the Secretary of the Navy shall prepare, or 
 cause to be prepared, such rules and regulations as may be 
 deemed necessary for the good order, sound government, and 
 direction of the said schools. 
 
236 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Sec. 7. That the pay specified above for the chaplains and 
 schoolmasters shall be in lieu of and in full of all compensa- 
 tions and allowances whatever at present made.* 
 
 * Three communications from the Secretary of the Navy accompany 
 this report ; the substance of the first is given in the text ; the second 
 will be found in the note, and the third contains a faint commendation 
 of the. proposed bill. The whole may be found in the American State 
 Papers, Naval Affairs, IV, p. 484. 
 
Note C. APPENDIX. 237 
 
 Note C. 
 
 Extract from the report of Mahlon Dickerson, Smrtary of the 
 Navy, December 8, 1835.* 
 
 The compensation to be given by the late pay-bill to 
 professors of mathematics is such as to command the serv- 
 ices of those who are every way competent to perform the 
 duties of this station. A regulation is adopted to appoint 
 none to this station who shall not receive a certificate of com- 
 petency after submitting to a rigid examination by scientific 
 gentlemen who shall be appointed for that purpose. This 
 will be of great advantage to the young officers of the Navy; 
 and if a large portion of them should be called into active 
 service by employing an additional naval force for the pro- 
 tection of our commerce, they will be enabled to perfect 
 themselves in seamanship, the most important part of their 
 education, and which can be acquired only at sea ; but to 
 make them accomplished officers, something more is required 
 than can probably be derived from those sources. A knowl- 
 edge of military tactics, of engineering and drawing, is deemed 
 indispensable in the education of an officer of the Army, and 
 which ought to be deemed equally so in the education of a 
 naval officer. So much of chemistry, geology, and natural 
 history as is taught at the Military Academy, although not 
 absolutely essential to the military or naval officer, yet is de- 
 cidedly more important to the latter than to the former. 
 
 * American State Papers, Naval Affairs, IV, 732. 
 
238 THE NA VAL A CADEMY. 
 
 If provision should be made for the admission of a class 
 of one hundred midshipmen at a time at the Academy at 
 West Point, to pursue such studies as should be prescribed 
 by the Navy Department, and to be succeeded at the end of 
 one or two years by another class, all in their turn might 
 receive the advantage of this course of studies, highly nec- 
 essary to their education as accomplished officers of the 
 Navy, and at a small expense ; as the midshipmen, while at 
 the Academy, would receive no more pay than if attending, 
 the schools at the navy-yards, or if waiting orders. 
 
Note D. APPENDIX. 239 
 
 Note D. 
 
 Jieport of the Committee on Naval Aj^airs on the expediency of 
 the establishment of a naval school ; communicated to the Senate 
 May 14, 1836. 
 
 Mr. Southard, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, re- 
 ported a bill to establish a naval academy; vi'hich was read, 
 and ordered to a second reading. The report is as follows : 
 
 "The Naval Committee, to whom were referred the resolu- 
 tions of sundry officers of the Navy in relation to a naval 
 school, report : 
 
 " They have directed their chairman to report a bill for a 
 naval school. 
 
 " At the last session of the Senate a bill was introduced for 
 this object, and subsequently reported by the committee, but 
 was not finally acted upon. In again presenting it to the 
 Senate, the committee are influenced by a strong and decided 
 conviction of its indispensable necessity to the public interests 
 and to the efficiency of the Navy. 
 
 " Our Navy visits every land and every ocean. It protects 
 a commerce at this moment as valuable as that of any other 
 nation, though less than one other in amount of men and 
 tonnage, scattered over the whole habitable globe and exposed 
 to dangers of every possible description. In the protection 
 of this commerce our naval officers are often brought in con- 
 tact with the governments and official agents of every civilized 
 nation, and are often obhged to have intercourse with them 
 
240 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 upon subjects which can only be properly treated by well- 
 educated and well-informed men. They are, indeed, our 
 national representatives in all other countries, and from them 
 much of the estimate of us, as to our manners, intelligence, 
 and character as a nation, must be drawn. It is not possible 
 that their duties can be performed in the manner in which we 
 should desire without science, intelligence, and knowledge. 
 Besides, we are a growing nation, and it is our interest and our 
 duty to draw from every other region every species of knowl- 
 edge which can be useful to us. This can be more effectually 
 and usefully accomplished by this than by any other class of 
 our citizens. But how can all these be accomplished by them 
 without proper practical and useful education ? And where 
 are they to receive this education ? They are appointed when 
 mere boys — generally between the ages of fourteen and 
 seventeen — when it is not possible that they should be well- 
 informed and disciplined scholars. Their situation and duties 
 in the service render it equally impossible that they should 
 make extensive literary or scientific acquirements beyond the 
 mere practical duties of the seaman. They have not pay 
 enough at that period of their service to purchase the mgans 
 of instruction, nor time enough to acquire it. 
 
 "The only mode by which it can be secured is by the es- 
 tablishment of a school which shall combine literary and 
 scientific instruction with the practical performance of a 
 portion of their duties; and this may be accomplished by 
 competent teachers, and by connecting with the school, one 
 or more small vessels, in which they may be compelled, under 
 proper guidance, to perform in turn all the services of the 
 common sailor with those also which belong to office and 
 command." (Gales & Seaton's Register of Debates, 12, p. 
 I4S3- 
 
Note E. APPENDIX. 241 
 
 Note E. 
 
 Rules and regulations for the government of the United States 
 Naval School at Fort Severn, Annapolis. 
 
 Article i. The laws and regulations for the government 
 of the Navy of the United States are to be strictly observed 
 by every person attached to the school. 
 
 Art. 2. All regulations for the discipline and government 
 of the school issued from time to time by the Superintendent 
 must be strictly obeyed. 
 
 Art. 3. All officers are required to observe toward each 
 other a courteous deportment, and to conduct themselves on 
 all occasions with propriety and decorum. 
 
 Art. 4. Officers having cause of complaint against any 
 person connected with the school will make known such 
 cause to the Superintendent. 
 
 Art. 5. The professors will be held responsible for the 
 regular and orderly conduct of their respective classes while 
 under their immediate instruction. 
 
 Art. 6. As obedience and subordination are essential to 
 the purposes of the school, all midshipmen are required to 
 obey the commands of the professors. The strictest atten- 
 tioh to order and study is required in the recitation-halls; 
 and no midshipman will be allowed to absent himself from 
 them without permission from a professor. 
 
 Art. 7. No person will be excused from the performance 
 of his duties on the plea of sickness, unless so excused by 
 the surgeon; and no officer whose name is on the sick-list 
 16 
 
242 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 will be permitted to leave the bounds of the institution un- 
 less it is recommended by the surgeon. 
 
 Art. 8. The professors are required to keep records of all 
 the recitations, and report weekly to the Superintendent the 
 progress and relative merit of the students, and their absences 
 and all other delinquencies. From these weekly reports the 
 Superintendent will make a quarterly report to the Secretary 
 of the Navy. 
 
 Art. 9. The professors are not permitted to exercise any 
 discretionary power in excusing the students for absence from 
 recitation or for tardiness, but must report all such cases to 
 the Superintendent. 
 
 Art. 10. During the hours appropriated to study, previous 
 to recitations, the midshipmen are directed to confine them- 
 selves to their rooms for that purpose, and are not permitted 
 to lounge or promenade about the grounds of the institution. 
 
 Art. II. a conduct-roll will be kept by the Superintend- 
 ent, to be laid before the board of examiners, to embrace all 
 improprieties committed at the school — such as neglect of 
 duty, insubordination, disobedience of orders, inattention to 
 studies, tardiness at recitations, breaking liberty, incorrect 
 deportment at recitation, indecorous conduct at the mess- 
 table or elsewhere, irregularity at meal-hours. All serious 
 offences will be reported to the Secretary of the Navy for his 
 action. 
 
 Art. 12. As one of the objects of the Government in re- 
 taining " acting midshipmen " at the school previous to their 
 being sent to sea is to ascertain whether their qualifications 
 and deportment are calculated to reflect credit upon the Navy 
 if retained in it, there will be a semi-annual examination of 
 the junior class of acting midshipmen in all the branches 
 taught them since joining the school. 
 
 Art. 13. No midshipman is permitted to go beyond the 
 
Note E. APPEXDIX. 243 
 
 limits of the institution without permission from the Super- 
 intendent or officer in charge. 
 
 Art. 14. One midshipman from each room occupied by 
 the students will perform the duties of superintendent of the 
 room for one week; and he will be held responsible for the 
 cleanliness and general neat arrangement of the room. 
 
 Art. 15. No midshipman shall remove from the room 
 assigned to him without permission from the Superintendent. 
 
 Art. 16. No midshipman shall bring, or cause to be brought, 
 within the limits of the institution, any wine, porter, or other 
 intoxicating or spirituous liquors. 
 
 Art. 17; No midshipman shall cook or prepare food in his 
 room, or give any entertainment, without permission from the 
 Superintendent. 
 
 Art. 18. No meals are to be furnished to midshipmen in 
 their rooms except in cases of sickness, and then only by the 
 surgeon's orders. 
 
 Art. 19. Smoking cigars is prohibited in any of the mid- 
 shipmen's rooms, recitation-halls, or mess-room. Chewing 
 tobacco in the mess and recitation rooms is positively pro- 
 hibited; and no acting midshipman will be permitted to chew 
 or smoke tobacco. 
 
 Art. 20. The students are cautioned and enjoined not to 
 mark, cut, or in any manner deface or injure the public build- 
 ings or property of any kind. 
 
 Art. 21. The midshipmen must prepare their clothes for 
 the washerwoman before recitation-hours on Monday morn- 
 ing- 
 ' Art. 22. A midshipman shall be detailed as "officer of the 
 
 day," whose duty it shall be to carry into effect any orders he 
 may receive from the Superintendent. His duties will com- 
 mence at 8 a. m. and continue until 10.30 p. m. He will 
 occupy office No. i, at the gate, and not absent Jwmself 
 
244 
 
 THE A'AVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 from there longer than his duties render it necessary. He 
 will, when applied to by visitors and strangers, give any in- 
 formation required respecting the institution or persons con- 
 nected with it. The watchmen will be under his orders, and 
 assist him in executing the orders of the Superintendent. He 
 will occasionally walk through the yard and see that no im- 
 proprieties are committed by any one. He is not to visit any 
 of the midshipmeii's rooms, except on duty. He will, at 
 10.30 p. m., see all lights and fires extinguished in the reci- 
 tation-haHs, mess-room, kitchen, and midshipmen's rooms, 
 and report to the Superintendent. The watchman will accom- 
 pany him to extinguish the fires and lights. He will keep a 
 record of the weather, height of the barometer and ther- 
 mometer at the hours of 8 a. m., meridian, and 8 p. m. He 
 will record the arrival or departure of any officer attached 
 to the school, mention in the record-book the number of 
 mechanics and others employed from day to day, and insert 
 the names of all visitors to the institution in the visitors' 
 register. A watchman will remain at the gate during the 
 meal-hours of the officer of the day. The meal-hours are 
 as follows: Breakfast at 8 a. m., dinner at 1.30 p. m., and 
 supper at 6 p. m. 
 
 Art. 23. The midshipmen who wish permission to visit 
 the city of Annapolis, or go beyond the bounds of the insti- 
 tution, will record their names in the liberty-book by 4 
 o'clock p. m. of each day. The " officer of the day " will 
 take charge of the liberty-book, and submit the list of 
 applicants at that hour to the Superintendent, or officer in 
 charge during his absence, for his approval. Permission to 
 be absent will be granted only after the regular hours appro- 
 priated to recitations and study during the day, and extend 
 only until 10 o'clock p. m., unless by special permission to 
 exceed that hour. All midshipmen must report their return 
 
Note E. APPENDIX. 
 
 245 
 
 to the officer of the day, who is directed to note the time 
 of such return in the hberty-book, for the inspection of 
 the Superintendent or commanding officer at 9 o'clock the 
 following morning. In the absence of the officer of the 
 day from his office, officers will note the time of their re- 
 turn opposite their names. Any officer who is on the sur- 
 geon's report, desiring liberty, will, after obtaining his consent, 
 insert opposite his name " doctor's consent." 
 
 The liberty-book is to be regarded as an official record, 
 exhibiting faithfully each officer's return to the institution; 
 and all entries must be made in ink. 
 
 Approved : 
 
 GEORGE BANCROFT. 
 
 Navy Department, .^z/i^zw/ 28, 1846. 
 
246 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Note F. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE WAVE-LENGTH OF A RAY OF 
 LIGHT. 
 
 By CADET-MiDSHiPMA>f S. J. Brown, First Class, 1876. 
 
 This determination was made by means of an improvised 
 spectrometer. A large Duboscq spectroscope was used, by 
 removing the prisms from the table, and placing in the centre 
 of the table the rulings on glass, which were to produce the 
 diffraction-spectra. 
 
 In order to find the number of rulings on the glass, and 
 their distance apart, placed the ruled side of the glass in 
 contact with a steel scale graduated to .2™™. Placed both 
 under a microscope, with the right edge of the rulings over 
 the centre of a division of the scale; then counted the rulings 
 and the divisions of the scale as they moved past a black 
 spot on the eye-piece of the microscope. I counted 294 
 spaces on the glass, the 289th line coming exactly on the 
 25th division of the scale, leaving 6 lines over. The number 
 of rulings to a scale-division is equal to 288 -'-as = ii^. 
 Hence, 6 hues would be ^^ = .5208 divisions of the scale; 
 the whole distance 25.5208; and consequently the rulings 
 are .017361"" apart, a distance too great to secure the most 
 accurate result. These measurements were repeated many 
 times. 
 
 To get the glass in truly perpendicular position to the 
 spectroscope-table, I imbedded it in a piece of cork, placing 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 24.y 
 
 the rulings- vertical or parallel to the face of the telescope 
 and parallel to the slit. Placed the second telescope iSo*^ 
 from the other, so that their axes coincided, which was 
 known by the position of the image of the slit on cross-hairs. 
 I found that six turns of the micrometer-screw moved the 
 second telescope through one degree. There were fifty divis- 
 ions on the micrometer-head, or one division = 12". 
 
 Placed metaUic sodium in the flame, and measured fro m 
 right-hand edge of central band to right-hand edge of the 
 second diffraction-band on the right; then reversed the screw, 
 and read from right-hand edge of second diffraction-band on 
 the right, to the same edge of second band on the left. The 
 mean of the several angles taken was 1° 56' i".2. The wave- 
 length of the ray is / sin c, where — 
 
 a>= 1° 56' i".2, and / = distance of rulings apart. 
 
 /=: .017631 log 8.2462769 
 
 f = 1° 56' i".2 log sin 8.5281641 
 
 Wave-length = .0005948°"" log 6.7744410 
 
 This is for the D^ line of the solar spectrum. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF SPECIFIC HEAT OF LEAD. 
 Bv Cadet-Midshipma>j H. C. Gearing, First Class, 1876. 
 
 The method employed was that of mixture, by mixing lead 
 of known weight with a known weight of water, and from 
 the weights and rise of temperature computing the specific 
 heat. Two thermometers were used in the experiment : one 
 marked " Celsius " and the other " C." Thermometer marked 
 "Celsius" when placed in melting ice read o°.8; in steam of 
 boiling water, ioo°.3. Thermometer marked " C," in melting 
 ice, read o°.6; in steam of boiling water, ioo°.4. The ba- 
 rometer read at the time 30.20 inches; attached thermometer? 
 
248 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 73° F.=22°.77 C. The barometric height corrected for tem- 
 perature^// — 0.000181 h . t, where h is the observed height 
 and /is the temperature centigrade, and 0.00018 r is the co- 
 efficient of expansion of mercury. The true height of ba- 
 rometer was found by this formula to be 30.08 inches. The 
 boihng-point of water corresponding to this height, given in 
 standard tables, is ioo°.i5. The change in error of Celsius 
 for 100° is o°.65; of C, o°.35. If the changes in the errors 
 of the thermometers be taken as uniform, change in error for 
 Celsius in i°^o°.oo65; in C, o°.oo35. 
 
 The water was placed in a small glass vessel, which was 
 itself placed in a larger vessel, the contact being prevented 
 by wrappings of cotton yam about the smaller yessel. This 
 was to prevent loss of heat by radiation or conduction. Ob- 
 tained the weight of the specimen of lead (pure), smaller 
 glass vessel, and water (distilled), by method of double 
 weighing. Suspended the lead by a silk thread in a vessel 
 whose temperature was maintained constant by being sur- 
 rounded by steam, and obtained the temperature to which it 
 was raised by thermometer Celsius. When reading of ther- 
 mometer became stationary, quickly removed the lead and 
 placed it in the water, whose temperature was previously 
 ascertained by thermometer C. Kept stirring the lead and 
 water well until the highest reading of thermometer C had 
 been obtained. If M is the mass or weight of the specimen 
 of lead, c its specific heat, T the temperature of the lead; 
 m the weight of water, Wj that of the smaller glass vessel, ci 
 the specific heat of glass, the final temperature of lead and 
 water, / the original temperature of water, we have the for- 
 mula : 
 
 U c {J — e) = m {e — i) + nil ^1 {0 — i) 
 ^_ {m-\-mic{){0-t) 
 M (T - 0) 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 249 
 
 In the experiment — 
 M =.41405153., OT=. 44422 lbs., ;«i = .13318 lbs., <ri=. 19768" 
 Temp, of lead, by Celsius, = 97°, corrected = 96°. 83 = T 
 Temp, of water, by C, = 23°, corrected = 2 2°. 48 = i 
 
 Final temp., by C, = 25°, corrected =|24°.49 == 6. 
 
 These values substituted in the above equation give — 
 
 ^ _ (.44422 + .02611) X 2.01 ^ .9453633 
 .41405 X 72.34 29.9524 
 
 c = 0.03156, the specific heat of lead. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE SPECIFIC HEAT OF CADMIUM.. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman E. M. Katz, First Class, 1876. 
 
 The experiments were conducted according to the " method 
 of mixtures." When two bodies of unequal temperature are- 
 brought together, the hotter gives off heat to the colder until' 
 their temperatures are equal. The increase or decrease in 
 temperature will be inversely as the capacity of the body for 
 heat. Referring the capacity thus found to a unit mass, we- 
 obtain the specific heat of the body. 
 
 In the experiments, a hot piece of cadmium was plunged 
 into a mass of distilled water; the original and resulting tem- 
 peratures being observed both for the metal and water. To- 
 heat the cadmium, it was placed in an air-space surrounded 
 by steam at 100° C. In this space, a thermometer was also 
 placed. The water was contained in a beaker placed inside- 
 of a larger beaker, the two being kept apart by a cotton 
 skein wrapped about the top of the inner one. This pre- 
 vented most of the loss of heat by radiation and conduction. 
 In recording temperatures, two thermometers were used; one 
 being marked " Celsius,'' the other marked '■ C." The fol- 
 lowing comparisons were taken : 
 
:25o THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 In steam of 
 In melting ice. boiling water. 
 
 •Celsius oo°.8 ioo°.3 
 
 C oo°.6 ioo°.4 
 
 Barometer, 30". 2 ; thermometer attached, 73° F = 22.77° C. 
 Reducing the barometer to what it would have been at o" 
 C, b = 3o".2 — 0.000181 X 3o".2 X 22.77 =3o".o8 = 764"°"- 
 
 Under a pressure of 764'"™, the boiling-point of water is 
 1 00°. 1 5 C. 
 
 To correct the readings of each thermometer for a reading 
 a, we therefore have — 
 
 For Celsius, a-\- .Z — .0065 a 
 For C, a + .6— .oo35rt 
 
 Used "double weighings," viz: first weighed the body 
 against a counter-weight, and then removed the body and 
 put weights in its place. This eliminated errors of the bal- 
 ance. 
 
 Record of the two measurements. 
 
 Weight of cadmium, .16988 lb. -'6955 lb.* 
 
 Weight of water, .944601b. .61761b. 
 
 Weight of inner beaker, .20668 lb. .13581b. 
 
 Temperatureof cadmium, 95° [thermometer Celsius] 98° 
 Temperature of water, 1 9°. 2 [thermometer C] 2 2°.6 
 
 Resulting temperature, 20° [thermometer C] 23^.8 
 
 Thermometer-reductions. 
 
 ■95° [Celsius] =9s°.i8 C. 98° [Celsiusl = 98°.2 C. 
 i9°.2 [C] =i9°.73C. 22°.6 [C] =23°.! C. 
 
 20" [C] =2o°.s3C. 23°.8[C] =24°.3C. 
 
 * This loss of weight was occasioned b)' the cadmium dissolving in the 
 water during the interval between the e.\periments, thereby, also, render- 
 ing scraping necessary. 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 251 
 
 First Second 
 
 measurement, measurement. 
 
 Cadmium fell in temperature, 74°.65 C. 73°-96 C. 
 
 Water and glass rose in temperature, 00°. 8 C. 1^.2 C. 
 
 Mean temperature of water, 20°. 13 C. 23°. 7 C. 
 
 Mean specific heat of water, 1.0012162 i. 00 153 
 
 Formula. 
 
 yiT C ■= m t c -\' m' t r- 
 M = mass of cadmium. 
 m = mass of water. 
 A«'= mass of glass. 
 T = range of temp, through which cadmium fell. 
 
 t = range of temp, through which water rose. 
 
 t' = range of temp, through which glass rose. 
 C = specific heat of cadmium. 
 
 c = specific heat of water. 
 c' = specific heat of glass. 
 
 First vicasurenicnt. 
 
 .i6g88 X 74,65-^= .9446 X .8 X i. 00122 + .20668 x .8 x .19768 
 . 16988. .log = 9. 23014- 10 0.9446 . .log = 9.97525- 10 0.20668 ..log = 9.31530- JO 
 
 74.65 ..log= 1.87303 0.8 ..log = 9.90309- 10 0.8 ..log = 9.90309- 10 
 
 1. 00122.. log = 0,00052 0.19768 ..log = 9.29597- 10 
 
 1.10317 — 
 
 0.75659.. log = 9.87886- 10 0.032686. .log = 8.51436- lo 
 
 0.03268 
 
 0.78927. .log = g. 89723- 10 
 log= 1.10317 
 
 No. Corr, = .062239 = specific heat, log = 8.79406- 10 
 Second measure tnent. 
 
 .16955 X 73-9^ = .6176 X 1.2 X 1.00153+ -'358 X 1.2 X .19768 
 .16955. •log' — 9-22930- 10 0.6176 ..log = 9.79071- 10 0.1358 ..log = 9.13290- 10 
 73.9 . .log = 1.86864 1.2 ..log = 0.07918- 10 1.2 . .log = 0.07918- 10 
 
 1. 00153. .log = 0.00065 0,19768 . .log = 9.29597- JO 
 
 1.09794 
 
 0.74223. .log = 9.87054.- 10 0.03222. .log = 8.50805- lO 
 0.03222 
 
 0.77445. ■log = 9.88890- 10 
 log= 1.07994 
 
 No. Corr. = .061795 = specific heat, log = 8.79096- 10 
 Mean result = .062017. 
 Atomic weight = 112. Atomic heat = 122 x .0620:7 = 6.9. 
 
252 THE NAVAL ACADEMY: 
 
 THE DETERMINATION OF THE LATENT HEAT OF STEAM,. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman Walter McLean, First Class, 1876. 
 
 The thermometer marked " Celsius" was used in this deter- 
 mination. This thermometer, placed in melting ice, read 
 o°.8, and, in the vapor of boiling water,. ioo°.3. The water 
 was boiled under the following conditions : bar. 30™. 2 ^ 
 yey^^.oeei; att. ther. 73" F.= 22^.777 C. The height of 
 bar. was corrected by the formula b= /— .000181 //, where 
 i5 = corrected height of bar., /= height of bar. as read = 
 767™™.o66i., /=att. ther. = 22°.']']'], and .000181 = coef. of 
 expansion of mercury, /5 = 763™".75iS2. The temperature 
 of steam, under above conditions, as determined by Regnault, 
 = 100°. 142. The temp, of steam, as marked by ther. used, 
 = ioo''.3 .-. correction to be applied to ther. = — 0°. 158. 
 The temp, of freezing by ther. = o°.8 . • . correction to ther. 
 = — o°.8. Hence, — o°.642 = change in correction of ther. 
 between boihng and freezing points, and — 0°. 00642 = correc- 
 tion to be applied to reading of ther. for each degree. To 
 determine the '-water-equivalent" of the ther. used, weighed 
 a quantity of water in a test-tube, read its temp, by ther., 
 and then heated ther., and placed it in the water and noted 
 the rise in temp. Then 
 
 mc{T: — e) = m' {0 — t)-\: m" c' [0 — t) 
 where ;« = wt. of ther., T = temp. ther. was raised to, 6 = 
 temp., of water after the ther. was introduced, m' = wt. of 
 water, i = temp, of water at first, «" = wt. of tube, and c' = 
 sp. heat of glass in tube. The amount of water taken =.oi 
 lb., wt. of tube =.04188 lb., temp, of water at commence- 
 ment =23° (per ther.) = 22°.8s3, heated ther. to 90° = 
 89°.42 2, and temp, of water after ther. was introduced was 
 25° = 24°.84. 
 
TSTOTE F. APPENDIX. 
 
 253 
 
 ..-.mc (89°.42 2 — 24°.84) = m' {2\°M — 22°.8s3) +.04188 x 
 .i98x(24°-84-22°.8s3) 
 
 . „,,^ ■0183x1.987^ „^ 6 lb. = tc 
 64.582 ^ 
 
 I then made a calorimeter by taking two glass beakers, one 
 'being considerably larger than the other. Around the top of 
 the smaller one placed a grommet of cotton yarn, and then 
 placed it in the larger one, the grommet preventing contact, 
 and forming a non-conducting jacket of air between the two. 
 A glass retort was filled with water, the end of the neck being 
 fitted with a small tube bent at right angles. The water in 
 the retort was made to boil, the steam escaping by the small 
 tube. While the water was boiling, noted the bar. 29'". 82 
 and att. ther. 78° F., and, as before, determined the temp, of 
 steam under these conditions to be 99°.786. While the water 
 was still boiling, and steam was emitted from the tube, the 
 tube was introduced into the calorimeter and steam condensed. 
 Care was taken to prevent the steam from condensing before 
 it reached the calorimeter by keeping the neck heated, as it 
 was necessary that the water in the calorimeter should receive 
 heat from the steam alone. The distance that the end of the 
 ■tube was immersed below the water iri the calorimeter was 
 measured, and the increase in temp, of steam calculated, 
 and found to be o°.oo4, so that the temp, of steam, as it 
 entered the calorimeter, was 99°.79. Before introducing the 
 steam into the calorimeter, the small beaker containing 
 water was weighed, its weight being .67203 lb. The beaker 
 alone weighed .13583 lb., so that the water weighed .5362 
 -lb. Immediately before introducing the steam, the temp, of 
 the water was noted, and found to be 26° = 25°.833 ; and the 
 supply of steam was stopped when the temp, had risen to 
 52° = 5i".667. Then the beaker and water were again 
 weighed, the wt. being .69693, giving .0249 lb. of con- 
 
2S4 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 densed steam. Having obtained these data I was prepared 
 to calculate the latent heat of steam. From the principle 
 that the amount of heat taken up by the water in the calorim- 
 eter, the ther., and the calorimeter itself, is equal to the 
 amount of heat given up by the steam in condensing, we are 
 enabled, with the data obtained, to form an equation from 
 which we may easily determine the latent heat required. 
 Letting M = wt. of steam condensed, 
 m = wt. of water, 
 m' = wt. of beaker, 
 c' = specific heat of glass in beaker, 
 u = water-equivalent of thermometer, 
 T = temp, of steam, 
 ^ = temp. of water at beginning, 
 6 = temp, of water at end, 
 X = latent heat of steam, 
 we see that 
 
 Mx+M{T—e) = {m+u + ?ii'c') {6 — t) 
 ■ ■ .Mx = {m+ u + m' c'){d — t) — M{T — 0) 
 
 '"' = ■13583 log 9.13300 
 
 "^' = •1976 log 9.29579 
 
 m' 
 
 J .1 
 
 <:' = . 02684 log 8.42879 
 
 ^ = .5362 
 « = . 00056 
 
 m' c' ■\-m.\-u= .5636 log 9-75097 
 
 « = 5i°.667 
 
 '=25°-833 
 — t= 25°.834 log 1.41202 
 
 (»z'<r'-|-OT4-«){^ — /) = i4.554..1og 1. 16299 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 255: 
 
 M = .0249 log 8.39620 log 8.39620 
 
 T=99°-79 
 T — = 48°.i23 log 1.68236 
 
 M (T — ^) = 1.1983 log 0.07856 
 
 (;«' f' + „ + ;„) (5 _/)_M(T-tf) = 13.3557 ..log 1. 12568. 
 
 ■«= 536-39 log 2.72948 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE HORIZO\T.\L COMPONENT OF 
 THE EARTH'S MAGNETISM AT ANNAPOLIS, MD. 
 
 By Cadet-Midshipmen A. Jeffries and H. M. "VVitzel, Second Class, 1876. 
 
 The magnetometer used is supported by a tripod. The box 
 is leveled by means of three foot-screws; and the stand upon 
 which it rests can be turned horizontally about an axis through 
 its centre. The telescope is set upon the stand in the pro- 
 longation of the axis of the magnet. An azimuth-circle is. 
 used, in connection with the telescope, for determining the 
 value of a division of the scale, which shows the deflections 
 of the magnet to the right or left, and serves to measure the 
 declination. This scale is engraved upon a plate of glass in 
 the north end of the magnet, and is read by means of a lens: 
 in the south end. It is numbered from o to i6, each num- 
 bered division being divided into ten equal parts. The mag- 
 net, which is in the shape of a hollow cylinder, is carried by 
 a stirrup connected with the torsion-head by means of several 
 fibers of cocoon-silk. The torsion-head is used to get the 
 torsion out of the silk fibers. To do this, a hollow cylinder 
 of brass, of the same weight as the magnet to be used, is 
 placed in the stirrup and allowed to come to rest. If its axis 
 does not coincide with the magnetic meridian, it is made to 
 do so by turning the torsion-head to the right or left. 
 
^56 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 In connection with the box of the instrument is a deflect- 
 ing-bar, which extends to about thirty inches on each side; it 
 is placed at right angles to the box, so as to be in the plane 
 of the magnetic prime vertical when the box is in the mag- 
 netic meridian. It supports two long semi-cylinders of brass, 
 which are graduated to tenths of a foot, and of such a height 
 that when the deflecting-magnet is placed in them, the axes 
 of the two magnets are at the same level. The bar is gradu- 
 ated in order to show the distance between the centers of the 
 magnets. 
 
 In making the experiments, the two magnets used are of 
 
 different lengths; the short one being 3.3 inches long, and the 
 
 long one 3.9 inches. The short* magnet is used as the oscil- 
 
 M 
 lating and deflecting magnet m determining M H and — - 
 
 respectively. To obtain the values of deflections, it is neces- 
 sary to determine the value of a scale-division and the mag- 
 netic axis of the magnet; these were obtained from the fol- 
 lowing observations made by Cadet-Midshipmen Winterhalter 
 ^nd Taylor. To determine the magnetic axis of either mag- 
 net, it is placed in the stirrup, and made to vibrate through a 
 small arc, and the extreme right and left readings are noted 
 by means of the telescope; this is repeated after the magnet 
 has been turned 180° in the stirrup. In the first case, the 
 figures of the scale are erect, while in the second case they 
 are inverted. 
 
 *The long magnet should have been used. — \V. T. S. 
 
Note F. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 2S7 
 
 Axis of magnet T. V. 14. 
 
 Magnet. 
 
 Scale-reading. 
 
 Mean. 
 
 Means 
 
 of I and 3, 
 
 2 and 4. 
 
 Axis. 
 
 Left. 
 
 Right. 
 
 E. 
 I. 
 E. 
 I. 
 
 2.8 
 13.0 
 2.7 
 9-5 
 
 7.8 
 2.65 
 7-9 
 6.1 
 
 S-3 
 7.82 
 S-3 
 7.8 
 
 5-3 
 7.81 
 
 6.55 
 
 Axis of magnet T. V. 13. 
 
 
 Scale-reading. 
 
 
 Means 
 
 
 Magnet. 
 
 
 Mean. 
 
 of I and 3, 
 
 Axis. 
 
 
 
 
 Left. 
 
 Right. 
 
 
 2 and 4. 
 
 
 I. 
 
 15.05 
 
 14.9 
 
 14.97 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 13.2 
 
 13.8 
 
 13-5 
 
 14.89 
 
 14.225 
 
 I. 
 
 15-3 
 
 14-3 
 
 14.8 
 
 13 -ss 
 
 
 E. 
 
 15.5 
 
 11.75 
 
 13.62 
 
 
 
 To determine the value of a scale-division, the magnet is 
 stationary and the cross-wires of the telescope made to coin- 
 cide with o on the scale; at the same time, the reading of the 
 azimuth-circle is taken. The cross-wires are then brought to 
 I, 2, 3, 4, &c., up to the end of the scale, the reading of the 
 azimuth-circle being taken at each number. The readings 
 are then taken in the reverse order, and the mean of the two 
 readings .for each division is noted. The mean of all these 
 means will be the value of a scale-division. 
 17 
 
2s8 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Value of scale-division of tna^et T. K. 13. 
 
 Division. 
 
 iVIean of two 
 readings. 
 
 Value of 80 
 divisions. 
 
 
 . 
 
 ' 
 
 /' 
 
 / „ 
 
 10 
 
 235 
 
 42 
 
 30 
 
 
 20 
 
 23s 
 
 21 
 
 00 
 
 
 30 
 
 234 
 
 S6 
 
 30 
 
 
 40 
 
 234 
 
 33 
 
 00 
 
 
 50 
 
 234 
 
 10 
 
 30 
 
 
 60 
 
 233 
 
 48 
 
 30 
 
 
 70 
 
 233 
 
 25 
 
 00 
 
 
 80 
 
 233 
 
 02 
 
 3° 
 
 
 go 
 
 232 
 
 40 
 
 00 
 
 3 °2 30 
 
 100 
 
 232 
 
 18 
 
 30 
 
 3 02 30 
 
 no 
 
 231 
 
 54 
 
 00 
 
 3 02 30 
 
 120 
 
 231 
 
 31 
 
 00 
 
 3 02 00 
 
 '30 
 
 231 
 
 oS 
 
 00 
 
 3 02 30 
 
 140 
 
 230 
 
 45 
 
 3° 
 
 3 03 00 
 
 150 
 
 230 
 
 22 
 
 30 
 
 3 02 30 
 
 i6o 
 
 230 
 
 00 
 
 00 
 
 3 02 30 
 
 Mean 
 
 3 02 30 
 2'. 281 
 
 Value 
 
 of I division... 
 
 OBSERVATIONS FOR 
 
 M 
 
 H' 
 
 M 
 
 In determining —, the long magnet was placed in the stir- 
 
 rup and the short one used as the deflecting-magnet. The 
 time was taken for one hundred oscillations in sets of ten, the 
 time being noted at the end of each set. The oscillations were 
 counted as the magnetic axis of the magnet passed over the 
 cross-wires of the telescope from left to right. The extreme 
 scale-readings were also taken, but do not appear in the work. 
 The deflecting-magnet was placed on the east and west ends 
 of the deflecting-bar, with its north end east; and, after the 
 
Note F. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 259 
 
 scale-readings and times were noted, the north end was 
 shifted so as to point to the west, and the same readings were 
 taken. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS FOR M H. 
 
 To determine the moment of inertia of short magnet : Sus- 
 pend the magnet by itself, and afterward in connection with 
 a ring of known moment of inertia, and note the times of one 
 hundred oscillations, in sets of ten each, in both cases. Then 
 
 fi 
 
 in which K is the moment of inertia of magnet, Ki that of the 
 ring, and / and /j the times of oscillation. 
 
 Suspend the small magnet, and cause it to oscillate. Note 
 the times of one hundred oscillations, as before. 
 
 Observations for 
 
 Dejlecting'tnagnei in inagneiic prime vertical. — i\Iagnet T. I'. 14 defecting: 
 
 Magnet. 
 
 N. end. 
 
 Time. 
 
 Temp. 
 
 Scale- 
 readings. 
 
 Alternate 
 means. 
 
 Differences. 
 
 Distance. 
 
 
 
 ll. VI. 
 
 = 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 W. 
 
 II 45 
 
 67 
 
 125 -2 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 E. 
 
 
 
 160.5 
 
 125.2 
 
 35-3 
 
 
 is 
 
 W. 
 
 E. 
 
 12 10 
 
 67.5 
 
 125.0 
 
 159-5 
 
 160.0 
 
 35-0 
 
 
 
 II 57-5 
 
 67.5 
 
 35-1 
 
 tJ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 J 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 « 
 
 
 E. 
 
 II 50 
 
 67 
 
 160.0 
 
 
 
 IN 
 
 
 W. 
 
 
 
 125-5 
 
 159.6 
 
 34-' 
 
 
 
 E. 
 
 12 IS 
 
 68 
 
 159-2 
 
 125-3 
 
 33-9 
 
 
 
 W. 
 
 
 
 125.2 
 
 
 
 
 
 12 25 
 
 67.5 
 
 34.0 
 
 
 Mean 
 
 s 
 
 12 
 
 67.4 
 
 2 /i=34.6 
 
 
26o 
 
 THE JVAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 One scale-division = 2'. 281 1 
 
 , h ,„^ >- Taylor and Winterhalter. 
 
 I + - . . . . log O.OOIIO ( ■' 
 
 P= A -A' 
 A A' 
 
 Magaet. 
 
 N. end. 
 
 Time. 
 
 Temp. 
 
 Scale 
 readings. 
 
 Alternate 
 means. 
 
 DiflFerences. 
 
 Distance. 
 
 
 
 A. m. 
 
 = 
 
 
 
 
 
 ti 
 
 W. 
 
 12 03 
 
 67.S 
 
 131. 9 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 E. 
 W. 
 E. 
 
 12 25 
 
 69 
 
 153.0 
 131.2 
 152.7 
 
 131-5 
 152.9 
 
 21.5 
 
 21.7 
 
 
 
 12 u 
 
 68 .s 
 
 21.6 
 
 u 
 
 £ 
 
 
 E. 
 
 n 56 
 
 67 
 
 153 -o 
 
 
 
 
 
 W. 
 
 
 
 132.0 
 
 152.3 
 
 20.3 
 
 
 
 E. 
 W. 
 
 
 
 12 ij 
 
 69 
 
 15= -3 
 131.8 
 
 131. 9 
 
 20.4 
 
 
 12 6.5 
 
 68 
 
 20.3 
 
 
 Means 
 
 12 8.7 
 
 68.1 
 
 2 /i' = 2o.g 
 
 
 M = T7''.3 log 1.23805 
 
 I^ = 2'.28l log 0.35813 
 
 1+ log O.OOIIO 
 
 / 
 
 /< = 39'-562 log 1 . 59728 
 
 I* log tan 8,06099 
 
 f^ log 1.02726 
 
 K log 9.69897 
 
 A = .061266... .log 8.78722 
 
 A log 8.78722 
 
 '■* colog 9.31516 
 
 .012653 log 8.10238 
 
 /«' = ioi'.45 log 1.01912 
 
 I* = 2'.28i log 0.35813 
 
 r+y log O.OOIIO 
 
 f' = =3'-897 log 1.3783s 
 
 u' log tan 7.B4203 
 
 '*i* log 1. 24491 
 
 H log 9.69897 
 
 A' = .06x082 log 8.78591 
 
 A' log 8.78591 
 
 n' colog 9. 17006 
 
 .009036. , . .log 7.93597 
 
Note F. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 261 
 
 Magnet T. I', n suspended with ring No. j.~% Jibers. 
 
 No. of 
 vibrations. 
 
 Time. 
 
 Temp. 
 
 Time of 50 
 vibrations. 
 
 
 k. m. X. 
 
 
 
 ;w. 0. 
 
 
 
 I 26 09 
 
 72-5 
 
 
 10 
 
 28 28 
 
 
 
 20 
 
 3° 47-5 
 
 
 
 30 
 
 33 07 
 
 
 
 40 
 
 35 26 
 
 
 
 50 
 
 37 45 
 
 
 II 36 
 
 60 
 
 40 04^5 
 
 725 
 
 II 36 5 
 
 70 
 
 42 24 
 
 
 11 36.5 
 
 80 
 
 44 43 
 
 
 II 36 
 
 90 
 
 47 03 
 
 
 II 37 
 
 100 
 
 49 22 
 
 73 
 
 11 37 
 
 
 II 36. s 
 '1 = 13-93 
 
 
 
 
 Magnet T. V. 1^ suspended,— Z fibers. 
 
 No. of 
 vibrations. 
 
 Time. 
 
 Temp. 
 
 Time of 52 
 vibrations. 
 
 30 
 40 
 50 
 52 
 62 
 72 
 82 
 92 
 102 
 
 Mean. 
 
 k. in. 
 
 58 
 
 34 
 
 
 
 06 
 
 I 
 
 37-5 
 
 3 
 
 09 
 
 4 
 
 41 
 
 4 
 
 59-5 
 
 6 
 
 31-5 
 
 8 
 
 °3 
 
 9 
 
 34 
 
 II 
 
 07 
 
 12 
 
 38. 5 
 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 57 
 
 5 
 
 
 57 
 
 
 
 56 
 
 5 
 
 
 58 
 
 
 
 57 
 
 5 
 
 
 57 
 
 4 
 
 
 = 9 
 
 181 
 
262 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 A A' 1 
 
 --_ — = . 003622.. colog 2.44105 
 
 A— A' = .000184 log 6.26482 
 
 r2 ..colog 9.31516 
 
 ^ = .010496 log 8.02103 
 
 MH=':li£ 
 
 -pa 
 
 -, = .989504 log 9.99542 
 
 A log 8.78722 
 
 jj ....log 8.78264 
 To determine M H. 
 
 K = K, 
 
 ^tii-P 
 
 Ki = K ('•'' + n')W 
 
 e 
 
 . MH 
 
 t'x j^ (r^+n') Wx^^^ 
 
 .10801ft, ri = . 0832ft. ^" = 89. 839 grams. 
 Magnet T. 1'. ^\ suspended by /our Jibers. 
 
 No. of 
 vibrations. 
 
 Time. 
 
 Temp. 
 
 Time of 50 
 vibrations. 
 
 30 
 40 
 50 
 60, 
 70 
 80 
 90 
 100 
 
 Mean. 
 
 38 
 
 09 
 
 40 
 
 ji.S 
 
 44 
 
 15 
 
 46.5 
 
 16.S 
 
 49.5 
 
 20.5 
 
 SI. 5 
 
 68.75 
 
 7 
 
 37 
 
 7 
 
 37-5 
 
 7 
 
 36-5 
 
 7 
 
 38 
 
 7 
 
 36. S 
 
 7 
 
 36.5 
 
 7 
 
 37 
 
 T 
 
 = 9.14 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 263 
 
 -' log 0.99430 
 
 ^ log 9.69897 
 
 (;-HV) log 8.26903 
 
 h 
 1 + ^ log 0.00022 
 
 W log 1.95347 
 
 1.18843 
 
 t"^ log 1.92578 
 
 (A*— /2)...colog 7.95960 
 T^ colog 8.07810 
 
 M H log 0.06790 
 
 Tr colog 1. 21736 
 
 2)1.28526 
 
 11=4.3917.. log 0.64263 
 
 Note. — This value of H is in the foot-grain system ; to 
 convert it into the centimetre-gramme system, add the log- 
 arithm 8.66378 to the log of H given above. 
 
 H = .2025 in centimetre-gramme system. 
 
 M 
 In combining M H with jj, no correction for temperature 
 
 is introduced, because the difference of temperature was so 
 small that the correction would be nearly inappreciable. The 
 dimensions of the inertia-ring from which the above dimen- 
 sions were obtained were taken at 86° F. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE DIP OF THE MAGNETIC 
 NEEDLE AND TOTAL INTENSITY OF EARTH'S MAG- 
 NETISM. 
 
 By Cadet-Medshipman I. K. Brice, Second Class, 1876. 
 
 The construction of the dipping-needle, by which this was 
 
264 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 determined, made it necessary to determine the magnetic 
 prime vertical, and from it the meridian. The instrument had 
 one needle, moving in a vertical plane; the angle from the 
 horizon was measured by a circle graduated to twenty min- 
 utes. The motion of the instrument in azimuth was read by 
 means of a circle graduated to read to one minute by means 
 of a vernier. To determine the prime vertical, the azimuth- 
 circle was read when the needle was vertical. The following 
 readings were taken : 
 
 Prime vertical. 
 
 Circle south. 
 
 Circle north. 
 
 Face south. 
 
 Face north. 
 
 Face north. 
 
 Face south. 
 
 71° 30' 
 
 76° 59' 
 
 77° 16' 
 
 72° 28' 
 
 Mean 74° 14'. 5 
 
 Mean 74° 52' 
 
 Mean 74° 33' 15" 
 
 The instrument was then turned + 90° and — 90° in azimuth, 
 and the following readings of the dip taken : 
 
 Circle east. 
 
 Circle west. 
 
 Face east. 
 
 Face west. 
 
 Face east. 
 
 Face west. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 71° 
 
 71° 40' 
 
 69° 30' 
 
 69° 25' 
 
 71° 25' 
 
 71° 30' 
 
 69° so' 
 
 69° 40' 
 
 Mean 70° 23' 45" 
 
 Mean 70° 36' 15'' 
 
 Mean dip 70" 30' 
 
 \ \ 
 
Note F. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 265 
 
 The magnetism of the needle was then reversed by stroking 
 it with bar-magnets, and the observations repeated : 
 
 Pr line vertical. 
 
 Circle north. 
 
 Circle south . 
 
 Face south. 
 
 Face north . 
 
 Face north. Face south. 
 
 27° 00' 
 
 20° 33' 
 
 19° 57' 
 
 26° 00' 
 
 Mean 23° 46' 30" 
 
 Mean 22° 58' 30" 
 
 Mean 23° 22' 30" 
 
 Meridian. 
 
 Circle east. 
 
 Circle west. 
 
 Face east. 
 
 Face west. 
 
 Face east. 
 
 Face west. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 N. 
 
 S. 
 
 N. 
 
 s. • 
 
 70° 10' 
 
 70° 
 
 71° 40' 
 
 72° 
 
 70° 40' 
 
 70° 
 
 71° 50' 
 
 71° 50' 
 
 Mean 70° 57' 30" 
 
 Mean 71° 5' 
 
 Mean dip 71" i' 15" 
 
 , Mean of two observations 70° 45' 37.5"i dip. 
 
 The total intensity is found by dividing H, the horizontal 
 intensity, by the cosine of the dip: 
 
 R = J^ 
 
 cos 
 
 H =4-357 
 
 H '. log 0.63918 
 
 log cos 9.51789 
 
 13.22 log 1.12129 
 
266 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 MEASUREMENT OF RESISTANCE OF YARD-TELEGRAPH. 
 Bv Cadet-Midshifmen David and Orchard. 
 
 Annapolis, J^une, 1876. 
 
 This line is a short one, used for sending messages between 
 distant points of the yard. 
 
 The battery is placed in the battery -room of the laboratory, 
 and consists of six gravitation-cells set up in series.. These 
 cells are used because they will produce a steady current for 
 a long time in a closed circuit. From the laboratory there are 
 two branches of the line: one extending to the new build- 
 ings, connecting with a sounder, then connecting with the 
 earth ; the other leads to the office of the officer in charge, 
 old buildings, then to the Superintendent's office, and lastly 
 to the commandant's house, where connection is made with 
 the earth. At each of these stations, connection is made with 
 a sounder for receiving messages. In the measurement, a 
 Wheatstone's bridge, a single needle galvanometer, and three 
 gravitation-cells were used. 
 
 Call resistance of line to new building A, and of other 
 branch B. 
 
 Jnrst To measure A or B, make connections for bat- 
 tery and galvanometer as usual; connected end of line to 
 be measured between r and battery; connected end of R' 
 
 with the earth. Took -—= — , distant end of line to earth. 
 R 10 
 
 Second. To measure A-4- B, connections as before except 
 that end of other branch of line was connected between R' 
 and battery. Both ends of line to earth. 
 
 Third. To measure insulation resistance, insulate both ends 
 of the line and make connections as in second case. 
 
 Fourth. To measure resistance of both branches in multi- 
 ple arc, connect both branches between r and battery; the 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 267 
 
 Other ends being to earth. Connect R' and galvanometer 
 
 with the earth. 
 
 The following were the results obtained : 
 
 Resistance of A 8.63 ohms. 
 
 Resistance of B 17.20 ohms. 
 
 Resistance of A+B 25.83 ohms. 
 
 Resistance in multiple arc 5.74 ohms as measured. 
 
 A B 
 
 Resistance in mult, arc = — =5-74 ohms as computed. 
 
 A-f-B 
 
 Insulation resistance of whole line, 800,000 ohms. 
 
 TO DETERMINE THE ELECTRO-CHEMICAL EQUIVALENTS 
 OF COPPER, ZINC, HYDROGEN, AND OXYGEN. 
 
 Bv C.^DET-MlDSHIPMEN J. K. BrICE AND O. G. DoDGE, SECOND ClaSS, 1876. 
 
 The object of determining the electro-chemical equivalents 
 of these elements is that, by knowing them, we may be able 
 to measure the strength of a current of electricity passing 
 through any of their electrolytic compounds, by observing 
 the quantity of the element decomposed in a given time ; or, 
 knowing the current, we may find the weight of the element 
 it will deposit in a given time. 
 
 To determine these quantities, three decomposing-cells, con- 
 taining copper sulphate, copper nitrate, and zinc sulphate, and 
 a voltameter containing acidulated water, were placed in the 
 circuit, and a current was sent through them from five Grove's 
 cells. The platinum- electrodes immersed in the decompos- 
 ing-cells, each positive one having, first been coated with the 
 metal contained in the electrolyte, were carefully weighed 
 before and after the current was passed. From these weigh- 
 ings, the exact weight of the metallic element deposited on 
 each negative electrode and that taken from each positive 
 
268 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 one was obtained. Having noted the whole time that the 
 current was passing, the amount deposited per second was 
 readily found from the whole amount deposited.- 
 
 The current was passed through the voltameter for a short 
 time before beginning the experiment to saturate the water 
 with the gases; so the difference between the readings of the 
 voltameter at the beginning and end gave the whole volume 
 of the gases decomposed. These volumes had to be cor- 
 rected for temperature and pressure and tension of the aque- 
 ous vapor that was mixed with them. Since eight parts, by 
 weight, of oxygen were liberated for every one part of hy- 
 drogen, it was unnecessary to work out the electro-chemical 
 equivalent of more than one of the gases from its observed 
 volume. 
 
 In order to find the strength of the current, it was assumed 
 that the measurements' were correct, and it was deduced from 
 the copper nitrate by dividing the weight of copper deposited 
 per second by its electro-chemical equivalent, as taken from 
 Jenkin's Electricity. 
 
 COPPER NITRATE. 
 
 Grams. 
 Weight of positive electrode before experiment. . . 1.6590 
 Weight of positive electrode after experiment - . . - 1-5825 
 
 Weight of negative electrode after experiment . . . . 1.32475 
 Weight of negative electrode before experiment . . . 1.24730 
 
 Weight deposited on negative electrode 07745 
 
 Weight dissolved from positive electrode 0765 
 
 Time current was passing, 45 m. = 45 x 60 sec. 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent of copper, .00324 grams, 
 r- ■°7745 
 
 45 X 60 X .00324 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 269 
 
 .07745 log 8.S8902 — 10 
 
 45 --log 1-65321 ■ 
 
 60 log 1. 77815 
 
 •00324 log 7.51055 
 
 0.94191 
 
 C log 7.947 1 1 
 
 COPPER SULPHATE. 
 
 Grams. 
 
 Weight of positive electrode before e.xperiment. . . . 1.4506 
 
 Weight of positive electrode after experiment i-S^gS 
 
 Weight of negative electrode after experiment - . - . 1.385 
 Weight of negative electrode before experiment . . . 1.309 
 
 Weight deposited on negative electrode 076 
 
 Weight dissolved from positive electrode 06 11 
 
 Unfortunately, the copper on the positive electrode was 
 all dissolved before the experiment was completed, which ac- 
 counts for the great difference between the amount deposited 
 and that dissolved. As soon as the copper was all off of the 
 positive electrode, the solution, semi-saturated at first, began 
 to get weaker. Furthermore, the sulphuric acid set free at- 
 tacked the deposited copper. So the deposit must have been 
 loo small, and, in consequence, the electro-chemical equiva- 
 lent also. 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent ^ -^ — '—!- ^ 
 
 ^ 60 X 45 X C 
 
 .076 log 8.88081 — 10 
 
 60 log 1. 77815 
 
 45 log 1-65321 
 
 C log 7.94711 
 
 1.37847 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent = .00318 log 7.50234 
 
2^0 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 ZINC SULPHATE. 
 
 Grams. 
 
 Weight of positive electrode before experiment i-2734 
 
 Weight of positive electrode after experiment 1.1842 
 
 Weight of negative electrode after experiment 1-3562 
 
 Weight of negative electrode before experiment 1-2750 
 
 Weight deposited on negative electrode 0812 
 
 Weight dissolved from positive electrode 0892 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent of zinc = - — '- — 
 
 ^ 60 X 45 X C 
 
 .0812 log 8.90956 — 10 
 
 60 X 45 X C log 1.37847 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent ^ .0033968. .. log 7.53108 
 
 HYDROGEN. 
 
 Corrected barometer, 76.611°" 
 
 Thermometer, 17.778 C. 
 
 Height of column of water in voltameter, 43.3°""- 
 
 Specific gravity of the acidulated water, 1.053. 
 
 Specific gravity of mercury, 13.5592. 
 
 Height of an equivalent column of mercury : 
 
 43-3 X 1-053 ^3.363^00. 
 13-5592 
 Tension of aqueous vapor in gas, 1.5 170. 
 76.611 + 1. 517 — 3-3634 = pressure on gas = 74.765"" 
 By Charles's law : 
 
 29.6: V'= 273+17.773:273 
 y,_ 29.6X273 
 290.778 
 By Mariotte's law : 
 
 V: ¥ = 76:74.765 
 V_ 74-765 X V' _ 74.765 X 29.6 X 273 
 76 290.778x76 
 
notef. appendix. 271 
 
 74-765 -. log 1.87370 
 
 29.6 log 1.47129 
 
 273 log 2.43616 
 
 S-78IIS 
 
 290-778 log 2.46356 
 
 76 log 1. 88081 
 
 4.34437 
 
 V =r corrected volume of gas log 1.43678 
 
 Specific gravity of hydrogen =; .0012932 X .0693. 
 Weight of hydrogen in grams = V X .0012932 X .0693. 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent= '- ?^ ^U — ^ 
 
 60X45XC 
 
 V log 1.43678 
 
 .0012932 log 7.1 1 167 — 10 
 
 .0693 log 8.84073 — 10 
 
 7.38918-10 
 6^0 X 45 X C , log 1.37847 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent =.0001025 6.01071 — 10 
 
 OXYGEN. 
 
 Electro-chemical equivalent = .0001025 ^ 8 = .00082 
 
 BRADLEY'S TANGENT GALVANOMETER COIL No. 2. 
 
 METHOD OF FINDING THE CONSTANT. 
 Bv Cadet-Midshipman O. G. Dodge, Second Class, 1S76. 
 
 The construction of this instrument makes it impossible to 
 measure the size of the coil or count the turns. It is there- 
 fore necessary to determine the constant by comparison with 
 a standard, or by electrolysis, the method here employed. 
 
272 THE KAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 The galvanometer, a eudiometer containing acidulated 
 water, a decomposing-cell containing neutral copper sulphate • 
 semi-saturated, were placed in circuit with three cells of a 
 Grove's battery. The eudiometer used was so made that 
 both the oxygen and hydrogen were collected in the same 
 tube, which had been carefully calibrated. Two strips of 
 platinum, carefully cleaned, were selected as electrodes for 
 the copper sulphate. Upon one of these, a reguline deposit 
 of copper was formed to act as the positive electrode. The 
 following weighings and observations were made : 
 
 Grams. 
 
 Positive electrode with copper deposited i. 6916 
 
 Negative electrode i. 2768 
 
 The circuit was then closed, the time being noted. The 
 deflections of the galvanometer and the readings of the 
 eudiometer were taken at intervals of five minutes. When 
 the circuit was broken, the barometer and thermometer were 
 read. 
 
 Bar. Ther. 
 
 inches. ° 
 
 Time. 
 
 Gal van. 
 
 ] 
 
 iudiotr 
 
 h. m. 
 
 
 
 
 mm, 
 
 300 
 
 82.7s 
 
 
 
 
 OS 
 
 82.75 
 
 
 23 
 
 10 
 
 82.00 
 
 
 45 
 
 IS 
 
 82.00 
 
 
 66 
 
 20 
 
 81.50 
 
 
 87 
 
 25 
 
 81.25 
 
 
 107 
 
 3° 
 
 81.25 
 
 
 127 
 
 35 
 
 80.75 
 
 
 146 
 
 40 
 
 80.50 
 
 
 164 
 
 45 
 
 80.00 
 
 
 182 
 
 Interval = 
 
 45""- 
 
 
 
 Mean deflection = 81° 
 
 28' 
 
 30". 
 
 Volume of 
 
 gases = 31 
 
 .89 
 
 cm.'. 
 
 30.01 68.303 F. 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 273 
 
 Positive electrode 1-6349 grams. 
 
 Negative electrode.. 1-3309 grams. 
 
 Deposited 0541 " Dissolved.. -0567 " 
 
 Mean °554 " 
 
 .00324 : 10 webers : : ' ^^^ : x webers 
 00x45 
 . r- -554 
 
 6ox4Sx-oo324 
 
 C = constant = — ^^ 
 tan D 
 
 ...C= -I^ 
 
 60X45X-00324X tanD 
 
 •554 log 9.74351 
 
 60 log 1.77815 
 
 45 log 1.65321 
 
 •°0324 log 7-51055 
 
 81^=28' 30" logtan .82421 
 
 ^-—— 1. 76612 
 
 C log 7-97739 
 
 C = .009492 
 32.8'"°=column of water in eudiometer. 
 2.413 i<!™=equivalent column of mercury. 
 i.76°"'=tension of vapor in eudiometer. 
 7S-945°"=corrected height of barometer. 
 
 -■- 75-945 + 1-76— 2.4131 = 75.292""" pressure on gases. 
 
 68.''303 F.=2o.<'i85C 
 By the laws of Boyle and Charles, we have: 
 31.89 cm.^: Vi :: 293.185 : 273 
 ■ V^- 3r-89X273 
 293.185 
 Vi : V3:: 76 : 75.292 
 
 ■ V^- 3i-89X 273x75-29- 
 76x293.185 
 
 18 
 
2 74 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 "V=volume formed per second = ^^ ■ 9 X 73 x 75 i_9 — 
 
 76x293.185x60x45 
 
 .1721 : I weber :: V : ^ webers 
 
 V 
 
 .1721 
 
 X V 
 
 C = constant = =^= 
 
 tan D .1721 X tan \J 
 
 .Q— 31.89 X 273x75-292 
 
 76 X 60 X 45 X 293.185 X -1721 X tan D 
 
 3'-89 log i-5°365 
 
 273 - log 2.43616 
 
 75-292 log 1-87675 
 
 5.81656 
 
 76 log 1.88081 
 
 60 log 1. 77815 
 
 45 log 1.65321 
 
 293-185 log 2.46715 
 
 -1721 log 9.23578 
 
 81 28' 30" log tan .82421 
 
 7-83931 
 
 C log 7-97725 
 
 C^. 009489 
 
 NITRO-GLYCERINE. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman Frank J. Speague, Third Class, 1876. 
 
 The germ of that numerous group, nitre substitution com- 
 pounds, may be deemed to have started with Professor Cal- 
 lan proposition to add sulphuric acid to the nitric acid of 
 Grove's battery. The German philosopher Schonbein inves- 
 tigated this remarkable mixture, and discovered ozone and 
 gun-cotton, the last of which was patented by him in 1846. 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 275 
 
 Numerous controversies arose as to the nature of the changes 
 which the cotton had undergone, and, aroused by these, As- 
 cague Sobrero, a pupil of Pelouze, in Paris, and now profess- 
 or of chemistry in the University of Turin, made a series of 
 experiments. Walter Crum having stated that " pure gun- 
 cotton was lignine, in which three atoms of water were replaced 
 by three atoms of nitric acid," Sobrero made similar com- 
 pounds with gum, sugar, dextrine, manna, and finally glycer- 
 ine, where it was evident that there could be no absorption, 
 as stated by some of the writers on gun-cotton. He was re- 
 warded by the discovery of nitro-glycerine. This was in 1847 
 or 1848. The discovery remained dormant until the Crimean 
 war, when it was rumored that Admiral Napier was prevented 
 from taking Cronstadt from fear of torpedoes charged with 
 nitro-glycerine by Professor Jacobi, as well as by the difficul- 
 ties of navigation. In 1864, eighteen years after its discovery, 
 Alfred Nobel, a Swedish engineer, obtained a patent for its 
 application to blasting purposes. So little was nitro-glycerine 
 then known that he has been credited with its discovery. 
 
 Nobel also attempted to control its use in the United States, 
 but finally failed. 
 
 Soon after its introduction into this country, three startling 
 accidents occurred, which threw this new explosive into pub- 
 lic disfavor. The first was in 1865, when an explosion oc- 
 curred in Greenwich street, New York, opposite the Wyoming 
 Hotel, caused by throwing a box of " glonoin" into the street, 
 which had been left by a German as security for his board. 
 The next was that on board the steamer European, at As- 
 pinwall, in 1 866. Forty-seven persons w^e killed or mortally 
 injured; the vessel, pier, and adjacent warehouses were de- 
 stroyed, the loss amounting to over $1,000,000. Immediately 
 succeeding this was an explosion in the office of Wells, Fargo 
 & Co., San Francisco. Eight persons lost their lives, anfj 
 
276 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 property to the amount of $250,000 was destroyed. Noting 
 these accidents, George M. Mowbray, then of Titusville, Pa., 
 undertook the preparation and qualitative examination of 
 nitro-glycerine, and shortly afterward advertised to manufac- 
 ture it for miners and others. 
 
 In 1867, at the invitation of Chief Engineer Doane, Mr. 
 Mowbray arrived in North Adams, and undertook to furnish 
 the Hoosac Tunnel with nitro-glycerine. Since then he has 
 almost steadily been manufacturing this explosive, and dur- 
 ing the eight years since he began he has had but three ac- 
 cidents at the manufactory, having made over one million 
 pounds in this time. The first accident was on December 23, 
 1870, when a magazine exploded, supposed to have been 
 caused by the accidental starting of a flame. The fore man 
 was killed. 
 
 March 12, 187 1, another explosion of a magazine took 
 place, caused by continuous overheating. Sixteen hundred 
 pounds were in the magazine at the time, and 600 pounds of 
 congealed nitro-glycerine within 12 feet of the magazine. 
 This last did not explode, although battered and bruised, 
 and no one was hurt. 
 
 The third was the explosion of the works, two men being 
 killed and one slightly injured. This was January 26, 1876. 
 The works are now rebuilt and running. 
 
 So nitro-glycerine has been known but about ten or twelve 
 years in the United States as a blasting agent, and has been 
 known to chemists but twenty eight or nine years. Among 
 the more prominent of those who have investigated, written 
 upon, and used it, are Railton, Girard, De Vrij, Millott, 
 Vogt, Nobel, Papillon, and Berthollet on the continent, and 
 Mowbray and Hill in this country. 
 
 Such is a brief and partial resume of the history of nitro- 
 glycerine. In following out a more detailed account, we are 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 277 
 
 surprised by the various names given to it, and the conflict- 
 ing statements of its properties and composition. «» 
 
 For synonyms we find the following: Nitrate of oxide of 
 lipyl, [glycerine,] (Berzelius;) glonoin, mono-, di-, and tri- 
 nitro-glycerine, (Liecke;) glonoine, (Gmelin;) fulminating oil, 
 nitroleum, tri-nitrin, glyceryl nitrate, (from Wagner.) 
 
 It's formula is C3 H5 (N02)3 O3, though it may be written 
 differently in conforming to different theories. 
 
 Modern researches have shown that there are threj nitrins, 
 mono-, di-, and tri-nitrin, whose formulse are as below. 
 
 Nitro-glycerine is made from glycerine and nitric acid, sul- 
 phuric being mixed with the nitric to absorb the water formed 
 during the process, and thus keep the nitric acid of the re- 
 quired strength. In the chemical action that takes place, 
 the radical nitryl (NO^) of the nitric acid takes the place of 
 one, two, or three atoms of hydrogen in the glycerine, ac- 
 cording as one, two, or three molecules of nitric acid unite 
 with one of glycerine. The products are mono-, di-, and tri- 
 nitro-glycerine, and the reactions are as follows : 
 
 where the first gives mono-nitro-glycerine, H^ C3 H5 (NO2) O3; 
 the second, di-nitro glycerine, H C3 H5 (N02)3 O3; and the 
 third, tri-nitro-glycerine, C3 H5 (N02)3 O3. 
 
 The tri-hitro-glycerine is the only one of these compounds 
 which has yet been successfully prepared, and is the one 
 which is employed in blasting and for torpedoes ; hence the , 
 rest of the paper will be devoted to this compound. 
 
278 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 We have, then, the formula for tri-nitro-glycerine, C3 H5 
 (N(l^)3 O3, which, written on the triple type of water, is 
 
 (NO '1^ I *^^' ^'^"f^ t^'^s radical NO^ is univalent, and C3 H5 
 trivalent, as before in glycerine. Written graphically, it is : 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 
 N 
 
 H C CI 
 
 O 
 
 -C O- 
 
 H H O 
 
 -N. 
 
 J" 
 
 V 
 
 O O 
 
 That of glycerine being ; 
 
 H 
 
 H H O 
 H ^C C C O- 
 
 H H O 
 
 Comparing, we see that the formula for tri-nitro-glycerine 
 may be written by substituting one atom of NO2 for an 
 atom of hydroxyl, HO, in glycerine ; and this is perhaps the 
 best way to show the similarity and difference between the 
 molecules of these two substances. 
 
Note F. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 279 
 
 The formula for manufacture, written graphically, would 
 be: 
 
 Nitric acid. 
 
 / 
 
 H- 
 
 -<^- 
 
 H o T<r 
 
 / 
 
 Tri- n itro-glycerine. 
 
 V 
 
 H H 
 
 Glycerine. 
 H 
 
 -c — 
 
 H H O 
 
 H 
 
 -H = 
 
 Waiter. 
 
 H H O 
 H C 
 
 J. I 
 
 I ! \. 
 
 -ki. o 
 
 H O EC 
 
 H O H 
 
 H O H 
 
 N" 
 
 //\\ 
 O O 
 
 The composition is as follows : 
 
 Centesimally 
 
 C. — Carbon 3 atoms . . 36 micro-criths . . 15.859 + 
 
 O.— Oxygen . . . 9 " - . 144 " ■ - 63.436 + 
 
 N. — Nitrogen.. 3 " .. 42 " .. 18.502 + 
 
 H. — Hydrogen. 5 " .. 5 " .. 2.203 — 
 
 One molecule = 20 
 
 227 
 
2.8o THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 A briet description of the method of manufacture by 
 Mr. Mowbray, which differs but little from that employed by 
 Mr. Walter N. Hill at the Torpedo Station, will be given. 
 
 Fresh nitric acid (sp. gr. 1.45) direct from the stills is taken 
 up by sulphuric acid. 
 
 The acids are afterward thoroughly mixed and nitrous 
 fumes expelled by a current of air furnished by blowers. The 
 acid mixture is now distributed in stone pitchers arranged in 
 troughs. The troughs are filled with ice.-cold water, or ice 
 and salt, to within four inches of the top of the jars. From 
 glass jars arranged on a shelf above the pitchers, chemically 
 pure glycerine is allowed to fall, drop by drop, by means of 
 a siphon with a rubber tube attached, into the mixture of 
 nitric and sulphuric acids. 
 
 A current of air is forced through each pitcher by a rub- 
 ber and glass tube while the acids and glycerine are mixing. 
 
 During the one and a half to two hours required for this 
 operation, great care and close attention are necessary. 
 Nitrous fumes are given off. If too freely, the mixture is 
 stirred with the glass tube already mentioned. Sometimes 
 this is caused by the glycerine running too fast, which fires 
 the mixture, wastes the glycerine, forming oxalic acid, and 
 giving off abundant fumes. 
 
 If such is the case, the flow of glycerine is stopped and 
 the mixture stirred. If the current of air is stopped, the mix- 
 ture will take fire. When the action is complete, no more 
 fumes being given off, the nitro-glycerine is dumped into a 
 large tank of water at 2i°.i C, where it sinks to the bottom. 
 
 After remaining about fifteen minutes, the water is drawn 
 ofi" the top, and the nitro-glycerine run off into a large swing- 
 ing wooden tub, where it is washed three times with water 
 and twice with soda, a current of air working through it 
 meanwhile. It is then removed to the magazine and poured 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 into "crocks," (earthenware jars, holding sixty pounds.) 
 These are immersed to within six inches of the top in water 
 at 21°. I C, where they remain about seventy-two hours, 
 during which time any inipurities rise to the surface as scum. 
 The nitro-glycerine is then chemically pure and ready for 
 packing. It is put in tin cans lined with paraffine and frozen, 
 in which state it is stored away. 
 
 It takes one and a half or two hours to make it, seventy- 
 two to purify it, and forty-eight to congeal it. 
 
 When pure, nitro-glycerine is nearly colorless, but ordina- 
 rily has a light lemon tint, owing to coloring matter in the 
 glycerine used, (Mowbray.) 
 
 When freshly made, it is creamy-white and opaque, but 
 clears on standing, (Hill.) It is an oily, odorless liquid, but has 
 a sweet, pungent, aromatic taste ; is very poisonous, and hand- 
 ling at first, or tasting from the point of a pin for the first 
 time, gives one a persistent, throbbing headache, but persons 
 lose this sensitiveness to its effects after using it some time. 
 It is a powerful refractor of light, (Mowbray,) and is inflam- 
 mable, lighting with a flame, and burning without explosion, 
 yielding a light ethereal flame of considerable volume, (Mow- 
 bray.) 
 
 Freezing-point, when fresh, is — le^.i to — 15= C. ; cleared, 
 3°.9 to 4°.4 C, (Hill.) It freezes at 7^.2 C, and contracts 
 one-twelfth of its bulk, (Mowbray.) 
 
 Freezes to a white crystalline mass, and when frozen is very 
 diflicult to explode, even with a heavy charge of fulminate. 
 In the air, when pure, it may be kept^a long time without 
 change. 
 
 It decomposes at 160° C, giving off red fumes, (Mowbray.) 
 Easily decomposes by drying in a warm room with rarefied 
 air, (Williamson.) It is instantly decomposed when dissolved 
 in alcohol, (Mowbray.) 
 
 When impure, it rapidly changes, becoming orange-yellow, 
 
282 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 and evolving fumes ; its freezing-point is lowered, and it is 
 then liable to be exploded by any jar. The impurity of 
 the article has been in all probability the cause of many ex- 
 plosions. In some cases, the pressure exerted by gas formed 
 in closed vessels may have had some influence on it, and, in 
 view of this, N. K. List has proposed to use loosely-stoppered 
 vessels, or have them fitted with a safety-valve. In treating 
 of the explosion of nitro-glycerine, some general principles 
 may be given, (from Hill :) 
 
 " The explosive effect is dependent upon — 
 
 "ist. The great change of state produced; that is, the 
 formation of gas very much greater in volume than is the sub- 
 stance from which it is derived, and which is still more ex- 
 panded by the heat evolved; 
 
 " 2d. The shortness of time required for the change to 
 take place." 
 
 " The circumstances of explosion may be generally con- 
 sidered under — 
 
 "ist. The physical or mechanical condition of the sub- 
 stance itself ; 
 
 "2d. External condition; 
 
 " 3d. Mode of firing.'' 
 
 " The explosive effect is dependent also on these. 
 
 " Roux and Sarran divide explosions into two kinds : 
 
 " First order, or detonation ; 
 
 " Second order, or simple explosion. 
 
 " Detonation is the instantaneous explosion of a body. 
 
 " The following comparison is given : 
 
 Second order. First order. 
 
 Gunpowder i.oo 4.34. 
 
 Gun-cotton 3.00 6.46 
 
 Nitro-glycerine 4.80 10.13" 
 
 (Hill, Notes on Explosives.) 
 
 If lighted, nitro-glycerine produces an explosion of the sec- 
 ond order; if detonated, of the first. 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 283 
 
 To fully develop its power, it must receive a peculiar 
 vibratory shock, which breaks up the molecule. This may 
 be imparted by a concussion, either immediate or remote, 
 and it has been done by a note from a violin. 
 
 But it does not always explode by concussion, probably 
 because the conditions are not fuUy complied with. An ex- 
 ploder suspended over the glycerine in a partially-filled car- 
 tridge has been exploded without affecting the glycerine. 
 
 Containing-bottles have been smashed, and no further 
 injury resulted. 
 
 When nitro-glycerine is allowed to drop on a hot plate, we 
 have the following actions : 
 
 If the plate is moderately hot, it volatilizes quietly. 
 
 If red-hot, it volatilizes instantly. 
 
 If just hot enough to cause the nitro-glycerine to boil, it 
 explodes violently, or detonates. 
 
 The best method of exploding is to fire an exploder im- 
 mersed in the liquid nitro-glycerine by electricity. The ex- 
 ploder should be charged with a fulminate. 
 
 The products of decomposition are given differently. The 
 Engineering Journal (November 17, 1871) gives this : 
 
 One grm. nitro-glycerine gives 284 c. c. of the following 
 gases at 0° C. and 29.7 inches (75.5°'") barometrical pressure : 
 
 Carbonic acid 45.72 ^ 
 
 Binoxide of nitrogen 20.36 j. volume. 
 
 Nitrogen 33.92 j 
 
 100.00 
 Wagner gives this : 
 
 Water, (steam) 20.00 
 
 Carbonic acid 58.00 
 
 Oxygen 3.50 
 
 Nitrogen 18.50 
 
 100.00 parts. 
 
284 THE NA VAL A CADEMY. 
 
 According to experiments made in Belgium, the combus- 
 tion of nitro-glycerine does not yield free oxygen, but a large 
 quantity of nitrogen suboxide, according to the formula 
 
 2 (C3 H5 N3 O9) = 6 CO2+ s H2O + N2O + 4 N 
 
 When fully exploded, no poisonous gases are given off; but 
 when imperfectly, oxides of nitrogen are formed, and the 
 whole quantity of gas will be lessened. (Hill.) 
 
 Its firing-point has been given as 180° C. M. P. Champion 
 did not find this to be the case. M. Leygue designed an 
 apparatus by means of which M. Champion prepared the 
 following table, giving the various changes at different tem- 
 peratures to which nitro-glycerine may be subjected : 
 365° F., boils, volatilizes with disengagement of yellow vapor. 
 381° F., evaporates slowly. 
 3j2° F., evaporates rapidly. 
 422° F., deflagrates violently. 
 442° F., deflagrates lively. 
 465° F., detonates with difficulty. 
 494° F., detonates very perfectly and violently. 
 512° F., detonates feebly. 
 548° F., detonates feebly with flame. 
 
 Mowbray, Appendix. 
 
 At a dark-red heat, nitro-glycerine assimies the spheroidal 
 state, and evaporates without explosion. 
 
 The following table gives the temperature at which certain 
 explosive substances burn or detonate : 
 
 Degrees F. 
 
 Powder used in the Chassep6t rifle 380 
 
 Fulminate of mercury ^ 3^2 
 
 Mixture of equal parts of sulpuur and K CI O 392: 
 
 Abel's gun-cotton, compressed 400 
 
 Gun-cotton, loose 428 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 28s 
 
 Sulphur burns in air 475 
 
 Nitro-glycerine explodes 493 
 
 Sulphuret of antimony i part, chlorate of potash i part, 
 explodes 536 
 
 Sporting-gunpowder 540 
 
 Cannon-powder 563 
 
 Picrate of mercury, of lead, of iron 565 
 
 Designolle's tOrpedo-powder, (picrate;) artificial saffron 600 
 Picric acid, picrates of magnesia, of ammonia, of potash 605 
 Musket picrate powder 610 
 
 Cannon-powder, quickened with picrate 716 
 
 Various methods have been devised Avhereby nitro-glyc- 
 erine may be rendered safer to use. (Mowbray, Appendix.) 
 
 Mowbray has made the following : 
 
 Nitro-glycerine, 30 pts. 
 Nitro-toluol, 10 pts. 
 
 This will not explode by blows, burns when thrown on a 
 fire, and explodes only with a very heavy charge of fulmi- 
 nate, fifteen or twenty grains. 
 
 The chief drawback is that it does not solidify at a mod- 
 erate temperature, and is thus liable to evaporate, leaving the 
 . glycerine unprotected. 
 
 Nobel dissolves it in wood-spirit, and separates it by add- 
 ing water. Seeley says of this : 
 
 (i) Wood-spirit is expensive, and is lost in the large amount 
 of water used to wash it away; 
 
 (2) It may evaporate, being volatile, and leave the nitro- 
 glycerine unprotected ; 
 
 (3) Chemical action takes place between these two bodies ; 
 
 (4) Vapor of wood-spirit is very volatile, and forms with 
 air an explosive mixture. 
 
 The most common method is to mix the nitro-glycerine 
 
286 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 with moist matter. The principal of these mixtures used for 
 ilasting are the following : 
 
 Dynamite. — Is a mixture of nitro-glycerine with siliceous 
 earth, infusoria, tripoli, rotten-stone, &c. These are very- 
 good absorbents, taking up two or three times their own 
 weight of the explosive. When frozen solid, it is inexplosive ; 
 but, if in grains, it can be exploded. It is not very sensitive 
 to friction or percussion. With 75% of nitro-glycerine, it is 
 about six times as strong as powder. It should be dry. It 
 is liable to exudation. 
 
 Giant-powder. — Dynamite No. 2. — This is dynamite mixed 
 with nitrate of potash or soda, with perhaps a little paraffine 
 and charcoal. 
 
 Lithofracteur, or "Hetid-rock." — Nitro-glycerine and finely- 
 divided powder, or nitro-glycerine, kieselguhr, coal, sulphur, 
 and potassium or sodium nitrate. 
 
 Dualin. — Sawdust and nitro-glycerine, containing some- 
 times a little saltpeter;, the best is about half as strong as 
 nitro-glycerine alone. 
 
 Porifera nitroleum. — Nitro-glycerine and sponge, or other 
 vegetable fiber. 
 
 Metalline nitroleum. — Nitro-glycerine and red lead or other 
 metallic powder. 
 
 Selenitic powder. — Nitro-glycerine and plaster of Paris. 
 
 Titanite. — Granulated gun-cotton and nitro-glycerine. 
 
 Vulcanite. — Rifle-powder and nitro-glycerine. 
 
 Mica-powder. — Mica scales coated with nitro-glycerine. 
 This congeals at about the same temperature as nitro-glyc- 
 erine. In this condition, a lump burns like saltpeter. It is 
 nearly as powerful as nitro-glycerine. It is unlike dynamite 
 in being coated, while, in the latter, the nitro-glycerine is 
 absorbed. Infusorial silica, being so great an absorbent, has 
 come into use to quite an extent, and may be taken as one 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 287 
 
 1 
 
 of the best representatives of the class of absorbents, so that 
 dynamite may be compared with mica-powder. To show 
 the difference, I have the following direct from Mr. Mow- 
 bray : 
 
 50% of nitro-glycerine. 
 
 50% of infusoria, (rotten-stone burned to a red heat.) 
 
 " This mixture will not explode, nor will it burn when flame 
 is applied to it. 
 
 " ( 12%' of nitro-glycerine. 
 ( 88% of mica scales. 
 
 " This will explode violently, and burns when lighted. 
 
 " Evidently, the explosive power of nitro-glycerine is partly 
 lost when mixed with infusoria. Only when there is a per- 
 centage of 66-75 parts of nitro-glycerine to 34-25 parts of 
 infusoria, does it make a good explosive. 
 
 "Again, 
 
 " 50% of nitro-glycerine ( is not as ) 50% of nitro-glycerine, 
 " S°% oi powdered mxc^i \ good as / 50% of mica scales. 
 
 "Fifty per cent, of nitro-glycerine with mica scales was much 
 more effective than 77% of infusoria with nitro-glycerine in 
 artificial blocks of stone. In fact, whenever nitro-glycerine 
 is absorbed, instead of being superficially coated over inert 
 matter, there is a considerable loss of force." 
 
 This is further evident when we compare the relative force 
 of the two with nitro-glycerine. 
 
 Theoretically, calling nitro-glycerine ten times as strong as 
 powder, dynamite containing 75%^ should be seven and a half 
 times as strong. Mica-powder is nearly as strong as the ex- 
 plosive itself. The latter can be fired after being in water ; 
 the former cannot, which is a very important consideration 
 in wet ledges and submarine work. 
 
 The following table gives various mixtures of nitro-glyc- 
 erine with other substances, together with their sensitiveness: 
 
THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 
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Note F. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 289 
 
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 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
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NoteF. APPEXDIX. 291 
 
 While the mixture of nitro-glycerine with inert matter may 
 at times be useful, provided that a due distribution and not a 
 loss of force is had, the adulteration by other explosives, as 
 powder, picrates, &c., in order to make it stronger and act 
 quicker, is entirely useless, and necessarily fails in its purpose. 
 
 Nitro-glycerine, being in itself the strongest and most rapid 
 explosive used for blasting, cannot be aided by the addition 
 of any of its older and slower rivals. Their action is so much 
 behind that of nitro-glycerine that their force is wasted and 
 consequently useless. 
 
 The comparative power of powder and nitro-glycerine has 
 been variously estimated. Ehvyn Waller (Chemical News) 
 makes the following: 
 
 A measure containing 1 cubic foot will hold 796 ounces of 
 blasting-powder and 997.1 ounces of water; i. e., the sp. gr. 
 of powder is about .8. The sp. gr. of nitro-glycerine is 1.6; 
 therefore, bulk for bulk, supposing explosive power to be the 
 same for same mass, nitro-glycerine is twice as strong as pow- 
 der. In reality, the following vols, of gas are generated : 
 I vol. most effective powder gives 22 1.4 vols, carbonic-acid gas. 
 
 74.6 vols, nitrogen. 
 
 296.0 vols. gas. 
 1 vol. of another, exploding at a lower temperature, gives — 
 
 391 vols, carbon protoxide. 
 66 vols, of nitrogen. 
 
 457 vols. gas. 
 I vol. of nitro-glycerine gives 469 vols, carbonic anhydride. 
 
 554 vols, steam. 
 39 vols, oxygen. 
 236 vols, nitrogen. 
 
 1298 vols, gas disengaged. 
 
292 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 These vols, are at 0° C, except steam, 100° C. 
 
 For 1000° C, supposed temperature of exploding gunpow- 
 der, we have, using the formula V = V (i + a ^), 
 
 For (i) powder, 1480 vols. 
 
 For (2) powder, 2285 vols. 
 
 rnhe supposed temperature of exploding nitro-glycerine is 
 2000° C. By this same formula we have vol. of gas equals 
 10,007. Taking into account the specific gravities, we have 
 for the nitro-glycerine 21,214 vols.; nearly ten times the 
 amount of gas from the powder yielding the most gas. 
 
 M. Berthbllet gives this table. The first column indicates 
 heat furnished by one kilogram of the matter under con- 
 sideration; the second, the volume of gas disengaged; the 
 third, the resulting product of the two quantities, serving as 
 an approximate estimate of the explosive power : 
 
 Heat. Vol. of gas. Est. exp. force . 
 
 Blasting-powder 509 units, 0.173 liter) 88 
 
 Artillery-powder 608 units, 0.225 ^^^^^1 137 
 
 Sporting-powder 641 units, 0.216 liter, 139 
 
 Powder, nitrate of soda for 
 
 base. 764 units, 0.248 liter, 190 
 
 Powder, chlorate of potash 
 
 for base 972 units, 0.318 liter, 309 
 
 Gun-cotton 59b units, 0.801 liter, 472 
 
 Picric acid 687 units, 0.780 liter, 536 
 
 Potassium picrate 578 miits, 0.585 liter, 337 
 
 Gun-cotton mixed with 
 
 chlorate of potash 1420 units, 0.484 liter, 680 
 
 Picric acid mixed with 
 
 chlorate of potash 1424 units, 0.408 liter, 582 
 
 Picrate mixed with chlo- 
 rate of potash 1422 units, 0.337 liter, 478 
 
 Nitro-glycerine 1320 units, 0.710 liter, 939 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 293 
 
 M. Papillon describes tri-nitro-glycerine as "the ideal of 
 portable force : it bums completely, without residue, in fact 
 gives an excess of oxygen; develops twice as much heat as 
 powder, three and a half times more gas, and has seven 
 times the explosive force, weight for weight, and, taken 
 volume for volume, it possesses twelve times more energy." 
 
 M. BerthoUet says: "Theoretically, there is but one sub- 
 stance which can surpass it — liquefied protoxide of nitrogen, 
 whose energy is represented by 1000." 
 
 But this cannot be used; for the gases must be reduced to 
 liquids, and hermetically sealed, in which form they must be 
 mixed and fired to obtain the full force. But, in all these 
 calculations, the consideration of rapidity, which must greatly 
 heighten the effect, is not taken into account. 
 
 The extreme rapidity with which nitro-glycerine decom- 
 poses is the reason why it does not have to be confined. In 
 the short time such decomposition takes place, the air, press- 
 ing down with a force of over a ton per square foot, cannot 
 be raised, and consequently the body on which it rests must 
 give way. 
 
 The many accidents which have occurred with nitro-glycer- 
 ine have been generally due to ignorance or carelessness, and 
 used properly it is safer than many other weaker explosives. 
 Finally, the greatly superior power of nitro-glycerine, its free- 
 dom from noxious and offensive gases during combustion, 
 the great rapidity of decomposition in explosion, and its 
 safety when intelligently used, are destined to make it the 
 important agent in all great public and national works where 
 there is need of the strongest and most rapid blasting ma- 
 terial. 
 
29A 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 CHLORATES. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman James H. Glennon, Third Class. 
 
 United States Naval Academy, 
 
 J-une 9, 1876. 
 
 Of the compounds of chlorine and oxygen, the most im- 
 portant is perhaps chloric acid, which gives rise to a series 
 of compounds called chlorates. The chlorates are all soluble 
 in water, although some are only so to a very slight extent. 
 Mixtures containing them are very sensitive to friction and 
 percussion, and the operation of mixing them is an extremely 
 dangerous one. A characteristic of the class is that all the 
 chlorates are decomposed by heat, giving off all or part of 
 their oxygen. If potassium chlorate (KCIO3) be taken, it 
 may be decomposed in accordance with the reaction, 
 KCr03 = KCl-f3 0. 
 
 In the case taken, however, the decomposition of potassium 
 chlorate into potassium chloride and oxygen would be effected 
 only at a very high temperature. But if potassium chlorate 
 be mixed with black oxide of manganese (Mn O2), though the 
 oxide will not be affected, the oxygen will be given off at a 
 much lower temperature from the potassium chlorate. All 
 the chlorates except one deflagrate when thrown on lighted 
 charcoal. Thus, with ammonium chlorate, the following 
 reaction takes place : 
 
 2(NH4)C103 + 3C = 2(NH4)C1 + 3C02 
 All the chlorates give up their oxygen readily to combus- 
 tible substances, especially when heated, combining with some, 
 as phosphorus (P), sulphur (S), antimony (Sb), with sufficient 
 violence to cause an explosion. On this account, they are 
 much used for fireworks and colored fires ; the metal with 
 which they are combined imparting different colors to the 
 flame. 
 
Note F. 
 
 APPEXDIX. 
 
 295 
 
 The following are a few of the characteristic colors as im- 
 
 ijd.1 ICKl , 
 
 Substance. 
 
 Formula. 
 
 Color of flame. 
 
 Potassium chlorate, 
 
 KCIO3, 
 
 Violet. 
 
 Sodium chlorate, 
 
 NaClOa, 
 
 Yellow. 
 
 Copper chlorate, 
 
 CuCUOe, 
 
 Blue. 
 
 Strontium chlorate, 
 
 SrCUOs, 
 
 Red. 
 
 Barium chlorate, 
 
 BaCUOs, 
 
 Green. 
 
 A mixture which detonates powerfully may be obtained by 
 mixing powdered antimony tersulphide (Sb2S3) and potassium 
 chlorate (K CI O3) by means of a feather. Potassium chlorate 
 is also used as the basis of many fuse-mixtures. Many are 
 so liable to explosion as to be unfit for use. The following 
 are taken from a treatise on explosives by Professor Hill, of 
 the Torpedo Station at Newport : 
 
 CHLORATE MIXTURES. 
 
 Potassium chlorate, K CI O3, with rosin. 
 
 Potassium chlorate, KCIO3, with galls (Horsley's powder). 
 
 Potassium chlorate, KCIO3, with gambier (Oriental pow- 
 der). 
 
 Potassium chlorate, KCIO3, with sugar (used in fuses). 
 
 Potassium chlorate, K CI O3, with potassium ferrocyanide, 
 K4 Fe CNe. 
 
 Potassium chlorate, KCIO3, with tannin (Erhardt's pow- 
 der). 
 
 Potassium chlorate, K CI O3, with sulphur (Pertuiset pow- 
 der). 
 
 The mixture of potassium chlorate and potassium ferrocy- 
 anide is known as the "white or German gunpowder," and 
 is used in the cartridges of the needle-gun. Pertuiset powder 
 is used in explosive bullets. 
 
 Potassium chlorate (KCIO3) is composed of 31.89 parts.by 
 
296 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 weight of potassium (K), 28.95 parts of chlorine (CI), and 
 39.16 of oxygen (O). At the ordinary temperature it exists 
 as white crystals, which are rhombic and tabular. It is solu- 
 ble, according to Wagner, in 16 parts of water at 15.8°, in 8 
 parts at 35°, and in 1.6 parts at 100°. It is not altered by 
 exposure to the air; from this fact it derives its advantage 
 over sodium chlorate (NaClOs), which, being hygroscopic, 
 absorbs moisture when so exposed. Potassium chlorate, and, 
 in fact, all the chlorates, may be prepared from chloric acid. 
 Chloric acid is itself prepared from barium chlorate (Ba 
 CljOe) by the action of sulphuric acid (H2SO4), 
 
 BaCl2 06+H2S04 = 2HC103+BaS04 
 
 Any chlorate may be prepared by neutralizing chloric acid 
 by means of the oxide or carbonate of the metal. Thus, for 
 lead chlorate, taking lead oxide (PbO), 
 
 PbO + 2HC103 = PbCl20B+H20 
 and for potassium chlorate, taking potassium carbonate (K^ 
 
 eo3), 
 
 K2C03+2HC103=2KC103+H2C03 
 
 Potassium chlorate may be better prepared as follows : 
 A current of chlorine (Cl)-is passed into a saturated solu- 
 tion of potassium hydrate (K H O). Potassium chlorate is 
 produced in accordance with the reaction, 
 
 6KHO + 6Cl = 5KCl+KC103-f3H2 
 This, however, is not economical in practice. It is there- 
 fore customary, on a large scale, to use calcium chlorate 
 (Ca CI2 Oe) instead of potassium hydrate ( K H O). Calcium 
 chlorate is itself prepared bypassing chlorine (CI) through a 
 boiling solution of milk of lime (Ca H2 Oj). By the addition 
 of potassium chloride (KCl) to calcium chlorate, potassium 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 297 
 
 chlorate is formed, which may be separated from the calcium 
 chloride (CaClj), formed by crystallization, 
 
 CaCl206+2KCl=2KC103+CaCl2 
 
 111 order that much energy may be brought into action on 
 the explosion of substances, the volume occupied by the 
 results of the explosion must be very great as compared 
 with the original volume. It might be said, not taking into 
 consideration the expansion of the gases formed by the heat 
 produced, that the -work done will be proportional to the 
 resulting volumes as compared with the original. 
 
 Now, the products of the decomposition of ammonium 
 chlorate ( (NH4)C103) are all gaseous. 
 
 Thus, 
 
 (NH4)C103=(NH4)Cl + 30 
 
 Ammonium chloride ((NH4)Cl),at the ordinary tempera- 
 ture, is a solid; but, at the high temperature produced, it exists 
 as ammonia (NH3) and chlorhydric acid (H CI), both of 
 which are gaseous. If two molecules of potassium chlorate 
 be taken from it, we may obtain three molecules of oxygen (O) 
 and two molecules of potassium chloride. But the potas- 
 sium chloride formed, being a solid, occupies but very little 
 space. The three volumes of oxygen are, however, gaseous 
 In the case of ammonium chlorate, however, we obtain not 
 only the three volumes of oxygen, but two other volumes of 
 gas, or, in all, five volumes. Now, as a molecule of ammo- 
 nium chlorate weighs only ' — ^as much as a molecule of 
 122.6 
 
 potassium chlorate, it can be seen that for equal weights of the 
 two, nearly twice as great a volume of gas can be obtained 
 from ammonium chlorate as from potassium chlorate. 
 
 Ammonium chlorate has another advantage over other 
 chlorates. This is that no residue is left when it is decom- 
 posed. In the case of potassium chlorate, the potassium 
 
298 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 chloride is solid, and remains as a residue. Unfortunately, 
 however, ammonium chlorate explodes even at ordinary tem- 
 peratures from no apparent reason, so that it is very danger- 
 ous to use it. Consequently it has never gained the place 
 that the less explosive potassium salt has. It has been found 
 in pyrotechny that the perchlorate of potassium (KCI2O4) is 
 preferable to the chlorate, being less dangerous to manipu- 
 late, and, owing to the different arrangement of the atoms, it 
 emits more light. 
 
 Barium chlorate is prepared by saturating aqueous chloric 
 acid with barium hydrate or carbonate, 
 
 2HClO3 + BaH202 = BaCl2Oe + 2H2O 
 2 HC103+BaC03 = BaCl206-|-H20 + C02 
 It detonates powerfully with combustibles, producing a 
 green flame when heated with sulphur (Duflos), and emitting 
 a bright flashing light with sulphuric acid. According to 
 Hutstein, it emits light on crystaUizing. 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Barium (Ba) 45-2 2 
 
 Oxygen (O) 31.68 
 
 Chlorine (CI) • 23.10 
 
 100.00 
 Calcium chlorate is prepared like barium chlorate. With 
 water, it forms deliquescent crystals. When heated, these 
 first dissolve in their water of crystallization, and decompose 
 at a higher temperature. , 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Calcium (Ca) 19.42 
 
 Oxygen (O) 46.60 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 33.98 
 
 100.00 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 299 
 
 Cupric chlorate (Cu CI2 Oe) detonates on red-hot carbon, 
 and is used in pyrotechny for the production of a green fire. 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Copper (Cu) 27.64 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 30.52 
 
 Oxygen (O) 41-84 
 
 100.00 
 Magnesium chlorate (MgCljOe) is easily soluble in alcohol. 
 With water, it forms deliquescent crystals, which melt at 40°, 
 and give off their water at 120°. 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Magnesium (Mg) 12.63 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 38.64 
 
 Oxygen (O) S°-53 
 
 100.00 
 Uranium chlorate (Ur CI2 Co) decomposes spontaneously, 
 evolving chlorine and oxygen. 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Uranium (Ur) 41.96 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 24.47 
 
 Oxygen (O) 33-57 
 
 100.00 
 Manganese chlorate (Mn CIu Oe) is known only in solution. 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Manganese (Mn) 24.89 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 31.67 
 
 Oxygen (0) 43-44 
 
 100.00 
 
300 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Mercuric chlorate (Hg CI2 Oe) is obtained by dissolving 
 mercuric oxide in warm chloric acid; mercuric chloride crys- 
 tallizes out and mercuric chlorate remains in solution. Mer- 
 curic chlorate forms with water crystals which are deliques- 
 cent. It is resolved bylieat into oxygen, mercurous chloride, 
 and mercury. It does not deflagrate on red-hot charcoal. 
 
 Percentage composiiion. 
 
 Mercury (Hg) 54.64 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 19-13 
 
 Oxygen (O) 26.23 
 
 100.00 
 Silver chlorate (Ag CI O3). deflagrates on red-hot coals. 
 When mixed with sulphur, it detonates violently on very 
 slight pressure. Chlorhydricacid (H CI), nitric acid (H NO3),. 
 and acetic acid (C^ H4 O^) convert it into the chloride. 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Silver (Ag) 56.39 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 18.54 
 
 Oxygen (O) 25-07 
 
 100.00 
 Sodium chlorate (Na CI O3) is, next to potassium and am- 
 monium chlorates, perhaps the most important of the chlo- 
 rates. It would perhaps be used even more than the po- 
 tassium chlorate, were it not for the fact that it is hygroscopic, 
 and consequently cannot be kept in the air for any length of 
 time without absorbing moisture. The gas resulting from 
 the explosion of equal weights of the potassium and sodium 
 chlorate is the greater in the case of the sodium chlorates. 
 
Note F. APPENDIX, 301 
 
 Percentage composition. 
 
 Sodium (Na) 21.60 
 
 Chlorine (CI) 33.33 
 
 Oxygen (O) 45.07 
 
 100.00 
 Of the other chlorates, some are known only in solution ; 
 some, like the ammonium chlorate, decompose spontaneously ; 
 while others, like the potassium chlorate (K CI O3), are per- 
 manent, but all to some extent soluble in water except one. 
 
 The two following analyses are of the same sample of 
 powder : 
 
 ANALYSIS OF GUNPOWDER. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman Harry P. Huse, Third Class, U. S. N. A., 1876. 
 
 U. S. Naval Academy Laboratory, 
 
 May 30, 1876. 
 The following are the results of an analysis of gunpowder 
 No. 2 made in this laboratory. The gunpowder was un- 
 glazed, and had a slightly brownish tinge. Some impurities 
 were present, preventing any very accurate results : 
 
 I. NITER. 
 
 Weight of crystal -(- powder 10.5989 
 
 Weight of crystal 6.0019 
 
 Weight of powder 4-5970 
 
 Weight of evaporating-dish and niter 69.4857 
 
 Weight of evaporating-dish 66.0499 
 
 Weight of niter 3-43S8 
 
 3.4358-^-4.5970 = .7474 
 ••■ ? = 74-74% 
 
302 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 II. SULPHUR. 
 
 Weight of crystal + powder 9.1048 
 
 Weight of crystal , 6.0026 
 
 Weight of powder 3.1022 
 
 Weight of Ba S O4 + crucible X filter-ash 14.0707 
 
 Weight of crucible 1 1.5640 
 
 Weight of Ba S O4 + filter-ash , ._ 2.5067 
 
 Weight of filter-ash 0.0003 
 
 Weight of BaSOi 2.5064 
 
 2 .5064 grams Ba S O4 = .3442 grams S, equivalent to 1 1 .09 "^ 
 .•.50 = 11.09% 
 
 III. CARBON. 
 
 Weight of crystal -f powder 10.0551 
 
 Weight of crystal 6.0069 
 
 Weight of powder 4.0482 
 
 Weight of carbon -f filter i-i497 
 
 Weight of filter 0.4905 
 
 Weight of carbon 0.6592 
 
 0.6592 -7- 4.0482 ^ .1629 
 ■•■ f= 16.29% 
 
 IV. MOISTFRE. 
 
 Weight of glass + powder 46.9350 
 
 Weight of glass 38.3407 
 
 Weight of powder 8.5943 
 
Note F. APPEAWIX. 303 
 
 Weight of glass + powder 46.9350 
 
 Weight of glass + powder (air-bath, 24 hours at 
 
 60° C) 46.8524 
 
 Loss of weight 0826 
 
 .0826 -T- 8.5943 = .0096 
 .■.^=.96% 
 
 RESULTS. 
 
 Niter 74-74% 
 
 Sulphur 1 1-°9% 
 
 Carbon 13-21% 
 
 Moisture 96% 
 
 The results in the case of the carbon not being accurate, 
 owing to the fact that the ammonium sulphydrate did not 
 dissolve all the sulphur, the percentage of carbon was deter- 
 mined by difference. 
 
 METHOD OF ANALYSIS. 
 
 The analysis was conducted in the following manner: 
 
 To determine the niter : 
 
 Weigh out from 4 to 5 grams of the powder, and place it 
 in a beaker-glass, covering it with about 50 cm^. of distilled 
 water; then boil it for some time. When it has been heated 
 for a sufficient length of time to dissolve the niter, filter the 
 solution, and wash the residue with hot water until no signs 
 of niter occur in the filtrate. 
 
 The filtrate is then poured into an evaporating-dish, the 
 weight of which has been previously ascertained, and evap- 
 orated to dryness over a water-bath. The dish is then thor- 
 oughly dried by ignition, and, when cool, weighed. The 
 
304 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 difference in the weights of the dish before and after the ex- 
 periment will give the weight of the niter. 
 
 To determine the amount of carbon : 
 
 Weigh out about 4 grams of the powder and place it in a 
 beaker-flask, covering it with from 20 to 30 cm^. of ammonium 
 sulphydrate. This will dissolve out the sulphur. We then 
 filter it through a filter-paper previously dried at 100° C. and 
 weighed, washing out the niter by means of boiling water. 
 Then dry the filter, first in an evaporating-dish, then in the 
 air-bath at 100° C, and weigh it. This weight, minus the 
 weight of the filter-paper, gives the weight of carbon. 
 
 To determine the sulphur : 
 
 Place from 3 to 4 grams of the powder in a beaker-flask, 
 and cover it with a small amount of nitric acid (fuming). 
 Heat gently over a water-bath, adding, from time to time, 
 small quantities of potassium chlorate. The sulphur and 
 carbon are oxidized to sulphuric acid and carbon dioxide; 
 the latter going off as a gas, and the former uniting with the 
 water resulting from the decomposition of the nitric acid, 
 and with the potassium of the potassium chlorate. During 
 ■the first part of the operation, nitrous fumes are given off, 
 and, when these cease, the flask is filled with a greenish gas, 
 chlorine and oxides of chlorine. When the oxidation is com- 
 pleted, the solution will be perfectly clear, and of a yellowish- 
 brown color. It is now transferred to an evaporating-dish, 
 and evaporated to dryness ; when it has reached this state, 
 hydrochloric acid is added until the solution is strongly acid. 
 It is again evaporated to dryness, and very dilute chlorhydric 
 acid added. The object of all this is to drive off' the chloric 
 acid by decomposing the excess of potassium chlorate' by 
 chlorhydric acid, forming potassium chloride and oxides of 
 chlorine. The solution is then heated, and the sulphuric 
 acid is precipitated with barium chloride, and the liquid por- 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 3°S 
 
 tion filtered off. The precipitate is thoroughly washed with 
 hot water, removing all the traces of barium and potassium 
 chlorides. The filter-paper containing the residue is dried, 
 placed in a porcelain capsule, and ignited. The weight of 
 the capsule being known, as also that of the ash of the filter- 
 paper, we may find the amount of barium sulphate, and from 
 that the weight of the sulphur. The presence of traces of 
 barium chloride in the precipitate would be shown by its 
 grayish color. 
 
 To determine the moisture : 
 
 The powder is placed in a watch-glass, covered over with 
 another glass, the two being held together by a spring. It 
 is then placed in the air-bath for about twenty-four hours, 
 and kept at a temperature of about 60°. It is taken out, 
 weighed when cold, and the difference in weight before and 
 after the heating ascertained. This difference is the weight 
 of the moisture. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF GUNPOWDER No. 2. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman H. Kimmel, Third Class, 1876. 
 
 Gunpowder is a mechanical mixture of niter, charcoal, sul- 
 phur, and moisture. 
 
 NITER. 
 
 The separation of the niter from the other constituents 
 depends upon the fact that it is soluble in water, while the sul- 
 phur and charcoal are not, and that it is much more soluble 
 ill hot water than in cold. The niter is then obtained, free 
 from moisture, by evaporating the solution to dryness, and 
 then igniting it. 
 
 I put a weighed quantity of powder in a beaker about half 
 full of distilled water, and heated it upon an iron stand, being 
 careful not to allow the water to boil, as, in that case, some 
 of the niter might be lost. It was heated until the powder 
 
3o6 THE A^AVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 lost its granular condition, then allowed to settle, after which 
 the solution was filtered. Hot water was added to the resi- 
 due in the beaker, which was passed through the filter, and 
 the charcoal and sulphur were washed with hot water, until 
 the water passing through the filter showed no traces of po- 
 tassium when tested in the flame. I then poured the filtrate 
 into a perfectly clean evaporating-dish, previously weighed, 
 and evaporated it to dryness over the water-bath, and then 
 ignited it to incipient fusion to remove the last traces of 
 moisture. I allowed the dish to cool, and then weighed it, 
 and the difference between this weight and the weight of the 
 dish was the weight of niter in the given weight of powder, 
 from which the per cent, of nitre can be calculated. 
 The following was the result obtained : 
 
 Weight of glass and powder 12.8278 
 
 Weight of glass 6.0014 
 
 Weight of powder ■, 6.8264 
 
 Weight of dish and niter 70.1358 
 
 Weight of dish 65.0745 
 
 Weight of niter - , 5.0613 
 
 11^x100 = 74.140/ of niter. 
 
 SULPHUR. 
 
 A quantity of powder was weighed out in the same man- 
 ner as for the determination of the niter, put into a beaker- 
 flask, and covered with strong nitric acid. The flask was 
 heated gently, and, from time to time, small pieces of potas- 
 sium chlorate were added to aid in the oxidation of the sul- 
 phur and carbon; the former being oxidized to sulphuric acid 
 and the latter to carbon dioxide. The potassium nitrate and 
 chlorate were converted into potassium sulphate and potas- 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 307 
 
 sium chloride, and there was also left an excess of potassium 
 chlorate. It was then put into an evaporating-dish and evap- 
 orated about one-half, then treated with strong chlorhydric 
 acid, which converted the remaining potassium chlorate into 
 potassium chloride, and oxides of chlorine were given off. I 
 heated the liquid until it was evaporated to dryness and the 
 oxides of chlorine were all given off, and then added chlorhy- 
 dric acid and distilled water, and heated until completely dis- 
 solved. It was then poured into a beaker, diluted with dis- 
 tilled water, heated gently, and a solution of barium chloride 
 was added to it. The sulphuric acid acted upon the barium 
 chloride, and barium sulphate was formed and deposited as a 
 white precipitate. The barium sulphate was boiled with distilled 
 water to dissolve all the potassium chloride, so that it could 
 pass through the filter, and filtered through a filter the weight 
 of whose ash was known. After allowing the filter to dry, it 
 was placed with its contents in a porcelain crucible, which 
 had been previously ignited and weighed. The crucible with 
 its contents was ignited until the paper was reduced to a white 
 ash. When cool, it was weighed, and the total weight, minus 
 the weight of filter-ash and crucible, was equal to weight of 
 barium sulphate, from which the weight, and therefore the 
 per cent, of sulphur, can be obtained. 
 
 Weight of glass and powder 8.6144 
 
 Weight of glass 6.0043 
 
 Weight of powder 2.6101 
 
 Weight of dish and Ba S O4 13.1262 
 
 Weight of dish and filter-ash (.0003) 10.9985 
 
 Weight of Ba S O4 2.1277 
 
 2.1277 X ^' = .2922 weight of sulphur. 
 
 ^ " ^ X 100 = 11.2 0% of sulphur. 
 2.6101 
 
3o8 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 MOISTURE. 
 
 For this purpose, two watch-glasses, held together by a 
 wire-spring, contain the powder. The apparatus is weighed, 
 and a given weight of powder is then put between the glasses. 
 The glasses are opened a little, so as to allow the moisture to 
 escape, and then put into an air-bath, where they are kept 
 twenty-four hours at a temperature of 60° C. They are then 
 taken out, the glasses shut to keep out all moisture, and 
 weighed: the difference between the weight before and after 
 being placed in the bath is the weight of the moisture, and 
 from this the per cent, of moisture can be obtained. 
 
 Weight of glasses, spring, and powder 42.8483 
 
 Weight of glasses and spring 32-3359 
 
 Weight of powder 10.5124 
 
 Weight with moisture 42.8483 
 
 Weight without moisture 42.7480 
 
 Weight of moisture 1003 
 
 ■:}— X 100 = .gc 5/ of moisture. 
 
 10.5124 " 
 
 CHARCOAL. 
 
 The separation of charcoal from the other constituents de- 
 pends upon the solubility of niter in hot water and sulphur 
 in ammonium sulphydrate. The weighed powder is placed 
 in a beaker-flask and completely covered with ammonium 
 sulphydrate and heated very gently over the water-bath. In 
 a few moments the sulphur is dissolved, and the carbon and 
 niter remain. The mixture is filtered through a weighed 
 filter, and thoroughly washed with hot water to remove the 
 niter. It is washed with water and sulphydrate until no 
 traces of niter or sulphur remain in the filter. The filter is 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 309 
 
 then placed in the air-bath, where it remains for twenty-four 
 hours at 100° C, thus removing all moisture. At the end of 
 that time it is removed and weighed ; the weight, minus weight 
 of filter, being weight of charcoal, from which per cent, of 
 charcoal may be determined. 
 
 Weight of glass and powder 17.0269 
 
 Weight of glass 6.6093 
 
 Weight of powder 10.4176 
 
 Weight of filter and charcoal 2.059 
 
 Weight or filter 3706 
 
 Weight of charcoal i .6884 
 
 -'- % X i°o X 16.20 "r- of charcoal. 
 
 10.4176 
 
 As there appears to be some inaccuracy in the work, and 
 this is most likely to be in the charcoal, we will take the per 
 cent, of this constituent by difference : 
 
 100 %■ — 86.29% = 13-71% of carbon. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 Niter 74.14 
 
 Sulphur n.20 
 
 Carbon i3'7i 
 
 Moisture .95 
 
 100.00 
 
310 
 
 THE NA VAL ACADEMY. 
 
 ANALYSIS OF GUNPOWDER, REGULATION No. 12. 
 
 CANNON-POWDER, MADE BY ORIENTAL POWDER COMPANY, 
 SPECIFIC GRAVITY 1.754. 
 
 Bv Cadet-Midshipman F. C. Skinner, Third Class, 1876. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF NITER. 
 
 The separation of the niter from the other ingredients of 
 the gunpowder depends upon the fact that it is soluble in hot 
 water, while sulphur and carbon are not. 
 
 The manner of carrying on the analysis is as follows : A 
 watch-glass is first weighed alone and afterward with a quan- 
 tity of gunpowder : the difference in weight is the weight of 
 the gunpowder. The powder is next put into a beaker, cov- 
 ered with distilled water, and heated until the water boils. 
 By this process, the niter is dissolved by the water, and may 
 be separated, from the sulphur and carbon by filtration. An 
 evaporating-dish is then weighed, after having been ignited 
 and cooled, and the filtrate is evaporated to dryness in this 
 dish over a water-bath. The dish with its contents is again 
 ignited to incipient fusion to remove the last traces of moist- 
 ure. 
 
 After the dish has been allowed to cool, it is again weighed, 
 and the difference between its two weights is the weight of 
 the niter. 
 
 Having the weight of powder taken, and the weight of the 
 niter obtained from it, it is very easy to calculate what per 
 cent, of niter the powder contains. In gunpowder No. 4, 
 the following results were obtained : 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + powder 14.1453 
 
 Weight of watch-glass — powder 6.0026 
 
 Weight of powder taken , 8.1427 
 
notef. appendix. 31 r 
 
 Weight of evaporating-dish + K N O3 56.4263 
 
 Weight of evaporating-dish — K N O3 50.4798 
 
 Weight of K N O3 5-9465 
 
 5-9465 , . 
 
 a^ — - X 100 = ix-ox % of niter. 
 8.1427 '^ •^^» 
 
 DETERMINATION OF SULPHUR. 
 
 The gunpowder is weighed in the same manner as before, 
 and is put into a beaker-flask and covered with strong nitric 
 acid. The flask is then warmed and crystals of potassium chlo- 
 rate are thrown in from time to time. The sulphur and car- 
 bon are oxidized, the former to H2 S O4 and the latter to C O2. 
 The potassium nitrate and chlorate are converted into K2S0i 
 and potassium chloride, and there is also left an excess of 
 potassium chlorate. The liquid is then put into an evapo- 
 rating-dish and treated with chlorhydric acid, which converts 
 the remaining potassium chlorate into potassium chloride, and 
 oxides of chlorine are given off. Heat the liquid until it is 
 evaporated to dryness, and the oxides of chlorine are all 
 driven off. Dissolve the residue in chlorhydric acid and add 
 distilled water. When the solution is complete, transfer the 
 liquid to a beaker, dilute with distilled water, heat to gentle 
 ebullition, and add a solution of barium chloride. 
 
 The sulphuric acid of the solution acts upon the barium 
 chloride, and forms barium sulphate, which is precipitated as 
 a white powder. The liquid is decanted after the precipitate 
 has been allowed to settle, and the barium sulphate is then 
 boiled with distilled, water, which removes the potassium 
 chloride, and we have left nothing but barium sulphate. The 
 water with which the sulphate is mixed is then passed through 
 a filter, the weight of whose ash is known. After being 
 allowed to dry, the filter-paper with its contents is placed in 
 a porcelain crucible, which has been previously ignited. 
 
3 1 2 THE NAVAL A CADEMY. 
 
 cooled, and weighed. The crucible is then heated until the 
 filter-paper is reduced to a white ash, when it is allowed to 
 cool. 
 
 When entirely cooled, the crucible with its contents is 
 weighed, and from this weight is subtracted the weight of the 
 crucible and ash of the filter-paper : the remainder is the 
 weight of barium sulphate. 
 
 The method of calculating the weight of sulphur in this 
 weight of barium sulphate depends upon the law of definite 
 proportions. 
 
 The atomic weight of sulphur is 32; the molecular weight 
 
 of BaSOiis 233; therefore the weight of sulphur is -^ — of 
 
 233 
 
 the weight of barium sulphate. 
 
 Now, having the weight of sulphur, we may calculate what 
 proportion it bears to the weight of the powder taken : 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + powder , 7'S233 
 
 Weight of watch-glass — powder 6.0019 
 
 Weight of powder taken , 1-5214 
 
 Weight of crucible + BaSOi and ash of filter-paper, n.8561 
 Weight of crucible — BaSO^and ash of filter-paper. 10.7704 
 
 1.0857 
 Weight of ash of filter-paper 0003 
 
 Weight of barium sulphate 1-0854 
 
 32 
 
 — X 1.0854= .14907 
 
 .14907 
 
 1.5214 ^ '°° = 9'798X of sulphur. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF MOISTURE. 
 
 For determining the moisture, two watch-glasses, held to- 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 
 
 Z^Z 
 
 gether by a wire-spring, are used. This apparatus is weighed, 
 and then a quantity of powder is put between the glasses, 
 and the whole is weighed : the difference in the weights is the 
 weight of the powder. 
 
 The glasses are then opened a little, so as to allow the va- 
 pOr to escaj)e, and are put into an air-bath, where they are 
 kept for twenty-four hours at a temperature of 60° C. They 
 are then taken out, and the glasses are shut, and the whole is 
 again weighed. The loss in weight is due to the loss in moist- 
 ure. From this weight of moisture we calculate the per cent, 
 of moisture which the powder contains : 
 
 Weight of glasses + powder 46.6900 
 
 AVeight of glasses — powder 35-5172 
 
 AVeight of powder taken 11. 1728 
 
 Weight of glass + powder before heating 46.6900 
 
 Weight of glass + powder after heating 46.5470 
 
 Weight of moisture -1430 
 
 ^ -7. X 100 = 1.28 %oi moisture. 
 II. 1728 '" 
 
 DETERMINATION OF CARBON. 
 
 The separation of the carbon from the other constituents 
 of the gunpowder depends upon the solubility of sulphur in 
 ammonium sulphydrate and of niter in hot water. 
 
 The powder, after having been weighed, is put into a beaker- 
 flask and covered with ammonium sulphydrate and allowed 
 to stand for a few moments. The sulphur is dissolved and 
 the carbon and niter remain. The mixture is filtered on a 
 weighed filter, and thoroughly washed with boiling water, 
 which dissolves all the niter and leaves all the carbon on the 
 filter. 
 
314 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 The filter with the carbon is now put into an air-bath, and 
 remains there twenty-four hours, thus taking away all the 
 moisture. 
 
 Finally, the carbon and filter are weighed, and, subtracting 
 the weight of the filter, we find that of the carbon. From 
 this weight of carbon we calculate the per cent, of carbon 
 in the powder : 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + powder 12.4373 
 
 Weight of watch-glass — powder 6.0025 
 
 Weight of powder taken 6-4348 
 
 Weight of filter-paper + carbon 1-5041 
 
 Weight of filter-paper — carbon -S173 
 
 Weight of carbon .9868- 
 
 .9868 , ^ 
 
 5 g X i°° = 15-34% of carbon. 
 
 SUMMARY. 
 
 Niter 73.03 
 
 Sulphur ■ 9.80 
 
 Moisture 1.28 
 
 Carbon i5-34 
 
 99-45%" 
 
 ANALYSIS OF GUXPOWDER-CAKE. 
 By Cadet-Midshipman James H. Glennon, Third Class. 
 
 United States Naval Academy, 
 
 yune 9, 1876. 
 Gunpowder is composed of three chief constituents, nitre 
 (K N O3), carbon (C), and sulphur (S). Besides these, there 
 is generally another constituent in ordinary gunpowder. This 
 constituent is moisture, which enters the powder when ex- 
 posed. In analyzing gunpowder, the first thing necessary is 
 to determine the niter and then the other three constituents. 
 
NoteF. ■ APPENDIX. 315 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE NITER. 
 
 From four to five grams of the powder are poured upon 
 a watch-glass, the weight of which is known. The watch- 
 glass must be free from dust and moisture ; if any is present, 
 it can be seen, and should be wiped off. The watch-glass 
 and powder are weighed together. The weight of both, 
 minus the weight of the glass, is the weight of the powder 
 taken. 
 
 In order that we may be certain that no powder is lost, it 
 is well to weigh the glass after the powder has been taken. 
 In the case in question, gunpowder cake, some powder is 
 almost certain to remain upon the glass, as the powder is un- 
 glazed. The powder is emptied from the watch-glass into a 
 beaker, which has previously been cleaned, and rinsed with 
 distilled water. About 50 cna?. of distilled water is next 
 added to the powder, and it is then boiled for a certain length 
 of time. The object of this is to dissolve the niter. Care 
 must be taken that the boiling is not too tumultuous, as 
 niter may be lost mechanically. The liquid is next pc^^ired 
 upon a filter. As neither sulphur nor carbon are dissolved 
 by water, the filtrate contains only niter. But it is not cer- 
 tain that all the niter has been dissolved. Consequently, 
 fresh portions of boiling water are added from time to time 
 to the filter, until a drop of the filtrate, taken from the lower 
 extremity of the funnel, no longer colors the flame violet. 
 The filtrate is next placed in an evaporating-dish, the weight 
 of which has been previously determined. In order to find 
 the exact weight of the dish, it must be first cleaned and 
 rinsed with distilled water, and then dried by ignition. The 
 filtrate is evaporated in this dish over a water-bath. The 
 reason for evaporating it this way is, that if the heat were too 
 strong or too sudden, the niter might be decomposed. When 
 evaporated to dryness, it is ignited to incipient fusion to free 
 
3 16 THE XA VAl. A CADEM i . 
 
 it completely from moisture. After having attained the tem- 
 perature of the balance-room, the niter and dish are weighed. 
 The weight of the dish and niter, minus the weight of the 
 dish, is the weight of the niter. From this and the weight 
 of the powder, the per csnt. of niter may bs determined : 
 
 Grama. 
 
 Weight of watch-glass and powder 10.3425 
 
 ^Veight of watch-glass 6.00 1 9 
 
 Weight of powder 4.3406 
 
 Weight of evaporating-dish and niter 6S-373o 
 
 Weight of evaporating-dish 62.1875 
 
 Weight of niter 3. 1855 
 
 \ =73-38 
 
 4.3406 '-5 -5 
 
 Per cent, of niter, 73.38. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE MOISTURE. 
 
 A pair of watch-glasses of the same size are so placed as 
 to be pressed together rather tightly by a clamp, so that 
 when placed in position the two resemble a double convex 
 lens. After having been heated for a certain length of time 
 in an air-bath to drive off all the moisture, and then allowed 
 to cool, they are weighed. From 7 to 8 grams of powder are 
 next placed between the glasses, space being left at the edges 
 to allow free access to the air. The whole is next placed in 
 an air-bath, kept at a certain fixed temperature, and left for 
 24 hours. At the end of that time, it is supposed that all 
 the moisture will be driven off, and, after cooling, it is weighed. 
 The weight of the whole after heating, minus that before 
 heating, is the"weight of the moisture. From this and the 
 weight of the powder, we compute the per cent, of moist- 
 ure, as in the case of the niter: 
 
NoteF. appendix. 317 
 
 Grams. 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + gunpowder 38-5833 
 
 Weight of watch-glass 31.3346 
 
 Weight of gunpowder 7-2487 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + gunpowder before heat- 
 ing 38-5833 
 
 Weight of watch-glass ■\- gunpowder heated 24 
 
 hours at 60° 38.5238 
 
 Weight of moisture -°59S 
 
 ^"j X 100 = -800 per cent, of moisture- 
 7.2487 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE CARBON. 
 
 The powder is weighed as in the preceding cases, and is 
 placed in a beaker-flask. Enough ammonium sulphydrate 
 (NH4) HS) is added to the powder to completely cover it. 
 The whole is next very gently heated over a water-bath, and 
 is then poured upon a weighed filter. The object of adding 
 the ammonium sulphydrate is to dissolve the sulphur. In 
 heating the liquid, care should be taken that the heating is 
 not too strong, as the sulphur is apt to collect and sink to the 
 bottom. Consequently, it is heated on a water-bath. In the 
 first determination of the carbon, in the present instance, a 
 result too large by 2 per cent, was obtained, perhaps owing 
 to the fact that the collected sulphur was poured upon a 
 filter, and remained with the carbon. The filter upon which 
 the liquid is poured is one whose weight is known. Suppos- 
 ing all the sulphur to have been dissolved by the ammonium 
 sulphydrate, the residue on the filter contains carbon and 
 niter. Boiling water is therefore poured upon the filter until 
 niter is known not to be present. 
 
 The filter is next dried, first in an evaporating dish, and 
 then for twenty-four hours in an air-bath at 1 00° C. At the 
 
3i8 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 end of that time it is allowed to cool, and is then weighed. 
 The weight of the filter and carbon, minus the weight of the 
 filter, is the weight of the carbon. From this and the weight 
 of the powder, it is easy to compute the per cent, of carbon: 
 
 Grams. 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + gunpowder 1 1.6648 
 
 Weight of watch-glass 6.0096 
 
 Weight of gunpowder S-^SSz 
 
 AVeight of carbon + filter 1-3140 
 
 Weight of filter -4325 
 
 Weight of carbon •8815 
 
 Per cent, of carbon, 15.5. 
 
 DETERMINATION OF THE SULPHUR. 
 
 Two or three grams of the powder are placed in a 
 beaker-flask, and covered with a small quantity of fuming 
 nitric acid. This is heated gently over a water-bath, and 
 from time to time small quantities of potassium chlorate are 
 added. Both nitric acid and potassium chlorate are power- 
 ful oxidizing agents, and through their joint agency all the 
 carbon and sulphur are oxidized ; the first to carbonic acid 
 (CO2), and the second to sulphuric acid (H2SO4). The 
 carbon dioxide, being a gas, goes oflf, while the sulphuric acid 
 combines with the potassium of the potassium' chlorate and 
 the water resulting from the decomposition of the nitric acid. 
 During the first part of the operation nitrous fumes are given 
 off, and when these cease the flask becomes filled with a green- 
 ish gas consisting of chlorine and the oxides thereof. When 
 the oxidation has been completed, the solution is perfectly 
 clear and of a yellowish-brown color. It is then transferred 
 to an evaporating-dish, which is placed upon the water-bath, 
 and chlorhydric acid is added. The object of this is to de- 
 compose the excess of potassium chlorate forming potassium 
 
Note F. APPENDIX. 319 
 
 chloride and the oxides of chlorine, which last, being gaseous, 
 pass off. Fresh portions of the chlorhydric acid are added 
 until these oxides are no longer formed, which is shown by 
 the fact that there is no effervescence when the acid is added. 
 The liquid is then evaporated to dryness, a fresh portion of 
 •chlorhydric acid is added, and to the solution is added ba- 
 rium chloride (BaCU). This acts upon the sulphuric acid 
 and potassium sulphate, and barium sulphate is precipitated. 
 This barium sulphate contains all the sulphur of the original 
 powder. It is therefore separated from the liquid portion by 
 filtering through a filter the weight of whose ash is known. 
 The residue on the filter is thoroughly washed with water, in 
 order to remove all traces of barium and potassium chlorides. 
 The filter is next dried, placed in a small porcelain crucible, 
 and ignited until the substance in the crucible exists as a 
 ■ whife ash. The weight of this crucible is known. When the 
 ignition is completed, the crucible is allowed to cool, and is 
 then weighed. The weight of the crucible and ash, minus 
 the weight of the crucible and filter-ash, is the weight of the 
 barium sulphate. 
 
 Grams. 
 
 Weight of watch-glass + gunpowder 8.605 1 
 
 Weight of watch-glass 6.0024 
 
 Weight of gunpowder 2.6027 
 
 Weight of capsule, filter-ash, andBaS04 12.7568 
 
 Weight of capsule 10.6465 
 
 Weight of filter-ash and BaS Oj 2.1103 
 
 Weight of filter-ash 0003 
 
 Weight of barium sulphate 2.1 100 
 
 Weight of sulphur =-3_ weight of BaS 64 = . 28978 grams. 
 233 
 Percent, of sulphur, ii.i. 
 
320 
 
 THE. NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 SUMMARY OF RESULTS. 
 
 Niter 73-38% 
 
 Moisture .81 
 
 Carbon ^S-So 
 
 Sulphur 1 1. 10 
 
 Total 100.79% 
 
 The error is probably in the carbon, as some sulphur is 
 almost certain to separate and remain on the filter with the 
 carbon. 
 
Note G. APPENDIX. 321 
 
 Note G. 
 
 Plan for a Naval School, as originally submitted by Commander 
 BucTianan. 
 
 [From the Original Document in the Navy Department, at Washington. ] 
 
 The Superintendent is to be appointed by the Secretary of 
 the Navy from the list of captains or commanders. The Su- 
 perintendent win have the immediate government of the 
 institution, will be responsible for its management, direct all 
 academic duties, and command all professors and others con- 
 nected with the school. He will frame a code of rules and 
 regulations for the internal government of the school, to be 
 submitted to the Secretary of the Navy for his approval. 
 
 Professors and instructors are to be selected from the list 
 of lieutenants, chaplains, professors, passed midshipmen, and 
 teachers in the Navy. 
 
 Professors, under the orders of the Superintendent, will 
 constitute a board for the transaction of business, will conduct 
 the examinations during the course, decide on the merits of 
 the midshipmen, report on the system of instruction, and 
 suggest any improvements or alterations which experience 
 may dictate. 
 
 Every applicant for admission to the school must be of 
 good moral character, not less than thirteen nor more than 
 sixteen years of age; be examined by the surgeon of the in- 
 stitution to ascertain if he be free from all deformity, deafness, 
 nearness or other disease of sight, disease or infirmity of any 
 kind which would disqualify him from performing the active 
 
322 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 and arduous duties of a sea-life. He must be able to read 
 and write well, and be familiar with geography and arithmetic. 
 The academic board will examine him on these branches and 
 certify to his capacity for admission into the school. 
 
 When an acting midshipman receives his appointment he 
 is to be attached to the naval school, subject to the exigencies 
 of the service. At the expiration of one year, should his 
 conduct and proficiency meet with the approbation of the 
 Superintendent and Academic Board, he will be retained in 
 service and sent to sea. After performing sea-duty for six 
 months, and receiving a favorable report of his conduct 
 during that time from his commander, he will be entitled to a 
 warrant bearing the date of his acting appointment. Other- 
 wise he will be dropped /rom the lists and returned to his 
 friends. 
 
 A midshipman after serving three years at sea, as now 
 required, and having received a short leave of absence, at the 
 discretion of the Departmeijt, to visit his friends, will report, 
 at its expiration, to the Naval School to pursue his course of 
 studies preparatory to his final examination. All midship- 
 men on shore, not on leave, will be ordered to the Naval 
 School. 
 
 The course of studies will include English grammar and 
 composition, arithmetic, geography, and history, gunnery and 
 the use of steam, Spanish and French languages, and such 
 other branches desirable to the accomplishment of a naval 
 officer as circumstances may render practicable. 
 
 The professors will be required to keep records of all the 
 recitations, and rfeport weekly to the Superintendent the prog- 
 ress and relative merit of the students. From these weekly 
 reports the Superintendent will make quarterly reports to the 
 Secretary of the Navy. 
 
Note G. APPENDIX. 323 
 
 Classes will be arranged according to the acquirements and 
 capacity of the midshipmen.- 
 
 The final examination for promotion will embrace all the 
 branches taught at the school. 
 
 All midshipmen at the Naval School must provide them- 
 selves with such books as are necessary to pursue their studies, 
 a quadrant, their uniform, and bedding. 
 
 A sloop of war or brig may be connected with the institu- 
 tion as a school of practice in seamanship, evolutions, and 
 gunnery. 
 
 The board annually appointed under the regulations of the 
 Navy for the examination of midshipmen for promotion are 
 ito inspect generally the management of the institution, and 
 report to the Secretary of the Navy on its condition and the 
 means of improving it. 
 
224 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Note H. 
 Schedule of subjects represented by the books of the Library. 
 
 THEOLOGY. 
 
 1. Sacred writings, commentaries, criticism. 
 
 2. Natural theology and the evidences of Christianity. 
 
 3. Miscellaneous theological works. 
 
 4. Ecclesiastical history. 
 
 MENTAL AND MORAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 1. Mental philosophy and logic. 
 
 2. Moral philosophy and education. 
 
 HISTORY. 
 
 1. General treatises and lectures on history, universal his- 
 tory, chronology, &c. 
 
 2. Ancient history, antiquities, mythology, numismatics. 
 
 3. Continental Europe. 
 
 4. England, Ireland, Scotland; 
 
 5. Asia, Africa, Australia. 
 
 6. North and South America. 
 
 7. Naval and military history. 
 
 BIOGRAPHY. 
 
 1. Collective biography. 
 
 2. British biography. 
 
Note H. APPENDIX. 
 
 32s 
 
 3. American biography. 
 
 4. Miscellaneous biography. 
 
 5. Naval and military biography. 
 
 geogrXphy and terrestrial physics. 
 
 1 . Universal, descriptive, and historical geography, ethnog- 
 raphy, &c. 
 
 2. Physical geography, geology, and meteorology. 
 
 3. Voyages, travels, geographical exploration and surveys. 
 
 4. Atlases, maps, &c 
 
 MATHEMATICAL SCIENCE AND ARTS. 
 
 1. Mathematics in general, including collected works, his- 
 tories, dictionaries, journals, &c. 
 
 2. Arithmetic and algebra. 
 
 3. Geometry, trigonometry, descriptive and analytical 
 geometry, geometry of curves, &c. 
 
 4. Calculus of differential, integral, and other functions. 
 
 5. Mathematical tables and treatises on use of instruments. 
 
 6. Mensuration, surveying, engineering, &c. 
 
 7. Miscellaneous mathematical works. 
 
 ASTRONOMY AND GEODE^SY. 
 
 1. Histories and journals of astronomy. 
 
 2. General, physical, and practical astronomy. 
 
 3. Observations, observatories, and treatises on use of 
 instruments. 
 
 4. Ephemerides, catalogues, maps, and tables. 
 
 5. Conietography. 
 
 6. Miscellaneous astronomical works. 
 
 7. Geodesy, geodical operations, and cartography. 
 
 PHYSICAL SCIENCE AND ARTS. 
 
 I. Natural philosophy in general. 
 
326 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 2. Mechanics, (including statics, dynamics, &c.) 
 
 3. Optics, acoustics. 
 
 4. Light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. 
 
 5. Chemistry and chemical arts. 
 
 6. Miscellaneous works. 
 
 NATURAL HISTORY. 
 
 1. Natural history in general. 
 
 2. Zoology,, anatomy, physiology, botany. 
 
 3. Geology, mineralogy. 
 
 MILITARY SCIENCE AND ARTS. 
 
 1. Artillery, small-arms, pyrotechny. 
 
 2. Infantry-tactics, &c. 
 
 3. Military engineering, science of war, &c. 
 
 4. Military organization, laws, courts, statistics, &c. 
 
 5. Military dictionaries, journals, and miscellanies. 
 
 NAVAL SCIENCE AND ARTS. 
 
 1. Navigation, nautical astronomy, nautical surveying, ta- 
 bles and treatises on use of instruments. 
 
 2. Maritime geography, hydrography. 
 
 3. Naval architecture, wood, iron, and composite ship- 
 building, docks, and other constructions. 
 
 4. Seamanship, naval tactics, rigging, stowage, sail and 
 mast making, &c. 
 
 S- Steam-navigation, steam-engineering. 
 
 6. Naval ordnance, naval gunnery, torpedoes, ammuni- 
 tion, &c. 
 
 7. Naval signals. 
 
 8. Naval organization, naval regulations, registers, laws 
 courts, statistics, &c. 
 
 g. Nautical dictionaries, journals, and miscellanies. 
 
Note H. APPEXDIX. 327 
 
 ARTS AXD MANUFACTURES. 
 
 1. General and miscellaneous works. 
 
 2. Steam-engine and other machinery. 
 
 3. Civil engineering. 
 
 4. Civil architecture, drawing, painting, and sculpture. 
 
 LAW AND POLITICS. 
 
 1. Constitutional and international law, maritime, military, 
 and naval law, treatises on evidence, United States Supreme 
 Court decisions, law dictionaries. United States Statutes at 
 Large, United States Revised Statutes, British and American 
 admiralty decisions in prize cases, &c. 
 
 2. PoHtical economy. 
 
 3. Government documents, executive and congressional, 
 reports, &c. 
 
 4. Miscellaneous works. 
 
 LITERATURE. 
 
 1. Grammar and language. 
 
 2. Dictionaries of language. 
 
 3. Rhetoric and criticism. 
 
 4. Poetry and drama. 
 
 5. Fiction. 
 
 6. General literature, histories of literature, &c. 
 
 POLYGRAPHY. 
 
 1. Encyclopedias, dictionaries of the arts and sciences, 
 collected works, &:c. 
 
 2. Proceedings, reports, and transactions of academies and 
 societies. • 
 
 3. Scientific, art, literary journals and magazines. 
 
 BIBLIOGRAPHY. 
 
 I, American and foreign bibliography. 
 
328 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Note I. 
 List of officers holding seats at the Academic Board. 
 
 SUPERINTENDENTS. 
 Assumed command. 
 
 Sept. 3, 1845. Commander Franklin Buchanan. 
 Mar. 15, 1847. Commander George P. Upshur. 
 July I, 1850. Commander Cornelius K. Stribling. 
 Nov. 1, 1853. Commander Louis M. Goldsborough. 
 Sept. 15, 1857. Captain George S. Blake. 
 Sept. 9, 1865. Rear- Admiral David D. Porter. 
 Dec. I, 1869. Commodore John L. Worden. 
 Sept. 22, 1874. Rear-Admiral C. R. P. Rodgers. 
 
 COMMANDANTS OF MIDSHIPMEN. 
 Reported for du'.y. 
 
 Oct. I, 1845. Lieut. James Harman Ward. 
 
 Sept. I, 1847. Lieut. Sidney Smith Lee. 
 
 July 1, 1850. Lieut. Thomas T. Craven." 
 
 May 28, 1855. Lieut. Joseph F. Green. 
 
 Mar. 22, 1858. Commander Thomas T. Craven. 
 
 Sept. 21, i860. Lieut. C. R. P. Rodgers. 
 
 Sept. 22, 1861. Lieut. George W. Rodgers. 
 
 May i^, 1862. Lieut. Edward Simpson. 
 
 Aug. 3,1863. Commander Thomas G. Corbin. 
 
 Sept. 2j, 1863. Commander Donald McN. Fairfax. 
 
 Oct. II, 1865. Lieutenant-Commander Stephen B. Luce. 
 
 Sept. 30, 1868. Capt. Napoleon B. Harrison. 
 
Note I. 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 329 
 
 Feb. I, 1870. Capt. Samuel P. Carter. 
 
 June 5, 1873. Commander K. Randolph Breese. 
 
 Oct. 31, 1874. Commander Edward Terry. 
 
 Reported. 
 
 1863. 
 
 1864. 
 
 1865. 
 
 1866. 
 
 1866. 
 
 1867. 
 
 1868. 
 
 1870. 
 
 1850. 
 
 1858. 
 
 i860. 
 1861. 
 1862. 
 1863. 
 
 1865. 
 i866. 
 1868. 
 1870. 
 1872. 
 1875- 
 
 EXECUTIVE DUTY. 
 
 Detached, 
 resigned, or 
 transferred. 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander C. C. Carpenter 1864 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Alfred Hopkins 1865 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander James A. Greer 1866 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Oscar F. Stanton... 1867 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Bushrod B. Taylor. . 1867 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Thomas O. Selfridge. 1868 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Charles L. Franklin. 1870 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Henry L. Howison . 1871 
 
 DEPARTMENT OF SEAMANSHIP. 
 
 Lieut. Thomas T. Craven, (commandant) . .. 1855 
 
 Lieut. Joseph F. Green, (commandant) 1858 
 
 Commander Thomas T. Craven, (comman- 
 dant i860 
 
 Lieut. William H. Parker 1861 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Joseph N. Miller . . . 1862 
 Lieutenant-Commander Stephen B. Luce. . . . 1863 
 Lieutenant-Commander Marshall C. Camp- 
 bell 1865 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Robert F. R. Lewis. 1866 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander Richard W. Meade. 1868 
 
 Commander Joseph S. Skerrett 1872 
 
 Lieutenant-Commander A. R. Yates 187 1 
 
 Commander Frederick V, McNair ' 1875 
 
 Commander Henry L. Howison. 
 
 ORDNANCE, GUNNERY, AND STEAM. 
 
 1845. Lieut. James H. Ward 1847 
 
33° 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Detached, 
 resigned, or 
 Reported. transferred. 
 
 ORDNANCE, GUNNERY, NATURAL AND- EXPERIMENTAL PHI- 
 LOSOPHY. 
 
 1847. Prof. Henry H. Lockwood 1850 
 
 GUNNERY AND INFANTRY TACTICS. 
 
 1850. Prof. Henry H. Lockwood i860 
 
 ORDNANCE AND GUNNERY. 
 
 i860. Lieut. Edward Simpson 1861 
 
 1861. Lieutenant-Commander Stephen B. Luce — . 1862 
 
 1862. Lieutenant-Commander E. O. Matthews — . 1864. 
 
 1864. Lieutenant-Commander C. C. Carpenter 1865 
 
 T865. . Lieutenant-Commander Francis M. Ramsay. 1866 
 
 i866. Lieutenant-Commander Montgomery Sicard. 1867 
 
 [867. Lieutenant-Commander E. O. Matthews — 1869 
 
 i86g. Lieutenant-Commander Edward Terry 1870 
 
 1870. Commander Augustus P. Cooke 1873. 
 
 1873. Commander Edward Terry 1874 
 
 1874. Commander John .\. Howell 1875 
 
 1875. Commander James O'Kane. 
 
 MATHEMATICS AND NAVIGATION. 
 
 1845. Prof. William Chauvenet 1853, 
 
 MATHEMATICS. 
 
 1853 
 
 1859 
 1861 
 1864 
 1870 
 
 1873 
 
 Prof. John H. C. Coffin 1859 
 
 Prof. Joseph Winlock 1861 
 
 Prof. John H. C. Coffin 1864 
 
 Prof. William Henry Willcox 1870 
 
 Prof. Richard Somers Smith 1873 
 
 Prof. William Woodbury Hendrickson. 
 
Note T. APPENDIX. 331 
 
 Detached, 
 resigned, or 
 Reported. transferred, 
 
 STEAM-ENGINEERING. 
 
 1865. Chief Engineer William W. W. Wood 1867 
 
 1867. Chief Engineer Thorn Williamson 1869 
 
 1869. Chief Engineer Henry L. Snyder 1873 
 
 1873. Chief Engineer Charles Henry Baker. 
 
 NAVIGATION AND NAUTICAL ASTRONOMY. 
 
 1853. Prof. William Chauvenet 1859. 
 
 1859. Prof. John H. C. Coffin '. . . . 1865 
 
 ASTRONOMY, N.AVIGATION, AND SURVEYING. 
 
 1865. Lieutenant-Commander Robert L. Phythian. 187a 
 
 1870. Lieutenant-Commander John A. Howell 1871 
 
 1871. Lieutenant-Commander S. Dana Greene 1873 
 
 1873. Lieutenant-Commander Alexander H. McCor- 
 
 mick 1875. 
 
 1875. Commander John A. Howell. 
 
 NATURAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHILOSOPHY. 
 
 1845. Prof. Henry H. Lockwood 1850- 
 
 1850. Prof. Wilham Fenn Hopkins 1859 
 
 1859. Prof. Augustus W. Smith 1866 
 
 1866. Prof. Henry H. Lockwood 1869 
 
 1869. Lieutenant-Commander William T. Sampson . 1871 
 
 1871. Lieutenant-Commander George P. Ryan ... . 1872 
 
 PHYSICS AND CHEMISTRY. 
 
 1872. Lieutenant-Commander George P. Ryan 1873. 
 
 1873. Prof. John M. Rice 1874 
 
 1875. Commander William T. Sampson. 
 
 CHEMISTRY. 
 
 1845. Surgeon John A. Lockwood 1850- 
 
332 THE NA VAL A C A DEMY. 
 
 Detached, 
 resigned, o^ 
 Reported. transferred- 
 
 APPLIED MATHEMATICS AND MECHANICS. 
 
 1876. Prof. John M. Rice. 
 
 ENGLISH STUDIES. 
 
 1845. Chaplain George Jones 1850 
 
 ETHICS AND ENGLISH STUDIES. 
 
 1850. Prof. Joseph E. Nourse 1865 
 
 1865. Lieutenant-Commander Joseph N. Miller .. . 1867 
 
 1867. Lieutenant-Commander John S. Barnes 1868 
 
 1868. Lieutenant-Commander F. B. Blake i86g 
 
 1869. Lieutenant-Commander Thomas L. Swann . . 1871 
 1871. Lieutenant-Commander A. R. Yates 1873 
 
 ENGLISH STUDIES, HISTORY, AND LAW. 
 
 1873. Prof. James R. Soley. 
 
 MODERN LANGUAGES. 
 
 1845. Prof. A. N. Girault 1853 
 
 1873. Commander W. S. Schley 1876 
 
 1876. Prof. Lucien F. Prud'homme. 
 
 FRENCH. 
 
 1853. Prof. A. N. Girault 1866 
 
 1866. Prof. L. V. Dovilliers 1871 
 
 1871. Commander E. Y. McCauley 1873 
 
 SPANISH. 
 
 1853. Prof. E. A. Roget 1873 
 
 DRAWING. 
 
 1853. Prof. E. Seager 1867 
 
 7867. Lieutenant-Commander Montgomery Sicard . 1868 
 
Note I. APPENDIX. 
 
 333 
 
 Detached, 
 resigned, or 
 Reported, transferred. 
 
 1868. Lieutenant- Commander E. P. Lull 187 1 
 
 1871. Commander Frederick V. McNair 1872 
 
 1872. Lieutenant-Commander Gouverneur K. Has- 
 
 well 1873 
 
 1873. Prof. Richard S. Smith. 
 
 IN CHARGE OF SCHOOL-SHIPS. 
 
 i860. Lieut. George W. Rodgers 1861 
 
 1 86 1, Lieutenant-Commander E. P. Lull 1863 
 
 1862, Lieutenant-Commander R. L. Phythian 1864 
 
 1863, Lieut. Henry M. Blue 1864 
 
 1864, Lieutenant-Commander P. C. Johnson 1866 
 
 1867. Lieutenant-Commander George Dewey 1870 
 
334 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 Note J. 
 
 Supplementary notices. 
 
 Commander George P. Upshur, the second Superintend- 
 ent of the Naval School, entered the service April 23, 1818. 
 He was a native of Virginia. His administration of the 
 school extended from March, 1847, to July, 1850, when he 
 was relieved by Commander Stribling, at the re-organization 
 of the institution. He had a large share in bringing about 
 the change, being one of the members of the board of 1849 
 to which was intrusted the revision of the regulations. Com- 
 mander Upshur went from the school to a command in the 
 Mediterranean squadron. He died November 3, 1852, on 
 board the sloop of war Levant, at Spezia. 
 
 Captain George W. Rodgers was a son of Captain George 
 W. Rodgers, of Maryland, a distinguished naval officer of the 
 war of i8r2, and a nephew, through his mother, of Com- 
 modore Oliver H. Perry. He was attached to the Naval 
 Academ.y in i86o-'62, at first in charge of the school-ship 
 and afterward as commandant of midshipmen.. The organi- 
 zation of the school-ship system, during the period when the 
 quarters were insufficient for all the cadets, was mainly due 
 to his judicious efforts. He commanded the Constitution 
 when the war broke out, and brought her with the midship- 
 men to Newport. In 1862, he was detached from the 
 Academy and entered into active service. During the attacks 
 upon Charleston in 1863, he served as fleet-captain of Admi- 
 
Note J. APPENDIX. 335 
 
 ral Dahlgren's squadron, and later, in command of the 
 monitor Catskill. It was while commanding this vessel, in a 
 gallant attack on Fort Wagner, that he was killed, August 
 17, 1863. Admiral Dahlgren refers to his death in his report 
 of the engagement : " The close and confidential relation 
 which the duties of fleet-captain necessarily occasion, im- 
 pressed me deeply with the loss of Captain Rodgers. Brave, 
 intelligent, and highly capable, devoted to his duty and to 
 the flag under which he passed his life, the country cannot 
 afford to lose such men ; of a kind and generous nature, he 
 ■was always prompt to give relief when he could." 
 
 Lieut. Samuel Marcy was a son of Hon. William L. 
 Marcy, of New York, Secretary of War under President Polk, 
 and Secretary of State under President Pierce. He entered 
 the Navy in 1838. In 1845 he was attached to the Naval 
 School as assistant instructor in mathematics, being at that 
 time a passed midshipman. He also assisted Lieutenant 
 Ward in the performance of executive duty. He was de- 
 tached in 1847, and between that time and 1861 he was 
 twice connected with the Academy for considerable periods. 
 He served with distinction during the first year of the war, 
 and died January 29, 1862, from injuries received while firing 
 a boat-howitzer at a blockade-runner in the Southeast Pass 
 of the Mississippi River. 
 
 Prof. William Henry Willcox was born October 19, 
 1823. He entered the service as a midshipman January 30, 
 1841. He was ordered to the Academy as instructor under 
 Commander Goldsborough, but resigned his commission as 
 lieutenant June 19, 1857, and was soon afterward appointed 
 an assistant professorof mathematics. He was commissioned 
 professor of mathematics, June 3, 1858. In the summer of 
 1864, the department of mathematics, which had been since 
 1861 united with that of navigation, was made once more 
 
336 
 
 THE NAVAL ACADEMY. 
 
 independent, and Professor Willcox was placed at the head. 
 He remained in charge until the time of his death, August 
 20, 1870. He showed great skill in the management of his 
 department, and devoted himself to the best interests of the 
 Academy with a singleness of purpose seldom equaled. 
 
 He received the degree of A. M. from Yale College in 
 1870. 
 
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INDEX. 
 
 A. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Academic board 67, 71, 94, 140 
 
 organization 139 
 
 staff 100, 139 
 
 year 141 
 
 Academy, removal of 106 
 
 under Bureau of Navigation iii 
 
 Acts increasing Navy 10 
 
 Adams, J. Q., messages of 19, 21, 22 
 
 Adjutant 143 
 
 Admission, age at 98, 163 
 
 cadet-engineers 162 
 
 cadet-midshipmen 161 
 
 qualifications for 103, 151, 152 
 
 candidates for 98 
 
 examination for 92 
 
 deposit at 161 
 
 statistics of examination for 164-169 
 
 Age of candidates • 103 
 
 Alert, flag of 2ig 
 
 Alexis, present of Grand Duke 1 78 
 
 Ammunition, samples of 185 
 
 Amusements 149, 150 
 
 Anchors 1 78 
 
 Annapolis, choice of 50 
 
 Antietam , 1 75 
 
 Apartment-houses 130 
 
 Apparatus, astronomical 192 
 
 gunnery 183 
 
 physical 199 
 
 seamanship 171 
 
 steam-engineering 188 
 
338 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Appellation of cadets - "2 
 
 Appointment, letter of, 1845: 7^ 
 
 Appropriation, for improvements 82 
 
 Arithmetic IS^, 1,53 
 
 Arms, photographs of 185 
 
 samples of I°+ 
 
 Armstrong gun - 229 
 
 Artillery, field ' 179 
 
 Assistant to executive officer , 99 
 
 Astronomy, course in I9' 
 
 Asylum, school at Naval , 3^ 
 
 Attendance 7^ 
 
 irregularity of 86 
 
 Averages, change in computing "3 
 
 B. 
 
 Bainbridge, Captain - 221 
 
 Ball ,.., , 150 
 
 Bancroft, G , 42,43, 50,51,83 
 
 Barney's action 230 
 
 Barry's commission 230 
 
 Baseball 149 
 
 Battle of Tripoli • 230 
 
 Bell, Japanese ., 222 
 
 Berceau, flag 22 1 
 
 Beresford, flag 220 
 
 Biddle, James 221 
 
 Bigelow, Commander 97 
 
 Bill for improvement of ■ Navy, 1826 21 
 
 for education of officers 14 
 
 relative to naval schools 25 
 
 pay of instructors , 26 
 
 Bladeji, Governor 133 
 
 Blake, Commodore 102, 104, 106, 108 
 
 Blake Row 131 
 
 Blakeley, Captain 221 
 
 Blakeley gun 229 
 
 Boat clubs 149 
 
 Boat exercise ^ 172, 182 
 
I^DEX- 339 
 
 Page. 
 
 Boundaries 115 
 
 Bourne on Engines 1 190 
 
 Bowditch's Navigator 191 
 
 Bowling alley 125 
 
 Boxer, flag 219 
 
 Brady's kedge-anchor 170 
 
 Branch, Secretary, reports 
 
 Brass guns taken at Vera Cruz 229 
 
 Breese, Capt. S. L 97 
 
 Buchanan, Commander .50, 54, 59, 62, 65, 85, 97, 115 
 
 Buchanan house 131 
 
 Burrows, Captain 219 
 
 Butler, General 105, 106 
 
 C. 
 
 Cadet-engineers, admission of 162 
 
 midshipmen, admission of 161 
 
 officers 143 
 
 .organization 142 
 
 Cadets, age of 163 
 
 appointment of 45 
 
 pay of 45, 146 
 
 two classes of 141 
 
 quarters 130, 145 
 
 Calculus 185 
 
 Candidates for admission 98, 103, 154, 153 
 
 Card catalogue 136 
 
 Chapel 129 
 
 Chaplain I40 
 
 duties of 8, 9, 26 
 
 Chauncey, Commodore 220 
 
 Chauvenet, Professor 38, 62, 86, 100, 102, 190 
 
 Chemical laboratory 132 
 
 Chippewa, flag 220 
 
 Chubb, flag 220 
 
 Coffin, Professor 100,190, 192 
 
 Columbus, figure-head 223 
 
 Commandant of cadets 139, 171, 181 
 
 Competitive examinations I5,S 
 
340 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Composition, English 204, 208 
 
 Conduct, weight given to 93 
 
 report I4S> H^ 
 
 Confiance, flag 220 
 
 Conner, Commodore - 97 
 
 Constitution, figure-head 224 
 
 Constitution of United States 209 
 
 Cooke, Commander 181, 182 
 
 Corean arms 229 
 
 flags 222 
 
 Cost of instruction, 1844 39 
 
 Course , .67, 89, 91, 98, 113, 170 
 
 Craven, Commander < 93, 97, 103 
 
 Cruise practice 92,142,172,216 
 
 Cyane, flag of '. 220 
 
 D. 
 
 Dahlgren, Lieutenant 86, 1 79 
 
 Daily routine 143 
 
 Dale 171 
 
 Dancing 150 
 
 Debts 81 
 
 Decatur 7, 221 
 
 Deeds 114, 120, 122 
 
 Delaware, figure-head 224 
 
 Demerits 148 
 
 Departments 1 70 
 
 Descriptive geometry 186 
 
 Detroit, flag 220 
 
 Deviation of compass 191 
 
 Dickerson, Secretary 26 
 
 Dining-room 150 
 
 Discipline 61, 65, 148 
 
 Divine service 144 
 
 Dovilliers, Professor 210 
 
 Drawing, department of 98, 211 
 
 Drawing-room 187 
 
 Drills 143 
 
 Duff, Simon 126, 133 
 
INDEX. 
 
 341 
 
 Page. 
 
 Dulany 114, 133 
 
 Dupont, Commodore 105 
 
 Dusenbury, Captain 128 
 
 E. 
 
 Eddis's letters 1 34 
 
 Eden, Governor 133, 134 
 
 Eldridge, Capt. 107 
 
 Elective course ., iSij 
 
 Engineering, department of 187 
 
 English 202 
 
 Epervier 220 
 
 Estidio 221 
 
 Ethics, department of 202 
 
 Examination, annual 77 
 
 board of, 1845 42 
 
 final 98 
 
 for admission 151, 162 
 
 for promotion _ 78, 97, 99 
 
 questions 152 
 
 exhibitions 150 
 
 F. 
 
 Faculty 87, 140 
 
 Failure at examination • 80 
 
 Fencing 125, Ijo 
 
 Figure-heads 223, 224 
 
 Figure of lion 228 
 
 Field fortification 181 
 
 Fire organization 146 
 
 Flags 219 
 
 Foot-ball 149 
 
 Fort Severn ; 44, 58, 60, 114, 126, 179 
 
 Franklin, figure-head 223 
 
 French, course in 210 
 
 department of 98, 209 
 
 Frolic, flag 220 
 
342 INDEX. 
 
 G. 
 
 Pafe. 
 
 Geography, questions in 153' '54 
 
 Girault, Professor 62,209 
 
 Goldsborougli, Commander 102, 117 
 
 Governor street nS 
 
 Governor's house • 132. '33 
 
 Graduation 98,99 
 
 Grammar IS4 
 
 Grammars studied 206 
 
 Green, Lieut. J. F 180 
 
 Grounds 114, 122 
 
 Guerriere, flag. 220 
 
 Gunnery _- I78 
 
 Gunnery-room 129 
 
 Gun's crew 142 
 
 Gymnasium 125 
 
 H. 
 
 Heads of departments ^ 140 
 
 Heat and light, course in .. 198 
 
 Hicks, Governor 106 
 
 History, course in.. 205 
 
 Hopkins, Professor : 94, 100, 194 
 
 Hospital 129, 130, 144 
 
 Howitzers . . .- . ,_. -. 179 
 
 Hull, Captain '. 220 
 
 Hunter, flag 220 
 
 I. 
 
 Improvements and new. buildings no, 112 
 
 Infantry tactics 181,182 
 
 Instructions to board of 1845 43 
 
 Insurgente, flag 221 
 
 Iron-clads, models 178 
 
 J- 
 
 Java, flag 221 
 
 Jeffers, Lieutenant I^g 
 
 Jennings, Edmund 133 
 
^^^^- 343 
 
 Page. 
 
 Johnson, Prof. \V. W loo 
 
 Jones, Capt. J 220 
 
 Chaplain, George 94, 128, 202 
 
 Commodore T. A. C 42, 85 
 
 Secretary, report of 11 
 
 Jurisdiction, act ceding 116 
 
 K. 
 Kearney, Commodore L 77 
 
 L. 
 
 Laboratory ' 130, 132, 197, 198,200 
 
 Land, purchase of 1 1 7, 1 18, 1 19 
 
 Langley, Professor loi 
 
 Lavalle.tte, Captain 42 
 
 Law, international 209 
 
 Lawrence, flag of 219 
 
 Lawrence, Capt. J 221 
 
 Leave 150 
 
 Lee, Lieutenant '. 93 
 
 Levant, flag 220 
 
 Library 135 
 
 Little, Captain 221 
 
 J^ivingstone, resolution of 18 
 
 Lockwood, Professor 3S, 62, 94, 1 79, 194 
 
 Surgeon 62 
 
 Luce, Lieutenant-Commander S. B 1 70, 1 73 
 
 M. 
 
 Macauley, Captain 77 
 
 Macedonian, figure-head 224 
 
 flag 221 
 
 lion 228 
 
 sloop of war 181 
 
 Magnetic phenomena 199 
 
 Marcy, Samuel 62 and note J 
 
 Marks 147 
 
 Marvin, Master J. U 180 
 
 Maryland legislature, resolutions of 20 
 
 Mason, J. Y 83 
 
344 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Mathematics 102, 185 
 
 Mayo, Captain 42, 77 
 
 McCauley, Capt. E. Y 21a 
 
 McClure, Professor 38 
 
 McDonpugh, Captain 22t> 
 
 McDowell, Hall 133. 
 
 McHenry, James , 11 
 
 McKean, Commander 50' 
 
 McKeever, Captain 77 
 
 Mechanics, department of 201 
 
 Mess 150 
 
 Mexican armor 22^ 
 
 flags 222 
 
 Mezoura, flag of 221 
 
 Midshipmen, appointment of ■. . 7, 36 
 
 Miller, Commander J. N loi 
 
 Models, gunnery 183 
 
 seamanship 171, 175 
 
 steam 18S 
 
 Modern languages 209, 211 
 
 Monitor practice 183 
 
 Mortar practice 183 
 
 N. 
 
 Name changed to Naval Academy 90 
 
 Natural philosophy I94 
 
 Naval school 56, 61, 62, 63 
 
 schools • 24 
 
 tactics 1 73. 
 
 Navy Department, establishment of _ 7 
 
 opposition to 13 
 
 New quarters 132 
 
 Newport, removal to 107, 108 
 
 Nicholson house i^r 
 
 Nomination of candidates 151 
 
 Nourse, Professor , 94, 202 
 
 Number of cadets at opening 72. 
 
 in 1875 141 
 
^-^'^^-^- 345 
 
 o. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Observatory 130 
 
 Officer in charge 145 
 
 O'Hara house 131 
 
 Old mess-hall , 129 
 
 Opening of school 61, 63 
 
 Ordnance and gunnery 178, 181, 183 
 
 Organization 66 
 
 final 98 
 
 Osborne, Prof. G. A loo 
 
 P. 
 
 Paulding, J. K 31 
 
 Pay and accounts 146 
 
 Paymaster's office 130 
 
 Peacock, flag 221 
 
 Penguin, flag .' 221 
 
 Perry, Commodore M. C 42, 77, 222 
 
 O. H 219, 220 
 
 Photographer's building 132 
 
 Physical examination 151 
 
 Physics and chemistry 194, 196 
 
 Phythian, Commander R. L 190 
 
 Pinkney lot 132 
 
 Plan of Naval School 56 
 
 Polyconic projections - 192 
 
 Poole, Mr 13& 
 
 Porter, Admiral 108 
 
 Capt. D 219 
 
 Portraits in library 229 
 
 Practical exercises, seamanship 17^ 
 
 Practice-cruises 92, 97, 142, 172, 126 
 
 ship 46,99 
 
 Preparation of candidates 1 54 
 
 Preston, W. B 89 
 
 Professors of mathematics 26,27,33, 37, 39, 40, 41 
 
 Promotion, examinations for '- 73 
 
 Prose versions 204, 207 
 
 Punctuation 204 
 
INDEX. . 347 
 
 Page. 
 
 Seamanship 128, 170 
 
 Secession, effects of 104 
 
 Secretary of the Navy, visit of 129 
 
 Sections 147 
 
 Selfridge, Commander T. O loi 
 
 Senate bill for five naval schools 34 
 
 Senator Bayard's bill 36 
 
 Senior aid 139 
 
 Sharpe, Governor 133 
 
 Ship-building 174 
 
 Shubrick, Commodore 222 
 
 Sick-list '. 144 
 
 Signal-guns captured from Shenandoah 229 
 
 Signals 172 
 
 Simpson, Lieut. E., Treatise on Ordnance 180 
 
 Smith, Prof. A. W 100, 194 
 
 Prof. R. S '. 211 
 
 Southard, S. L 14, 15, 1922, 31 
 
 Spanish 98, 210 
 
 Specimens of the work of cadets 246 
 
 SpeUing 154 
 
 St. Lawrence, flag 221 
 
 Staff, academic 100, 139 
 
 Stations' of professors 4°, 41 
 
 Steam, introduction of 32 
 
 Steam-building 132 
 
 Steam-engineering — 187 
 
 Stewart, Commodore 36 
 
 Store 130, 136 
 
 Stribling, Commander C. K 89, 97, 102, 1 1 7 
 
 Summary of course 212 
 
 Superintendent 139 
 
 Superintendents of floors 146 
 
 Swimming 149 
 
 T. 
 
 Text- books, astronomy 91 
 
 ordnance 1 79 
 
 seamanship 170 
 
 steam-engineering 187 
 
348 INDEX. 
 
 Page. 
 
 Themes 204, 208, 209 
 
 Thompson, Secretary 14 
 
 Tilton, Capt. McL 222 
 
 Totten's Naval Text-Book 170 
 
 Travehng expenses 162 
 
 Treasurer 99 
 
 Truxtun 221 
 
 U. 
 
 Upshur, A. P 32, 34 
 
 Commander G. P 85, 89, 117, 128 
 
 V. 
 Vincennes, memorial of officers of 36 
 
 W. 
 
 Ward, Lieut. J. H 38,63,69,80, 128, 178, 187 
 
 Warrington 50, 220 
 
 West Point, advantages of 35 
 
 appointment of naval officers from 11, 13 
 
 laws of, to be adopted 48 
 
 White, Prof. C. J , 100,191 
 
 Windmill Point 124. 
 
 Winlock, Professor 100 
 
 Wood, Chief Engineer W. W. W 188 
 
 Woodbury, Secretary 25 
 
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