'History of the Indian Navy. (1613-1863).' [‎56] (75/622)

5G
HISTORY OF THE INDIAN NAVY.
invited tenders for the conveyance of the mails from mercantile
firms, and maintained a small and efficient navy for war
purposes only. By maintaining regular ships-of-war, and also
armed steamers for passenger traffic, and making the officers
interchangeable, they impaired the efficiency of both officers and
ships, and it was pitiable to see smart lieutenants—brought up
in the only school in which practical seamen can be trained, the
smart ships and brigs which had hitherto formed the pride of
the Service—striving to cleanse the smoke-begrimed decks and
rigging 0 f their ships, and to make their crews serviceable. But
their efforts were vain, for passengers crowded the decks and
interfered with the working of the guns at quarters, while their
requirements as to luggage sadly tried the tempers of the
officers.* Such midshipmen An experienced sailor, but not a commissioned officer. as had passed their examinations,
were ordered to serve in these steamers as lieutenants—but
without the rank and pay—so that the Service generally suffered
fiom the demoralising effects of lax discipline, and interruption
of those drills below and aloft which are necessary to maintain
officers and njeii in a state of efficiency in a war marine. We
shall presently see what bitter fruit this unsound and short-
then under consideration of tlie Court, to convert the Indian Navy into a steam
flotilla for navigating the Indus and other rivers. He stated, that " it having
been estimated that the expense of a monthly communication between Bombay
and Suez by four steamers of 200 horse-power, wonld not exceed £88,000 ner
annum, on the 2nd of June a despatch was sent out to the Indian Government,
stating the arrangement which the Court had made with His Majestv's
Government, and desiring that it might take effect forthwith ; adding, that with
M 0t lhe B omba y Government to send the 'Hugh
Lindsay to Mocha, for the purpose of her being regularly employed in conveying
the mails between that place and Suez, and to despatch the ' Atalanta' and
intention^n l ^ "T 1 *' 1 ? 8 t0 Mocha - Tlle Court further expressed their
thev wouM tmllT aC } 0pt " eaSUre3 for Proving a fourth steamer; that
Uombav^ nnd % co f™ct for coals for consignment to Mocha and
Alexandria Tim ^tended to try the plan of supplying Suez with coals via
Alexandria. Ihe Governor-General also recommended, with a view to the lareer
fcnicrZTf 011 ^ ^^/.fsidencies.to 8end ^ 'Atala^ta''or
Socotra and nn B lif 1° Madras ' then ? e to Ce y lon . ""d thence to
, P Red Sea to Suez, to ascertain practically what obiections
LTomZand^the 4 'S 0Ute " • 0 ' Pt i ain BrUCk8 ' Shortly before P^eding to India
was imrte mwHra W p ® ^o gave evidence, in which he stated that it
thouX T .t 80uth -, west P ass age from Bombay to Socotra,
prepared^to matp tbo' ? the vessels wonld be greatly strained. He was
Ld P 8mon 8 CalinT ge v m a vessel otsufficient power-say of between 750
ana »uo tons. Captain Brucks expressed a favourable opinion regarding Socotra
as a coahng station, and preferred Pcrim to Camaran, thonghTly one station
^ ^ a v. nd SueZ - He a d r ocated thTemploymtt
also be necessarv ^^ 7"' r. gh a SmaI1 s< 3 uadron of sailing vessels would
also gav "evidence S , tatesraa ?' the Hon. Mountstuart Elphinstone,
steaic^-rn^^^
but this bol STasTuT! ImaSrsToVTrlulfe tddV ^T ? t'
discomfort they had to undergo, was canceted a few yelrfw" In^" yT^
reduced from 40o 'to ^Orlipees^ Steamer3 from P aS8a ge-money of passengers, were
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