LIFE ON BOARD A TRAINING SHIP.

Otago Witness, Issue 2254, 13 May 1897, Page 41

LIFE ON BOARD A TRAINING SHIP.

Tho following lebter, datad February 24, i-aeeived from a New Zealand boy who hiw joined the Royal Navy, is published by the Christchuvch Press : —

I write to give you the life on board a training ship. In ihess ships there are from 1000 to 1100 boys, and about; 100 eeamen to look after these boys aad teach them to be seamen of tha Koyal Navy. A boy on entering the Navy irecoivrs tho following kit: — 2 serge frocks, 2 sorge fcrouscra, jumper, 2 duck trousers, 4 check shirts, 2 flannels, 2 pair of drawers, 2 pait of socks, 2 pair of shoes, I nilk handkerchief, 1 knife, 2 caps. On Monday morning: we have •anil drill all the morning in summer lime. In the afternoon one part of the boys go to school and the other to gun drill. On other mornings some boys wash down decks and tho others go away in the boats for a pull. At 9 o'clock instruction begiua, seamanship or gunnery, till 12 o'clock ; iliou dinner, sea-pie perhaps, bill 1 o'clock ; then instruction agaiu till 3 o'clock, and we pack up for tho day. From 3to 5 we mead or wash clothes ; from 5 to 8 below doing nothing particular. Tb.o schoolroom is open and well lighted s%nd there are books and papers ;01 all kinds for all to read. Thursday, inspect1 lion of bags ia the morning ; in i.he afternoon ! <;ho boys ata allowed to go on shore,. The same j day they receive their weekly snm of 6d to 1 in three hoars. There is an instructor to each, section, cno officer to every division. There ire four l divisions. Some of the instructors are very I nice, and &ome of bhp.in very rough. Eireryboy : iv the service has lo lea.ru to swim, and ha is j allowed 14- lessons in this instruction. After a boy ha« beea in fho ship about eight months ho is rated a first-class boy ; be has then six week<»' heavy jjunuery to do, and then six weeks on the brig. When he has left them he is ready for sea any time. There is caning doDe on board. one or iwo every week, and a birching now and again, but; not very often. When there is c. caning going on all Ihe boys in the ship are th?re t.i see ib. The boy is strapped down across bis hammock and caned by the corporal of the ship. Boys get; leave twice a yea? and are able to visit; distant triends at no expense, as they get their fare paid and 10s to spend. At Christmas 'he boys get four weeks and at midsummer three weeks. Boya that live within 60 milea of the ship are allowsd to go home for three days in every throa weeka. Fnsbruetion goes on all the yesr, the aanio winter and nummer, lo summer the boys turn iv at 9 o'clock, tarn oat at sin the morning ; iv winter at 8 and turn out ab 6in the saoming. The boys ace divided up into two watches, starboard and port watch, Saturday mornings are different from all other days ; we turn ouc at 5 in the morning, one watoii holystone tha deck before breakfast and the ether go through tho bath, then breakfast, wash down the lower deck, clean you? mess up. There is a captain to each mees and two cooka. At halfpasb 8 fire station, where every boy has to go ; clean your mees up again for dinner. After dinner, prepare for Suuday. Sunday, turn out at 6, have our breakfast, and then Wesleyan aad Roman Catholic boya get xeady to go op .shore to church, the others have church on board. In the afternoon the bojs are allowed to go on shore. Sunday ia the best day in the week. A bay after being on one of these training ships 18 months is drafted off to sea. Ifc is not very often that a boy deserts his ship. A boy can obtain a good conduot badge, and hs receives one uenny a day for it. These ships are the old f .h?ee-rteckers of Lord Nelson's tims. In winter time we have concerts on board and magic lanterns to pasa »way the winter eve Dings, which are long and dark. In each mess there are from 24 fco 30 boys. You can know the captain by a crown on hia arm. Boys can write letters on board and receive them, as they have a postman of their own. Every boy in the service terves twelve years after he is 18 years old. The time he is in the training ship does nob count in his time. If a boy takes to it he will get ou &U right wibh his mates. The navy is better than the merchant servioe, and ife makes a man of every boy that joins it. He can learn any trs.de he likes on board the aeagoiug ships. The food is served out by the captain of the mess and two cooks ; the table in well filled and plenty foe every boy. On board these ships taey have a band oE about 40 boys and men, bo there is plenty of music in th& ship.

Stubborn as a mule, and so is your cough, One day you fancy it's better ; the next it's just as bad. Some think coughs are besb leffc alone, bub ib often prores a fatal mistake. A cough should never be allowed to geb a firm hold of the sysbem. Bonnington's Carrageen or Ihish Moss, is the surest remedy, an/jl should be taken without delay.— Advb.