The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1878.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XIII, Issue 14, 16 January 1878, Page 2

The Nelson Evening Mail. TUESDAY, JANUARY 15, 1878.

The Naval School at Kohimarama may eventually prove a valuable institution, but up to the 30th of June last, when the Manager's annual.. report, was written, it seems to have been but a doubtful experiment. The total number of boys at that date under the care of Captain Breton, who appears to devote a large amount of attention to his charges, was 110, thirty having been admitted, and 31 discharged during the year. The circumstances attending the committal of those sent to the school were as follows: — Father iii gaol, 1 ; father deserted, 1 ; mother a prostitute, 1 ; mother in prison, 1; no friends, 1; mother deserted, I; father undergoing penal servitude for ill-using his wife, boy gave evidence against the father, 1; found living in a brothel with his mother, 1 ; no particulars received, 22. }Of those who were discharged during the' same period 14 were apprenticed; with 11 their time had expired; three were sent to their relatives, and three to gaol for stealing a boat. The boys do not appear to settle down as quietly and contentedly to their new style of life as might be hoped, for we are told that there were 41 cases of attempted escape, the number of those who thus tried to free themselves being 19, of whom six are credited with 23 out of the 41 attempts. The religious instruction imparted by the clergy, although no doubt excellent in' quality, is somewhat limited in quantity, the total number of visits paid to the school by the clergy during the year for divine service and religious instruction being. Church of England 30, Roman .Catholic 25. The cost of the establishment was .as follows: — Wages, £607; provisions, clothes, &c, £1775.. The attempt Jk,o combine farming operations with naval . instruction does not appear to have been entirely successful, owius apparently to the want of practical knowledge on the part of those in So at least we judge from "the following paragraph, which find 3 a place in the report:— "A very good crop of potatoes was obtained last season, which would have pretty well supplied the school for the twelve months, but they were, unfortunately, pitted too soon, by which means the greater part were destroyed." It is, however, to some small extent encouraging to be assured that although but a small moiety of the crop was saved, " there was a good profit on the transaction." This is contrary to the experience of most farmers,v/ho rarely find that they make a profit if through carelessness or owing to any other cause they lose more than half their crop, but we are pleased to find that matters turn out differently at the Training School. Jfc is gratifying, however, to find, that notwithstanding many drawbars, aotne of the boys attending the school have benefited by their residence there, Twenty-six of them were in the early part of last year put on board the Mission schooner " Southern Cross" on the occasion of her making a trip to the southern part of the colony. With reference to the general conduct of these lads the following letters were addressed to Captain Breton: — Bishop Selwyn writes:— "l was glad to see the way in which the young fellows worked, with willingness and good humour, and the cheerful way in which they took a considerable amount of hard work which fell to their share. Such boys will build up a considerable amount of esprit de corps in the qphool; and when the boys find that they lead to good apprenticeships they will be all the more ready to work and take pains. I can only add that their pond ucj; at prayers was very satisfactory, and I did not near a bftd word while I was. in the ship." — Captain Bongard, the master of theschooner, writing on the same subject, sayst — " I have much pleasure in testifying to the good conduct of the boys of the Naral Training School, 25 of whom formed part of the crew of the '• Southern Cross " durinc her late visit to Southern ports from Ist February to 17th March, their alacrity in obeying orders, and general smartness in working the vessel, gofug aloft, &c. During a part of the voyage, which \v'tts {^usually rough,, thpy were as ready to go aloft tliep as at any' other "time,' and always stowed and loosed the top gallant sails and staysails (our topsails are patent reefing), except when it was blowing so hap.d $&{; |t was not prudent to let them go aloft. 3,-hejr pj.cket} up ategrinjj very quickly: most of them steer fairly, gome yepjf \yell. f l>e fjoy you haye apprenticed" to' us is a very hqndy/weU-beliaved boy, and seems to have the makings of agogq sailor."