Applications and Qualifications.

arrangement of magazines, light rooms, passages and shell-rooms; the stowage and preservation of ammunition, fire-works, and ordnance stores generally; the proportion of powder for guns of every class, the method of making and filling cartridges, the construction, strapping, filling and fusing of shells, the application of fuses of all kinds, and the use of fire-works; also, the making of cartridges for small arms, of wads, both junk and grommet; the fitting of gun-gear, the details and use of gun carriages of all kinds, the securing and transportation of guns, the use of gun-sights, and the exercise established by regulations; he must also be able to write sufficiently well to keep a rough account of stores, and to make up his returns as required in the ordnance ledger.

220....A candidate for a Carpenter's appointment must be of sober and correct habits; he must be not less than twenty-one, nor more than thirty-five years of age; he must be a good shipwright, understand caulking, the fishing of masts and yards, and the quality and strength of timber; also, how to unship and hang a rudder, to construct and hang a jury-rudder, and be able to write sufficiently well to keep a rough account of stores.

221....A candidate for a Sailmaker's appointment must be of sober and correct habits; he must be not less than twenty-one, nor more than thirty-five years of age; he must be a good workman in his line of business; be capable of draughting, and understand thoroughly the cutting and making of sails, awnings, hammock-cloths, boom-covers, and windsails for a vessel-of-war, and be able to write sufficiently well to keep a rough account of stores.

222....A candidate for an appointment as Third Assistant Engineer must be not less than nineteen, nor more than twenty-six years of age; he must be of moral character and correct habits; he must have worked not less than eighteen months in a steam-engine manufactory, or else have served not less than that period as an engineer on board a steamer provided with a condensing engine, and have secured a favorable impression of the director or head engineer as to his ability; he must be able to describe and sketch all the different parts of the marine steam engine and boilers, and to explain their uses and mechanical operation, the manner of putting them in operation, regulating their action, and guarding against danger. He must be well acquainted with arithmetic,

Applications and Qualifications.

rudimentary mechanics, mensuration of surfaces and solids, write a fair, legible hand, and have some knowledge of the chemistry of combustion and corrosion.

223....A candidate for the office of Assistant Naval Constructor must be not less than twenty-four, nor more than thirty-five years of age; he must be of good, moral character, have an accurate knowledge of arithmetic, of the nature and use of logarithms; be able to resolve a simple algebraic formula into numbers; be acquainted with the primary elements of geometry, descriptive geometry, mensuration, naval architectural drawing, and laying off on the mould-loft floor, and with practical building.

224....A candidate for the office of Assistant Paymaster must be not less than twenty-one, nor more than twenty six years of age, except as provided for under the act approved April 1, 1864. His moral and mental qualifications, as well as his fitness for the office he solicits, especially as to the mode of receiving and issuing provisions, clothing. and small stores, of keeping the required accounts, of making returns and reports agreeably to the prescribed general instructions, of making out the accounts of officers and men, calculating rates of exchange, and deducing the relative value of United States and foreign coins, weights and measures, will be subjects of rigid investigation.

225.... A candidate for the office of Assistant Surgeon must be not less than twenty-one, nor more than twenty-five years of age. His moral, mental and professional qualifications, will be decided upon by the board.

226....An applicant for the position of Professor of Mathematics must be not less than twenty-one, nor more than thirty-five years of age. He must be of good moral character, and must satisfy the Department of his ability to perform all the duties required of that grade of officers.

227....An applicant for the office of Chaplain must be not less than twenty-one, nor more than thirty-five years of age. He must be a regularly ordained minister of some religious denomination, and of unimpeached character.

228....No person shall be appointed a Secretary who is under twentyone years of age; nor shall any person be appointed a Clerk who is under eighteen years of age. The officers who may appoint Secretaries

Examinations

or Clerks, will be responsible for their moral character and fitness for the duties they are to perform. No person shall be appointed to either of these offices who may have been dismissed from the Navy for any misconduct.

SECTION 2.

Examinations.

229....At stated or convenient periods, boards will be ordered for the examination of candidates for appointment or promotion, who will be duly informed of the time and place of meeting. Before proceeding to the examination of any candidate for appointment, the medical officers who may be ordered for the purpose will furnish to the board, to examine professionally, a certificate of the physical fitness of each candidate who may pass the examination; and also a list of those who may be found to be physically unfit for the service. No person will be passed by the medical board who is not free from physical defects, and all obvious tendency to any form of disease which would be likely to interfere with a prompt and efficient discharge of duty. In the case of an Assistant Surgeon, the board of examiners will scrutinize his physical qualifications, and will make a separate report in each case, direct to the Department, to be placed on file with his testimonials. The board to examine professionally, having received the certificate of the physical fitness of the candidate, will proceed to examine him on all the required qualifications; it will grant certificates to those who may be found duly qualified, numbering them in succession in the order of relative merit, beginning with one to the best qualified. It will, besides, report to the authority convening them, at the close of a session, the result of all their investigations, and forward all the documentary evidence they may have received in relation to the capacity and fitness of parties.

230....The board of Naval Surgeons will assemble annually, and usually about the close of the lecture season. In no case admitting of a reasonable doubt will it report favorably, as the health and lives of the officers and men of the Navy are objects too important to be intrusted to ignorant, or incompetent persons.

231....Boards for the examination of candidates for appointment or promotion shall be composed as follows. For a Master's Mate, of three

Examinations.

Line Officers, one of whom shall be of, or above the rank of Lieutenant Commander. For a Boatswain or Gunner, of three Line Officers, one of whom shall be of, or above, the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and one shall be of the grade in which the applicant desires an appointment. For a Carpenter or Sailmaker, of two Line Officers, one of whom shall be of, or above, the rank of Lieutenant Commander, and of one Staff Officer of the grade in which the applicant desires an appointment. For Engineer Officers, of not less than three Chief Engineers, For Medical Officers, of not less than three Surgeons. For Assistant Paymasters, of not less than three Paymasters. For Assistant Naval Coǹstructors, of not less than three Naval Constructors, and one Professor of Mathematics.

232....Candidates who may exhibit the highest degree of practical experience and professional skill will be given a preference, both in admission and promotion.

233....No qualified candidate will be held over for appointment more than one year. If not appointed within that time, it will be necessary for the candidate to be re-examined, when he will take position, if successful, with the class last examined.

234.... Any person who shall fail to present himself for examination, after having obtained permission, shall be considered as having forfeited his right to be examined, and any officer who shall fail to present himself, after having been .ordered so to do, (unless for reasons satisfactory to the Department,) shall be dropped from the list.

235....Any Assistant Surgeon who, after examination, shall be reported by the board as not qualified for promotion, shall be dropped from the list of officers of the Navy.

236....If an officer should fail to pass a first examination, and be granted an opportunity to present himself a second time, he will, in case of success, have his position on the register designated by the board, subject, however, to the decision of the Department. But if he should fail in the second examination, he shall be dropped from the Navy list.

237....Any officer who may have been absent from the United States on duty, or have been excused by the Department from attending at the time when others of his date were examined, will, if not re

Examinations ----Appointments and Promotions.

jected at a subsequent examination, be entitled to the same rank with them, and if, from any cause, his relative seniority cannot be assigned, he shall retain his original relative position on the register. In order, however, that the relative position of officers of the same date who may be examined for promotion at different times may be more readily determined, a majority of the members of the board will be selected, if practicable, from those who served on the next preceding board.

238....No allowance will be made for the expenses of persons undergoing examinations for appointments, as the latter are indispensable prerequisites to appointment. An exception to this rule will be made in the case of candidates for admission to the Naval Academy, who, if successful, will be allowed their actual necessary travelling expenses. 239....Any person producing a false certificate of age, time of service or character, or making a false statement to a board of examination, will be dropped immediately

SECTION 3.

Appointments and Promotions.

240....Any person having passed an examination will be eligible to an appointment. Appointments will be made as vacancies may occur, in the order of merit as reported by the board. Every person on receiving an appointment from the Department to any office in the Navy, will forward a letter of acceptance immediately to the Department, together with the oath of allegiance duly signed and certified. (See appendix, form No. 17.)

241....No officer shall, when within the jurisdiction of the United State, unless authorized by the Secretary of the Navy, appoint any person not holding a commission or warrant in the Navy to perform the duties of a commissioned or warranted officer, nor give to any commissioned or warranted officer any acting appointment. An exception to this rule will be found in the fourth section of the act to provide for the appointment of Assistant Paymasters, approved July 17, 1861.

242....No officer other than the Commander-in-Chief of a fleet or squadron, shall give any acting appointment, except as provided for in the