o obtain respectable
employment, emolument becomes a secondary consideration. It may,
however, be worth while to put in juxtaposition the half-pay paid to
officers of corresponding ranks in the two navies of England and
America:

+=====================================================+=======+=======+
YOfficers YAmericaYEnglandY
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YHalf-pay post-captains, senior, on leave Y Y Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
Ycorresponding to commodore or rear-admiral in EnglandY 730Y 456Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YPost captains off duty - that is duty on shore Y 730Y Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YOn leave Y 525Y 191Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
Ycommanders off sea duty Y 440Y Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YIn yards and on leave Y 380Y 155Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YLieutenants, shore duty Y 315Y Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YWaiting orders or on leave Y 250Y 90Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YPassed midshipmen, full pay Y 156Y 25Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YHalf-pay Y 125Y 0Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YMidshipmen, full pay Y 83Y 25Y
+-----------------------------------------------------+-------+-------+
YHalf-pay Y 63Y 0Y
+=====================================================+=======+=======+

My object in making the comparison between the two services is not to
gratify an invidious feeling. More expensive as living in America
certainly is, still the disproportion is such as must create surprise;
and if it requires such a sum for an American officer to support himself
in a