The command has never had any extended order drill, and the close order infantry drill of these three divisions. was poor. This is doubtless partly due to the fact that, until the Broadway Armory was loaned by the city, the command had had no infantry drill for a year, and partly due to the fact that an effort is being made to teach the enlisted men too much in the time allotted to drills.

The officers need instruction in the ceremony of inspection, and when marching they should give more attention to correcting errors in the ranks.

At a halt the men are not steady in ranks. This could be largely overcome by the officers in the line of file closers calling attention to the errors.

In marching the rear ranks are not kept closed up to the proper distance. However, as the new regulations will change the distance between front and rear ranks, too much stress need not be laid on this point.

The manual of arms was ragged, which seemed to be partly due to inattention on the part of the men and partly to the order not being given clearly by the officer. Mistakes in the execution of orders while drilling were also apparently due to not hearing the order correctly. Officers cannot pay too much attention to giving their orders distinctly and loud enough for the whole division to hear.

A section of the fourth division, under Lieut. E. G. Willard, gave a short artillery drill with the Fletcher 3-inch gun mounted on a field carriage. The men seemed well instructed in their dnties, and were more at home than in the infantry drill, although when the gunner was told to hook on the lanyard for firing he did not know where to hook it, nor did any one else in the section.

Under the observation of Lieut. Cotten, a gunner made some slight repairs to the breech mechanism of a Hotchkiss R. F. 1 pdr. The work was correctly done, although the man was slightly awkward-probably due to nervousness.

A gunner was told to put a new extractor in the gun, which he did by removing the breech block. This was unnecessary, and should have been done without removing the breech block.

Ordnance.

All the ordnance of the Baltimore divisions is in charge of Lieutenant E. G. Willard, and its condition reflects great credit on that officer.

The rapid fire guns, magazine rifles, revolvers and cutlasses under his charge are in exceptionally good condition.

The following guns are in the Broadway armory, all mounted on field carriages:

1 Fletcher 3 inch.

1 B. L. Howitzer, 12 pdr.

2 Driggs-Schroeder R. F., 1 pdrs.

2 Hotchkiss R. F., 1 pdrs.

1 Colt Automatic, 6 mm.

Unissued Uniforms, etc.

The unissued uniforms and stores in charge of the Paymaster are carefully packed and all precautions against moth are taken.

There is a complete mess outfit for the whole brigade on hand, which can be put in service at a moment's notice. The dishes, etc., are of enameled ware, and the knives, forks and spoons are of good quality white metal.

not yet been used.

This outfit has

There is also on hand an obsolete mess outfit of tin.

There are enough clothes bags on hand to equip the whole brigade. These are new, but would probably not last long in service, as they are made of too light canvas.

Armory.

The city of Baltimore has given the use of Broadway Institute Hall to the Naval Brigade for an armory, and the building is admirably adapted for this purpose.

There is a large locker room at the south end, in which the brigade has very good steel lockers.

There are good sized rooms in the north end which are used for administrative purposes, and there is also a good wash room, etc.

. The drill floor is large, with a gallery all around, and opens on the north, directly at the head of a broad flight of

steps leading to the street level. Probably eight men abreast could march down these steps.

The drill hall is partially heated by large stoves, which take up considerable space, and the building is lighted by gas throughout.

Some of the administration rooms have gas stoves in them, but they do not heat the rooms sufficiently. It was very cold weather during the inspection, and these rooms were very uncomfortable, in fact, were not fit to work in.

The armory could be made much more attractive to the members of the organization as a place of social diversion if the building could be comfortably heated.

Instruction.

The enlisted men of each division are instructed by the division officers.

The officers are receiving instructions by means of lectures once a month by various officers of the organization.

At present, Lieut. Wagner, Chief Engineer, who is acting navigating officer, is giving a series of lectures on navigation. Attendance.

There were absent from inspection, the following enlisted

men :

First Division-with leave 4.

without leave-2-(strength 28.)

Second Division-with leave-0.

without leave—13—(strength 50.)

Fourth Division-with leave-8.

without leave—4—(strength 54.)

Lieutenant Putts, Second Division, has been suspended by the C. O. Naval Brigade for non-attendance at inspection and not offering a reasonable excuse.

Inspection of U. S. Ships Dale and Sylvia.

At 10.30 A. M., December 15th, the inspecting officers proceeded to the foot of Charles street where the Dale and Sylvia are lying, and were there met by Lieut. E. G. Willard and Paymaster Fallon. The berth of these vessels is some distance from the car lines, which run only every twenty minutes, and as there was deep snow at the time the trip from the cars to the wharf was very disagreeable.

Before the Broadway armory was secured, all drills, etc., were held on the Dale in her present location, and I am surprised that the organization could have been held together at all under the disadvantages then existing, and in view of the difficulty in reaching the ship.

Dale.

This ship was found to be particularly clean and well cared for, although she is very old and shows it. Her decks, particularly, are in very bad shape.

There are a few obsolete rifles and some other arms aboard the Dale kept under lock.

She is in charge of shipkeepers, who evidently know their duties and perform them.

There is one Whitehead torpedo aboard, the head of which is mashed out of all semblance to its original shape. The ordnance officer states that the torpedo was received in this condition.

The cabin and wardroom furniture is in good condition. Sylvia.

This vessel was found to be in clean condition, with the exception of the pantry, which had been left very dirty by the steward.

The merest glance at the hull of the Sylvia shows her to be in very bad shape. From reports as to the condition of her bulkheads and piates it would seem advisable to have her inspected for condemnation, rather than to expend further sums in repairs.

Fifth Division, Sparrows Point.

This division was inspected on the evening of December 15th, at 8 o'clock.

The inspecting officers were met at the railroad station by Lieutenant Aspril, commanding the division, and were conducted by him to the storeroom used by the division. This room is on the third floor of the building occupied by the Sparrows Point Store Company and the general offices of the Maryland Steel Company.

The Maryland Steel Company very kindly give the use of this room and the use of the drill hall to the division free of cost.

Unissued clothing in the storeroom was found to be well cared for and in good condition. Every precaution against moths is taken.

The six U. S. Magazine rifles, calibre .30, are also kept in this room.

Armory.

After leaving the storeroom Lieut. Aspril secured a lantern and conducted us to the armory.

This building is the old dancing pavilion at Holly Grove excursion resort. The building is situated one mile from the town of Sparrows Point through the woods. Deep snow covered the ground and was still falling on that night, and the path to the armory was practically unbroken. The inspecting officers could certainly not have found the armory if they had been alone.

The building is one story (100 feet by 40 feet), with a small officers' room in one corner and small storeroom in other. Walls are whitewashed. The building is lighted by electricity furnished free by the Maryland Steel Company, and the wires are strung on trees through the woods from Sparrows Point. Considerable difficulty is experienced from the breaking of these wires, due to snow and sleet falling off the branches.

The building is partially heated by two large stoves, one in each end.

The floor is very rotten from age and the whole building is in rather a dilapidated state.

When the howitzer which this division has was taken in one wheel broke through the floor. The howitzer was put in the corner and they have been afraid to move it since, on account of the weakness of the floor. This building is in no respect suited to the purposes of an armory in its present location. It is inaccessible for the members of the organization and is far removed from any inhabited building, thereby offering a good chance for thieves.

It is strongly recommended that an effort be made to secure an armory building in the town of Sparrows Point to replace the one now in use.