BOYS, Surrs'. In nautical language, a]1 the young or green hands on hoard are called boys, without much reference to their age; but in recent times, arrangements have been made to give a more precise meaning to the term, by engaging boys or lads as part of the crew.
In the royal navy, boys were first voted for in the estimates in 1834. There were 1000 in that year; 7000 in 1876; 6300 in 1878; and 5300 in 1879. The admiralty has, in recent years, made many regulations for attracting boys into the navy. Most of the sea men at present in the service entered it as boys. They enter mostly at about 14 years of age, but some as late as 18, and they are bound for 7 years. There are schools cstab• lished for them at Portsmouth, Plymouth, Cork, and one or two other places. The boys are ranked in two classes, according to age and experience. When out of their time, they have a tendency to enter the merchant service for two or three years: but they usually return to the navy, and enter as ordinary seamen. See further under MAN
NINO THE NAVY.
In the merchant service, boys are apprenticed to the shipowners; they learn their duties by degrees; and constitute the source out of which mates, masters. and captains are ultimately supplied. By the merchant seamen's net of every merchant-ship was bound to take a certain number of boys as apprentices, according to tonnage; the lietter hands were apprenticed by their friends; the worst were picked up by the marine society from the poor and wretched of the streets, and apprenticed as a means of setting them up in life. The indenture was from 12 to 18 months. The regulations have been modified in form, but not in substance, by the mercantile marine act of later date.