HIS TREATMENT BY THE "RETIRING BOARD" 115 



to Promote the Efficiency of the Navy", which was 

 finally passed on January 16, 1857. This provided that 

 an officer whose status in the navy had been affected by 

 the action of the Retiring Board could by written request 

 secure an investigation, by regular court of inquiry, into 

 his "physical, mental, professional, and moral fitness" 

 for the naval service, and that the finding of this court 

 might be submitted to the President, who was to take 

 action accordingly. 



The bill originally contained two additional sections, 

 providing for the establishment of the rank of admiral 

 and the organization of a scientific corps in the navy; 

 but they were finally struck out. This scientific corps 

 was to take charge of the Naval Observatory, the nauti- 

 cal almanac, the hydrographical work, and such other 

 scientific matters as the Secretary of the Navy should 

 prescribe; and its personnel was to consist of one captain, 

 two commanders, ten lieutenants, and seven masters. 

 Mallory favored the establishment of such a plan, and, 

 about-facing again, said on the floor of the Senate, "The 

 Committee had an earnest desire that that distinguished 

 officer (Maury) should be at the head of the corps". 

 Though Maury had written at first rather enthusiasti- 

 cally of the scientific corps, he eventually came to the 

 conclusion that it would not have been wise to establish 

 it, and wrote that he was not sorry it had been struck out 

 of the bill. 



Under the main provisions of the amended act, 

 Maury's case was taken up by a court of inquiry, before 

 whom it was proved by a surgeon that his leg was 

 actually stronger than that of Missroon, one of the 

 members of the Board; that he had not tried to evade 

 sea service but had applied for such service during the 



