So reads the letter from five-year-old Charles Manners, the second son of Lord Granby, to the victor of the Battle of Quiberon Bay in 1759. His words convey all the excitement of a boy's view of naval life – the action, the adventure, and of course the glory. Absent, however, is any sense of the dangers or hardships that went hand-in-hand with these attractions, or any comprehension of the mental and physical demands associated with becoming a sea officer in the Royal Navy of the eighteenth century. As it turned out, young Charles did not embark on a career at sea and was spared the struggle that lay ahead for officer recruits. His younger brother, Robert, did enter the navy, eventually becoming a captain before being killed at the Battle of the Saintes in 1782. While Robert's lofty social credentials undoubtedly boosted his career he, like so many other young aspirants, faced a multitude of pressures, including fierce competition for limited appointments, years of professional training to prepare for the all-important examination for lieutenant, and the anxiety attending the offer of a lieutenant's commission. Such universal concerns united a socially diverse group of boys and adolescents who endured the most rigorous professional initiation of their day for the chance to become sea officers.