Scottish Naval and Military Academy

The Scottish Naval and Military Academy in Edinburgh was a school opened on 8 November 1825[1] and closed in 1869. It catered mostly to young gentlemen intending a career with the Army, Navy or, especially, the forces of the East India Company.

In 1829 the Academy moved into the three-storey building (subsequently the Caledonian Hotel, since demolished) on Lothian Road opposite Castle Terrace,[2] which it shared with the Royal Riding Academy.

A noted master at the Academy was James R. Ballantyne, later head master of the Sanskrit College in Benares (modern-day Varanasi), who from 1832 to 1845 taught "Persian, Hindoostanee and Arabic" from classical texts.[3]

Another lecturer was William Swan, who taught mathematics and physics, and conducted some notable experiments at the Academy.

Other subjects taught were: Military Engineering: Fortifications, Military Drawing and Surveying; Drawing: Landscape and Perspective; Higher Mathematics; Navigation; Chemistry; Military Antiquities; Latin and Greek; Elementary Arithmetic and Book Keeping, Algebra and Geometry; Geography; Natural Philosophy and Navigation; History; Elocution; French, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese; Fencing, Gymnastics and Military Exercises with the Firelock and Broadsword.[4][1]