 Arthur Cumming was born at Nancy in France on 6 May 1817 , his father was General Sir Henry Cumming . Arthur was entered into the Royal Naval College at Portsmouth in January 1831 , passing the course and being discharged on 8 August 1832 . His first ship was the sloop HMS Rover on which he served in the Mediterranean ( presumably as a midshipman ) , also serving on the Lisbon and North American Stations . In 1837 Cumming passed his examinations to become eligible for the position of lieutenant and was promoted to the rank of mate on 4 April . By early 1840 Cumming was stationed at HMS Excellent , a navy stone frigate in Portsmouth that housed the gunnery school . 
