"At the time , the British navy were somewhat tight-fisted with regard to the provision of sufficient gunpowder to enable regular live-firing gun-drills for the gun crews, with the inevitable decline in efficiency"

During the Napoleonic Wars (As opposed to much of the Nelsonian period which took place during the French Revolutionary Wars)? Nothing could be further from the truth. Captains were actively encouraged to exercise guns crews with live firing exercises to increase the fighting efficiency of their ships. Some of the oldest Royal Navy "squadron" trophies relate to gunnery competitions.