The Express.
London, England, 1864-04-22 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY

on the grouod that be would sot pay to the government %
the shape of insurance what the 01110001.10 t of the
Exchequer admitted to be • second property sax.
So far from the lose oe the duty remitted upon stock in trade
being rapidly reeovershie, he believed that it was precisely
lb. lam which would be mast slowly made up to the Ex-
chequer. He bad received • letter hom a clergymen who
was wholy dependent lima pew rents, and who Aided that
the duty paid ma the Insurasee of his church was equiveleet
in his case to as additiooal income tax of two per cent. He
believed the Chancellor of the Exchequer had under.
estimated the reeeipta front theist:me tax this year to the
extent of half • million, and that the right boo. gentle-
man had, therefore, ample means to make the redaction
general He would not, however, Mast on that, bat he
must earnestly protest against the idea that the preaert
proposal was any settlement of the question, or any suf.
tioent ompliaties with the resolution of the house corns to
in two ooesecutive years. Meer, hoar.)
Sir F. CROSSLEY made • point of supporting the
budget as a whole whim its leading features were, as was
now the case, satisfactory to him. At the same time he
could not help regarding the manner in which the right hoe.
gentleman treated the question of fire insurance as the
weak point in his financial scheme for the comsat year.
He (the honourable baronet) was himself a large insurer
of stock In trade. la fact, that was • thing which people
must insure; but when he found that upon his private
houses he should have to give the government 3s. per 100/.,
and an one la. lid., which was sufficient to pay a large profit,
he had come to the omielusioo that to insure his own pro-
perty was about the best investment he could find for his
money. (Haar, hear.) He hoped that the right hon.
gentleman would next year be able to redoes the duty to
la. per cent. on all property. (Hear, hear.)

Sir. SHERIDAN.: througit that the ultimate reduction of
the duty would not be advanced by a division upon this
motion ; but he hoped that there would be such further
agitation on the question that the relief might next year
be extended to booms and furniture.
The amendment was then negatived without • division,
•nd the resolution wee agreed to.
SCHOOL OF NAVAL ARCHITECTURE.

On the motion for going into committee of supply,
Mr. AIIGIJSTITS SMITH asked the Secretary to the Ad-
miralty if a omesennioatiou had been received by the Board
of Admiralty from Sir W. Snow Harris respecting the orga-
nisation of the proposed School of Naval Architecture,
and whether he would commit to ley the same oa the table
of the house.

runs were open to Ids. This. sans a Mr. 011M1111411 who
' declared the Admiralty had violated his patent. (" Hear,
hear" from the ) It might be that tier persons
had made some mild iaventions, and something similar
, may have been introduced into their vessels ; but it did not
follow that there was any infringement. He hoped the
; home would not agree to the matron.
I The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that he was counsel
for the Admiralty in Mr. (,lava's mos, and he would take
upon himself the reepousibility which was 'bared by the
law allows of the mown in advising the Admiralty to resist
the petition, for • claim more unfounded and preposterown,
he would venture to my, was never brought into a court of I
justice. Yr. Clan's first demand wee in r sped of an
alleged contract with the Admiralty, upon the terms of his
hamar a per mintage upon all the ship. built, amount-
. ing to 200,00t.i1. Then he further claimed some 400.0001. or
500,000/. for a supposed infringement of his patent. The
ease came on to be tried, and the evidence in support of the
! claim consisted of about 100 letters written by him to the Ad-
. mireity, to which he believed only two replies were sent, the
subsidises of them being this—" Sir. webers 000aiderod your
applioatioo, sod cannot comply with it ; and you cannot be
employed." Them was no pretence, on Hr. Clare's own
'showing, of there having been any contract. The rest of
the case, u to the infringement of the patent, was equally
groundless. Mr. Clare sever built a ship, and never Lid
down the lines of one. The supposed patent contained
nothing new, and there was no pretence for its having been
infringed in themes of the Warrior. The ease was tried
before the Lord Chief Justies sad • special jury. It had
bees said that the Lord Chief Justice had summed up the
case not as a jades, but as an advocate. That was a serious
imputation, which ought not to be made lightly or loosely.
He amertad that the imputation was wholly unfounded,
and never ought to have been made. The Lard Chief
Justice summed up in a perfectly impartial and judicial
manner. The jury did not hesitate; they found that Mir.
Clare had no case, and no pretence of a case. That an
eminent ship-builder's evidence was not to be traded be-
cause he had once held a government contract was an imps.-
taboo that no counsel would venture to make in a court of
justice, and which never ought to have been made in that
house, No cue was ever more fairly tried. A motion was
afiererards made before the fall court, and they entirely con-
curred in the summing up of the judge. He trusted the
house would not reopen the question, that they would be
satisfied with the results of the trial, and not interfere with
the action of courts of justice. (Ha r, hear. )
. _ . .

. -
Mr. DENMAN said he had been strongly urged to take
part in this discussion, but as he had been one of Mr. Clare's
counsel, he refrained from doing so, If he were to declare
his opinion in Mr. Clare's favour, it might be said that he
was speaking as an advocate ; and if he gave an opinion
against the claim, it might be objected that he had made
use of some confidence or trust reposed in him, to the pre-
judice of the limiest., of the person by whom he had been
engaged as couuseL (Hear, beta.)
Mr. HENNESSY maid that Mr. Clare bad received
seven letters from the Admiralty, not two, as the
Solicitor-Geoeral had stated. The Solicitor-General
had also said that the Admiralty refused to con-
sider Mr. Clare's claim. But amongst those seven letters
wee one addreesed by the Secretary to the Admiralty to
Mr. Clare, which ran thee:—'• If you have anything new
to swuggggessst, and you will forward it to this office, it will be
co • sred." That was sent 000sistent with the state-
ment they had heard. He f y what had beim
said about the high and imp charseter of the Lord
Chief Justice ; but in a parings of his summing up the learned
judge observed " Mr. Glare was evidently • disappointed
man. He was disappointed at not having his plans d speci-
Bestial§ adopted by the Admiralty. He had impressed up=
the Admiralty the great importance of the subject of iron
ship-building, and it was not till some years afterwards that
at was taker. up." When the history of this great
change in our naval architecture came to be written,
it would have to be said that Mr. Clara impreased the
subject on the Admiralty, that the Admiralty refused to
take it up, sod that Mr. Clare appealed to them in vain.
He trusted that Mr. Clare would not appeal to that house in
vain. This was no technical question as to the specifica-
tion. He trusted that the committee would be granted to
Mr. Clan.

Yr. H. BAILLIE observed that as matters now stood
the question was no loapr one between the Admiralty and
Clare, but between Mr. Clare and the Lx:ourta of justice.
The admiralty, Beamed, had nothing more to do with the
affair.

Sir J. PAKINGTON said he felt bound to state—though
with every wish to do justice to this unfortunate man, for
he believed he might speak of him in those terms—that the
house would make a great mistake if, after the decision in a
court of justice, they were to pass this vote. It was an un-
founded assertion to state that the Warrior was built after
the designs of Mr. Clare. The feats of the ease were that,
in the discharge of a very important duty, the Board of Ad-
miralty called upon eminent shipbuilders, and invited them
to offer suggestions as to how the board ought to proceed
in reference to the construction of iron-plated ships,
and he now declared nothing more than the truth when he
stated that Mr. Clare had nothing to do with the Warrior.
HengeetMd that Mr. Clare should think that he had been
field with injustice by say department of the government,
end neatly he last year—after repeated applications
as to w ther he had any grounds for comma-
'sties or not—aaked Mr. Clare to state his nese to him, end
he (ttir J. Pakington) heard him throughout, and then en-
deavoured to enter into a conversation with him, but he
fond that to be impossible, in consequence of his state of
escitameet, and therefore he retired. With regard to
the proposed school of naval architecture, he
might mete that he had long had the plea-
. sure of the acquaintance of Sir W. Snow Harris.
• gentleman very well known, but after seeing his paper he
thought he had talks into • serious mistake, for he seemed
to believe that this school originated with the Board of Ad-
miralty, but the suggestion for it came from the Institution
of Naval Architects. Perhaps it might be some satisfaction
to the hon. member for Truro—after the refusal of the
noble lord to print this paper of Sir W. Snow Harris at the
public expense—to elate that the eminent naval architects
were of opinion that the proposed school should be erected
in the metropolis, and that the arrangement made by the
government was the most advisable one. and would afford
the best prospect of bringing the new school to a successful
issue.

The motion was then nesrativnil without a division.
THE CHANNEL FLEET.

Sir J. PA./EMOTION rose to ask the Secretary to the
Admiralty as to the present state of the Channel fleet, and
also as to the reserves in the home porta, end the right bon
baronet stated that he had been led to infer from the
information which he had reed, that the Channel fleet was
not in that state of efficiency which it might to be, and he
wished to know whether the noble lord could remove that
impression; and be would also like to know whether it wan
desirable under existing circumetances that the fleet should
remain for so long a period in Portland.roads. The
Channel fleet returned in the month of March, after a cruise
of three months in the Atlantic. and it had not yet been
sent to any arsenal for the purpose of having the repairs
oemeary effected. He had heard several suggestions made,
and some in high places, that looking at the Danish war the
fleet might be ordered off at short notice, and if it should
be, it would not be in a condition to perform the important
duties which it might be ordered to undertake. When the
fleet returned to Portland it required, as he had been in-
formed, 900 tone of coals, and there were only 90 tons
at hand, and it would take three weeks to obtain a
further supply. Provisions were also required, and it was
more than a week before any could be obtained. After a
delay of three weeks 2110 tow of coals only had been placed
on board. He would also siege that the repairs required
could not be carried out, in consequence of the harbour being
so small. Now, the majority of the ships were of iron, and
it was notorious that they became very fold titer
being a short time at sea, and he believed that if they
should be )rdered to proceed upon foreign service they
would not he able to go. If that should be so there would
be considerable delay. He hoped the noble lord would be
able to snide whether the reports which he (Sir J. Peking
too) had received were correct. The other gnostical which
he desired to address; to the noble lord was founded upon an
answer given by the noble lord to a question put by the
right hon. member for Tyrone. The noble lord stated that
the reserve at the home ports was not in a utiafactory coo-
ditioo, and he (Sir J. Pakingtool wanted to know what
steps had been taken to remedy that orisatisfactory condi-
tion. Was that house to infer from the noble lords stele-
meet that the Admiralty had determined to raeglect our
wooden fleet? He believed that the time had not yet
arrived when our wooden fleet might be considered useless.
At this moment they had not an iron fleet sufficient to carry
on a maritime war, and ooasequently they would have to
protect our commerce and poseeesions in all parte of the
world by our wooden ships, therefore it would be a great
mistake to allow these ships to fall into decay. He should
be glad to bear whether the Admiralty intended to main-
tain three ships in a stated efficiency, so that if they
should be required for service they would be ready to under-
asks it. (Hear, hear.)

Lord C. PAaET wished his right hoe. friend had put
his questions in a more specific manner, because it was not
likely that he mild be prepared to state the quantity of
coals which had been phieed on beard the ships without first
making an inquiry ; but so far as be could answer the ques-
tions he would do so,and he might state that be had been ia-
formed that the squadron was ordered to be ready both in
provision and coeds by the 15th of April. (Hear, hear.)
He believed there had been no Inneoesary delay in the
coallog or provisioniug of the ships, but would make inquiry
into the matter. In reference to some remarks which had
been made in the course of the discussion, he had to state
that iron-bottomed ships required constant docking. That
wu their greet defect. The Admiralty had been taunted
with the present state of the steam reserve ; but though it
wu not in as satisfactuy a condition as could be desired, it
was in ae efficient a state 51 when his right hon. friend was
in office. They had now as first-clue steam reserve three
iron-plated armour ships, two line-of-battle ships, two
frigatee, three corvette., and three doors ; es compared ,
with four linwor-bettle ships, three sloops, and three
frigate. when his right hon. friend was at the Admiralty.
Sir J. YAXINGTON—They were ready for service.
Lord C. PAGET --Our reserve is quite as ready. (A
laugh.)

Hr. CORRY said that the Admiralty ought to place the
ships paid off on the steam reserve, and to have the ships
forming the reserve ready for service whenever required.
Oue arm of the service ought not to be neglected because
attention was directed to another. His right boo. friend
(Sir J. Pakingtoo) had found the reserve in a bed state,
and be left it in a much better state, although he bad not
been long enough in office to render it as efficient as he de-
sired to see it.
The subject then dropped.