The Express.
London, England, 1863-02-21 00:00:00

THE ARMSTRONG GUN FACTORY.

Mr. LAIRD salted the Secretary of State for War
whether he bed say objection to lay upon the table of the
house a copy of say oorrespondeace that had taken place
between her Nafeety's government sod Sir William Area-
strong a. to resigaiag hie appointment ; of any
donor between her Majesty's government, Sircc=
Armstrong, and the Elswick Ordnance Compaq, as to the
lerlEillatioll of the contract between the goverumest sad
that thin ; end ci any agreement OT arraagammet 'Meted
into far the emanation of plant or otherwise coanseted with
the Elswiok works ?
Sir G. 0. 'LEWIS replied that correspoodeaos had
Übe. place between the government and Sir William Arm.
Aron raipeohm the resignation of the latter, which had
been accepted. That correspondence would be laid on the
table. With ampere be the Elawick factory the correspon•
deuce was still iseampiste.

THR IRISH CENSUS.
In reply to Mr. W. 0. 0014
Sir G. GREY stated that the Irish census returns would
be published early in April.
CHARITABLE SUBSCRIPTIONS.

Sir 1. HAY inquired of the Secretary of State for the
Home Department whether he proposed to tabs say steps
to ascertain the wishes of the subicribers to the funds which
bad lately berm mined to relieve the sufferers is India, in
the Crimes (the Nightingale Fund), the Hartley Colliery
Fund, and others, with a view to bestowing the surplus OR
other sufferers by calamities which are similar in their
nature.

Sir G. GREY amid that the anbeersptions alluded to hid
been collected for epectho purposes, and had been handed
over to trustees for the execution of three purposes. With
them it would therefore be obviously improper for the p-
yerement to interfere. If in any use there should be a sur-
plus, the tniateee should be to, and it would be
d theirispos dauty to take the wishes the subscribers as to its
l
TICKETS OF LEAVE.

Mr. DENHAN asked the Secretary of State for the
Home Departroeut whether any inetruetkes had recently
base issued with reference to the revocation of tickets of
leave for iufr emeit at the ereditiome redeemed thereon ?
Sir G. GRE Y reeled that the only iestrectioria given
were that certain aloes of the metropolitan police should
see the convicts with a view to their better identification.
Those iostroctiona' however, had been suspended pending
the inquiry which wee now being proceeded with.
THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. REED.

Sir F. SMITH inquired of the Secretary to the Admiralty
whether there was any truth in the report that it was con-
templated, m the event of the remignatioe of Mr. Isaacs
Watts, C. 8., chief constructor of the navy, to appoint to
that important office a gentleman over the heads of Mr.
Abethell, Mr. Oliver Laos, and other datiuguished and
talented toaster shipwrights of loos standing in her Ma•
- -

• Cord C. PAOET said that it was the intention of the
Admiralty to appoint Mr. Reed as chief constructor of the
navy. Mr. Reed had been employed by the Admiralty in
constructive a vessel of his own invention, and which com-
bined the advaateges of wood and iron. He had done his
work extremely well, and was a man who had originally
studied naval arehiteetare under government. He was
therefore in every respect qualified to be the soodiseur to
Mr. Watts, sad be (Lord C. Paget) begged to add that Mr.
Reed's appointment wu no reflection on those steeliest
and hoe. gentlemen to whom allusion had been mad*. Bat
the fact was that the chief coostructor of the navy should be
a man of an active habit of body, and those gentlemen, how-
ever eminent, were rather old. (A laugh.) The Admiralty
bad been formerly accused of shutting their eyee to lave°.
lionsand improvements, but here was a proof that they
were willing to take the best man wherever they could dad
bins. Being oe his loge, he took the opportunity of comply-
ing with a request which had been made to him by the Lard
Lieutenant of Kent respecting some observations which had
on a former evening dropped from the noble lord the mem-
ber for Huntingdon. That noble lord had stated that a
Mr. Budding bad been appointed captain in a Kentish
volunteer corps in consequence of a application
front him (Lord C. Paget) ; and at a dinner at Chatham
give. to hum the lord.lieutentot of Kent was desirous that
this misstatement should be corrected. His lordship bad
received on application from him (Lord C. Nest), who knew
Dodder about Mr. Budding beyond that be was en excel-lent gentlemen belonging to the pines. Lord fildeey ode-
: nally declined to appoint Mr. Budding, on the greeted that
i he was employed ender government in commas with
caateene Subsequently Mr. Budding was elected high con-
stable of Chatham, and then, at the request of the prised-
pd inhabitants, he obtaiued his commission u captain of
I volunbora Ti. dinner had seeking to do with as, awn-
cation from biro (Lord C. Paget), and he gave Isis ward of
honour that he had sever applied for the comtnissioo• Tb•
noble lord was proceeding with some further explanations,
when
The SPEAKER called hint to oat, on the grossed that
snob (Ixisinuation• nhetdd he teede la the Feemee et the
whit, iced the amber kit ifteliestlea.