The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-12 00:00:00

Dlr. HUME said be bad not joined those members of the
committee who thought the works at Keyham ought to be
stopped, because it was shows that contracts bad already
been entered into to a considora'ale extent, and that it was
desirable a small basin should be constructed at Keyham.
At the same time, he mud say that the works had been un-
dertaken in a most reekless manner—a proof of this was
afforded by the fact that the very ground selected for the
site of these works had ta be cleared by the removal of an
arsenal or powder magazine, which involved an outlay of

180,0001.
?dr. S. HERBERT nid, with reference to the last point
raisid by the hon. member for Montrose, that the site had
been selected by the officer' of the ordnance, and the expense
bad not been anything approac'ting the amount stated by
the hon. member. He contended that experience had proved
that repairs and manufacture of boilers could be effected with
greater eco-,my and with more perfect durability in the
public yards than by contract with private individuals.
Mr. COBDEN said be had to apologies for pressing this
mltter on the committee, hut he did so under the c .nmction
that these works involved a useless waste of the public
money. However necessary the works might have been
when they commenced, the causes for alarm which had given
tin to them no longer existed, and therefore further outlay
was not only unnece awry, but unjustifiable.
Capt. HARRIS supported the opinion that the repairs and
manufacture should be carried on in the government yards,
and not executed by isonteact.
Lord St YMOUR complained that before the works were
commenced an es. imate of the expense bad not been laid
before the house by the late and the present Board of Ad-

miralty.
Mr. S. lIERBERT said such had been the cue u far as
he was concerned, for he himself had moved the first vote.
Mr. MILES deprecated the system of annually increasing
votes for works of this kind, without the probable cost of the
whole being first submitted to parliament. lie, however,
felt called upon to support the recommendation of the select
committee with reference to the works in progress at

Keyham.
Mr. WARD concurred in the recommendation of the
eekct committee that the plans for works should be sub•
mitted to parliament before undertaken, and the present
Board of Admiralty was prepared in future to act upon it.
After a few words from Mr. Coupes and Mr. W•RD in

explanation,
Mr. HENLEY was also of opinion that great works
ought not to be undertaken without a clear estimate being
first submitted to the house. This had never yet been the
practice, and the system ought to be amended before the
neat year.
Mr. lIUME thought that annual accounts should be
taken of the gIIS.AIIIV of timber in the dockyards, as WAS the
practice it. Intl,. Ile was also of opinion that the number
of stations for taking in this timber should be reduced and

simplified.
Mr.WAIU) feared that the frequent taking of stock would
he a tedious and expensive process It generally took sixty ,
Labourers six weeks to take stock of the timber in any of the
royal thickyarda.—Vote agreed to.
579,7401. half pay.
Capt. I'ECHELL took that opportunity of calling the
attention of the committee to the ease of the commanders and
lir utenants in the navy on the retired list. The hon. and
gallant member read an extract from a petition which had
been }resented by the etticers in question, complaining that
they were comples ly shut out from promotion, while at the
sums time their retired allowance was not in proportion to
that of the captains, He (Capt. Pechell) earnestly corn
mended their case to the attention of the house, and trusted
that something would he done for these neglected but most
' deserving officers. As a mode of providing a turd for the
increase he asked hoe, he suggested the appropriation of the
weight paid to her Majesty's ships for the conveyance of
specie from various parts of the world. It amounted to
about 30,0001. a year, and be thought it could not he better
employed than in augmenting the retired allowances of the
commanders anti li,utenants.
Mr. WARD said that although his hon. and gallant
friend had acquainted him with his intention of bringing
this subject before the use, he bad not given any notice of
the expedient he intended to propose far providing a fund.
He (Mr. Ward) feared that the freight of specie from the
Pacific was too fluctuating a source of inc,ime to be calcu-
lated on for retired allowances. He should not however lose
sight of the suggestion.
After a few words from Capt. HAURIS,
Mr. HUME quoted a return, showing that since the date
of the order limiting promotions in 1830, iioo captains bad
died, and that agreeably to that order only 105 ought to have
lieen promoted, but that no lees than 36a had received pro.
motion. Of commanders 315 died, and 685 had been pro
• looted instead of 105. Of lieutenants 1,019 had died, and
1,224 hail been promoted instead of 372. These were the
I things that kept up the dead weight, and it was useless to
talk of economy or retrenchment so long es that system con-

tinned.
Mr. COBDEN expressed his regret that the hon. secre-
tary to the Admiralty resisted the tecommendation of the
committee to r. duce the number of !telecasts. At the com-
mencement of the war with France they were only 69, now
they were 150. It was very hard he knew to tell officers that
they had no hope of promotion, but they were hound to con-
sider the interests of the country and those who paid taxes.
It appeared to him that the remedy was to be found in the
recommendation of stopping the ittlux of youths into the
navy. That was the only way of getting rid of the difficulty.
Alter a few words in reply from Mr. Wkum the vote was
agreed to, as were
400,2881. fur military pensions and allowatmes.
151,010. ~...en•
611,662/. for the packet service.
Mr. W. COW 1' ER said (in reply to Mr. Cobden) that
this charge was entirely for Post-office purposes.
Mr. H EX LEY complained of the exorbitant cost, 200,001.
a year, of the conveyance of the India mail. A committee
of the other house hail inquired into the matter, and re-
ported the possibility of making a more economical arrange-
ment. At present it was not well managed, the responsibi-
lity being a divided One.
Mr. COWPER said the contract between Suez and the
East Indies acil China did not expire till lot Jan., 1853. No
doubt it was very expensive ; hut no alteration could be ef-
fected till the contract espir. d. In each successive year it
was probable the cost of conveyance would be lessened, as
the facilities of travelling were inmeared. It had always
been the practice of the Admiralty to contract for this ser-
vice; but the parties who tendered were very few.
Mr. MONSELL urged the importance of establishing a
line of packets from ono of the western ports of Ireland to
America, whereby the time occupied in the passage to Rah-
lax, now nine lays, would be reduced by 36 hours; an ob-
ject. he conceived, of sufficient importance to claim the at-
tention of the government. Railway communication now
extended to Limerick ; but he would not advocate its claims
to the exclusion of the other western ports.
Mr. COWPER said the matter would not be lost sight of
by the Admiralty. They had for some Lme thought the
port of Valentia would he most suitable for the purpose. Ile
did not anticipate that the pa-sage to Halifax would be re-
duced below eight depend a half.
Mr. U. HERBER r advocated the claims of Valentia to
the consideratlin of the Admiralty.
Mr. ANS FEY hoped that Castletown would not be over-
looked.
Mr. HEN LEYrepeated his question, whether any steps
could be taken to secure a better and more economical ma-
nagement of the India and China mail. In extensive con-
tracts of this kind, unless a prolonged notice were giver, the
matter was sure to become a monopoly.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that no
fresh arrangements could be made for three years, and of
course it was impossible for the government now to say
what arrangements might then be possible. Other competi.
tors might materially reduce the charge of conveyance.
Mr. HENLEY complained that his question had not been
nnswered. The contract on this side the isthmus of Suez
would expire very soon, and he hoped the governs ant would
not deal with it so as to prevent them from dealing properly
with the whole when it did expire.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said this
question was totally different from the one ate hon. gew le-
man had originally put. He had now put a plain question,
and should have a plain answer. The nest contract for
the conveyance on this aide the isthmus of Suez would be
made to terminate at the same time as the other part of the
contract ; so that, in future, the whole subject might be
considered et once.
Mr. HENLEY expressed himself satisfied with the

answer.
Mr. HUMS said that one of the Southampton mails to
Alexandria bad b.en discontinued, so that now passengers
could only go by that route to India once a month. Govern.
nu nt had put on their own, boat to Malta, which was more
expensive than sending the mail twice a month from South-
ampton.
Mr. COWPER said th • alteration had teen made to save
15,0001. c year, and he won surprised the hon. member
should complain of that. (Hear, hear) No extra expense
whatever was incurred; the 15,0001. a year had been paid
for sending letters by a douh.e route, which was wholly un-
necessary." The letters were now carried from Malta in a
government vess-1, instead of a contract vessel; but that
did not increase the cost.
Mr. HUME contended that the people of India had a f
right to complain of the alteration, whereby they only re-
ceived their letters through Southampton once a month.
The saving of 15,0001. was paltry in comparison with the
convenience of such important colonies.
The CHANCELLOR of the EX.CHEQUER said that
no mail communication whatever had been taken off. The
old arrangement was th..t letters went overland to Marseilles
twice a month, and joined the packet at Malta. This con-
veyance continued ; and under all the circumstances it had
not been thought necessary to continue the packet twice a
month from Southampton. As to the proposed packet-
station on the west of Ireland, the government would give
the subject their best attention ; but he could give no posi-
tive pledge as to the time when it would be carried out, u
considerable expense must first be incurred.
Mr. MONSELL observed that them was already a rail-
way communication to Limerick.
Dr. HOWRINO complained of the heavy postage on com-
munications to the East. A letter to Egypt cost Is. 6d.,
while one to Calcutta or Hong-Kong wan only le—the cost
being 50 per cent. more for only hall tho distance. (Hear.)
Mr. COBDEN said if these amounts were considered as
payments for the Post, ffice service merely, the cost was
most enormous—nearly a million for the whole packet ser-
vice. f Hear, hear.) The sum of 240,0001. was paid for the
Went India service alone, while the return from postage pro-
bably would not reach 50,0001. When these contracts ran
out it would be worthy the consideration of the Admiralty
whether the cost could not be materially reduced.
Mr. GOCLBURN said he had predicted that these ar-
rangements, made for the facility of conveying mercantile
correspondence, would be veryonerous; but he had been met
by the assertion, on the part of those connected with corn.
mercer, that the expense would be more than compensated by
the benefits which would be conferred on other interests.
He had no means of knowing whether such benefits had
been realised.