The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-27 00:00:00

would be applied in increasing our effective naval strength ;
and, in the next place, to show that it did not bear more than
a due proportion to the increase which had taken plus in
the naval establishments and affairs of other powers. He
doubted whether we had yet reached a point where weeould
safely stop, if the position, integrity, and honour of this em-
pire was to be permanently maintained. First, what was the
real increase in the navy estimates ? what money was the house
called on to vote for the effective naval protection of
the country.? To arrive at that, the nary estimates
must be stripped of all extraneous matter; there must
be deducted the packet service, which was swelling into a
monstrous item every year. He did not object to this; it
was the natural growth of our increased commercial inter-
course, not only with our colonies, but with every put of
the world. In 1830, the whole of the charge on the naval
estimates for the packet service amounted to 27,0001.; is
1831, to only 24,000/. ; and in the vote now to be proposed
there was taken for the pocket service of the year in one
slope or other, 820,3831. There had also been a large in-
crease in the transport service for both the army and the
ordnance, and in the convict service for the home depart.
anent. During the present year there was a decrease in the
convict service. But taking those three, the packet servers,
the transport service, and se hat might be regarded as a per-
tion of the dead weight, the pensions and superannuation@
(which did not correspond with any actual lid at
! present wished to be maintained, but were, in
point of fact, a debt bequeathed to us by the
' lad war), the amount for non-nasal service, which would
be voted in these estimates, was 1,564,9484 Deducting this
sum from the Oct vote for the present year, there remained
5,996,0901. so the whole of the cum to be applied by Eng-
land to her maritime defence—by England, • country which
had, literally speaking, no other defences, without a single
fortified town, with her coasts absolutely unprotected, with
an army of some 20,000 disposable men, without a militia,
without military organisation of any kind whatever. In
such a country they were voting 5,996,0001. for the naval
evoke; while the French estimates for the year, for pre-
cisely the Mlle service, amounted to 5,039,0001., making a
difference of only 3.57,0001.; and France, having her coast
admirably fortified, Paris impregnable, a standing army of
300,000 men, and a national guard of 1,000,000 to fall back
upon for her own internal defence. Within the last two
years a very remarkable change had taken place in the
French navy estimates. In 1846 the chamber of Depu-
ties, upon a very elaborate report from the government, had
added an extraordinary credit of 93,000,000 of francs, to be
distributed over the space of "even years, to the ordinary
budget that bad been voted in previous years. For the
present year the estimates altogether amounted to
140,984,591 francs; to this was to be added about 13 millions
more,—as one-seventh of the 93 millions; bringing 'the
total up to 6,639,000/. In applying this sum they Lad
very considerately ceded that proposition of the extraordi-
nary credit which ought to be applied to ship-building under
ordinary circumstances ; and the minister of marine stated,
at the close of his report, that " it was thought to be in '
harmony with the manifest intention of the chamber that
the building of new ships should be proceeded with as fast as
possible, so as to complete the projected increase in the fleet
as soon as can be done, without waiting for the prescribed'
term of seven years. The works of 1847 and 1848 are regu-
lated with this view." He added —" With regard to
steamers, the rum of 2,847,084 francs for steam-vessels
likewise for the same reason, exceeds its proportion of one-
seventh of the extraordinary credit." This was done in
order to carry out systematically, year by year, a proposal
for increasing the French naval force, in commission and in
the service du roi, (rem 358 to 390 ships of all classes; to
which number it was to be brought up in as much under
seven years as it might be found convenient to execute the
work. He found no fault with France for this; be stated
these facts not in a spirit of jealousy and suspicion ; France
did what she thought right and necessary to maintain her
own position and power. She set us, in many respects, a
noble example. He admired the wise liberality with which
her works had been systematically carried on, from year to
year, until she had absolutely replaced the positive died
ventages under which she laboured, along the whole coast
of the channel, by some of the most magnificent works of
art that now existed. From north to south, at Dunkirk,
Calais, Havre, Cherbourg, Brest, St. Halo, Douarnener,
Audierne, Bayonne, and Rochefort, the finest works were
going on, of which the house and the country had very
little conception, as it regarded their magoitude and
future importance with reference to the defences
of the country. The most magnificent breakwaters
were found there ; it was true they were but
poor substitutes for the finer harboate with which
nature had enriched this country • but still they were sub-
stitute., At Cherbourg, 44 millions of francs had been ap-
propriated to the works there ; 18 millions to the break-
waters ; and 25 millions for the dockyard. That dockyard
contained 231 acres; it had three basins for the largest
steam vessels that could be built, 16 building slip', and 6,000
workmen employed. The breakwater exceeded that at
Devonport, in length, by one mile. At Brest, there was a
steam-vessel establishment on a much larger scale than any-
thing which this country powered ; there WAS one stnithey,
with no lees than 127 fires Our largest, at Portsmouth, only
contained 48. The case was the same at St. Melo, Andierne,
Rochefort, and the other ports. These works bad been
carried on systematically for 18 or 20 years ; while our
corresponding works had only been begun in 1843. These
facts were a lesson to us ; and they imposed a very heavy
responsibility on those at the head of affairs in this country.
All power was relative; aid we must take core, by a proper
development of our own resources in the time of peace, t•
c=the balance of power being changed, should any m-
end unfortunate event lead to war. There was no
need to vie with France in the magnificence of these esta-
blishments, on account of the immense private resources
which England could at any time command; but a certain
parity must be kept up; and we must not grudge the wee"
necessary for putting our ports and harbours in a proper
state of defence. He (Mr. Ward) should belie his con-
victions most completely if be said that, in this re-
spect, our work was nearly done; it had only been
began within the last five months. We had the finest
naval stations in the world in our possession, and they ought
not to be neglected. Bermuda was a disgrace to us •, Malta
was still very incompetent ; Portsmoudr, Plymouth, and
Devonport were very inadequately defended. Malta was
the only point available to our Mediterranean squadron, be-
tween Chnstantinople and Woolwich, where a numbest of
any magnitude could be repaired. The steam-building es-
tablishment there even was still most inadequate; he helped
to see it pressed on, till the manufactory was comple=l
till everything required for a steamer could be f
there as well as in this country. (Hear, hear.) All thhhed
asiese from unwise economy, niggardliness, and minloalie
ny, which refused to look forward. Ten yeah sip we
ought of nothing but cutting down estimates; now, des
consequence was, we were forced to crowd into three yearn
the work that ought to have been done, and might have been
done, in ten years without inconvenience. This had come,
too, at a time of great expense, when every shilling was ill-
afforded by the Chaneeflorof the Exchequer. Yet these works
could not be neglected without placing the country in a po-
sition in which no member, on whatever aide he sat, or
whatever principles he professed, would wish to see the ma-
ritime power of England placed. It might be asked, what
had the present Board of Admiralty done to redeem its
pledge to systematise and improve the resources they had,
and what was proposed for the present year? They had
done less, and proposed less, than he could wish. (Hear.)
Every one must be aware, from the statement of the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer the other night, how small was
the margin with which the public departments had at pre-
sent to deal. The choice bad been less what to do than what
to leave undone ; and many things bad been left undone, in
spite of the present largeness of these estimates, which he
sincerely regretted. Last year, a question was much agi-
tated about a naval reserve; but we had not the money.
Another question was the establishment of coal depots, for
which all the preparations in our ports were most inade-
quate. The works of Bermuda must be suspended another
year, in order to finish those in progress nearer home.
Besides, it had been thought more desirable and more neces-
sary to add 1,500 men to the marines, for which the vote
would be taken under No. 1., and to re-organise entirely
the corps of naval engineers. Nothing cou!d be more
pressing, looking at the important duties they had to perform,
and the great detriment which the public service suffered
from the inadequacy and incompetency of many now em-
ployed. A committee, appointed to take this subject into
consideration, composed of officers beet acquainted with the
matter, and presided over by Lord John Hay, had reported
that the inferiority of pay drew away from her Majesty's
service men of the most eminent character and abilities
amongst the class of engineer', and left the service too often
in the hands of ignorant and unskilful penons. The first
class of engineers in the government service were paid 131.85.
per month, with no addition for length of service, and no
outfit. In the Bast India Company's service they had an outfit
of 501.; 161. per month fur the first three years ; 191. 4a. 7d.
for the subsequent four years • and 231. 16e. afterwards. In
the merchant service, in flat of the West India packets,
and the great. packet companies, it was 2.51. per month for
find-class engineers—nearly double what the government
gave ; it was 161. per month in the Mediterranean, 161., to
'2Ol. to the West Indio, and 251. to India and China. There
was the same difference:in all the four degrees into which
the chief engineers were divided. There was also an extra-
ordinary difference in the manner in which they were
treated. In the one service they were recognised as men of
high intelligence and capacity, who could not become en-
gineers without qualifying themselves by a liberal educa-
tion; in the ether they ranked below the lowest warrant
officer—the carpenter in her Majesty's ships ; they had no
advantage in meaning ; they were not treated as gentle-
men ; they did not consider themselves u such, and they con-
sequently disliked to enter the service. It was proposed to take
4,0001. for this class; to separate them into three divisions,—
inspectors of machinery afloat, chief engineers, and assistant
engineer,—the two latter divisions being each subdivided
to in three classes. The inspectors of machinery afloat were
to rank with and after lieutenants ; the chief engineers with
and after master.; the eminent engineers with and after
second masters. It was proposed to give the inspectors of
machinery afloat 261. per month; the three closes of chief
201.' 161., and 141.; and the three clams of
121.,91. 10s.' and Si. It was pivoted to have a
rigid examination of candidates for entry or promotion;
that they should be soleouraged to go into the heavies to
acquire practical skill; and- that, in every ease where
engines were ordered at a private manufactory for the
government service, a thief engineer should attend,
to supervise the work, end obtain each as insight
as should enable him to take charge of the engine when
built. The cost of these alterations would be about 4,0001.,
in the present year. As the value of the machinery under
the care of these engineers was at least 1,400,0001., the addi-
tional expense now proposed was only one-half per cent. on
that sum ; and the house must concur in the absolute neces-
sity of this vote. (Hear, hear.) The vote for the marines
would be taken for 500 men for twelve months, and 1,000
men for six months. A sum of 20,0001. would be taken for
the organisation of the dockyard artificers into a corps, to be
regularly uniformed sad trained ; it teeuld be a voluntary
corps, not employed on Pardee at * diou'onao from the dock-