The Express.
London, England, 1860-04-20 00:00:00

THE NAVAL RESERVE.

Sir C. NAPIER said there was such a wide difference of
opinion on the subject of the coast guard between the Se-
cretary to the Admiralty and himself, that he must again
refer to the matter. The number of the coast guard was stated
in the estimates at 9,500. Seven years ago, Sr C. Wood had
informed the house that they had a reserve of 8.500 men.
The exact strength of the coast guard at the present mo-
ment he found was 576 officers, 5,631 seamen, and 655 boys,
who, together with the 800 naval volunteers, constituted
the whole reserve force which the country possessed. And
out of those 5,631 seamen, only 3,200 would be ready for the
defence of the country in the event of anything unpleasant
taking place on the continent yet the Manning Commission
reported that • reserve of 70,000 men was necessary for our
protection. If he were wrong in these figures, he hoped he
should be corrected, but he had obtained them from head-
quarters. In the present posture of affairs, the house would
surely not be satisfied with so small a reserve as he had
mentioned to fall back upon in any emergency.
Lord C. PAGES said that a return frorathe Comptroller-
' General of the Cunt Guard showed that we had a force
available for immediate sea service of 6,862 men and boys.
The hon. and gallant admiral said we had no reserves
beyond the reduced force of coast guard, the 6,000 coast
volunteers, and the 800 royal naval volunteers, but though
800 of the latter force had only yet been enrolled there was
very unnecessary alarm both in and out of the house as to
the probable failure of that scheme. (Hear, hear.) From
the first he (Lord C. Paget) never felt that men would
flock to that reserve force all of a sudden, but so far from
thinking that the progress of enrolling was unsatisfactory,
be was beginning to think that it promised well.
(Hear, hear.) The number of men was increasing weekly.
It was only since the beginning of the present month that
they had been prepared to enrol, the training ships not
being previously in • state of preparation for exercise, and
that was • fact well known to the men themselves. At the
beginning of April they commenced by enrolling between
30 and 40 men • week, but now the number had increased
to 100 per week, and if it augmented upon a proportionate
ratio, there would soon be a respectable force of royal naval
volunteers. (Hear, hear.) lie must, however, say that
the course taken by the gallant admiral in constantly
making statements in the house as to the deficiency
c 4 our naval forces was most unreasonable, and
tended neither to his own credit nor to the
good of his country. At the commencement of this
year we had 11,000 more men than last year, and there
was no difficulty in getting men to enter the service, he
would not say freely, but in a satisfactory way, and it
should be recollected that lately they did not enter any but
able seamen in the navy, unless it were men who had be-
fore been in the service, but had left. He thought it right
to tell the gallant admiral that be was visited daily by
officers of high and low rank in the Channel squadron, and
that one and all said to him, " Cannot you persuade the
gallant admiral to cease from the continual encouragement
he is giving to a feeling of discontent among the marines in
our ships. His brother officers disapproved of his re-
peated complaints about men not having suffi-
cient leave, when they had more than they
ever got in former years. (Hear, hear.) It was the
continual system of breaking leave which had led to all the
recent dieuters, but tive of that one subject, the
fleet was never in a more healthy or satisfactory state than
at the present time. (Hear, hear.) The men were making
great progress, and general contentment prevailed in the
fleet. The gallant admiral also complained of the paucity
of petty officers, but when • fleet was created in a mar-
vellously short time that would naturally be the case. But
he made a still more unreasonable complaint, because he
said the men were overworked, that their drill was ex-
cessive, and that gnat discontent prevailed in the fleet in
consequence.
Admiral NAPIER slid he complained of the system, nit
of the quantity of work.
Lord C. PAGET understood the gallant admiral to say on
a former evening that the men were overworked, and had
an undue allowance of drill. That very day he received •
visit from Admiral Elliot, the captain of the channel fleet,
who felt very much distressed at the statements which had
gone abroad, and who stated that the greatest amount of
drill in any one day in that fleet was two hours, and that
the weekly average was not more than one hour's drill a-day,
which the gallant admiral, the member for Southwark,
would surely say was not executes for gallant seamen. He
(Lord Clarence Paget) fully admitted that the gallant ad-
mind honestly desired to improve the service, but
a strong feeling prevailed at the Admiralty and on board
the ships, that his speeches in that house were doing
incalculable mischief to a young fleet, which was now well.
disposed, because they led the sailors to imagine grievances
which really had no existence. He would not enter then
upon the question of ship-building, because • notice had
been given by an hon. member on the subject. He hoped
that when it came on the whole matter would be thoroughly
sifted.

Mr. DIOBT SITYOUR and Sir J. ELPHINATONZ pressed
npon the government the expediency of extending the
MOROI of naval instruction by school-ships.
Mr. WHITBREAD made a short reply, awl the house
went into Committee of Supply on the remaining navy
estimates, when the following votes were agreed to, after
discussion :
172,7781. for establishments at home.

36:9531. for establishments abroad.
1,440,6811. for wages to artificers at borne.
83,8861. for the same abroad.
3,204,4341. for naval storm, for builiding and repair of
ships.
In moving the lest vote,
Lord C. PAGET gave a detailed reply to a charge made
on a preceding night by Mr. Henley against the government
of neglect in not keeping up a proper stock of seasoned
timber in the dockyards, stating reasons why, in his opinion,
it would be unwise in the Admiralty to increase the estab-
lishment of timber.

SIR JOHN BARNARD'S ACT, Re., REPEAL BILL.
On the order for the 4.-cond reading of this bill,
Mr. BENTINGIC opposed the further provress of the bill
at that late hour.

—The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER felt bound
to prime the mooed reading of the bill.
Mr. BENTISCK moved the adiournment of the debate.
The house divided, and the numbers were:
Far the adjournment
Against
Majority
The motion was wisesopessitly leek.
Mr. BOA ILL Mien moved the adjournment of the
on the ground tame We was a most important measure, wd
that the principle had not yet been explained to the house.
}le hail beard already three statements descriptive of the
bill, but the house bad not had any collected statement of
it, principle, which he I•lieved to be a most important one,
namely, whether gambling, and that gambling of the worst
description, was to be sanctioned by the house. (Hear.)
ThigIOLICITOR-GENERAL mid he hoped his lion. end
leaned bind would not persevere with his motion, after

the unmistakeable proof they had just heard of what was
the senile of the house on the subject. His hon. and
learned friend bad complaihedthat he hadheard no statement
on the subject ; but he really thought his hon. and learned
friend was exaggerating the importance of the measure.
The act wee so mischievous in itself that it ought to be re.
g:l:and there wee no reason why it should remain on
td
statute-book any longer. With reference to the gam-
bling portion of the act, it had been already stated that by
a later act prevention, against gambling and wagering had
been sufficiently taken, so far as they could be provided.
By the law of England it was lawful for any merchant to
contract for anything, except for British funds, to be de-
, livered at a future time. The hon. gentlemen who
opposed this bill ought to go further, and propose to
extend the provisions of the act proposed to be repealed to
every other kind of transaction. He did not see why there
should be a difference between this kind of property and
any other, and therefore he hoped the house would proceed
to business, sod pass judgment on the measure, instead of
interposing these delays. (Haan)
The house then divided :
For the adjournment
Against it
An HoN. lingaza again moved that the debate should be
"I)9°T4-- •

iSir J. TRELAWNY said it appeared to him and would
appear to the public that these divisions were for the pur-
pose of throwing over the Churoh•rate Bill which stood
lower as
Yr. OOLLINS protested against any such interpretation
Wag put on these motions. lie had voted in the majority
on the last two divisions. _ _

Mr. BOVTLL said that he had thought it right to move
the adjournment of the hones in order that a full discussion
might take place upon Sir J. Bernard's Act, and not to
discuss church rates. The statement of the Solicitor-
General was entirely different to that given before.
After a few words from Mr. LOCKS,
Mr. MALINS should be sorry if it was understood that
in voting in the last division he was giving any opinion in
favour of Sir J. Barnard's Act. He had voted in the
minority simply because he wished to Five its supporters
an opportunity of expmaing their opinions on it fully.
The CHAISCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that it
was quite a mistake to suppose that no opposed business
was to be brought on after 12 o'clock at night, because if
such a principle were adopted it would delay a large
amount of the government business. The hon. and learned
gentleman was perfectly willing to go on with the Church
Bate Bill at this hour (a quarter past one o'clock).
(Cries of "No, no.") The attempts of large majorities to
force on public questions of great interest were properly
resisted, but, at the same time, the attempts of small
knots of members to obstruct public business ought not to
be permitted, especially when tho business was of a simple
character. The present measure was one simply to legalise
transactions on the Stock Exchange which had long been
virtually legal.
After some further discussion the debate was adjourned.