The Express.
London, England, 1860-05-02 00:00:00

THE PORT-OFFICE.

Sir S. NORTHCOTE asked tho Secretary to tbo Trea-
sury whether the commiuion of inquiry ut the Post-office
had terminated its labours, or had been dissolved ; and if
no, for whet moons.
Mr. LAINO said some of the officers of the Post-office
were charged with an inquiry which bad hem going on for
some time. It was 'wended for • few days owing to some
alterations in the extent of the inquiry, but it had been
renewed and was now going on.

THE WINE AND(REFRESHMENT LICENSE BILL
Mr. B. &Stet/HET asked whether the adjourned debate
on this bill would owns an an Thursday next,
Mr. LAING rid that would depend of mune on what
had bola made with the Reform Bill. It would
C= the Arst t night after the second reading
of the Baum Bill

THE PROPOSED CONFERENCE ON SAVOY.
Mr. 8. FITZGERALD saki he observed that in another
pion the noble Wed the trader-Secretary for Foreign

Sir J.-ELPHINETONE said he seconded the motion, in
the hope that the Secretary to the Admiralty would be
able to give the house ••good account of the reserved force.
lewd O. PAGET was willing to allow all due credit to
the motives of Mr C. Napier, but he had adopted a course
unquestionably injurious to the public unlace. He could not
unmet to the motion, based as it was upon evident mis-
apprehension. The duty of the coast-guard volunteers wee
to defend our coasts, and he felt persuaded that before
long they could muster a sufficient force to fulfil all
the expectations which had been formed of them.
The royal naval volunteers amounted already to 1,000 men.
and the west-guard volunteers to upwards of 7,000 men,
and the men were coming in freely and feud. The training
of boys for the naval service, admitted on all bands to be a
Inutter of the utmost importance, was likewhie progressing
mtiefactorily; 8,000 boys were now in the several schools. In
the Channel fleet there were only 150 petty officers and 226
able seamen short of the complement. The Mediterranean
fleet was toe yet better condition. He defended the TT.
deetloo of the bounties given to seamen on the
that it um an unwholesome practice, good only Cults
moment, but productive of mischief in the end.
Sir J. PAK GTOM hadlistened to the speech of the noble
lord with great pleasure, and he was glad to hear the Ad-
mink), were doing all they could to increase the naval re-
serve so as to be able to meet all emergencies, and that it
was the intention of the present government to carry out
the recommendations of the royal commissioners.
Sir M. SEYMOUR would express his rnoet earned hope
' that the government, by carrying out without delay the
recommendations of the royal commissioners, would secure
the interests and maintain the honour of the country.
(Hear.)
Mr. CORRY said after the very satisfactory statement
of the Secretary for the Admiralty he trusted that his
hon. and gallant friend would not think of dividing the
house, but if he did he should certainly vote against him.
Mr G. PECHELL said he believed his noble friend the
Secretary for the Admiralty had asincere des m to do all that
the oommiesion required.
Admiral WAIZOTT mid there were many subjects which
the hon. and gallant admiral had brought before the house
which had better be left to the Admiralty. He did not
think it would be well that when the service had a supposed
grievance they should look to the House of Commons in-
stead of looking to their own officers.
Sir H. VERNEY said he believed that the admitting of
boys into training ships was of great value to the service,
and be read a letter from an officer, who be mid was
serving in another part of the world, in which he mid
that he had five or six buys on board his ship who had come
'from the -Mated's); drips, and that the "Una unread
well. He added that one of his men who entered as an
able seaman and wit a bounty of 101., being ordered by the
boatswain to make a mat, half an hour afterwards he
found him fiddling with the rope. The boatswain
abused him for his ignorance, and called one of
the boys, from the training ship, who set to
work, and did it in • workmanlike manner. As
a civilian he could not help feeling astonished that when
a ship was paid off the country should lose the valuable
services of men who had perhaps been for years in training.
It was not so in the army, but soldiers acquired nn enint
de corps which made them proud to belong to the regiments
of which they had been members. Could not sonic such
feeling be introduced into the navy? (Hear.)
Mr. BENTINCK thought the gratitude of the country
was due to the gallant admiral (Sir C. Nap Mr) for the
energy and determination with which he had brought the
state of our naval defences before the house at a time when
the attention of the country was less directed to the subject
than its importance demanded. On the present occasion
he had elicited some very important information, but
he should recommend him not to press the motion
to a division. He (Mr. Bentinek) was glad to hour the Se-
cretary to the Admiralty avow that he thought the evstem
of bounties an unwholesome one ; but still it appeared to
him premature to withdraw the bounty which had been
lately offered until it had tally answered its purpose—that,
namely, of completely manning the Beet.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS said there must he some important
oases for the failure of the schemes which had been pro-
posed for manning the navy. The hon. gentlemen who had
met spoken, seemed to think it was because the government
did not offer the seamen the market price for their services ;
but, taking all things into consideration, there could be no
doubt that the royal navy offered the sailor more
advantages than the mercantile marine. It seemed to him
that what deterred men from entering the service was the
dogging. The American government had found the same
difficulty in manning their ships until they abolished cor-
pond punishment, since which time they had had as many
men as they wanted.
Lord LOVAINE bad never heard a single complaint on
the part of the men aganeit flogging • for cases of punish-
ment were few. (Hear, hear.) The 'difficulty of manning
the navy arose from a very different cause—able seamen
were not to be had. Sailing ships were going out—steam-
ships coming in ; and there was really no great
number of men who would be called able seamen in the
emu in which the term was used on board men-of-war.
He could NO no way of supplying the want except by es-
tablishing schools, and training up persons for the service
from their childhood. There WIN an excellent naval school at
Hull, but he did not find that masters of merchant ships
preferred for their Fumes regularly trained sailors. As
for the idea that the sort of men who were required foe the
Royal Navy could be had at a moment's notice for paying
for, he thought it was wholly a mistake. (Hear, bear.)
Mr. WHITBREAD said it was not the fact that they •
could not get men to enter the navy, for they
were entering it, and entering it rapidity. (Hear, hear.)
As to the abolition of the lash, it was doubtful whether it
would be popular amongst the seamen themselves. The
discipline on board niensif•war wa; wit at all too strict for
the good men, who knew that if it were relaxed an unfair
amount of duty would he thrawn upon thew. (Hear, hear.)
The bounty wee out abolished. It itid h,eeu reduced to 4f.
able and 21. ordinary seamen ; hat the enteritis of the latter
had nearly ceased, in consequence of the number voted
being almost filled up. (Hear, bear.) So far from the
coast-guard being at all inefficient they were the very prime
of the navy, and they would noon Le able, in the cue of an
emergency, to organise a large number of other bands who
might have to be entered in a hurry. With regard to the
motion before the house, ho hoped the gallant
admiral would not trouble them to divide ; because
as some of his figures were disputed he could not expect
boa. gentlemen to support him. When ho acid that the
naval coast volunteers were " not to be depended upon," be
was not borne out by the language of the commis loners'
report. What they mid was that the country could not
place reliance on men who could not be taken more than
100 leagues from the coast, which was very different from
the offensive phrase of the gallant admiral. (Hear, hear.)
After • reply from Sir C. NAPIER, who thanked the
house for the attention which they had given to him, and
expressed a hope that he had done some good by the step
he had taken, the motion was, by leave, withdrawn.

. . _
BERWICK-UPON-TWEED ELECTION.
Mr. PEEL moved that an humble address be presented
to her Majesty , as followath :—Most gracions Sovereign,—
We, your Majany's meet dutiful and loyal subjects, the
Commons of the United Kingdom of Omit Britain and
Ireland in Parliament assembled, beg leave humbly to
represent to your Majesty, that a select committee of the
Home of Commons, appointed to try a petition complaining
of an undue electiou and return for the town of ."iviek-
upon-Tweed, have reported to the house, that there is
raison to believe that bribery extensively prevailed at the
last election for the town of Derwick-now.Tweed ; we
therefore humbly pray your Majesty, that your Majesty
will be graciously pleased to cause Mutely to be made, pur-
suant to the provisions of the act or parliament passel in
the sixteenth year of the reign of your Maj.aty, intituled
"An Act to provide for more effectual inquiry into the
existence of Corrupt Practices at Elections for Members tr
serve in Parliament," by the appointment of commis.