The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1807-07-11 00:00:00

NAVAL ANUSES.

Lord COCHRAN F. said, he rose for the purpose
of the produaion of several papers respelling
Naval Services, in the manor, in which they had
been carried en for several years past, and which
had occasioned great disgust in the service, both
amongst officers and men. Not that he was de-
sirous of throwing blame upon any man; at the
same time he hoped that those in Administration,
when they saw the evil, would endeavour to remedy
it. He shettld move for c,:pies of all letters from
Commanders of men of war, relative to the state
and condition of the ships under their command.
Here the Noble Lord stated, that he held in his
hand two letters from the Surgeon of the Phenir,
two months before she was lost, representing the
condition of that vessel as not bring at all fit
for sea. He al,o read extraas of letters re-
!peeling the had state of the Felts schooner, written
on board °llly a few days after d:c left the Channel,
giving a dismal accoliot of her condition: also of
the Atalanta sloop. this was wrecked off Rochfort.
More men, he declared, had been wrecked off
Rochfert thislast w,nier, than would h: ve served to
cut out the enemy's fleet. He should also move
for an account of the number of monists for which
ships in the Chant-el et had been kept at sea.
Fire Pla,tarnrt, in part ict.lar. although ouly•within
a few hears sail of the coast, had been kept for eiOt
months cif Brest and a severe order had been
issued, that no man on board of that ship should
put his foot on board any other of His Majesty's
ships. lie should also move for P2pktS relative to
the Sick List ; and should prove that nem really ill
were not suffered to go into the Hospitals, and
that with a view of saving ei.pensee. He also
proposed to move for an account of the quasi-
t:ry . of fresh provikions furnished for vessels at
sea, from the Ist of Mara.. 1805, to the lst of
Match, tall. It had formerly been customary for
vessels in the Channel set vine, when they had been
out for four months, to be allowed to come into
port, and to have suificier.t time to recruit ; but,
under the late Commander-in-Chief, this rule had
been set aside, and vessels had been kept five, six,
yea, eight or nine months, within a short sail of the
coast, without being allowed to come in 1.,r the
benefit of refreshment. He also proposed, that
there be laid before the Ileuse an account of such
orders as had been aged upon from the Ist of
March, 1905, to the Ist of March, 1807, by autho-
rity of Commanders-in-Chief, respelling leave
granted to, or with-held from, officers and men,
dis-
tinguishing who the Commander-in-Chief was at
the time. He observed, that it had been a great
cruelty towards the men, not to suffer them to set
their foot on shore fot a number of months. and
that at the very time when the Commander-in•Chiel
was enjoying himself is London, and deriving
great emoluments from his official situation. If this
were allowed. he should not be surprised if the com-
mand should be suffered to he held as a sinecure,
he a Foul or a child. He should also move for such

erten as had been *fled upon, altering the nibs,
or restraining officers or surgeons from sendieg men
to the naval- hospitals, whilst labouring under sore
diseases, at least not before they had a survey open
them by the Surgeon-General of the Conunandma
in-Chief. Now, it was tmpossible that that Surgeon
could go from one ship to another in blowing
weather ; hence it had happened, in some in,
stances, that when such di:eased men had been at
last sent. amputation had been found necessary to
save their lives ; and seamen were frequently la-
bouring under diseases, at the very time they were
sent out of port. He had himself seen about 70
men unwell on board a ship, who bad been refused
admission into a naval hospital; and he had known
men who had been admitted into the hospital after
having been nine months at sea, and in a scorbutic
habit, who had been refused trifling indnlgencies.
When egg-wine had been tweeted. the answer was,
that eggs were not allowed in the hospital, and the
men have died. Even the allowance of milk, ne-
cessary for the dressing of sores, had been cut off,
and even the quantity of lint necessary for the dress-
ing of wounds. He then moved, 6, That the Papers
he had specified should be laid upon the table of
the House ; and also copies of all letters and rept.-
sentations from the Commanders and Surgeons of
the Pim nig, altatenta, and habit, respedMg the state
and condition of these vessels, and the sick therein."
On the motion being seconded by Mr. DILLON.
Sir SAMUEL HOOD declared he had heard
that night, in the House, what he never believed
would have been advanced in Great Britain. He
never could have believed that such a motion as this
could have proceeded from so gallant an officer.—
For whatever accidents had occurred to these ves-
sels, he considered himself responsible, as well as
Commodore Keates. With reaped to the loss of
the Atalanta, no blame was imputable to any one ;
it was on a lee-shore, and in a great swell ; the
vessel was at that time so zoned. that the Captain
declared it was owing to that circumstance that the
men were saved. Here there was no negledt on the
part of the Commander-in-Chief, any more than of
the Commanding Officer at the time she ran on
shore. Commodore Keates had afterwards ordered
a survey on her, when she only made four inches of
water. instead of twenty, as bad been reported.—
The Felix had been driven on shore in a gale of
wind, when carrying a flag of truce off St. An-
dero, and on alee-shore. when she was not suffered
to enter a port. With reaped to provisions, Sir
Samuel declared he had commanded the squadron
for some months, and if he had been kept longer
out. he should not have complained. It was not
in port he recovered his men, but at sea; sea air did
them service. ( &nth.) He should always he
ready to stand forward on the seamen's behalf. in
ev re simation, but at the same time he felt him-
sea oeund to repel the unfounded charge of the
Noble Lord. The only tendency of the Noble
Lord's motion was to breed discontent in the
Navy.
Lord COCHR ANE, in explanation. said. that
he had not imputed the loss of the Atalanta to EAI I
Sr. Vincent, but had only stated the bad condition
of that ship.
Admiral HARVEY said, the Hon. and Gallant
Baronet had sufficiently explained fads, and in such
a clear and officer-like manner, that little need be
added. It was a painful consideration, that public
naval characters should be liable to be perpetually
attacked, as if they were put beyond the lower of
the elements. He had found no want of burgeons,
but only of Assistant-Singeons. There had been
found plenty of medicinal chests. at the expense of
Government. So fur as his knowledge and ex.
perience went, he declared there was no founda-
tion for the charge brought forward by the Noble
Lord.
Admiral MARKHAM said. it was with regret
he rose to speak upon such a subject, because the
motion of the Noble Lord at once struck at the dis-
cipline of the naval service, and would be bandied
about in every newspaper. If complaint had been
made with respell to any particular ship, or aay
cause of neglect had been made out, and that the
Board of Admiralty had negleded such complaint
made to them, then indeed there would have been
ground for bringing forward such motions. But
what state of discipline unmet the fleet be in, when an
j interior officer thus attempted to drag the Command-
er in Chief before the Bar of. that House But even
if the House should agree to go into an investiga-
tion, he was confident that no foundation whatever
would be found for this charge. With respect to
the two vessels that had been lost. he had seen Com-
modore Roues that morning, who confirmed what
Lis two gallant friends had stated. Commodore
Hood bad been stationed off Rechtort for 5 months.
and .fsdiniral Harvey had been for about a year off
Cape Fiaisterre, but had either of them made any
complaint : From them he wished that others would
learn patience and perseverance. Every emotion
had been strewn to the sick; lime-juice bad been
administered in scorbatic cases ; more had been
time last winter is supplying the ships with fresh
I provisions than ever before. The surgeons had been
! put upon a liberal allowance. and Government had
tarnished neceasafies. He had never before heard
any cause of complaint. But if the Noble Lord had
thought himself right, why had he suffered so much
time to elapse without making his complaints before
the proper Lleentive Boards? The order of the
Commander in Chief, that men should not be sent
on shore, till examined by his surgeon, was a very
necessary one, to prevent men from
,being impro.
perly discharged by particular officers. who might
wish to get any particular man dismissed. With
regard to Cie charge brought against the Com-
mander iu Chief, for being occasionally on shore. he
must observe, that when a fleet was subdivided
into different squadrons, he rather thought the
Commander in Chief was as much in the way of
his duty, in giving directions on shore, as astiug
with one squadron as a junior Admiral. if !here
was any thing requiring examination, he had no
doubt that the Board of Admiralty, upon a proper
representation, would attend to it.
The CHANCELLOR of the EX-CHEQUER
declared. be saw no ground whatever for granting
the motion of the Nobk Lord, and be lamented that
the Noble Lord should have thought it his duty to
bring forward such a motion. The House would
at all times look to the welfare of the brave men
who were their country's defence ; but It would
also cautiously guard against listening to such mo-

dem unless the person who brought them forwatd
could state that he had adopted every previous mea-
sure, to remedy the grievance he complained (if. It
any particular officer found fault with any partieulat
regulation, it was surely the duty of that offi-
cer to make his first representation to the pr 0...,
per Board. and to try to have redress in a re-
gular way, without hazarding that feeling of
discontent which such motions tended to create. i
It was fortunate that the House had within its walls,
that evaning, gallant Officers, who could give such
a satisfailory explanation of the citcumstances el-
leged. otherwise, in what situation must, that
House have stood ? But, by good fortune, the
House was thus enabled to meet the charge, in
limier. With respell to the allalenta, the Noble
Lord himself had said enough to acquit every oar
of blame. But if, without any previous complaint,
examination, or inquiry, such motions werz brought
forward. he should certainly give them his negative.
Mr. WINI)HAM perfeelly agreed with the
Right Hon. Gentleman in the rule he had laid '
down. The Noble Lord felt none of that restraint
in making his complaint, which inf. rior officers
sometimes feel, when charging their superiors.
Rut he recolleiled that the .Noble Lord had come
fresh from a popular Eleaton, and that he had been
only fulfiling his promises to Isis Constituents. But
even then the N.ble Lord knew of these causes of
complaint, and ought he not to have made them
known to the proper Boards? The absence of any
previous complaint was of itself sufficient round
for rejeaing the Nuble Lord's motion. But not only
so. the very charge alleged was completely
disproved by the evidence et the Noble Admirals
and Commodore. The Noble Lotal's strewn' was
perfealy gratuitous and unsupported. Alter having
heard such general exclamations of late against va.
rious brancees of the public expenditure, he hardly
expelled now from the Noble Lord such complaints '
of rigid economy in the service To state cases of
particular hardship proved nothing against general
regulations, although there might be a 4 error in
enforcing too rigidly general fates s but nothing of
this nature ought to be brought forward as a com-
plaint in Parham's*. With regard to the Com-
mander in Chief's being on shore, when his past ser-
vices were considered, his year', fatigues, and
health, he could not consider this as unreasonable
indulgence. when there was no enemy's fleet to be
encountered.
Mr. R.. WARD defended the conduct of Eatl
St. Vincent. He had•heard the Noble Lord's mo-
tion with pain, because it interfered with the rules
of discipline. The first complaint ou:lst to have
beers made in the department where the *Lose was
stated.
Sir C. POLE said, that no Government bed
ever done so much for the Navy as the last Ad-
ministration had done. The Noble Earl, for-
merly at the head of the Board of Admiralty, had
not been many weeks in that situation, till he set
about examining the state of the sick, and an in-
crease was made by him to the pay cif Petty Offi-
cers. He gave what they did not ask, but what he
thought they deserved ; a conduct which inspired
them With that confidence and spirit which was so
nee sary to seamen. This shewed t., at attention
wa paid to the navy. Besides t' . that Noble
E 1
ii
followed the worn nut sear, •-. to ibis home.
and raised his 1 .n,ion frors, 71. t s le.. so as to allow
him to end lit, days with tetAini: of gratitude to-
wards his coun,ry for the atte itioe paid to him.
Mr. SHERID AN said, he had formerly heard
and reprobated ahe sentiments which the Noble
Lord had repeated this day. He thought he would
have desisted from persisting in these topics. as he
(Mr. Sheridan) had formerly produced documents
to convince the Noble Lor). that '.I was wholly in
error upon the subjea. He did in presence read
a letter from Commodore Keetes, bla.. it,,{ himself.
it at.y fault existed, and stating, VIAL none was
imputable to the Noble Earl He had had the
happiness to restore the Nnb:e Earl to the
good opinion of his audience, who had the good
sense to discover, that it was a discu.sian entirely
out of time and out of place. brought on for mani-
festly selfish purposes, and not for the public good.
Supposing Parliament had not been sitting, was it
possble to c:inceive the mischief that was likely to
arise from such repents going abroad, and circu-
lated in every ship of the Navy ! He thanked God
there were means in that house sufficient to refute the
assertions made by the Noble Lord, notwithstanding
the alarming circa they have already had, by the
newspaper reports of them in his speeches from the
Hustings. Commodore Keates, being a man univer-
sally esteemed, felt himself bound, from reading
the statements of the Noble Lotd, to demand of
the Admiralty a trial by Court Martial, which they
however thought proper to refuse. But was it no-
thing the. to wound the feelings of a man of cha-
react and respeitability ? lie believed there was
no Board of Admiralty ever existing, that was not
disposed to consider any representations as to abuses
in the navy, and to reaify them when found deserv-
ing of notice I and there never was any injury com-
plained of to that House, whiclethey were not dis-
posed to remedy. The Noble Lord had stated,
that the Admiraltf had refused redress upon his
representations ; he wished to put a question to him,
and to ask him, whether he had ever. upon any oc-
casion.made a representation to the Admiralty upon
the subjea now complained off He thought, that
instead of a motion of this kind being made upon
this occasion, it ought to be a motion for the pies-
duaion of all copies of representations made by
Lord Cochrane to the Admiralty relative to the
.abuses in the Navy.
Lord COCHRANE rose in reply, and was pro.
ceeding to observe, that an Hon. Gentleman who
had spoken that night, although one of the Board of
Admiralty, was better known on shore than afloat.
—lmproper motives had been imputed to him,

which
Mr. YORKE here spoke to order ; and
The SPEAKER observed, that the Noble Lord's
stating that motives had been imputed to him was a
kind of imputation against him (the Speaker) for not
having noticed it. He was in the judgment of the
House whether be had been guilty of ~verlisoking
any improper allusions.—A cry of 11,..5. I Hear!
followed • and
[Jul COCHRANE then proceeded to state, that
the system of pellet had been such, that young
and inexperienced offizyrs had been appointed to
commands which ought uuly to Lon been eutrusted

to those who were•old lad experiences!. The No
Lord was Proceeding to, descant upon this topic,
when

Mr. WARD and Admiral ITARVtY lbw at
the same time to call him to order, upon tile gs.ottni
that he Was proceeding to talk unconseiled with ~,,„
subj.& under discussion.
Lord COCHRANE again proceeded to repraN
that it was a matter of great regret to him, a.,
misfortune to the country, to find that p)ung ofi,
cars hod been put into the co .n of large up ,
drops. is preference to old officers, who hal tile
in their country's service. An lion. Geridentrnioa
said that there could be no mnre.blame as to i.

Atalade running ashore, than there could be a.
the veuel which h.•( Lord C. )commanded t upon the
he had to observe, that be bad written to the ist.lmi
ralty,reqursting them to give him a Court L:trtill
but that was refused,he presumed. from a con- ei::u,.
ness of the vessel be commanded being in a th.
crate. The carpenters were at work upon t.i:i. •
parts of the ship, the whole of the caronnahe, 1,
upon deck, and not a single thing ready for ~,a i
had they been attacked by an enemy's 1.,g • -.. .
(Here the Noble Lard was entering upon s.-n‘• i
sorralitiea, which occasioned hint once rn^: • 1

called to order.) Various applications wt. ::
to the Admiralty, relative to the appointment n;
ficers, without throwing any imputation upon
Sr. Vincent. What had been stated by an Hof-.
Member as the cause which produced debility it: tin
Noble Earl, Was extraordinary, st, it was the
very same cause that produced the health of tilt
seamen when at sea. He had not heard. from ea!
tide of the I-loose any justification of the 1.73 G..:,
of keeping vessels fat months within a short
lance from the gravel beach, without allowing 1:r
melt to go on shore to stretch their limbs kr 6+
benefit of their health. lie had made serral ap.
plications to the Admiralty, but had failed is N.
ceiving any answer that could be in the snialli•st
gree satisfaftory. If what he now asked was ti
to be granted to him, he was still to be denied tilt
possibility of showing to the world the correecita
of his statement. _ _

The question being now loudly called for, t!i
Ninble Lo'rd's first motion was put from the C;r-.1.
and hertived Without a divi►ion ; and ti.e
was withdrawn.