The Sun.
London, England, 1852-03-23 00:00:00

Admiral BERKELEY said he hoped the GlRant
ufater would nut deity a statement, he made on his re-
IPensibility as an officer. He pledged character and
tseutation to this—that when he was in office, within 24
hours
after they had been asked for, a fleet of steamers
could have been manned and armed and made ready
for tea; and would have been at sea, covering the Chan-
110.81' He repeated that statement, and asserted also that
the present Admiralty had it likewise in their power,
and could do it if they pleased. Nor did he take any
!edit for the system. It had commenced under Sir R.
Peel.
Admiral BOWLES said he would not dispute the'
"Tationt -Admiral's assertion; and as he tatted it, he
Would take it to be se.
Mr. WILLIAMS could not see whore the steamers
Were to be found. He saw only a small number in com-
mission.
Sir F. BARING said this only showed that the Hon.
fa
entleman was speaking upon a subject of which he
e:ew nothing.—(" Hear, hear," and laughter.) The
ra. Member merely looked at the last edition of the
"Y List
i and not finding the steamers in commission,
Insceived t impossible that tbey should be ready tit au
:ttr'il notice. Bur. the statement of his Gallant Friend
les not that they were in commisioa, bat that in 24
'lours the vessels could be manned, armed, and matte
ready for sea. In short, they were advanced" vessels.
tr• WILLI .AS—Teat is an explanation.
Sir F. BARING (tartly)—Weil, that is what you
Want, isn't it?—(A
Mr. WILLIAMS—Yes;, but the Gallant Admiral did
tot give it.
Sir F. BARING—WeII, if you want it, you've get it.
aseughter.) The Hon. Member had got all his in-
fcemation from the Navy List, and did not nethr-
Stand how ships could be " advanced" and ready for sea
Without being in actual commission.—(Hear.) With
regard
to Keyham Dock, the delay in the c:tmpletion of
the works had partly arisen tram the report of the Coal-
tittee of 1848. He wished to advert to a prevaleut
laving
that the security of the country consisted in
'laving the fleet :Always in the Channel. There was
bottling in the northern ports to crew` alarm; snit the
probable rt suit of calling home till our large ships w.iuld
, be, tbat France would follow fur example. We sheuld
not add one jot to our security ey inoucieg Fiance to
bring a large fleet of steamers epposite our sbor
a.
The present Government could feel no uneasiness with
respect to the northern ports. With r. ttpt ct to the at-
tacks made on the late B 'aril of Admiralty out of doors,
the time had gone by tor dealing with them; out of his
rheesstes in the Admtralty. he would say that he
eved them to be animated by the same earnestness
:1,1.13d a 'al for the service to which they belonged me tee
he
'(lmer beard. During the time he had been in ffi.•e
bed 4 ticeeed.d in reducing the e-tinves by one million
24 4*Illilf; but hewevt r much 'he .pr, bent hoard might
to emulate his •coootey, ie he was not
i"Y sanguine as t•I the crisecee of their t ff wing so large
I reduction.,„esptain SCORELL, while he rej,iced to find a naval
'peer at the head of the present Board of
1"uld be still more gr,ttft. dto hod him unconn, d
With ui
Parliscnt and with p fares, ter, ad.,p tug a see-
tentewhich he iu xlst ace. he would inq len it
b
to distribute honours and prom, tie'. when- then,
RI most interest rather than most metit.—(Hear.)
te (la badhow the lisps of tnuers ceuld
b. esteanarisen
'lnede *most efficient? New in 1795 we had 91 ad-
t'rals" 420 .captains, 197 commander., and 1,395 hete-
t:nut rand we bad 101 line-of- b et. le ships in come
war
At that date the list of officers, though small,
composed of active and experienced men. Could
n
Same thing be said of the present list of admirals?
zany of them, from age and infirmity, would be unable
11
his decided to go
afloatopinio, and n
in
that the order to
list ensure
shoo d' be sency,
ti 4
it
farther reduced. It was proposed to have 100 admirals
rl
the list. Fifty, he thought, would have been amply
..."▪ Ifficient, the more especially as wily twelve were at the
pent moment, employed. Taking-the post-captains at
, it would take 16 years to give each of them three
,4214 at sea; while the lieutenants would be afloat three
.`4lll out of nine. Of the 800 or 900 mates,
rtidshipmen, aed cadets now in the navy, be-
teu 300 and 400 were mates, and last year
1b001,,, 30 lieutenants were promoted, and 84 cadets
rhitted to burden the list. But he was afraid
174 system of naval promotion would prevail until the
,titY was emancipated from political shackles, and until
phief watched over its interests not removable at
ler); change of Government. Another question affect-
e; the efficiency of the navy was the payment off of
tr!Ps. At present they were generally paid off every
,eree or. four years, which was much ton frequent.—
Wear.) He would also assimilate the term of enlist-
elkentin the navy to that of the army, not taking a man
Rho would not serve over' five years., and giving a bonus
e▪ su
those who enlisted for seven, ten, or fourteen years.
~.._"(Mar, hear.) Under the present system the first and
road years were taken up in teaching the men their
Bioitil/4 and the third in making men of war of them.
see that as soul as a ship became capable of action,
" port admiral came on board, complimented every-
th°!lY on his efficiency, and forthwith dismautled the
,tl).—(Rear.) With regard to the naval reserve, be
e not think it 'was sufficiently large. There should
It least 10,000 seamen (2,000 petty officers. and 8,000
04e-bodied seamen), so that 7,000 or 8,000 effective men
Could be bad when wanted. A good navy, in good
noticing order, was the best security against invasion;
. 4:4 he ventured to say that if 24 steamers of various
tnoutitieg 528 guns, and manned by 8,000 marines
!d officers, were to sail about the Channel tor practice,
FL:,:ellso as, cheek upon attack, there need be no
060 Of invasion an long as the naval forces of
T nations remained at their present sands.rd.
ePceenany of our vessels were no,/ at foreign s ations.
44senid not speak of the Ilediterranean, but of North
Cad South America an A d the West 'Ales; and he theught
might be recalled from each if those atatioes with
tJaneiroitig-. He had read in a nee/I),p r the other day
of
se Eaglish vessels hi ing at Itto Janeiro at one
14time • If we made our navy our bulwaik would be
, a,
`tctly impossible for an enemy to land on to our shot', s;
but
eve re thing dep nded upon the auffi •iency of the
Prim He was him•••I present a'. the lateen, of Str
Moore'e troops, but that general was compelled to
leave his cannon behied him. He rem.tneeeee the
tk itireatened invasion of Eeglaod by the first Napoleon.
• iho we were to have an invader' by Napolson
second, it would be found a mun't mor.,
dlmeult matter for the E -gland mitt
ti
b 9 ,Ullterab'e to attack now .as formsrly We
e new
l.erussessed a steam navy, and whereas formerly tte men
'''igitt have been, lauded on our shores in a calm, it
„,
°it'd now be ncces-ary to land them in boats; slid he
tentured to say they would all be as sick as dogs before
te
ZwY effected their purpose.—(Laughter.) le. this .uu-
-y possessed a sufficient teree tine enemy eiust be cur, to
in'ces either in wining across or in landing. Whid,
mainly wanted was a larger amount of able•bodied
seamen on ships afloat. Coosiderit,g, also, the rapidity
`'with which intellegeoce was conveyed, and the aid ate
eke
by the electric telegraph, it was advisable to
England the head-quarters of her navy Revert-
inge_ to the question of inva-ion. he could not forget that
neat alarm had been expressed by soldiers. From the
.illustrious Duke, the commaedereit chief, downward, to
Sir Francis Head and the Swiss colonel, it should be re-
_lnerobered that fears of invasion had emanated from the
professioe; and for this reason, that, keep
Marine officers on board as long as you please, and they
-cheered
never learn to steer a boat. Our colonies were
tehdered secure from attack, but our own coasts were
neglected in this respect.
ee,ll-4- CORRY said, when the Right Hon. Baronet
vale F. Baring) claimed, credit for having effected a
reduction of a million and a half in the estimates during
:tenure of office, he should have remembered that
Government of Sir B. Peel, between 1841 and 1846.
he e d
e.
4"4 to be built no fewer than 72 steamers, of
ebbstemeteeese power and 74,000 tons; and, before their
traentittewmoernkteirn°Zaufficice, had entered upon some impor-
tant
Sir R. g
ment of h
oeleyeres. He thought the Govern-
r efficient ite.:44eieyn better employed in pro-
than in making experi-
Merits. We now possessed a steam navy more powerful
• t4an that of France; h h
'Mailer steam navy of thmt eogntr e admitted that the
more available
for an attack th our larger ^ euy was
t for defence ow ing to the
Partial absorption of the latter by oar colonies. Butit
'gas of the first importance-that we eh,di-
"neSta' m France jto an our reserve force. pra_ t be in rea
e bad the advan-
• tags des in this respect, in consequenee
or
the system
adder which enlistment for the Davy Was `shied oie rn
that elpuat every Man 'took-
Elsq;. but 'on an
his
atur'i t° seven:and
' served a ceitsin Reriod,
beleefta.itieted
cut,
std
Ll34ergaJacy Wee men mighthe be-
.l"ved than; ie the maritime districts of France there were
At least 23,000 seamen available for such a cri,is. Of
!h° 5,300 marines proposed .in the estimates he under_
'iced on inquiry that only 3 000 would be available for
ercibatkation, and
be suggested, therelore. that ibis nune.
should be increased b',. 3,000 men. This augmented
forme would cost 100,0001. a year. He also recom-
mended to the adoption of the Government the scheme
.°f 81r Thomas Ha.ttags fur organizing a o•,"`
• Captain.tu BOLDER° regrew d rtbac the resehiti.en of
e-ms. qualm' Of Cointnene,sdeclarine that bet' er earen au
t-,(4othodation should be aff ceded to assistenvs.urgeolea on
: !:lard ship had not been more faitisfulty acted on. Ade
anitting that'tha position of those gentlemen was im-
Priived in fhiarespect, he still must coutend medic be
present regulations were an insult to the d
Profeesion. Nei - young man, whatever might be his
•' h"
was entitled to cabin accommodation until
teed undergone a probationary service of tenee
t' •"'ts. ancVidurii,g. `this period
,he bail to associate
With young boys in the citk•pit. He knew that in
ettl,eacy instances the captions of ships beet refused
aurgents the accommodation which they might
it "%ally have afforded them. He trusted that that subject
would undi4go the favourable consideration of the new
•„
-41.9ard of Admiralty. It shetild be remembered that the
Bargoons of the navy often rendered the must valuable
'.lkPrvices. At; the rce nt desperate action at Lagos, it
IPPeared,from the report of the commanding officer tht t
,:_batbinre could exceed the devotten of toe officers ef
i"la medical staff--than whenever a Beeman was struck,
ua medical man was immediately at his side—and that
•';111. a medical Offl,Trs set their own lives at nought when
lecehopered with the safety of their brave companions in
1,1" 'lt, this country was threatened with an invasion
,1:1228.
"re could be i.o &tint that we thoulti mainly rely for
,• f,ty on our , naval force; and the more effisient we
'ts 'TA that force, the more certainly should we promote
°he own highest national interests. We enjoyed the
,4vaintatee of possessing a vast steam mercantile marine
e:;;;ehlie far greater than that of France, because where
t• oe could send out one ship we caul:] send out ten. He
believed that if a war broke out, and if letters of marque
/Pere given to some of our fine mercantile steamers, any
entry with which we might be engaged in hostilities
'old not have a trading vessel on the ocean.
Captain HARRIS said he wished to address a few
bwords to the Committee on the subject of manning the
sal Navy. He was glad to find that the country and
•= 0 and the Board of Admiralty seemed at length
Me' the VW ktmextactee Omit litteetiVh.