The Sun.
London, England, 1863-11-23 00:00:00

Lor 1 CLarence Paget on Naval Affairs.

A publ is dinner was held in the Guildhall, at
Dee .1, on Friday, to celebrate the election of Mr. W.
M. Cavell to the office of Mayor. The new chief
mag istrate presided, and among his guests were
Ltr:d Clarence Paget and Mr Knatchbull Hugessen,
tb e members for the borough.

"The health of Her Majesty and the rest of the
Royal Family," having been given with the usual
marks of loyalty,

The MAYOR next proposed " The Health of her
Majesty's Ministers," which was received with much
cordiality.

Lord CLARENCE PAGET, in acknowledging the
toast, said,—Mr. Mayor and gentlemen—l feel some
diffidence in having to respond to the toast which
has been so eloquently given by your worthy mayor
i n honour of her Majesty's Ministers, because, being
dignified with that title, it may be expected that I
should give you a short programme of the measures
to be brought forward in the coming session, and
some idea of the policy and proceedings which are
likely to be adopted in future. Unfortunately,
gentlemen, if I were to assume any such
function, I should be committing an act
of gross deception, inasmuch as I am but a
subordinate member of the Government, and really
know nothin g of their intentions with regard to the
future. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, 1 think it would
be extremely unwise in me to enter on this harmoni-
ous occasion upon any subjects which would be likely
to excite any difference of opinion. There are, how-
ever, some few matters on which I believe I may,
without raising any elements of discord, congratu-
late the country. One of these things is the fact that
in the midst of the turmoil which now prevails all
around us we are still enjoying the blessings of 'peace.
(Cheers.) I believe it is generally admitted that we
have pursued a very wise policy in avoid;.ng all in-
terference in the dreadful war which i 5 now raging
on the other side of the Atlantic. I think also that
I am not stepping beyond the bounds of discretion if
I say that I believe we owe a great portion of our
present prosperity, ur.der Providence, to the fact of
having so largely increased our commercial inter-
course with our neighbours the French. It will be
conceded, I suppiese, on all hands that the severe dis-
tress which has, been felt in the manufacturing dis-
tricts, and. -which has been so nobly borne by our suf-
fering ar titans, has been greatly lightened through
the oper cation of the commercial treaty with France.
(Hear, near.) But turning to subjects not strictly con-
nected with party politics, I think I can speak to you
with z more freedom upon the administration of the
navy. Happily, all of us, whether in Parliament or
out of it, are of one mind in reference to the mainten-
ance of that magnificent force which has the safety
and. honour of the country in its keeping. As a humble
me mbar of the Administration, who has to conduct
tb e affairs of the navy in the House of Commons, I
niay be pen itted to congratulate you on the fact
°that the vast sums which by the generosity of the
country are devoted to that noble service have not
been spent in vain. I may say, and say with con-
fidence, that our navy was never in a more satis-
factory or a more efficient state than at the present
moment. lite have—and it is astonishing in how
short a time it has been created—a great standing
navy, "which is now in such a permanent and fixed
position that we no longer hear alarm expressed
lest nee should be unable to man our ships in case of
emergency. The men composing our immense
forces are almost all of them permanently attached
to the navy, 111 e have eommenced a new system,
very exp ansive, no doubt, but most efficient, by
which w,e introduce very largely into the service
boys wteo from their earliest years are brought up to
regard it as their home and their profession. Indeed,
in the course of a very short time the vast bedy of
your sailors will be all educated men. (Hear, hear.)
At this moment not a single youth enters the
navy who is not able to read and write. Now, I
appeal to my countrymen to judge what must be the
ffeet upon the morale of the service when the whole
body of the sailors, with few exceptions, are edu-
cated men. May we not hope that there will be e
very great improvement in their social condition,
and a consequent addition to the efficiency of the
navy ? I am not arrogating undue merit to the pre-
aunt Government when I say it has been their che-
rished wish to improve the social condition of
our seamen, for the same object has been zealously
sought by all recent Governments. (Hear.) We
have likewise had to expend vast sums upon the
construction of our ships. Nobody who is not con-
elected with the department of the Admiralty can
have any idea of the difficulties encountered in con-
sidering that which is really the best kind of ship
in these days of transition, with regard both
to construction and to armament. We have
received a multiplicity of proposals from many
eminent men to apply novel inventions to the
build and every detail connected with our ships.
We have given these matters our moat earnest con-
sideration, and I honestly believe that we have at
this moment the most powerful steam squadron at
'Sea of any country in the world. (Cheers.) I rejoice
to see that there is an increasing interest taken by
Parliament and the public in all that relates to mari-
time affairs. The Admiralty, you are aware, have
been found fault with. We are told that our ships
cmalit to be built of iron and not of wood—that we
°nalet to construct ships with twin screws; in short,
Were favoured with every variety of proposal, and
veiieliet!d to every species of criticism on these points.
I appeal to you and the public not to listen
to the ,e 4 rions of those who are continually cavil-
ling at tcular fort: Government, because their own parti-
has not be: ship, or their own particular fancy
coarse we ea edopted. I am sure the wisest
u
straightforward pursue is to adhere to the
for eursele es, eari d honest principle of deciding
is the best for and" consideration, of that which
mine from
(puis of ship for the navy. A
friend of
day, " Well, but whyl;gew said to me the other
you answer all these
attacks upon the afteel'itttinZ
z.ionistration ?" Now, our
effieers are naturally an
to be. permitted to
answer these attacks; but Ithnes
from
course of
the Admiralty is to forbid them
em. noticing them.
eater into Oar business is not to
gentle any controversy
with the Press, or with
41411 Who
assure. the eon may make
that we desire
speeches, but tolazy
is just andt
lee en the best
to do that which
and that we have
no other wish than to construct our ea,
according to the
possible principle, lightk
- pos.
sess. (Hear, hear.)
repeat that oar
position, whetbzevwe y
je
the most satisfactory p
we on.
eider the number, the form, or the arms
n
whether we consider the
of our ships, or
strength, the morale, or the physique et their
crews. It is, I am sure, a matter of congratulation,
in days when the horizon is clouded in every
direction, that this country should have its navy in
'
a state of perfect efficiency ; and, without being able
to say what will be the amount of the naval eati•
mates, I believe it is the earnest desire of every one
that such liberal sums should be granted for the
maintenance of the navy as will enable us to keep
up in a position which consorts with the honour
and dignity of the nation. (Cheers.)
Alderman Bnowee proposed " The Health of the
Borough Members," which was drunk with
the
usual honours.

Mr. KNATCEIBULL. HUGESSEN returned thanks in
a
Bpeech exclusively confined to local topics, and
Concluded by giving " The Health of the Mayor."
His WORSHIP briefly acknowledged the compli-
ment, and proposed "The Navy, the Army, and the
Volunteers;' taking occasion to eulogise the recent
operations in No
Lord C. PsaAiGd Now Zealand and Japan.
ELry, in returning thanks on behalf of
the Navy,
mentioned
transpiringYouthe
that one portion of our
forces are employed inn
in New Zealand, and tthhaeetsmuppression of the revolt
another portion have
likewise distinguished
which
in Japan. I as-
sur,.., you that the accounts we receive from
New Z.,,alancl show that the smalltthhehe
they
forcehave
assistance
e f the w e
he.ve been enabled to send to
such service, militarr in the arduous duties
galla,ntrjy in
in that colony have rendered
endurance, and its
great ardour, its
action, that the General in command of the troo
ps
there reports that he owes his success in several late
encounters in great measure to its extraordinary
exertions. (Hear, hear.) Again, in Japan our
sailors have been called upon to perform a very

gallant action in avenging the death of an English-
!
man who had been murdered by one of the lawless '
chieftains of that country. And I am the more
gratified in expressing my thanks to yde for your
honourable mention of the navy on that occasion,
inasmuch as a report has got abroad, ai d has been
extensively spread by the Press, that the gallant
Admiral who was charged with the duty of punish-
ing this Daimio, the Prince of Satsuma, had acted
with wanton cruelty in wilfully destroying the
large town of Kagosima. Well, I can assure you
that her Majesty's Government deplore the loss of
property which took place on that occasion. They
deplore, as we all must deplore, that the property of
innocent persons should be sacrified in any of these
warlike operations, accompanied probably with con-
siderable loss of life. We have no intelligence what-
ever with regard to the loss of life, bat we have in-
telligence that the loss of property must have been
great and grievous. It has been assumed that Ad-
miral Kuper and the gallant sailors under him wil-
fully bombarded a defenceless town, and destroyed
the property of its innocent inhabitants. Now,
it becomes me, as a brother officer who may be
said to represent them in this country, or, at
all events, in the House of Commons,
through
explain to you that the loss of property,
the dreadful conflagration which occurred on
that occasion, was not due to any intention of the •
Admiral or the officers and sailors of the fleet,
whose only object was to punish the insolent Daimio
who had been guilty of the murder of an English-
man. The action was precipitated by the forts of
aa
tp p
theen e
time,
i commencing
me to
the Daimio
hopen fire on the British
, # ships. 0 f It
w isnodthatveryanitdbmleywbarother
sailorsheavy
[ around me will easily
understand that in the midst
of a furious storm, wit • h
a heavy sea running, and
on a lee shore, it was a very arduous enterprise that
this small squad with
squadron,
its handful of men, had
to perform. (llear, ,hear.) Well, they performed
their duty nobly; and I am sure that had it not
been for the dreadful .
sea running, and the conse-
quent unsteadiness of the platforms of the guns, the
fire of our ships would have been confined to the
forts which belonged to the Prince, and would not
have extended to the town which lay in their rear.
(Hear, hear.) lam certain that any damage then
unfortunately done to the property or the lives of
the innocent townspeople is deplored as much by
the Admiral commanding that squadron, and every
officer and man in it, as by the Government or the
public of this country. (Hear, hear.) I have thought
it only due to those gallant men to endeavour to vin-
dicate their honour from a charge which to us sailors
is one of the most grievous that can be brought
against us—namely, that of inhumanity—(hear,
hear)—because I may say both of the army and
navy of this country, that if there is any marked
characteristic of Englishmen it is their humanity
in warfare. (Hear, hear.) Gentlemen, I have an-
other observation to make on a point which I
believe is of some interest. We watch the con-
struction of our ships with the greatest anxiety,
and in the event of any disaster arising the public
naturally feels great alarm. Now, with regard to
the late accident which befel the Prince Consort—
one of our new iron clad ships—l may explain
that she did not suffer in the least degree from the
storm which she unfortunately encountered. It is
but fair towards the gallant officers and men who
were on board of her to state that nothing but the
coolness, the judgment, the skill, and the bravery
which they displayed saved that magnificent ship
and all their lives. (Hear.) The story of that ship may
be told in a few words. And, surrounded as I am by
men accustomed to a seafaring life, I am sure you
will readily understand me when I say that the
accident occurred in consequence of the vessel, when
caught in a very strong gale with a very heavy sea,
having had to run in the trough of the sea, and
having also shipped a great deal more water than
was safe for her. The moment she was brought to
the wind, and under easy canvass, no ship in the
navy could have behaved better than she did. (Hear,
hear.) Tnese are circumstances which should be
known to the public, -in order that you may not
lose confidence, but that, on the contrary, you may
feel what I honestly entertain myself—viz., an en-
tire conviction that these ironcased ships are safe
for navigating in every sea. Nay, more, a feat was
performed by the Prince Consort which was never
performed by any man-of-war before. She was
driven in the teeth of the gale during the fiercest
part of the tempest at the rate of eight knots, head
to wind, through the sea. Well, that was a good
trial of the ship; and I can assure you that you may
rest confident that in these ironplated ships, whether
built of wood or of iron, you have got a magnificent
fleet, which is perfectly fit to keep the seas is any
weather. (Hear, hear.) I have only another re-
mark to make. You have drunk "The Health of
the Army, the Navy, and the Volunteers." Now, I
think the time has arrived when, on these festive
occasions, you should not forget another force, which
I can assure you is becoming one of the most im-
portant and most efficient branches of our service.
I mean the Naval Reserve. (Hear, hear.) I dwell
upon this, because that force has been growing up
quietly, and not is the view of the public, like our
magnificent Volunteers. The men have been regu-
larly undergoing their training, and we have now
between 16,000 and 17,000 of the first seamen of
this country, who are admirably drilled and ready
for service whenever they may be required. The
Royal Naval Reserve, therefore, has become a
national institution which should not be overlooked
at social gatherings like the present. (Cheers.) And
not only have we this large body of seamen, but we
have also about 150 officers, the cream of the mer-
chant service, who have voluntarily come forward
and accepted the rank of lieutenant and sub-lieu-
tenant in this valuable new force without any re-
muneration whatever, and who, at considerable
labour and inconvenience to themselves, practice
the great gun drill and all those requirements with
which it is absolutely necessary for any officer who
intends to be of any real service to his country to
be acquainted. (Cheers.)

The Earl of Leitrim and the Lord Lieutenant.

The Earl of Leitrim has forwarded the subjoined letter
to each of the jurors who tried the case of the Queen v.
Murphy :

" Lough Rynn,Mohill, Nov. 10, 1863.

" Mr. Robert Holmes and Gentlemen,—An extraordi-
nary misrepresentation has been extensively circulated
through the newspapers to the effect that the cause of my
dissatisfaction with the Earl of Carlisle proceeded from the
verdict which you, as jurors, agreed to on tha trial of
the year 1861, and asserting that I have complained of
the Earl of Carlisle's conduct because of your verdict. This
lintru
-el and entirely without foundation. The unfor-
drat,,v,m an. whose name has been thus unwarrantably
sept:aleberfore the world fired at me in Mohill, on the 15th
police. nlB6O, and was immediately arrested by the
nunieroaaua the 9th of January, 1861, there was a very
the sourbeZl respectable meeting of the inhabitants of
complaining of this county, to petition Parliament,
the peace „,,a eZTf grievances therein stated, affecting
January, 1861, je'vrrare of this county. On the 26th of
:ctila—dit:teet:etri°ndaa
evte a letter to the Earl of Carlisle,
requesting that 11,
parliament, as it wills Wild be present at the opening of
alrlisle acknowledged the re..
farther
ouedrtchoernrpnloa Dublintiine
ecotafos
tthlhei se,
conduct. The Earl
dinatsetdanFtebiruarl,
Januaryceipt of
2th9itsh,nloBti6cle., by
a'
vietudit 1861, informing him
respecting his conduct. On
the 12:e sPecial complaints
the petition, signed that Earl onof Cthaerlils2letht
presented by - 0
~,l'ebruarY, 1861, I
4 0 farrae
bitants of the southern part of the county
at rs and inha-
House of Lords, and at the same time matiatitrim, tithe
of which I had given notice. The trial or JaZnP
did not take place until the sth of March foliewlinturphy
think that the defence of that unfortunate man
wag: I
dusted in a most gentlemanlike and inoffensive rua.,,!reolli
am of opinion
and humane. I never have complained of that verdict, or
of the manner in which the trial was conducted.—I
" gentlemen, your obedient servant, LEITRIM."

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