The Sun.
London, England, 1863-06-19 00:00:00

THE INDIAN NAVY.

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said he would on
Monday week present a petition from the East India Com-
pany, but he would ask on the present occasion a question
as to what arrangements had been made consequent upon
the abolition of the Indian navy. What he understood
was that all the war services formerly performed by the
Indian navy were to be performed by the Crown, and the
conveyance of troops and stores were to be conducted by
the Indian Government.

The Duke of SOMERSET replied that there would be
a small local navy provided by the Indian Govwrnment for
the purpose of conveying troops, but, as rer,rded the gene-
ral protection of India the Admiralty wo'uld be called utrdn
to provide. The noble lord the7a envied into the particu-
lars and extent of that nave.
The Earl of ELLEN ISOROIRM wished to know who
was to have the cons.rol of the navy.
The Duke of S.-OMERSET said the Governor- General
of India would direct all its movements.

THE EXHIBITION BUILDING.
The Duke of RUTLAND then rose to put the question
of which he had given notice relative to the purchase of the
International Exhibition building. He thought it would be
a decided mistake to purchase the building, either on the
ground of usefulness or economy. It would be altogether
impossible to adapt the building, supposing the purchase
was effected, to the purposes for which it was intended.
Experience had always shown that attempts to convert large
buildings for purposes of an opposite nature for which they
had been erected had resulted in signal failure. As far as
economy was concerned the purchase was quite out of the
question, and instead of the building being offered at a
very advantageous figure he thought the price asked was
far more than its value, because it was only worth as much
as the materials of which it was constructed would fetch in
the market, and that he supposed would not exceed
£30,000. It had been been said that the architectural
features of the building were to be improved by
covering bricks with a coat of stucco, but nothing would
convert it into a sightly structure. He thought the best
thing that could be done was to remove the building alto-
gether, and to ereet an entirely new one, adapted to the
purposes for which it was intended to alter the one now
standing. The noble earl concluded by asking his ques-
tion, which related to the state of the foundation of the Er'
hibition

Earl GRANVILLE said he regretted the noble lord had
mot stated the precise nature of his question when he put
his motion on the paper. With respect to eco-
nomy, the noble earl thought the house was
scarcely competent to deal with the question.
He thought it would be the better plan to get the very best
professional advice upon the matter that could be obtained,
and be guided by that. With regard to taste, he did not
proferia to be possessed of any great taste, but he understood
the pieture galleries that had been erected were the finest
in the world. In reference to the question of the noble
duke, he did not think it would be necessary to raze the
building to the ground before it could be made either a per-
manent or suitable one for the purpose proposed.
The Earl of DERBY said he should like to know, as the
ground upon which the building stood was to be sold for
£120,000, why a vote in the other house for its purchase
was only taken for £67,000.

Lord REDESDALE said it appeared to him the simple
question WU should the building be removed or allowed
to remaia. He thought the best thing that could be done
was to let the contractor clear the ground, because no
amount of money would ever make it an ornament or at-
traction to the metropolis.
The Earl of HARDWICKE said it was decided to pur-
cba the.building, of which very little could be said by
'Way of admiration, they would buy a bad article, and all
the money that would be spent on it would never make it
a good ene.

The Duke of ARGYLL said it was entirely a question of
evidence, With respect to the value of the materials, that
depended on the time the contractors had to remove them.

After a few words in reply from the Duke of RUTLAND,
the subject dropped.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Charing- cross bridge, New Millford docks, Oswes-
try and Newtown railway (branches), Bradford, Wakefield,
and Leeds railway, Shrewsbury and Welchpool railway,
Evesham and Redditch railway, Ashbourne, Sudbury, and
Yoxall bridge, and ITttoxeter and Collingwood road, For-
martine and Buchan railway, Great North of Scotland
railway, London, Brighton, and South Coast railway, and
Mid Kent railway bills were read a second time.