The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-13 00:00:00

THE LATE BOARD OF ADMIRALTY.

The committee re-assembled this morning at 12 o'clock.
Lord Seymour in the chair.
Mr. Stafford was re-examined at considerable length,
and in answer to questions from the chairman, he per-
sisted in stating that he had only cancelled the circular
of 1849 for the purpose of preventing the appointments
in the dockyards being still in the hands of his political
opponents. Although by the circular of 1849 the Whigs
professed to abandon patronage, yet by the appointment
of the Whig surveyor of the navy, he would have the
patronage in his hamds for four years after they bad re-
tired. He had nothing to say against the superintend-
ents of the yards, and he must say that his suspicions of
what was going on were very much exaggerated.
Mr. Beare was then examined, and said he had
taken part as election agent on the Conservative
side ever since the borough of Devonport was enfran-
chised in 1832. He then went into details of the several
elections that had taken place there, but no Govern-
ment patronage appeared to have been used there until
Sir Edward Codrington became a candidate for the re-
presentation of the borough, when it appeared to be
launched forth in full force. When Mr. Dawson was
a candidate, holding office under Sir R. Peel, he saw every
elector personally, and had a large majority of pledged
votes ; yet notwithstanding that he lost his election, and
was most decidedly defeated by the dockyard influence.
I have no doubt that since 1847 the Government in-
fluence had been so marked that every man who gained
promotion was almost invariably a Whig. He then
gave a long lid of officers holding principal situations,
who were put in by the Whigs and voted for them.
In the last five years the promotions for leading
men were as follows :—Conservatives, 4 ; men with
no votes, 2 ; and Whigs, 36. From March to December
no promotions were made by Lord Derby's Govern-
ment. When the Whigs went out of office they left
several vacancies, and when the next Government came
in the supporters of that party wished for a share of
that patronage, and he (witness) was indignant that
they did not get it. He thought every one in the dock-
yards, whether officers or men, ought not to have votes.
.The price of a vote in the dockyard, if it was a ship-
wright, was 201., and if it was a sawyer, 101. He had
heard of promotions for money amongst officers in the
dockyard, and of situations being obtained there for
persons for money. When Mr. Tufnell came to Devon-
port he was introduced by Admiral Dundas to the house
of the Admiral Superintendent, who took a very active
part in his election. At the last election the master ship-
wright of the dockyard was one of the first persons
who appeared on the hustings, and, of course,' could see
how every man voted. He thought that it would be to the
advantage of the men of the dockyard amongst the 2,400
voters for Devonport if they were placed in schedule A,
as he had seen so much mischief arising from the posses.
sion of them. Whatever occurs in the dockyards is im-
mediately known to their political partisans outside.
He made no representations to the Admiralty or to Mr.
Stafford of what was going on in the dockyard, though
he had to other parties. He was then questioned as to
the influence of persons in the dockyard, and he parti-
cularly alluded to the case of Sir J. Foote, who obtained
appointments for his sons. He was present at a dinner
given by Mr. Stafford that had been before alluded to in
this committee. He had never heard of Mr. Stafford
going round the dockyard just previously to the last
election in company with the Conservative candidate for
Devonport. At the dinner given at Moorshead's Hotel
by Mr. Stafford, consisting chiefly of officers in the navy,
he could safely say that from the time lie went in to the
time he came out, not a syllable was breathed about the
Devonport election in any shape whatever. Dr. Butter,
Mr. Triseott, and several other persons were there but
not Mr. Churcliward. _ _ _

Sir Francis Baring was next examined. He said
he succeeded to the Admiralty in 1849. The ap-
plications for appointments were sent through the Secre-
tary previous to the issue of the circular of 1849. 'The
circumstances that led to its issue about that time were
—Sir B. Walker mentioned to the board that the re-
commendations that had been transmitted by the super-
intendents of the yard had not reached him ; and the
consequence was that some vacancies had not been
filled up. The Treasury minute respecting applications
forpromotions, and which required that they should be
sent, in the first instance, to the Surveyor of the Navy,
was discussed by the board, and although he (Sir F.
Baring) only signed it, yet it had been agreed to, and
was issued with their knowledge and sanction. The
intention of the minute was to secure that all these ap-
plications should go through the surveyor, but
there was no idea whatever that any patronage
should rest with him. There were no direct
complaints against the surveyor, but there were com-
plaints of either A or B being promoted, instead of some
one who ought to have been, promoted. In one case he
was written to, and after making inquiry, and finding
that what had been stated was true, and that a mistake
had been made, he cancelled the appointment. He had
received an anonymous communication that places and
promotions were given at Devonport for money, but as
the letter contained only general charges he did not in-
stitute an inquiry. He sent Sir B. Walker to try if he
could make out sufficient for a case ; but he could ob-
tain no information, but merely rumours that had been
told from one to another. Sir F. Baring's evidence occu-
pied nearly all the rest of the day, but it involved
no particular point of interest, excepting that it had been'
brought to his knowledge by Sir B. Walker, that he
could obtain a larger amount of work from a smaller
number of men, in consequence of the fair chance that
was held out to them of promotion if their merits justi-
fied them in expecting that it would take place.

After some documents had been put in, the committee
adjourned at four o'clock until to-morrow.

THE L.EGACY DUTIES.