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

THE COMMITTEE ON DOCKYARD PRO_
MOTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS.
(THIS DAY.)

EXAMINATION OF THE EARL OF DERBY.
The committee sat this morning at 12 o'clock ; Lord
Seymour in the chair. The first witness called was the
Earl of Derby. The noble earl was received by the
committee standing, and a similar mark of respect paid
to him on leaving the room. The examination was
conducted by the chairman.
The noble earl having taken his seat at the table,
The Chairman said—ln consequence of statements
which have been made before this committee, I wish to
ask your lordship whether upon the formation of your
Government you made any stipulation or condition
with the Duke of Northumberland respecting the pro-
motion or patronage, I should rather say of the
Admiralty ?
The Earl of Derby—When I first formed the Govern-
ment, of which I was at the head, I asked the Duke of
Northumberland to do me the honour of taking office in
it as First Lord of the Admiralty, and the only condition
which I made with him was this, that he would have
the entire and absolute selection of the naval members
of the Board, choosing those members for the service
whom he should think were most likely to be to the
public advantage ; and also that he was to have the
whole and absolute control over all appointments and
over all promotions, so far as they related to the naval
service of the country. I did go so far, of course, as to
require, in accordance with the usual custom, that two
of the naval lords should be members of the House of
Commons, and I certainly now regret that I did not add
a further condition, that upon their first appointment
they should be persons conversant with Parliamentary
habits and Parliamentary practices.
The Chairman—ls the committee then to understand
that you think inconvenience to the public service arose
from the Lords of the Admiralty not having sufficient
acquaintance with the House of Commons
The Earl of Derby—There was this inconvenience
that perhaps as between them not being connected with
the House of Commons, and the Secretary of the Admi-
ralty being connected with it, there was not so full an
appreciation of their relative positions and the demands
to be made upon both as there would have been if the
Lords had been personally conversant with the House
of Commons.
The Chairman—The committee then may understand
that you did not make any arrangement with the
Duke of Northumberland respecting this transfer of
the civil patronage of the Admiralty to the Secretary of
the Admiralty ?
The Earl of Derby—None whatever, I never learned
of that transfer until a long time after, and I considered
the Duke of Northumberland entirely responsible for the
administration of the department of the Admiralty.
The Chairman—lt has been alleged before this com-
mittee that Mr. Stafford has stated he was under pres-
sure from your lordship and Mr. Disraeli'as to the dis-
tribution of the patronage. I wish to ask your lordship
if that is so ? •
The Earl of Derby—l should be very much surprised
to hear that Mr. Stafford had made any such statement,
because I have a high opinion of Mr. Stafford's honour,
and he must have known that such a statement was en-
tirely inconsistent with the fact, and that there was not
the slightest foundation for it.
The Chairman—Has your lordship anything farther
to state ?
The Earl of Derby—l am not aware that I have. I
am at the service of the committee to give such informa-
tion as I can, without introducing private names and
private conversations, which I should feel myself pre-
cluded from doing. His Lordship then withdrew.
Mr. Tufnell, M.P., was under examination when our
report left.