The Sun.
London, England, 1854-02-08 00:00:00

MPERIAL PARLIAME

NT.

HOUSE OF LORDS--(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.
The Earl of SHAFTESBURY presented a petition
from Bridport in favour of the establishment of reforma-
tory schools.
The Duke of ARGYLL presented a petition from
Ayr, praying for the establishment of a national system
of education in Scotland.
RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.
Lord MONTEAGLE called attention to the great
increase as well as the deplorable consequences of railway
accidents, and pressed on the Government the necessity
of placing a return of the number of accidents before the
house. He understood, from what passed in another
place, that it was the intention of the Government to
introduce a bill on this subject, and he hoped they would
soon have an opportunity in this house of judging of
that measure. He would ask the Vice-President of the
Board of Trade whether he had any objection to lay on
the table, without delay, the papers and reports regard-
ingtent
these accidents in the possession of his departm
and whether he would undertake to do this from time
to time, as any fresh calamities happened ?
Earl FITZ WILLIAM concurred in the necessity of
legislation upon this matter, but thought, if any mea-
sure was proposed, it ought to originate with their lord-
ships' house.
Lord STANLEY, of Alderley, said the Government
was fully sensible of the importance of the subject, and
were anxious to assent to any remedy which could be
proposed. It was true that a bill would be introduced
into the House of Commons, and this it was hoped
would meet the evils complained of by the public last
session. A committee of inquiry sat upon the question,
and the report emanating, from them would no doubt
exercise an important influence upon the forthcoming
bill. As to the questions of the noble lord, he (Lord
Stanley) was ready not only to present to their lordships
the returns now in the hands of the Board of Trade, but
to publish and lay before them without delay accounts
of accidents as they occurred hereafter. (Hear).
Earl GREY Was not very sanguine as to the bill being
effectual in protecting the public against railway acci-
dents, and therefore he could not help suggesting to their
lordships that they had the power in their own hands of
rendering great service to the country in the matter,
if they thought fit to exercise it. There was
hardly a:railway company inEnglancl who did not apply
every session for new powers, and their lordships might
accomplish the object desired by the proposed bill
if they
inquiry
refused
to grant these powers without a
thorough
into the manner in which their existing
ones had been exercised and where necessary, without
inserting a clause for the protection and safety of the
people. (Hear.)
Lord CAMPBELL considered that further legislation
was indispensable, and hoped a bill would pass both
houses this session which would do justice to the
country.
The subject then dropped.
STATE OF THE "NAVY JoIST."

The Earl of HARD WICKE was desirous of calling
the attention of their lordships and the Government to
the present state and condition of the Navy List. The
subject acquired greater importance owing to existing
circumstances. Ile world declare at the outset that he
had not the slightest intention to give arnica. He was
convinced that there was not an officer on the Queen's
lists—be his age what it might—who was not ready to
serve his country to the utmost of his power, and who
would not rejoice in an opportunity of meeting the
enemy. It was also his intention not to mention the
name of a single officer, but to confine himself to a
statement of the average age of officers of the higher
rank. The most prominent list, and one of the great-
est importance, was that of the admirals. The active
admirals—though the word "active" applied to such a
body appeared somewhat ridiculous—were 22 in num-
ber. Assuming that each of these officers was 25 years
of age when he attained the rank of captain, it appeared
that the youngest admiral in the list of actives was 75
years of age. Applying the same list to the vice-ad-
mirals, he found that the youngest of them was 69 years
old. Among the rear-admirals were 9or 10 fit for ser-
vice, and the vice-admirals might be placed in the same
category with the rear-admirals, being of nearly the
same average age. This state of things was the result
ofregulations and orders in Council, and it certainly did
not bold out a very satisfactory prospect for the
country. The first order in Council affecting the lists
was issued on the 30th of June, 1827, and it provid
first, that captains who had reached by seniority the
head of the list of captains with unblemished character,
and had not declined or avoi !el service, should be
deemed eligible to be superannuated with the rank of
retired rear-admiral ; secondly, that captains should be
eligible to receive appointtnents is flag-officers, provided
they should have commanded one or more rated ships
during war, or six complete years during peace, or five
complete years of war and peace combined ; thirdly,
that lieutenants and commanders should respectively
serve on board, in their proper ranks, two years and
one year before being capable of being promoted to the
rank of commander or captain. The object of these
regulations was to get rid of old officers, and to supply
their places with younger ones. On the 10th of A ug.,
1840, this order in Council was repealed by another,
which also provided "that, in all flag promotions, every
captain whose seniority brings him in turn for advance-
relent shall be placed on the list of flag-officers, provided
he has served as a captain, and shall not have declined
service at any time when called upon, and that there
be nothing against his character as an officer and a gen-
tlemen ; but that the half-pay of those flag-officers who
have not commanded one or more of your Majesty's
rated ships four complete years during war, or six com-
plete years during peace, or five complete years of war
and peace combined, shall not be increased beyond that
of rear-admiral, unless they shall have rendered, as flag-
officers, sea service of equal length to complete the period
above mentioned, of which they were deficient as cap-
tains." By the same order in Council it was decreed
that retired rear-admirals should be allowed to remain
on the active list, but should receive only the pay of
rear-admirals. In 1851 the Government reverted to the
former system, and, by an order in Council, declared
that officers on the active list, who had not served for
their flags under the order in Council of June 30, 1827,
should be removed to the reserved list, which was, in
fact, a retired list. Having taken; by chance, 16
officers on the reserved list and 16 on the active list,
he found that the united ages of the former
amounted to 1,027 years, and of the latter to 1,038
years. The fitness for active service depended, of
course, on the mental and bodily vigour of the
respective individuals ; but it must be admitted that the
fact he had just stated indicated that the officers on the
active list had generally attained a very advanced age.
The existing regulations were objectionable, because
they !operated unjustly upon officers. When a man
entered the navy a moral contract was formed between
him and the Crown, by which it was provided that, if
he discharged his duty zealously and efficiently, and
maintained an unblemished character, he should have an
opportunity of advancing to the top of his prefe-sion ;
but at present, when an officer had raised himself to a
certain point, he found the door of promotion shut in his
face by an order in Council. The orders in Council
stated, annd very properly so, as a reason why an officer
should serve six years as a captain before he obtained
his flag, that he should be fitted by experience for pro-
motion. That, no doubt, was extremely right and pro-
per ; but there was this absurdity in the case, that prac-
tically the spirit of the rule was not adhered to. For
while the orders in Council rejected a captain for pro-
motion who had not served his full term of six years,
the Government, on the other hand, would take an officer
and give him a vary magnificent ship, with a broad pen-
dant, who, perhaps, was a young man who never before
had the command f anything but a small vessel, and
-who, probably, had never been more than two or three
years at sea. These were the general features of the
case he wished to lay before their lordships. He could
have materially strengthened his case if he had thought
proper to mention the names of some of his brother
officers, but that be had declined to do. Those con-
nectod with the navy were not sorry that the orders in
Council existed, but there was not one of them who
did not admit the injustice of their, operation in the
instances which he had briefly pointed out. His opinion
was, that if an opportunity were given to officers in the
various grades of the service of purchasing their com-
missions? and that upon a fair calculation of the value
of their pay, great relief would be afforded to the navy ;
and he believed, moreover, that if the orders in Council
were so modified and enforced as he had suggested, the
Crown would still have the power to make a selection
of the officers whom it might choose to employ. Had
these things been done, this question with regard to the
NavY List would never have come before them. The
for the appointment of
:libellee:tad concluded by moving
committee to inquire into the subject.
had
The Earl of ABERDEEN thought the noble earl who
just iesunied his seat might be assured that there
was no noble lord who did not sympathise with the
views and motives which had induced him to bring this
subject before their lordships; and, if it were not from
a sense of what he (the Earl of Aberdeen) believed to
be a duty he owed to the service and to the public,
he should not be disposed to oppose the motion of
the noble earl. He was quite aware that much
up differ-
ence of opinion had prevailed
• on the subject from
the time of the enactment of the regulation to
which the noble earl had referred ; but it was a re-
markable fact that, although that regulation had,
he presumed, been brought before every Board of
thononeghotf
Admiralty thati hady
ienxisstatendaesiwnhace
telvBe2r7;
hnaocit
those boards,
proper to deal with that regulation. The regulation in
question was framed by Sir George Cockburn wai6n he
was the- naval adviser to the Board of Admiralty, and
from that day to this not a single instance had occurred
of an attempt to make any alteration in the rule in any
respect whatever. There had been subsequent orders in
Council with a view to the extension of the rule then
made, but not for the purpose of introducing any altera-
tion in the order in Council of the 30th of June, 1827.
Re would repeat that in no instance had any officer
whatever been promoted to his flag without having pre:
',lonely complied with the conditions of that regulation.
Before-the regulation of 1827 was made there was so
•nob favour and caprice shown in the promotion of offi-
t
* the navy that there was no certainty whatever as z Ih! world be promoted or who would not ; and their
rnuit be aware of the many criminal practices
Nsurtel to in the promotion of officers in the 1 -
tll 74"ervice- It was therefore thought only reasonable
71)ate active service as pestecaptaia should be
IMMISALIIN7