The Sun.
London, England, 1853-07-06 00:00:00

be most happy to listen to it; but if not he hoped he
would allow him to proceed with his motion. (Hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI believed he was strictly in order, in
rising to move that the house do now adjourn. (011, oh !
and No, no !)
Sir J. SHELLEY rose amid groans and hootings from
the Opposition. He rose to order. The hon. member for
Reading was in possession of the house, and he asked if it
was competent in that case for the right hon. gentleman to
move the adjournment? (Hear, hear.)
The SPEAKER said, he had called upon the hon, mem-
ber for Reading, and he supposed when the right hon. gen-
tleman rose that it was his intention to put to him a ques-
tion on the subject of his motion.
Mr. DISRAELI would not repeat his motion for an ad-
journment ; but he would ask the hon. member for Read-
ing whether he thought it fair to bring forward a motion
such as that on the paper at an hour when it would be
impossible for the house to listen to anything more than
the charge? (Hear, hear.)
Mr. H. KEATING should be very sorry to have the
appearance of doing anything unfair, especially with re-
ference to a motion of no ordinary importance. At the
same time, the right hon. gentleman must recollect that
he was a private member of the house, and could not com-
mand his own time as to bringing forward the motion.
He should be extremely sorry to press the motion under
such circumstances as would prevent an answer being
beard from the other side of the house; but, if he pat off
the motion, he did not know when he would be able to
ring it on again. (Hoar, hear.) Unless a day was given
him by the Government he must proceed with his motion
now. (" Go on.")
Mr. DISRAELI suggested that the hon. gentleman
should appeal to the noble lord the leader of the Govern-
ment in that house for a day. (Cries of "Go on !")
Sir J. P A KTNGTON hoped the noble lord would re-
lease the hon. gentleman from his difficulty. As a mem-
ber of the late Government he wished to say that he did
not shrink from this discussion, and that he would be pre-
pared to meet any charge that could be brought forward.
"Order, order !")
Lord J. RUSSELL could only say that the Government
business was of such pressing importance, that it would
be impossible for him to assign a day in the meantime.
(Cries of " Go on !")
Mr. H. KEATING then proceeded with his motion,
which was as follows :—" That, referring to the report of
the Select Committee on Dockyard Promotions, and the
evidence upon which it is founded, this house is of opinion
that during the administration of the late Board of Admi-
ralty the patronage of dockyard promotions and the influ-
ence of the Admiralty were used and exercised for political
purposes to an extent and in a manner calculated to reflect
discredit upon that department of the Government, and
to impair the efficiency of the service." He begged to as-
sure the house that he had given notice of this motion
der a very deep conviction that the report recently laid
on the table on the subject of dockyard promotions ren-
dered an expression of the opinion of the house on the
important facts stated in that report absolutely necessary.
(Hear.) When the hon. baronet (Sir B, Hall) brought this
subject originally before the house, he stated in a clear
and able speech that an alteration of an important kind
had been made by the late Board of Admiralty in an unu-
sual,if not irregular, way, with reference to the cancella-
tion of a circular issued by their predecessors which regu-
lated promotion in the dockyards, and he also stated he
had reason to believe that this proceeding was adopted
with a view to the coming elections, and for poli-
tical purposes. After considerable discussion the motion
of the hon. baronet was agreed to, and a committee ap-
pointed. That committee was extremely well qualified
for the task assigned to it, chosen as it was from both sides
of the house, and comprising men of station, great know-
ledge of business, and considerable Parliamentary expe-
rience—(hear, hear)—presided over by a noble lord whose
great talents for business all who came in contact with him
well knew, and whose exalted rank and acquaintance with
official life rendered him peculiarly fit for the discharge of
such a duty. (Hear, hear.) But he had another qualifi-
cation, for he was chairman of the committee which sat in
1848 on the estimates of the navy, army, and ordnance.
(Hear, hear.) The committee, constituted as he had de-
scribed, ably and faithfully discharged their duty, and the
public at large regarded their proceedings with the greatest
possible anxiety. (Hear.) He did not exaggerate the
state of the public feeling when he said there never was a
committee of that house the proceedings of which were
watched with more interest. (Hear.) The committee
made their reports to the house, and, confining itself
strictly to the terms of the reference which had been made
to it, contented itself with stating facts, and gave no opi-
nion whatever on those facts. In his opinion the com-
mittee acted wisely in so doing. The inquiry committed
to them was one not only of an important, but of a very
delicate matter, and he thought when the terms of the re-
ference to the committee were considered, it would be seen
that they exercised a wise discretion, and that it would
have been too much of that house to ask the committee to
pronounce an opinion on a matter of so much delicacy.
(Hear, hear.) [The hon. gentleman here read the terms of
the motion appointing the committee.] The report which
was laid on the table could only be appreciated after a
very minute acquaintance with the evidence on which it
was founded. It gave no conclusions; but, as a masterly
analysis of the evidence, he had no hesitation in saying
that the report was one of the ablest documents ever laid
on the table of the house. The committee had reported
the facts of the case to the house, and those facts, what-
ever aspect any Parliamentary conventional notion might
give to them, were considered important and startling
by the country at large. (Hear, hear.) It was with a
deep conviction that an expression of opinion on the part
of the house -upon those facts deeply involved its credit,
that he ventured to ask the assent of the house to his
motion. (Hear, hear.) He had framed the motion with
a sincere desire to avoid giving to it the appearance
of personal hostility to any person whatever ; and
he need scarcely for his own part disclaim entertaining any
such feeling, for he had not the slightest personal ac-
quaintance with any person mentioned in the report of the
committee ; and it would be foreign to his nature to wish
to convert a great public question into a personal matter.
Indeed, he felt it would not comport with the dignity of
the house, nor with the feeling of the people of the country
to seek after the precise part taken by any person in any-
thing mentioned in the report, for what was the important
matter was, the system which the report disclosed ; and it
was against that system, and that system alone, that his
resolution was directed. (Hear, hear,) The right hon.
gentleman opposite, therefore, was mistaken in supposing
that the resolution was levelled at anything more than
what was expressed therein—namely, the system which
was unfortunately adopted with respect to dockyard pro-
motions by the late Board of Admiralty. The house was
aware that in 1847 the state of the dockyardsattracted the
serious attention of the then Board of Admiralty, presided
over by Lord Auckland. There was no doubt, from the
terms of a circular then issued, that the state of the dock-
yards at that time was such as to be extremely unsatis-
factory, and that was partly, if not 'mainly attributable to
the circumstance of political influence controling promo-
tions in the dockyards. [The hon. member here quoted
that part of the circular of February 1847, in which the
Lords of the Admiralty expressed their apprehension that
promotion in the dockyards was regarded rather as a mat-
ter of accident or favour than as a reward due to merit.]
In the circular of 1847 rules were laid down, first, with re-
gard to the entrance of apprentices into the dockyards, and
next with regard to the promotion of parties already there.
This circular, as succinctly described in the report of the
select committee which recently sat, expressed the deter-
mination of the Lords of the Admiralty.

" To introduce and maintain a system of promotionunder
which every man who shall have once entered the service
of the dockyards may learn to look to his own exertions as
the only means of future advancement. With the view of
giving effect to this determination, the circular contains a
scheme, according to which, whenever a vacancy offering an
opportunity for promotion shall occur, the principal officers
of the dockyard are directed to select three names of the
persons who, after examination, shall appear best qualified
to iill the vacancy, and they are required to submit these
names, with a full report of the respective merits of the can-
didates, to the superintendent of the dockyard. The duty is
then imposed en the superintendent of investigating closely
these returns, and of satisfying himself as to their perfect
impartiality, after which he is authorised to reduce the
number of candidates to two, by striking out the name of
that candidate who he considers least qualified. The re-
port of the superintendent, containing his opinion of the
merits of the candidates, with the original documents an-
nexed, is then to be forwarded to the Admiralty, and the
Lords of the Admiralty announce their intention to be
guided by those reports in the selection of one from the
two names submitted to fill the vacancy."

The effect of that circular was, that the Board of Admiralty
gave up absolutely all patronage with respect to promo-
tions in the dockyards--(hear, hear)—though it reserved
undoubtedly to itself the patronage of original appoint-
ments, or first entrances. With regard to promotions in
the dockyards, the Lords of the Admiralty, by that circu-
lar, parted completely with the patronage beyond the
single act of selecting one of the two names sent up by the
superintendent of the dockyard, and in making that selec-
tion they would unquestionably consult the persons they
made the judges of merit -namely, the superintendent and
the principal officers of the dockyard ; for it would not be
consistent with the spirit of the circular to make a capri-
cious selection, or one based on political preference, with-
out regard to merit. (Hear, hear.) Now, in the early
part of 1849, upon the death of Lord Auckland, the right
hon. gentleman the member for Portsmouth (Sir F.Baring)
succeeded him as First Lord of the Admiralty, and it
would be an act of injustice, after reading the evidence
given before the committee which recently sat, not to pay
to that right bon. gentleman that tribute of admiration
which was due for his administration of the navy depart-
ment. (Cheers.) During the whole course of his adminis-
tration the right hon. baronet seemed to have had only
one object in view, and that was the good of the public "
service. (Renewed cheers.) When the right hon. baronet
was called on to administer the affairs of the Board of
Admiralty, in consequence of a reconstruction which had
recently before taken place in the department of the Sur-
veyor of the Navy, a corresponding change in reference to
the routine business of the dockyards became almost abso-
lutely necessary, and the main matter now for considera-
tion was,
what appeared
,i to have been a most unjustifiable
interference with nepartment of that surveyor. [Here
there were several cries of " Order !" occasioned by some
disorder in the house, and Admiral BERKELEY rose, and
complained that the hon. member
for Donegal, Mr.
Conolly, was carrying on a conversation in a tone so
loud as to prevent proper attention being paid to the mem-
ber addressing the house.] f It was right that the house
should be reminded of the unctions of the Surveyor of
the Navy, and he found that the report of a very in-
fluential committee, which sat in 184 8, referred to them,
and stated that the proper application of the sums voted
by Parliament for the navy department depended greatly
011 the superintendence of the Surveyor of the Navy, and
that to him was committed the whole control of the dock -
yards, he being required to decide upon the amount of
work and number of artificers required. Such being the
duty of the Surveyor of the Navy,
of course, great in proportion. When the right hon. his responsibility was,
gen-
baronet the member head of
for Portsmouth assumed the
the Admiralty Board, a change was suggested by Sir B.
Walker, which convenience had rendered absolutely neces-
sary, and which was subsequently Lord of the Admiralty. The ch adopted by the Mist
ange was. this,—that the
reports of the superintendentsfi shaztlt be 'sent drect to the
Surveyor, instead of being
make twhheat
wasdmira calltlyed, and
s
that the Surveyor should then
it submission" on them. 'N carry out
Undoubtedly,
object the cir-
cular of September; 1849, was issued.but Tlownbtedly, that
was not
blithetecnilly a board minute,
approved y First Lord of the AdmiraltytTXZelniliute'
sion with the members of the board,—wa„
by the secretary, issued to the dockyards, said aa'equ upon
gned
from September, 1849, until April, 1852. (Hear,
It appeared from the evidence given before the committee
of 1848, that the circular of 1847 (which was subsequently
carried out more effectually and stringently by the cicular
of 1849), had answered, as far as any regulation of the sort
possibly could, the object intended. The men in the Royal

yards, were, in truth, as the circular of 1847 pointed out,
in a very disadvantageous position as compared with work-
men in private yards. Before 1847, as the circular stated,
political influence affected the promotions of the workmen
apart from their merit, and the object of the circular of
that year was to change the system, and to supply those
pecuniary rewards which were given in private yards, and
which obtained for private yards a decided advantage over
the Royal yards. Among the officer who had given the
most decided testimony to the entire success of that ex-
periment were Captain Milne, Captain Richards, Admiral
Sir T. Herbert, Admiral Parker, Commodore Seymour,
and Commodore Eden, and even the Duke of Nor-
thumberland would be found to have been strongly
in favour of consulting with the Surveyor of the Navy
with regard to dockyard appointments. (Hear, hear.)
Indeed, every officer called before the committee who had
anything to do with the working of the circular bore the
most unqualified testimony to its success. Among the wit•
nesses who gave evidence before the committee on this
subject there was, however, one very characteristic excep-
tion, an electioneering agent—(" hear, hear," and laughter)
—according to whom, not only had the circular had been
insufficient to effect the object with which it was issued,
but political influence had been more rife—or certainly as
rife—in the borough of Devonport since 1847 as ever it
was before. That witness complained that scarcely any
but Whigs were promoted—(a laugh)—and he mentioned
that oat of 36 promotions only two of the parties promoted
were Conservatives. Now, the house must recollect that
dockyard promotions took place under the direct super-
vision of the Commodore Superintendent, Commodore
Seymour, a gentleman whom the electioneering agent to
whom he had referred, Mr. Beer, considered to be a Con-
servative. It was most honourable to Commodore Sey-
mour that no one had ever been able to discover, from the
exercise of his authority in the dockyard, what his political
opinions were. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Beer charged the
Admiralty administration of the right hon. member for
Portsmouth (Sir F. Baring) with every species of political
corruption that could exist in the dockyards. Mr. Beer
said that that administration had created superannuations
wantonly and needlessly, for the purpose of making the
appointments consequent upon those superannuation.
Mr. Beer, however, charged against them not only that
they created superannuations needlessly for the purpose of
pml
eeyn
mw
wereehnot weremwehn a.
oughteto ,
mentionedbwhilee
increasing their patronage, but that they actually super-
er
igsemwh.Oselarry
ainnnfulluateemd
retainedhcase superannuated,
because they
of two men brought up for superannuation, one of whom
w
thwereas
e Conservatives,
named
over ey
years 'aannedfd theAxfage h
Axford
rodtHweer
auseyaAxfordhvaeryda; both of t
lwuys voted them
active
partisan
for
of the Whig side. Honey was told that he was too old,
and must be superannuated, and Axford was kept, though
he was 7 years older, and, as Mr. Beer was told, the inferior
workman of the two. Mr. Beer was asked whether the
superintendent of the yard did not attend the exami-
nation of the men named for superannuation, and his
answer was, "I do not know." He (Mr. Keating) was
informed that these examinations took place in the pre-
sence of the superintendent, of two surgeons, and of
other officers ; and Mr. Beer was therefore, in effect,
charging these gentlemen with a conspiracy for the pur-
pose of superannuating one man and retaining another
of more advanced age and less ability in the public
service. (Hear, hear.) Mr. Beer mentioned also the
case of two persons named Oram and Burt. Burt was
represented to be a Conservative, and Oram a Whig.
Burt, who had previously voted with the Whigs at
the last election, voted for the Conservative candidates,
but flattered himself that his vote was not known to the
master shipwright, to whom he applied for an appointment
at Portsmouth to learn the planing-machine. Burt said
the master shipwright had promised him the appointment,
but Mr. Beer told him that Oram had been selected, and
Mr. Beer evidently wished the committee to believe that
Oram had been appointed upon the discovery by the master
shipwright that Burt had voted for the Conservative can-
didates. It happened, however, that Commodore Seymour
instituted an inquiry on the subject; he had the two men
before him ; and he came to the conclusion that the ap-
pointment had never been promised to Burt, and that
Oram had been appointed in consequence of his merit,
which was unquestionably superior to that of his compe-
titor. (Hear.) The circular of 1847 was issued for the
purpose of placing the Royal dockyards as nearly as possi-
ble upon an equality with private yards, and what was the
consequence ; Why, from 184647 as compared with
1851-52 there was a saving of 139,0001. in the annual ex-
penditure for wages—(cheers)—the number of men em-
ployed was reduced from between 12,000 and 113,000 to
between 9,000 and 10,000—(hear, hear)—and as large an
amount of work was obtained from the lesser as had been
performed by the greater number. (Hear, hear.) He
thought, therefore, it would be extremely difficult for any
member on the opposition side to contend that the circu-
lars of 1847 and 1849 had not effected the object for
which they were issued. They had, indeed, the evidence
of the Duke of Northumberland and of the late Secretary
of the Admiralty in favour of the circular of 1847; and
the late Secretary to the Admiralty excused the cancelling
of the circular of 1849 on the ground that it would lead to
a return to the system of 1847. On the 2d or 3d of March
last year the Administration of Lord Derby came into
office, and on the 31st of March Mr. Grant, a clerk of the
Admiralty, and private secretary to the late Secretary to
the Admiralty, found himself at Somerset-house, and,
being there he went to Sir B. Walker and requested that
he (Sir B. Walker) would not submit the names of persons
to be promoted into the vacancies for foremen and inspec-
tors of shipwrights in Devonport Dockyard, as Mr. Staf-
ford's political friends were dissatisfied, and he wished to
promote some of their party. Sir B. Walker replied that
he had been upwards of four years in the department ;
that he had never allowed political motives to influence
his submissions to the board ; and he was not going to
commence jobbing for him or anybody else. (Hear, hear.)
Eden, a clerk in the Surveyor's department, entered the
room during this interview, and stated that he heard the
reply made by Sir B. Walker. Now, if this was regarded
as a mere question of accuracy between Mr. Grant and the
Surveyor of the Navy, he (Mr. Keating) thought there could
be no doubt on which side the weight of evidence lay.
The late Secretary to the Admiralty had stated before
the committee that he had not sent Mr. Grant to make
this communication to the Surveyor of the Navy, and that
statement was confirmed by Mr. Grant. He (Mr. Keat-
ing) had no doubt that Mr. Grant had not been sent on
this mission but it was wholly inconceivable that a clerk
in the Admiralty should go to the Surveyor of the Navy
and make a proposition of this sort if he had not ascer-
tained, iu some shape or way, that the proposition would
not be unpalatable to some of the higher authorities at the
Admiralty. (Cheers.) [Mr. Keating then read the letter
addressed to Mr. Stafford to Sir B. Walker, stating that
great dissatisfaction existed among his political friends as
to the present arrangement of appointments and promo-
tions in the dockyards, and the answer of Sir Baldwin,
which were published in the report of the recent debates
on this subject.] Now, subsequently the late Secretary to
the Admiralty took credit to himself for having asked Sir
B. Walker for his opinion on this matter, and certainly
the opinion of Sir B. Walker was expressed. in the most
distinct terms, about which there could be no mistake.
It appeared, however, that that opinion was asked rather
as a compliment than with any intention of acting upon
it. Sir B. Walker afterwards waited upon the Secretary
to the Admiralty, and a discussion took place between
them as to the tendered resignation of Sir B. Walker. It
was clear that the Surveyor of the Navy had no patronage,
properly so called ; his function was merely to forward the
names sent to him by the superintendent, and to express
his opinion upon the recommendations. It was impossible
to conceive how the object of getting rid of political in-
fluence in the dockyards could be attained by the cancel-
lation of the circular of 1849. Sir B. Walker on the sth
of April had an interview with the Secretary of the Ad-
miralty, and repeated in very strong terms what he had
stated in his letter. A warm discussion took place
between them, and Sir B. Walker stated that the Secre-
tary of the Admiralty said to him there was no blinking
the question, for he was so placed by Lord Derby and the
Chancellor of the Exchequer he could not help himself,
but must have recourse to some change in the system of
promotion. The Secretary of the Admiralty, however,
did not agree with Sir B. Walker, but he said that—as
nearly as ho recollected--the words he used that the
Government of Lord Derby and the Chancellor of the
Exchequer would not allow all promotions to be in the
hands of their political opponents any more than any other
Government. The hon. gentleman attributed to himself
phrases he could hardly have used, but it really signified
little whether the statement of Sir B. Walker or of the
Secretary of the Admiralty was correct, because, as the
report said, all that was important in the matter was that
the names of these two distinguished personages were used
in a discussion in which the Secretary of the Admiralty
endeavoured to constrain the Surveyor of the Navy to con-
sent to an alteration of the system of promotion. The
opinion of Sir B. Walker on the point of promotion ought
to have great weight with the hon. gentleman, and the
hon. gentleman asked him his opinion, and not only re-
ceived his opinion, but also his most positive assurance,
that the change would affect his control over the dock-
yards and consequently their efficiency. Certain persons
whom the hon. gentleman consulted, and who know much
more about the details than the hon. gentleman could have
done, said the cancellation of the circular would not effect
the object the hon. gentleman supposed ; but there was
one object that cancellation could effect, and what was it?
It gave the control to the Surveyor of the Navy with re-
ference to all the dockyards, so that he alone could judge
what vacancies should be filled. The superintendents
were limited to their particular dockyards, but the Sur-
veyor of the Navy was the person who presided over all
the dockyards. At the time the late Administration came
into office there were between 200 and 300 vacancies kept
principally for the apprentices that were coming out of
tbeir time, and the greater part of these vacancies the
Secretary was enabled to fill up without the control of the
Surveyor. The consequence was that shortly afterwards,
when 160 apprentices were out of their time, there were
only 34 vacancies left to give them. This was an illustra-
tion of the mischief which was occasioned by the cancelling
of the circular. The hon. gentleman was perfectly correct
in stating that before cancelling the circular he had con-
sulted the First Lord of the Admiralty - but it appeared
fronithe evidence of the Frst Lord that, a'lthough cognizant
of the step, he gave no directions respecting it, and that he
acquiesced in it only when he thought the power of issuing
the circular belonged to the secretary. He (Mr. Keating)
had no hesitation in saying that if the question had been
the suspension of the functions of the meanest clerk or
lowest porter in the Admiralty, it would have been un-
justifiable to accede to it without surer information and
better grounds than those which appeared to have
formed the foundation for cancelling this important circu-
lar. (Hear, hear.) It was true that the Board of Admi-
ralty, by their minute of the 26th of April, recognised the
cancelling of the circular. To that extent, therefore, it
might be said that the hon. gentleman was supported by
the board. The hon. member then proceeded, amid loud
man appointment
l
and continued cries of " Divide !" and other interruptions,
leading referdin gat the meta
to the
mills,of
c Ridgeway,hatham to b e
, ase
second
da-cctlinasgs
first-class man, not only without the recommendation of
the superintendent (Captain Richards), but in the face of
his report that he was unfit for the appointment. This
was a distinct violation of the circular of 1847. (Hear,
hear.) There were 10 cases at that port in which the cir-
cular of 1847 was distinctly violated. At Devonport there
were 12 cases of the same kind. At Deptford there were
also several instances, in one of which a person who had
been previously discharged for drunkenness was, by the
order of the Admiralty, directed to be promoted, against
the direction of the superintendent. At Woolwich the
number of cases was eight, although they differed from the
cases to which he had alluded in the other dockyards so far
that the letter of the circular of 1847 was not violated. In
every one of these cases the circular in question had been
purposes. (Cheers.) The hon.
violated for political
h d d
the Admiralty a imse sa e
gen-
tleman the Secretary for
Keating) took the liberty
that in most of the cases—he (Mr.
from the
• in which he had differed
of saying all—in
of his political
super-
intendent, he had acted under the pressure
friends.
"Chair" and great confu-
Mr. BOOKER, amid cries of
entleman
Sion, rose to order. When the hon. and learned g _
broadly stated that individuals of blemished character had
been promoted merely for the sake of political purposes—
(order, order)—and when he stated--(loud and continued .