The Sun.
London, England, 1853-05-26 00:00:00

who conducted the examinations, and recommended three
names to the superintendent, invariably perform this duty
with care and impartiality ?
" It is manifest that the good intentions of the Board of
Admiralty, ,the fairness of the Surveyor, and the justice of
the superintendents, are all liable to be defeated, unless
the principal officers of the dockyard execute their portion
of the task with honesty and diligence.
" On this point your committee have received conflicting
evidence. The superintendents testify their belief in the
honesty and good faith of their principal officers, while the
contrary is positively asserted by one witness, a political
agent in a dockyard borough. Mr. Stafford also says that
he was was influenced by the prevalence of such reports.
When further pressed by your committee to furnish names
and to instance some cases, he replied that this would be
injurious to the persons who had given him the informa-
tion, that he had himself tried to remedy the injustice,
and then destroyed the letters.
" Your committee consider that if the Secretary of the
Admiralty entertained such suspicions, and was from this
motive induced to cancel the circular of 1849, he would
have done no more than his public duty in endeavouring,
by every means in his power, to expose such dishonesty
and fraud. Mr. Stafford, however, thought it useless to
inquire further, and probably in his case he judged wisely,
for when the Secretary of the Admiralty accompanies
political candidates through the dockyards and invites the
officers of the department to meet electioneering agents on
the eve of an election, it becomes obvious that he cannot
consistently take any steps for the purpose of repressing
favouritism and party preferences. Before any useful in-
quiry into such rumours can be instituted, it is essential
that all the men in the dockyards should be convinced
that the authorities at head-quarters are sincere in their

intentions.
" Your committee have been unable to discover any
facts which justify the issue of the circular of 19th April,
1852, cancelling the order of September, 1849, and the
evidence proves that this proceeding was adopted by ➢lr.
Stafford to satisfy his political friends. The circular
of September, 1849, has since been restored, and its pro-
visions rendered more secure by being embodied in an
Order in Council. _ _

" In'concluding their observations on this head of their
inquiry your committee feel it due to the Surveyor of the
Navy to declare their opinion that they have heard nothing
which casts the least shadow of suspicion upon the integ-
rity of his conduct in the performance of his official duties.
Sir B. Walker asserts that he never allowed any one in his
department to interfere with these duties, and that the re-
sponsibility of the submissions rests solely on himself.
SECOND. Also to inquire into the circumstances
under which a letter addressed by Sir B. Walker to Mr.
Stafford, as Secretary to the Admiralty, in which letter
Sir B. Walker tendered his resignation as Surveyor of the
Navy, was withheld from the board.
" On the 21st April, 1852, Sir B. Walker 'states that he
was first informed of the issue of the circular of the 19th
by the dockyard returns acknowledging its receipt. On
the same day he wrote a letter tendering his resignation,
and addressed it to the Secretary of the Admiralty.
" Sir B. Walker says that he took this letter to the Ad-
miralty, and read it to Admiral Hyde Parker, who was
the immediate head of the Surveyor's department. Ad-
miral Parker took the letter, and said he should give it to
the First Lord. Admiral H. Parker is not certain as to
the date, but it is certain that he took the letter, on the
same day on which he received it, to the Duke of Northum-
berland ; that he gave the letter to the duke, having first
taken it out of its cover. He did not read it to his Grace,
but told him the purport of the letter.
"The Duke of Northumberland has no recollection of
this letter, and he thinks there is some confusion as to the
date of this interview. He believes that Admiral H. Par-
ker came to him on Monday the 26th of April, and repre-
sented the annoyance which the Surveyor felt on account
of a slur which seemed to be cast on his character by the
issue of the circular of the 19th. Admiral Parker spoke
very warmly, and justly upon the subject, and the duko
told him he felt confident that Mr. Stafford meant no dis-
respect to the Surveyor. After this interview his Grace
sent for Mr. Stafford, and told him that the Surveyor con-
sidered the circular cancelling the order of 1849 had cast a
stigma on the Surveyor, and the duke was much afraid he
would resign ; and he added to Mr. Stafford, who treated
it rather lightly, It is much more serious than you seem
to think ; for, if he resigns his office, I may not find a suc-
cessor.' Upon that Mr. Stafford went into Admiral Par-
ker's room, and at the end of about half an hour they came
into the duke's room, Sir B. Walker and Admiral if. Par-
ker together. The circular of ;the 26th April was then
read in the duke's room, upon which Sir B. Walker said,
I am perfectly satisfied.
" Sir B. Walker asserts confidently that the duke is in
error as to this interview ; but he states that be did see
the duke between the day of the delivery of his letter and
of the circular being issued, and that the duke said to him,
I know all about your letter ; Admiral Parker has told
me all about it ; remain perfectly quiet, and everything
shall be set right.'
" In the midst of these contradictions, there is one point
on which all the witnesses agree, namely, that the purport
or draught of the circular of the 26th April was read in the
presence of Admiral Parker and of Sir B. Walker before
its issue.
"The circular of 26th April was afterwards read at the
board. This circular informs the superintendents that the
circular of the 19th was not intended as an imputation on
the Surveyor of the Navy ; and it proceeds in these words :
The arrangements with regard to the dockyard promo-
tions, as laid down by their lordships' circular of the 27th
February, 1847, will be strictly adhered to ; and they deem
it desirable to revert to the system then in force, of having
all communications on the subject addressed to this office
in the first instance.
"Admiral Parker states that aday or two after the above
interview he destroyed Sir B. Walker's letter of resigna-
tion, considering the matter to be settled. As regards the
letter of resignation, therefore, it appears that, although it
was addressed to the Into Secretary of the Admiralty, it
was never delivered to him, and, consequently, he is in no
way responsible for the act of withholding that letter from
the board.

" Your committee were informed by Sir E. Walker that
he did not until November know that his letter of resigna-
tion had been destroyed ; he had found in the circular of
26th April a reference, as he thought, to the words he had
used in his letter, and he concluded that his letter had been
submitted to the board. Sir B. Walker acknowledged that
the circular of the 26th cleared his character, and so far,
and so far only, was he satisfied ; he did not think the
course taken by the board satisfactory, inasmuch as they
confirmed the act previously done by the Secretary with-
out their knowledge.
" The Duke of Northumberland, and the other Lords, in
sanctioning the circular of 26th April, repeated and con-
firmed the order of the 19th. They had now removed all
imputation upon the Surveyor's honour ; but they had not
provided for the efficient working of the system which they
stated would be strictly adhered to.
"The First Lord and several of his colleagues seem to
have considered that in regard to promotions the Surveyor
would be consulted as before, the only change being that
the recommendations would be sent, in the first instance,
to the Secretary. The duke did not, however, give any
directions on this subject; he tweeted that the Secretary
and the Surveyor would work together, as this was essen-
tial for the efficiency of the service. The First Lord sup-
posed that the Secretary would communicate upon all
matters with the Surveyor, and his Grace said that it was
impossible for him to contemplate any abuses. This
expectation was not realized. Sir B. Walker denies that
he was afterwards consulted by the Secretary upon vacan-
cies or promotions, and Mr. Stafford cannot remember
that he over did consult the Surveyor upon such business
after April, 1852.
"The duke received, however, other intimations that
the appointments in the dockyards were not satisfactory to
officers in his department, and that abuses were not alto-
gether impossible. He had granted an interview to Captain
Richards, who had brought to his notice the circumstanees
of Ridgway's promotion, and the correspondence with
regard to that case. The Surveyor of the Navy had also
seen his Grace upon that subject. His Grace'sconversa-

tion induced Captain Richards to think that the duke quite
concurred with him in his view of dockyard promotions.
Admiral H. Parker remonstrated frequently upon the
rescinding the circular of September, 1849, and said ho
`should bring the matter before the board. In reply to
Admiral H. Parker, the duke spoke very confidentially,
and encouraged him to bring the subject before the board.
This, however, was never done. _ _

" On the lOth of May Sir B. Walker, having received
many communications from different dockyards in regard
to the iminst filling up of vacancies, and being now re-
lieved from personal feeling in regard to any imputation
on his character, which had been at first involved in this
question, wrote a letter to the duke calling his attention
again to the subject, and expressing and earnest wish that
his Grace's administration might not be tarnished.
" The duke states that he considered this letter well, and
thought he saw in it a desire to revive personal disputes ;
he however, showed the letter in confidence to Mr. Stafford,
saying that he should not make it public.
" Sir B. Walker received no reply to this letter.
" Your committee examined Sir B: Walker upon the
details of the cases which he adduced in justification of
his letter to the Duke of Northumberland, and they ob-
tained evidence in corrobltion of his statements from the
superintendents of Woolwich, of Devonport, and of Cha-
tham. The officers concurred in stating that the appoint
ments made by Mr. Stafford were, in many instances, un-
just to the men in the yards, contrary to the circular o-
-1847, and detrimental to the efficiency of the service. he
explanation of these various cases Mr. Stafford said, that

holed regarded many of these appointments as first entries,
the nomination to which had been invariably vested in the
Board of Admiralty. Under this impression he had not
followed the recommendations of the superintendents, but
had, without reference to their advice, named the persons
suggested to him by his political friends. The evidence of
Commodores Seymour and Eden, of Captain Richards and
of Sir B. Walker, will show the view which these officers
took of these appointments, and the meaning which they
attached to the circular of 1847. In regard to several of the
appointments inquired into by your committee, the origi-
nal documents could not be produced, having either been
lost or abstracted. The original minute of the 19th of
April, 1852, was also not forthcoming. Some evidence re-
specting it will be found in the appendix.
" Your committee desires distinctly to state that in the
majority of cases, after cancelling the circular of 1849,
Mr. Stafford appears to have followed the recommenda-
tions of the superintendents ; but it is obvious, as regards
the efficiency of these establishments, that even a few pro-
motions obtained through political influence would defeat
the authorities of the dockyard, subvert the confidence of
the isen, and rendar nugatory all the solemn assurances of
circulars issued by the Admiralty, to the effect that men
should rise by merit, and not by political influence.
" There can be little doubt but that these results have
attended the appointments adverted to by witnesses well
qualified to give an impartial opinion on this subject.
Officers of high character in the navy, distinguished alike
for professional abilities and unblemished honour, observed
the course of promotion in the dockyards during the last
summer with apprehension, with feelings of humiliation,
with dismay, and even with disgust.
" One officer, of high standing in the navy, and supreme
at the Admiralty, had power to check these proceedings ;
an appeal was more than once made to him ; he intimated
his disapproval, but he declined to interfere. His rank and
station in the country, his position in the Government, his
connexion with the gallant service of the navy, were
deemed to be securities for the administration of a depart-
ment confided to the Duke of Northumberland. On this
responsibility the Earl of Derby stated that he had placed
his reliance.
" His Grace had surrendered to the Secretary the civil
patronage of the Admiralty ; and it is due to his Grace to
state that the few appointments connected with the dock-
yards which he himself made were apparently selected
for no other motive except the good of the service. Your
committee, however, would ill discharge their duty if they
did not point out that in every branch of the Government
the head of the department must be held responsible, not
indeed for every individual appointment, bnt for the sys-
tem under which the patronage is distributed ; and he is
specially bound to uphold subordinate officers who cannot
properly perform their duty without his countenance and
support.
"THIRD QUESIIOII.--The circumstances connected with