The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-25 00:00:00

which the British Museum was open they'would find it
was open for a greater number of hours in the year than
any other in Europe. He coald also inform the House
that 65,000 persons had read in the library last year,
frreriter number of persons than had read in any other
library on the Continent. It was a gratifying fact that
not only the visitors but the readers of the library had
increased greatly during the last few years. The
former, according to the returns, had increased three-
fold the last six years. In speaking of foreign libraries,
and the access given to them, it ought to be observed
that there were secret police inside of them to watch
over the proceedings going on, whereas they had no
such thing as police inside of the British Museum.—
(Hear, hear.) He begged leave to apologise for occupy-
ing the House so long- in the explanation he had made.
Mr. P. BORTHWICK said, in speaking of the readers
of the Paris library as compared with the British
Museum, they ought to hear in mind that Paris was a
much smaller city than London. He considered they
might adopt, with advantage, the liberal arragements of
the French Government.
Sir D. NORREYS wished to remind the Hon. Member
who last spoke, that the Paris library was only open to
the public for two days in the week.
Mr. BORTHWICK, in answer to that, would inform
the House that he knew from his own knowledge that
the library was open every day for students and those
who wished to read.
Sir D. NORREYS thought a Museum of this kind
ought to be a truly national institution and embrace
within it specimens in every department of science and
art, bo' h national and historical relics, and specimens of
architecture.
An HoN. MEMBER said he saw there was a sum of
10,0001. put down for the purchase of old books, now he
wished to know what this was for?
Sir R. H. INGLIS replied that the parties who had
charge of the library had made an elaborate report to
the trustees, in which they pointed out its deficiencies,
and amongst these deficiencies the library was sadly de-
fective in its stock of old books. On the fact being
communicated to the Treasury, they generously agreed
to devote 10,000/. a year for purchasing collections of
old books to supply the deficiency.
The vote was then agreed to.
NAVY ESTIMATES.

Mr. WARD, in submitting to the House the remain-
der of the navy estimates, claimed the indulgence of the
House in consequence of the short time he had held his
office, and said that had it not been for the liberal assis-
tance afforded to him by his predecessor, he should have
been unable to undertake the task. He then recapitu-
latsd the votes which had been already granted by the
House for the number of men and wages, and proceeded to
say that on vote No. 2, victuals for seamen and marines,
there was an increase of 34,5031. in consequence of the
rise which had taken place in the price of provisions.
To vote 4 he wished to call the attention of the House ;
it was for a general register and record office for seamer.
The department was very ably managed by Lieutenant.
Brown, and it had operated as a great check upon de-
sertion in the merchant service, and also very bene-
ficially as regarded apprentices. He looked upon this
office as a link between the royal navy and the merchant
service, the resource from which an efficient sup-
ply of trained sailors might be drawn in a case of need ;
and with, perhaps, some additional inducement to enter
the navy, might, perhaps, prove the only rational sub-
stitute for the power of impressment. No subject would
more occupy the attention or his colleagues during the
coming recess than this.—(Hear, hear.) With respect
to the seaman's fund, the Board had been pressed to re-
vise a Bill introduced by the late Vice-President of the
Board of Trade, but it had not been thought advisable so
to do. The subject, however, should receive the fullest
consideration during the recess. On the scientific branch
of the estimate he would only remark that the in•
crease was only 4701, and proceeded to the next
vote, which was for the staff of the dockyards and
fleet at home, on which there was an increase of
only about 1,000/, The next vote was for the foreign
establishments, and amounted to 3,902/, being an in-
crease of 945/. over that of last year. Vote No. 8 was
a large one, being for the wages of artificers and
labourers employed in the home establishments, and it
amounted to 43,720/. The increase in the vote was caused
by the increased repairs lately rendered necessary, and
partly by the substitution of free for convict labour, in
the dockyards, which was a considerable item in the
expenditure. Upon vote No. 10 for naval stores there
was a considerable increase over last year The total of
the present vote was 1,636,4261., less 57,726/. for credits,
and the increase was 437,285/, which had been caused
by the increase of our establishments towards the close
of last year, and the large purchases of hemp, coal,
timber, and steam machinery which were consequently
necessary. Vote No. 11 was for new works, improve-
ments, and repairs, and the net increase upon this item
over last year was 40.464/. A principal expense had
been the substitution of iron roofs for those of wood
over the building slips, an improved plan, which he
hoped would be generally adopted on account of
the safety which was thus obtained agsinst accidents
and loss by fire. Other items of expenditure under
this head were 240,000/. for the new steam basin,
and 200,0001. for the steam factory at Portsmouth ;
but considering the creations of steam machinery on the
French coast, it was impossible that this country could
with respect to her own credit and safety remain behind.
—(Hear, hear.) The remaining votes were as follow:
Medicines, medical stores, &c., 21,273/.; miscellaneous
service, 71,075/ ; half-pay to officers of the navy and
royal marines, 705,4481.; military pensions for naval
service, 486,3221.; for packet service, 544,5871.; civil pen-
sions—freight on account of the army and ordnance
departments, 166,6261.; freight on account of the home
department, 92.859/. ; Post-office department (packet
service).673,lBo/. This last item defrayed the expenses
of the operations of the packet service department in
all quarters of the world to which our empire ex-
tended. He had gone through all these items with
as much brevity as possible, and he trusted that he
had not trespassed unwarrantably on the attention
of the House.—(Hear, hear.) No doubt the expendi-
ture was very large—seven and a half millions—and
it was only right that the most accurate scrutiny
should be exercised—(Hear, hear)—but he did not
think that it could be shown that the amount of the esti-
mate exceeded the requirements of the ease.—(Hear,
hear.; For what had passed the present Board of Ad-
miralty was not responsible, They had taken the votes
and accounts as they had been bequeathed to them by
their predecessors, but they must say that they could
tee no sufficient grounds for finding. fault with them.—
(Hear, hear.) He would not hold out delusive hopes as
to the future. He thought there was nothing more to
be desired than candour, and in candour he was bound
to say that he did not think that any reduction in this
estimate was either desirable or probable, or even possi-
ble, as lan; as the naval establishments of other coun-
tries continued on the same footing that they now occu-
pied. In his opinion it would not be safe, nor fit, nor
honourable for England again to run the risk which,
on at least two occasions in the course of
the last five years, she hail incurred of being
taken unawares and at disadvantage in the event of any
unforeseen emergency suddenly arising.—(Hear, hear.)
Such had been the neglect of her naval establishments,
that if on either of these occasions any sudden rupture
of our peaceful relations with other countries had un-
fortunately occurred, we should have been found totally
unprepared for warfare. Such a state of things ought
never again to be permitted.—(Hear, hear.) It was be-
cause of a not unnatural unwillingness on the part of the
authorities of the Admiralty to cause alarm amongst
other nations that suet) a state of things had arisen, and

that there was unhappily wanting thfii concentration of

resources, which in a great naval establishment was es-
tentially requisite, in order that the country might not
he vulnerable, and which had not been realised until
within a very recent period.—(Hear, hear.) Up to the
present time Woolwich was the only steam factory of
any description we possessed, those at Plymouth and
Portsmouth not being as yet complete ; and surely it
could not be contended that this was sufficient for
our exigencies, regard being had ' to the foreign steam
navies on the Mediterranean, and in other parts of the
world. There was one desirable reform which he was
very anxious to see accomplished—he meant an im-
provement in the mode of manning the navy, for he did
not think it was right or at all judicious to rely on the
system of improvement for meeting any very serious
emergency.—(Hear, hear.) It was a coarse and rude
expedient, not to be trusted to for the manning of such
a navy as that of England in the event of a maritime
war.--(Hear, hear.) It was unsafe and imprudent to
have recourse in such an emergency to untrained and
unskilful men, who knew nothing of the practice or
science of gunnery.—(Hear.) It would be better far to
' fall back upon the judicious system of recalling those
elements of strength, which were now scattered all
over the world—the vamen engaged in our mercantile
navy.—(Hear, hear.) Besides, he considered the
habit which now prevailed a foolish and irrational one,
that of disbanding and breaking up the whole crew of
a ship when she came home after a voyage, and leav-
ing the men with perhaps no other resource for
livelihood than to go into foreign services.—(Hear,
hear.) These were matters which must engage the
serious attention of the present Board of Admiralty,
whose object it should be to improve on the example of
their predecessors. Their principal study should be to
organise, complete, and systematise the plans which
already existed, and to propose snch new ones as might
seem good. He (Mr. Ward) felt no hostility to any
country whatever, nor entertained any aggressive view
in any quarter.—(Hear, hear.) He felt as deep an
anxiety as any other person could possibly entertain,
that the world's peace should be preserved, but he was
sure that the best security for the continuance of tran-
quillity and good order was the conviction on the part
of other nations, that as far as we were concerned, we
would not permit a breach of peace to be attempted
with impunity.—(Hear, hear.) Our strength was the
best security for the peace of the world—(Hear, hear)
—and this conviction on the part of other countries
would be best promoted by a proper organisation of the
vast resources in ships and men, which England pos-
sessed to such an extent, and which, it made available,
would still continue to render this country the most
illustrious for her maritime establishment in the world.

The question having been put on the first vote,
Sir C. NAPIER admitted that he had listened with
great pleasure to the speech of the Hon. Gentleman the
Secretary of the Admiralty, who had shown a degree of
information which was exceedingly creditable to him,
and which it was indeed not a little surprising to find in
one who had kperl foF o ejlopt a time in the departmentwith which he was at present tionnected.—(Hear, hear.)
He was really at a loss to think how the Hon. Gentie-
man managed to have concentrated such a mass of in-
formation within so brief a period. Ile bad arranged it,
too, in a systematic and perspicuous manner, and he (Sir
Charles Napier) could with truth affirm that a clearer
Elucidation of the who's system of the navy be had
never heard. lie concurred unreservedly. in almo4
Gentleman, and PaTtiPalarlY approved of what he had
e.r.y proposition that bni fallen f Loin the rfinl.
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the navy.—
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