The Sun.
London, England, 1848-05-27 00:00:00

undoubtedly lay upon them, they should lose no time
about it, and he thought every member of it must be
most anxious to state to Parliament everything which
was intended to exculpate the Government in this
matter.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER could
not but think it was unfortunate the Right Honourable
Gentleman had not taken the opportunity of asking his
questions when his Noble Friend at the head of Foreign
Affairs (Lord Palmerston) was in his place, as he was in
this House some ten minutes previously, and would, no
doubt, have been able to give him a much more satis-
factory answer than he (the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer) could hope to do. He understood from his Noble
Friend that he proposed to lay on the table of the
House that night, is order that they might be delivered
into the hands of Honourable Members to-morrow morn-
ing, those papers which might be necessary to enable
them to form an opinion as to what had taken place in
Spain. With respect to the observations of the Right
Honourable Gentleman, he thought it better to abstain
from making any comment upon them; but: this be would
say, that the motion of the Honourable Member for
Dorsetshire was not postponed in consequence of any
wish expressed on the part of her Majesty's Govern-
ment. Her Majesty's Government did not shrink from
any explanation on the subject, and he had no doubt
his Noble Friend (Lord Palmerston) would be prepared
with the most lull and ample explanation when the time
arrived.
Mr. • DISRAELI—Sir, I am rather sorry for the
words which have been used by the Right Hon. Gentle-
man the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to
the motion of the Hon. Member for Dorsetshire. My
Hon. Friend (Mr. Bankes) gave notice of his intention
to call the attention of the House to the consideration of
certain documents connected with the affairs of Spain,
laid on the table of the House by her Majesty's Minis-
ters, more particularly in respect to some matters
omitted in those papers. I cannot conceive anything
more natural on the part of my Hon. Friend than his
declining to bring his motion forward for the considera-
tion of the House when the documents were proved to
be so imperfect, and when her Majesty's Ministers the
same evening came forward and announced that they
felt it to be their duty to lay other papers on the table
of the House, which papers could not be in the hands of
Members until the morning after the intended debate ;
and I think it rather surprising that her Majesty's Mi-
nisters should now say that they were ready to meet the
question, but my Hon. Friend declined to combat them.
Her Mijesty's Ministers were ready to meet the question
upon their own showing, knowing that my lion. Friend
had not the documents in possession on which it was ne-
cessary to decide. As to the anxiety of my Hon. Friend
the Member for Dorsetshire to bring forward this ques-
tion, I thought every Member of the House was anxious
for the discussion of such a subject; and those who
should be most influenced by anxiety, I should have
thought, would have been the responsible advisers of the
Crown.—(Cbeers.)
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER--I found
no fault with the Hon. Gentleman. All I said was that
the Government did not prevent him bringing on his
motion. I think it highly desirable that the papers to
which I have referred should be on the table of the
House.

Mr. HERRIES—I was unable to put my question as I
had intended in the presence of the Noble Lord the Se-
cretary of State for Foreign Affairs, because other gen-
tlemen had possession of the House, and before the dis-
cussion had closed her Majesty's Secretary of State had
departed from the House.
JUDGES OF VAN DIEMEN'S LAND.
_ _

Mr. C. ANSTEY, seeing the Under Secretary for the
Colonies in his place, wisked to know whether it was
true that, in consequence of the judges of Van Diotneii, s
Lund having decided against a Bill of the Legislative
Assembly of that colony for levying taxes on the colo-
nists, one of the judges had been dismissed from his
office, and whether the Hon. Gentleman had any objec-
tion to lay upon the table the correspondence relating to
the transaction?
Mr. HAWES said the information he had received
upon the subject was derived from private sources, but
he understood that official information was on its way to
this country. Before he could promise to lay this infor-
mation on the table he must see its contents.
CALEDONIAN RAILWAY.
Mr. HUME wished to know from the Secretary
of the Admiralty if he had any objection to relate the
circumstances under which the consent of that board had
been given to the Caledonian Railway to cross the river
Clyde?

Mr. WARD said that the Admiralty had re-consi-
dered the subject, and the company having consented to
erect a bridge in accordance with the instructions of the
Surveyor of the Admiralty, they considered that it would
have been a stretch of the prerogative of the Crown to
oppose it any further, and they, therefore, consented to
the project.
The Earl of LINCOLN was satisfied that the Admi-
ralty had done its duty in the matter, and that no blame
could attach to that department. He, however, hoped
that care would be taken that the parties who bad relied
upon the Admiralty should not be damnified by that
which was something like a fraud practised upun the
board.
Mr. B. COCHRANE complained that this matter
should have been brought forward without any notice to
the parties interested, in whose absence the Noble Lord
(the Earl of Lincoln) ought not to impute fraud to them.
After a few words from Mr. Ward, Mr. Macgregor,
Mr. Hastie (Glasgow), Mr. Aglionby, and Mr. Hume,
the conversation dropped.

SUPPLY.
Mr. HUME inquired whether the Right Honourable
Baronet the Chancellor of the Exchequer was prepared,
before going into a Committee of Supply, to state to the
House in what way he proposed to provide for the defi-
ciency of 3,000,0001. ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said Ile
did not at present propose to make any statement on
that subject.
The House then went into Committee, Mr. Bernal in
the chair.
Mr. WARD said ho must now ask the Committee to
give him a farther vote on account, under three differ-
ent heads, of the estimates for the service of the navy
during the present year. He did not propose to take
the whole estimate in any of them, but only a portion of
each, and to leave the remaining balance for subsequent
discussion. The first vote he moved was, that a further
sum of 300,000 L be granted to her Majesty to defray the
charge of the wages of seamen and marines, the number
being already agreed to.
Mr. HUME wished to know whether, after the evi-
dence which had been taken before the Select Committee
on Public Expenditure, the Government had adopted
any measures to reduce the expenditure in the depart-
ment of the navy, which was now nearly double the
amount it had been in former years. His own individual
opinion was that there was ample room for a great
change and greater economy, without any injury to the
public service. Had the Government taken any mea-
sures for these necessary reforms, or did they intend to
wait until the Select Committee made its report.
Mr. WARD replied that, without anticipating what
the report of the Committee might be, the Government
had taken every opportunity of effecting every practical
economy in the department of the public service with
which ho was connected. Hired men in the dock-
yards, whose terms of service had expired, had been
parted with; and, from the introduction of steam sawing
machinery, and by other modes, the naval estimates for
the ensuing year would be reduced by no less a sum
than 600,0001.
Captain HARRIS said he had a suggestion to make,
which he admitted was not one of economy, but still of
great public importance. It was, that first class line-of-
battle ships should be fitted and sent out to foreign sta-
tions, instead of the class of men of war now employed
in this branch of the service. At present there was in
the West India station one of the very worst ships, the
Wellesley, on the station. She was a dull sailer, and
wholly unfit to be so employed. The French had on
the station five or six heavy frigates; and i❑ case a war
should break out (of which there was a chance in 1839
and 1840, when he was serving on board the Win-
chester on that station), the Wellesley would not be a
match for any one of those frigates; whereas, if such a
ship as the Vanguard, under Lord I)undonald, was sent
out, she could manage any three of those frigates.
Again, ho found the Hastings, with the flag of Sir
Francis Collier, had been sent out to the East India
station, though wholly unfit to compete with the ships
sent out by foreign powers. He thought it would
be prudent and wise for the Goverment to fit out for
fbreign service a better class of ships than were now
sent out.

Admiral DUNDAS said, the great object of the
Admiralty was to wear out their old ships ; but they
were now sending out vessels which would be quite ready
to meet any opposing force.
Capt. PECHELL expressed a hope that, if he ab-
stained now from bringing forward the claims of the
commanders, lieutenants, and two other classes in the
naval service, he should not be met on a future occasion
by the assertion that he had omitted to avail himself of
the fitting opportunity. He only now abstained in order
that he might not interpose any obstacle in the course of
her Majesty's Government.
Mr. S. HERBERT understood that the three heads of
estimates under which the Honourable Gentleman (Mr.
Ward) proposed to take votes on account, were first for
the wages of seamen and marines, next for stores, and
lastly, for half-pay. Was that so?
Mr. WARD replied in the affirmative.
Mr. HUME drew the attention of the Committee to
the case of the assistant-surgeons of the navy. These
gentlemen were required to have a higher qualification
in three or four branches of medical science than either
the College of Surgeons in London or in Edinburgh
could require, and yet these gentlemen who must have
attained the age of 25 years were placed on board ship
among a parcel of youths, who were midshipmen or
mates. Such being the fact, the Committee would not
be surprised to hear that a week ago Sir William Bur-
nett, the physician-general, had not a single candidate
for the appointment of assistant-surgeon in the navy;
such was the reluctance of medical men to come for-
ward; and this arose entirely from the neglect of a clause
now made for five successive years, that assistant-sur-
geons should be allowed to mess with the lieutenants.
It was said there was no room to admit an assistant-sue-
gem', and yet he understood that engineers were so ac-
commodated to the exclusion of the medical man.
Captain BERKELEY said that the Admiralty did its
utmost to secure the best medical advice for the men in
the service, and he had never before heard of there
being the slightest difficulty in finding candidates for the office of assistant-surgeon. It would be impos-
sible to provide for them, however, in the ward-room
without interfering with the working the guns and with
the discipline of the ship; and still further was it im-
possible to provide the assistant-surgeon with a
cabin. Besides this, the greatest injury would be done
to the serviaa if tho assistant-surgeon was put over the
heads of the sites, who were his superior officers.