The Sun.
London, England, 1851-06-13 00:00:00

:AA-414:44.„,11-1. ,

LONDON, FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 1851

The Commons met last night.
Lord J. RUSSELL gave notice of his Chancery Reform
Bill for to-night, and also of his intention to move that
orders of the day shall have precedence of motions on
Thursdays after the Ist of July.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that the
first vote to be taken in the Committee of Supply this
evening would be for the expenses of the Kafir war.
On the order of the day for the House going into
Committee of. Supply,
Mr. C. ANSTEY moved, as an amendment, a resolution
condemnatory of the conduct of Sir WILLIAM DENISON,
Lieutenant-Governor of Van Diemen's Land, in the
matter of the revocation of the tickets of leave lately
held by Messrs. M`Merins, O'DOHERTY, and O'DoNonuE.
Sir G. GREY opposed the resolution. Sir W. DENI-
SON had only done his duty, indeed, he could not con-
sistently with his duty have acted otherwise under the
circumstances of the case.
Ultimately the motion was withdrawn, Mr. ANSTEY
giving notice at the same time of a motion for papers re-
lating to the suLject.
The House then went into Committee of Supply, and
proceeded with the navy estimates:
On the vote to defray the charge of naval half-pay,
some discussion• took place relative to the plan of
retirement proposed by the Admiralty, in which Mr.
illatE, Sir F. T. BARING, Sir DE L. EVANS, Sir a
I'ECIIELL, Mr. S. HERBERT, Admiral GORDON, and
others took part.
On the vow for naval stores,
Mr. HUME moved, as an amendment, to reduce
the amount by one-third, which was negatived by 106
to 38.

Conversations took place on some of the succeed-
ing votes, by which the remainder of the evening was
occupied.

Yesterday, during the discussion on the Navy Es,
,imatee, Sir FRANCIS BARING took occasion to ex-
plain the precise tendency of the system recently in-
troduced by the authorities at the Admiralty with a
view to reduce the active list of lieutenants, com-
manders, post-captains, and flag-officers by means of
a graduated succession of retirements. Immediately
on the first announcement of this long-desired inno-
vation, we expressed the pleasure with which it was
regarded by ourselves, and the satisfaction with
which we looked forward to its develop-
,. Now that the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty has endeavoured to specify as clearly as pos-
sible the nature of the intended change and the
principles upon,which it has been organized throughout,
we find no reason whatever for withdrawing any one
of those words of approval already pronounced upon
it in our leading columns. Naturally enough the
Hon. Representative of Montrose was anxious last
evening to learn why another plan had been selected
than that sketched out originally by the Committee.
It can scarcely be forgotten that the suggestions of
the Committee on Naval Expenditure went to the
effect in 1849 that the number of admirals, amount-
ing then to 150, should be gradually reduced to
100 by the promotion of one captain only
on the death cf three admirals. That we should
entertain a particular predilection for that method of
improvement cannot be any matter of surprise, seeing
that it coincides precisely with the opinions advanced
so repeatedly in this journal by ourselves, and calcu•
lated, as we have long felt satisfied it was, to secure the
utmost possible advantage with the least possible in-
convenience. Yet, while regretting that the hint
here indicated was not adopted by the authorities at
the Admiralty, and that another, and to our thinking,
more complicated arrangement was substituted in ac-
cordance with their own views upon the subject,
we are so fully rejoiced that any reform
at all has been adventured upon by our adminis-
trators, that we are willing to waive for the moment
objections such as might otherwise be forced into
utterance. Besides, thee observation made by the First
Lord of the Admiralty during the course of yester-
day's discussion in the House of Commons appears
to us to be deserving of all consideration, we mean
the remark that the whole list, and not a portion of
it, required to be dealt with, and that therefore he
and his colleagues decided upon carrying their own
notions upon the subject into operation, rather than
those put forward in 1849 by the Select Committee
on Naval Expenditure.
Before enterin
gumentsg upon those masterly statistical ar-
in the employment of which Mr. INLacaßE-
coioeunt,
hasit wabir hie
mself
-ed that the
yuei tl
eHonedt the officials
hin ab epr r of fioa
rt-
Glasgow last eveningse'll repeatedly
poet:t:
we might havetasradidy,'
the Admiralty upon
le
fobru
tthsatti
vary
0.7; erpetaasbolne:
more acceptable disposition to reforms which they
England. While giving . .
or, perhaps,
the
have evinced in regard to the system of promotions in
e gtvi ngcredaci
however,
egverY,aulPtavtlylisofs.core to Sir FRANCIS BARING and
in the list
he should like: t
any future increase
his colleagues, the Honourable Representativeknowledgeshave had some
sweepingly diminished by a com-
prehensivetem of retirements. Suflicient, how-
ever, system
well es the evil of the day not
about o guarantee
be atgballisnst
is the•gcod as
4d c
on.-dela and almost
%infrequently ; or, in other words, we are so pecu-
liarly' rejoiced to witness the l
despaired-of movement on the par
e Admiralty,
that we are not disinclined to defer
tot oft
ariber opportu-
in the course
of the Members who spoke last evening ent. Several
nity the chances of a yet greater improvem
of the discussion objected,
we conceive very err - one
onslyeto the injury they declared would
be inflicted
•
upon the officers in the maritime service by the
changes about to b 3 inaugurated. So far from
participating with them in these feelings of indigna-
%ion, we consider- the reform proposed by the Go-
vernment as deserving of every eulogium from the
pliant men employed as officers in the Royal

men