The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-15 00:00:00

.NAVAL RESERVES.

Lord CHELMSFORD, in the absence of his noble
and learned friend (Lord Lyndhurst), moved for certain
returns mentioned by the noble and learned lord in his
speech the other evening. He understood there would be
no objection to the returns alluded to.
The returns were ordered.
THE DECAYED GUNBOATS.

The Earl of HARDWICKE rose for the purpose of
moving for a return of all the vessels or gunboats below
1.000 tons burden built by contract since the year 1852,
with the 'names and residences of the contractors of each
vessel, showing at the sametime the year of their constriac-
tion, the price contracted for, together with their present
condition as to seaworthiness. He was induced to make
this motion in consequence of a report which had been for
a ome time current that a number of small vessels built in
the last four or five years, under the sanction of the Crown,
had turned out to be in such a decayed condition that they
were not supposed to be fit for any operation until they
should undergo further repair. This report had naturally
produced in the country a feeling of indignation, because
it was felt that some neglect existed, either on the part of
the Government who made the contract, or on the part or
the contractors, or on the part of both combined, whereby
a large sum of money had been lost to the country ; and
the hope and belief that the maritime defences of the coun-
try were daily strengthening and improving had at once
been destroyed. This was a matter of very grave conside-
ration. (Hear, hear.) He was bound to say that the pre-
sent Government were not implicated in this matter, as the
contracts occurred before they came into office, and he had
no doubt that. the noble duke at the head of the Admiralty
felt as much disposed as himself to remedy so great a grie-
vance. The contractors, no doubt, undertook to perform
that of which notice was given them, by the document
known as the specification of work. That document he
had not moved for, though it would be necessary, if the
return he now asked for were granted, to enable their lord-
ships to judge of the case; and he should, therefore, on a
future occasion move fur it. From what had passed in
another place ho understood that it was well known to the
Government at the time the contract was made that there
was in the merchants' building-yards no timber of a de-
scription fit for the intended work, but only such timber
as was described as unseasoned. If it turned out to be the
ease that the contractors made the agreement with the clear
engagement to perform the very best work at the very best
price, and that the specification contained words to that
effect, while, at the same time, the Government were aware
that the timber was unfit for use, then the Government were
more to blame in the transaction than the contractors ; be-
cause, if it was necessary to run up a number of vessels for
temporary use, it would have been easy tie have framed such
a specification as would have allowed of vessels,being built
for a temporary purpose at a moderate cost, Nevertheless,
the contractors themselves were also blameable if they gave
their names out to the public as agreeing to use the best
material and perform the beet work. The great difficulty
was to know who was the responsible party. He was
aware that the Board of Admiralty was responsible as a
board, but it almost always happened that the country had
not got what it waated —knowledge combined with responsi-
bility. There was really no sound responsibility where the
responsible party did not know his business. 'While a civi-
lian was at the head of the Board of Admiralty there was
always difficulty in grappling with questions connected with
the management of the maritime forces of the country. How
ever, he apprehended that in this case the real party respon-
sible was the Surveyor of the Navy, who had, since these
boats had rotted, changed his name, and become " Control-
ler." He wanted to know whether the Controller was re-
sponsible for what had taken place. That functionary was
bred a seaman, and was a highly respectable officer, and he
was placed in the position of Surveyor of the Navy, for
which situation a person should be selected who was brought
up from his earliest life, as apprentice in the building-yard,
to the use of the adze. Formerly Surveyors of the Navy
knew something'of their business ; they were thoroughly
acquainted with shipbuilding in al: its details; but Sir
James Graham introduced a new system, and as one re-
sult of Whig jobbery Sir William Symonds was
made Surveyor of the Navy. Sir William was an ex-
cellent officer and a worthy man, but he was quite igno-
rant of shipbuilding, and in his new office proved an
entire failure. He was succeeded by Sir Baldwin Walker,
who might be an able naval officer and an admirable ad-
ministrator, but who knew nothing of construction. The
consequence was that knowledge and responsibil;ty did not
exist together ; but he trusted that what had occurred would
induce the Board of Admiralty to give the office of Sur-
veyor of the Navy to some man who was practically ac-
quainted with shipbuilding. He was told that a few gun-
boats had been examined and found in a decayed state, and
that two had been actually broken up; but he was afraid
that the whole were more or less worthless. Information
had reached him to the effect that the 16 which had been
put upon the slip at Portsmouth were utterly rotten, and
that the repair of the remainder would cost as much as their
original construction. The fact that the gunboats were
built of green timber was not the only one deserving of at-
tention. Evidence had been given as to the fastenings,
which he could not help saying was of the most frightful
description. He hoped the house would grant his return,
which he promised to follow up by an attempt to discover
the guilty parties ; for the matter was too serious a one to
be overlooked, whether the blame lay at the door of a ras-
cally contractor or an ignorant surveyor.
The Duke of SOMERSET—There can be no objection
to give the information which the noble earl desires, and
which, indeed, has already been moved for in the other
House of Parliament. One part of the return, however,
it would be very difficult to make. We have at present
no fewer than 162 gunboats, and to be able to give an
amount of their seaworthiness we -would require to have
them brought into deck, stripped, and examined. That
cannot be done with regard to the whole of them, as your
lordships will see when I state how they are distri-
buted. There are 53 divided into three divisions in dif-
ferent ports at home--at Hasler, 45 ;in commission at Pem-
broke and elsewhere, 8; in China, 24; North America, 3;
Mediterranean, 3; south-east coast of America, 2; con-
nected with the Coastguard, 14; in course of construction,
10. When the present Board of Admiralty came into office
we heard a great deal about the gunboats, particularly
those at Relar, and we thought it our duty to have them
inspectee„ Certainly a considerable amount 'of decay was
fotaVl in them. I believe, indeed, the defect had been dis-
covered some months before, and at the time of our inspec-
on some workmen were already engaged in repairing them.
Wore hands were put on, and during the whole of the sum-
mer there were 100 men employed. Of the 45 gunboats at
Hasler 23 have been thoroughly repaired ; six more are in
hand; so that 29 are either repaired or in a state of pro-
ves& We have been told that it was a mistake to keep the
gunboats out of the water, but some of those afloat are quite
as much decayed as those at Hasler. The one class does
not seem to be more exempt from decay than the other. At
the same time we have had gunboats constantly at work in
China and with our coastguard, and, as far as we know, they
have been, and are, perfectly efficient; so that the matter is
not quite so serious as some people suppose, nor is it correct
to saY that no reliance whatever can be placed upon any of
the Imboats. I admit, however, that great blame rests
smeirhere for the mode in which these vessels were van-
oted. But we must look back to the circumstances
which then existed. We commenced the Russian war with
no gunboats. We were then engaged in repairing ships and
replacing sailing by steam vessels. Your lordships may be
aware that in the private builders' yards there is at any
moment but a small stock of timber, and therefore when this
prmessure arose the b deuilrs difficulty obtaining
had great in
tiber, and when they did get it it was very small. Under
these eirctunstances the Government offered not only the con-
tract price, but also a bonus for each gunboat that was com-
pleted within a certain time; so th tt the builders had the
advantage not only of the contract, but also of the bonus.
This, however, was not much to their profit, because the
shipwrights in the Thames, being bound by no engage.
meats, demanded an increase of wages; and this, combined
with the rise in the price of timber, led to the ruin of
many of the contractors. As regards what took place in
1854-55, I speak quite independently. lamin no way re-
sponsible for what the Government did then, but I have
inquired into what occurred, and I have been told that
in many of these yards there were two inspectors, a chief
inspector, aril a leading man under him, to watch the pro-
grass of the work. They were, however, working day and
night, it was during the winter, in many, cases sow was upon the ground, and thus under this
p r essnre opportuni-
ties were offered to dishonest workmen
to c 't the fraud
which has heel. referred to by cutting off the bolts.
What
makes that offence more flagrant is that the copper was
supplied in long lengths by a AchnizaltY to be cut up for