The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-14 00:00:00

the table of the house the report of a series of experi-
ments made in June, 1855, under the superintendence
of Captain Denman, on the effect produced of Prideaux's
Patent Valve, both as to the saving of fuel and the re-
duction of temperature at the firing-places ?
Sir C. WOOD repeated the statement he made on a
former occasion, that the experiments, not being com-
plete, he could not comply with the request.
PURCHASE IN THE ARghr.
Mr. EWART inquired of the First Lord of the Trea-
sury whether the commission about to be appointed on
the system of purchase in the army would have power
to inquire into the system of promotion, and the sys-
tems of education and examination on appointment and
promotion adopted in foreign armies ?
Lord PALMEUSTON said that in the investigation
alluled to na inquiry must of necessity be made into the
system of foreign countries.

IRON PLATE FOR GUN-BOATS.
Sir G. TYLER asked the First" Lord of the Admi-
ralty whether any experiments had been made as to
the relative power of resistance between hammered and
rolled iron plates for the construction of gun-boats ; and
if so, whether there was any objection to state there-
sult of those experiments ?
Sir C. WOOD said that the report had not yet been
made to the Government.

ITALY AND SARDINIA.
Mr. BOWYER asked the First Lord of the Treasury
whether there was any truth in the report that the at-
tention of the Paris Conference would be directed to the
affairs of Italy ; and, also, whether the S3r,linian
Government had suggested or requested that any and
what matters of Italian politics might engage thu atten-
tion of the Conference ?

Lord PALINIERSTON declined to give any answer
to the questions.

PRUSSIA.
Mr. DISRAELI asked a question relative to a ru-
mour that was in circulation in regard to Prussia having,
been invited to take part in the Paris Conferences, and
who were the distinguished individuals that were to re-
present that country at the Conferences !
Lord PALMERSTON declined to answer the qus-
tion.

SIR CHARLES NAPIER AND THE BALTIC
FLEET.

Sir C. NAPIER (who, from speaking with his beck to
the gallery, was very indistinctly heard) rose to move for e
select committee to inquire into the operations of the Baltic
fleet in the years 1854 and 1855. In making this motion ho
stated that his only object was to call attention to what
had taken place, and to vindicate his own character. He
urged that after so much had been said about what hail
been done by the Baltic fleet while under his command,
what might have bean don*, and what was not done, he
thought it only fair that there should be an inquiry whether
or not the admirals had done their duty ; so that if cot,
they might be brought to account and punished, or if the
fault lay with the Admiralty, that they might be made to
bear the blame, and not shift it from their own shoulders
upon those of others. He (Sir C. Napier) had served Lis
country for 50 years, he had served under four sovereigns,
and believed he hail always der, his duty faithfully
and. honestly. He had commanded not fleets only,
but armies ; and he had at all times shown himself ready
to undertake any service to which ho might either have
been appointed by his Government or recommended by
them. It had been said by the late Sir R. Peel, that, iu
two minutes, he had overthrown a dynasty; hut whether
that was so or not he took credit for having done 5:3,10
s riled in expelling the usurper Don Miguel from the
kingdom of Portugal, and establishing the constitutioual
sovereien upon the throne. He would endeavour to :tete
his case with moderatien and prefect,. Ho had a plsin,
Eraightferward tale to tell, and had nu occasion to resort
to exeggeration or subterfuge, and he hoped that all who
fel,owed him would follow his example, and cuntite them-
selves to the kelpie truth. (Cheers.) On the 211.11 of Nev.,
1854, the then First Lord of the Admiralty (iir J. Gres
here) communicated his intention to appoint him (Sir C.
Napier) to the comnierel of the Baltic fleet in the event
of a war with lhassia. At that, time it was known to
every man in England, and he believed to ever, man in
Europe, except the Britieh Government, that war was
inevitable. He received his appointment to the command
on the 25th February; but before that, after he hail been
told that he was to have the command of a fleet, he drew
attention to the importauce of having that fleet well
manned. Ile made representations to Lord Aberdeen, rind
he believed also to Lerd Clarendon, of the unpreparedness
in e hieh our navy was for war. He also applied to the
First Lord of the Admirdty, but ho declined to see hint.
Well, on the 25;1 of February he was appoints 1 to the
command of the Baltic fleet, and every member of that
house would be aware that ho felt proud at receivieg such
an :appointment ; fur there were many other officers in the
service, probably, who, from their greater capability, or
other circumstances, were more entitled to the dis-
tinction. But at this time what was the state of our
naval forces ? Wo had three ships of the line at Lisbon,
and several steamers and small vessels; while at home
the only force we had available besides wis three
sail of the line to take care of the ordinary,
cold fit for harbour, duty, They had three Week
ships, one at Portsmouth, one at Plymouth, and one the
teuder to the Excellent gunnery ship. He admitted that
the Government the moment war was diclared made the
molt strenuous exertions to fit out an efficient naval farce
—but it was impoedble to man the chips properly by t lse
neseus to which they resorted. The only available bands
were the coastegnerdstnen anti the dockyard rigger., sad
of the former many were not sailors at all, having b on
sepeinted to the coast-guard service by influener. There
were two tel or 9d-gun ships, the St. Jean (l'Acre and the
Princess Royal, and another, a three-decker, he believed,
at Sheerness. The great difficulty was to roan the fleet
Every naval officer knew, anal every Lord of the Admi-
ralty ouget to know, that if the eeuntry suddenly passed
from peace to war, and an increase of 5,000 or 6,009
men iu the navy became necessary on the instant, nothing
was more difficult than to procure them. Well, he
(sir Charles Napier) appealed to the right hon. baronet,
to issue a proclamation, under the act of Parliament,
which empowered her Majesty to do so, and offer to
all seamen who would at once come forward and eater del
bier bounty; bat the right hon. baronet did not think pro-
per to do so. He thought the right hon. baronet well
wrong ; and he believed other members of the Admiralty
Board and some of the Ministers with whom he had o nn-
municated also thought he was wrong. They knew per-
fectly well that the Russians had an effective fleet of 28 sail,
of the line in the Baltic, well manned, and organised, and
regularly exercised, which was a force not to be despised,
and, feeling himself responsible far the safety and character
of the fleet, he felt it his duty to make the representations
he had done. He would pass over the celebrated banquet
at the Reform Cltab—that glorious banquet where such
fine speeches were made—speeches that stirred up the
country to such a pitch of expectation that if he had
sic-
ceeded in capturing Cronstadt and St. Petersburg, and
bringing home the Emperor of Russia prisoner, they would
scarcely have been satisfied. (Laughter.) But ho would
pass that over. (Hear.) The fleet was composed of two
three deckers, the three block ships, two 81 gun ships,and,
he thought, another ship from Sheerness—altogether there
were nine ; and when this fleet was ready for sea at Spit-
head, her Msjesty and almost all England—at all events, all
who could bear the expense —went duwa to see it start ; and
of course everybody thought that to such a force Ceonstedt
au, l St. Petersburg would surrender the rnomentthey saw it.
(Clear.) He sew the position he was in with this half-
manned fleet from which so much was expected. He gave
the highest ere tit to the various officers for their zeal and
their efforts in bringing their ships into a proper state of
discipline as far as the defective means at their lisp sal
would allow. (Hear.) After referring to the suddenness of
the order he received to sail, and the personal inconvenience
he was subjected to in consequence, he observed that the
(sorerninent hail, with their usual foresight,procured pi'ots
from Hull and the eastern ports of England who were sup-
posed to be acquainted with the navigation of the Baltic,
who were to take the fleet in safety up to St. Petersburg ;
but when they got to the Downs all the pilots except eight
left them, and these eight knew so little of Baltic naviga-
ti ea that one by one they were also sent back. He did not
blame the Admiralty for this, for they ded their best under
the circumstances ; but what he did complain of was that
no steps had been taken to obtain properly qualified pilots
beforehand. He wrote from. the Downs that they had no
North Sea pilots in the fleet, but he was ordered to sail the
next day, and of course he went. During the last war no
ship of the line was allowed to go to sea without three pi-
lets on board. But this the Governmentprobably couldnot
provide ou the inst ant. Well, the fleet sailed, and, happily,
reached the Sound in safety. Then it arrived at Hango
Sound, where he was directed by the right lion baronet to
take it, and there await further orders. About this time he
received an order from the Foreign Secretary co to dispose
of the ships under his command that no Russian steam-ves-
sel should escape by the Baltic. Now, tlmosewho know any-
thingaLout the Baltic would be aware &at Hango Sound was
not the place to prevent steamers coming np the Baltic; but
many people here did not know what the Baltic was. He
had to consider then how.he was to execute these oppostiug
or ler!. If he lied remained at Hango Sound and the
Russian fleet had put to sea and arrived at Copenhagen,
emitting off his only means of getting back, whet would
have been said by the Government, by the house, and by
the country about his incapacity and neglect ? He would
have been told, "Yon had your orders from the Secretary
of State, and ought to have obeyed them as being superior
to those of the First Lord of the Admiralty." Well, he
obeyed the Secretary of State's orders, anal having very
active admirals under him, Admiral Plumridge and
others, he placed the steamers amongst the rocks and
shoals to contrnaud the passage there, and passed with the
main body of the fleet through the Belt without, accident
or loss. On the following night they were obliged to
anchor in the Cattegat, iu the open sea, the wield blow-
ing so hard that the ships could not keep their sails
furled, and the men could not go out upon the yards.
He should observe that many of the men had never been
aloft before, aid that altogether the fleet was in a most in-
efficient state in regard to the manning, and this where they
had a difficult service to perform. in a dangerous sea arid
against a powerful and superior force. Well, when he
arrived at Kioge Bay he received a letter from the Admi-
ralty directing his attention to the (order he had received
from the First Lord, and intimating that he had left the
station appointed for him to remain at without sufficient
reason. However, they afterwards found out, he supposed,
that he had sufficient reason, for there came to him no Imps
than four letters from their lordship's, which, he supposed,
as they were connected with the secret department, he must
not read, but which the house might imagine the purport
of—one approving of his condeict—another complimenting
him on the successful passage of the Belt. On the nth of
April he received a letter from the Admiralty corep7iment-
ing him upon his having passed the Belt under all the
circumstances. Now what that me int he did not know,
unless the Admiralty had forgotten their own erder. He
(Sir C. Napier) wrote a letter to their lordships in reply to
the one he had alluded to, calling their attention to the
order he had received from the Secretary of State to place
his ships at the head of the Sound, and prevent the Russian
fleet from getting out; and he added, "I did my beet to
obey that order, and you blamed me for so doing." Well,
that passed off, and having succeeded in getting the fleet
coaled and watered, ou the 12th of April he sailed with 12
sail of the lire for the Gulf of Finland. He had had by
this time experience of the danger arising from the ves-els
inadoquetely manned. Ile and the officers under him
did all they could in exercising the men, and teaching them
their duty, but everybody must know that it was not in
a day or two, or even in two or throe weeks, that a fleet
even when manned by seamen, could to got into orderand
efficient discipline ; but such had been our neglect of naval
affairs during peace, that n o had very rarely had a fleet at
sea, and thou only for a short time, and the cimeequenc a was
that when the necessity arose, man were not to be found.
What would a Board of Admiralty, careful of the interests
of the country, have done Under such circumstances If