The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-12 00:00:00

(BY MINIARINE AND BRITISH TELEGRAPH.)

GRAVESEND, Saturday Morning.
Wind S.W. ; tide third hours' flood ; weather very fine.
Arrived, May 11.—Jenny, from Berbice ; Malta, from
Manilla.
Arrived, May 12.—Forester, from St. Vincent; Zarah,
from Demerara ; Acasta, from Jamaica; Übita, from Guam.
soy; Margaret Elizabeth, from Point de Gallo; Crown
Point, and Lord Hungerford, from Calcutta; Christopher,
from Wellington; May Flower, from Melbourne.
Sailed, May 12—Enterprise, for St. Vincent ; Black
prince, for Genoa; Asia, for Constantinople.
DEAL, Saturday Morning.
Wind S.S.W.; foggy.
Passed in tow—Sgah Ntrauau, for Calcutta.
raised—Ariel, fq Itaterdara,

Major-General Henry Viscount Melville, K.C.8., Colo-
nel of the 100th Foot, to be Lieutenant-General.
Brevet-Colonel Francis Hugh George Seymour, Lieute-
Ilfiri I -Cult at el neon 14%41f-ray Unattached, to have the rank of
Major-General.
Brevet-Colonel William Anson M'Cleverty, from half-
pay, as Lieutenant-Colonel Unattached, serving on the
Staff of the Army in the East Indies with the temporary
rank of Major-General, to be Major-General.
Brevet-Colonel Lewis Duncan Williams, from half-pay,
as Lieutenant-Colonel Unattached, to be Major-General.
Lieut.-Colonel Charles F. Fordyce, C. 8., half-pay Un-
attached, Assistant •Quartermaster- General in Nova Scotia,
to be Colonel.

Captain and Lieut.-Colonel Henry Hume, C. 8., Grena-
dier Guards, to be Colonel.
Brevet-Major Charles William Thompson, 58th Foot, to
be Lieut.-Colonel.
Brevet-Major Charles Shipley Teals, half-pay Unat •
tached, Staff Officer of Pensioners, to be Lieutenant -
Colonel.

Captain Henry William Bace, half• pay Unattached,
Staff Officer of Pensioners, to be Major.
Captain Oliver Nicoll' Chatterton, half-pay Rifle Bri-
gade, Staff Officer of Pensioners, to be Major.

ADMIRALTY, MAY 11.
Admiral of the White Sir John Louis, Bart., has been
appointed to receive a pension of £l5O a-year, as provided
by her Majesty's Order in Council of 25th June, 1851,
vacant by the death, on the let instant, of Vice-Admiral
Alexander Renton Sharpe, C. 8., and the name of Admiral
Sir John Louis has been removed to the Reserved Half-
Pay List accordingly; and in consequence of this removal,
the followitig promotions, to date from the 2d inst., have
this day taken place :
Admiral of the Blue Sir Edward Chethain Strode,
K.C.8., K.C.H., to be Admiral of the White.
Vice-Admiral of the Red Sir Henry Prescott, K.C.8., to
be Admiral of the Blue.

Vice-Admiral of the White Sir Charles Sullivan, Bart.,
to be Vice -Admiral of the Red.

Vice-Admiral of the Blue the Hen. Henry John Rous
:o be Vice-Admiral of the White.

Rear-Admiral the Right Hon. Charles, Lord Colchester,
and Rear •Admiral William Keats, on the Reserved Half
Pay List, to be Vice-Admirals on the same List.
Rear-Admiral of the Red Sir Henry John Leeke,K.C.B.,
K.H., to be Vice-Admiral of the Blue.

Rear-Admiral of the White Thomas Wren Carter, C. 8.,
to be Rear-Admiral of the Red.

Rear-Admiral of the Blue John Jervis Tucker to be
Rear-Admiral of the White.

Captain Sackett Hope to be Rear-Admiral on the Re-
served Half Pay List.
Captain Robert Fanshawe Stopford to be Rear-Admiral
of the Blue.

BANKRUPTS.

William Ray, shipowner, Stockwell, Surrey.
Henry Powiaceby, printer, Leman-street, Whitechapel.
Jonathan Morehouse, jun., woollen cloth manufacturer,
New Mill, Huddersfield.
Henry N ewland, miller, Newcastle-under- Lyme.
James Felling, cowkeeper, Edgeware-road, Paddington.
Charles Stanbridge, merchant, Cheapside, City.
Thomas Charlton Richardson, druggist, West Auckland,
Durham.
Samuel Wright, hotel keeper, Manchester.
John Parnell, linen draper, Oxford-street.
Thomas Sturley, licensed victualler, Harbury, Warwick-
shire.

Joel Fox, furrier, Norwich.
Edward Richards Sherren, builder, Westboume-grove
North, Bayswater.
Charles Dawson, dealer in China, Wisbeach, St. Peter,
Cambridgeshire.

Thomi-s Lee, merchant, George-yard, Lombard-street,
City.
Edmnnd Jones, hosier, Woodbine Villas, Battersea,
William Porteous, linen draper, Brighton.

SCOTCH BANKRUPTS.
John Grant,'Edinburgh, commission agent.
Robert Keddie, coalmaster, Elie, Fifeshire.
William Lothian, ironmonger, Wishart, Lanarkshire.
Alexander Rowan, engraver, Glasgow.
Samuel Holburn Fyfe, ship chandler, Glasgow.

Lord CRAN WORTH said if their lordships would give
this bill a second reading, he would postpone the committee
until Tuesday week, in order that the right rev, bench
might have the fullest opportunity for considorin its pro-
visions ; in addition to which he could assure then thatany
suggestion they might make should receive his most cars-
ful attention.

The Bishop of EXETER said that after what had just
fallen from the noble lord ho felt justified in withdrawing
his amendment. (Hear, hear.)

The bill was then read a second time.

The reports of amendments on the following bills were
brought up and agreed to :—Pawnbrokers Act Amendment
Bill, Larceny, &c., Bill, Forgery Bill, Malicious Injury to
Property Bill, Coinago Offences Bill.
OFFENCES AGAINST THE PERSON BILL.

On the bringing up of the report on the amendments,
The Marquis of WESTMEATH suggested that laying a
stone in the way of a railway train maliciously should be
made a felony, and indictable as murder when death ensued.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said that by the common
law the offence was murder already when death ensued,
and manslaughter when the offence was committed through
carelessness.

The Marquis of WESTMEATH said that if so, the law
was nugatory, as there was no public prosecutor. Last
year 138 persons had been put to death in that way, and
1,827 seriously injured, and in no case had a prosecution
followed.

The report was then received and agreed to.
EXCHEQUER BILLS BILL.

This bill (£13,230,000) passed through committee.
The Common Lodging-house (Ireland) and the Bank o (
Ireland Bills were severally read a second time.
Their lordships adjourned at 20 minutes past seven

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
Tho SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Lords' amendments to the following bills were con-
sidered and agreed to, and the bills were ordered for third
reading :—Andover and Redbridge Railway, Miolland
Railway (use of Railways in and near London), and West
Somerset Railway.
The following bills were read a third tiaie :—Cardiff
Water, Carrickfergus and Larne Railway, Dublin and
Wicklow Railway, East India Coal Company, Matlock
Water.

ENLISTMENT IN IRELAND FOR THE POPE.
Mr. STEUART gave notice that he would ask for infor-
mation relative to the enlistment of troops in Ireland for
the Papal service, whether such enlistment was considered
objectionable ; and, if so, whether any steps would be
adopted by Government in reference to the matter ?
BED OF THE SEA, di-c.

Mr. A. SMITH moved for certain returns on the subject
of the rights of the Crown to the beds or shores of the sea,
or the beds and :shores of tidal or navigable rivers, &c.,
which were ordered.
THE BENGAL CODE.

Mr. KINNAI RD asked the Secretary of State for India
whether any and what steps have been taken by the Govern-
ment of India for bringing the subject of the repeal of the
Regulation XIX. of 1810 of the Bengal Code, and the Re-
gulation VII. of 1817 of the Madras Code, under the consi-
deration of the Legislative Council of India, as directed by
the despatch of Lord Stanley, dated the 24th of February,
1859 f.

Sir C. WOOD said that he would be quite ready to pro-
duce the papers alluded to, but only a portion of them up
to the present time were in his possession.
He expocted
the remainder of them by the Calcutta
THE PROVINCE OF ORISSA.
Mr. SMOLLETT asked the Secretary of State for
India, with reference to a letter from the India-office,
addressed to the Manchester Cotton Association, and dated
thette Madrashdrdaas Irrigationyof April, andlB 6ana
ostating
that the proposals of
Company, for construct-
ing works of irrigation, drainage, and navigation in the
province of Orissa, were under the serious consideration
of her Majesty's Government, whether such serious
consideration applied to that portion of the scheme which
elvrsedoft hted
this
Ca
or amnpt
ae
ne
yo f
upon
mine ihu:Uwmhdioleviodrenadnytopthoretisohaaroef-
their stock.
hi no
vl

Sir C. WOOD replied in the affirmative.
FORGERY OF TRADE MARKS.
Mr. BASS asked the President of the Board of T`rad•
whether, as no clause in reference to the forgery of N ado
marks had been introduced in the bill for consolidating: and
amending the law of forgery, he would, at the earliest; op-
portunity, introduce the measure he had prepared on that
question.

Mr. M. GIBSON said that it was his intention t 4 in-
troduce such a measure as that mentioned by the 'hon.
member as soon as the state of public business woulcr
mit of his doing so.

PUBLIC BUSINESS.
In reply to Mr. DISRAXLI,

Sir G. C. LEWIS said it was proposed to.proceeed with
the Highways Bill this evening.

'COOKING IN THE ARMY.

On the motion for the adjournment, till Monday,
Colonel LINDSAY drew the ati ention of the hots° to
the system of cooking in the Army invented by Cuptin
Grant, and asked the Secretary of State for War if be In-
tended to recommend that some rejima,neratio4 5h•411.1 be

given to Captain Grant for the great services he had
rendered in improving and economising the system.
He conten fled that the gallant captain was entitled to the
gratitude r snd the sut,stantial proof of the approval of his
services by the country. That officer had been requested
by the Russian s, ad other Governments to supply them
with his inventio n.

Mr. CAVE also advocated the claims of the gallant
officer.

HARBOURS OF REFUGE.

Mr. LINDSAY asked the President of the Board of
Trade when her Majesty's Government intended to intro-
duce measuros to carry into effect the recommendations of
the Harbours of Refuge Commission. The hon. member
having adverted to the great loss of life and property which
had taken place during the past year, said that a com-
mittee had been appointed to inquire into the best means for
the prevention of such losses in future. That committee were
unanimously of opinion that the best means to be adopted
was the establishment of harbours of refuge on the coasts
of Scotland, England, and Wales. (Hear, hear.) That
committee recommended the appointment of a royal
commission to ascertain the most eligible site
for these harbours. He was a member of,that commission,
and they had endeavoured to carry out their duties. They
recommended that £2,360,000 should be expended on the
construction of these harbours of refuge. He thought it
was a waste of time to appoint commissions if they did
not act on their suggestions, and he considered that
if the money required could not be advanced, there
should be loans towards carrying out the construction of
harbours of refuge.
MORTAR VESSELS AND BOATS.

Mr. W. EWART asked the Secretary to the Admiralty
what were the measures adopted for subjecting to 'a strict
system of inspection, while they are being built, gunboats
and other vessels, built on contract for the Government ?
Sir J. PAKINGTON rose for the purpose of asking the
Secretary to the Admiralty what was the real extent of the
injury by decay which had been discovered in her Majesty's
mortar vessels and gunboats • whether it was true that im-
proper workmanship and fastenings had also been discovered;
and what steps the Board of Admiralty had taken or in-
tended to take in consequence of the present state of those
vessels. The right hon. baronet said that before he put
these questions he should express a hope that the right hon.
gentleman the President of the Board of Trade would give
a satisfactory answer to the appeal which had been addressed
to him by the hon. member for Sunderland on the subject
of the construction of harbours of refuge. He coincided in
every word that had fallen from his friend with respect to
the immense importance for the protection of life and pro-
perty, of establishing better harbours of refuge than those we
at present possessed along our coast; and he trusted that no
considerations of economy would deter her Majesty's Go-
vernment from carrying out the recommendations of the
commissioners in that matter. He should also say that he
hoped his noble friend the Secretary to the Admiralty would
bo able to offer to the house a satisfactory explanation with
reference to the position of medical officers in the navy. He
had upon a former occasion mentioned that a statement had
reached him, to the effect that an assistant-surgeon had
been unable to obtain a cabin on board the Queen, although
cabins had been found in that vessel for the head-master
and other inferior officers. His noble friend had told him
that there was ne truth in that statement ; but he (Sir J.
Pakington) had still some reason to doubt whether his
noble friend himself might not have been misinformed upon
that subject. He would next proceed to put to his noble
friend the questions of which he had given notice with re-
spect to our gunboats and mortar vessels. For several week■
past the public journals have been daily full of statements
with regard to the decay of those vessels ; and not only that
but complaints had been repeatedly made with respect to
the coraduet of the contractors who had undertaken the
building of that portion of our naval force. He hoped his
noble friend would consider that the best course for him to
take in that matter would be to tell the truth. (Hear,
hear, and a laugh.) He did not, of course, mean to imply
any doubt of the veracity of his noble friend, but he
trusted that his noble friend would candidly lay before
the house the whole of the facts with regard to the state
of those vessels, and that he would, at the same time, in-
form them whether there was any fair ground for casting
any serious imputation on the contractors. (Hear, hear.)
His (Sir J. Pakington's) attention :had been called to the
state of those gunboats in the year ISM, and he had felt it
his duty to subject to an inspection the boats hauled up on
the slips at Haslar. It was then found that a certain
amount of the elm planking had decayed, but the decay did
not appear to have extended any further. The Admiralty
had given orders to have that defect removed, and they had
every reason to suppose that those vessels had been placed in
a sound condition. But they were now told that instead of
having merely a few decayed elm planks, the whole frame-
work of those vessels was rotten, and within the last few days
it had been stated in the newspapers that four of her Ma-
jesty's mortar vessels had been recently examined and found
so thoroughly rotten that the Admiralty had no choice but
to break them up. That was not, however, the worst part
of the case, They were informed through the same chan-
nels that the workmanship of these vessels was very de-
fective ; and he was sorry to have to add that there were
charges of what must be called dishonest work—charges to
the effect that the bolting of the vessels had been such that
they could not go to seawith safety. These were most serious
statements, and the time had come when they ought to
know what were the real facts of the case. Ho had not,
as far as he was at present informed, the slightest inten-
tion of imputing any blame to the Board of Admiralty
of the period when the vessels had been built ;
nor, indeed, had he any information on which he
could cast any serious imputation on these contractors.
Great allowance must be made for the haste with which
those vessels had necessarily been constructed. The con-
tracts had been taken up by houses of undoubted reputa •
tion, and there appeared to have been no suspicion at the
time that they had not been faithfully carried out. But the
statement which had recently been made deeply affected the
public mind, and had an important bearing upon the ques-
tion how far they could resort to the contract system in the
building of ships for the royal navy without endangering
the public interest. Under these circumstances it was only
fair to the contractors in that case that the whole truth
should be made•known. He hoped, therefore, that his noble
friend would tell them fairly and fully what was the real
condition of those vessels; whether it was true that they
showed signs of improper workmanship, and what steps the
Admiralty had already taken or were prepared to take in
consequence of any discoveries they might have made.
Mr. B. OSBORNE said he hoped the noble lord would
also inform the house whether any officer connected with
her 3lajesty's dockyards had superintended the construction
of those vessels, and had given any opinion with respect to
their efficiency.

Lord C. PAGET said—l will follow the advice of my
right hon. friend opposite, and I will state the truth, the
whole truth, and nothing_ but the truth—(a laugh)—with
regard to these gunboats, as far as it is known to us at the
Admiralty. (-Hear, hear.) The first duty I have to discharge
upon this occasion is to allay the anxiety which has been
caused by the apprehension that the whole of the gunboats
now in the royal navy are rotten and unfit for service. Up
to the present time we have discovered that a certain number
have been More or less decayed, and measures either have •
been taken or are being taken for their repair. I will state
the number of thoso which have been repaired, but I am not
at present able to give the hous©a correct estimate of the ex-
tent-of the repairs, because the accounts have not yet been
sent in. The noble lord the member for Cockermouth (Lord
Naas) has, however,' moved for a return which will show
the expense of building each of these contract gunboats, and
the expense of repairing them, which will give a fair idea
of the decay that has taken place in them. It must be re-
' membered that when shipbuilders were wanted to enter into
contracts for the construction of these gunboats and mortar.
vessels, the country was very anxious that they should be
ready for the campaign which was to open is the ensuing
spring; and it is only fair to the contractors that I should
state that they themselves 'cordially and distinctly informed
the Admiralty that they had no seasoned timber on hand,
and that no seasoned timber could then be procured. I have
myself seen a letter addressed to one of them, in which the
Admiralty, after they had learnt from him that he had no
seasoned timber, desired him to go on building with that
which he had, so that, as regards the timber, I am bound to
observe that, under the peculiar circumstances of the case,
there is a good deal to be said on behalf of the contractors.
(Hear) But when we come to the-question of shortness of
bolts, I mast say that that is a fraud of a horrible nature,
inasmuch as itis manifest that a vessel in such a condition
going to sea and meeting with bad Weather might go to the
bottom with all her crew. (Hear.) The house will easily
understand, therefore, that the Admiralty make a great dis-
tinction between the two point—(hear)—and I have to
state that we are now taking legal advice for the purpose
of ascertaininisvhither it would be desirable that we should
take further proceedings in respect to this case, of defective
bolting. I will now proceed to inform the house what is the
number of boats that have been rep-aired, and what is their
present state. Besides a great number of those boats which
are now on foreign service, there are in the yards 23 that were
found in a partial state of decay, and that have since been
completely repaired ; and we have now six boats in hand.
There remain to be-examined 16 of those hauled up in Hasler
slip, and I can make no statement with respect to their pre-
sent condition. There are 40 in the steam reserve. We hay e
no reason to suppose that those 40 which are afloat show any
signs of decay ; but I cannot positively state to the house
whether or not they will require any repairs. I do not
think that is a matter which need alarm the public, any
more than the condition of the 16 which have not yet been
examined in Hasler slip, but which may be found defective.
With regard; however, to those that are afloat, I am rather
more hopeful that they will not require such extensive re-
pairs as, some persons seem to suppose. With regard to
the mortar vessels, undoubtedly those which have been
examined have been found extremely defective. Two of
those at Chatham have been broken up, in consequent, of
their timber and planks having been found one mass of de-
cay. But with regard to two others which I find it stated
in the newspapers to-day are in a similar condition, we haiv
not yet received any report at the Admiralty. I shouid slate
that we have found some defects in the government-builf
boats, and 11 of them have alio had to undergo considerable
repairs. Bnt the only boats at Hasler slip that have not yet
been examined are the 16 I have already named. All the rest
have been examined or are afloat, and I think we May assume

that they are not in so very defective a condition as some per-
sons appoar to believe. I now wish to say afew words with re-
spect to the question of inspection. Undoubtedly it is advis-
able there should be a very careful inspection by Admiralty
officers of all vessels that are being built by co 1 ract, and
as a general rule the Admiralty always appoint a superior
officer, who acts as an inspector in every yard where those
vessels are being constructed. One officer, h3wever, acts as
inspector in-a yard whatever may be the nen ber of vessels
being built in it, and hence it is that it becomes desirable
we should have as many vessels as possible constructed in
one yard. We haVe at this moment 24 vessels being built
by contract, and we have 17 inspectors attached to the yards
in which the works are carried on; but as there are two or
more vessels being constructed in some of the yards, there
is none of them without a Government inspector. This
question, of inspection, however, is one involved in some dif-
ficulty. Private ship-builders are only invited at some pe-
riod of public emergency to contract for the supply of vessels
for the royal navy, and at such a time we are at full work in
the royal dockyards, where men are employed during extra
hours and on task jobs; and it then becomes a matter of
great importance that in the dockyards themselves the most
vigilant superintendence should be exercised. The conse-
quence is that it is more than usually difficult to find in-
spectors for overlooking the work done in private establish-
ments. We are at this moment, however, most careful that
an efficient system of supervision should take place with re-
gard to all vessels being built by contract, and we have a
variety of checks against abuses in that matter. We have
not only an inspector in each yard, but we send down offi-
cers periodically to examine and report how the work is
being performed ; and the vessels afterwards undergo a sur-
vey at the period when they are delivered up to the Admi-
ralty. We thus take every passible precaution against bad
workmanship and bad material; and while I am upon that
subject I will appeal to my hon. and gallant friend the mem;
ber for Chatham (Sir F. Smith) whether he does not think
the Admiralty have shown great anxiety to arrive at the
truth in those cases in which they had every reason to mu-
pect that fraud had been practised by contractors. The
only other question I have to answer is thatwhich has been
put to me by the hon. baronet the member for the city of
Dublin with regard to the position of surgeons in the navy.
I have to inform the hon. baronet that the surgeons are
now about to receive a new uniform. The reasons for the
delay which has taken place in that matter are that we have
felt it necessary that all the non-executive officers in a ship
should have a uniform distinct from that of the executive
officers, and that we did not wish to decide what should be
, the uniform of the first of these classes until the House of
Commons should agree to grant the sums necessary for im-
proving their general condition. With regard to cabins, I
cannot hold out the least hope that the Admiralty will give
the surgeons the same kind of cabins that are given to cap-
tains of ships. We are anxious that proper cabins should
be provided for surgeons, but we cannot place them in the
a: me position in that case as captains. My right hon. friend
opposite has stated that, according to theinformation which
he received, a cabin was refused to an assistant-surgeon on
board the Queen, while that accommodation was afforded to
the head master and other inferior officers. Capt, Hillyard,
however, who commanded that vessel, has informed me that
he gave every cabin he could for the use of the assistant-
surgeons, and that at last one of them wished to turn him out
of his own steward's berth, 413 it is called. (A laugh.) He re-
fused to accede to that demand, and that is the only founda-
tion for the story to which my right hon. friend has alluded.
Sir J. PAKINGTON—Are we to understand that it is
the intention of the Admiralty to prosecute contractors in
all cases in which there are reasonable grounds for suspect-
ing them of fraud ? (Hear, hear.)
Lord C. PAGET—We are taking legal opinions for the
purpose of ascertaining how far we have the power of insti-
tuting such proceedings.
Sir C. NAPIER said it appeared that the contractors in
that case had fairly told the Government that they could
not provide seasoned timber ; and although the Government
had received that information, he thought they were per-
fectly right in the emergency which had by that time
arisen to order that the gunboats should be constructed.
But he should like to learn from the noble lord who were
the contractors who had employed short bolts, and who
had thus shown themselves ready to expose the lives of
every man on board their ships to the most imminent peril.
(Hear, hear.) He wished to know who it was that had re-
sorted to that fraud in building the Caroline gunboat. The
name of such a man ought to be made known to the house,
and he was sure they would all feel that no punishment
could be half severe enough for him. (Hear, hear.) Con-
tractors who did their work in such a manner as to risk the
lives of officers and men ought to be severely punished.
(Hear, hear.) He wanted the noble lord the Secretary of
the Admiralty to tell them the names of such contractors,
that the house might express an opinion with regard to
their conduct. (Hear.)
Lord C. PAGET observed that there were inspectors.
Sir C. NAPIER would like to know, then, who the in-
specters were, and who appointed them. (Hear, hear.)
The noble lord had told them that 23 of the gunboats had
been repaired. He did not say what was the extent of the
repairs. He said he hoped the 16 gunboats on the Haslar
slip were not so bad. Hoping was not sufficient in such a
case. (Hear, hear.) Why had not the Admiralty sent
some one to examine those gunboats one by one r Why
had not the noble lord, who it had been understood was to
do wonders at the Admiralty, ascertained the actual state
of the boats at the Hasler slip? (Hear, hear.) He said
he hoped the case was not so bad as had been supposed.
Why, good God ! he surely ought to know the real state of
the case. In his opinion, it would do a great deal of good
to appoint one of the Lords of the Admiralty to see that the
rest did their duty. (Laughter.) There ought at all
events to be a complete system of inspection. The gun-
boats built by contractors were, it appeared, not the only
ones that were defective. The Government had • built a
certain number under their own officers in their own yards.
Had those boats been satisfactorily constructed or not ?
He believed that they had not. The nation ought not to
be trifled with any longer. The contractors, whoever they
might be, and the persons under whose directions the info- 1
rior gunboats built in the Government yards were con-
structed, ought to be brought to book. (Hear, hear.) Any
inquiry would, he knew, be attended with great difficulties,
but there certainly ought to be an inquiry, and it should be
made as searching as possible. (Hear, hear.) He hoped
that the hon. and gallant member for Chatham (Sir F.
Smith) would adhere to his purpose of moving for a com-
mittee, and that the members of that committee would not
be content with the statement of witness it, but go down
and examine personally every one of the defective gun-
boats. Millions of money were being spent annually on the
navy, and it was really disgraceful that the money should
have been so misapplied. He was told that the stern of the
Princess Royal—a vessel which his noble and gallant friend
(Lord C. Paget) had himself commanded—on being recently
taken to pieces, was found to have been originally con-
structed of very unsound timber. He had heard that in
every case in which a sailing line-of-battle ship was now
being converted into a steam line-of-battle ship, the timber
used in the process of conversion was unseasoned. The Ad-

miralty might tell them that they had no seasoned timber.
Wby had they not ? (Hear.) His hon. friend the member
for West Norfolk (Mr. Bentinck) pointed out to the hous e
the other day that there was never a sufficient quantity of
well-seasoned timber kept in the dockyards. Why was that?
Surely it could not be said that Parliament did not vote
enough money. He was far from finding fault with the Ad-
miralty for converting sailing into steam line-of-battle ships
—on the contrary, he considered it absolutely necessary to
do so. He entirely concurred in the remark made by the
right hon. gentleman the member for Buckinghamshire a
short time ago, that the position of foreign affairs at the
present time was enough to make the boldest man quake
and the wisest man tremble ; and though he (Sir C. Na-
pier) did not pretend to be one of the wisest men in the
country, he would take every opportunity of warning the
Government not to neglect the navy. (Cheers.) '
Admiral DUNCOMBE had,uinderstood the noble lord to
say that some of the boats on the Hasler slip were more or
less rotten.
Lord C. PAGET said, what he had stated was that some
of them required small repairs.
Admiral DUNCOMBE could only say that, two years
ago, in examining these vessels at Haslar for himself, he
poked the end of his umbrella through the bottoms of some
of them. (Laughter.) After that he could not very well
understand how they could require only small repairs. The
noble lord was probably aware that a great many naval
officers and naval authorities were entirely opposed to the
system of haulingup vessels on dry slips, and thus exposing
them to atmospheric influence. Tho best thing in the
world for ships was, he believed, to keep them afloat, and
he should be glad to see a comparison instituted between
those which were kept afloat and those which were laid up
in reserve. No doubt the great source of decay in vessels
Was their having been built originally of unsound timber;
and to remedy this evil the royal arsenals should, he
thought, keep a pod supply of timber, and furnish the
builders with it as it was required. He had that day seen
a statement that two of the mortar-boats at Chatham were
so rotten that it was very doubtful indeed whether they
ought to be repaired or not, and he would suggest to the
Government that, if that turned out to be true, the Admi-
ralty, instead of remaining' liable to the expense of con-
stantly repairing them, should have them broken up at once.
Mr. BENTINCK said the question raised by his hon.
and'gallant friend (Sir C. Napier), whether or not line-of-
battle ships were being converted with unseasoned timber,
was so important that he hoped that before the debate
closed the Secretary of the Admiralty would give some ex-
planation. The very notion of such a thing was calculated
to alarm the country. (Hear.) As regarded the gunboats at
Haslar, whatever doubts might have existed with regard
to them two years ago, there could be no doubt

now that they were in an extremely rotten state, and
that was, be believed, chiefly owing to their having
been hauled up on a slip and kept dry instead of being
allowed to' remain afloat. There was scarcely anybody em-
ployed in a shipbuilder's yard who could not have told them
that that would be the result. Seventy gunboats were
hant,.4 up" at an expense of 470,000, and he had no doubt
that the sixteen remaining on the Hasler slip would be
found to.be in the same state as the others. As to inspee-
lion, it was impossible for inspectors to know the real state
of the case unless they were constantly present, and he be-
lieved-it' would be good economy to have a sufficient num-
. .