The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-01 00:00:00

NAVY MANNING COMMISSION.

Sir C. NAPIER moved that an humble address be pre-
sented to her Majesty, expressing the regret of this house
that, instead of a reserve of 70,000 men contemplated by the
Manning Commission, there only existed 6,362 Coastguard
men, including officers, 1,900 district ships' companies,
1,400 revenue men and 600 cruizers' men, and 5,000 or
6,000 coast volunteers not to be dependel upon ; and,
as a vote of this house had unanimously decided
that the report of the Manning Commission ought to be
carried out, the house prays her Majesty will give direc-
tions that the Coastguard should be completed to 12,000
seamen, as recommended by the commission, ready to be
placed in efficient ships at the several ports, instead of the
present block ships, thus constituting a reserve of ten sail
of the line, ready for any emergency; that th e number of naval
volunteers, now under 1,000, should be completed as soon as
possible, and the other recommendations of the commission
complied with ; and the house is also of opinion that the
bounty for able seamen ought not to have been lowered till
the nnmber wanted was complete. The hon. and gallant
member complained of the neglect of carrying out some of
the most important recommendations of the commission. He
contended that in order to provide for the efficiency of the
naval service it was necessary that there should be a more
efficient reserve force than they at present possessed ; and
which amounted only to 4,000. The plan adopted by the
Admiralty was not calculated to induce able seamen
to enter the service. He complained also that there was not
a ship in addition to the Britannia placed at Plymouth for
the training of boys intended for the Navy. He adverted
t) the question of corporal punishment in the Navy,
and repeated what he had previously stated in
the house that it could not with safety to the
discipline of the service be abolished. That state
went had given offence to some of his constituents, bu

he would not, merely for the sake of popularity, make a
statement that was opposed to his conscientious con-
victions, and which seriously involved the interests of
the service. However, he repeated, also, that great
alterations should be made to ameliorate the condition of
the seamen in the royal navy, which would have the effect
of rendering the service popular instead of as at present dis-
tasteful to mariners. He cont ended that the conduct pursued
by the Admiralty in reference to the manning of the navy
excited the greatest interest in the minds of sailors, though
he did not impute all the blame to that department of the
executive. Further, he believed that the Admiralty
was disposed to make a step in the right direction, though
they did not wish to move very quickly into the adop-
tion of a system different to that which had so long
prevailed. He described the coast block ships at present
as being quite useless. With respect to Greenwich Hos-
pital, no doubt admission to that hospital being extended
_ _
w.

'ould induce certain classes of sailors to enter the service,
but not as that hospital was at present con-
ducted. Before that hospital would offer any
inducement to sailors it mustbe reformed. He complained
of the delay that had taken place In the production of the
report of the commission appointed to enquire into the
abuses of the hospital, which perhaps the commissioners
were ashamed to lay on the table. He was not
an advocate for flogging to an unlimited extent,
and he thought punishment ought not to be inflicted on
sailors at the dictum of a captain of a vessel, but that in
all cases they should be tried before a court-martial, as in
the case of soldiers. He was an advocate for punishing
sailors with imprisonment with hard labour, and even
penal servitude for certain offences. He thought it would
be most desirable to raise the pay and status of the
potty officers of the service, and instead of allowing a cap-
tain to disrate them for certain offences he would have
them dismissed, which, with the loss of their pension would
be an adequate punishment, and tend to make officers
of that class better behaved. The honourable and
gallant member next referred to the feeling entertained
by sailors themselves in regard to the service, which was
decidedly adverse to entering the Royal Navy in conse-
quence of the existing system, and stated that he had re-
ceived anonymous letters on the subject. He concluded by
referring to other abuses in the service, and said that sailors
should be ruled with a hand of iron but a glove of velvet.
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE considered that the present
machinery for the management of the navy could be modi-
fied with great advantage. He could not help thinking
that placing a reserve force of 60,000 men under the control
of an over-worked department of the public service—namely,
the Board of Trade, was not a judicious arrangement. He
thought they should endeavour as far as possible to pro••
mote harmony between the navy and the mercantile marine,
and ho strongly approved of the recommendation
of the establishment of school ships. By carrying out that
recommendation they would be adding yearly to the service
2,000 or 3,000 boys, who wore becoming men, and receiving
an education of a character such as sailors had never ob-
tained before to qualify them for their duties. The hon.
baronet also drew attention to the hardships inflicted on
the wives of sailors who were not entitled to their pensions
unless their husbands had filled the full term of 10 years.
As representing a seaport town he could speak from per-
sonal experience of souse of the evils of the existing system.
Lord C. PAGET strongly objected on public grounds to
the hon. and gallant member (Sir C. Napier) bringing for •
word those details which he had submitted to the house.
With regard to the commission itself, it was founded on
much misconception, and would ask hon. members on that
ground to negative the motion.

(LEFT SPEAKING.)

THE VICTORIA CROSS.

(From the Gazette of this evening.)
WAR-OFFICE, APRIL 28.

The Queen has been graciously pleased to signify her in-
tention to confer the decoration of the Victoria Cross on the
under-mentioned Soldier, whose claim to the same has been
submitted for her Majesty's approval, on account of an Act
of Bravery performed by him in India, as recorded against
his name, viz :
Private James Pearson, 86th Regiment (now of the 56th
Regiment), for having gallantly attacked a number of
armed rebels, on the occasion of the storming of Jhansi, on
the 3d April, 1858, one of whom he killed, and bayonetted
two others. He was himself wounded in the attack. Also,
for having brought in, at Calpee, under a heavy fire, Pri-
vate Michael Burns, who afterwards died of his wounds.