The Sun.
London, England, 1860-08-14 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS-(YESTERDAY.)

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at four o'clock.

ROYAL COMMISSION.
The royal assent was given by commission to the follow-
ing bills

Tithe Commutation,
Game Certificates.

Senior Member of Council (India). •
Admiralty Jurisdiction (India).
Superannuation Act (1859) Amendment.
Police and Towns Improvement (Scotland) Act Amend-
ment.
'Labourers' Cottages (Scotland).

Militia.
Railways Act (Ireland) (1851) Amendment.
Land Loan and Enfranchisement Act (1860) (Mistake
Rectifying Act).
Smithfield Markets and Streets Improvement.
Border Counties and North British Railway.

Farringdon Railway.
London Railway and Depot Storehouses.

Brandon's Estates,

Lord De Freyre's Estate.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Galway Harbour (No. 2) Bill was read a third time
and passed.

THE NAVAL RESERVE LIST.

The Earl of SHREWSBURY moved for correspon-
dence commencing Nov., 1859, between captains on the
reserve list and the Board of Admiralty. He explained at
considerable length the existing arrangements in accord-
ance with which naval men are passed out of the reserve
list, and maintained that justice was not done to such
offieers. A new scheme of retirement was now talked of in
accordance with which officers who wished to retire after
the age of 60 were to be allowed 18s. a day. The object of
the officers whose cause he feebly advocated was to be per-
mitted to enjoy a similar privilege.

Lord CHELMSFORD said he wished to make a few
observations before the noble duke the First Lord of the
Admiralty answered the observations of the noble earl who
had just sat down. He had been asked to second
the noble earl in his efforts to procure jus-
tice for the officers whose claims ho advocated. Ho
agreed to such a course with the greatest pleasure,
feeling warmly the necessity of doing justice to a very deserv-
ing class of men. The noble lord then proceeded to read
the retiring regulations for captains and commanders, and
complained that a great many brave and gallant men had
been placed on an equality not with men who had retired
and received rewards for merit, but with men who had retired
from age and infirmity. He thought such an arrangement was
peculiarly hard upon those who had been placed in such
a position, because many captains, by a wrong construction
put upon the Admiralty regulations, and who might have
centinued to serve and rise in his profession to the rank of
rear-admiral, and received 18s. a day, had been placed on
the list with an increase of merely 6d. a day to their cap-
tain's pay.

The Duke of SOMERSET had only come down prepared
to answer the question placed on the paper, but he was not
prepared to have the whole question gone into, as had been
done by the noble and learned lord. Their lordships had
often heard that there was nothing so terrible as a sea-
lawyer, and certainly his noble and learned friend who had
just addressed their lordships proved the truth of that asser-
tion. (A. laugh.) He could, however, assure his noble and
learned friend that he wished to treat these gallant officers
with justice, but the regulation complained of was not
come to by the present Board of Admiralty. It was acting
according to a minute drawn up on the 20th of June, 1851,
by the right hon. gentleman the member for Portsmouth,
then First Lord, and who on a recent discussion in another
place stated the object of it was to reduce the number of
officers on the active list, by placing commanders on half-
pay who bad not been employed for 20 years. The inten-
tion of the• Order in Council was that they should be en-
titled to rank according to seniority, and half-pay accord-
ingly; but not the advantages they now claimed, as put
forward by the noble and learned lord. They had had nine
years of practical experience of the working of that system,
and no officer that he was aware of contended he was en-
titled to the advantages now claimed en their behalf by his
noble and learned friend. The minute of 1851 was con-
firmed by another made in 1856, which declared that officers
retiring on half-pay and placed on the reserved list were not
entitled to the same advantages as those :on active service.
He was anxious to de those officers every justice, and should
have no objection to produce the required correspondence,
but he would add to it all the communications with the
Admiralty previous to 1856.

The Earl of HARDWICKE complained that the noble
duke followed precedents he had seen in the Board of
Admiralty, instead of doing justice to gallant officers who
had been treated badly. Of course the noble duke had no
professional feeling, or professional knowledge, and could
not therefore enter into or feel the injustice which had been
committed. He contended that, in fact, under the orders
of the Admiralty, great injustice was done to officers.
What he would recommend was to do away with all existing
lists and have only three—one list for active service, one
reserve list for officers disabled by age or infirmity, and a
third for officers who might from various circumstances
desire to retire from active service. Many officers might,
towards the close of their service, wish to make a provision
for their families, and he thought that an annual grant from
Parliament, enabling the Admiralty to buy up the com-
missions of half-pay officers at their current value would
be a very beneficial measure.

The Earl of SHREWSBURY briefly replied. lie was
willing to accept the amendment on the terms of his motion
suggested by the noble duke.

The motion, as amended, was then agreed to.
REFRESHMENT HOUSES AND WINE LICENSES

(IRELAND) BILL.
Earl GRANVILLE moved that, inasmuch as the money
to be paid under the bill was a grant of supply, and the
other enactments of the bill were only for providing certain
regulations which were necessary in connexion with the
granting of the said licenses, the said bill should be read
a second time as a bill of supply.
The resolution having been agreed to, the noble earl
briefly moved the seoend reading of the
Lord DENMAN moved, as an amendment, that the bill
be read a second time that day three months.
After a short discussion their lordships divided—
For the second reading, Contents 27
Non-contents
Majority
The bill was then read a second time,
CENSUS (SCOTLAND) BILL.

This bill was read a third time and passed.
CORRUPT PRACTICES PREVENTION (1854)

CONTINUANCE ACT.

_ - -
This bill was read a third time and passed.
The Poor Relief, &c. (Ireland), Bill, the Chancery Evi-
dence Commissioners Bill, and the European Forces (India)
Bill passed through committee.
The Poor-law Board Continuance Bill, the Local Go-
vernment Supplemental (No. 2) Bill, and the East India
Stock Transfer Bill also passed through committee.
SAVINGS BANK AND FRIENDLY SOCIETIES

INVESTMENTS BILL.
On the order of the day for the second reading of this bill,
The Duke of ARGYLL, pursuant to notice, moved—
" That inasmuch as the postponement of this bill will with-
hokl a power of effecting a considerable annual saying
which may be made under its provisions, and will thus
practically continue for a time an u"necessary charge on
the public revenues, the circumstances which require legis-
lation upon the subject appear to this house to be of such
real urgency as to render the immediate consideration of
the same necessary.
Lord MONTEAGLE objected that the bill was not of an
urgent nature, and dealt with a subject which demanded
inquiry from their lordships' house.
On a division the numbers were equal, the contents and
non-contents each being 18. The Lord Chancellor gave
his casting vote against ; the motion was therefore rejected,
and the second reading of the bill lapsed.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at four o'clock.
NEW MEMBER.
Mr, MACDONOUGH took the oaths and his seat on his
election for the borough of Sligo. The hon. and learned
gentleman was introduced by Mr. Whitmore and Mr.
Somes.