The Sun.
London, England, 1869-02-26 00:00:00

T EIE ADMIRALTY.

Sir J. ELPHINSTONE asked the First Lord of the
Admiralty whether any changes had been made in the
constitution of the Board of Admiralty or Coastguard Office
since the accession of the present Government to office ;
and, if so, for certain particulars as to such changes,
including the number of men discharged. from the
dockyards.
Mr. CIIILDERS said there had been certain changes in
the Admiralty, but only to the extent of making its direc-
tion similar to that of the other departments. The
changes as regarded the personnel of the navy was now
dealt with by himself, with the advice of the first naval
lord. That with respect to the material by the Controller
and questions of finance by the financial Secretary (the
member for Montrose), each being responsible to him, the
First Lord. The Controller and Deputy-Controller of
the Coast Guard had been amalgamated, and those,
with a uutnber of other changes which ;had been made,
reduced the ',superior officers from 17 to 13; the salaries of
officers prior to the reduction was £24,901, but since
the new arrangement it would be £21,000. (Dear, hear.)
Instead of six official residences being occupied as for-
merly, there would be now only three, and as the rental
of the residences given up was worth at the least £1,200
a year the saving by that arrangement alone would be
about £5,100, besides which there would be the advantage
of concentrating the department. (Hear, hear.) There
had been a small increase in the salary of the first sea
lord, the controller and constructor of the navy, which was
now respectively £1,530, £1,700, and y 1,200. There had
been some clerks discharged, but very few against their
own will, as most of them had accepted the offers made to
them or had placed their names on the redundant list,
from which they would be taken as quickly as the pulelic
services would allow. The saving to the public under the
new arrangements would be about £14,000. None of
the persons employed at Woolwich had yet been dis-
charged, although it was already understood that Wool-
wich, as a dockyard, would be altogether closed in Octo-
ber next ; but there had been 320 men discharged from
Portsmouth, 240 from Devonport, and about 200 in smaller
establishments. The total number of men discharged dur-
ing the last financial year amounted to about 5,000, but
of that number 2,000 had been but temporarily employed.
Most of those discharged had had their claims fully in-
vestigated and dealt with in the fairest manner with a due
regard to the public service.
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE said on a future occasion ho
should call attention to the subject, for the purpose of as-
certaining whether these changes were conformable with
the patent of the Admiralty.
THE ALABAMA CONVENTION.

Mr. TORRENS asked tho Under-Secretary of State
for Foreign Affairs whether any authentic information
had been received of the rejection by the Senate of the
United States of the Convention regarding the Alabama
claims; ani whether ho could inform the house that the
conveation regarding mutual rights of naturalisati ,n had
been acceepted ?
Mr. UT WAY said her Mqjesty's Government had not
yet received any authentic intelligence of the r,jec:ion by
the United States Senate of the text of the Convention
for the settlement of the Alabama claims.
THE FENIAN CONVICTS.

In reply to Sir F. lIEYGATE,
Mr. C. FORTE.SCUE said, in the conclusions arrived
at, the opinion of the judges had not been consulted, but
that the Govarnramt and the Lord Lieutenant had been
the only persons who had decided the matter.
OCCUPIERS FOR S 11011 T TEaus.
Mr. GOSCIIEN morel for leave to bring in a bill to
anasud the laws w:th respect. to the :ratan assessed upon
the occupiers for short thrum The right hon. gentleman
said the subject of rating had given:rise to much discussion,
and the result had been that legislation became immanent,
as the Government felt that to cont.:et rates from weekly
tenants was unjust. By the bill he now sought to intro-
duce the Government did not wish in the slightest degree
to interfere with the electoral machinery of the Reform
Bill ; neither did they intend to raise the question as to
whether the rate book should be the register. The bill he now
wished to submit to their consideration proposed that
tenants should still be rated, but that they should be at
liberty to deduct the same forn the rent due, or accruing
due, to their landlord, and that every payment so made
should be deemed a valid di,charge for rent. The occu-
pier was • not called upon to pay for longer than his ten-
antcy. The rates were to be made quarterly, but in no
case were the weekly tenants to be called upon to pay a
larger rate than was covered by two week's rent.
The plan was ins great manner in effect in Scotland and
Ireland, and he thought that if the house adopted the bit
it would relieve the tenant from a very great hardship
that was now inflicted on him.
Mr. GOLDNEY said he gathered from the speech of
the right hon. gentleman, that it was neither more nor
less than to remove a burden from the tenants to the
landlords.
After a short discussion, the bill was read a first time.
The house then adjourned.