The Sun.
London, England, 1866-02-27 00:00:00

hich
iof Mr. LAIRD from illness, an absenceon
publicw several speakers did not scruple to regret
as well as on personal grounds. Sir JOHN PARING-
TON, however, subjected the Secretary's statements
to a severe examination, while Mr. SAMUDA objected
to the favourite designs for ship-building. Mr.
BAILLIE took exception to the enormous expenditure
on ironclads, and Admirals WiLcoTT and SET-
moult found respectively something to complain of
in the rate of speed in our ships, and in the treat-
ment of our minor officers. On all these topics
there was certainly room not only for criticism,
but for censure ; but the speech of the right
honourable baronet the member for Droit-
wich was, naturally enough, the speech of the
debate. The most formidable portion of his attack
on the Admiralty was that on which the common
sense and justice of the country will go with him,
for there is a general impression that with regard to
the turret system the Government has neither
shown regard to the interests of the public
nor to the claims of private enterprise and inven-
tion. We are very glad to find that Sir JOIIN
PAKINGTON is resolved to call the Board of Admi-
ralty to account for their treatment of Cap-
tain COLES. It is not very surprising that
Lord CLARENCE PAGET, as their spokesman,
should have shown a desire to postpone
the evil day, and shuffle off the inevitable discussion.
Sir J. PAKINGTON, however, was not disposed to
pass the matter over so easily. He reminded the
house that last year, when addressing it on this
subject, the noble lord said, " The first
proposal we have to make is, that we shall
endeavour, if possible, to construct a ship
on the turret principle which shall be a real
sea-going vessel." " How," asked the right hon.
baronet, " has that promise 'been fulfilled? The
year has passed, and the same promise has to be
made over again." The proposal for the new turret
ship, such as it is, does not commend itself to the
approval of Sir JOHN PAKINGTON. The new vessel,
the Monarch, is to be more than 5,000 tons; while
Mr. LAIRD has already shown by the Vesta that a
turret ship of 1,100 tons can possess every quality
of a good sea-going ship. The "Vesta has already
been subjected to an ordeal which very few of the
Government vessels care to face too readily : she has
made a long voyage in bad weather.
But the size and tonnage of the proposed vessel
was not the only point on which Sir JOIIN FAKING-
TON was inclined to regard the proceedings of the
Admiralty with suspicion. " Above all," he said,
" I want to know, after this long delay who is to
design the ship and to be responsible for it? It is
well-known that Captain COWPER COLES was the
originator of this plan. The Admiralty several
years ago recognised it as an experiment worth try-
ing. No one will deny that if an experiment be
worth trying it ought to be fairly and thoroughly
tried. If it has been tried at all it certainly has
neither been done fairly nor promptly." But,
in fact, as Sir J. PAEINGTON went on to show, Cap-
tain COLES'S plan has never been tried at all. The
Royal Sovereign has been converted into a ship
very useful in its way, no doubt, but by no means
the sort of ship that Captain COLES designed. In
vain has Captain COLES entreated over and over
again that his plan for a turret ship, long ago ap

proved theoretically by the Admiralty, should be pui

to a practical test. The present constructor of the
navy, Mr. REED, favoured a rival system. " I ask,"

ndignantly exclaimed Sir JOHN PAKINGTON,
if the Admiralty has not allowed the invention of

a rival system to have all the advantages of official

support and experiments, while the invention of