The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-05 00:00:00

Admiralty have permitted Sir B. Walker to leave England
without giving evidence before the approaching com-
mittee. I must remind hon. gentlemen of what has taken 111
place on this subject. I had occasion this day fortnight to
explain to the house the' reasons which induced me to give
up my notice of motion for a committee to inquire into the
affairs of the Admiralty. In doing so I stated publicly
that I had a few days before spoken to the noble lord on
the subject, and I expressed my hope that Sir Baldwin
Walker would not leave England without giving evidence
before the committee. (Hear, hear.) I confess I
thought that public statement in the House of Commons
would have been enough to ensure that Sir B. Walker
would be examined as a witness, and I venture to say fi
ought to have been enough. Nothing more occurred till
Thursday last. On that morning I was told by a friend that
I had better make some inquiry, for he understood that Sir
B. Walker was to leave England on the following Satur-
day. I could hardly credit that information, but I imme-
diately wrote a letter to my noble friend the Secretary to
the Admiralty to tell him that in the evening I meant to
put a question to him to learn whether that report was true.
When the debate came on that same evening, ou the motion
of the hon. member for Portsmouth, that hon. member anti-
cipated the question I was about to ask, and made an urgent
appeal to my noble friend on the importance of Sir B.
"Walker's evidence, if the committee really was to be granted.
(Hear.) I followed the hon. member for Portsmouth later
in the debate, and, pursuing my written notice given in the
morning, also addressed an earnest appeal to the noble lord,
stating that Sir B. Walker was, if not the most important
witness, certainly the most important with only one excep-
tion, and that it was absolutely essential, if you were to
have an inquiry into the conduct of the Admiralty that he
should give his testimony. (Hear.) My noble friend spoke
immediately after me, beginning with a statement which I
confess very greatly surprised me. Ho said the noble duke at
the head of the Admiraltyhad been willing that Sir B. Walker
sLeuld, if necessary, be detained in this country, but that the
noble lorci Lad applied to the hon. and gallant admiral who
was about to move :•:7 the committee, whether he thought it
necessary that Sir B. isee. Wel —1: should be so detained. But
that was not all. The noble lord saLl he had applied, not
to the hon. and gallant admiral only, but " the other
members of the committee." 'Now, the committee was not
then, and is not now appointed. (Hear, hear.) What a:-
rangement, therefore, may have been going on with regard
to it I cannot say ; but, perhaps, the noble lord can tell us
what he meant last Thursday evening by stating that he
had applied to,the hon. and gallant admiral and the other
members of the committee to ascertain whether they wished
that Sir B. Walker should be detained. The noble lord said
that the hon. and gallant admiral then expressed an opinion
that tho evidence of Sir B. Walker before the Dockyard
Commission would be sufficient for the forthcoming inquiry.
Now, I cannot, in passing, refrain from avowing my aston-
ishment that the noble lord or the hon. and gallant admiral
should have allowed themselves to be parties to so improper
and irregular a proceeding. We are informed that the hon.
and gallant admiral who moved for the committee is not even
to be its chairman. But supposing he were to be, I ask what
right or what power he could possibly have to speak in the
name of a committee not yet appointed, and to undertake to
say what its opinions would be with regard to the propriety
of examining any particular witness ? Sir, let me here pro-
test against the futile, and—l do not wish to use any strong
expression—but the untenable proposition that evidence
taken before another commission, which evidence is not be-
fore us—(hear, hear)—can be sufficient for all the purposes
of another and a wholly distinct investigation. Even sup-
posing that evidence to be in our possession, and to be for-
mally referred by this house to this select committee,
how can the noble lord or the gallant admiral say what
cross-examination it may suggest to the committee as in.
dispensable to the due prosecution of their inquiry ?
(Hear.) So much for the first part of the noble lord's an-
swer. But he proceeded to say what I will now read to the
House. The noble lord's words were :—" Even now, if it
were the wish of the House of Commons that Sir B. Walker
should remain a few days, to give evidence before the com-
mittee, the noble duke would not put himself in opposition
to its wishes." Now, I maintain that that was a pledge
on the part both of the noble lora and of the Admiralty
that this important witness should not bo sent away.
(Hear.) What did the noble lord mean by saying, "if it
were the wish of the House of Commons ?" How was he
to ascertain the wish of this House.? Did he suppose that
we were going to move a formal resolution ? What test of
the feeling of this House could he desire more conclusive
than the fact of one member after another rising and ex•
pressing a strong opinion that the testimony of Sir B.
Walker was all-important? It is mentioned in the quar-
ter from which I took that extract that this intimation was
received with cheers. Let me ask the noble lord how
many of the gentlemen who joined in that cheer does he
suppose thought that, after this pledge given on Thursday
night, Sir B. Walker would be sent away from England
on Saturday morning ? (Hear, hear.) These are the
facts of the ease, with one material addition. The pledge
given on Thursday night svAE contingent on the wish of
the House of Commons. On Friday night we had another
discussion on this subject; and then my right hen. friend
the member for Oxfordshire (Mr. Henley) took part in the
debate, adding another opinion—and an opinion, I need not
say, of no little weight under all the circumstances—to the
earnest hope before expressed, that Sir B. Walker would
not be allowed to leave England before being examined.
(Hear, hear.) Well, there was then still ample time left.
We know the quickness of telegraphic despatches. And
after this increased indication of what was the wish of the
House of Commons, unaccompanied by the slightest symp-
tom of an opposite desire, I say the noble lord had as clear
a iroof as he eould reasonably expect Of the feeling of this
house, and that the departure of Sir B. Walker is a viola-
tion of the pledge given in the words I have quoted. (Hear.)
I think it right to lose no time in bringing this matter for-
ward. Here is a committee of no ordinary interest moved
for. There are some two or three men in whose power it
it is throw light on the inquiry. One of the most prominent
of them is Sir B. Walker. And lam sorry to add that,
when in the face of all these circumstances we find Sir B.
Walker despatched from England on Saturday morning
without necessity,—for I do not think the noble lord will
pretend to say that the loss of another few days can be of
any consequence beyond the mere delay in relieving Sir H.
Keppel at the Cape,—it is impossible to resist the suspicion
that there must be some motive beyond what is avowed for
preventing the examination of this witness. (Hear, hear.)
It will be for the house to consider whether it will, under
the circumstances, be'of any use for this committee to go on.
(Hear, hear.) Ido not wish to commit myself to any hasty
opinion, but my present impression is, that the committee
will be of little or no value without the presence of this
officer. This, however, will be a matter for subsequent
consideration. For the present I only call on the noble
lord to give an explanation of the circumstances to which
I have adverted ; and I shall be glad if he can remove
the impression that must exist and the belief I have
been obliged to express that the conduct of the Admiralty,
as it now stands before us, has been disrespectful to the
House of Commons. (Hear, hear.)
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE wished_ to ask the noble lord
whether he could tell where Sir Baldwin Walker was. (A
laugh.) After he had weighed from Spithead, a strong
westerly wind came on to blow ; it had kept on blowing very
hard ever since, and that day three parts of a gale was blow-
ing from the west-north-west. It was not, therefore, likely
that the gallant admiral had got very far, and it might still
be within the bounds of possibility to detain him. He ven-
tured to say that if he wore not forthcoming the inquiry
would be a more mockery of Parliament, and the appoint-
ment of the committee would be perfectly useless, It cer-
tainly did appear a most suspicious circumstance that Sir
Baldwin Walker should be sent to sea in a gale of wind for
the purpose of getting him out of the way. (Hear, hear.)
Mr.',CONINGHAM regarded the occurrence complained
of as an illustration of the objections to the system accord-
ing to which the head of the Admiralty had his seat in the
other branch of the Legislature. A charge of something
like sharp practice had been brought against the noble duke,
but they saw nothing of him, and had no opportunity of
forming an opinion with respect to him. He had an oppor-
tunity of seeing a great deal of the noble duko on a select
committee appointed to investigate the National Gallery
—(" Oh 1" and laughter—and he must say that his conduct
was z of calculated to inspire him with confidence.
Lord C. PAGET—I am sure it will not be necessary for
me to defend my noble friend the Duke of Somerset's con-
duct as chairman of the Committee on the National Gal-
'very, but this I can say, that the way in which he has per-
formed his duties at the Admiralty has given general
satisfaction. With regard to the question put by my hon.
friend the member for Portsmouth, as to where Sir Baldwin
Walker is to be found now, 1 have no doubt he is boxing
about the Channel. leo not think he can have got very
far, and I can only repeat that if it be generally desired that
the gallant admiral should attend and give his evidence, the
Admiralty will not oppose itself for a moment to the wishes
of the house. Let me state frankly what occurred. My
right hon. friend was in great doubt with reference to this
committee. Sometimes he said a committee would be of no
service, and then he came down and advocated its appoint •
ment. His opinions have changed so often as to the pro-
priety or non- propriety—

Sir J. PAKINGTON—I wish my noble friend, if he
quotes me, would do me the favour to quote me correctly.
Just now he has put forward quite inaccurately what I
stated.

Lord C. PAGET—At all events the right hon, gentle-
man expressed an earnest desire the other night that Sir
Baldwin Walker should be made to attend and give his
evidence. (Hear, hear.) I then stated that he had very
important duties to perform; and I may now add that he
has to meet Sir H. Keppel at Ascension, to make arrange-
ments for taking up his station, as Sir H. Keppel has then
to proceed to America to relieve another admiral. (Hear,
hear.) It was thought right by the noble duke at the head
of the Admiralty to detain Sir B. Walker until he had pre-
pared the Estimates ; that delay, though necessary for the
public service, was inconvenient, and it therefore became
of great importance that Sir B. Walker should start for his
destination as soon as possible. I communicated to the
Duke of Somerset the earnest wish of the right hon. gen-
tleman that Sir B. Walker should remain ; but I stated
also that the gallant admiral who was about to move for
the committee had come to me and mentioned that he had
consulted several gentlemen whom he proposed to name as
members of the committee—gentlemen, give me leave to