The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-12 00:00:00

There are in this vote no other items to which I consider it
necessary to call the attention of the committee, and I sKiall
at once proceed to give them a general idea of the way in
which the money which they have voted for the navy for
tile year has been spent. We have, I regret to say, been tsse
much in the habit of accepting the estimates without really,
knowing what it is we get for our money, so that the state-
ment I am about to make may be regarded as wearing some-
what the aspect of novelty. I have endeavoured to set
down on paper that which we have to show for the larger
sums which Parliament has granted, and this is the result :
We have built during this year 9,075 tons of line-of-
battle ships, 12,189 of frigates, 4,138 of corvettes, 6,367 of
sloops, 1,409 of gun and dispatch vessels, and 102 gunboats,
—making a total of 33,280 tons. I stated to the house last
year that we intended to have built 29-Bths of line-of-
battle ships, but I believe that only 20 -Bths have been con-
structed—a circumstance which furnishes a sufficient answer
to the hon. member for Sunderland, who contends that we
should cease building these vessels altogether. I may fur-
ther observe that, so far as large frigates are concerned,
we are in a very satisfactory position. I need not read to
the committee a return of the ships we have built, inas-
much as one lies on the table of the house. I shall con-
tent myself with simply repeating that with respect to
frigates we are in an extremely satisfactory state, and that
it is not, in consequence, our intention to build during the
coming year any more of those vessels. Of corvettes we
do not propose to build a great many, our intention being
to devote our energies mainly to the construction of those
most useful ships—sloops and gun despatch vessels. The
improvements which are taking place in this class of
ships are such that I feel assured the committee will
concur with me in thinking that the Admiralty would act
wisely in directing the labour in our dockyards to the
completion of a great number of them. We accordingly
intend to build 65-Bths of sloops and 411-Bths of !gun and
despatch vessels. So far as steamships are concerned we Iva s
added 8,760 -horse-power to the navy during the present
year, and I may state generally that the total horse -power
is now, exclusive of this, 128,612, to which we propose to
add, for the year 1861-2, 9,370. Having said thus much I
have no further remark to make on this vote, and I shall,
therefore, proceed to the next, which is that for new works.
This vote shows a mill increase as compared with the cor-
responding vote for the current year, and in dealing with it
the first important point which presents itself is the en-
largement of Chatham dockyard. Now, I have been very
anxious to lay on the table of the house the plan on which
it is proposed that this work should be constructed ; but it
is, lam sorry to say, not quite ready. Inasmuch, how-
ever, as there is no chance that this vote will came on for
discussion to-night, the delay is not of very great import-
ance, and I shall, with the permission of the committee,
defer going into the details of the plan until it is before us,
which I hope will be in a few days. I shall simply May now
that we propose going on this year with that portion of the
work only which is being done by convict labour ;the em-
bankment of St. Mary's Island, in which conside;rable pro-
gress has been made. But the announcement which I
think the committee will receive with the greatest satisfac-
tion is, that it is the intention of the Government to com-
menee the establishment of a system of naval barracks.
(Hear, hear.) This is a question with respect to whichwe
feel very strongly. It is, I may add, my candid opinion
that if you establish at our principal ports good and come
modious and wholesome barracks for your seamen you will
so far improve their position, and do away with the discom-
forts to which they are now subjected, as to render the ser-
vice snore popular than you would make it by almost any
other means. (Hear.) With this view we propose, should
we obtain the sanction of the committee for the project, to
purchase this year some land at the upper part of Keyham
dockyard and contiguous to Devonport. There we pro-
pose to erect naval barracks. We also propose to build a
new salt-meat store. It is false economy to keep our salt
meat under temporary sheds. Both the moat and the
casks are damaged. I may state that this is an item which
has often been proposed, but which has just as often been
cut out of the estimates. We have thought it our duty to
introduce it again this year, and I hope it will
receive the sanction of the committee. We propose also to
go on with the new docks at Portsmouth and at Devonport.
Another considerable item is for the enlargesnent of the
marine barracks both at Fort Cumberland and at Devon-
port. The committee is aware that there has been a great
increase in the corps of Marines. Increased accommoda-
tion is wanted. We propose to build barracks at Fort Cum-
berland. The site is a healthy one, affording great ranges
for guns, and the land has already been purchased, partly
by the War-office and partly by the Admiralty. We in.
tend to enlarge the barracks at Devonport; because en-
largement has become absolutely necessary, owing to the
manner in which the town has encroached upon the bar-
racks. In this vote there is also included a small sum for
the erection of a dining-room for the workpeople at Ports-
mouth. That will add much to the comfort of the men,
and it will also save time, by rendering it unnecessary for
the men to go home for their dinners. The only other new
item in the vete is a small sum for a lock-up house in each
of the dockyards. The object is to have a place. in each of
our dockyards where disorderly persons may be confined
and kept under careful guard. In the two !succeeding
votes, 12 and 13, there are no great changes. The vote 14
is for half-pay. When we are told of the great cost of the
non-effectives of the navy, it is at least satisfactosy to know
that the vote is a gradually decreasing one. The old offi-
cers of the war are gradually dying off, and con sequently
a vote which now appears enormous may be expected to be
in a few years considerably less than at present. It only
remains for me to call attention to the increase in the vote
for civil pensions. The house has generously made r, by means
of the recent Superannuation Act, a large increase in the
retired allowances granted to workmen and letbourers of
every description. It must, therefore, expect a 1 arge increase
in the vote for civil pensions. There is an increase in the
present estimates. For certain reasons, h.eavever, it is
scarcely perceptible ; but I am anxious to impress the fact
upon you that in a few years the increase in the vote for
civil pensions must amount to a large sum. (Hear.) A
single word upon the Army Department. That vote this
year, as I explained at the outset, will show a large decrease,
because we do not ask for any sum on account of the war in
China. It is but fair, however, that I should state to the
committee that the Government may have to ask for a vote
of credit for winding up our accounts in China. Last year
we took a vote of credit for :g1,777,000 on btshalf of the navy
for the expenses of the Chinese war. I can not tell the com-
mittee what the state sf the balance is. We have no means

of knowing. It is impossible for the Admiralty to control
as they could wish an expenditure goingon at the antipodes.
All we can do is to inspire our authorities out there with a
desire to economise in every possible way ; and I am bound
to say, with respect to the expenditure in China, that that
most excellent, gallant, and heroic officer, Admiral Hope,
has shown, as far as we are aware, the greatest desire to
carry econo-ny as far as possible, consistently with the suc-
cess of the expedition. (Hear.) Notwithstanding the dif-
ficulties with which he has had to contend, natwithstand •
ing his severe wounds, he has been unremitting in his en-
deavours to check extravagance. (Hear.) 1 believe I have
now gone through all the votes. There are, no doubt, many
details which I have not laid before the committee, but I
am afraid of trespassing further upon your attention.
(Cheers.) I cannot conclude, however, without expressing
the great satisfaction I feel that the affairs of the navy are
daily assuming greater importance in the estimation of Par-
liament and the country. It must prove of the utmost ad-
vantage to the navy itself that those naval matters which
for years seemed to awaken no interest either in the house
or out of doors should now be made the subject of numerous
and animated debates. I may say for my colleagues and
myself that we are most earnest in our endeavours to main-
tain the efficiency of the navy, not only to maintain its
material strength, but to increase the comforts and improve
the position of its officers and seamen. To that object
we are directing all our energies, and I trust and believe
that in granting additional pay to certain classes of officers
we shall receive the unanimous approbation of the house.
(Cheers.) The noblo lord concluded by moving a vote of
78,200 men of all classes for the fleet and Coastguard ser-
vice.

Sir J. PAKINGTON—The attention with which the
committee has listened to the long statement of the noblk
lords affords a very gratifying proof of the deep and in
creasing interest which is now taken in all matters affect-
ing the efficiency of the Royal Navy. In taking that into-
rest I am confident this house only reflects what is the
strong and unanimous feeling of the public. (Hear.) The
noble lord has made a very able, clear, and, upon the whole,
a very satisfactory statement. My object in rising is rather
to ask for explanations, or to remark in terms of approba-
tion upon what has fallen from the noble lord, than to
make any comments of a hostile nature. (Hear.) I shall
at once proceed to touch upon some of the principal points
to which the noble lord has directed our attention. The
first in order is the reduction in the number of men to be
voted. The nominal reduction is, I think, 7,300 ; but the
noble lord proceeded to explain that in fact 4,000 men were
voted last year who bad never been obtained, and there-
fore that the practical reduction is about 3,000. Well, this
practical reduction the noble lord accounted for by the ter-
mination of the China war. So far as the termination of
the China war is the real cause of that reduction, iot
is im-
possible for the committee to take any exception
the contrary, we must feel thankful that the successful
issue of that war has enabled us to make the reduction.
The noble lord proceeded to state, if I rightly followed
him, that the amount of force the committee is now asked
to grant is amply sufficient to maintain completely effec-
tive the naval force now in commission ; but there are two
parts of this subject on which I feel it necessary to ask
some further explanations from my noble friend. He
stated, as I uniierstood him, that the amount of force for
the present year has been sufficient to enable us to keep
1,500 supernumeraries in our ports. Do I understand him
rightly to say so ? Because this relates to one of the recom-
mendations made by the Commission on Manning the Navy
in 1852, and it is one of the points which ought not to be
lost sight of; on the contrary, I cannot refrain from ex-
pressing my opinion that the number of 1,500 supernume-
raries in our ports is not so great as it ought to have been. I
think we ought to have a supernumerary available force of
not less than 3,000 men. But, taking the lower figure of
1,500, I want to know if I rightly understood my noble
friend to say that these 1,500 were in factpaflable seamen
—men who would occupy our barracks, if these wereii,u
raiisa ble e
existence, and who are therefore actually