The Sun.
London, England, 1861-03-02 00:00:00

the motion on the ground that three or four committees
had been or were sitting with regard to naval matters,
that the Beard of Admiralty had been at that very
moment under consideration, and that no good result
could be expected to accrue from pressing such a motion
at that part of the session. He bowed to that opinion,
and with the leave of the house withdrew the motion. The
right hon. baronet the member for Droitwich, however, on
that occasion not only opposed the motion, but even, at
the cost of his dinner, he feared, remained in the house to
vote against it. The right hon. gentleman said emphati-
cally that he should be sorry to see such a question handed
over to a select committee that would be composed of
members who could not possess the requisite knowledge or
experience to aid them in arriving at a satisfactory con-
clusion. Now that was very much the position of the
right hon. baronet himself when he came to the Admiralty;
for whereas in the Duke of Northumberland's Board eight
out of nine members were naval officers, and in the present
one of the Duke of Somerset eix out of nine, in that of the
right hon. baronet only four out of the nine were naval
officers. After the expression of that strong opinion, there-
fore, he could not suppose that on this late day of the ses-
sion the right hon. gentleman would have given notice of a
committee. That was the fact, however, and the right
hon. gentleman had given the notice almost in his (Admiral
Duncombe's) own words, without troubling himself to as-
certain whether he meant to introduce the motion again.
The house would remember that he (Admiral Duncombe)
stated last session that it was his intention to introduce the
motion again this session, unless he should see good cause
for not doing so. In renewing the motion he ought to say
that he did so without an) intention of imputing blame to
the present Board of Admiralty. He believed that that
board was composed of earnest and intelligent men, who
were sincerely desirous of doing the best they could with
the cumbrous machinery at their disposal, and which he
believed was by no means equal to the increased require-
ments of the day. He wished that a committee should be
appointed, by which alterations and modifications might be
introduced into the present system, so as to enable it to
answer more perfectly the naval interests of the country.
Last session he stated that he believed it would be an im-
provement if the naval affairs of the country were put
under the management of a Minister of Marine, assisted
by a council, the constitution of which w ould be different
from that of the present board. The Minister of Marine
would be a Cabinet Minister, and therefore a political in-
dividual; but he would be assisted by competent and
highly experienced officers. Since he hazarded that
opinion in that house, several pamphlets had ap-
peared, in which much the same thing had been pro-
posed and advocated; and the motion of his hon. and
gallant friend the member for Portsmouth tended in the
same direction. They were told of discontent on the part
of naval officers, amounting almost to disaffection, of crews
in a state of insubordination, and of the extreme difficulty
of maintaining discipline on board her Majesty's ships.
There could be no doubt that a wide-spread dissatisfaction
existed on board various ships. What were the causes of
that dissatisfaction it was not for him to say, and perhaps
no man living could tell ; but at least an effort should be
made to ascertain them, in order to satisfy the officers and
crews of one of the finest services in the world. The man-
ning of the navy was a subject which particularly called for
inquiry. The reserve was tantamount to a failure, and an
improved scheme should be found by which seamen might
enter the Queen's service more readily, and which would
make them more satisfied with it when they had entered.
(Hear.) With respect to the appointment of the committee,
which, he was told, was not going to be opened, his own
wish would be that no ex-First Lords of the Admiralty
should be upon it. No one could doubt the great adminis-
trative talents of those gentlemen, but he thought it far bet-
ter that the committee should have the benefit of their evi-
dence, than that they should be members of it themselves.
With that suggestion, he would only further say that he
hoped the inquiry would be searching, fearless, and impar-
tial, and that such alterations and improvements might be
made by it, as the naval efficiency of our fleets demanded.
We might then have every confidence that, should the day
unhappily arrive when their strength should be measured
with that of an enemy, they would not be found wanting.
(near, hear.) The honoand gallant gentleman concluded
by moving for the committee.
Admiral WALCOTT observed that it would be impos-
sible any longer to withhold consent to a proposition of
this nature ; for the discontent of the navy could now no
longer be concealed, and it had communicated itself to the
country. A committee of inquiry, composed of men, who
would give their earnest attention to a subject so extremely
valuable, would no doubt load to many improvements. He
had great pleasure in seconding the motion.
Lord C. PAGET said that on the part of the noble duke,
the First Lord of the Admiralty, he had to state that, so
far from any opposition being offered to this motion, they
would bo glad to give any assistance in their power, that
the very important subjects that would come under the
consideration of the committee should have every possible
elucidation. Ho thought ho was bound, also, to state on the
part of the Board of Admiralty that from the time they took
office there had been no desire to shrink from any inquiry .
(Hear.) Now that wo were in a stateof peace, was the time
to look into our pol Neal departments, and to introduce into
them such changes as might appear to be called for by the
necessities of the country and the scientific improvements
of the day. He was not aware that there were any disasters
that should call forth the opprobrium that had been given
expression to against the Board of Admiralty. That there
were defects in the Admiralty he did not for a moment
deny. lie thought it was very important that the accounts
of the Admiralty should be looked into, and he was bound to
say that the Board of Admiralty had treated him with the
greatest consideration upon an occasion when he calledatten-
tion to what ha considered an improper expenditure. He
asked the noble dukenow at the head of the Admiralty for a
commission to inquire into various matters connected with
the Admiralty; and the noble duke not only granted the
commission with the gracious consent of her Majesty, but
he issued instructions that all the defects of the Board of
Admiralty should be inquired into. That commission ap-
pointed various committees, who inquired into the various
departments of the Admiralty administration, inclus
ding, amongst other matters, those which related to
the gunboats. He could not but here remark that the tone
in which an hon. and gallant friend of his addressed the
house last night was not creditable to him in relation to his
views of the grounds upon which it was desirable that
changes should take place in the various departments of the
Admiralty.
C. Paget) showed, on a former
occasion,He (L
was deeemrded desirable that an inquiry should
cn
take place. The session then passed away; but the noble
duke now at the head of the Admiralty requested him to put
himself in communication with the gallant admiral opposite,
with a view of ascertaining from him when it would be con-
venient for him to bring forward his motion. At the same
time, he was surprised at the want of courtesy shown him
by the right hon. baronet opposite, in not giving him notice
that it was his intention to bring forward his motion for a
committee. An hon. gentleman wished him to propose that
he should be chairman of the committee ; but he felt it to
his duty to oppose it, in the same way that he himself, fron4
the interest which he felt in the matter, would not be a fit
person to be chairman of such a committee. The whole con-
duct of the Admiralty, it should be borne in mind, was at
stake, and he therefore thought that the hon. gentleman
should not be placed in the position of chairman of the com-
mittee. Now, as to the discipline of the navy, and as to
the discontent of the officers of that branch of the service,
he thought he heard the word " disapprobation." (Hear,
hear.) Why, God forbid that there should be any "dis-
content" in the minds of the officers of the British navy.
They might not, it was true, be satisfied with their pay.
It was certainly true that the pay was not sufficient;
neither did he think that either branch of the service was
sufficiently paid. (Hoar, hear.) But he had done all in
his power to endeavour to improve the position of the
officers of the navy, and the navy estimates which he
meant to bring forward on Monday evening would show
that ho was desirous to improve their condition. He
thought it was not his business to sing an Jo Pecan in
praise of the present Board of Admiralty in this matter;
but he thought they might ask the public to suspend their
judgment at present in relation to the Board of Admiralty.
(Hear.) Ile was not now going to enter Into a long state-
ment, but he was bound to say that the Board of Admiralty
had occupied much of their time in effecting great improve-
ments in various departments under its direction; and in
the last session there was an act of Parliament passed for
tlso better discipline of the navy. Now, that act, although
it passed through the house very quickly, had received a
great deal of consideration by the Admiralty; and added to
that, there were instructions to the navy which were about
to be issued, that also received a great deal of consideration
by the board. Then there was, in addition, another mat-
ter. The Government of Greenwich Hospital was ex-
tremely defective, and in connection with this institution he
could not but refer with regret to the death of his gallant
friend the late Sir C. Napier, with whom he had had many
discussions on this subject; and injustice to the memory of
that gallant officer, he was bound to say that ho was really
a true friend to the British sailor. (Heat.) Well, his
ay,
noble friends the noble duke at the head of the Admiralt
had brought in a bill to alter and improve the Government;
of the Greenwich schools; and here he might say that the
whole of the machinery of those schools, as it bad long
ekisted, would beswept away, and the whole of the esta-
blishment would be hencefof th on a different footing, so that
all children who had claims would be freely admitted into
the schools. (Hear.) He thought, then, that the Admi-
ralty deserved much credit. (Hear.) His opinion was,
with regard to the constitution of the committee, that the
names of some hon. members ought to be excluded. The
right hon. baronet the member for Carlisle, for instance,
ought, he thought, to be upon the committee, and in like
manner, his right hon. friend the member for Portsmouth.
(Hear, hear.) He should be sorry to see the names of such
men not on the committee.

Sir J. PAXINGTON confessed he was not prepared to
bear the charges which his noble friend had just now made
against him. He had never been guilty of a want of c0ur-
t.;,.7,1 towards the noble lord in not giving him notice that it
was his intention to move for the committee. He believed it
was not the uniform custom of hon. members to cross the
house and tell that it was their intention to bring forward a
motion. He must give a direct denial to the charge that he
was guilty of any discourtesy towards the noble lord ; and
140 1114,4 gay that he lam Wm 9t the