The Sun.
London, England, 1857-07-25 00:00:00

What the Admiralty did with regard to stores was to
keep at the different stations such an amount of stores
as would meet the probable demands of the service, and
no one could suppose that it was their duty to provide
for every possible emergency.
COUNTY FINANCIAL BOARDS.
111 r. KNATCHBULL-111i3GESSEN wished to kcow
whether it was the intention of the government to in-
troduce any measure upon this subject next session ?
Lord PALMERSTON said at one time it was the in-
proposes measure; but the bill in-
tention of government to
trodneed by Mr. Milner Gibson elicited great difference
of opinion with regard to the manner in which the
boards should be constituted, and her Majesty's Govern-
ment found so much difficulty in reconciling the various
opinions on that subject, so as to afford a fair prospect
of carrying the bill through the house, that they were
not able to carry into execution the intentions which
they had announced. The government did not see their
way sufficiently to justify him in holding out an expec-
tation that they would introduce a bill on this subject
in the next session.
THE NEW GOVERNMENT OFFICES.

Mr. B. HOPE said, in the absence of the First Com-
missioner of Public Works, he would ask the Chancellor
of the Exchequer whether he proposed to lay the esti-
mates for building the War and Foreign-uffices before
the house this session
Mr. BRISCOE was glad that the hon. member had
called attention to this subject. He believed the cost
of the contemplated Government offices would be enor
mous. (Hear, hear.) On the previous day a distin-
guished architect, with whom he hail conversed on the
subject, told him that he believed the cost of carrying
, out the block plan for the improvements in Westminster,
for which a prize of 5001 was awarded, would not be less
than twelve or fourteen millions. (Laughter.) This
was not the proper time for embarking in such an under-
taking, and he hoped the Government would postpone
the consideration of the subject till another session of
Parliament; (Hear.) He knew he spoke the opinion
of the country at large—(hear, hear)—and he would use
all the means in his power to arrest the progress of tha
bill.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER begged
the house to understand that her Majesty's Government
were not committed or pledged in any way to the adop-
tion, either of the block pan of which his hon. friend
had just spoken, or of any of the plans which had been
lately exhibited in Westminster Hall. The matter was
still open to the consideration, not only of the house,
but also of the Government. With respect to the bin.
member's question, he had to state that it was not the
intention of the Government to present any estimate
this session.
Mr. GLADSTONE said he was one of those who

sympathised in the alarm which had been expressed by
his hon. friend near him (Mr. Brisc )13). He was very
mach pleased with the statement of his right hon. friend
that the Government wera not committed ; but con-
,
melted with his views of this extraordinary project, was
a strong apprehension lest step by step, and inch by inch,
without any formal decision of the house, they shoul be
draivn unawares into pledges with regard to what he
Benet say was, considering the necessities of the public
service, one of the most extraordinary schemes, in a
financial point of view, that had ever been submitted to
the legislature. If, as was stated to be the case. it was
xpected that they were going to clear a great square for
the purpose of erecting public buildings at a cost of se-
veral millions, let them beware of being drawn into the
scheme unawares. The proposal of the late Sir W. Moles-
' worth was a rational one, but he hoped the house wcul 1
not commit itself to any portion of the gigantic scheme
in question without opportunity having been afforded for
full discussion on a matter which so much concerned
their duty to their constituents, and he would add their
reputation for common sense.
Mr. BENTINCK said they bad heard a great deal of
late about the inconvenience of discussion on the ques-
tion of adjournment, and if he himself continued the
discussion that evening, it was solely because he did not
succeed in catching the Speaker's eye when the gallant
admiral rose to address the house. (Laughter) It was
remarkable that the emergencies of which the right bon.
baronet spoke occurred every three cr four years, and
that enormous sums of money were frequently wasted fur
want of due precaution. He should like to know whe-
ther the Governmentdid ordid not take upon themselves
any responsibility in regard to the mode and rapidity
'of transition in the case of the troops conveyed to
India, or whether the whole matter was in the hands
of the Erst India Company. The declaration of the
right honourable baronet (Sir Charles Wood) that tee
present emergency could not have been foreseen wet one
that ought never to have come from a Minister. It was
the business of the Government to foresee emergen-
cies. He could nave wished that the right hon. baronet
had stated what number of troops would be left in Great
Britain and Ireland after all the troops designed for In-
dia had embarked. The house ought to know what was
the present state of the defences of the country, and what
resources the Government had to meet any further distur-
bances or calamities which might arise. They should not
be contented with the assurance of the Prime M:nist r
that, in his opinion, those defences were satisfactory.
COMMODORE KEPPEL.
Lord C. PAGET rose to ask the First Lord of the Ad-
miralty whether there was any foundation for the report
that Commodore Keppel had been recalled from his cone-
mend in the China Seel The noble lord said he had
understood within the last half hour that it was not the
• intention of the First Lord of the Admiralty to recall
Commodore Keppel from the China Sea provided he
were acquitted by a c met-martial. Perhaps his right
hon. friend would do him the favour of nodding his Lead
- if that view were correct—(laughter)—as in that case he
should not feel it necessary to trouble the house with
nay statement.
(After a short pause, during which the sign in question
was not given by Sir C. Wood, the noble lord proceeded.]
He was afraid be must assume that Commodere Keppel
was not to be allowed to remain in the East, and that the
Admiralty were about to commit an act of great injustice
to garde one of the most meritorious officers in the nee y,
and that to at a time when the services of the best and
bravest officers were much required in the China Sea
against an enemy that was very numerous and not alto-
gether despicable. Under these circumstances he felt it
Ms duty to state in a few words the circumstances which
attended the loss, of the Raleigh frigate. Commodore
Keppel having distinguished himself greatly on the
heights of Sebastopol, was appointed second in command
under Sir M. Seymour on the China station. He pro-
ceeded without loss of time for his destination ; aed
when within sight of the enemy's coast his ship had tee
misfortune to strike on a sunken rock, which was not
in any chart and wee totally unknown, so that no blame
could attach to the officer in command. The chminandere
irechiee represented very strongly to the Admiralty
that no blame attache I to 'film ; and since the catastrophe
in question he had been actively employed against the
enemy, and, so far as was known, he was PO employed
at the present moment. It he were recalled it must be
owing to one of two reasons. If a sentence of his brother
yfficers should be recorded against him, he (Lord C.
Paget) would not say a word against his subsequent re-
cal, but as he was justified in placing implicit reliance on
the charts, it was not likely that such an event wou'd
happen. His reed!, if it took place, would, he believed,
be (mint) an antiquated rule of the Admiralty, that a
commodore of the second class was incapacitated from
hoisting his flag on board any other ship than his own ;
so that if, in the chapter of accidents, a commodore in
command of a squadron had the misfortune to lose his
ship in action with an enemy, he could no longer held
a command over the other ships. It was, he under-
stood, in consequence of this antiquated rule of tee
Modes and Pereians that Commodore Keppel was to be
recalled, and thus degraded and dishonoured, without
any blame being attributable to him. He might refer
to a parallel case which had occurred in the army. Ween
his hon. and gallant friend the member for Greenwich (Sir
W. Codrington) arrived at Varna with the expeditioeary
force sent .to the east, he was a major in a battalion of
the Guards. A brevet went out ; that gallant officsr
was promoted, and the result of this was that he was at
once placed on the half-pay list. Under ordinary ciroem-
stances he would have been compelled to return to Eng-
land. The lamented Lord Raglan, however, knowing
the value of hia services, and disregarding in such a case
old rules and regulations, at once appointed him to a
command ; and the country owed to this circumstance
that it had the services of the gallant officer at the Alma.
and at Inkerrnann The much-abused Horse-Guards eon-
firmed Lord Raglan's appointment ; and, knowing that
Sir M. Seymour desired to retain the services of Commo-
dore Keppef, he appealed to his right hon. friend (Sir
C. Wood) to pursue a similar course, and, if he could net
do so otherwise, to stretch a point, and give the officer
in question a red pennant. At all events he hoped the
Admiralty would not recal a most efficient officer, who I
was 15,000 miles from this country. (Hear, bear.) He
believed his right bon, friend felt very much as he did
on this subject, and trusted that he would take the bit
in his mouth, and retain Commodore Keppel in active
service.

Sir G. GREY said the fact of his having to rise to
answer the noble lord illustratfd the inconvenience of
discussion on the motion for adjournment. His right
hon. friend (Sir C. Wood) having spoken once could not
do so again, and it was necessary, therefore, that he
should reply on his behalf. No one who was acquainted
with Commodore Koppel would dissent from the praise
which the noble lord had bestowed upon him ; and he
did not know why the noble lord assumed that the Ad-
miralty were doing anything to disgrace it. The whole
course of their conduct showed that they had no dispo
mann to disparage the services of officers of the navy.
The fact was that Commodore Keppel had list his ship,
and by the invariable rule of the service whenever that
happened the officer in command was put under trial by
court-martial, in order that the circumstances of the loss
,night be inquired into. If there were no room for blame
the proceedings wcold of course terminate—as all must
hope they might terminate—in Commodore Keppei's
acquittal ; but while the matter was still sub-jadica, he
must protest against any attempt to prejudge the ques.
tion in the House of Commons. He believed, moreover,
that the house itself would. not be willing such a case
to be forced into a discussion of the question.

General CO DRING-'TON did not think that the noble
lord had desired the house to prejudge the case of Com-
modore Keppel. His object had been to call the at ten.
tion of hon. members to the rule of the service which
prevented the commander-in-chief on the spot employing
a commodore who had had the misfortune to lose his
"it). This, he thought, a very unfortunate rule, one
which often prevented the country from having the ser-
vices of able officers.
Admiral WALCOTT quite concurred with the gallant
general in thinking that the rule to which reference had
been made was a very unfortunate one. He thought
that where a court martial abroad acquitted a com-
mander, the admiral or other, officer commanding in
chief should have power, in case of necessity, to make
use of that commander's bervices.
Sir J. ELPHINSTONE held in his hand a copy of
the surrey of the gentleman who had been seat to in-