The Sun.
London, England, 1845-07-22 00:00:00

NAVY AND ROYAL MARINES.

For the Retired Allowance of three hundred cap-
tains in her Majesty's Navy, for the Half.year
commencing on Ist October, 1845, and ending
on 31st March, 1846, at the rate of ss. 6d. a day
to each beyond the amount of their existing Half.
pay, 15,056/. ; but of which one-half only there-
of will come in course of payment in the n 0
v
period; viz.
The whole charge amounts to the sum of 7,5281
TOS•
HADDING-
W. G0RD014,45•,
Admiralty. July 15, ale
The attention of the Admiralty has not now been called fasio
first time to the growing inefficiency of the Admirals' List, 'ri
,I, is
from the advanced age of the officers filling the highest rayesr,
the service. This evil, necessarily increasing from Year t° tics,
has created great anxiety ; suggestions have been made from hsye
to time with the view of providing an effectual remedy, and nd
been successively rejected, because on examination it wa5.,-ut of
that they did not meet the exigency of the case. The °b)..titil
these proposals has been to bring officers still in possession of le- R.
and vigour nearer to the flag, by providing for the honour° oirg
tirement of those at the head of the captain's list, and thus OPe
the succssion to the highest rank to youger men. t
For theis purpose proposals have been made at differes-
tini
for the retirement of 100 and of 150 captains ; but it was d
nred
the number of officers of that rank who had attained an adva left
age was so great, that the retirement proposed would "1,-, the
matters much as they were Wore ; and that the succession
0,0
Mag would have still devolved upon men as old, or pearl's
those now occupying that rank. r t°,,e
The total number of captains now on the list is 714; 7.
376 are above 55 years of age ; among whom 50 are ab°Leef,
and 205 above 60; 171 are between 55 and 60, and 138 tg'" dof
40 and 55; and nine only under the age of 45 are to be foot'
a seniority higher than 1827. uI4
The retirement of 100 captains from the top of the lilt W:rt
remove officers averaging 67 years of age, to bring up ether°
raging 64.
Ivan Ced "

Admiralty, July 21, 1545.

If even 200 were retired, the average age of those sad` fora
the top of the list would be 60 ; either of such schemes, there

would leave the evil untouched.

This short statement is decisive as to the impolicY of re:1;130
100 or even 200 officers, with the view of bringing the fig;
the reach of a junior class of men. Ot
Former suggestions, moreover, went merely to the retirette,,,, of
the number proposed, and to the maintenance of a Retired 6,011
100 old captains, to be recruited from the Effective List int, DI
vacancies. They left all the causes in full operation
overloading the Captains' List, have created the existing evio, tlO
There is, however, no conceivable method, consistent "151,101,
practice of the service, of so disencumbering the list of cal% peg
the old and more infirm members as to bring efficient 0% '/
their flag, but by resorting to the principle of retirement ; 311 eller
necessary to make that retirement so large as to prove realll.ted
io
tive, accompanying the project with other provisions cale°'"ictiO
prevent the growth of similar evils hereafter. In the
that any scheme of retirement, to be effectual, should be ° ;or
300 officers, it is now proposed that there should be 3
i It t 0
List of 300 captains, of 55 years of age and upwards, "410‘
creased half-pay, power being given to the Admiralty °so't
infirm officers of 50 to retire, if the number required of al,e rOl
55 should not be found willing to do so, and that the °l`.-ePI
retiring should be placed on a separate list between
Officers' and Captains' Lists. 100,
ith,

That this list should be allowed to diminish, by dea,
and be horeafter permanently maintained at that number. 010
(That general promotions should no longer be resorted t°,ol:
means of recruitissg the list of admirals, but be replaced 11 ; ,
of continuous promotion, as death vacancies arise on thatlO
general promotions be reserved for the celebration of I°l°
national events.
That the Flag Officers' List should be limited to 150, 04 oci.o
pro

Captains' List to 400, to he retained at those numbers by P`"to every vacancy. This limitation is intended to be pet b 1
applied to a state of peace, but it is impossible to say W
exigencies of a war might require.
It is not proposed to place the officers wishing to Va., '" ,g ,P"
,
of the immediate advantage of this plan on a retired ,r'"0,o1,0`;
but it is intended that those retiring from the 14s. 6d. list 1,
at once be permitted to assume the title of Rear-Adtn"-0,1t;
that the remainder should be permitted to assume the sstee•,,ill
the period when they would have obtained the flag by senior
they continued on the Active List. s' I,
It is recommended that the officers retiring should reserve
a day in addition to their present rates of half-pay, and to into:
which they would become subsequently entitled had they
en the present Active List. Thus, officers retiring
10s. 6d. and 12s. 6d. lists would receive 165. and 18s. resPi,
until the period when, had they remained on the Active I'll'4, 01
would have been entitled to the half-pay of 12s. 6d. arid
when their retirement would be increased to 18s. and ii•
At present the 100 senior captains receive 14s. fld•o f the
pay, the 150 next in seniority 12s. 6d., aisd the rest A
tains' list I Os. 6d. ;4,04
In consideration of the great change proposed, which P
throughout the whole list a nearer approximation to the fleg'oll:
by reducing the number of captains from 714 to 400, shert4tiO
time during which each officer will have to remain on the chi OP;
list, while at the same time it greatly increases his chances °,O
ployment, it is thought that the number of officers to reefi,
0
highest rate of half-pay, should be reduced from 100 to g"'
that those to receive 12s. 6d. should not exceed 1011. toil'
To the widows of the retired officers it is proposed to,"titicd,
sions of 1101. per annum, and to these of the officers °jolt.'
assume the rank of rear.admiral the pension of a testa
v.Sdow.
tbe
Should any great national event render it right to grant
ofa general promotion, it is proposed that the two limited opej
increased in numbers should be gradually reduced to the l'coricter,i
already specified, by a recurrence to the principle of re
promotion, instead of filling up every vacancy, and that ,-10
rule should apply to any temporary increase in the "u OP"'
captains created by promotion awarded for brilliant of ,
guA
considerable
srvice. . I
ederable additional expense will in the first 10 Der
necessarily incurred by the retirement of the large riurnroce°,4
officers proposed, which expense, however, will be in Pi to
„4
annual diminution, as the officers whose vacancies are oe
filled up, die off the list, whilst savings to a large amount' of "
from various causes hereafter specified, will, by the operet'e-
r,
proposed plan, gradually
By a calculation founded net he average tables of Inert:ecliitu,;reli
is assumed that the Retire List of 300 captains will f
to 100 in about 17 years d ; consequently, the expenie °g, !'e
rent, which in the first year will amount to about 30,°,
diminish annually till in the 17th year it will be reduced `": t
s
mere than 10,0001., which will be the permanent rhe'le
quirod to be maintained. And further, as the 9.00 °'‘g:ll
will thus be removed from the Retired List, without '/,,,t Cs
placed, will not contribute to promotion on the Active es,
cgt
, PA-t
the usual promotion of one officer for every three vaeaji
annually increasing saving will accrue, which in the •
will amount to above 5,000/. per annum. the te
A further saving will also result from the reduction of e iS$
of Flag officers to 150, from the'number at which, of latro
it has been maintained, and to which it would be re't° A
another brevet promotion. for
dd
In addition to these savings, there arc some others W-1 effri
t
a considerable item in the calculation of the savings te,b,e,,(o,,,'Ct,
by the adoption of the foregoing plan ; the general result' 1,0
will be, after a few years, an excess of saving over
(41
amounting to many thousands per annum. t 06:P
It is believed that the terms on which this retirement 1,0.1
are consistent with that due regard to economy which she-tier
mate every public department in the consideration of all4o ti°e,l
involving an expenditure of public money, and at the la, offt'r
sufficiently liberal to induce the officers to whom they 4r" el
to accept them.
Such is the plan of retirement which, after a full ftonsidern-ci 01
all difficulties, has met the approbation of the Admiralty, amiss
that deppartment, recommended to the favourable considers
the Government and Parliament. , lota4170
~,t

It is quite impossible to calculate with certainty on its °
founded as it is upon the principle of voluntary retirennnt' phtrh
promises to be as effective as any plan can be made, frize, ,4%
the principle of compulsory retirement is necessarily exe'u
Its superiority to former proposals consists in the great
it ee°,",;
it withdraws from the Effective List, and the precautions
mends, in order to prevent the recurrence of a state °f its
and stagnation hereafter similar to that which nowe,Ot'Lo 0/1'
mate adoption, however, must be dependent on the reeeP"
ver
the
It officers interested may give to the plan.
is too obvious to require explanation, that unless thef,loell,
required (or nearly so) should accept the offer made to theut
cov
little good would be effected, and the country would be roy
heavy charge for increased dead weight, without derivingtr
responding benefit. tota'ote
It is only necessary to refer to what has been said of t"-tpe'tifl
proposals, and the reasons for rejecting them, arising frn°lsfeni' fit
of the Captains' List, to show that by no retirement less cored/
than that proposed can we hope to see a class of men ati,?-ife,,rpe
the head of the Captains' List. who, from their time °`.ce in
likely to be fully qualified for the active duties of set° tti
highest ranks of the profession.
:„,, 'et
Unless, therefore, we can remove from the CaPts”id UOl pe
number now proposed by voluntary retirement, it tie,sf
advisable to persevere with the plan ; but in that case it -tires 'O.
duty of the Government to consider what ulterior Meld, Ottic:•si
be necessary in order to provide for an efficient list of 03',,00a',
A vote in supplement of the present naval estimates, half 'OO
to 15,0001., the estimated cost of the retirement for trio Die of
commeLcing the Ist of' October will be necessary t° efifeteti
Admiralty to take the first step:towards carrying their ar'"i r"0-0
mon
into effect. Should it not succeed, no portion of the
will be expended. It is therefore for a conditional vote GTO'
the naval department will have to ask. HADD/I4
DA-c
tb
FEMALE CONVICTS FOR VAN DIEMEN''
The Woolwich Company's steam-packet Fairy broughi."o,sle St
river, from Millbank Penitentiary, on Saturday, l°°
'lets, and put them on board the Lloyd, hired eon' ea' 4,
present moored opposite the Royal Arsenal, Woolwi°l''is/e°1,40
female convicts only for Van Diemen's Land. The co° oso'
Company's steam-boat Nymph brought down 190 fetn"dotinl /
yesterday, and embarked them in the Lloyd for the mania
THE UNITED STATES.—LIVERPOOL, Jlj.cl'ea itivre
The packet-ship Montezuma, Captain Lowber, artlyo „oft
Mersey last evening, bringing advices one day later, intejliS
number of passengers. These advices contain n°,
__ft, 4'
worthy of notice, neither do those received from Calxus) 1' l:0
Alechi's chessmen in ivory, bone, and w•i°o'Delod
Lesdenhall.street, the best and cheapest, which maY a '-t,oarlo%o'
his backgammon, draught, and chess boards, cribb3Seo,alv,
pegs, cushioned bagatelle tables, Pope Joan boards,
eoing.,oeft,'
desks, pocket-books, writing and envelope erica, nines, Woliu
tea..caddies, table cutlery, Sheffield plated ware, Perk
clothes, hair, and tooth brushes, combs, razors, strops, rbVie, Q
ti
of all articles first-rate,
L t ter 0
DP.STRUCTIVE FIRE :AT boaeali
shortly after eight o'clock, a fire of a very alarming PoACIr
discovered burning upon the premises belonging t° Tan'r reW it;
cabinetmaker and carpenter, situate in Bath place' °its,
square, Fir,bury. Whilst the neighbours were engarortosb°`'
ing water on the fire, it extended to the adjoining w
o,Aket'oelfcs
the occupation of Mr. Rynar, a French bedstead, podt;
stock in trade deposited therein was of uite as 11 vie left
theict
nature as that in the premises of Mr. Hall; and - camp1 •
of ten minutes both buildings and their contents tpe'et °fp
enveloped in flames. The firemen were unable to yriclAgiS
mastery ever the flames before half past nine o'cl°Voo
fore both workshops were gutted, and the whole 0'
trade consumed.