The Sun.
London, England, 1829-02-28 00:00:00

especially in the present pacific aspeet of our foreign
relations.
After a few observations from Sir GEORGE CLERK
(which were inaudible) and Sir C. COLE,
Mr. Alderman WAITEIMAN begged to ask why was
not the report of the Finance Committee, which had been
promised with abundant details on this subject, ere this
period before the House ?
Mr. lIUME recommended the Victualling Board to the
Pon. and Gallant Admiral, as a department in which va-
lable reductions might be effected.
Lord ALTHORP believed that if all the three branches
of this service were as well conducted as they might be,
the Navy Board, instead of the Ordnance Board, might
fairly be considered the pattern Board for all others.
Mr, A. BARING confessed he should he sorry, in the
present state of Europe, to see any very considerable re-
duction take place in the effigy ient naval force of the
country. It was vain to refer to 1793, since which a to-
tally new naval power had arisen—the United States of
America, than which none required to be more sedulously
observed and watched..--.(Hear, hear.)—He felt that there,
however, was still considerable room for improvement in
the naval departments of the country. He believed Go-
vernment sincere in its assurances, that it was desirous of
carrying into effect the recommendation of the Finance
Committee, and he was happy to think it hail, as he
thought, fallen into such competent hands. The great
evil of the system, and the cause of such extravagant es-
timates, as they seemed to be, being produced of late
years, was to be found in the heavy yearly charge of the
dead weight of this service, which, combined with that of
the army, amounted to between fire and six millions
a-year. If, then, the part absorbed by the dead weight
from the navy estimates were abstracted altogether, he
believed every calculator there would be of opinion that
the charge was in reality extremely moderate for the
yearly maintenance of so great a naval force as we had on
foot at present.
Admiral EVANS could not let the opportunity pass
over without remarking upon the, as lie thought, unfair
application that Hon. Members made of the phrase " dead
weight." That phrase was used as a means of bringing
the system of half pay (thence the officers who received
that half pay) into disfavour with the public. Surely those
who had spent their lives in the service of their country
were entitled, in the evening of their days, to an honour-
able allowance or pay for those services. Hon. Members,
however, seemed to think otherwise, as if old officers were
not to he thought of when their services were no longer
available or required. It reminded him of a saying
which was not, perhaps, unknown to some in that House,
which ran—
" When sailors are wanting, we'll give them bread and beer;
But now the French are beaten, there's nothing to fear."
And so the sailor's expence Islay be dispensed with. He
trusted that such would never be the system pursued in
this country.
Mr. HUME did not, for one, object to the half-pay of
old officers who had seen service, but of young ones who
could have had no opportunity of earning a permanent re-
ward from the country. As to the term " dead weight,"
it originated with Ministers, and was extolled by the pre-
sent Lord Goderich when Chancellor of the Exchequer, as
a nostrum against all the abuses of the half-pay system.—
Ile wished to hear an explanation of the extraordinary dis.
proportion between the expence of the officers and the pri-
vates of the marine corps. The former cost the country
86,6001., while the expenditure of the latter was but
65,000/., both making with contingencies a cost of
200,000/. He also wished to know whether it was in-
tended that the marine barracks should fall under the
superintendence of the Board which managed the barracks
•f the ordnance, and other departments?
Sir G. CLERK replied, that it was not intended to
consolidate the marine barracks with the superintendence
of the hatred:s of other branches of the public service.
The reason that the item of marine officers appeared so
disproportionate with that of the privates was, that in the
smaller vessels no officer higher than a seigeant attended the
marines afloat. If the officers were equally afloat with
the privates, as they were in the larger vessels, there
would appear no disproportion.
After a few words from Mr. MABEitLY, in support of
Mr. Ifume's proposition, the vote was agreed to.
A resolution, voting 1,140,000/. for the pay of 30,000
men in the naval service, at the rate of 2/. 12s. per
month each seamen, daring the current year, was next
agreed to. -
£613, 500 ivas voted for the charge of victualling those
30,000 seamen in the year 1829, at the rate of 1/. 13s.
per man per month.
£180,727 11s. 7d. was next voted for the salaries and
contingent expenses of the officers of the Admiralty, Navy,
and Victualling offices.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER explained
in reply to Mr. Hume, that the system of franking letters
to and from the Admiralty and Navy offices was at
present done away with, all letters hieing paid for to the
Post-office. By this arrangement the expense was ex-
actly determined, and the means of abuse checked.
£145,811 18s. Sd. was voted for the salaries of
officers and contingent expenses of his Majesty's home
dock-yards.
£480,000 was voted for the wages of labourers em-
phiyed in those dock-yards.
£60,000 for pilotage expenses was the next resolution.
Mr. HUME objected to the system of placing the ex-
pense incurred for the suppression of the Slave Trade as an
item for a Navy Estimate, with which it could have no
possible connexion. He hoped that in future the slave
head money and other expenses to which the public was
put to check the traffic in slaves woedd be brought before
the House in a distinct tangible form. Those expenses
were
already beenrmotr fruitlesslys—it being g
expended,ac to whichknowledged s
that 6:000000:0000001i
had
more !night be added, including the expense of the pesti-
lent stations of Sieara Leone.
The resolution was then agreed to.
£759,718 for the charge of timber and other materials
used in the home dock-yards was next voted, after a few
observations from Mr. Home and Sir G. Clerk, who
stated that the contracts were chiefly for British oak and
Adriatic timber.
The following resolutions were agreed to without any
observation :
£52,141 3s. 3d. for the salary of officers, and con-
tiugent expenses for the foreign dock-yards.
£61,356 fir the salary of officers and contingent ex-
penses of the Vie:smiling-yards.
£64,455 13s. 6d. for the expense of the Naval Medical
Department.
£lOl,OOO 6s. for the charge of keeping vessels in
ordinary.
The next vote was 3,121/. 8.. 3d. for the charge of the
Royal Naval Architectural College.
Mr. HU3IE was glad to see that that vote had been re-
duced since last year one half. He would go a step fur-
ther, and reduce it altogether.
Sir G. CLERK said, that when the system of the
officers on the new scale was more . mature, those officers
would defray the entire expense of the Architectural
College.
Mr HUME was happy to say, that for once Ministers
had satisfied him in their plans of reduction of the expen-
diture of the public money.—(Hear, and laughter.)
The following resolutions were then aereed to :
£51,715 fur victualling the officers and men on hoard
small vessels.
£32,490 for the hire of packets.
£40,000 for ship-building at Bombay.
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Sir G. COCKBURN was still of opinion that it would
be beneficial to allow a discretion to be vested in the First
Lord of the Admiralty to sanction the purchase and sale of
commissions in the navy ; and, had lie been examined be-
fore the Finance Committee, it was his intention to have
urged this point upon their consideration.
£129,393 for pensions, superannuations, and allowances
to naval officers, their widows, anti families.
£lO,OOO, for allowances to widows and orphans on the
e.ornpassionate list.
±llO.OOO, towards the pay of warrant officers.
10,000, fur allowances to the widows of marine officers.
The following resolutions were then agreed to—nansely,
that a sum not exceeding 250,000/. be granted his Majesty,
for expellees of out-pensioners of Greenwich Hospital ;
161,760/. for commissioners and clerks ; 108,6001. for re-
pairs of dock-yards ; 275,060/. for the convict service ; and
250,000/. for the transport service.
The House resumed.—Report on Menday.
TURNPIKE BILLS,

On the motion of the Cita xcELLoE. of the EXCHE-
QUER, it was e#rdered that an humble Address be pre-
sented to his Majesty, praying th.t he would be graciously
pleased to make good the deficiency of fees on Turnpike
Bills, to the officers of the House.
LONDON BRIDGE BILL.
The House went into Committee on this Bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved
the following resolution—that the Commissioners of the
Treasury be empowered to advance sums of money, on secu-
rity for repayment thereof, with interest, to the Mayor and
Corporation of London, to enable them ti complete the ap-
proaches to London.bridge.—agreed.
The nouse resumed.—Report on Monday.
LAW OF ENTAIL, (SCOTLAND).
Mr. KENNEDY moved that a Select Committee he ap-
' pointed to consider and give effect to the recommendations