POSTSCRIPT

ii

The House of Commons spenimany hours yesterday, at the early sit- ting and again in thq evening, in -Committee of Supply, first on the Naval, and then on the Miscellaneous Estimates. Various votes were agreed to, with the usual comments and episodical sallies. Captain PECRELL drew attention the unfortatate position in which Commanders and Lieutenants are placed.

According to a regulation adopted at the close of the war, those officers were unable to obtain promotion in succession. There were 879 Commanders, of whom 96 were on full pay. These officers were divided into two classes; the &retire- oeiving 10s. a day, and the second 8s. 6d. There were now 150 Commanders, receiving lOs. Gd. a day, and a number on the lower list at 8a. 6d. a day, who had not the slightest chance of getting on the higher list as long as they lived. He thought it was not rightito continue on that scale, and that the 50 Commanders ail who had retired as Captains, und e order in Council of 1840, at lOs. 6d. a day, should receive 12s. 6d. a day, sameas the upper class of Mat:sena and that 50 out of the 150 Commanders s ould be placed on the same list. With re- gard to the Lieutenants, he should propose that the difference between the two retired lists should be abolished and the two classes amalgamated. And now he would show to the House how ample funds might be obtained for the alterations heproposed. It was proved before the Committee, that some ef the ships in our squadruns were employed in carrying treasure from one port to another, on many occasions to the injury of the public service, and selected very much on a system of favour. The freight was regulated by a proclamation iu 1819, founded upon the statute of the 59th George III. chap, 25; and the pro- ceeds were disposed of thus--one-fourth to the Admiral on the station, two fourths to the Captains who signed the bills of lading, and one-fourth to Greenock Hos- pital. From that source the Admirals and Captains bad during the last ten years received about 30,0001. a year; and he wished to know whether that ar- rangement could not be upset, and the Admirals and Captains be made answer- able for those freights in the same way as they were for ordinary stores; and whether the 80,0001. a year could not be appropriated to retiring allowances? The alterations that he proposed would, in fact, require only 10,0001. or 11,0001 a year.

Another class of officers in whose behalf he wished to speak were the Pay- masters and Parsers. He would propose that the number of the retired officers of that class should be increased from 30 to 50, and that 5471. 10a., which would he sufficient for the purpose, should be taken from the 30,0001, to furnish them with a decent allowance. .

Mr. WARD gave no hope of doing more for Captain Pechell's clients: under.the orders of 1815, many of them received promotion in full quit- tance of all claims, and many had been a very short period of full service at sea.

Mr. Hume complained of the lavish resort to promotions. The rule laid down by the Admiralty in 1830 was, that there should be one promotion for every three vacancies. Now, it appearedfrom a return ordered by the House to be printed on the 24th of February 1847, that 245 flag-officers died between the 27th of February 1830 and the 30th of September 18$6. Agreeably to the rule laid down there should have been only 81 promotions; instead of which there had been 189. He was glad to see that Lord Auckland and the Committee had given it as their opinion that no more general promotions ought to take place. Of Captains who died within the same period there had been bins to which rank only 105 ought, according to the rule, to have been pro- moted; tot4he number promoted was 365, actually 49 more than the number

who died Swain, 315 Commanders died; and instead of 105, there had been 685 promotions—two had been made for every one that died, instead of one put of three. Of Lieutenants 1,049 died; and 1,224 instead of 349 promotions had taken plaCe. It should be recollected that every promotion in the Navy was an addition to the Pension-list, and that the. First Lord of the Admiralty might grant any number of promotions that he pleased; though her Majesty could only grant pensions to the extent of 1,2001. a year. These representations were not denied ;tilt some qualifications were stated. Admiral DliSDAS observed, that in 1832 there were 3,318 Lieutenants in the Navy ; now there were only 2,339; making a difference of no less than 1,000 within

that period. As to the number of promotions, unless young men were promoted the service could never go on.

Captain BERKELEY observed, that Mr. Hume had forgotten to take off a large proportion of officers who had forced themselves into promotions by their gallant services in every quarter of the world. Mr. HUME could afford to throw in 47 Captains, 112 Commanders, and 127 Lieutenants, promoted for special brilliant services; but this would make but a small deduction froM the sum voted.

Mr. Wann said, that the rule had been strictly adhered to by Lord Aucklaud.- Mr. CORRY said, that it had been adhered to by.other Boards of Admiralty, so far as it was meant to apply; but there had been brevets omilleticular occasions. On proceeding to the Miscellaneous Estimates, Mr. Clesonetz complained

that no preliminary statement had been made by Ministers; although the estimates were so wretchedly framed as to need explanation. He found, for instance, Windsor Castle, the sentry-boxes of the Foot Guards, and various other things, all lumped together_ in most admired confusion. He observed also, that expensive building in Jerinyn Street, the Museum of Economic. Geology, included in the vote. lie thought that that should have been distinctly explained to the House, as well as every other item.

Mr. Dnummoxn followed up these complaints. Called upon to vote, he had not the means of ascertaining the soundness of any one item on the whole paper. Not only were an extraordinary number of things blended together, but there were some of the most incongruous combinations he had ever seen. Ile noticed, for instance, "oil and gas lights at the Houses of Par-

liament"; and what followed next ?-7Whya" St. Martin's public baths and wash- ' houselaissi , the 4m"/ (kaug.60.4 But he had a stronger objection still. He thought that some of the estimates were derogatory to the honour of the Crown

and the interests of the Royal Family. He would not add to the evil which he

deprecated by alluding any further to them. But he would tibia the right ho- nourable gentleman, whetherhe himself would like to have many parts of his own

establishment brought forward for public discussion, not only in that House but in every pothouse iu the kingdom; and whetherhe thought that was a way of up- holding the respectability of the establishment so canvassed?

Sir CHARLES Woon observed, that there never bad been a general statement on the Miscellaneous Estimates. But, after some further talk,

Mr. OssonNe—declaring that he would not be put aside by Sir Charles Wood's " cloud of words and flash-in-the-pan style"—called upon him, in the name of the country, to state whether he intended to submit the Esti- mates to Parliament, in future years, in such a disgraceful state as they are now? Would he give an assurance that next session the Estimates should he in a different form? If not, Mr. Osborne would divide the Com- mittee upon the vote before it. Thus urged, Lord Joust Russians. ex- plained, more deferentially, that a general statement on such very multi- farious estimates would be inconvenient. With respect to the suggestion of the Select Committee, that more specific details should be stated in the votes, there would be no difficulty in accomplishing that object; and his noble friend at the head of the Woods and Forests would take care that that should be done.

The House adjourned at a quarter to two o'clock, till Monday.

The House of Lords sat for a very short time, and forwarded measures without discussion.