ADMIRAL DUNCOMBEsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty why the vacancy on the (A) Flag Officers' List, caused by the death of Admiral Douglas in December last, has not been filled up, in accordance with the Order in Council of the 25th of June, 1851? Nineteen vacancies had occurred of which eighteen had been filled up, but the nineteenth still remained open. By not filling up this vacancy a great hardship was inflicted on certain officers in the service. The senior captain on the list, who would otherwise have received promotion, enjoyed a good-service pension, and the difference of pay would not therefore be to him considerable; but had he happened meanwhile to die, his widow would not have received so large a pension as if he had received promotion in the ordinary course. It was certainly not from any desire to create patronage that the First Lord had abstained from filling up the va- 1821 cancy, for had he done so he could have had a good-service pension at his disposal.
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, he was the more willing to answer the question of his gallant Friend, because it was free from that electioneering character which attached to a good deal that had been heard that evening. He had to state in reply that when the vacancy occurred, the pension was offered to a gallant admiral, but the offer was declined, and he (Sir John Pakington) was informed, perhaps incorrectly, that from the peculiar nature of that pension list, previous offers of a similar character had been declined. He had considered it better to suspend the filling up of the list for a time, under the belief that a new system of retirement which he had in contemplation would render it unnecessary to retain this list at all; and, indeed, the list was only one of many contrivances that were resorted to, from time to time, as substitutes for a well-regulated system of naval retirement. He thought when such a system was adopted the list would be altogether unnecessary. He had not matured his plans, however, and consequently it would be a hardship to continue the vacancy any longer. He had therefore the pleasure of informing his gallant Friend that some days ago he had determined to fill up the appointment. He had not yet matured his plans, and therefore he believed it would be hard to continue the suspension any longer, and consequently he had, within the last few days, filled up the vacancy.