SIR JOHN HAYsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether any regulations have been issued restricting the quantity of fresh water to be used at sea, with a view to economy of fuel for distillation? He put the question in consequence of seeing it stated that the crew of one of Her Majesty's ships now sailing round the world had suffered from want of fresh water.
§ MR. CHILDERSSir, when I first saw my hon. and gallant Friend's Notice on the Paper I imagined that he was about to suggest a new field for economy, which I confess I should never have thought of. But he now states that he refers to a letter in a newspaper— which I regret should have been written by an officer in the service—as to the 893 allowance of water in the flying squadron, and I have only to say that no regulation on this subject has been made by the present Board of Admiralty. The only reference to the supply of fresh water which I can find is a suggestion that, in the Mediterranean, ships should fill up at certain ports where they often call.