§ The House resolved itself into a committee on the Navy Estimates. On the resolution, "That 54,886l. be granted for the Salaries and Contingencies of the Admiralty Office,"
§ Sir J. Yorkewished to ask, why the salary of the private secretary to the first lord had been increased from 300l. to 510l. per annum. He saw no reason for this, when it had been found prudent to reduce the number of lords of the Admiralty. He was surprised, that, in this great and powerful country, he could only find a reduction, on all the boards, of 3,500l. Would his hon. friends say, that one commissioner of the Victualling or Navy board, or one lord of the Treasury had been reduced? No; the whole reduction was one Post-master and two lords of the Admiralty. He thought, if the hon. baronet who had brought forward the motion for the reduction of the lords of Admiralty were to reconsider the matter, he would be disposed to vote for their being re-appointed. He wished to see an additional 2,000l. added to this part of the estimates, to restore the two lords, as without that they were not fairly dealt by.
§ On the motion for agreeing to that part of the report which recommends granting the sum of 538,306l. for the dockyards, &c.
§ Mr. Humecomplained of going on, year after year, expending millions of money in building ships, only to lie and rot. It was not proper to pass such estimates. For the years 1823, 1824, 1825, the amount had been the same as 1817. The expense of buildings in the dockyards, &c. ought to be checked. Since 1811, we had expended on the dock-yards 4,853,000l.; and for works connected with them 1,587,000l.; making a total of 6,400,000l. expended on nothing but brick and mortar. One year there was 662 an estimate for 600,000l., another year for 500,000l., and then the year after for 800,000l. It appeared that no system was followed, and that some estimate or plan should be followed, and the money not expended as some lord of the Admiralty took a fancy to build. Since 1815, twenty-three millions had been expended on building and repairing ships that were only kept to rot. It would be better to give pensions to every workman in the dock-yards, if it were the object to employ them, than thus to waste money on ship-building.
Sir G. Cockburndid not believe the hon. member could be correct in his statements. Peace was the time for putting our dock-yards, in a good state: during war it was impossible to do it.
§ On the resolution for granting for the Naval college, the sum of 6,252l.,
§ Sir J. Yorkeinquired if it was intended to keep that college up to its full extent, as he understood that one of the pupils, Mr. Bonnycastle, had left this country and gone to America. He approved of science being taught, but charity, he thought, began at home; and we ought not to pay for the education of young men who were to carry their scientific acquirements to another state.
§ Mr. Crokerreplied, that every student was obliged to give a bond of 500l. that they would remain in the king's service. He did not see what other security could betaken from them; and if Mr. Bonnycastle chose to forfeit his bond, he did not know how that was to be prevented.
§ The resolutions were agreed to.