§ CAPTAIN BOLDEROthen rose to call attention to the accommodation provided for assistant surgeons on board Her Majesty's ships of war. In consequence of a resolution passed by that House on the 8th of April last year, the Government issued orders to the commanders of vessels of war cruising on the various naval stations, directing them to afford additional accommodation to the assistant surgeons serving in their respective ships. To show what attention had been paid to that order, he might state that he had a return from the Mediterranean fleet, which comprised 12 vessels, including six line of battle ships and five war steamers. The full complement of assistant surgeons for those vessels was 24; but of that number only five had received the boon which it was the object of the House to obtain for them—namely, separate cabins. They all knew that, in order that their naval power might be efficient, it was necessary, as far as possible, to secure the health of the men; and the best way of doing that was to make the position of the assistant surgeons such that the most intelligent and best informed young men from our medical schools might be induced to enter the service. The order which had been issued on the subject by the Admiralty, some time ago, was highly objectionable, as not tending to remedy any of the evils under which the assistant surgeons suffered. It required that the assistant surgeons should spend three years in the cock-pit before being admitted to the ward-room: with this regulation the assistant surgeons were very naturally dissatisfied, as tending to cast upon them a stigma of social inferiority. He wished to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if he would give an assurance that he would take more efficient measures to carry the Resolution of the House into effect; and if the answer of the right hon. Baronet was not satisfactory, he (Captain Boldero) reserved to himself the power of 566 reintroducing the subject on a future occasion, and taking the sense of the House upon the question.
SIR FRANCIS BARINGsaid, that as soon as the Resolution to which the hon. and gallant Member referred was passed last year, he took measures for carrying out that Resolution so far as could be done consistently with the necessary arrangement of ships-of-war, and the Government were extremely anxious to carry out the Resolution fairly and fully. The hon. and gallant Member had said that the regulations had not been carried out in the Mediterranean squadron. He (Sir Francis Baring) could only say that before twenty-four hours elapsed orders should be sent to ascertain whether the regulations had been carried out in that squadron or not; although from the well-known character of Sir William Parker he had very little doubt that they had been adopted. He certainly had received no complaints on the subject.
§ MR. WAKLEYcould inform the right hon. Baronet that if the Admiralty had received no complaints, he (Mr. Wakley) had received a great many. It was not very likely that the assistant surgeons would complain to the Admiralty, lest they should have a black mark put to their name and lose their chance of promotion. He could assure the right hon. Gentleman, however, that extreme dissatisfaction was felt at the manner in which the Resolution had been carried into effect; and he hoped that if it was not acted upon in its integrity, the hon. and gallant officer (Capt. Boldero) would again bring the question before the House.
§ Subject dropped.