§ MR. OLIVEIRAsaid, he begged to ask the hon. Under Secretary for War, whether arrangements were being made at the Royal Military Asylum, Chelsea, for receiving the 120 additional children of soldiers on foreign service, promised by the late right hon. Secretary at War, on the 5th day of May, 1854?
§ MR. FREDERICK PEEL, in reply, said that fifty additional boys had already been received, and the remainder would be admitted as soon as some buildings now in progress for the reception of the monitors and pupils of the normal school, which was a branch of the establishment, had been completed, which would be at the expiration of about three months.
COLONEL NORTHsaid, that on the 4th of May last year the House ordered that 120 additional children should be admitted to this establishment. On the 20th of September last he received from the right hon. Gentleman the late Secretary at War a letter, in which he stated that he had approved of the plans and specifications for the erection of buildings, to be completed at the end of the last or the commencement of the present year, when the 120 children would be admitted. Ten days ago he (Colonel North) went to see what was being done, and there was positively hardly a brick above the ground. He wished to know whose fault it was that the orders of the House had not been carried into effect?
§ MR. BOUVERIEsaid, that, as one of the Commissioners for the management of the Hospital, he would beg to state that the building referred to was nearly ready for roofing. No addition could be made to the number of children admitted until it was completed, as it would be obviously unwise to overcrowd the existing buildings.