§ MR. CAVEsaid, he wished to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, When the decision of the Lords of the Admiralty will be made known respecting the use of the Blue Ensign in merchant ships partly officered and manned by the Naval Reserve, according to the terms of their Lordships' letter of the 5th February 1863?
§ LORD CLARENCE PAGETsaid, that when many shipowners of London asked whether, under certain conditions as to their ships being partly manned by officers and seamen of the Royal Naval Reserve, their ships would be permitted to carry the Blue Ensign of Her Majesty's fleet, the Admiralty replied that it would allow them to carry the flag with a certain device in it, so as to denote the flag of a Naval Reserve ship. The shipowners of London objected to the device, and, in fact, declined to carry such a flag, as they wished for one without any special device. Since then he understood that many shipowners had expressed a desire to be permitted to carry the blue flag under the conditions prescribed by the Admiralty, with the device suggested.
In reply to a similar Question, of which notice had been given by the hon. Member for Sunderland (Mr. Lindsay), he had to state that communications were going on between the Admiralty and the Board 1302 of Trade as to the issue of precise regulations for the use of the Blue Ensign by ships partly manned and officered by the Naval Reserve.