§ MR. O'BEIRNEsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for War, Whether the following announcement, which appeared in The Times of the 2nd of April instant, is correct:—
Sir John Pakington, as Secretary of State for War, has nominated the following gentlemen to act as a Committee to inquire into the character and construction of our Coast Defences, whether of iron, masonry, or earthwork, as recommended by the Royal Commission on National Defences:—Admiral the Hon. Sir F. G. Grey, G.C.B., chairman; Major General Collingwood Dickson, C.B., Royal Artillery; Major General Simmons, C.B., Royal Engineers; Major General Harness, C.B., Royal Engineers; and Mr. Hawkshaw, Civil Engineer;and, if that announcement be correct, whether he will state to the House the nature and extent of the instructions under which the Members of that Commission are to act, what powers have been given to them, whether they are authorized to examine, witnesses, and whether he will place a Copy of the Commission, and of the instructions upon the Table, for the information of the House?
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTON, in reply, said, he would not commit himself to the exact expressions used in the paragraph the hon. Member had quoted from The Times, but it was quite true he had appointed a Committee of the character described in it. Allegations had been frequently made in the House that the large expenditure on our fortifications and arsenal defences had been to a great extent thrown away. It had been stated that the foundations were in some cases giving way, that in others the walls were cracked, and in others the roofs were falling in; and when he asked on what authority such allegations were made, it proved to be newspaper articles and anonymous letters. It therefore appeared to him desirable to get some authentic information on the subject, and he accordingly appointed the Committee. 1457 He selected Sir F. G. Grey to preside over it because of his known ability and high character, and also because he held the office of President of the Fortifications Committee, and because he had nothing to do with either the designing or construction of the works he would survey. He had associated with Sir F. G. Grey the officers whose names the hon. Member had read, and every one would agree that it was impossible to nominate a Committee of higher reputation. He had no objection to lay the instructions given to the Committee on the table; they were of the simplest kind; both in them and in his private communications with Sir F. G. Grey, the only point he had insisted on was, that in the Report of this body of gentlemen, whose honour and competence were above all suspicion, the whole truth should be made known for the information of the House and the country.
§ SIR JOHN PAKINGTONsaid, he was.