§ MR. GOURLEYsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty, What measures, if any, are being taken to procure a new and correct Survey of the Red Sea, seeing that it has been stated in one of the London daily journals that the existing Admiralty Charts are inaccurate, and therefore likely to lead to loss of life and property?
§ MR. CHILDERS, in reply, said, that no member of his Department, including the Hydrographer of the Navy, had observed the statement referred to in the Question of his hon. Friend; and that up to the present time, no representa- 2060 tion had been made to the Admiralty, that the charts of the Red Sea were incorrect. It was, however, true that the charts were of old date, and the survey made by the officers of the Government of India was not on a scale which was satisfactory for the present purposes of trade. They, therefore, proposed, during the present summer, to consider what steps should be taken for procuring an improved survey of the Gulf of Suez, which is the northern part of the Red Sea; but it would be necessary to communicate with other Powers before taking action, and he might be able, prior to the close of the Session, to state what had been done.