§ MR. KINNAIRDasked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether any reply has been made by Sir Spencer Robinson to the Minute by the First Lord of the Admiralty, published by order of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, and whether there will be any objection to lay the reply upon the Table of the House?
MR. GLADSTONEA Minute or Paper has been drawn up by Sir Spencer Robinson in reply to a Minute of my right hon. Friend the First Lord of the Admiralty, and if on Friday next my hon. Friend behind me would like to move for the Paper it will be granted, as far as the Government is concerned, 163 as an unopposed Return. But in acceding to that Motion, I do not wish to be committed with regard to the course which it might be right to take in a case which externally resembles this, but which is substantially very different from it—I mean where a member of the Board might differ in opinion, and might draw up a paper expressing that difference of opinion, from the Chief of the Board. Sir Spencer Robinson having ceased to be a member of the Board of Admiralty, that difficulty does not really arise; and, although that Paper was written while he was a member of the Board, still, he being no longer a member, it is quite right to produce it.
§ SIR JAMES ELPHINSTONEasked what was the date of the Paper.
LORD HENRY LENNOX, who had given Notice of his intention to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, Whether Vice-Admiral Sir Spencer Robinson has resigned the appointments of Third Lord of the Admiralty and Controller of the Navy; and, if so, what circumstances led to his resignation? said, that the appearance of the new patent of the Board of Admiralty on Friday night required him to alter the form of his Notice. He, therefore, asked what were the reasons which led to the withdrawal of Sir Spencer Robinson from the offices of Third Lord of the Admiralty and the Controller of the Navy, when his withdrawal was so prejudicial to the service of the country?
MR. GLADSTONEI rise to answer the noble Lord's Question, and in doing so I shall carefully avoid giving an opinion on a point in respect to which it appears to me that he was not quite so cautious as is desirable. The fact is that Sir Spencer Robinson has not resigned the offices of Third Lord of the Admiralty and Controller of the Navy. The term of his appointment to the office of Controller of the Navy has expired, and in the office of Third Lord of the Admiralty he is superseded. It would be entirely superfluous to enter at the present time into the matter further than to say that the Government has not come to the conclusion that such a change was necessary without much reflection and consideration. I do not know whether the noble Lord puts the latter part 164 of the Question of which he gave Notice as to the production of letters that have passed between Sir Spencer Robinson and myself; but, if so, I could not agree to produce them, as the proceeding would be unprecedented.
LORD HENRY LENNOXsaid, he had omitted the latter part of his Notice because he had been informed that the letters referred to were of a private and confidential character.