§ MR. H. SAMUELSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, If it is not the case that the companies or batteries commanded by First Captains of the Royal Marine Artillery are of greater numerical strength (viz. 173 Officers and Men) than the average of batteries of the Royal Regiment of Artillery; whether the First Captains of the Marine Artillery have not a greater length of service than the late First Captains of the Royal Artillery; and, whether it is his intention to confer upon the former the same promotion as has been given to the latter; and, if not, if he would explain to the House for what reason he refuses?
§ MR. GOSCHEN,in reply, said, it was true that the companies or batteries commanded by first captains of the Royal Ma- 1556 rine Artillery were generally of greater numerical strength than the average of batteries of the Royal Regiment of Artillery; and that the first captains of the Marine Artillery had generally greater length of service than the late first captains of the Royal Artillery; but it did not follow that the duties of the two corps were precisely the same, nor that the number of men generally commanded by officers of the rank of captain were the same in the same corps. With reference to the third Question, a proposal to grant the identical promotion to the Royal Marine Artillery which had been given to the Royal Artillery had never been placed before the Admiralty, and therefore he had never had any opportunity of consenting or refusing. The proposals made had reference to the whole Marine force, both Infantry and Artillery, and, in consequence of representations made to the Admiralty, an arrangement had been effected by which a certain number of captains, both of Artillery and Infantry, had been promoted to the brevet rank of major.