§ MR. G. BENTINCKasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether, looking to the serious disasters which have happened to some of Her Majesty's ships from default of Navy ground-tackle, and to the manifest importance of providing the best and most trustworthy anchor for use in the Royal Navy, he will state what practical objection exists, if any, to carrying out the proposal indicated in Mr. Trotman's letter of 13th January 1873, seeing that a trial of three other competing anchors, viz. the "Admiralty," "Rodgers'," and the "Improved Martin's" anchors, is shortly to take place on board Her Majesty's ship "Devastation," now at Spithead?
§ MR. HUNTThe trial by the Devastation is at present to be confined to Martin's anchor, for the reason that the construction of that anchor gives greater facilities for firing from turrets and for ramming than any other anchor. Should there be a trial of any other anchor than Martin's by the Devastation Trotman's shall be included.