§ MR. ANDERSONasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, If it is under the so-called "temporary provision" of 1870 that the three Admirals of the Fleet are still on the "active" list, in seeming contravention of the general regulation that Admirals of seventy years of age must go on the "retired" list; if it is under the same "temporary provision" that the Senior Admiral also remains on the "active" list; and, if he will not now set aside the "temporary provision," and put those officers on the "retired" list?
§ MR. HUNT, in reply, said, that in the temporary provision of the Order in Council of 22nd February, 1870, the following reserve was made in favour of the officers referred to in the Question:—
Admirals of the Fleet and Admirals in command of ships, Captains, or Commanders, prior to the termination of the war in 1815, will he allowed to remain on the active list, such officers to be eligible for promotion to be Admirals of the Fleet.It was quite true that Admirals of over 70 years of age could not be considered to be on the active list in the sense of being likely to be actively employed; but there was no doubt that standing at the head of the list under these circumstances was a very coveted distinction among naval officers. He considered that privilege had been secured to the four distinguished officers in question by the Order in Council, and that it would not be proper to deprive them of the position. But supposing that the retirement of these officers were brought about in the way suggested, the interests of other officers would be affected, and some of them affected injuriously. He was therefore not prepared to force those four gallant officers to retire.