§ MR. HANBURY TRACYasked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether it is true, as appears by the Navy List just issued, that thirteen officers have qualified as Interpreters of Foreign Languages; whether it is the case that none of the Officers so qualified are now employed as Interpreters, or are in receipt of the extra allowance held out as an inducement to Officers to qualify as such under Admiralty Circular of July 1874; and, if he will state what portion, if any, of the amount of £500 voted by Parliament as the extra remuneration to be paid to Officers serving as Interpreters, for the year ending the 31st March 1876, has been so paid?
§ MR. HUNTFourteen officers have qualified as interpreters of foreign languages, six of them under the Order in Council of 1874; one officer is in the receipt of the extra allowance. The accounts for 1875–6 have not yet been completed; but, judging from the amount paid in the first six months of the year, something under £100 will have been paid. By the Circular of July, 1874, officers are only allowed to receive the allowance when borne in a flagship or senior officer's ship on a foreign station, when they have qualified in the languages commonly spoken within the limits of the command.