§ SIR EDWARD J. REEDasked the Secretary to the Admiralty, With reference to the Return of Her Majesty's "Ships Built and Building" lately presented by him to this House, with what object he has inserted, under the heading "Armoured Vessels," seventeen recently built vessels which are not armoured, and which were described as "Unarmoured Vessels" in the Return "Navy (Ships Built)," presented to Parliament by Command of Her Majesty in August last, and printed by Order of this House; and, whether the Diagram attached to his Return, which purports to compare the tonnage of "Armoured Ships" built by the present Board of Admiralty with that built by their predecessors has been so constructed as to comprise all, or any, of these seventeen unarmoured ships; and, if so, whether he will cause an amended Return and Diagram, to be forthwith presented, showing the correct amounts of armoured tonnage?
§ SIR THOMAS BRASSEYI regret that the error to which the Question refers should have escaped observation. It will be corrected in an amended Return. I desire to add that the Return which has been presented to the House is intended to combine all the particulars which have hitherto been given in Returns moved for by the late Mr. Laird, the right hon. and gallant Member for the Wigtown Burghs, and by my Predecessors in the Office of Secretary to the Admiralty. In the Diagram attached to the Return the tonnage of "Armoured Ships" does not include any unarmoured ships, except for the 851 year 1882–3, when the Polyphemus and Mersey were classed as armoured.
§ SIR EDWAED J. REEDsaid, he should like to ask whether, in view of the great importance of the error, it had been traced to its source?
§ [No reply.]