§ ADMIRAL FIELD (Sussex, Eastbourne)asked the First Lord of the Admiralty, Whether, in view of the lamentable accident which occurred on board a gunboat whilst saluting at the Naval Review, the "Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty" will require that the Regulations, which prohibit vessels armed with such few guns from saluting at any time, be strictly enforced in future?
§ THE FIRST LORD (Lord GEORGE HAMILTON) (Middlesex, Ealing)The Kite formed one of a group of gunboats combined for the purpose of firing a salute, of which her share was three rounds from each of her guns. This combination was arranged in order to meet the spirit of the Regulations referred to, which are intended to prevent any single vessel with a small number 371 of guns having to fire salutes. I do not consider that the incident involved any breach of the instructions. The accident was certainly not due to any necessity for maintaining a rapid fire.
§ ADMIRAL FIELDasked, whether the views which the noble Lord had just expressed were those of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty?
§ LORD GEORGE HAMILTONCertainly.