§ MR. HAYDEN (Leitrim, S.)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty whether there have been complaints of the annoyance caused by the firing, by the Naval Reserve, of heavy guns on the shore at New Brighton, Liverpool; whether he is aware that as the result of the firing serious damage has been done to property in the neighbourhood; and whether, if on inquiry ho finds these complaints to be well founded, he will take steps to have the firing carried on further westward on the coast, where no annoyance would result?
§ *LORD G. HAMILTONThe Royal Naval Reserve are in the habit of practising from a nine pounder field gun from the beach at New Brighton, but no complaints on the subject have reached the Admiralty. It seems improbable that the firing of a gun of this size, whoso maximum charge of powder is under 2 lbs., could inflict serious damage to property in the vicinity, but I have directed an inquiry to be made into the circumstances.