§ MR. KEARLEY (Devonport)I beg to ask the Civil Lord of the Admiralty whether the Admiralty have further considered the claim for Greenwich pensions, under Article 2225 of the Queen's Regulations, of the widows of those petty officers and seamen who were drowned by the capsizing of the boat in which they 1208 were returning from shore leave to H.M.S. Tamar, on the morning of the 12th of December last; whether the Admiralty have denied their liability upon the ground that these men were not drowned on duty, inasmuch as the boat from which they were capsized was not a ship's boat but a waterman's; and whether he is aware that H.M.S. Tamar made no provision for conveying men to or from the shore on liberty leave, and that, in the absence of such, these men had no alternative but to use shore boats; and that, had they failed to report themselves on board at the regulation hour, they would have been subjected to punishment for leave-breaking?
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. E. ROBERTSON, Dundee)The Board of Admiralty have now decided that the circumstances connected with the uufortunate loss of certain men belonging to H.M.S. Tamar on the 12th of December last justify the case of their widows being considered for the grant of Greenwich pensions. Arrangements had been made early in the year for a service of ships' boats, but were not carried out because the ship's company preferred to adhere to the system of making their own arrangements, independently of the ship. Even though the men might technically have been liable to punishment for not returning to their ship at the regulation hour, every consideration would have been shown them had it been proved that stress of weather prevented their leaving the shore.
§ MR. KEARLEYWill the pensions be paid from the date of the death of the men?
§ MR. E. ROBERTSONI should like to have notice of that question.