§ SIR J. COLOMB (Great Yarmouth)I beg to ask the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can state how many officers borne on the books of Her Majesty's ships on the China station can speak any language other than English; and can he give the number of those on the station who have qualified as interpreters in Russian, French, or German respectively.
§ THE CIVIL LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Mr. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAIN,) Worcestershire, E.Of the officers borne on the ships on the China station there are three qualified as interpreters in French, two in German, and one in Russian. As to how many more officers may possess a knowledge of languages other than their own I cannot say. We 776 have no complete Returns on the subject. We know of twelve said to speak French and two German.
§ SIR J. COLOMBTo what branch of the Navy does the Russian interpreter belong?
§ MR. AUSTEN CHAMBERLAINI must ask for notice of any further question.