§ MR. HARMSWORTHTo ask the Secretary to the Admiralty if he will state whether the glass balls affixed to the mastheads of men-of-war are purchased by the State; and, if not, by whom are they supplied and paid for.
(Answered by Mr. Arnold-Forder.) Glass balls are occasionally placed on the mastheads of ships for the purposes of decoration. They are not purchased by the State, but are placed there by the officers, who, I presume, pay for them, unless, as I believe frequently happens, they are presented by friends who have a special admiration for the ship, or for those who sail in her.