The Earl of Darnleysaid, he held in his hands a petition relative to the State of the Navy. He presented it the more readily, as it would give his noble friend an opportunity to clear up a suspicion which very generally prevailed, of the navy not being in that state of efficiency in which it ought to be kept. That such was its state was asserted by the individual who had preferred this petition; but he believed the assertion was far from being correct. Being himself desirous of inquiring into the state of the navy, he had found that in many instances the reports of the bad state of certain ships was totally unfounded.
The petition was from Mr. John Berridge, and prayed that the House would cause a full inquiry to be made into the state of the navy.
Lord Melvillesaid, that as far as regarded any general decay, he could most positively contradict the representation which had been made of the state of the navy. Some partial instances of decay there always must be; but beyond what was to be expected in the ordinary course of things, it was untrue that there was any decay in the navy. The petition came from a person who pretended that he had discovered a nostrum for curing the dry rot, which had erroneously been alleged to exist to a great extent in the navy. Instances of ships which had been pointed out in support of this allegation of dry rot, had been inquired into, and the state of those ships had been proved to be the reverse of the representation made. More attention had, within these few years, been paid to the subject than was ever paid before, in consequence of the notice which the reports had excited. A strict investigation had been instituted, and the most ample details as to the state of every ship in the navy had been obtained. The result was, that if they were to take any period of our history, and compare it with the present, they would select the latter as that period in which the greater number of ships were to be 592 found in a sound state, and likely to last long. During the war, in consequence of the scarcity of timber, ships were occasionally built of timber liable to decay faster than that of which ships were built in ordinary times. But the Navy Board now guarded against the use of that sort of timber. Many propositions had been made for preventing a too rapid decay, but he set no value on any nostrum. The only effectual remedy, he conceived, was to use well-seasoned oak. In the want of good native oak, it had been found necessary to resort for a supply to the north of Germany, and other parts, where certainly enough of timber was to be had, but of an inferior quality. With the exception he had made, his noble friend might be assured, that the navy was in a better state than it had been at any former period.
§ Ordered to lie on the table.