The Earl of Mintobegged the indulgence of their Lordships for a few moments while he called their attention to a subject which he felt to be one of importance, as relating to one great branch of the public service, and also important to the character for fairness and impartiality of the late 1091 Board of Admiralty. His attention bad been caught by a notice of motion which stood on the votes of the other House of Parliament for Friday last. The motion was "For a return of all the commissions (with the names attached) signed by the Board of Admiralty since the 4th of June last, up to the issuing the patent of the present Board of Admiralty, distinguishing those commissions signed since the 30th day of August." Also, a "Return of the ships put in commission during the same period, making a like distinction, and of the probable date of each ship being ready for service." Those returns he would say were unnecessary, as the whole of the information thus sought was already before the public in another shape. The returns, though not tending to add to the information already before the country, were, however, calculated to give countenance to certain charges which had gone forth to the public against the late Board of Admiralty, as to their mode of distributing navy patronage. Now, there was no subject connected with the administration of naval affairs which he should more desire an examination of, than the question of patronage. If any favour were shown, he thought that it ought to be exercised sparingly, and in such a manner as to show that no disparagement was meant to the meritorious services of others. He would admit, that large promotions had taken place in true navy of a recent date, and he would explain how that occurred. He would premise that promotions were made in three ways. First, in the ordinary course, when three vacancies took place by death in a particular rank, the promotion of one officer to that rank took place as of course, and this was the usual and common way of promotion. Secondly, flag-officers appointed to vacancies on the stations under their command, and might make certain appointments on hauling down their flags. The third way was by a special minute of the Board in consideration of circumstances which, in the judgment of the Board, required such an expression of its approbation of the conduct of the officer. With respect to the amount of promotions in the first way, he was not responsible for it, but for the distribution only. With regard to the second, he was not responsible at all; but with regard to the third, he held himself entirely responsible both for the amount of promotion and the manner of bestowing it. There 1092 had been, he admitted, lately an unusual amount of promotion. With respect to those of the first kind it was usual to keep a certain number of vacancies in reserve, and the promotions, in consequence of the operations in Syria, had led to a larger reserve than usual, so that there had been a short time ago a greater accumulation of vacancies to be filled up than at any time since he came into office. The House would probably not allow him, if he felt disposed, to go minutely into the promotions which had been lately made to some of these vacancies, because it would be a bad precedent to subject (particularly appointments) to minute criticism in Parliament. He could only say, that, with respect to the first class of promotions, for the amount of which he was not responsible, he would court inquiry into its distribution, into the character of those officers who had been promoted, and he was confident that such inquiry would show that those promotions had been well and impartially bestowed. In the third class there had" been several promotions. There had been twenty-five mates promoted to the rank of lieutenants, and of these none had been less than nine years in the service, while of sixteen, the junior had not served for less than twelve years. He was anxious to call the attention of their Lordships to these facts, as they served to refute the charge so often made, that young men were promoted by the Admiralty, to the exclusion of older and more experienced officers. He was sure, for the reasons he had stated, that their Lordships would not require him to enter into a detail of the circumstances of each of those twenty-five promotions; but with respect to some of the special promotions, he did think it necessary to go somewhat into detail. There were four officers promoted from the rank of commander to that of captain, under special circumstances. The first of these was Commander Crozier, of the Terror, who had the command of one of the two ships engaged in the expedition to the Arctic Pole, under Captain James Ross. Their Lordships were aware of the success which had attended that expedition. On the return of Captain Ross he laid before the Admiralty Board an account of the voyage and its results, and, after slating how much he was indebted to the officers and men under his command, took the opportunity of most strongly and earnestly recommending Captain Crozier 1093 and his first lieutenant of the Erebus, for promotion, with which recommendation the Admiralty complied. The next of the four officers promoted to the rank of captain, was one in whom he could not say he did not feel a deep interest—he was Commander C. Elliot, of the Hazard, who had been employed on the coast of Syria, and for his conduct there had been most strongly recommended for promotion. The promotion did not then take place, because he had not then served out his full time; but he was sure that had that time not expired until now, the noble Lord now at the head of the Admiralty, would not have passed over the recommendation. The third officer promoted to the rank of: captain was Commander Granville, who: was recommended for promotion by Sir C. Adam on his being appointed to the command of a foreign station. It had; been the practice at the Admiralty that any member of the Board who accepted a command on a home or foreign station, was allowed to recommend an officer of each rank. The practice had had the sanction of Lord Melville, Sir George Cockburn, and Sir James Graham. Under such circumstances Commander Granville had been promoted, on the recommendation of Sir C. Adam. The fourth officer promoted was Commander John Parker, and he owed his promotion to a rule in the service—as the senior commander on active service. He next came to the cases of the nine lieutenants who had been promoted to the rank of commander. The first of these was Lieutenant Scot, who had served with great distinction in the Turkish fleet under Admiral Walker, and who bad been most particularly recommended by the Turkish Government to her Majesty for some mark of her approbation. Now, it certainly was very unusual to promote officers at the recommendation of foreign Governments, with whose forces they had served, and he (Lord Minto) had at first felt great doubts of the propriety of acceding to the request; but when he took into consideration the great services rendered on the coast of Syria by Lieutenant Scot, and that those services were rendered to a Government with which England was in close alliance, he did come to the conclusion that the promotion ought to take place. He would add, that Commander Scot was a member of a family strongly opposed to his (Lord Minto's) in local as well as 1094 general politics. The next was Lieutenant Bird, who was the first lieutenant of the Erebus, as he had mentioned before. Lieutenant Lloyd, who was omitted in the Syrian promotions; Lieutenant Sherningham, one of the ablest surveying officers in the service; Lieutenant Fanshawe, who was recommended by Sir R. Stopford, were also made commanders. Again, Lieutenant Lowe was the nephew of Sir Thomas Hastings, an officer to whom he considered the country so much indebted for his valuable services, that he (Earl Minto) felt it but justice to him before he retired from the Admiralty to leave on record a minute, mentioning his great zeal and ability in improving the practice of naval gunnery, by which that arm of the service had been rendered incalculably more efficient, and as a mark of the services of Sir Thomas Hastings, his nephew, Lieutenant Lowe, was promoted to the rank of commander, and Mr. Moorman, the senior gunnery mate, to the rank of lieutenant. In conclusion, the noble Earl observed, that there had always existed an impression, a very erroneous one, that political influence had more weight at the Admiralty than it ought to have; and, in fact, then it ever had had. For his own part, he would confidently appeal to the appointments which had recently, and, he might add, for many years, been made by the Admiralty, for full proof that the impression to which he alluded was altogether erroneous.
§ Subject at an end.