LORD COLVILLEwished to put a question to the noble Earl at the head of the Admiralty, on a subject which had been alluded to a few nights ago. It might be in the recollection of the noble Earl opposite, that soon after the publication of the Order in Council of June last, with regard to the distribution of medals to officers of the Army and Navy, a large meeting of naval officers was held for the purpose of expressing respectfully to the Ministers of the Crown their feelings upon that subject, and of asking them to reconsider the decision to which they had come. At that meeting a deputation was appointed, of which he (Lord Colville) had the honour to be a member, to wait upon the noble Lord the First Lord of the Admiralty. The deputation was most courteously received by the noble Lord, who was good enough to say, that though the case was a very difficult one to deal with after the lapse of so many years, it should receive the consideration of the Government. The question he (Lord Colville) now wished to ask was, whether it was the intention of the Government to recommend any extension of, or any deviation from, the Order in Council of June last, respecting the granting of medals for particular actions therein specified?
§ The EARL of AUCKLANDsaid, he could have no objection to give the noble Lord all the information in his power on the subject to which he had referred. Shortly after the publication of the Order in Council in the Gazette of the 4th of June last, a committee of Flag Officers was appointed to inquire into the claims of officers under that notice, and also the claims of other officers who might consider themselves equally entitled by their services to a similar distinction. That committee had subsequently made a report, in which they expressed their opinion that there should be a considerable extension of the rule under which it was originally proposed that medals should be awarded. He (the Earl of Auckland) had submitted this report to the Government, and he was glad to say that the recommendations of the committee had been approved and sanetioned, though some matters of detail still remained under consideration. As soon as the arrangements had been completed, notice would be given in the Gazette.