LORD DUNSANYsaid, he desired to ask his noble Friend who represented the Admiralty in their Lordships' House, Whether any steps have been taken to raise the Eurydice; and, whether, as had been asserted, she spread a quantity of canvas out of proportion as compared to other ships? That had been asserted in several papers, and perhaps his noble Friend would answer whether that was the fact or not? If it were so, it would go far to account for the accident. As to raising the ship—beyond the obvious advantage of recovering a vessel of some value, and the remains of those who were lost in her, in whom so many families must be interested, he wished to point out that a certain moral value attached to a successful effort to recover the loss sustained. It was not merely by successful engagements that the reputation of the Service had been sustained —sometimes as much credit could be gained by recovering a ship as by taking an enemy's. As an instance of this, he might mention that the Gorgon, a ship of war, was lost under extraordinary circumstances. She was blown up almost on to dry land—at all events, she was left on dry land—and the very skilful efforts of her crew were successful in restoring that ship to the service of the country. He wished, therefore, to know whether it was the intention of the Admiralty to take any steps for recovering the Eurydice, and whether that was to be done by the resources of the Navy or by means of a contractor? He trusted it would rather be by the resources of the Navy than by any other means; because it must be obvious that the experience 514 that would be gained in recovering a ship like this would be of considerable advantage to the country in future wars. He was not aware whether, since the case of the Gorgon, there had been any case of a ship being recovered to the Service by the efforts of their own officers and sailors.
LORD ELPHINSTONEsaid, in answer to the Question of his noble Friend, he had to state that the Dockyard authorities at Portsmouth were making all the necessary preparations for raising the Eurydice. Divers were at work in removing the upper spars and sails, and other impedimenta. When that was accomplished, it was intended to attach four lighters to the wreck at low water, the effect of which would be that, as the tide rose, the vessel would lift; and she would then be towed into the shallow water of Sandown Bay. The ports, hatchways, and other openings would then be closed, and the vessel pumped out. Should the weather continue favourable for diving operations, it was hoped the vessel might be taken into Portsmouth Harbour in about three weeks' time. He need scarcely say that a strict and searching investigation would be made into the condition of the ship, and it was intended that the Court of Inquiry should not be held until these conditions were known. Whether anything would be discovered that might account for a catastrophe, that was without precedent in the annals of their Navy with regard to ships of this class, it was useless now to speculate on; but, for his own part, he must confess that he was not sanguine that such would be the case. With regard to the Question whether the Eurydice carried heavier spars or a greater spread of canvas than other ships of her class, he had to reply that she had precisely the same masts, yards, and sails as those carried by the 11—he thought—other ships of that class built by Sir Thomas Symonds, to compete with which the Eurydice was built by Admiral Elliot.