TURKEY—THE PLAGUE IN BAGDAD. tine regulations which were not imposed

CRAB AND LOBSTER FISHERIES (NOR

FOLK) BILL.-QUESTION.

MR. ASSHETON CROSS, in reply, | dition correspondence with the United said, he thought the hon. Member would States. The Question I wish to ask is, see on reflection that there was no an- Whether it will be in the power of the alogy between the two cases. In the right hon. Gentleman to give any facilicase of the Balham inquiry the Court ties to my hon. and learned Friend to had quashed the inquisition and ordered bring on that discussion? My hon. and the coroner to hold a second inquiry learned Friend will, of course, if necesinto the circumstances of the case; sary, take his own chance of bringing whereas in the case of the Mistletoe a forward that discussion, but I wish to second inquiry had already been held by point out that my hon. and learned another Court. Friend could have no opportunity of doing so for a month at least, and it is very likely that he might fail altogether. Looking to the importance of the subject and the desirability of having a discussion on it, I consider that neither of these contingencies would be desirable. I also wish to ask whether, now that the last set of Papers relating to Egyptian affairs has been laid on the Table, the right hon. Gentleman will name a day on which he proposes to take the discussion on the Vote for the expenses of Mr. Cave's mission? I have also been requested by many of my Friends to ask, whether it will be in the power of the right hon. Gentleman to make a statement as to the intentions of the Government respecting the University Bills? I know that in the arrangements of the Government for this week those Bills are not included. I do not ask the Government to state precisely on what day they will bring them forward; but it may be in the power of the right hon. Gentleman to say, in the event of the Business set down for this week being disposed of, what is the next important Business which it is the intention of the Government to take up?

MR. MELDON asked the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether, in the event of the Motion to refer the Crab and Lobster Fisheries (Norfolk) Bill to a Select Committee being withdrawn, the Government are prepared to advise the appointment of a Select Committee to inquire into the necessity for legislation with the view of protecting the Crab and Lobster Fisheries throughout the United King

dom?

MR. ASSHETON CROSS, in reply, said, the Crab and Lobster Fisheries (Norfolk) Bill was founded on an inquiry made by the Fishery Inspectors. It had the unanimous approval of the fishermen and of the owners of fisheries, and therefore he should like to have it passed, if possible, this Session. He was perfectly willing, however, that in the Recess an inquiry should be instituted by the Inspectors for the whole Kingdom, so that next year a Bill not limited to Norfolk, but operating throughout the United Kingdom, might be introduced.

PARLIAMENT-ARRANGEMENT OF

PUBLIC BUSINESS.-QUESTION.

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON: Sir, I believe that the course of the Business of this House for the present week was stated to this House on Friday last by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and I have no Question therefore, to ask on the subject. I wish, however, to ask the right hon. Gentleman at the head of Her Majesty's Goverment a Question with reference to a Notice which has been placed on the Table by my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Oxford (Sir William Harcourt), relating to the Papers on the subject of the Extra

MR. DISRAELI: Sir, I propose to place the Cambridge Bill on the Paper as the First Order of the Day for Thursday, the 6th of July. With reference to the noble Lord's inquiry respecting the Extradition Papers and the Motion contemplated by the hon. and learned Gentleman, I would observe that those Papers are not yet completed. We ought, before discussing the question, to have before us the despatch of Mr. Secretary Fish, and also the answer of Her Majesty's Government. The answer of Her Majesty's Government to that despatch is written, but has not yet been sent, though, probably, it will be sent immediately. With regard to giving facilities to the hon. and learned Gentleman the Member for Oxford, I may say it is always my duty and pleasure

tion of the Admiralty by Sir James | vice, 310; objectionable, 42; coastGraham? The consequence had been guard on shore, 265; other causes, 165; that our naval expenditure had in- total, 2,847. Of this number, no less creased from £4,500,000 in 1833, to an than 800 deserted in 1873. Last year expenditure, on an average of 10 years, no less than 1,100 men deserted; so that of £11,000,000 a-year. No doubt, the the discontent was steadily increasing. amount voted was of secondary import- The men would not remain a moment ance, if only the Navy were kept in longer on board a man-of-war than they really efficient order; but the degree of could help. One glance at the youthful inefficiency to which we had arrived appearance of the crews proved that. only too clearly indicated the waste of They no longer saw the weather-beaten, this money. As to the personnel of the grisly petty officers, prime seamen, the Navy, he deeply regretted to say there heart and soul of the ship's company, was not a single class in the Service the natural leaders of the men in any without just cause of complaint. He emergency, whether of storm or battle. had in his hands statements printed and The men would not stop, and the House circulated by nearly every class of ex- would be astonished at the number of ecutive officers, describing the grievances commitments to prison, and other pununder which they lay. Such a course ishments inflicted, to keep up the very had never been known when he was ordinary discipline of the present day in young in the Service. From the cadet the Fleet. Take the case of the Chalto the Admiral there was room for re- lenger. That ship, as hon. Members form. The masters, engineers, sur- were aware, had returned from an exgeons, and Paymasters had all injustice ceptionally pleasant cruise, where the and inequalities to complain of as re- men were well treated, no doubt, and spected pay, position, and promotion. more or less picked men; but out of a The case of the masters was a disgrace crew of 240, some 60 deserted during to the Service; they were the very back- the cruise of the ship-say 25 per cent bone of the Royal Navy-the best sea- of her ship's company. As to the Royal men and navigators in the Fleet, and with- Naval Reserve, it was thoroughly unout any substitute for them he could not reliable, not to say useless. This year conceive how they could afford to abolish Parliament had voted a sum of £240,000 them. The navigating officers were the to provide for 20,000 men; but he venmost useful men in the Service. The tured to say that on an emergency not treatment of the Warrant officers was 1,000 men could be obtained even by such as to give the idea that it was the pressing. In war time they could not object of the Admiralty to get rid of take one single man from their Merchant them altogether. The policy adopted Service; they must have food, and their towards the Royal Marines was simply merchant ships must bring in that food suicidal-they were a magnificent body constantly, or they would starve, as the of men, absolutely unequalled under island never had more than two months' arms-in fact, our men-of-war could not provisions in stock at the same time. be manned without them. Yet their Their so-called Naval Reserve was usememorial set forth that the 22 senior less, and they were worse than wasteful lieutenants of the corps were not in the in spending their money upon it. He 16th year of their service; and such was now came to the matériel of the Navy. the stagnation in the higher ranks that Our iron-clad ships were of so heterogeit amounted to an absolute block to pro- neous a description that it would be immotion; 1,108 captains in the Army and possible to classify them; but he would several majors were actually junior in the take a few typical examples, sufficient to Service to these lieutenants. With re- show how little they were to be relied on gard to the seamen the case was still in the hour of need. The hon. and galmore serious. The number of bond fide lant Member proceeded, at great length, seamen (including pensioners) who had to read Reports on the efficiency of left the Service from all causes during various iron-clad ships. The Research, the year 1872-3, the last printed Return, he said, had proved such a bad sea boat appeared to have been, according to the that in a coasting voyage, in moderate Return, as follows:-By purchase, 48; weather, her captain was nearly washed invalided, 647; died, 124; deserted, 800; overboard from the central battery; the disgraced, 6; pensioned for long ser- Vixen and the Waterwitch rolled and

pitched to such a degree that the crews | vessels the finest iron-clad ever built in went aft in a body, and protested against the world could be easily destroyed. In being sent to sea in such unseaworthy short, every one asserted in unmistakvessels. The Pallas was built expressly able language that their unwieldy, unfor speed, yet the Pallas and Research manageable iron-cladswere the only two vessels that could

"were not safe when near land or one another,

The gallant Sir George Sartorius, Admiral of the Fleet, said—

not keep company with the squad-at sea, at anchor, or in bad weather, without ron. The Bellorophon was to have steam power." surpassed every other iron-clad, but what was her practical performance? Admiral Yelverton reported of her that she ranked below the Lord Clyde, "They are equally unfit for the exigencies of and on a par with the Caledonian coast or distant warfare; and for the blockading and the Ocean-these last being wooden of an enemy's ports, impracticable.” line-of-battle ships converted into iron- The Report, 1872, of the Scientific Comclads to meet an emergency. The Van-mittee appointed by the Lords Commisguard class was to be weighed by the result of the trial trip of the Invincible, when that ship on her return had the appearance of being on her beam-ends. She was actually heeling over 17 to 18 degrees, and the greatest anxiety prevailed on shore for the safety of the ship; The Audacions, Iron Duke, Triumph, and Swiftsure were equally bad, and on an average 400 tons of ballast had to be placed on board of each of these vessels. Then as to our coast defenders, the Devastation and Thunderer class, Admiral Sir Thomas Symonds said

"I should be afraid to go at any great speed at sea with them (the Devastation class); I have seen very heavy seas, and I know no limit to their power. If steaming, you are obliged to go at a certain speed, or you drown yourself. All I know is, that so far as I am myself concerned, I should be very sorry to be in those vessels."

He (Captain Pim) could hardly speak with patience of huge mastless iron-clads as coast defenders. Coast defenders, indeed! Why, putting on one side the unseaworthiness of these vessels altogether, what did they want, he asked, with such coast defenders? The first thing they must do in war was to blockade any enemy's ports-shut them upfancy one Alabama only amongst their commerce! What they wanted was a vessel capable of keeping the sea under sail in any weather. He should like to ask hon. Members if it was possible for the Devastation to keep the sea off the Elbe in a gale of wind! Why, she would be smothered. What they wanted was a cloud of gunboats able to carry sail in all weathers, and to claw off a lee shore under sail; they should have a crew of above 25 men, one heavy gun, full brig or schooner rig, and steam power for action; with four of these Captain Pim

sioners of the Admiralty to examine the designs of ships recently built, was to the effect that diligent research throughout the Royal Navy was in vain to disto reproduce. He repeated that nothing cover even one type of ship as desirable could be more unsatisfactory than the present state of the Royal Navy. And it. The nation and the Navy united as nothing was more easy than to remedy one man in pointing to the Admiralty as responsible. And how could the country expect anything but mismanagement and misrule from a Department so curiously constituted? In less than 50 years there had been more than 20 changes in the First Lord of the Admiralty, whose tenure of office had, on an average, been about two years. The hon. and gallant Member then quoted from the Report of the Select Committee on Navy, Army, and Ordnance Esti

mates of 1858 numerous instances of

waste and extravagance which had resulted from the bad constitution of the Admiralty

"In 27 cases investigated, the Admiralty bought back the old copper from the purchaser of a ship at a greater price than that for which

they sold the ship itself, including the copper, costly engines, and other valuable stores." Some instances were stated of fortunate purchasers of a ship receiving back from the Admiralty (for the old copper returned) two, three, four, and even five times over the original price they had paid for the ship, &c.

MR. E. J. REED wanted to know whether the hon. and gallant Gentleman was quoting now from the Report of the Committee, or the Report of the hon. Member for Lincoln (Mr. Seely), which was rejected by the Committee?