DISGRACEFUL ROW.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3581, 3 January 1883, Page 4

DISGRACEFUL ROW.

The Sydney Evening News, of the 13rh ultimo, publishes the following significant paragraph:—"lt; would he well to know the causes of the recent disgraceful fracas on board 11.M.5. Miranda.'" To put the mildest; construction on the affair, if; shows very clearly that the discipline of the ship cannot be in a satisfactory state. Where were the officers of the ship while the constables were being hustled and abused on board!- I low is it we only hear of one officer r Who was he, and where were the rest: Taking this affair in connection with the number of unpunished outrages among the South Sea Islands, we are led te) fear that service on the Australian station is not so well calculated as might be wished to promote and maintain the discipline of that portion of the navy stationed here. We would venture to ask whether the ships do not spend far too much time in port, aud whether the oflicers arc not too much engrossed by th eir social eludes on shore to give sufficient attention to their service duties on board. We should be sorry indeed, to charge these gentlemen with wilful neglect of duty, but it is not creditable to the discipline of a man-of-war that a disturbance of such magnitude as a light between three policemen anel four or five of her crew should be allowed, not only on the deck, but in the captain's cabin—in his very bedroom—without more than one officer being found on the spot to interfere. It is said that the captain is about to take the matter in hand. "We should think" so serious a matter was rather a case for the interference of the commodore. We are fortutunate in not having had any such disgraceful proceedings here, but the affair on board the Miranda shows pretty clearly that the ship is not in a very creditable state of discipline, and Aye cannot help fearing that Ihe whole squaelron is more or less demoralised. Would it not be advisable to keep them a little at sea, rather than oscillating between tho various capitals. There are some things of more importance than picnics, lawn tenuis, and the clubs."