I beg to ask the Secretary to the Admiralty, with regard to the case of Surgeon Lea, of H.M.S. Ringarooma, who, doubting the mental fitness of Captain Johnson for the Command of the ship, had him put on the sick list, whereupon the captain put the doctor under arrest, from which he was released almost at once by the senior naval officer of the port; what was the finding of the Court Martial convened by Admiral Bridge to try Surgeon Lea; whether he is aware that the Court ruled that they had not anything to do with the question of the captain's health, and refused to hear evidence on the point of his mental fitness, and also refused Surgeon Lea's offer to produce medical evidence; whether telegrams and reports have been received at the Admiralty from Sydney, where the Court Martial was held, and what decision has been come to on the question; what length of service has Surgeon Lea had; and whether it is a fact that his record is an untarnished one?

The papers have only just reached me, and I must have time to consider the evidence given at the Court Martial, and also to consult with my naval advisers upon the subject.