On this page
-
Text (7)
-
o 24 TEE LEADER. [Saturday,
-
THE RE-ELECTIONS. Lord John Russell was ...
-
On the same day Sir Charles Wood was re-...
-
Mr. Vernon Smith was on Monday re-electe...
-
On the Monday, Sir George Cornwall Lewis...
-
OiiTuesday, Mr. Horsman was returned for...
-
THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AND THE SOLDIERS* ...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
The Sebastopol Committee. Tjhb Inquiry I...
were told a cargo of charcoal . The state of the clothing was not bad at the time , but before he left it was getting very indifferent—there was no warm clothing served out . In regard to food , there was a constant pressure upon the troops arising from the want of means of transport . The two departments on which due provision depended were the commissariat and the quartermaster-general's . ^ He had many conflicts In respect to the commissariat ; some of the gentlemen in that department were very inefficient—they might do very well as clerks of the Treasury . They were always employed in writing letters to the Treasury ; and as soon as he found out this he made strong representations . This created controversy . One man , he believed , lost his senses . The effective persons who replaced these individuals
provided his division with food . His division suffered much ; but lost only one-fourth in comparison with others . The deaths were chiefly from diarrhoea . He attributed the better fate of his division to the fact of its having had a better commissariat attached to it . There were no wooden huts . They had not arrived when he left Balaklava . He left soon after the battle of Inkerman . There was no medical depot attached to the division . The condition of the horses was then not very bad . The horses of the artillery were better from their having regular rations , not only of barley , but of forage of hay or straw very often . His impression was that there was an inadequacy in the commissariat . As to the ambulance corps of pensioners , he was told they were liable to excess in their potations .
The examination of Sir De Lacy Evans was continued on Tuesday . He stated that very little preparation appeared to have ^ been made for the sick : he believed the war was commenced under the impression that there would be no wounds at all . The ambulance carts were not without their utility ; but they were too heavy . He could not say exactly when he first saw them in the Crimea . The French mode of conveying the wounded , by mules alone , did well enough in a rough , hilly country ; but in serious cases he should imagine that mode was not a good one . As to the men remaining for a long period without change of clothing ,.-that-was the case with officers as well as men ; he had himself only one coat .
The tents were very indifferent , and some of them , he believed , had been used in the Peninsular war . The hospital tents were the best that could be gofc They were large ; and if tents were necessarily used for hospitals , , they were- very fair ; they had the advantage of good ventilation . The bedding was very insufficient and unsatisfactory . Unfortunately , these tents "were often inconveniently crowded , but he did not think the men ' were always absolutely on the bare ground . He thought the French tente d ' abri parried by the men was useful for summer weather and on rapid marches , but not for winter . He had no £ examined them , and could not say whether they would be advisable for the English army . There
were no quays at the water-edge for landing , nor anything of the kind . They were occasionally encumbered , but he observed nothing extraordinary . He had heard "that-men sent down for clothing -had been detained the whole day in consequence of the confusion in the town . He had not heard of any depots being erected in the camps , in case the communication with Balaklava had been cut off . Had the road been in the hands of the enemy , the inconvenience to the troops would have been lamentable , but not irremediable . He firmly believed the war was commenced under the delusion that matters would be settled without any explosion of gunpowder , and that there was no necessity for any magazines
at all . Though the Commissariat was under the control of the Commander , yet it was closely connected also with the Treasury , and the officers must have had the impression that laying out the money required was extravagance . That was his conviction . Arrangements were not made to enable them to take the field at once . He thought the Government was still waiting for notes and protocols from Vienna , and no -great exertions were made to put the army in a condition to move . The Russians were carrying on the siege of Silistria ; and still the army was not in readiness to move . With respect to the age of Mr . Filder , the head of the Commissariat , Sir De "Xaey said that he had been in the Peninsula , and could not , therefore , be very young .
The sanitary elate of the camp it was the business of the staff to look after ; and it was the duty of the Commander * in-Chief to make them perform their business . He saw no occasion for the appointment of a sanitary officer . He thought it would be inconvenient . As fur as his own stuff went , ho denied the charge of nepotism . The fatigtie of the men was injurious , from the first the work cut out for them ' was entirely beyond their numerical strength . The overwork during the nights was decidedly the main causo of the suffering of the army . In the Crimeu there wad not the advantage of shelter in villages as in the campaigns of Spain , and the troops had not materials for building any . Ho had never seen any English Boldiors in French clothing . He recollected the French making them a present of 20 . 000 rations
No preparation had been made for the reception of the 299 sick soldiers on board . They were laid on the bare deck with one or two blankets for a covering The air between decks was very offensive . There were only three medical men , and of these two became ill . At Scutari it was seven days before all the men could be landed ; but with proper hospital accommodation they might have been landed in one day . He believed each medical man had to attend on ninety sick . ony aftehalf
of bread . There ought to have been no difficulty in conveying stores from the port to the camps . The clothing of the soldiers might have been materially improved , considering all that science has done during the last forty years ; but no light waterproof coats or sheets had been distributed . The mining toois were bad , and the soil of the trenches was hard . . . _ ¦ ,, . Mr . Dundas , M . P ., was recalled , and continued his evidence of the previous day , confining his testim to the state of the sick on board the Timor .
The Committee adjourned shortly r -past three . At the meeting of the Committee on Wednesday , und again on Thursday , General Bentinck , commander of the Brigade of Guards , was examined . His evidence was to much the same effect as that of Sir De Lacy Evans : he spoke of the injurious effect upon the men ' s health of the hard work in the trenches ; of the want of winter clothing and of medicine ; of the wretched nature of the tools with which the pioneers had to work ( though the same
tools had been tried and found wanting at Chobhani ); and of the deficiency in the means of transport . The other witnesses examined on the two days were—Mr . Stephen Owen , the only surviving officer of the transport ship Resolute , one of the vessels wrecked near the port of Balaklava in the storm of the 14 th of November ; Captain Wrottesley , of the Royal Engineers ; Dr . Vaux , surgeon of the Harbinger steamer ; and Mr . Layard , M . P . ; all of whom spoke to various instances of mismanagement . The Committee adjourned to Friday .
O 24 Tee Leader. [Saturday,
o TEE LEADER . [ Saturday ,
The Re-Elections. Lord John Russell Was ...
THE RE-ELECTIONS . Lord John Russell was re-elected for the City of London on Saturday . Mr . H . J . Preseott having proposed , and Mr . J . Dillon seconded , the nomination , Mr . J . Stoner expressed a hope that the citizens of London would put an end to the political career of Lord John Russell , on account of his Puseyitical tendencies . He concluded by proposing Sir Charles Napier ; butthe nomination was not seconded . The following resolution was then put , and unanimously carried : — " That " at a period like the present , when , by gross mismanagement on the part of the executive Government , the high position of this country in the ^ scale of nations has been in danger of being compromised , the citizens of London in common hall , having elected as
their representative in Parliament the noble lord who has accepted office as one of her Majesty ' s principal Secretaries of SFater desire fo place upon recOTci the factthat they ' have discharged this duty in the earnest hope and trust that the Government of which the noble lord is so important a member , will immediately and firmly grapple with and effectually remove the causes of that disastrous mismanagement which has been displayed in the conduct of the present war , and which , whether it has arisen from adherence to routine in the departments , from the incapacity of the men presiding over and employed in them , or from the overwhelming influence of political patronage , must , if left unremedied , involve the honour , the safety , and the free institutions of this country in extreme peril . "
Mr . P . A . Taylor , who declared that " the four points" are disgraceful and traitorous , and that England desires a movement in favour of the depressed nationalities , moved : — " That in the opinion of this meeting no treaty with Russia will bo satisfactory that does not enforce some material territorial clause . " The Sheriff having declined to put the resolution , Mr . Taylor submitted it himself , when a large number of hands were held up in its favour . The proceedings terminated with a vote of thanks to the Sheriffs .
On The Same Day Sir Charles Wood Was Re-...
On the same day Sir Charles Wood was re-elected for Halifux . In ft brief speech , Sir Charles expressed his thanks for the honour which the electors had done him , and explained that although tho bills for the reform of Indian affairs which he ha d passed while in his recent office , had given him a great dosiro to remain in that department , and watch over their execution , ho had felt it his duty to accept the post of First Lord of the Admiralty under tho present Government , at the desire of his colleagues . Referring to the death of tho'Empcrorof Russia , ho said : — 14 forbid that wo should rejoice at any man being suddenly called away from this world . I 3 ut > if over calamities are to bo attributed to tho will of one man , tho
present war , with all its fatal consequences , is to be attributed to the overweening ambition of the Emperor of Russia , It was necessary for the rest of Europe to resist the ambitious spirit of aggrandisement which , threatened the liberties and independence of his neighbours , and would , if successful , have put him in a position to exercise a predominant influence over the affairs of Europe . It was . necessary to resist ; and , until that resistance be made successful ,- at whatever hazard , it is imperative upon us to carry on the war . ( Cheers . ") But vre should be wanting in our duty to the country , if we neglected to avail ourselves of the first opportunity of making an honourable and safe peace . I cannot but hope that the event which has happened may tend to produce that result . "
Mr. Vernon Smith Was On Monday Re-Electe...
Mr . Vernon Smith was on Monday re-elected for Northampton , having met with only a feeble resistance from a Mr . J . J . Lockhart , a Liberal , who did not go to the poll . In answer to that gentleman's assertion that Mr . V . Smith had voted against inquiry into the conduct of the war , the latter observed : — " I have been for inquiry , I am for inquiry , and those who assert the contrary say what is absolutely , totall y , and unconditionally false . { Cheers . ') The first act of the committee has been to propose to make themselves a secret committee , but the House of Commons , at the instigation of my noble friend Lord Seymour , has refused to grant their request , and has insisted upon your knowing everything that passes in the committee-room .
And everything that passes in that room you must and you shall know , as well as everything that passes before the commission ; you have a right to be heard , and if you return me I will claim that right on your behatt ( Cheers . ) Now with regard to this war . With the origin of the war I had nothing to do . When it commenced I was not in office , and as our Parliament and our Government are constituted , it is most difficult to ascertain anything upon the subject of our foreign relations . If you ask a question on the subject before war is declared , you are immediately told to be silent or you may bring on the war ; if you say anything after it is declared , you are again met with ' Hush , hush , for we may still maintain peace ; ' , after any evil event has happened , _ £ ou are told that you will only add to the calamity b 3 making a noise about it . "
On The Monday, Sir George Cornwall Lewis...
On the Monday , Sir George Cornwall Lewis was re-elected for Radnor , without opposition . In his speech to the electors , he expressed a hope—drawn from a parallel passage of R ussian history after the sudden death of Paul in 1801—that the decease of the Emperor Nicholas would lead to peace .
Oiituesday, Mr. Horsman Was Returned For...
OiiTuesday , Mr . Horsman was returned for Stroud . Speaking of the neglect from which our armies had suffered , he said : — 44 Everything appeared to have been sent out for the army , but it was sent at the wrong time , or to the wrong place , or got into the wrong hands . We sent out an enormous quantity of ammunition , for instance , but the batteries were often without shot ; immense quantities of pro" visidnswere ^ diespatched , "but the army was-frequently on half-rations ; large supplies of clothing were sent out , but the soldiers were in rags ; the cavalry was splendidly mounted , but the horses were dying of cold . They sent out nurses to the hospitals , but they wrote home piteously for lint , and , although abundance of lint was sent out , they had been told that some of the poor wounded soldiers had . their amputated limbs dressed with hay . ( Sensation . " ) If thoywent on with their inquiry , they would find tho whole of the system the same—they were the slaves of routine ( loud cheers )—they were under bondage to . red tape—they wanted a younger , a fresher , and a heartier system , with more life and activity in it ; and , above all , they wanted a system adopted by which merit , and merit only , should be the first qualification for public employment . "
The Duke Of Cambridge And The Soldiers* ...
THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE AND THE SOLDIERS * WIVES AND FAMILIES . The first anniversary meeting of the Central Association in aid of soldiers' wives and families was held at Willis ' s Rooms , on Wednesday , under the presidency of the Duke of Cambridge . His Royal Highness , after some remarks in defence ot the regimental officers , gave some particulars ot tne progress of tho Association : — " This association was formed about a year ago . The liberality of tho public has been very gront towardsi it , and I am gratified to think that no less than 104 , UUU * . has been subscribed . ( C / ieera . ) 84 , 000 / . has been already expended . I am happy to say that ( 54 , 000 / . is still > n hand . That ia a largo sum , but tho outgoing * are very considerable , amounting now to at least 1000 / . per wet'K . Tho funda , tlioreforo , would very soon come to an ciiu h the association were not liberally supported by the public . I have tho pleasure of informing you that in addition w tho nuinbor of aoldiora' wives who have boon rehovetl oy tho association , situations have been obtained for no fewer than 000—a proof that , while tho association io
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), March 10, 1855, page 8, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_10031855/page/8/
-