The Press. — London, England, 1855-03-10 00:00:00

226 The papers had reference to operations now about to be resumed, and their production would be most injurious. Captain SCOBELL, from his own Baltic experience, approved the conduct of Sir C. Napier. Mr. Mu.NER GIBSON could not see the danger of producing the papers, as they were those subsequent to the 20th of December, and could have no refer ence to naval operations about to be resumed. Were it otherwise, the Government could give extracts bearing upon the case. Admiral BERKELEY said that during the latter part of Sir Charles's period of service his tone suddenly altered, and he appeared desirous of shifting on the Government all responsibility of the proceedings in the Baltic. He had not censured the gallant ad miral, who would consult his reputation by letting the matter go no further. The discussion was continued without any state. ment of interest until Lord PALMERSTON rose. He expressed great regret at the motion, and his un diminished admiration for the talents and services of Sir C. Napier. His high character was in no way diminished by what had occurred last year, and added very high praise for each of his successive actions. But he hoped the house would not agate to the mo tion, which would be most injurious to the public service. Mr. MiLms expressed himself satisfied with the result of the discussion, and withdrew his motion. QUALIFICATIONS FOR CE THE INDIAN CIVIL SERVI. Lord MONTEAGLE introduced this subject on Mon day in a motion for papers. He complained that clauses introduced into parliamentary bills was to tally disregarded by the East India Company. Amongst them was a clause introduced in 1813, ordering a distinct sum to be appropriated to educa tion, and one in 1833 abolishing all distinctions of caste, colour, or birth. He then referred to two im portant documents lately issued, in respect of admis sion to the Indian service. The first was a minute of the 15th of July last, providing for a general sys tem of village, collegiate, and university education. To this he gave his unqualified approval. To the second he could not give so decided an approbation. Now that the offices of the civil service were thrown open, it was proposed to do away with Haileybury, and establish an open examination. In that exami nation a very large proportion of masters was to be given for Greek, Latin, French, German, and Italian, which was not counterbalanced by the number given for Sanscrit and Arabia, while a considerable number of masters was to be given to the English language, and all the historical examinations were out of Eng lish history. This gave an undue advantage to na tives of this country over those of India. He alluded to the difficulties thrown in the way of natives in ordinary employment under the company, mention ing an individual case, where Dr. Chuckerbratty had, with the assistance of the Home Government, forced himself into a situation for which he was well qua lified, at the cost of an expensive visit to this country. Lord ASHBURTON said that natives of India would very probably surpass those of this country in English history and literature, as making these the subjects of more regular study. They were likewise more apt at mathematics, all which was to be added to their advantages in Sanscrit and Arabic. The Earl of ALBEMARLE, adverting more parti cularly to medical situations, said that it was most unjust to the natives of India to compel them to come to this country for an examination, while they had every opportunity at home for a full medical education. He thought that the natives would be practically excluded by the proposed arrangement, and suggested that a certain number of appoint ments should be placed in the hands of the Governor- General for their advantage. Lord WYNFORD argued that no native of India would travello,ooo miles on the chance of an advan tage from the act of 1853. Earl GRANVILLE did not think that by removing the competition from here to India we should obtain a better class of public servants, or that we ought to admit natives who had not the energy for a long voyage. He stated that in all the recent reforms the utmost cordiality had existed between the Board of Control and the directors of the East India Com pany. The names of the commissiors n ed to e were a suff i c i en t guarantee that no injustice was intend the natives of India. PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND UNIVERSITIES. Mr. HEYWOOD on Thursday moved for a committee to inquire into the best mode of enlarging the system at our public schools, and of modifying the oaths and the chapel services at the universities. Lor d P A LMERSTON said that no inquiry ortly he was ne cessary, that a bill for Cambridge would sh introduced, that much improvement was now being carried out, and that if this fell short it would be best to introduce a bill. Mr. EIEYWOOD said that he should adopt the suggestion. Ihk. THE PRESS. ROMAN CATHOLIC PROCESSIONS, The Bishop of EXETER called the attention of the House of Lords to this subject. A Roman Catholic bishop in Galway had given notice to his clergy to attend in their robes and to make a procession some time ago. Lord Eglinton, then Lord Lieutenant, took the advice of the law officers, who declared the course to be illegal. But now the titular Archbishop of Tuam issued a manifesto, in which he called on the bishops and other Roman Catholic clergy to meet him in the habiliments of their order and then walk in procession. This was last autumn, and the then Government, it appeared, referred the matter to their law officers, who had opined that the law did not affect the secular or working clergy. It appeared there was great difference of opinion on the subject, which ought to be settled. After referring to the p roc lamation issued against such processions, he said that if they were attempted in England or Scot land the consequences would be fearful to contem plate. It was imperative l y necessary to have the present legal opinions given on the matter in the present uncertain state of the law, and he therefore moved for copies of such opinions. Lord LYNDHURST said that no doubt was expressed by the legal officers both in England and Ireland as to the illegality of the procession in 1852, while in 1854 the opinion was divided. He explained his own reasons for construing the terms of the act on its pl a in grammatical sense, declaring their procession illegal, and commented on the pomp and circum stances of the one most immediately in question, while he thought the expediency of enforcing the law doubtful at the present moment. Earl GRANVILLE said that the production of the opinions of the law officers of the crown was without precedent. The LORD CHANCELLOR argued against Lord Lynd hurst's grammatical conclusions. Lord ST. LEONARDS supported them, and said that they tallied with the spirit of the act. The Bishop of EXETER said that after the speeches they had heard the case had become really ridiculous, and he should not think it necessary to disturb the practice by moving for their opinion. PUBLIC LIBRARY AND MUSEUM BILL. This bill passed through the Commons committee on Wednesday without an amendment worth notice. The house decided by a considerable majority in favour of the admission of newspapers into these dishments. The sitting on Tuesday was distinguished by a rare incident. A motion had been made for a com mittee of inquiry into the appointment of Mr. James as Recorder of Brighton. On its withdrawal, after some debate, it was moved that no notice of the ma tter should appear in the journals. The mover of the original motion, Mr. Crawford, opposed them, but could not find a second teller. The motion for omission was of course carried. IT has already been announced that Government had agreed to take into service for the East such officers in tho United Kingdom of the East India Company's service as were willing to act in command of the Tuikish contingent. The applications have been very numerous, something about 300. The nu m been selected from the most intelligent, all of whom are masters of Eastern languages, and from those willing to go out unconditionally. It is stated that each officer will be allowed fifty-one days' pay in advance. ONE of the first reforms in the army has been in the department of the cavalry riding-masters. the riding-m as ters have been troop officers. In future they are to be staff officers. For the first two years they are to rank as cornets, after that time as lieutenants, which is the highest rank they can ever attain. They are not to purchase their commis• sions. For the first five years they receive lieute nant's pay, after which their pay gradually rises on a regulated scale. After thirty years' service in all ranks, from a private to an officer, they will be per mitted to retire on a pension of eight shillings a day. This new warrant has given much satisfaction, and will enable many deserving non-commissioned officers to be promoted from the ranks. THE decorations for the victories in the East will not he ready, it is stated, before the beginning of May. Applicants on the behalf of deceased persons are to address themselves to the War Department. TEN THOUSAND HUTS are now under construction for the large encamp ment on the Curragh in April. A SPECIAL MEETING of the Edinburgh Town C ou ncil was held yesterday week for the purpose of presenting the freedom of the city of Edin bur g h to Major N as myth, " in testimony of the admiration en tertained by his fellow-citizens of his heroic conduct in defence of Silistria, and for bis services in the glorious victories of Alma and Balaklava." The ceremony took place in the Council Chamber, which was crowded to excess with a number of the most influential citizens of the Scottish metropolis. SATURDAY, THE SEBASTOPOL INQUIRY COMMITTEE. Tuts committee sat on Monday for the first time to hear witnesses, and, as the house had decided upon a full publicity being given to the proceedings, the evidence taken has been published regularly and at great length in the morning papers. The sittings have been held de die in diem, and the amount of testimony already collected is most voluminous. We have room but for a few passages containing the statements of most importance. Mr. G. DuNoss, M.P., was examined on Monday : During the past year he visited the Crimea, but not in any official capacity. He arrived at Balaklava on the 17th of December, and left it on the 29th. He had had many opportunities of seeing the state of the arm y ; weather per mitting he had ridden up to the front awh lmost was every day. lie described the state of th e cavalry, ich camped about a mile from Balakava. The horses were standing at their pickets with no rugs on, and totally unprotected from the weather. Apparently, they had had very little to eat indeed ; the ground in the vicinity was covered with their dead bodies. At the pickets, almost every horse was lying on the ground; in that position some were dead, others dying. The tails and manes of many of them had been gnawn off. As he understood, there was a consider able quantity of forage in Balaklava at the time when. There he w ere many bags of bran standing on the beach arrived, and they continued there till he left. There was also a considerable quantity of hay floating in the harbour. As to the state of the men, their uniforms were all in rags, and they seemed to be in a state of extreme dirt and misery. The condition of the infantry was even worse than that of the cavalry, on account of the greater distance of their en campment from Balaklava. Their uniforms, for the most part, were tattered ; and generally they wore great-coats over their uniforms, but their trousers were in rags. He had seen men get hold of sandbags, and wrap them round the lower part of their legs as some protection against the mud and cold. As to their food, he understood their rations were often very short, and also that the na t u re of alth. the ra tions was not calculated to keep the soldier in he It was a great omissio n not supplying the men with rice, which was a specific against diarrhaa and dysentery. Yet it was not issued. The men had no fuel but the roots of the brushwood and the stun t e d underwood they grubbed up themselves. A little charcoal was supplied, but not much. He heard that there was wood floating about the harbour of Balaklava, but it was not allowed to be collected. Outside the harbour of Balaklava there were thousands of tons of wood, the remains of the wrecks of the vessels that went on shore, on the 14th of November. It appeared as if it had passed through a mill, it was broken up into such small fragments. Had facilities existed, it might have been collected with very little trouble, and sent up to the camp, where it would have been very useful. None was brought in that he was aware of. He described the English burial.ground at Balaklava as very improper ; that of the Turks was worse. He could never see bow deep the graves in the English ground were, as they always filled with water; nor could he say how many bodies were placed in one grave ; from the quantity of earth thrn up he thought the graves might be three feet deep. He had never heard of any inspector of burials. There was no organisation as to the houses in Balaklava previously to the arrival of the troops. They were not numbered ; there was very little arrangement as to taking possession of resi dences. But the houses were in a very bad condition, and the officers preferred living on board the transports. When he left there had been of attempt to construct a quay in the harbour ; the best per was formed a trusses of hay. The state of the hospital was better than it had been before he arrived ; he found that the men had beds, and that the ventilation was ptetty good. He had been told there was a want of medicines, particularly of opium. The sick at the camp were merely rolled up in their blankets; they had neither stretchers nor mattresses. He went into many of the officers' tents; they had f much less to suffer than the men ; they had the me ans o supply ing themselves with requisites at Balaklava. The condi- tion of the French horses was bet han that of the that numbers of ourng lish cavalry. He certainly had heard cavalry horses had died of starvation, but he did not require to told it ;he h sen it himself —numbers of their deed be bodies were lying e about the v i c inity of the camp. While he was at Balaklava the deaths a were 700 week, or a daily average of 100 ; thou g h this was, perhaps, a little above the average. The principal diseases were diarrh(es, dysentery, and, latterly, gelatio. Be found repeated evidence of short rations having been issued ; fresh beef was very rarely given. The wounded were brought down to Balaklava by the French ambulance mules ; 600 were thus brought down in one sy, three to each mule; the an imals were in very good condition. General Sir DE LACY Evaxs : He joined the army of the Crimea in April, 1854, at Scutari ; thence they went to Varna. The troops were not sickly before they went there, nor did they become so till some time afterwards. His division consisted of six regi ments of 1,000 men each, with artillery, but no cavalry — in all about 6,200 men. In this number, while at Varna, there were sixty deaths. They arrived at Eupatoria on the 12th or 13th of September, but they did not disembark heir the same day. They all landed without tents. They believed got t t en ts when they arrived before S e bastopol. He that the work of 1,000 men for ten days would have secured a road from Balaklava. Why that labour was not employed was a question beyond his power to answer ; but all the men who could be spared , and more th a n ought to have been spared, were set to work in the trenches. The troops suffered severely from the want of fuel. They heard a good deal of charcoal being served out, but he did not know that they got any. They alway s heard more of it than they awl/. When he left, the clothing of the men was . getting very bad. The commissariat officers sent to him were very incompetent. They might have made very good I• MINIM