The Press. — London, England, 1855-04-28 00:00:00

398 subordinate to the Secretary of State in the way in which the military departments were. He was well aware, from the complaints made by private individuals and also from statementa in the newspapers, of the failure of the trans port animals from want of forage and from exposure to the cold ; but never received any official intimation of that, nor any complaint from the Commissariat Depkrtment that thej shortcomings of other departments prevented them (the commissariat) from executing their duties. Certainly no information was given to him as to the pro bable failure of the road to the front before that failure took place. He remained entirely in the dark upon that laßy Colonel LINDSAY.-It must have been quite the end a November when steps were taken to have the railway constructed, but could not remember the exact date. Had heard complaints of Admiral Boxer, but not from official persons. Had no voice in the selection of the medical officers. The matter rested wholly with Dr. Andrew Smith, the head of the medical board ; and properly so, he being a medical man. By Mr. ROEBUCK.—Complaints were not made to him about green coffee having been issued to the army until long after the inconvenience resulting from the practice had been felt, and until supplies of roasted coffee had been substituted. The commissary-general had an ample supply of money at his command, and, with the sanction of the general commanding the army, had power to purchase whatever he wanted in the country which the country was able to supply. The purveyor of the hospital was similarly empowered. By Mr. LAYARD.—Great difficulties and delay having taken place in the supply of port wine for the hospitals through the intervention of the forms which had to be through, he gave orders that those forms should be dis pensed with in future. Found some diffiulty in subordinates' departments at home as to forms, but apprehended the greatest difficulty from parties on the spot. That applied after the separation of the two offices of the Secretary of War and the Secretary at War. Had no knowledge of any alteration having been made subsequent to the 31st of January. Did not think that the Horse Guards, the Ord nance, and other departments were in a satisfactory state. Did not know of any conflict between the War -office and Dr. Smith's department. The War-office was of a financial character, and probably, if there was any conflict, it was with reference to expense, not since the war, but antecedent to it. Dr. Smith complained of the manner in which his establishment was starved. He thought that the appoint ments of the various officers, generally speaking, connected with the hospitals, were very unfortunate. Blame attached in a greater or less degree to almost all the officers con nected with them. The first statement he received of a deficiency of land transport in the Crimea was from Lord Raglan, in which he stated there was a difficulty in getting forage up to the camp ; but that was only in answer to a letter on another subject. The last statement he received from Mr. Filder as to the number of commissariat horses but little exceeded four hundred when the army was in the Crimea. In consequence of the deficiency in this respect he (the Duke of Newcastle) organised a transport corps of a military character. Before the army went out there was no attempt made to organise a transport corps. By the CHAIRMAN.—The Foreign Enlistment Bill was passed on the 23rd of December. Several appointments of officers for a foreign legion were made—Colonel Chesney and others. By Mr. LA.YARD. — Those appointments were revoked Immediately on his going out of office ; why, he had not the slightest idea. No preparations were made to form a foreign legion. Colonel Chesney had been in the German Legion. Private inquiries were made as to the power of raising these troops, and the information then given was satisfactory. By General PEEL.—They found the very greatest difficulty after the language which had been used in Parliament. He saw many persons, foreigners of the highest respectability, who would have joined such regiments, but after being called " cut-throats " in Parliament they were disgusted. By Mr. LAYARD.—It was intended in the first instance to confine the Foreign Legion to Germans or Swiss. By Lord SEYMOUR.—He was anxious to supply the army with preserved meats in tin cases, and urged upon the Admiralty to put out tenders. As to the supply of vege tables, two sorts were sent out under his directions. He had a high opinion of preserved meats as conducive to health. Those which were sent out in very large quanti ties were taken from France ; it was a French invention. The preserved meats, however, were not received with any favour. There were short supplies of fresh meat to the army. By the CHAIRMAN. — The short supply arose in a great measure from the difficulty of conveying the provisions to the army. He should have thought it possible to obtain fresh meat on the shores of the Black Sea. The first steps taken to obtain huts was soon after the intelligence of the battle of lnkermann on the sth of November Despatches were forwarded to Lord De Redcliffe that wood should be purchased at Constantinople for the purpose, and directions were sent to Lord Westmorland to get wood cheap at Trieste. By Mr. LATARD.—Did not believe the statement that a certain amount of wood had been sent out which could not be used for the want of nails. The CHAIRMAN. — Dr. Andrew Smith has put in certain papers in which he stated that in a letter he offered you certain suggestions as to the hospitals. Are you aware of them ? The Duke of Newcastle had no recollection of them. The CHAIRMAN (handing a blue book, and pointing to a part of the page before him) said—Did you ever receive that letter? Duke of Newcastle.—His conviction was that he never seen that latter, or that it had been sent to him '`- military seontaayi THE PRESS. Satign 6orrtsgziatuct. PARIS, Thursday. ACCORDING to information I have received from the highest quarters here, it is now settled that the Emperor and Empress, to the consternation of all classes but the mob, start for the East between the oth and 10th of May. The Empress will remain at the French Embassy at Constantinople, while his Imperial Majesty visits the army in the Crimea; and the Imperial vessel will be held ready (should Sebastopol fall during the Emperor's stay) to convey the Empress to visit the victorious troops. The Emperor will be attended by a numerous suite. The Empress will be accompanied by the Princess d'Essling, Mesdames de Montebello, Rayneval, and De Pierre. The funeral of the late Minister of Marine took place this morning with great military pomp and display. Half the garrison of Paris were under arms, and marched in procession after the body. Although M. Ducos was a very good man of business, it is generally remarked that neither his abilities nor his career would alune account for the display that was made to-day, were the approaching depar ture of the Emperor put out of mind. It is quite clear that his Imperial Majesty, with his usual sagacity and foresight, planned this display to let the people of Paris know, or rather to remind them, that he would leave a powerful military force behind him at Paris. The general tone of society is gloomy, and every one seems to think the future foreboding. It is evident the advantage gained by the allies at Sebastopol, if any, must be very slight, as no im portant results occur from the now protracted bombardment. The Emperor and his Court re turned in enthusiastic delight and gratitude at the reception they experienced in your metropolis. BRUSSELS, April 27, 1855. Jr has been stated in the English journals that the designs of Russia have failed in Belgium. The only difficulty consists in giving a proper interpreta tion to the word " designs." Brussels, and in plain truth it may be said the entirety of Belgium, is tho roughly Russianised, and this not in a moderate, but in an extreme sense. The French party, dwindled to a scanty remnant, is in part Orleans and repub lican—both sections joining in implacable abuse of the Emperor Napoleon and the Empress Eugenie. Against the latter, for some occult reason, the Catho lic and Jesuit faction is singularly bitter. No tan gible reason would appear to direct their judgment, for the cause of legitimacy does, or should, "stink in their nostrils," if they be true to the principle by which they nationalised themselves; but, being devoid of any political ratiocination, they cannot perceive the difference of persons and principles. Therefore it is that, together with the censure of imperialism, the gall-vial of their wrath is poured with a continuous profusion against their old, and now despised, allies of England. They ridicule her armies—exult over her losses—vilify her institutions, which in a former day they were proud to say had served them as a model—pray for and prophesy her fall—and spit ou her gabardine. In familiar and literal illustration it may be re lated that, at a morning and private concert, a Belgian lady of rank, in political and true female excitement, whilst in argument with a fair daughter of the isles, shook her ample fist in the face of the latter, screaming out unmusically, "Il Taut que l'Angleterre saoaisse," and spat on the ground with indignation. Fi, done ! This sample, at one and the same time, of Belgian refinement and Brabantine gratitude for past favours, is characteristic of the nation. There was once upon a time a wild boar of Ardennes—was it ever mated? Again, at another party in an English house, a Belgian nobleman, not overwise in his generation, and sorely forgetful of the attributes of a gentleman and the usages of civilisation, gave out with Baccha nalian glee at the supper-table, with glass in hand, "The Emperor Nicholas." This VMS immediately after the light at Inkermann. In justice it must be said that his friends immediately removed him. Once more— In the midst of winter a sleigh, well-caparisoned and containing a party of five, amongst whom was a lady of the Court, passed rapidly up the Montagne de la Cour. At the corner of the Place Royale, on the turn to the park, there happened to be some SATURDAY, English, and, on the sleigh rounding the corner at a smart pace, it slid and nearly came in contact with the ladies belonging to the party, one of %% horn was bespattered by the snow and rather alarmed. a. person standing on the rail of the sleigh exclaimed, "Ce sont des gueux Bntanmques," and laughed loudly, in which he was joined by his gang and the lady of the Court. This, at least, should not have been. Now, the word "gueux" ought to bring to Belgian recollection an historical anecdote worthy of especial note ; and it is,not out of the pale of pos.. sibility that a wooden spoon may be again forced down the Belgian throats, containing " hail " singu. larly hot. These trivial occurrences suffice to show the temper of the people, or rather it should be said of the higher educated classes, who do not, furnish evidence of having derived any advantage from education. The middle ranks, being more allied to the French in Brussels than those of the upper orders, view the Oriental question in a different light, and as they more immediately benefit from the liberties of a constitutional and free Government, they join in honest approbation of the war now carrying on by France and England in the cause of civilisation. They perfectly understand that of which their Jesuit superiors are thoroughly ignorant, and prove themselves worthy of the political power that the Revolution of Ib3U has provided and in trusted to their use and care. Even amongst this class Russian influence would seek to establish itself, and would control also the lower orders. In the past carnival, a gang of ragamuffins dressed themselves in the colours of English soldiers, with straw round their legs, shoeless, and on crutches, styling themselves the British army of Sebastopol. They paraded the streets for some time in safety, but a party of English grooms being aware of the " creptovioh divertisement," congregated at a given place, armed with stout blackthorns, and, sallying forth, gave the Russo•Belges a sound thrashing. The same Russian influences endeavoured to fur nish a theatrical and burlesqued representation of the miseries endured by the English army in the Crimea. The difficulty, however, of avoiding the subject of Alma, Balaklava, and Inkermann, or of extracting a Russian moral that should be favorable and satisfactory, summarily foiled the unhappy attempt. The whole of this is in bad taste, although of no possible consequence;; but when it is remembered that the king of the Belgian choice, one of the highest bred and most perfect gentlemen in Europe, " sans peur and sans reproche," is uncle to the Queen of England, and on every occasion and to the utmost of his power, proffers attention and confers act of kindness on those of a nation over which he was called upon in all honour, but was prevented by fate, to be the first ruler—these flimsy and powerless nobles might pause in their absurdities against England and France, even from a selfish impulse, in place of a juster motive. The graver bearing of this matter shall be reserved for a future occasion. E. R. FRANKFORT, April 23. -4 W If anything were wanting to determine the rancorous hostility in Germany against England and the English, the loyal and generous gree ing with which the Emperor of the French was re ceived in London and at Windsor Castle has most effectually perfected that sentiment. The impor tance of the speech delivered by the Emperor at the Guildhall has been felt throughout the length and breadth of the land; it has " struck home," so to say, and has dispelled all mystery either as to the motives which animate and bind together the allied nations, or the means whereby they intend to instal their open policy. Henceforward there can be no mistake. Whatever result may attend the Vienna Conferences, this oration has most tho roughly demolished the basis upon which those conferences were supposed to rest. The war of opinion has been publicly evoked on the popular behalf by a powerful sovereign on a foreign shore with the plenary assent of the people whom he ad dressed, and at the hands of whose monarch he was presently receiving the grateful courtesies of hospi tality. Historically speaking, the few moments in which the imperial sentiments were delivered con stituted an epoch. It is so interpreted in Liermany. And the blow so forcibly dealt has been directed not more against despotism than against republicanism. The following marked passage has called forth the frantic denunciation of M. de Bismarck Schonhausen , . couched in terms highly disrespectful and out o f place against the Queen of England, in which those who cling to the effete fiat of the Congress of Vienna immodestly concur : The eyes of all who suffer rise instinctively toward the West, Weans, oar two nations ars even more powerful firm that iettei The DI had item Mm the I