Star. — London, England, 1810-02-10 00:00:00

as to prevent obtaining the medicines that were so .At one period I did hear of softie confusion of 4; it wa s very little, and created no real de , ro t he service. you h ear. d an y complaints that the sick tr oops were suffering from the want of bed.. blankets heard of such complaints, and °r ate immediately remedied by sending out a Port i o n of bedding an d blankets. hsic k among the troops s uffer from the Of bedding and blankets at any time k—No such wA s made to me officially of the sick suffering l e want of bedding and blankets. ,you know of an recei v edact officially or other. L ....As soon as I such report that the were is want of bedding and blankets, I irnme. • ordered a large quantity out. y o u know of any such fact officially or other .l do not. 3 1 do you think the regiments which have re from Walcheren may on an average be fit for se rvice again ?—They have suffered so dil -1 that I cannot answer that question directly ; consider that the amendment has been so great in it a mongst them, that in the course of a very few those that are recoverable will be fit for duty. it p r oportion do you think are recoverable ?—I i d think of the present number of sick. one halt be reckoned upon as recoverable 6t far duty. • 6 the total number of sick now ?—Of four one district, I conceive two hundred win for duty in a few months. :at is the total num ber in all the districts now , q the Walcheren fever have only a - return cue district; I have sent to the other districts tve not yet received them; the one from the di,trict mentions four hundred and upwards, of I consider two hundred will be fit for duty. floe you inspected any of the regiments personally ir return ?—I have Made repeated visits to all, to all the hospitals. you speak upon your own observation when say you think half in the district you have now inned are recoverable?—lt is an observation l e upon the return sent to mi by the head of that A. p r am your own observation of the sick returned • Wolcheren, do you think that those who have )ffiicted with that disease are likely to be as ef ce for tore:gn service as if they had never been so ttsd ?—1 cannot mention any precise time when ould be it for foreign service, but for home '45 and light duties I conceive that they will be fit ,:ecy little yiuie in the proportion mentioned. 'hat do you mean by a very little time ?--In a , maths. Ho many months should fix the month of ty to be the latest. At cinch those who are in the best state will be fit light duties ?—Yes. Dees - the Medical Board return to the Adjutant -Tars Office an account of the sick in the army make a monthly return, and report to the Com ider in Chief directly. Do yon know any thing of I Report dated the Ist Tebruarr, and delivered in by the Adjutant-Gene al to this lionv ?—I do not. By whom can such reports be drawn up and made ? do not know to what the Hon. Member refers.— at Report was handed ;o the Witness).- 7 -I have it seen that before. Upon what authority can these be stated sick in the army ?—The Adjutant-General may possess returns from the different regiments sep*rate from those from the Medical Board; but once in a month, the 20th of every mouth, the Medical Board sends in a return to Commander in Chief. Do you know of your own knowledge, that per • who have been afflicted with the Walcheren fe are subj. ct to relapses, for many years, in Spring, ! Autumn ?-1 am not apprized of such cireum- Ince. When was the Medical Board first established ? , the year 1793. What were the purposes for which that Medical trd was established ?—To take'cletrge of the sick the army. Are the Committee to understand, that the sick • of army from the year 1793 to the present moment, ken under the superintending care of the Medi- Board ?-only until the year 1798, when a dif ant arrangemcat was made.• What was the nature of the arrangement wyh took hoe in t h e y ear 1798 ?—lt allotted to ea indivi dual-member of the Board certain duties, and certain duties collectively to the Board generally. What were the nature of the collective duties ? ti answer letters referred to then) from head-iluar kr% arid to make a return monthly of the sick of the troy. Is there any salary attached to the office of Member of the Medical Board ?—There is. \\ltt is that salary ?—The salary to the Physician General is 4os. a day, to the Surgeon-General 43 a lell• to thelnspector-General £'2 a day as Inspector. Ceara', and R 2 a d a y as C o mptroller of Army Rnipit a i s . L that salary of X 3 a day to the Surgeon-General ticlusire of any other pay or allowance be receives ' the discharge of his duty as Surgeon-General ?-- -ie has no • pay or allowance except actual travelling upences. Do you consider the army as. Under the superin tending care generally of the Medical Board esta blished in l79ts t—lt is in a manner distributed under their superintendence. certainly ; taking the collective duties and the individual duties together, it is under their superintendence. Have the Medical Board ever had referred to them, since the 28th of July last, to make any report to Povernment on the subject of the disorder which broke out in Zealand ?—I believe not. Yob stated, that in the middle of September you mended a C a bi net; what passed in that Cabinetl— . Iva , generally ased as to the state of the - sick, both abroad and at hone. were any particular and pressing directions giyen at that Cabinet to you to tend out medicines ?—I do tot recollect that there was any particular direction liven to me to send out medicines; but I inferred . 1m:1ally th at no expence was to b e s p a red. "• ere you not directed upon that occasion to do t s ,thing that could possibly contribute to the health "'vantage of the sick?—Generally so 1 was. Do net you furnish medicines according to the cli- known where the trOopi ore point, it - sideration if there time given. "ad be lille° d°ihseetatelll"ll* appear uponMt paper um ' ^ "-- --- - Do not you attend particularly to bark upon tines W you be able to give information to the Coin. occasions ?—in general we have not the time giien. mit* upon a future occasion ?—To-morrow. nor are we acquainted where Expeditions are .to sal, Do, you not therefore confider it his duty, to repott therefore the medicines and states are made up gene relly for any service for whichto the CAmmands, of the Fortes, abroad, if there are they may be wanted, any deride:wits in his departnient ?—lt is his duty and all subsequent suppliers are in consequence of re- so to do. I quisitions from the head of the department. -Can you inform the Committee what quantity of Do you mean to say, that if an Expedition was go- bark ought to be administered to one man in the ; ing to the Coast of Africa, you would not sapply it in course of twenty-four-hours in the height of the Wal- ' a different manner than you would if it was going to theren fever ?—I have not been informed of its ad the Mediterranean ?—Certainly, if there was time, ministration in that manner individually to each man, and I was acquainted with its destination. it is immediately under the direction of the Atten- Would not bark have acted as a preventive as well dant Physician, who prescribes as he thinks fit. as a cure of the Walcheren fever, at certain times of What quantity would you think proper to be ad the disorder ?—I apprehend it would. ministered under these circumstances ?—lt is impos- If you had been acquainted at the time of the Expe- Bible for me to decide that, unless I saw the ca se . dition sailing with its destiniticn, would yotenot have Cannot you as a professional man inform the CM.- sent an additional quantity of bark as a preventative ? i mittee what quantity of bark is administered to a I have already stated to the Committee that I should strong man labouring under a remittent fever in severe have sent more bark if I had conceived it was going ! cases tie the course of 24. hours ?—lt must depend to Walcheren; but I beg to be understood, that as upon the nature of the case, the constitution Of the the bark-sent out with the Expedition was not con- man, and what his stomach will bear. sumed until the 7th October, and the distance 'so very , Have you known as much is a pound given in 241 short, there could be no doubt of getting more over in hours?—•l never have. time, if requisitions had been made. lAs halt a pound ?---I have not. . Had you any previous knowledge of the peculiar Have you never known eight ounces given in 114 unhealthiness of the Island of Walcheren, except from hours ?—No. Sir John Pringle's book ; was it notorious ?—I con- A quarter of a pound ?—No. ceive that all the country of Zealand was unhealthy, Fonr ounces ?—No, not so much as that. and Walcheren a part of it. . ; Two ounces ?—I speak very vaguely ;itis so much Do you conceive that the scarcity of fresh water, a matter of opinion at the time that a physician is and the badness of its quality, had any influence in prescribing for the petient, that I can scarcely say the disorder among the troops 1--I have not heard of what might or might not be given. a scarcity of fresh water ; but I have of tl'e badness What quantity have you ever known given ?—I of its quality, and I conceive that was detrimental to have myself known as much as two ounces given, the troops. . but that has been upon particular occasions ; I have Do you conceive that if by any means the quantity known much less answer the impose. and quality of the water could have been mended or Supposing two ounces to be given to one man in increased, the health of the troops might have been twenty-four hours, and the whole stock at Walcheren materially affected ?—1 think it might have amelio. at one period according to your own estimate to be' rated their condition to a certain degree, but it could fifty pounds, as that would make only one day's con never have counteracted the dreadful effects of the samption for 400 men, is it not certain that the troops climate. , must have suffered from a want of bark during the Was the apprehension which you entertained of the existing sickness ?..-When I stated that only , fifty effects of that climate such, that when you beard of • pounds was reported by the Apothecary to the Head that Expedition first arriving at Walcheren, you ex- of the Department, at one period,• I also stated that petted what happened ?—I expected it to a certain four hundred pounds was found in store at the same degree, but not to the extent it has happened. , - time, -and to be added to that was what they could Th en the Committee is to understand that the dis purchase there, which I understood amounted to four order differs in its virulence in different years ?—I am teen hundred pounds. . so informed. I Were not those four hundred pounds- discovered For what. number of men and what period of time accidentally ?--I have reason to think that the four were the medical supplies originally provided ?—Con- hundred pounds was not discovered accidentally, but sidering it as for a secret Expedition for 140,000 men, lying in some situations where it ought to have been for six months. • : found before, and was known to some of the depart- Have you any knowledge of a letter having been ment upon inquiry.---[The witness was directed to received at the Board of which you are a Mother, withdraw.) directing one of that Board to repair to Walcheren in FRANCIi Eimer, Eq. Inspector General of "frmy Het order to ascertain the nature of the disease then pre- i Ptah, was called in.—Examined by the Committee. valent ?—There was a letter of that descriptiOn re- . [A considerable part of the examination of this ceived at the Board, directing one of that Board to ' Gentleman was similar to that of the preceding evi- proceed with two physicians to Walcheren. 1 deuce, and the answers the same.] Did a Member of that Board repair to Walcheren, Were any applications made to you to provide a in consequence of that letter so received at the number of Hospital Mates for the Island of Walche- . Board ?—lt was discussed at the Board who was the ren ?—There were requisitions made. proper member of the three to go; and it was ad-' Did you meet with any difficulty in providing a Judged to be the Physician-General, as it was a Me- sufficient number of Hospital Mates to meet the de., dical subject. ' mends of the service .?—I found-great di ffi culties, not, Did the Physician-General repair there according only in finding them for the service of Walcheren, to his instructions ?—The Physician-General waited but many other destinations. upon the Commander in Chief, and it was settled by ; Was any additional pay offered by yon, in order to the Commander in Chief with the Secretary at War; induce persons competent to undertake the office of I believe that he was not to repair there, but that there Hospital Mates, to embark for Walcheren ?—There were to go three physicians. I was none. Do you speak from documents in the Office of the 1 Have you any reason to believe, that by an oar Board of which you are a Memb er ?—No further than of additional pay more Hospital Mates could have that if my services had been thought more useful at I been procured ?.....e cannot speak to that, not having , Walcheren, than in the cure of the sick on the coast , tried it ; but many statements have been made of the frelm Walcheren, I was ready to repair thither. I difficulties and the obstacles in obtaining them ;II Is the Committee to understand from you, that the ; have represented upon several occasions the great I Ph is an-General refused to repair there ?—I cannot i dearth of the lower order of Medical Staff, and have' asdertain that, it being settled between the Comman- . pointed out some of t rey causes of it, which perhapc der in Chief and himself. • 1 were not within our ch ; whether any additional! Have you not reason to know,. that the fullest di- ; pay would have done I cannot say, I had no autho rections and authority were issued in a letter dated ; rity to offer it. the 2d of September, to the Commander in Chief, i Did you state in consequence of the difficulty of directing that every exertion should be made to meet 1 providing Hospital Mates for the service in Walche the pressure of sickness that then prevailed ?—There ren, to any superior authority, and to whom, the was a letter received at the Medical Board from 1 difficulty you found inn° procuring them ?—I can the commander in Chief to that effect, September the : not from memory say whether I did upon that spe. 4th, for additional medical assistants and medical ; cial occasion, though I rather think I did, but upon stores. many others I have ; I rather think I did open that Did the Head of the Med i c al Department of the ! occasion. army in Walcheren upon the • arrival of the Expedi- j Was the Secretary at War apprised of the difficulty tion in the Scheldt, make any representation to the t of providing Hospital Mates for the service in Wel- Medical B ard, that he considered the medical ar- I .cheren, in the month of September ?—I cannot speak rangenients of the army inadequate to the service he : to the date, but subject I be ct ; b ut by there was erence commu tonic n th was trash employed in ?—None. ! made upon theref the 5 Do not you consider it was his dut y , if be consi- i Report of the Military Commissioners, a letter of dercd the arrangements as inadeqUate, to make a ! mine upon this subject may be found, I think in A foie u-, representation to the Medica l Board to•that e ff ect ? gust or September ; but coming down suddenly I conceive it was his indispensable duty so to do. i this examination I have no means of giving more pre-i Do not you consider the Medical Department of ' cise information. Armies employed on foreign service, to be acting un- 1 After the pressing demands arrived from Walche der the immediate guidance and directions of the Me. ren for additional Hospital Mates, was any particulats dical Department at home ?—By no means. 1 report made upon that special service to any superior Do not you consider it their duty to report to the • authority ?—I will not take upon me positively to . Medical Board at home the course of their proceed- say it was upon that special occasion, though I rather. ings ?—I think it would be much better for the ser- - believe it, because the same wants existed in Portu vice if they did ; but they are not in the habit of gal, in Sicily, and in the West Indies, and we were, doing it. . 1 obliged to divide our medical strength as we could, Are you not of opinion it wa s , the dut y _of the ' according to the exigency of the service. Medical Board, it they. Considered that them was ; Do you believe that if you had beenenabled to offer any deficiency in the supply of stores or medicines , additional pay, it would have been in your power to on that Expedition ! immediately to repair that defi- have procured more Hospital Mates for the service of ciency ?—The Medical Board's orders are to wait for Walcheren ?--I do not feel myself competent to say requisitions ; but in the instance of such pressing. : it would, because I think there are many other con.• emergency as bark for Walchere n, I thou g ht it my ', siderations which weighed against th e o btainin g a duty to send it whenever I found there was the least sufficient number of inferior Medical Officers far it would have answered I cannot say ; but I ra occasion. 1 If you were of opinion that the medical arrange- then doubt it, on account of the known sickness of the meets that went upon •that Expedition were in any ' climate and the mortality that followed it. respect inadequate, why did you not take immediate point of fact, you were not furnished with any. steps s so soon as you knew that the army was gone , extraordinary means of procuring Hospital Mates, to to Walcheren and the Settler, for supplying such.de-; meee the extraordinary demands made by the disor ficiencies in the equipment of the army ?--I conceived - der that-prevailed at Walcheren ?—I was not, to the that the original supply would bendequate, until I ; best of my recollection.. should have requisition frond the principal medical You have been Surgeon to on,e of the regiments of Guards ?„---I was. Officers. You have stated that a letter was received at the To whom are the returns made of the state of the Office of the Board afteh.you.ar a Member, re- sick In tht three regiments of Guards when at home ? made tes . the respective Commanding Of questing or directing one nithe Members Of that , ....They are Roa 6110%11:v0w .19 Walidiege; what. vas TM of she regisisantis pad to the officers command rd• i Inllll tile &My. Have you nose spiitted your iscum,..-_ to that regiment t—Yes, I have ant been for Was it by word of mouth or by letter, that those representations you have stated were made to the Sc. cretary at War, of the impossibility of procuring Hospital Mates for the service in Walcheren ?—I said could not speak particularly to dateso. nor was I certain that' after the business of Walcheren. k bad been so ; but I rather thought it was about Au gull or September, but I speak from recollection only, If it was made, it was a written one ; but I beg to speak with distrust of myself here, because I speak ent rely from memory, but with an anxiety to answer any questions put to me. If any representation of that kind was made, it must have been by letter ?-Yes ; but I beg not to commit myself to its having been made ; but on ma ny occasions before I have done it ; and indeed, one letter in the Fifth Report of the MilitaryCommissiosa ers will shew that I have particularly noticed the dif ficulties I had to encounter. Do you recollect when the first application was made to you after the Ist of September, for an addi. tional number of Hospital, Mates for Walcheren ? If I recollect right, different requisitions were receiv ed, and.as fast as we could provide them they were sent.—EThe Witness was directed to withdraw.] The Chairman arts directed to report progress, and ask leave to sit again. IVP.SMINSEER MEET ING: REFORM IN PARLIAMENT. testerd ay a very numerous and respectable Meeting of the Inhabitants Householders of the City of West minster, was held in Old Palace Yard, agreeably to Requisition, for the purpose of considering of the pre, priety of presenting Petitions to the King, and to Par liament, on the subject of Parliamentary Reform, and• also to consider of certain other grievances, deeply in volving the sail ty and honour of the country. ARTHUR Moue's, Eici. the High Bailiff, having stated the object of the Meeting, Mr. STURCH came forward. In presuming to prc sent himself to the consideration of the Meeting, i.e was well aware that some preface by way of apology would have been necessary were this an cum). dinary case, or one requiring the aid of great Imo ledge and learning to make it sufficiently under stood. He was' comforted, however, by the reflec tion that the present was a subject which must come hothe to the heart and feeling of every man who beard him, and as to - the propriety of which every man of common understanding, and of that con-. mon knowledge which the generality of the Inhal,i. tants of this great City enjoyed as to our common priv'- leges, must be supposed equal to the task of compre bending. He should, therefore, without regtrding himself either as impertinent or obtrusive, yield to the request of some of his fellow citizens in calling the attention of the Electors to the object of the present Meeting. They were now assembled with the same object as that which had called them together thirty years ago, and he-believed, in the very same month, in Westminster Hall, when the necessity of Parlia- I mentary Reform had been so ably pointed out by his estimable and lamented friend Dr. John .ebb. - young man bad, shortly after that, declared in Par liament, that Parliamentary Reform was indipensibiy necessary for the existence of this country ; and that; till Parliamentary Reform had taken place, no honest man could be our Minister. We had, however, , since that time, seen that same young man the Mi nister of this country, without any Parliamentary Re- _ form.baving taken place. Iu that situation he had, • how much to our advantage it would be for the Meeting to appreciate, continued for the period of 16 years, during which our National Debt hadbeen in creased to the amount jf 150 millions, we had been engaged in wars the most unnecessary and calami. tous, and our expenditure had increased to the enormous sum of forty millions per annum, without producing any thing beneficial in return. In the year 1780, to which he had already alluded, we were engaged in a civil war, which had ended in the sepa ration from this country of a people allied to us by consanguinity, and by the use of the same language. gince that period, our wars had been equally unjus- • tifiable and calamitous ; we hat even been engaged in another civil war, be meant with Ireland ; and, as , our expenditure had increased, corruption had in creased also. The question, therefore, was, were we not now equally, if not more imperiously, called en to demand Parliamentary Reform than vie had been in the year 1780 ?—He submitted that we were. The sale of Seats in Parliament had become more than usually prevalent, and within these few months we had seen the practice defended on the ground of its inveteracy. What then, he asked, were we to do I.in such circumstances as these ? Were we to sit tamely down, while our country was precipitated to destruc tion; or ought we not rather by one strong effort to endeavour to make -a stand, and by a strong exhorta tion to our fellow subjects throughout the kingdom. endeavour to induce them to join us in so glorious a cause ? He observed, that Ministers had lately taken Upon them todescribe themselvesnot as Ministers, that was to say, the servants of the Crown, or of the ext. cutive part of the Government; but to characterize -every act of their own as the Act of the Government. Every man who opposed the Ministers, therefore, was said by them to oppose the Government. Se far even was this carried, that we were told of the present Go vernment, of the late Government, and even of the Government before the last. So contemptible and in decent was this imposture on the public understanding, that he could compare it to nothing short of that other indecent trick, by which it was attempted to persuade those who asked for reform, that there was nothing which they required and did not possess. They asked, • with unblushing effrontery, " liqum do you wane ?" There are many men of the first-rate ability in the House of Commons; what more then can you desire?" He agreed, there were men in the House of Common* .who were not destitute of ability ; but was that the only requisite in a Member of that House ? Was not honesty equally, if not more essential ? and had we many of that description ? He confessed, that iterate the boast of those whom• he now addressed to have re. turned to that House, a Member equally distinguiehed for intelligence, ability, and honesty ! (Crk.r of O. Member: —Bath our Members are men of kateetty er ea as e abdity.)—He was far fromLenz e ini, that the '-erkleaourable Member for We a lama , ••••• •••• • r .• SO °l o; tors , " e-- re ,At one p kind it 11 t to the si ve you t he trooP or g blanke t! • wer e inull Prq" 3 ") ° I'd the sick t of be` klin i sos ma d t he want you knot 93 ° ore in Wa ly ordered I yOU kno' Jo no en do yoi f rom NV gn service ~t i y that I I consider t, A a mong• ths those tl hit proPo hi think o be reckon • rheas 6 the died in one Et f or duty slat is the ; of the \V cne dist h ave lint 1 t di,trict m I consic I t re you it t heir ret all, to al T ett you S say you 1 oiled at • Je upon th r tmn your ,m Weddle o fflicted ne for to; icted ?-1 ould b 'tit; and lii A '.ery 'tin] Vhat do • months. iLic ma y to be a At r:hich dui Dees toe General's C —I make a under in I Do yon I of Februar alto this whor —I do not (The Rep not seen i Upon army from the the Medic every mot tit? Coma Do you axis who 11T are su aid Autos r.nnce. When ri In the yea What te board wai idle arm Are the 6 the army e lute ken cal Board e knot arr, • What u e- plice in dual•mem I duties col: Wliat e Tv ZOSWe tes, and • army, Is there of the \\ltt i Gernal i 1 7, 1011 Caen', Enspi ta i th al itinsive - the a He h as c UpenCeS DO yr is tending kished i • their sue a dutie s a • their sue ti Haw C. %Ince ti. Govern s broke o a You tl attende I Ir a , c ck abro a d V'e l • at that tot ret tir en Senna We! e rye tid Do 1