The Press.
London, England, 1855-01-27 00:00:00

PATRIOTIC FUND.

AMONG the most liberal contributions to this fund,
may be mentioned that of the County Fire and
Provident Life Office--15001. in amount, in addition to
which the agents of the office subscribed 4281., making
a total of nearly 1,0001. Mr. J. A. Beaumont, the
managing director, in returning thanks to the agents
for the liberality with which they responded to his
appeal, made some severe remarks upon the mis-
management of the war. After remarking that there
is no advocate of peace more sincere than "the brave
British soldier, whose undaunted courage in the field
of battle strikes terror into the foe, and fills with ad-
miration the whole world," he proceeds to say:—
When I appealed to your generosity in November last,
and called attention to the sufferings of our poor soldiers
in the Crimea, I little thought that within one month those
sufferings, severe, but inseparable from war, would prove
to have been comparatively light, and, in fact, lost in the
accumulation of horrors which have become known within
the last few weeks. Where are now our glorious High-
landers who, shoulder to shoulder, led the way to the cannon's
mouth upon the heights of Alma, and stemmed the torrent
of barbarian hosts at Balaklava ? where our splendid
Guards, the picked men of England and her sister island?
where our chivalrous cavalry, whose heroic devotion
electrified the wide world? They are dead or dying, the
victims of starvation or its consequent diseases. Lastly,
where are the poor animals whose sufferings turn the heart
sick ? What agonies have been endured,—how many
thousands of noble lives, how many millions of money
wasted during the last six months ? How large portion
of England's prestige frittered away, sacrificed to a mistaken
system ? . .

Let us hope that the age of fallacies is passing away, and
that the warning we have received may not have been
offered in vain; that if war is to be carried on it may be
managed—as is every other successful business—by those
who have passed their lives in the study and practice of its
several departments, each being upon the spot where his
services are required, free to act, and responsible for his
actions.

May we look forward to a strict investigation into our
lamentable mistakes? Will the country rouse itself, and
each constituency insist upon its members demanding a
knowledge of the past and security for the future; or will
ministerial irresponsibility continue, and the sufferings of
the dead be passed over, while the lustre of their prowess
shed a halo round the country which their valour alone
has saved from degradation ? May the eight thousand stout
hearts of Inkermann never be forgotten ! What would
now have been the condition of this country, what the posi-
tion of our lethargic masters, had this handful of heroes—
attacked without notice from the enemy and without orders
from their chiefs—quailed for one instant under the blows
of their fifty thousand assailants ?—And what has been their
reward !

The whole circular is a spirited remonstrance
against the sacrifice of our army to official incom•
petence.

THE public will learn with pleasure that the Di-
rector-General of the Army and Ordnance Medical
Department has been requested to report to the Duke
of Newcastle the practicability of furnishing periodical
returns of the sick and wounded at Scutari, showing
the progress made towards convalescence. The Duke
of Newcastle has also instructed Lord William Paulet,
Commandant of the British Military Establishment
in the Bosphorus, to appoint a competent person to
ascertain from every officer, and, if possible, from
every private soldier, the name and address of his
nearest relative or friend, in order that, in the event
of his death, the tact may be communicated to such
person.—Morning Chronicle.
THE STAFF AT THE WAR-OFFICE, and those of the
Admiralty at Whitehall and at Somerset house, are
much engaged in preparing the estimates of those
departments for the ensuing year, which will be laid
in due time before Parliament by the Right Hon.
Sidney Herbert and Mr. Bernal Osborne, or Sir
James Graham. It is finally settled that an augmen.
tation of the land forces shall take place.
THE contractors for Minii rifles and rifled carbines
sent in on Wednesday a large quantity of this de-
scription of firearms to the Tower. This supply has
become necessary in consequence of the insufficiency
of rifles to furnish to the troops about to proceed to
the seat of war. A large contract has also been en-
tered into for revolvers, it being the intention of Go•
vernment not only to supply light infantry and rifle
regiments with them, but also sail-trimmers and
boarders in the fleet when in action.
LAST season on the estate of Lord Bandon there
were upwards of four hundred acres of land sown
with flax, and a great number of the tenants sold
their crop standing, at rates varying from 51. 10s. to
Si. per acre, the buyers saving the crop themselves.
Amongst those who did not sell their crops were two
who bad a most extraordinary return. One of them,
who saved three bushels of seed, has 67 stones of
scutched flax, each stone weighing 16}1b., and twenty
bushels of seed, the value of which is upwards of :40/.
after including the expense of scutching, being pay-
ment at the rate of 201. per acre.

JANUARY 27, 1855.

Vrotubings iir Varliamtnt.

Both houses reassembled on Tuesday.
CLASPS FOR BALAKLAVA.

In the House of Lords, the Duke of RICHMOND,
moving for returns respecting the distribution of the
Crimean medal, complained of the omission of the
troops at Balaklava. After eulogising the heroism
of the forces engaged, he asserted that but for their
devotion the flank of the British army would have
been turned, and the siege of Sebastopol must have
been raised. He contended that none had a stronger
claim to distinction than both the officers and soldiers
engaged in what he considered an undoubted victory.
Now that honours were distributed to the soldier as
well as the commander, he begged to ask the reason
why the Government had refused to grant &clasp for
Balaklava, as well as to inquire if it was their inten-
tion to grant a medal to the sailors who landed the
troops. He urged, likewise, that the representatives
of those who had fallen were entitled to a medal.
The value attached to a medal by the private soldier
was very great. A vote of thanks from Parliament
might be gratifying to him, but he could wear the
medal on his breast, and exhibit it when sick or
wounded, as a proof of his devotion to his country.

The Duke of NEWCASTLE said that it was often
difficult to draw the proper distinction in the distri-
bution of honorary rewards. In the case of an un-
doubted victory there could be no hesitation, but
there might be a doubt as to the Battle of Balaklava,
though there oould be none as to the heroism of
the forces engaged. Taking, however, that heroism
into account, her Majesty, resolving that the soldiers
engaged in that battle should have the benefit of the
doubt, and feeling that they had greatly distin-
guished themselves, bad given directions fur a clasp
for the action of Balaklava. With regard to the
Crimean medal, the Government thought the navy
entitled to it, not because the navy fought the battles,
but on account of the valuable assistance they af-
forded the troops ; and under these circumstances
it was intended from the first that the medal for the
Crimea should be given,not only to the army officers
and soldiers, but to all the officers and sailors engaged
in that quarter of the world. With regard to the third
point, that if the families of those who have fallen
in these engagements can derive consolation—and

no doubt they-do derive consolation—from the pos-
session of a medal, the country should confer it. His
noble friend had rightly pointed out the difficulty
heretofore experienced in getting at the representa
tives of soldiers who have fallen in past wars, but
the same difficulty did nut start up in the present
case. It was propused that the medal for these great
services should be given to the survivors of the
officers and soldiers, officers and sailors, who fell in
the various actions in the Crimea. To render the
boon of any value or of practical effect, it would be
necessary that the name of the individual should be en •
graved on the rim of the medal ; and if two or three
months should elapse before this can be done and the
medals can be sent out, he trusted, after the explana
tion he had given, that the country would not think him
neglectful in the matter.

the Earl of ELLENBOROUGH, after saying that he
himself had had the distribution of 60,000 medals,
explained the principle upon which he conceived
such distribution ought to be founded. He held it
to be wrong to give any medal unless for distin-
guished services actually performed under the fire
of the enemy. He knew that principle has not
always been acted upon; that men had received
medals because they happened to belong to a corps
which contributed to the general success by the posi-
tion which they have occupied; but he thought that
principle most erroneous and deceptive. When we
see a man wearing a medal, the meaning conveyed to
our minds is that that man has done good service
under the fire of the enemy. Pecuniary advantages—
indeed, any other advantage might be given to
soldiers for successfully holding a position, or gene-
ral services, but not the medal. He rejoiced to hear
that the gallant men at Balaklava were to have their
clasp, but he strongly doubted the expediency of
giving the Grimean medal to every seaman who hap-
pened at the time to be employed in the Black Sea.
He would require very particular information first as
to the conduct of every seaman. He greatly re-
gretted the hesitation in granting the clasp for Bala-
klava, knowing how sensitive were the soldiers'
feelings to all points of honour. It did not look
well that the announcement of the concession of the
medal should have been deferred till an independent
pen had drawn attention to the subject. He could
find a parallel to the deeds of Alma, great as
those deeds were ; he could find a parallel to the
deeds of Inkermann, though they were still more re-
markable than the deeds enacted on the heights of
Alma ; but he did not know where to find a parallel to
the deeds of Balaklava. Cavalry has charged artillery
before, cavalry has charged infantry on many occa-
sions, and cavalry has charged cavalry, but he knew
not the instance, although it may exist, in which

THE PRESS.

cavalry has before charged the cavalry, infantry, and
artillery bolunging to a powerful army in position.
How is it, then, that it did not at once leap into the
noble duke's mind that it was due to the feelings of
our army that they should be rewarded at once as
they ought to be rewarded ? The medals for Bala-
klava should have been instantly struck, not a
moment's delay ought to have taken place. When
Curtius threw himself armed into the gulf in order
by the sacrifice of himself to promote the future wel-
fare of his country, he did not do a deed of more
desperate fidelity, he did not do an act of more abso-
lute self-devotion, than that done by our cavalry in
that memorable charge. (Cheers.) He concluded
by trusting that the 93rd, which shared with the
cavalry the glories of the day, would not be omitted
from the distribution of the medal.