The Press.
London, England, 1855-05-05 00:00:00

THE MINISTRY OF WAR.

AT particular periods the weight of Govern-
ment falls on individual Ministers. Lately
the CHANCELLOR Of the Exeucneca was the
most important member of the Ministry.
Now the Minister of War is the principal. All
other functions sink into insignificance com-
pared with his. To direct the war is to rule
the country, to exalt or to depress our name,
to exercise a material influence on the state of
Europe, and perhaps to affect the destinies of
the world for ages to come. For this post a
genius essentially lofty in its scope and mili-
tary in its constitution is required, and we
have Lord PANMURE, whose thought never
reached higher than the mediocrity of routine,
and whose dull faculties are now enfeebled by
disease.
It would be worth all the cost of a revolu-
tion to fling this decrepit creature from his
Epost to morrow, and replace him by Lord
LLENBOROUGH. How it happens that there
is often one man and no more in an age fitted
by nature, and habit, and experience for a
particular duty, we can no more tell than we
can account for other dispensations of Provi
dente. Above the level of his age the genius
of Lord ELLENBOROUGH rises up conspicuously.
He has the soul and the intellect of a
general. It is no flattery of him to say that
Such men are born to station and command
When Providence means mercy to a land.
His great qualities were proved in India,
where he had to repair the appalling disaster
of the.Affghan massacre. No man was ever
so popular with the Indian army, not from any
belief tint he was favorable to schemes of
conquest, but because the soldiers knew them-
selves to be safe under his direction. Officers
left his presence enlightened by his sagacity,
and cheered by his protection. That noble
and sublime assurance of superior guardian-
ship which it is recorded that WOLFE received
in his last interview with CHATHAM, was im-
pressed on the mind of every officer who left
Lord ELLENBOROUGH'S presence with a mission
to fulfil. From the instant that this war
began, we find him endeavouring to force on
the mind of the Duke of NEWCASTLE some
true conception of his duties, but in vain As
well might he have tried to make a worm stand
upright. The only effect of his counsel was
to place on record his ideas, and show the
country how much it has lost by their neglect.
Were a thousand intelligent men in this
country asked who was the fittest person for
Minister of War, nine hundred and ninety-
nine of them would unhesitatingly reply,—
Lord ELLENBOROUOH. He has all the qualifi-
the -

1 .
cations for the post—vast energy, great expe- totally unable, without large reinforcements, a little too far. On this theory it would be
rience, administrative capacity, and a general's to risk the assault. impossible to say when a man could be held
gellErliterhip wpointment would break up The result might have been foreseen. It responsible for any acts of folly, temerity, 01)-
the 1 ig ~74-hiibtly,qind it would clear away was known a month ago that the Russian stinacy, fantastic vanity. Morals are always
the• tja iforekai*pf.r tine, and dispense with forces in the Crimea were not much below in danger when the broad lines of right and
1 'usesssSitt To; \ dministrative Reform 150,000 men, and that fresh troops were ex- wrong are effaced and the cobweb pleas of
...14 originating fills. hig incapacity, is to petted. It was notorious that the strength casuistry are suggested. Making distinctions
y* I
ivattgurate an agitate that may turn to Whin of the allies was scarcely so great. The is one of the refinements of a guilty conscience,
unfit, and plunge :110,6 country into deeper British force was 22,000, the French was vainly trying to quell its own upbraiding,. It
6..;tilcuity. It is *AO; notorious to every clerk estimated at fb,ooo, and the Turks and is by such nice discrimination that the Jesuit
iiiillikliiiiiiiiilingliiiillinillillii.llllllllllllllllll. lij
'

MAY 5, 1855.

in religion corrupts, and that the Peelite in
politics would equivocate away the manly
public morals of our people.
But the facts are too strong for the artifices
of the Duke of NEWCASTLE'S apology. We can
state a case against him from which his
Grace will vainly strive to extricate himself.
In his speech before the House of Lords,
when trying to defend his conduct, his Grace
confessed " that from the first the Government
" had resolved on the expedition to the
" Crimea." His Grace made that admission
some months since, and it is too late now, in
whining tones, and with apologetic manner, to
try and escape by telling people that the
starvation of a British army " grew out of the
" circumstances." Observe how the chain of
responsibility is fastened upon the Duke of
NEWCASTLE.

For example, the want of transport was one
of the greatest defects in the plan of the ex-
pedition. The shelterless and destitute con-
dition of the troops, the prostration of the
men by thousands, and the greater part of the
miseries of the whole campaign, are clearly
attributed to the want of transport. Now, let
us see how upon that terrible neglect the
Duke of NEWCASTLE criminates himself. In
his second day's evidence (Tuesday, April
24th,) his Grace was asked the question,
" Who was responsible for tho organisation of
" the transport service ?" and his Grace at
once answered, " The Commissariat." By the
change in the Commissariat the whole of that
department has been most properly removed
from the Treasury to the War-office. The
immediate working superintendence is now
under the War Minister's notice, and the
change is undoubtedly a good one. But in
the first column of the eleventh page of the
Tunes of Wednesday, April 25th, we find the
following question and answer:—

Was the change in the Commissariat made upon your
representation ? No ; it was a measure which had been
long mooted, and was decided on as early as June. I do
not consider the existing arrangements are quite in accord•
ante with my views, which are dependent on a much larger
scheme of alteration. My impression is, the details of
commissariat work are so complex and so extensive that
it is impossible for them to be properly attended to by
a Minister of War personally. In time of we I think the
Commissariat ought, like other departments, to be under a
separate head, but entirely subordinate to the Secretary
fur War.

In that answer there is an entire volume of
incrimination against the Duke of NEWCASTLE.
1. He confesses that this beneficial change
had not been made upon his representation.
The first word of his answer, " No," reveals
how little there was of prescience in his
Grace. 2. He disparages the existing arrange-
ments. and intimates that he had the whole
system under his consideration : and a pretty
result was the consequence of his Grace's re-
flections ! 3. Then he shows us his utter
ignorance of the real duties of a War Minis-
ter by suggesting that "the details" of the
Commissariat are to be attended to by him,
as if it was not the grand design—the organi
sation of the expedition—the looking to the
quantity and quality of the troops, horses,
artillery, and ammunition, and transport, that
was the peculiar duty of the War Minister.
His Grace thinks that the Commissariat in
times of war ought to be placed under " a
" separate head;" and his Grace says this
when the obvious necessity of the case is that
we should have more unity in the War-office.
Such is the man to whom the Peelites and
Whigs entrusted the organisation of our expe-
dition against Russia!
Then let the singular contradictions between
his Grace's evidence on the various days be
observed. They are really very curious, and
sufficient attention has not been directed to
them. They are more visible when placed in
parallel columns :

AVOWAL OF RESPONSIBILITY. EVASION OF RESPONSIBILITY.

At the same time, Ido As to the Commissariat,
not mean to say that I di- do you consider Sir C. Tre-
yested myself of all care velyan responsible for that
respecting the supplies to branch of the service?—
be made by the Commissa- Practically, up to the 22nd
nat, with which, being an of December, Sir C. Tre-
independent department, I velyan was the officer who
did not interfere to the same had the control of the Cora-
extent as in others.—( Tinto, missariat. ( Times, April
April 2 ith, p. 3, col. 7.) 20th, p. 11, col. 1.)

In his first day's evidence his Grace boasted
of his care about supervising the Commis-