The Press.
London, England, 1855-03-24 00:00:00

THE BALTIC.

The naval campaign in the Baltic is about to re-
open. The flying squadron of British steamers,
under Captain Watson, left on Tuesday afternoon,
being preceded to sea by the Queen in the Fairy,
the royal yacht. On the Queen's proceeding, the
entire fleet fired a royal salute. The squadron con-
sists of the Imperieuse, 51; the Euryalus, 51;
Arrogant, 48 ; Tartar, 22 ; Esk, 21; Archer, 14;
Conflict, 8. On leaving the squadron, the Queen's
yacht hoisted the signal, "Success; farewell!" Her
Majesty was loudly cheered, and the greatest
enthusiasm prevailed.
The Great Belt is open at the north, south, and
seat; also from Knudshovet to Slipshaven. Corsoer

THE PRESS.

is still icebound. The Sound ice is broken up on
the Swedish side. Elsinore is open and ships have
arrived. Ice still remains between Ilven and the
Danish coast. Kiel harbour is partially open; Buelk
quite. A storm from the north-west has rapidly
dissipated the ice.
MEDICAL REPORT.
The following official report of the health of the
army, from Dr. Hall, Inspector-General of Hospitals,
ants dated March 2nd, was transmitted by Lord
Raglan to the War-office with the last despatches :
I will offer a few observations on the weekly state up to
the 24th of February, and may premise that the result of
the sanitary condition of the army up to that period is by
no means so satisfactory as the previous improvement
during the week of fine weather that we had had led me
to anticipate; but, though the unfavorable change in the
weather, from the genial warmth of spring to the bitter
cold of winter, which took place on the 20th, had an
injurious effect on certain classes of disease in weakly sub-
jects, still there is sufficient improvement remaining to
enable us to look forward with confident hope to the future ;
and T am the more inclined to indulge this hope from the
favorable change which has taken place in the type of
fever prevailing in the General Hospital at Balaklava, in
the 99rd Highlanders, and some other regiments, from low
typhoid to that of a remittent, and even intermittent
form.
This afternoon 100 patients were to be removed from
the General Hospital at Balaklava to the convalescent es•
tablishment on the Ostend of the old castle overlooking
the sea ; and when the remainder of the huts are erected,
which I expect they soon will be now, I look for the hap-
piest results to follow, from being able to place from 400 to
500 convalescents there, in place of sending them down to
the crowded establishment at Scutari. In case of our
having wounded men, I should wish of all things to keep
them in so desirable a locality, and, by a very little labour,
the road up to the huts from the town could easily be made
practicable for ambulance mules, and this, I am informed.
the commanding royal engineer has been ordered to carry
into immediate effect.
The position of the huts I think promises every advan-
tage ; they are placed on a dry ridge overlooking the sea,
sufficiently removed from the noise and stench of the town,
and not too far from our stores and resources.
There is a running stream in a ravine close at hand, of
easy access, and fed by a spring higher up in the hills,
which could easily be led to the huts themselves by means
of gutta percha tubing.
Out of 422 patients treated in the General Hospital at
Balaklava between the 18th and 24th of February, only
three casualties have occurred, which, I think, may fairly
be termed a low rate of mortality, considering the class of
patients that are generally sent in there for treatment—
men brought down from camp and found too ill to embark
when they arrive at Balaklava.
Bowel complaints continue to be the most prevalent
class of diseases ; but I think they are not so serious as
they were a short time ago, nor is scurvy so manifest as it
was since the issue of lime-juice daily as a portion of the
men's ration. Lately, I have instructed the medical officers
of regiments to inspect the men for the purpose of detect-
ing this complaint—skin diseases—and seeing that the
men are clean in their persons, and change their shirts
and flannels at stated periods. The last weekly report is
favorable. In the fourth division, which is the only report
I have at hand in my hut, only 138, out of 2,598 men in-
pecced, bore any traces of scurvy; and this is one of the
divisions which was as much or more affected with it than
any division in the army a short time ago. If the issue of
fresh meat could be insured, together w .th vegetables and
T am quite satisfied, now that the men are
warmly clad, and will soon be better sheltered, a manifest
improvement will take place in their health ; and, if the
military operations carrying on would only admit of some
longer exemption from duty, a still greater improvement
would be observed.
1 am inclined to think our greatest difficuhies and
miseries have been surmounted, and we may now look for-
ward for better and more cheering times. It was wonderful
to see the cheering effect the few fine days had on the
health and spirits of the men ; and, as the winter may now
he considered nearly at Mn end, I am fall of hope and confi-
dence.

THE present regulation war rocket, an invention
of Sir William Congreve, is destined, in all proba-
bility, to go speedily out of use. The long wooden
taillike appendage which constitutes an effective
portion of the missile, and without which it has no
directive flight whatever, has ever proved a sad
drawback to the general efficiency of the weapon.
Congreve rockets are most erratic in their flight, and
can never be depended upon for hitting a target,
even of considerable size and at very moderate dis-
tances. In the new war rocket (the invention of
Mr. William Hale, and now being extensively manu-
factured for our service) there is no tail whatever,
accuracy of directive flight being imparted by an in-
genious application of the rifle principle, the rocket
undergoing rotation as it pursues its course. An-
other great improvement in the manufacture of these
rockets consists in the application of hydrostatic
force instead of the monkey hammer hitherto em-
ployed for driving the rockets with their inflammable
composition. Not only is the process mote expedi-
tious, but it is also more safe, accidents having fre-
quently occurred, owing to ignition of the rocket
composition by heat developed from andcienly-com-
pressed air, the result of monkey driving. The
longest known flight of any missile whatever has been
accomplished by one of these new rockets, being
almost four miles.

277

SEBASTOPOL INQUIRY COMMITTEE.
THE following is among the evidence gi% en before

the committee this week.

Dr. ANDREW SMITE, head of the Army Medical
Board, said :

He had had thirty years experience as an army surgeon,
and in medical hospitals. He then described the system
pursued in the medical department of the army generally.
On the 10th of February last year he received the first

communication to make the necessary preparations to pro-
vide all medical necessaries for the first section of the army

of observation to the East, consisting of 10,000 men, going
out to Malta. He hereupon issued an order to the niedical
department for all that was required, and by the %.2tul of Feb-
ruary the medicine stores were all ready to sail. The uten•
ails, hada, and general ihniiture, were all furnished by the
Hoard of Ordnance. lie received no bill of lading or

invoice from the shipping authorities of the Ordnance at
the Tower. The commander-in-chief applied to the Ord-
nenee, the Ordnance to the Admiralty, and the Admiralty
supplied the medical comforts The medical stores were
consigned to the medical officer at Malts, but they did not
reach there for six or eight weeks, the medical officer
having gone on to Constantinople with the army. The
medical stores after considerable delays reached Constanti-
nople on the loth of May. On hearing the army was
increased to 25,00 U strong, be made an application on the
25th of March for additional supplies, which were placed
in one vessel, with proper officers in superintendence over
them. He represented to the commander-in-chief that the
army medical department were ignorant of the Oriental
country, and he suggested that medical officers should be
sent out to inquire into the diseases and sanitary condition
of the country, and how far it was advantageous for an
army to encamp in particular localities. Several officers
did go out and explore the coast of the Black Sea and the
entire country, but the authorities would not send out en-
gineers to co operate in this undertaking. Witness re-
ceived after the lapse of two months voluminous reports
from these officers, describing all that was required con-
nected with the face of the country and its physiology, and
a copy was lett with the principal medical officer of the
army and Lord Raglan. No arrangements were made the
hospitals until the arrival of the troops, though Dr. Guth-
rie recommended to the commander-in-chief that hospitals
should be established at Malta, in proportion to the nunibe
of men going out. The uncertainty of the army moving
from station to station prevented this being done to a very
great degree at first. After the troops moved from Malta,
Mr. Calvert received authority to establish hospitals, and
to spend for the purpose, with General Brown, any' money
that might be required. The French contrived, in some
way or other, to possess themselves of all the best build-
ings for these establishments. A hospital medical staff
was sent out, in expectation of hospitals bring requited,
in February, consisting of twenty-four, but they were WU-
mately increased to fifty-six, on the army moving further
east. A portion of this staff arrives' at Constantinople
before the troops. The supplies of medicine sent out to
Malta were calculated to last six months. The medical
officers had power to purchase additional medical
supplies in foreign countries, but they were all sent
from home; and this was the invariable practice of
the service. He would not hold himself responsible
for anything sent out but the medicines. The Ord.
nance were taken by surprise in these matters, in a
state of peace, and were compelled to purchase stores in
many instances not by contract, from not having the
stores in hand, and there being no time to Woe. He had
not made,nor did he direct any inquiries to be made, as to
medical supplies to be procured from the markets in the
East, it being expected that the rtipplies sent out would
be sufficient. His arrangements for regiments taking the
field were as follows :—On the 3rd March he issued a
circular to each surgeon of a regiment ordering that he
should complete his medicine chest, which would be suffi-
cient for a regiment eight hundred strong for six months.
He caused panniers, es in the Peninsula, tube prepared,
filled with medicines, to be carried on horseback, for each
regiment where medicine chests could not be conveyed.
If it was the truth that only medicine chests were found
at Varna he could not account for it, unless it was the fault
of the surgeons in leaving the panniers behind. The large
medicine chests would be conveyed by carts. Regiments'
hospitals were established at Constantinople, as soon as the
force arrived, on a small scale ; hut the general hospital
was not established until dune. Preparations to establish
the barrack hospital began in August. It was not at first
expected that the sick and wounded would go to Scutari,
but to Verbs, and the preparations at first were made at
the latter place. Ile considered sufficient authority had
been given by the Government to Lord de Itedcliffe to
supply all the necessary supplies forthe sick rind wounded.
He had information from Scutari as to the state of the
hospital at the time that Mr. *Donald applied to him for
letters of introduction, but he told him that his irritation
would be supererogatory—that every means had been taken,
and that there was an ample supply of every comfort that was
required. If it had been represented before the committee
that there was a greet want of medical comforts, all ha
could say was that he had despatched all provision), and
stores that were necesesry ; ewl be considered the medical
authorities out there hail everything they wanted. He ion -
gested to Mr. M'l)onald that the best way to apply his fat
would be to the poor fellows discharged from the hospital,
but he advised him not to give them money, as they would
only obtain drink. It was the duty of the medical officer
to have provided against, or to have prevented, the want of
medical comforts, or the state of things described by Mr.
M'Donald and Mr. Stafford. if they had had the means. He
could not positively say whether all the suffering and
misery was caused by the conflict between the superior
medical men and the nreeyers. He knew that the
optunrweeersy7robudtiol questionatbee authoritye ofottlibeeersmedilealho
would give evidence as to this. The conflict of authority

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