The Express.
London, England, 1855-05-11 00:00:00

IIIE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, MAY 11, 1855.

Mope, without the oouwarreat authority of this amlemadoe
and the French admiral ?
Admiral Duadm—U I had orders from the ambasador to
arms my &et, I thou'Al have cone to the French Mmiral,
sod have talrl him ; and if the French admiral, Wog my
eopeeioe officer, bad ordered me to move, I 'hood have
goo* to the antbamodor end told him ; but it the French
ed:diral mid he should not move, if I had the embasador's I
Arden to do so, I should move.
I The Cluirmaa—Was that the ease u well before is *Air
The
war broke out /
Admiral Doodas—No ; ; when the war broke oat it was

esethir manor.
The Chairman—l think w. Underohnd ynn now. We
will now preolett on to Varna. When did yoo ecru®

there ?
Adm".ral Dundas—On May 11, 1864. I knew noising of
the army coming to Varna. I was to take care of Sebse'
to 1, and to protect the Essine.
The Chairman—Do you mean by that the blockadt of the
Russian ports, sad were you to blockade all the Logien
ports in the Euxine ?
Admiral Daodes—No; the blockade did not take place
fora long time.
The Cattleman—Did not ships belonging to the eaemy's
fleet come out of Sebastopol ?
Admiral Dendas—Very often two or three of them did.
The Chairman—Did a Russian steamer on one occasion
steam right up iato the Bosphorus ?
Admiral Dandas—l never heard that they came so far up
as the Bosphorus.
Ia continuation the Admiral said—l first heard of the
army going from Varna to the Crimea about the and of
July. Several °Deference. took place with respect to
the embarkation and landing of the army. I had
one conference with Marshal St. Arnaud. I reeived
no orders. I ordered the necessary boats nye .11.
The English took about 2.5,000 or 30,000 mea over to the
Crimea. Our ships were crowded with troops, exceptiort
six or seven sail of the line, which I arranged with the
French admiral ehoald be kept free in cage the busies
fleet tame up. I sent Admiral Lyons to Conatentineple to
obtain steam togs for landing the troops, and I weasels.
fled with the engagements of Admiral liner so long as he
soled in offline The cause of delay in disentharktog the
troops was the breaking oat of cholera. My attention war
called to the passage of Russian troop. into the Cilium
through the Sea of Asoff, but it was impossible to prevent
it, even with vemets of a light draught of water, Imhof
to the Impracticability of the coast. He (Admiral Duda.)
on the 10th of May addressed a letter to Lord Raglan, ex-
pressing hie opinion that Sebastopol was a second Gibraltar,
and that 120,000 Russians were in the Crimes, of whom
30,000 wets in Sebastopol, that there were fourteen or six-
teen sail of the line is the harbour, and concluding the letter
with a hope that hi lordship had better information than
he (Admiral Dundee) had respecting Remise operations
end resources. (Laughter.)
Ia reply to the Chairman, the Admiral said be had not got
with him the confidential correspondents between Sir
James Graham sad himself referred to in the foregoing
letter. Besides, if he had, he surely had a right to keep
hi own lettere.
Sir J. Pakington reminded witness that the Duke of
Neweastle, is his examination before the committee, had
stated that he (the witness) had given inaccurate informa-
tion as to the probable amount cf the Russian force in the
Crimea.
Admiral Dandies replied that in Much or April the Duke
of Homemade, in a letter to Lord Raglan, said there were
46,000 men in Sebastopol, which was a greater number than
he (wheels) had given.
The Chairman said that did not prove that witness was
more accurate than the duke. It proved rather that they
were both wrong.
Witness said that might be ; but he could only say he had
his information from parsons whose respectability he could
not doubt.
To Mr. Drummond—lie was consulted about the suffi-
ciency of the English Toros to take Sebastopol before the
army went there. He was previously asked if be hiel.elt
could take Sebastopol with his own fleet? He answered
that he could not—(a laugh) ; and the French admiral was
preeest, and said the same.
To Mr. Ellice—When the troops were at Varna, sad
before the expedition to the Crimea had been determined
upon, his opinion was asked by the English asthenia.
reference to the expedition. The means of transport at hi
disposal were sufficient for conveying the British army. beg I
not for all the baggage animals, mangy of which—be believed
2,000 or 3,ooo—were left behind at Varna. At that time he
had no means of obtaining additions' transports. More
French troops were lauded in the Crimea by cue French
fleet than English troops by the English fleet; bat the
French at that time had about 16 sail of the line, whilst we
had only eight.
To the Chairman—ln point of fact he had nothing to do
with the tramper... That was a put of the arrangements
which rested entirely with Lord Raglan, Admiral Boon,
and Captain Christie. He believed at that time uo more
transports could be procured at Constantinople or is the
Bleck Sea than were obtained, and time and distance pr,
eluded their being obtained from England. A small pro.
portion of tho French troops were landed in the Crimea by
ships of the country. A number of small ships of different
nations were at that time in the Bosphorus and the Black
Sea, but the lime did not admit of their being hired and
collected to assist in embarking pert of the Eaglish troops
at Varna and taking them to the Crimea.
To Lord Seymour—liad it been desirable to embark the
army at Constantinople for the Crimea, it could not h eve
been done with the same facility as at Varna, Lec cue.
wh.n the troops were at Constantinople a sufficient number
of boats was not available for embarking and dieembstkem
them.
To Sir John Pakisgton—After landing the army in the
Crimea our ships returned to fetch the French cavalry. The
remainder of the transports could not have gone back to ,
Varna for the baggage horses, because most of them were
more or legs laden with ammunition, which they could not
at that time land in the Crimea.
To Mr. Drummond—All the sailing ships of the fleet
were stationed off Sebastopol ; all the screw ships were off
ffiglaklava ; and the squadron off Eupstoria.
Mr. Drummond—Did not Lord Raglan protest to you
oplost the army wintering in the Crimea ?•
Witness was understood to answer in the negative.
The Chairman—After the army disembarked, did you ever
ems Lord Raglan ?
Witness said—Certainly he did. Early in December he
went up to the camp, and saw him there. lie continued to
my that the steamers of the Meet had not sufficient coal at
all times, but on the whole they were extremely well
supplied. He had no complaint to make on that score.
To Captain Gladstone—No representations were ever
made to him about the state of the harbour at Balaklava.
He placed it entirely under the control of Sir Eumund

Lyoes. -
To Mr. Roebuck—There was not at ell times a sufficiency
of coals fur the steamen of the fleet; but he had no coin-
! plaint to make on that point.
Mr. Roebuck—Could you not have had a atca-a tug i i
the Bosphorus for coaling the steamers in the fleet ?
Witness—lf you bed had a dosen steam tugs in the Bos-
phorus, you could not have done it. (A laugh.)
Mr. Roebuck—Did you expect Providence to 4r vile the
coals ?
Witness—lt wu Providence that prevented their being
supplied. (Laughter.)
Ti Lord Seymour—The duty of supplying the fleet with
coals devolved upon Admiral Lux, and it he had not dis-
charged that duty witneas Lad no power to nation him.
Re made no complaint at any time t.i Lord Raglan of Ad-
miral Boner. [The witness read here a letter written by
him to Lord Ragan (es we understood), shortly ant the
battle of the Alma' relating the steps he took to in ilea the
m.dical service of tbe fleet available for the wounded, to
organise an ambulance corps of marines for conveyieg them
down to the coast, and to provide transports for tekicg them
down to Scutari.] A certain number of traesporta had been
told off for that purpose immediately after the battle, but
they were no' adequate in number to the emergen y, be-
cause be had been informed on good authority that the
wounded did nut exceed 600, and be had prepared trans-
ports for the reception of that number; but it turned out
that the wounded 'mounted to 1,600, and that gyre rise to
the transports being great.y overcrowded.
To General Peel—lf Captain Christie, who had the con-
trol of the transports, had bad the smallest idea that so
large a number of men were to be tales down to Scutari, he
would have made adequate preparations; but who ever
dreamt of carrying such a number of men away two or
three days after the army had landed in the Crimea?
To Mr. Ellice He received orders from home, or
from Lord Raglan, to prepare transports for the reception
of the sick and wounded.
To Sir John Banmer—The sunken ships at the entrance
to Sebastopol did aot p the English fleet going into
the harbour, because the fleet could
slaloms the army had got there before them
Mr. Roebuck—Did you receive orders from the Admi-
ralty respecting the blockade of the Entine ?
Witnem—l did ; but U you sok me one word about the
blockade of the Ermine then 1 must speak of the French.
(A laugh.)
Mr. Roebuck—Then you will blockade me. (Laughter )
To Lord Seymour—On the whole, the fleet was well
&applied with provisions, bat not with fresh meat.
Mr. Drummond—It Isle been stated that all the misfor-
tunes might have been avoided if the troops had been
landed at Kerteb.
Witness—l offered to take IT,rtelt with a force of 3,000
Imen, and they could sot spare them to me. What shi ,
iimold di, we m do;old but we had no marines on board.ii
Mr. Drummond—lt has been said that the harbour at

BaTaila;a
oar contradictory ; if it was true at all, it was not the lash
of 6, tptaia Christie?
WI tnms—The place was a ditch, you know; and after a
gimat crowd of ships came in, it became of course much
worse but Captain Christie wee not to blame. He bed
mama ca• keep no'more ships to the harbour than were an-
lading there. Captain Christie is a good steady dicer, and
a miry Quiet, honest man, and works well.
Dratootond—But not having enough of the devil ir.
he pea been in the habit of using fits' language.
("No, no," frt.= several of the committee.)
Witness: Oh, no; I am afraid you mean =odor man.
Demmatem.l—No, Ido not. lam asking theme slaer-
tiaas
from „maw of newspapen which have bes's for.
warded to me.
Witness—Captain Christie had a diflicult part to pla
He commanded the mma.sport service, who were not under
naval
mien end they mme a sat of wild fellows, who did
as they liked.
At this point the room was o: deed to be cleared, shortly
before three o'clock, and in about :tall an hoer the committee
sept.rated without again admitting the public. The in-
Wadestiod wi4 be resumed to-ntorriw Mal day) at 12. '