The Press.
London, England, 1856-03-22 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

For some weeks past accounts have reached us from the Crimea
of the deplorable state of the French troops, and of the mortal sickness
that has raged in their ranks: but we were unwilling to be the first to
publish the intelligence. The fact, however, can now be concealed no
longer. The correspondent of the Times, in his letter in that journal
of yesterday, reports :

The mortality in the French army is said to amount to 170 men a day, and although
the exact number cannot be, positively ascertained, there is strong reason to believe that
the above statement is near the truth. Jam assured that in three days 570 men
died. There may be exaggeration in this ; but it is certain that the number of sick is
very large, and that the French commissariat is badly off.

Our own letters, without pretending to give exact details, speak of the
"awful mortality" in the French army, and this while the British army
is "ridiculously healthy." Can there be any rational explanation
given of this strange contrast, now that the severe labours of the siege
are over, and that their Governments at home have equally had time
to provide for their wants? We think there may, ‘ittid we turn for it
to the outline of what appears to have been a most able and instructive
lecture, delivered by Mr. Auouszus STAFFORD, M.P., at Stamford, on
Monday last, relating the results of his experience in the Crimea and
at Scutari, during the last two winters. Mr. STAFFORD said :

It was told him by a French officer on board, and it had been confirmed indirectly by
many persons who had opportunities of ascertaining the same statistics, that the French
had lost between July, Issl, and July, 1855--slain iu battle, left dead on the field, 1'2,000 ;
died afterwards of wounds received in battle, 7,000 ; sent home with loss of limb or
broken in constitution, 25,000 • died of disease, chiefly diarrhcea, cholera, and dysentery,
60,000 ;—total loss, about 105,000, exclusive of all who had been killed or died during
the last seven months. " But," added his informant, "we do not put this in the news.
papers ; we only report a loss of 20,000. You English know too much about your army ;
we know too little."

This was " making things pleasant," and the result has been that,
hile, by the unsparing exposure of the abuses in our system, defects
have been remedied, and ample precautions taken against a recurrence
of the like evils, the French abuses have met with no corresponding
check, and have continued long after all excuse for them has ceased,
Of course, unlimited publicity is not without its drawbacks, but the
good so greatly predominates over the evil, that we ought to be
thankful it prevails among us ; instead of crying out, as some gentle-
men afflicted with weak nerves, inveterate prejudices, and bureau-
cratic sympathies do, that the press should be subject to restraint,
and all newspaper correspondents be hung

From various quarters accounts still reach us of the increasing
activity of our recruiting agents, particularly of the Anglo-German
Legion department. Up to a certain' period this activity might have
been commendable, but it really seems time that it should be
checked now that peace is all but concluded. Such operations must be
attended with enormous expense, and must shortly cause our Govern-
ment great embarrassment. We do not at all wonder at the freedom
with which recruits come in. It being well understood that
peace is at hand, there is a rush for the enlistment
bounty offered by British agents ; only short and pleasant service will
be required in return, or perhaps we shall have to give the prudent
recruits a second bounty of a more substantial kind to get rid of them.
We are inclined to think that in this way our first loss would be the
best, unless, indeed, there should be a scheme a-foot to make a German
Legion a permanent part of the British army.

Lord DALHOUSIE has fitly terminated his Indian administration by
the annexation of Oude. For this act of colossal spoliation there is
no direct pretext. The King had not defied our authority. His rule
was not in any way dangerous or hurtful to our contiguous posses-
sions. The official proclamation admits that the " Royal race, what-
" ever their faults towards their own subjects, have ever been faithful
" and true to their friendship with the English nation." But the King
has not fulfilled, it is said, the provisions of the treaty made in 1801,
to establish such " a system of administration as would be conducive
"to the prosperity of his subjects." He is charged with misgovern-
ment, and on that charge, not only is he deposed, but his family are
deprived of their rights, and the Kingdom of Oude annexed to the
territories of the British Government. Of all cases of annexation, we
recollect not one parallel to this. If a mere charge of misgovern-
ment is sufficient to justify the seizure of a kingdom, no State
could be safe from the aggression of its more powerful neighbours.
It is exceedingly doubtful, after all, whether Oudo was not in at least
as prosperous a state as any part of British India. Sir ERSKINE
PERRY, late Chief Justice of Bombay, in his " Bird's-eye View of
India," records—" The people we met on the road (between Cawn-
" pore and Lucknow) were a fine-looking well-fed race, and to
" the eye no appearance of suffering or misgovernment presented it-
" self." He relates, "The King made a more favorable impression on
"me than I had been led to expect." But annexation was determined
on ; so Sir E. PERRY informs us, " Colonel SLEEMAN, the Resident, has
" prevailed on the Governor-General to allow him to make a tour
" through the provinces, which he has been engaged in for the last
" three months, and during which he has been encouraging applies-
" tions, and the receipt of petitions from all quarters. This, no doubt,
" is an extraordinary interference with the native Government, and
" not warranted by any treaty—indeed, is contrary to them all—and,
" therefore, can only be justified by the strongest of all reasons—sub!s
" populi." One reason for Colonel SLEEMAN'S zeal may be found in his
own description of Oude. "There is no part of India with
"so many advantages from Nature." Colonel SLEEMAN ad-
mits :—" It has the boldest and most industrious peasantry
"in India, and a landed aristocracy too strong
for the weak
" and wretched Government," and he says, that the countryis, for
" the most part, well-cultivated," but then " numbers of suffering and
" innocent people approached him with the hope of redress," &c. Had
Lord Dattiousis's only object been the welfare of the people of Oude.
it is not probable that the King would have opposed any measures the