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

LORD JOHN RUSSELL'S STATEMRNT.

Oa the voodoo that the orders of the day be read for the
rupees of being postponed,;
Lewd 3. RUSSELL rose, and spoke ea follows:—At the
request of my noble friend at the head of the government,
I have postponed to this day the statement wish
to make with respect to my rtsignation of the flee I
hasty bad the know to hold, that of President of the
Council. I will go at ones to the matter, furies that the
statement may be prolonged more then I mild wish that it
should. Oa Tuesday last, when I was present is this basso.
the hon. sad learned gentleman the mamba for Shefileld
(Mr. Roebuk) gave notice of a motion for a select com-
mittee "to inquire into t►e condition el our army before
Sebastopol, and into the eocduct of those departments of the
government whoa" duty it has been to minister to the wants
of that army." I of course had thought it probable that some
member might move for an inquiry of this kiad. I had
not, ►owever, folly considered the course that I ought to
take thereupon—that cause depending much upon the
nature of the motion, and I should say, likewise, partly
upon the quarter from which it might come. The bon. sad
learned member for fineilleld, it is evident, is in a position
to evince no hostility to the government which he has sup-
ported; and I enuld cot conceive that he had any other
object then that which we ought all to have at heart—the
vigorous prosecution of the war. (Cheers.) Now, with
reepeet to the power of inquiry—l think that is the most
valuable privilege of this house. This house has no power
of appointment—no power of directing the measures of the
exiseutive. But, by the power of inquiry, it corrects
abates ; it reforms mal-administration ; It strengthens those

establlehments which may seem for ths moment to need sup-
port. (Hear.) A motion for inquiry, however, may be
raided upon two grounds: the one, that there are no evils
'listing of salcient magnitude to call for inqairy ; the
other, that suicient means have been taken to remedy
those evils ; and that they will best be cured by other
means than by a resort to OA inquisitorial powers of this
hone*. With respect to the first of these objections, it is
obvious that it was impossible to urge that. (Hear.) No
one can deny the melancholy condition of our army before
Sebastopol. (" Hear," from the opposition.) The account'
which arrive from that quarter are sot only painful,—they
are horrible and beartrending—(hear)—and I am sere that

no
one would oppose for a moment any measure which he
thought likely, not only to cure, bet even to mitigate, those
evils. (Hear.) And, sir, I mast say that, with all the
of9cial knowledge to which I have had awes, then Is
something which is to me ice:pliable is the state of that
army. (Chun.) If I had been told, as • reason valises
the expedition to the Crimea last year, that the troop,
would be seven miles from the ma—oevaa wiles from a
secure port, which at that time, when in eontomplation of
the *audition, we hardly hoped to posses; and that, at
that eaves miles distance they would he in want of food,
of clothes, and of *eke', to snob a dogrel, thet they should
parish at the rate of from 90 to 100 a day—l should have
oossidertd such a prediction as utterly preposterous--such
an objection to be entirely inapplicable sad unfounded.
(Hear, hear.) And yet we are all aware of the notoriety
of the melancholy condition of our ugly. It was not there.
fore by denying the existent* of the evils that I could hope
to *due this house to rebut the proposition of the hen.
and leaned gentleman. Bat I had farther to reflect, if I
was in so position to give • faint "no " to the proposal,
not to express in vague and equivocal terms a wish that the
motion might not be carriod, or to use any ensile with
raped to the matter of its terms, with a view to defeating
that motion. It was my duty—a duty, I trust.
I have performed when I was in that situation
—4o stand In the front of the battle—(bear, lieu)
—end manfully to take my part in opposing the appoint.
meat of that committee. (Hear, hear.) These I had to
osasider whether I might not urge that second reason for
Wining the committee to whisk I hove adverted--namely,
tint immures had hew taken that arrangements were is
peogrue, by which thus evils would bt remedied, and by
offish the administration of the war would be vigorously,

sad. it was to be hoped, escoessfully presented. I should
hare been sore disposed to giro that reason, became it le
obvious that the coacessioa of a aonintittee of that sect-4
crousittse sitting for weeks, perhaps for meths, wield hI
fatal loth' ellsiesey of those military audertaldap whist'
it would alga, affect. There was therefore the strongest
iadasonssat, if possible, to pot forward sash an aigootioa to
Ilio'falnley which the hos. sad leaned gonikinen pro.
peed. I feud, apes nfloodon that it wee impas-
sible he se to urge with ;feet, and. semillag
le isp own ceassiesee, with truth, that etgesdia to
the peptised esamittee. The house will, I Itepo,
permit roe to refer to sans eireainstraces persaaal; se wq
self, eitheogtt they hardly some within the ;mope al the
statements "shish I have to caste. Whoa the ode, et
fieeratasy of State for War was separated bent the diesel
bereetery of Mate ter the Colonies, Lied Aberdsea though
it eight to prop os to the Duke of Neweside to wept
whisk of the two oillees be should least desire, sad the Duke
of Newesetle, witbot ceepteadable arabitka, as I think, ro•
plied that, having ezertsd himself la Attie( eat the very
loge upedstiat, he should like to remain at the head of

&peened whisk would bays the Croatia sad tho
of that ezpoditloo, sad the sewed essaagenost of
tba war. Lod Absrdesa caseated to that wish ; sad
was s oessafriag party la thappoistateat. At the sae‘of