The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-27 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 27, 1855.

of the hospital, where some of the men 1/07111yisallil
cholera, had been refused,on the ground that the appl
had not cease in the proper form and from the peeper
quarter, and that, although the surgeon bad strand to bold
himeelf reepeasible, end urged that the DTI' of the men
would be sacrificed in the event of refuel, the store-
keeper declined even to lend the stoves. He wished
to know whether, if this statement was tics, this officer was I
still hilt in charge of the stores at Balaklave, or whether
say communication had been made to Lord Raglan to re-
move him ?

Sir J. WALSH, before the noble lord enswmd the
question, wished to make en observation, in consequence of
en Impression which had fallen from the hon. gentleman.
The hon. gentleman had stated that the battles in the
Crimea, which had reflected so much glory upon British
arms, bed been won by the rank end file of the B ' • b army.
If he meant by that the British soldier was the most gal-
lant, and in all respects the best material for • soldier io
the world, he (Sir J. Walsh) fully agreed with him, and in
that sense acknowledged that it wee to the rank and file—to
the valour of the British soldier—these victories were owing
—(hear, hear)—but if he meant to place the soldier in a
position disunet from the officer, and to say that it was
owing to the soldiers and not to the officers, then the boa.
gentleman stated that which was not only not precisely in
accordance with the actual circumstances which 000urred,
but which was absolutely impossible to be the fact. They
never found yet soldiers fight well unless they were well
commanded ; and, with regard to the English officers serv-
ing in the Crimea, he believed they had shown as much
or more valour in the engagements which the hon. gentle-
man had mentioned than had ever been exhibited by any
similar class of men in any army in the world. In the
cavalry charge at Balaklava there were more officers
in proportion to the men and more casualties amongst'
them in proportion than generally bevelled under similar
circumstances, in consequence of the regiments having been
at the time little more than skeletons of regiments, not
filled up to their full complement. (Hear, hear.)

Lord PALMERSTON, while giving full credit to the
courage and devotion of the rank and file, remarked that
the ossualties amongst the officers proved incontestably that
they had nobly done their duty as well as the men. With
regard to the cue of Sergeant Sullivan, he could only repeat
what he had before explained, via., that Lord It glen had
authority, in consequence of the good conduct and die-
tioguished valour of the troops,ffo promote one non-com-
missioned officer in each regiment under his command to a
commission. Of course it must be left to the officer in
command of the regiment to *elect the particular non.cont-
missioned officer who should be recommended for promotion;
and whatever the distinguished bravery of Sergeant
Sulli-
van, it was to be presurned.that the non commisuone officer
of his regimentwho had been:recommended for promotion had
as good, if not a better, claim than he had. (Rear, bear.)
It was quits impossible for persona here to enter into a com-
parison of the claims of the different men in each regiment
who had distinguished themselves under the eyes of their
officers, but must be left to those officers under whose oh
mutation they were serving. (Rear, hear.) With regard to
the second question, he had to reply that his notice had been
attracted by the newspaper reports to the circumstance to
which the 11011. gentleman had adverted, and he believed
that Lord Raglan's attention had also been called to it. More
than that, at present, it was impossible to say. (Rear, bear.)
. _ _ .

Mr. WHITESIDE urged that the rule which bad been
laid down, that one commission only should be given amongst
the non-commissioned officers in each regiment, was afloat's-
factqly, and ought not to be put forward against the claims
of a man who bad distinguished himself In the way that
Sergeant Sullivan had done.