The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-20 00:00:00

Ithe atembsrenthe late government remained la the minis-
try ; so that, ia fact, • memittee mane would be
sitting in indrawn ea the sening momenent. There
wain however, any see pseud es whin* nose eould be
'willed en telltale the modem fee the appointment of the
committee; en net was If it etni be said, yea see that
there is a gineremost of sew and untried mss, and they
love met a pawns* of measures as will meows the sup-
pert of the homes an the country. On such rounds • vote
might be given aphid the teens, and la favour of the
goverment. Bat boo meld the hems on as any such
weds is favour et the preset government? far
En seek a ens It wield only be again a vote
of usafidenee or no sonedence in the same men.
How could he now vote accidence in thee* whom he con-
mod by his vote • week ago? And what was the pro-
gramme sow ? What did the noble lord propose? What
waren. remedies he offered ? Did he mean to sweep away
amends, evil, or to recall any individual who had done
wen.? No, bat I Mks of commissions neve to go out
then to inquire into the induct of affairs. What need of
• netatiena whoa we now saw at the head of the commis-
's:ham emben Miser of the Peninsular war, who was
somewhere about seventy years old, and when
we saw that commbseriat in such a state, that our
men were Wen, starving for want of food 1
Were not these two facts, put together, enough ground for
his recall, without seeding out a commission of inquiry, by
whisk his mismanagement might go on with impunity for
two or three months longer? What did we see in the me-
dical staff? Nearly three months ago • commission was
sent to inquire into it; but the same slate of things conti-
nued; Dr. Hall was still at the Mod of the medical com-
adagios and Mr. Lawson, who was reprimanded for con
duet l'hich the Commander-in-Chief characterised as dig-
(nodal, had been sent to Scutari, and placed at the
head et the hospital, and thence removed to Rhodes.
What did we gain by the commission there ? And whom
bad the government appointed ? Sir John M'Neill was a
men of the highest ability, wbo bad told him (Mr. Laved)
that he went oat because he onsidered it a great act of
duty whisk be esan not refuse; but he was no longer a
Mug mss, end kb healtb was se hod that hitherto he had
boss Align to rates* these Aloe to which his eminent
abilities entitled his, and meopt a secondary appointment
In isolland. How could that gentleman go into the to-
tally ? Could be examine all the foul soots and corners of
do mop, in the sold, and damp, and wet? It was phy-
sically impossible fee him • and whet would be the result ?
Why, like every mane pforedhby the present government,
or the late government—w " was the same thing—Sir
John M'Airall would lose a well-earned reputation, and
the bolt would be attributed to him. Again, as to the
tramsport system, government were going to seed a sem-
onion to look, into that. We had evidence @comb
already about it. At its head was Captain Christie, again
wham he would toy nothing, but that be could not go en
board his ship an hour after dark without getting • catarrh
by which he was confined for some time. It was a fact that
Captain Christie was very often five or sia days without
being able, front indispositios, to land at Balaklava. Was
a commission to be sent, then, to ask Captain Christie the
state of his health ? What we wanted was not commissions
but men. (Cheers.) When the army of the French
Republic was reduced to a condition as bad as ours, and
iasabordination too, the French Amenably sent out
manna of their own body, men who had no consideration
fee pasty or petunia interests who went out determined to
maideeMom who were in 'fault, and who did it, and
within a few months that army was able to perform the
pod= dens which all the world admired. (Cheers.)
We be compelled to do the same. The country was
sick of ,remissions ; what the country wasted, he would
repeat, wee men ; and let him not be told that men could
sot be head ;it was insult to say that. If our test of a
man was that he should be one above seventy, who was •
member of Brookes's, sad who always voted for
government, perhaps we might not find such an one
who maid earry out this peat business. But let him
sot be told there were net men in this country,
where, on all aides, be saw onsesselhl works of unequalled
magnitude, and vast wealthassumelated, end men who bad
raised themselves by their own essegy—bit him not be told
Oen were no men to be traadorbe would put in order Bac-
kless harbour, and bring ear army into • better condition.
(Obeers.) It was an Molt to the common sense of the
es ualoy to any any such thing. If there were any difficulty
la elmetei the men, we might go through the army with a
ballel.bea, sad tall every man in the ranks to put in the
aim it Whoa he thought moot competent to eon-
men think gad would there be any doubt of it? He
(Kr. Lamed) would pledge his existence that in the
artithey, at least, one name would be given by
77soldier. Then what was the commission needed for ?
if we wanted a vigorous man in:autherity, we should
ask sod the man inlaid's despatches which implied censure,
te mike Ida come home, and then, when asked whether
he had been recalled, say that he was not recalled. Was
that worthy of a Britbh government 1 Wes it English 1
Was it only ? (Cheers.) Why, if the man were guilty,
tf he were lassagetent, let us recall him straightway, and
not tress--o ses Nash were the noble lord's proposals;
with the 111MOINI of allowing Lord Raglan to be, for the
Yams heal esevesger, then was nothing else but that
ileesed lbws was sent out to be the head of the staff.
That wee a pest mistake ; that system of divided author ity
would net' do. General Simpson might be the ablest
of
ma, bat was it fair to Lord Raglan, er to the
public service, to send out a man in such •
position ? If we had at home a regularly organised staff, of
whisk General Simpson was the head, be having risen
thestigh all the grades of that staff, as the head of the
staff la France did, that would be quite another thing ; but
no, we crested this appointment now, and sent him to look
after Lord Raglan'. staff, whom Lord Raglan himself bad
appointed. (Hear, bear.) Had Lord Raglan consented to
this or not ? Did he admit that his staff was incompetent
or not ? If he did, let him send them home ; if he did not,
bow could we insult him by sending out a men to say that
it was? If we mast have a commission, let us send out a
man who should mix with the army,not with the staff—who
should not dine at general officers' tables, but talk with
the regimental officers, and with the soldiers, as
he (Mr. Layard) bed done, and we should learn
from him in a very few days Where the real evil existed.
There were no other definite measures proposed. There
was nothing said about the War-office, which everybody
admitted to be • sink of iniquity. An hen. gentleman had
made • most telling speech, with extraordinary seal, at
the Horse Guards; but there was no reform of the
Guards ia the proposals of government. There was a
motion to be made by Lord Galeria on promotion in the
army, bet the government said not a word of that. They
might depend on it the country would not be satisfied with
the
appointment of sixty sergeants. The country was no
longer the humour to take, as a concession and u a
Leigm, what it demanded as a principle and as a right.
set be taken, unless government would make a
=an redbird Gimp in the system of the army admi.
And the seterament themselves admitted that
IM mild= ed sae sew was desperate. He read with
Mithe speedlief tbi late Secretary at War, who said
nds army bee smesstly met an enemy more fell and
ahogirene Baersozy human foe—l mean disease, by which
it has bass to • fearful extent." Was there nothing
else It bed with—no neglect, no mismanagement ? The
right hon. sssYsmaa then went on to 'alienate that it was
the fault dSe House of Commons in refusing to support
en adequate may. It was very easy to throw the blame
11111611 ens MAIM The general in command might say be
be not
by titinguoeverniajaent ; the governmentehattrme
instructions ;ime
the eletbasetal officers, sad others might blame the soldiers;
sad be (Kr. Layard) would admit that the House of Coal-
men bed been somewhat to blame. Well, then, let the
en•Ary deal with that house; lot the house go to the country,
sad be Mead by the country to do their duty. (Cheers.) But
pod hews had voted, from year to year, money almost
iamb to support the Grades of France. Not the house
was to be blamed, bat the maladministration of its money.
(Neer, Marl No one had ever objected to • vote of money
WOW 11111111111 W for • good purpose ; what they objected to
wee deresritlein, and the system of the Hone Guards, and
Wain the government were resolved to alter it, how could
*man fee the confidence of those who new felt the dis-
pose of that " heart-reeding " condition to which our
assay was reduced by it? Well, thus was a general fear
of taking the responsibility. Here lay the mischief, that
' everybody was afraid to act with vigour—we had no man
of deW- dos. He could mention some things to
illustrate this. In going up to the lines one
day, he met • large number of carts, in which
WINO men suffering from every variety of wound and of
olheme, aad there were the hideous forma of some that were
deed. With that convoy,—would the house believe it?
there were not more than two or three guards, privates of
the lie. He (Mr. Layard) and • gallant officer with him,
bass there was no medical man, and no officer We:thugs
el sward hundred men on their passage down, weal to
Uri Eagles, and brought hint to see that convoy. Lord
Raglan expressed the indignation which every manly and
besourable nature must feel; he instituted an inquiry; found
that the medical moused officers had neglected their duty;
and what did he do ? He published an order, condemning
their conduct as disgraceful ; but he said " I will spare
their feelings, and will not mention their names.'
Such feelings were to be revered in Lord
Raglan as a man, but not as a eeneral. (Cheers.)
What was the result ? Two days afterwards, the marines
bevies bees ppaa under the semusead of the colonel who had
charge se Eileblawe, sad beteg seder his charge to do duty,
as the soldiers of the lie had been taken to the Rauh&
river, a long way off, at night few marines were left to guard
the houses at Balsklava. One was taken with the cholera,
and brought to the hospital, bat the medical man said, " I
have nothing to do with him ; he is • marine." He was
taken to another hospital, and refused admittance. The
Not of the guard could not leave their poet, and that man
was left on the shore to die. (Sensation.) This was told
Lord Raglan, and he said, " I yesterday issued a general
order, reflectiag on the medical officers, and if I now
issued another, it would weaken the confidence of the
army in them and tend to bad results " He (Mr.
Layard) respected such feelings in Lord Raglan,
who was an amiable, good man. But it was aot amiable,
good men, who were wanted to command an army, bat men
with an iron will—mea who would sacrifice their own feel-
tags and their own friends or relatives, and all that was dear
to them in this world, to perform what, under the circum-
stances, was an act of imperative duty. (Cheers.) If things
went on so, but few months would elapse before, of all
that great army, none perhaps but the staff would ram
That was the on, and could not be conned. This sew
mission would only increase the evil. We iheald lead sat
a man who would go with a knife wed epee witipky, bat
cut down all that was wrong. (Cheese.) If we In thet,
we might hope for some change, sane reedy,
and to save the gallant survivors it war easy i
if not, they would all pariah, and upon ear