The Press.
London, England, 1854-12-16 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

enjoys is sufficient, or, at least, as great as any Ministerial
ability could have supplied. I hope that it is so. All that
the right hon. gentleman says I wish to believe. But were
it otherwise—if it were true that there had been this cruel

suffering and apparent neglect—if it were true that the
commissariat (which no one has attacked, but which the
right hon. gentleman has so elaborately vindicated) has
been so deficient—if there had been too few surgeons, too
few nurses, and a meagre commissariat—l am sure that 1
should not have been one who would have attempted, from
such circumstances, to bring charges against the Adminis-
tration of this country. I remember—and I may refer to
the words, for I dare say no one else remembers them—
that, having last year to touch on this subject, I said my-
self that at the beginning of war, after a peace so prolonged
as that which by the blessing of Providence we had en-
joyed, the difficulties of inexperience must be so great
that it would be most unjust and unbecoming for the
House of Commons critically to examine the conduct of
individuals who, after all, must be animated by sentiments
as humane and influenced by responsibility much greater
than ourselves. And to-night, sir, I have not heard any
expressions used in this house impugning the arrange-
ments of the commissariat or arrangements of a similar
kind to which I have adverted ; but to aocusations that
may have appeared in anonymous quarters the right hon.
gentleman has found time to make an elaborate answer,
though no member of the Government has found time to
make an answer to charges brought in debate against the
Administration by a member of this house, expressed with
a knowledge of the subject, and conveyed with ability and
in a spirit deserving, in my opinion, the thought and
attention of this assembly. (Cheers.) 1 will advert in a
moment to what was the charge brought forward by my
right hon. friend—a charge, let me again impress on the
house, not brought forward in the way of ostentatious accu-
sation as the foundation of motions against the Govern-
ment—not brought forward with any anxiety to damage
the character of the Government—but brought forward ne-
cessarily from the position which we all occupy at this
moment, from the sudden summoning of Parliament,
which calls upon us, by the Address moved by the hon.
gentleman opposite, to express our opinion on public
affairs. Before I advert to what was the distinct and
really the only charge, yet so important that no other was
necessary, which has been made by my right hon. friend,
let me for a moment take this great question out of that
cloud of the details of office with which it has been con-
veniently encumbered by the Secretary-at-War, and place
it in its true and rude simplicity before the consideration
of the House of Commons and of the country.
It is some nine or ten moats ago, after an agitating year
of warning, that her Majesty was advised by her Ministers
to send a message to Parliament to announce a declaration
of war against Russia. I say that no Ministers ever gave such
important advice to their Sovereign under such favourable
circumstances as my Lord Aberdeen and his-colleagues.
Why, look at the facts ! They had a unanimous Parlia-
ment, and a unanimous people. The war was popular.
This house had expressed its willingness to vote any sup-
plies, without any reference to party confidence whatever,
which her Majesty's Ministers might propose. They had
an overflowing Exchequer. They had a prosperous people.
In addition to all these advantages they had the most
powerful ally in the world. (Cheers from both sides of the
house.) Let it be understood you entered upon
war under these circumstances. These circumstances
are forgotten in the petty views and the petty
details and the petty consequences which have
been permitted to steal into our debates. We hear of
the inconvenience of free Government to powerful political
action. It is said that, although the public spirit under a
despotic Govornment may not be equal to the spirit of a free
people—that although the conscript (not too adroitly intro-
duced by the Secretary-at-War)—(hear)—may not fight as
the militiaman who) has been voluntarily enlisted, a
despotism has still the advantages of unity of design, of
singleness of purpose, and of that decision, vigour, and
effect which is the consequence of such antecedents. But
her Majesty's Ministers had both the unity of despotism
and all the spirit of a free people on their side. What they
wanted they might have had as readily as the Emperor of
Russia when he signs a ukase. There was no number of
men, no amount of treasure, which they might not have com-
manded, and the money was given freely by a free people, and
the men were animated by that immortal spirit which has
rendered their achievements the mark for the approbation of
an admiring world. (Cheers.) They had, then, an over-
flowing purse, a prosperous people, and a popular war.
They had the most powerful ally in the world. They had
this combination of circumstances in their favour, on
entering into this war, which no Ministry at any period ever
enjoyed before. 1 now ask the house for a moment to tuna
round and consider not whether there were sufficient
nurses or surgeons at Scutari—not what was the number
of pots of marmalade which should be sent out towards the
support of our starving troops—but 1 ask the house to con-
sider what have been the results which this Ministry, with
these enormous advantages, have obtaine d (Opposition
cheers.)
You determined to attack the powerful ruler of a coun-
try against whom you had declared war in two opposite
quarters of the world—the extremities almost of his vast
dominions ; you fitted out armadas to attack him in two
seas ; you sent out an army which was to encounter him
on the most important European river. What have you
done ? The Secretaryat-War sneers at the notice which
my right hon. friend took of the achievements in the
Baltic. If the ideas of the Secretary-at-War, that such
success is a sufficient return for the efforts of this country
are correct, then I confess I have little hope of the suc-
cessful conduct of the war by the present Government.
Why, sir, let me recal to the house the strength of the
united fleet that entered the Baltic. It was greater than
any armada that ever figured in the history of our times ;
it was greater than the united fleets of France and Spain
that met Nelson at Trafalgar. Let me recal to the house