The Express.
London, England, 1856-07-31 00:00:00

(Stamped Id. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

SPEECH BY MAJOR-GENERAL WINDHAM, C.B.

A tionitraftliatory liddreis Wig presented, and a
public breakfast given, to the above distinguished officer, at
Untangles, a Tunny, when
General Wieneoe said—Ladies end gin Sib is
the naiad great compliment that I have readoell at the
hands of my friends, the iababitaata of loannina. The
first we. a spootaneous buret of good fannies oar arrival.
This, which is more elaborate and more mates, is, I am
happy teeny, more honourable to me; and I think, as it is
not only addressed to myself but to the any, it is more
honourable to you. Before I proceed to touch upon any
part of the serves, that I or tee army performed in the
Crimes. I wish to thank the committee of management for
having chosen to glee, as an entertainment, a breakfast in-
stead of a dinner. The chola of this entertainment allowed
as to have the pleasure of the annoy of a great many of
the ladies—(hoer, hear)—and of a vest portion of On
beauty and y soh of Leamington ; and I em per-
fectly certain that I speak the sentiments, not only
of molt, but of every soldier has present, that the
commiitse weld not have selected a better method of show-
ing respect to an or them. If I were of a suspicious
nature. I might perhaps conclude that so many your ladies
did not come hers to look at a saarriad man tamed forty,
bat that they alp here exhildelei thear eyes lo my onto
aide-de-amp, Carafe Hale, en ray yesag Mead lAent
Mn'grave, and other gallant yowl heroes emembled at
this table. (Laughter.) Let me aid, aloe, if my amnion
be smut, that they could sot show a jester at more proper
romplieneut to the yea g officers of the army who serves so
ardently and well, whom fortune has not permitted to sttaia
the same benefit. that I have reaped, bat whose anises
were jut as dangerous for them to perform as ever mine
were to me. (Load cheers.) There are scores of regimental
officers that I am acquainted with whose services, I am
perfectly convinced, were quite equal to mine, simply with
this difference, that I was an older officer, and, therefore,
had more men under me. I served chiefly on the staff, but
I had also a good deal of duty to perform In the Deaths.,
and, therefor*, know remarkably well the difftrenes of the
two aeons. Ido think that those officers who went
through the whole campaign in the trenches of Sobutcpol
deserve the thanks of every individual in this country.
It is all mighty fine to canter down to the trenches
for a few minutes, as I did before I was made • bri-
eadier-gensral. It is very well to ezpose oneself to sudden
danger, which is toes over and soon forgotten; but it it a
different thing to go day after day, night after night,
through dirt, wet, misery, destitute of comfort, yet always
to have sufficient moral fora to say that, because it is my
duty, I will not give in. (Cheers.) Tint is precisely what
the unnoticed regimental officers did daring the saigs of
Sebastopol. lam sure there is nobody at this table who
would not have thought I Amid have been the lest man to
naive such an address and to have at with such a recep-
don as I have experienced on this eccasion. Had my old
friend and late commander, Bit George Cathcart, been
pointed out as the men to have stood hero, to receive the sp.
rause of hundrade—(L Veit.: Of tbaseands.j—no ass,
would have been surprised. His general character as •
soldier, his previous services WITS GO well known, that
eothing would have ben more likely ; hat that 1, &humble
ladividual, who has remind. °wanly, his friendly shake
nth. hand and his desire fat my advantaged, but that of
eons else—l say, that, pother, the last man in the whole
British army that any one would have selected to be hon-
eyed by nth • reception would have beat myself. (Cheers.)
There were a vast number of other officers conceoted wito
this locality whom one might have suppoied to be infinitely
mote likely than myself to have stood here. There west
the Adenoid, the %Ways—sea of my own standing—the
Illnekbarghe, the Somerville., aid other young men, many
of whom, I am sorry to say, it has pleased Providence to
remove; bat I may Omsk God for • most remarkable is-
terpositno. I landed in the Crimea on the 14th of Septem-
ber, 186‘. I was panne at Alms, where I had nothing to
do. I wee punt at lieleklava, where I had almost as little
to do. I wag preseat at the attack of the 26th of Octane,
where again I had nothing to do ; and lastly, I came
down to the battle of Inksrmann, where I bad • good deal
to do. (Laughter and chests.) And I hope that, as I sto
wind the &potential of thee* placid above me' two
my duty, I did that duty well. (Cheers) ThePoarthadia
vides lost all its gnash, killed or wounded; 740 urea and
anus were killed. oat of 2,200; and I, unfortunately, had
to write snow& deapateb, and, perhaps, was fool enough
wee a make the beet of it. However, itis • great loss for
ton a reasoat ea amok en trwastosr. It palmation,
however sad I went through the siege doing my duty, not
having really anything to perform more then otter people,
%still same to the attack upon the Rodin (Cheers.) I should
wish you all distinctly to understand, that I was no 'e'en-
tar for that smelt. I was ordered to do it, and I did no
more then I was ordered to do. I led the Band Division,
but the Light Division led the attack. I have seen con-
stoutly in the papers that I absolutely led the whole assault.
I did not; and I wish my countrymen to know it. I never
was ama that asked for false honours. (Lead elmilla)
A brave and gallant man—a Warwickshire ISM TiIiWNSWEI
—tossed up with me for the thole. or lead. That nth Was
Colonel Unett—the sou of old Mr. Deaf, of
He woo the teas, and chore the load. I havelbst=le
say hut that I had not the chola, and I will even go so fee
a to say that I do not know that I should have chosen the
even if I could. (Laughter and cheers.) One tiring
is quite clear, however, that I did not lead it. Col
Unett was displaced in the morning by Oener.l Shirley, who
come to take the command of the brigade, and I beli -v. the
lead ultimately fell to Major Welsterd, of the 970, and
Colonel Handal*. Then gallant officers fell, and though
the Light Division that led us went on gallantly, one that
is cotton, that if then two officers had sot have fangs,
the ma might have rushed into the battery, and the
whole thing have been altered, bat as no ore can control
his life, so no officer, however brave, can compel &signiors
fight of that kind. (Chars.) Col. Gant was badly wounded
in the attack. He shook bands with me on the ground
After he wee draws 1,600 yens from the Bodes he was
struck 'gala through the back with • shell sod killed. As
far as regards my own business in the Mean t, I followed
clots upon the Light Division, entered the battery, did all
that I could to get things into • proper form, anon em happy
to say that my exertions mat with the approval of that re-
spected officer and Comenander.in-Chief, Sir James Sissy-
POD. I also met with the approval of my gallant friends,
Lieut. General Markham and Sir Wm. Codriogton. As all
those officers have thought proper to give me due thanks for
what I did, I think you will entire me Doubloon you fur-
ther upon the adjoin Often as I have looked over the
bloody list of all toe separate parties of those who were cut
off—the leaders being absolutely killed, with the exception
of Colonel Lynne (of the 23rd), Colonel Maude (of the 3ra
Buffs), both of whom gallantly went on and were
wounded, aid Msjor Lewis—l say that, when I loth
over that list, 1 congratulate myself on having
escaped. Though that day was • heavy day foe
many, it was • fine day for me ; for it brought me before
the aorta of a favourable public and well feeling any.
(Cheers.) Her Majesty deigned to make me a Major-Gene-
ral. That gave me the command of the fourth division, and,
lady, without any application of my own, I arra made Chief
of the Staff. (Cheers.) Why her Majesty should have
chosen me for the Chief of the Staff I em not competent to
say. All that I can say hi, that I never asked for the ap-
pointment, nor should I have taken O, unless Sir William
Codriegton bed especially asked me to do so. I have known
that officer for year', and if a man who has served coder
bits may be allowed to make a remark concerning him, I
would plainly soy that I thoroughly respect him, Loth as •
man and a soldier. 1 think the country will learn, sod soon
diet:over, that they have in him a good and valuable pubde
servant. It is not for me to ray mere on that subject. As
fuse regards the duties of Chief of the Bisfi, I did not Ind
them near so difficult to perform as I had anticipated. The
troth is that I had at headquarters • very able body etoffi-
cer'. With the Inception of Colonel Herbert, Colo-el
Blayne (both good mea), and myself, the others were
old bends at the business, and I must say that Colonel
Patellas is one of the beet oaken to VI the position of
Adjutaat-Gaisrnd In her Majesty'. service. Therefore, re.
ceiving as I did the &neonate of such aa able staff—and
Sir William Cudrington commanding his own army, which
he certainly did—l had nothing to do bat merely to refer
points to him which I thought questioaable, and then Con-
voy to my junior officers the orders to be carried out. I
hand the tan a most easy one ; and, therefore, when the
army strives in the country in such good order, I beg die
Wetly to state that the credit of that is not due to me. I
hold the opinion that generals of division should thoroughly
discipline their own divisions; and in this case they did it.
I do not know whether the g le of division have any
fault to fiud with me, but certainly I hove co fault to find
with them. They did their duty well. (Chaos ) 1 have
now to thank Lady Somerville, and many of my friends
near me, for the kimonos shown to my wife and children
daring my &bane ; and I can only add that, if ay of my
nimble oedemata s, combined with the grading sod
eplendid reception which I have met with since my return
to England, should induce her al-jetty's government to
employ me again on active servic-, I sincerely hope that on
my return I may meet with the same reception and the
same Whiner= that 1 have experienced on this occasion.
(Great cheering )

The Poona Observer publishe• some verses of Mr.
Menotti** Cannityre, " the Byroa of the Best," and son
third judge of the Smithe Court. They ere Oa the
depertare of Sir Lions/. from India." The following
is one verse :
Oh 1 fen thee welt ! Sir Lionel
Weed It is too hard to serf
With we lowa *aim me our beset!
Oh! oboe elesli You return t
Braes deeds of valour you have doss!
now you p to you: tong boors !
Leaving no hers to cry sod weals;
Oh! wigs than you Murat