The Northern Daily Times.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-04-17 00:00:00

THE CRIMEAN MILITARY ENQUIRY,

The board re-assembled yesterday morning at eleven
o'clock, when, in reply to Lord Lucan,
The Judge Advocate said that an application had
been made fora monthly return of the baggage animals
in the Crimea, and the reply was that there were no
such returns in the War Office.
General Sir R. Airey was re-called, and he stated, in
reference to an order from Lord Raglan to preserve all
the skins of slaughtered animals for roofing stables,
that it was customary in the army to obey all orders
proceeding from Lord Raglan, and he presumed that in
the present instance the skins were preserved for that
purpose, until some other description of covering arrived.
The first order was issued by the Commissary-General
to presesve the skins of slaughtered animals for the use
f the army on the 19th of November; and subsequently
on the 4th of December another order was issued to the
effect that theskins of dead horses should also be preserved,
and that the commissariats should receive 2s. 6d. each
for them properly cleaned and cured. There must have
been about 3,000 skins available for covering horses.
With regard to his explanation of opinion that the com-
missioners had not gathered sufficient information before
completing their report, he did not in any way wish to
censure the commissioners. He was examined by them
in matters connected with the medical department, the
commissary-general's department, and the adjutant-gene-
ral's department, and on these matters he could give no
information. It was his opinion, as well as that of Lord
Raglan, that the enquiry was to be confined to the com-
missariat department, and he answered the questions of
the commissioners accordingly. Some of his answers
were sent after the commissioners left the Crimea, and
to have got more complete information the commissioners
would have had to return to the Crimea. He was
telegraphed to by Lord Panmure to send his last replies
by the then next mail, but lie was unable to do so. With
regard to hutting, there was an engineer officer, Captain
Keane, sent out specially to take charge of that branch
of the service, and he would have been able to give
better information on the subject. The statement of
Lord Lucan, that inconsequence of an order to use the first
huts for stores for saddles, the Cavalry was not hutted
till the end of January, or the beginning of February,
was very likely to be correct, considering the state in
which the Cavalry were in at the time.
In reply to a question from Colonel Tulloch, whether,
under such circumstances, the Cavalry, or the Quarter-
master-General's department, was accountable for the
demand I

Sir R. Airey observed, that if the commissioners were
in doubt, as to whom they were to blame, they might
just as well censure one department as another.
Examined by the board: He had written to Captain
Boxer for artificers from the transports, to assist in the
erection of huts, but they could not be spared.
Col. Gordon was next examined :.He said he did not
give any explanation to the Commissioners, as to the
delay of erecting huts, after the order was given,
because he was not asked any question on the subject.
Lord Lucan was afterwards called and examined by
Col. Tulloch, as to the parts of the report which he con-
sidered animadverted upon his conduct. He did not
consider the paragraph in page 20, relating to the loss of
horses, animadverted upon him. No mention was made
of his name in it.

In reply to the judge advocate, Lord Lucan said, Col.
Hodge and Lord Paulett were present during the inter-
view between him and Col. Griffiths. In reply to further
questions from Col. Tulloeh, the noble lord denied that
he had threatened to place Col. Griffiths under arrest,
for making a proposal to him with regard to sheltering
the horses. He thought, in reference to the interview
between him and Colonel Griffiths, Colonel Hodge, and
Lord Paulett should have been examined. He had read
the instructions to the commissioners most carefully,
and he positively affirmed that the commissioners ex-
ceeded their duty in extending the enquiry beyond the
supplies of the army and the conduct of the officers.
Colonel Tulloch denied that any part of the report
reflected upon the conduct of any particular officer.
Referring to the interview between his lordship and
Colonel Griffiths, Colonel Tulloch said that the com-
missioners had carefully worded that part of the report
which related to that circumstance, that it might appear
that the commissioners merely stated what was told to
them and did not take it as an established fact;
The board adjourned at four o'clock.

SUPPOSED POISONING OF THREE

CHILDREN

NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, April 15.—Yesterday, an in-
quest was held at Longbenton. near this town, before S.
Reed, Esq., coroner for South Northumberland, on the
bodies of Robert Wood, Margaret Weston, and
Humble, three children of tender yenr.• It appa are that
Elizabeth Short, the wife of a labourer, keeps a shop at
a colliery village in the neighbourhood of Longbenton,
and among other things, sells a few medicines. For
several weeks a cutaneous disorder has existed amongst
the ehiictien of the village, and as the parents considered
sulphur a useful medicine in such cases, Mrs. Short has
had a great many applications for it. The article which
she supplied, however, has invariably produced vomiting
and purging, and three children have died. Two of
the bodies have been disinterred and examined. In
both cases the lungs and stomach were healthy,
and there were no marks of violence externally.
Mrs. Short voluntarily stated that she obtained
her
sshuileplldms
ere
mdiasyt saangdo
dfrruogm.
RobertMr.pres nt t
Fs toorctkb
,00ff fiNouorrtohr
gist. She became a tenant of the shop some time ago,
and succeeded a Mrs. Bell, whose stock she took at a
valuation. Amongst other articles she found a paper bag
of sulphur. She knew it to have been obtained from
Mr. Forth, by its being entered in the invoice of goods
from him as 33 lbs of sulphur. This she had sold in
small quantities, from time to time, and the last was
disposed of to the mother of the deceased (Robert Wood),
Catherine Wood, on the 27th of March. It appears that
this was the day the medicine was administerel to both
Wood and Weston. It was mixed with treacle. Weston
died the same day, and the other child on the following
morning. The contents of the stomachs of the
deceased children will be analysed by Dr. Richardson,
of Newcastle, and in the meantime the inquest has been
adjourned for a fortnight.