The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-01 00:00:00

I,ON DON, TUESDAY EVENING, MAY 1, 1855.

hear-admiral Sir William F. Parry, Kt., lieutenant-gover-
nor ore, reenw,ch Hospital • 3 0
William Parsons, Esq , Leicester •
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company .. 100 0
Messrs. John Penn and Son. engineers, Greenwich .. • lOO 0
John Diston Powles, Esq., Wimpole-street 5 0
Edward J. Powell, Esq., Hydrographic Department, Ad-
mi, any . ......•
Captain William Ramsay, R.N., H.M.S. Hogue
Messrs. G. Rennie and Co , engineers, Holland-street, Black-

I 1
2 0

liars 2l 0
10 0
iViliam Rigby, Esq., GlasgoW
Major F. C. Robb, E 1.C.5., Beaulieu House, Soutlisea .... 10
J. Scott Rus,ell, Esq., E .((ion. Sec.) Great
George-street, Westminster ...... •• .... • lOO 0
Messrs. Samuda Brothers, engineers, Poplar •• •• • • 20 (
John Scott, Esq., engineer and shipbuilder, Greenock .• •• . 25 P
Messrs. Seaward and Capel, engineers, Limehouse •• • I 0 0
5 0
Joseph Sims, Esq., Birmingham .• ••• • ..... • •
Messrs. Sims and Muntz, Birmingham • .•
Edward Slaughter, Elsql, engineer, Bristol .•••••••• • • •• •• ' 0
2 0
Commander Luke Smithett, R.N., H.M.S. Vivid . .
R. Stephenson, Esq., M.. , C.E., Great GeoTge-
street, Westminster .... .............. •• • •
Captain James N. Strange, 1 8
()
John M. sunley, Esq , insurance broker, Con.hill • ' 10
William Swann, vsq., Queen-street, Westminster ..•• • •
James Esq., Hendon ............ • • .......... •• •• . I
5 0
G. H. J. Waltore., Esq., Serie-street. Linccln's-inn ...... ••
Captain Frederick Warden, H.M.A. Ajax
Thomas Waterman, jun., Esq., shiptuilder, Blackwell lO 0
Mess.s. .lames WAt and Co., e gineers (per H. Wollaston
Blake, Esq , Soho, Birmingham •• • •• ...• • • 100 .0
I. Watts, Esq., Assistant-Surveyor 11. M. Navy, Somerset-
house . ....... ............... •• • ..... •• • •
Messrs. John and Robert Wolte, ship nilders,Cowes. 2O 0
Joseph Whitworth, Esq., engineer, Manchester.. ...• 25 0
Al. Wigram, Esq., shipbuilder, Blackwell ..
G. T. Wright, Esq. Lympstone, Devoti
Thomas Wright, Esq.,
engineer. George-yard, Lombard-st. 2 2
Su-scriPtions are received by Messrs. Martin and Co.. 68, Lom-
bard-street, .London; Messrs. Ransom and Co., 1, Pal, Mall East,
London: J. Scott Russell, Esq, 37, Great George-street, West-
minster (Honorary Secretary) , and by C. Manby, Esq., 25, Great
George-street, Westminster (measurer).
E. P. HALSTED, Honorary Secretaries.
J. SCOTT RUSSELL,
37, Great George-street, Westminster, MC

DR. CIILVERWELL ONINDIGE NERV
STIOUON, SNEtS, DEBILITY, AND

-
Also, on Urinary Derangements, Constipation, and liremorrholds.is is.
each, by post Is. 6d.
VITHAT TO EAT, DRINK, AND AVOID.
Abstentia multi curantur morbi."
A popular exposition of the principal causes (over and careless
reeding, &c.) of the above harassing and distressing complaints,
th an equally intelligible and popular exposition of how we should
live to get rid of them; to which is added, diet tables for every meal
in the day, and full instructions for the regimen and observance of
every hour out of the twenty.four. Illustrated by numerous
cases, &c.

2.
LIGHTS AND SHADES OF MARRIA) LIFE.
He'which that bath no wit; I hold him lost,
Helpless, and all desolat. He that bath no child,
Like sun and winde."-s-Chancer.
Subject : Marriage, its expectations and Necessities—Development
of the Affections—Love Matches—Precipitate, impelled, and retarded
rnions—Marital Incongruities—Mutual Unsuitableness—Mental
incompatibility and Physical Defectiveness—Advantages of Inter-
marriage— theory of Gestation—Hereditary Resemblance—Mode of
determining Legitimacy. On Infelicitous, Infertile, and all Unas-
similable Alliances—Law of Divorce, &c., &c.

CHASTITY AND ITS INFRINGEMENTS.
• A Lecture to Young Men.
" What passions hurt the body—what improve,
Truths as refined as Athens ever heard."

Subject :' Life, s pilgrimage, from infancy to old age. The advent
of the passions. Chastity and its infringement. The casualties of
licentiousness and dissipation, with illustrations, graphic, narrative,
and rernediative. Advocacy of early marriages, &c.
4.

THE ATTEMPT ON THE LIFE OF THE

_EMPEROR OF THE FRENCH.

puts, Sunday.—The attempt made on the life of the
Emperor last evening Li, as may easily be supposed, the
most interesting topic of the day, and for a while the

siege of Sebastopol and the Conferences of Vienna are
lost sight of in the horror excited by such an act of
villany, the contemplation of the Consequences to Eur:)pe
had it taken ect, and the general satisfaction at its
failure. The following particulars, which are not noticed
in the Moniteur, are believed to be authentic

•
The Emperor, accompanied by two of his household,
Colonel Ney and Colonel Valabreque, in plain clothes,
left the Palace of the Tuileries about 5 o'clock to take his
usual ride in the Champs Elysees, and join the Empress,
who had preceded him, and was at that moment in the
'alley Dauphines in the Bois de Boulogne. His Majesty
on these occasions is never accompanied by an escort,
and was only followed by two grooms at some dis-
tance. TA weather was fine, and the grand avenue of
the Champs Elysees„ through whidh he passed at his
ordinary slow pace, as well as the side alleys, was
thronged aithpeople, who showed the usual courtesy,
and saluted him respectfully. As he approached the
Barriere de l'Etoile, and when nearly opposite the well-
known place of amusement the Chateau dee Fleure,
man apparently about 36 years old, of dark complexion,
and a little under the middle size, advanced forward
from the throngs that crowded the pathway on the
fight, and approached to within five or six paces of the
Emperor. He put one hand to his hat as if. to salute
his Majesty, who was in the act of replying to
the compliment, when he drew a pistol from
underneath his grey • paletot, deliberately pre-
sented it at the Emperor, and fired. At the same
moment Colonel Ney, who was on the Empe-
ror's right hand, but riding a very little to the rear,
advanced his horse, when the assassin,, supporting
his pistol on his arm, fired a second shot. At the first
report the Emperor's horse shied a little- but it was
probably that movement which saved the rider, together
with the tremulous motion of the assassin's arm, occa-
sioned by the failure of his first attempt. Neither shot
took effect. The second ball is said to have grazed the
Emperor's hat; or even passed through it, but this is not
known with any certainty. The shots were very s'uarp,
and the report loud enough to be heard on the third floor
of the houses on the side of the avenue. The assassin
was at once seized by two masons who were working at
a house hard by, and who had left the building to have a
sight of the Emperor as he passed. He was thrown by
them on the ground. A police agent named Alexander, a
native of Corsica, whose duty it is to follow the Em-
peror when riding or driving without escort, leaped out
of the small carriage he occupied, ran to the spot where
the assassin was struggling with his captors, and pre-
vented him from dra,wir'r another pistol. The police
agent took hold of him, and, as the other made the most
violent attempts to shoot those who detained him, in-
flicted on him, aid, in self-dafence, two wounds with a
poniard cane. The Nsergent-de-vilie aiding the police
agent succeeded in mastering and disarming him, but it
required ell their effoit3 to prevent him from being torn
to pieces by the people. He was hurriedly taken off to
the Octroi station at the barrier, which was not far dis-
tant, and there sheltered from the popular rage until a
canine could be brought, in which he was conveyed
under the guidance of the police to the Conciergerie. ,
After the first shot was fired the Emperor bent his
head a little, either by an involuntary movement to,
avoid the bullet or owing to the horse shying.
When he saw the assassin in the hands of the people,
and his clothes torn, he called out to spare him, and I
am assured his words were, " Epargnez le—re le tuez
pas, le miserable!" The Emperor did not lose his pre-
sence of mind for an instant. He gratefully and grace-
fully replied by frequently taking off his hat and bow-
-1 ing to the thousand acclamations with which he was at
e sssleonwgleyr
handdv abneecend
senttoward
e ns2tt h
ae
TonrcinemsaplhuntledAat
eshh. e
Astimll
gallop to inform the Empress, who was at the Forte
Dauphine (Bois de Boulogne), of what had occurred,
and to reassure her as to the safety of her husband. In
less than half an hour the %Empress returned from her
drive in an open carriage, with the Emperor riding
close by. The sight was touching in the extreme.
Her Majesty was deeply affected ; her tears flowed
in spite of her, she in vain essayed to dry them,
and she sobbed convulsively amid her efforts
to smile with joy at her husband's escape from
the murderer. Evidently she could not subdue her
emotion ; she leant back in her carriage, and relieved
her heart in an uncontrolled burst of tears. Then, in-
deed, it was that the p •ople who thronged, he way gave
full vent to the more generous feelings of our nature.
The sight of the young and lovely woman unable to re-
strain the agony of her feelings produced an instanta-
neous effect ; the shouts at once rose from the thou-
sands who beheld her, and hundreds of workmen who
were employed on a row of houses constructing near the
spot from which the assassin fired lined the half-finished
walls, the wiadase-sille, or clung to the poles of the scaf-
folding, and rent the air with their acclamations. Ac-
companied by these manifestations of popular feeling,
the Empress proceeded te the palace. In a short time
the news was spread abroad, and the members of
the Imperial family, the Atiabas,ador,, the Ministers
of the .Emperor, the high functionaries of State, and
the rneml,ers of the household, besides a considerable
number of other persons having no functions under the
Government or iu the Palace, hastened to present their
congratulations.
The Emperor had previously announced his intention
and that of the Empress to be present at the Opera
Comiciee on the Boulevards Italiees, nearly opposite the
Rue Latfitte. He and the Empress, notwithstanding what
had occurred, were punctual to their word. They arrived
at the theatre about 9 o'clock, but long before that hour
an immense crowd had collected on the boulevard, from
the Madeleine to the Rue Vivienne, to manifest their
sympathy at his escape. It is calculate d that there
could not have been less than 200,000 people of every_
condition collected. The reception was most enthusias-
tic as the Imperial carriages, attended by an escort of
Guides, drove up the Rue de la Pais and Boulevard
until they stopped at the door of the theatre ; and on
their Majesties appearing in their box the whole house
rose and uttered the warmest acclamations. For a con-
siderable time it was found impossible to commence the
piece, and during the performance the audience, as if
unable to keep down its feelings, rose three or four times
to give vent to them. The Emperor and Empress left
the, house at half past 11, and even at that hour the
multitude still lined the Boulevards ; the shouting was
enthusia-tic, as before, and followed them until they
entered the Palace of the Tuileries.
The prisi.ner was taken to the prefecture of police,
and there, in the presence of M. Billault, the Minister
of the Interior, and M. Collet Meygret, the Director of
Public Safety, was interrogated in the Italian language,
first by M. Pietri, the prefect of police, and secondly by
M. Abbattucci, the Minister of Justice. He expressed
his regret for his crime. He denied that he had any
accomplices, but said that numbers bad sworn an oath
to do what he only bad yet had the courage to attempt.
He declared that he had nourished the project eversince
the siege of Rome.
The name of the assassin is Liverani. He was born
at Eaenze, in the States of the Church, aad kept a shoe-
maker's shop at Rome, which he was obliged to quit
when the city was taken by the French army in 1849.
He is described as a man of froth 30 to 35 years of age,
well dressed, wearing a black frock coat and polished
leather boots; His hat, of English manufacture, con-
tained in the lining a print of the Crystal Palace— the
sign, probably, of the shop at which he bought it. He
bad in his pocket when arrested five Napoleons in gold.

( From the Paris papers of yesterday. )
of the attempted assassination of the Emperor which
The Joilmal des Debats Amply publishes the account
has appeared in the Moniteur.
The Constitutionnel publishes the following:—
"It was precisely at 10 minutes past five, on theright
side of the avenue near the Beaujon grounds, almost at
the corner of the Rue Balzac, that a man was seen to
he appeared about 35
advance from the side alley towards the Emperor ; be
dressed eadn
;Italian, and, in fact, it
had his hand in the breast -pocket of his paletot, as f he
were about to take out a petition to present to his Majesty.
bas since been ascertained that he is one. This man
was armed with a double-barrelled pistol of the length
of a cavalry pistol, and he fired twice, at a short inter-
val between the two shots. The Emperor cast a look of
• • n the assas4in
profound disdain upo , and, with his hand
who hastened
waving off the persons .
Thisysmoafnagwea;s hdeecleonotklyeddlri
up to see that he
was not wounded, and saluting them, he continued his
ride to rejoin the Empress, whose carriage was a little
in advance.
"Meantime an agent attached to the person of the,
Emperor, on hearing the first report, rushed to the spot
whence it proceeded, and, armed with a dagger which
be had with him, fell upon the assassin just as he fired
his second shot. It appears that when he caught hold
of him he wounded bins with bis dagger, which led to a
report that the asFassin had attempted suicide. The
assassin had no dagger, but a revolver was found upon
him, which he had no time to use.
" Surrounded by Sergens de Ville, who kept the
curious at a distance, the man was
taken to the guard-
house at the Barriere de l'Etoile
, occupied
Here pied by a detach-
ment of the 90th of the Line, he was searched,
and by his papers it was proved that he was an Italian.
1 He is a Roman of the name of Liverani, who embraced
Protestantism at London, where he had emigrated after
the taking of Rome by the French.

. .
" He was dressed in an undersuit qu!te different from
the first in form and colour, so that if he had not been
at once arrested he might easily have camped. He
was immediately handcuffed and taken to the Prefecture
of Police in Cab No. 586. On arriving at the guard-
house at the Patois de Justice, occupied by the Garde
de Paris, it was found necessary to take bandages and
lint to bind up his wound.
"He had 100 f. in gold in his pockets, and the large
double-barrelled pistol which he bad fired, and which is
a'weapon of some value ; it is, perhaps, its length which
I made him so fortunately twice miss his aim.
" While the assassin was being secured, the Emperor.
followed by a crowd of pedestrians and equestrians, who
loudly cheered hitu, rejoined the Ecopreas, and returned

to the Tuileries, in the midst of a sort of triumphal
escort.
"The ladies in the carriages joined in the acclama-
tions, waving their Handkerchiefs.
'''The Emperor and Empress had previously announced
their intention of visiting the • Opera Comique. Their
Majesties, in fact, went'their. Ou their way, in the
Rue de Rivoli, in the Rue de la Paix, along the Boule-
varchr, the crowd thronged the pathways, and saluted
their Majesties with loud cheers. Many of the houses
were illuminated ; three rounds of .applause welcomed
the Emperor a,cd Empress as they entered their box.
"The Emperor took the seat in the box usually occu-
pied by the Empress. When they left the crowd had
not diminished, and shouts of Vive l'Empereur' were
heard on all sides.
"On Sunday morning there was a continual roll of
carriages to the Tuileries.
"The Colonels of the different regiments of the gar-
rison of Paris, and even those of the regiments stationed
at Versailles, came to congratulate the Emperor."
The Pays has the following :
" Providence, which watches over the desinies of
France, has preserved the days of the Emperor ! Let
us thank Heaven for having preventcd the most dreadful
of crimes !
"The assassin is not a Frenchman. Let us congra-
tulate ourselves thereon, for the honour of our country.
"It is not for us to seek for the motives that armed
the hand of the regicide. The culprit is in the hands
of justice. It will discover if he had accomplices or
instigators, or whether he is of the race of Erostratus—
a fool ambitious to write his name in history, whether
cursed by posterity or stained by blood.
" But what we may state, what all Paris witnessed
yesterday, is the outburst of indignation which animated
the whole population when it heard of the attempt—
the enthusiasm which it displayed by hastening towards
the Emperor to greet him with prolonged shouts of
devotion and gratitude.
" When the Emperor returned from the Bois de
Boulogne, whither he had gone to join and reassure the
Empress, his return through the Champs Elysees was a
triumphal march, and a striking proof of the_ sentiments
of our working classes was given by groups of workmen
assembled on some buildings under construction, who
greeted his Imperial Majestp with deafening hurrahs.
"The Emperor, who was calm and impassible at the
moment of danger, was evidently moved by this warm
and sincere greeting.
" It is impossible for us to describe the scene offered
by the Boulevards when their Imperial Majesties
passed along them on their way to the Opera
Comique. More than 200,000 persons were shouting
Vive l'Empereur !' Many houses were spontaneously
illuminated. Inside the Opera Coinique two or three
times during the performance the house rose as,if by an
electric movement and loudly cheered the Emperor.
The same joy was evinced everywhere.
" happy are the princes who inspire suc'i sympathies!
Happy are the sovereigns who represent in so high a
degree the incarnation of the national sentiment, when
a whole nation feels itself deeply interested for what con-
cerns them, ready to rise to support or to defend them !"

THE LOSS OF THE CIVESUS.-SAILING
OF THE SARDINIAN CONTINGENT.

A letter from Genoa of the 25th supplies additional
details of this sad disaster. This splendid vessel ssiled
from Genoa for Constantinople on the morning of the
24th, having in tow the sailing transport Pedestrian,
laden with a battery of artillery of six guns, and a large
qUantity of ammunition ; the Crcesus herself being full
of stores, comprising three months' provisions for the
expedition, and having besides 37 officers, some of the
engineers, but chiefly of the medical and commissariat
departments, 259 soldiers of the sappers and miners and
waggon train, and 25 mules belonging to the latter
corps. The fire appears to have broken out about 10.30
a.m., in the neighbourhood of the engine room, from
whence it spread so rapidly, notwithstanding the
efforts of the crew, aided by the hearty assistance
of the soldiers, who are said to have shown great
firmness and discipline, that half an hour after-
wards Captain Hall thought it prudent to cut the
towing hawsers, and run his own vessel on shore, in
order to give every one on board a better chance of saving
their lives. At this time the Crcesus was of the head-
land of Portofino, and selecting a sandy creek near the
villaguof Recco, he ran her into it, and she is described
as having taken the ground almost without a shock, so
gentle was the inclination of the beach. But it was here
the confusion began which unfortunately caused the loss
of several lives. Captain Hall and his officers endea-
voured to enforce some attention to discipline in load-
ing the boats, but the fire had gained so much head that
a panic had seized on many, wo saw nothing but cer-
tain death in the delay required for good order, and con-
sequently many jumped overboard so hampered with
knapsacks or cloaks that it was impossible they could
swim, and others who never could swim. Most of
these, however, were rescued by those in the ships'
boats or the shore boats, which by that time had come
off to their assistance. The precise loss of life has not
yet been accurately ascertained, though, as far as the
passengers and crew are concerned, I believe my report of
last night was tolerably correct, namely, six soldiers and
one seaman, but an eye-witness assures me that some of
the coast people who went off to the rescue fell victims
to the panic, which caused such over-crowding in the
boats, nod in one instance he says ho saw a small boat
worked only by two women, which was swampcd in this
way and one of the poor women drowned. The cause
of the fire has not been clearly discovered, and there-
fore,, of course, rumour is busy in ascribing reasons.
Some say spontaneous combustion of the coals, others a
leakage from the spirit-room, &c. ; some ascribe it to
carelessness, and others to intent. In the latter suppo-
sitios suspicion falls on those parties that have been so
active in trying to bring the treaty of alliance with
France and England into disrepute ; as so grave a
mishap at this very outset of the expedition is only too
well calculated to set men's minds against it altogether.
Luckily, however, this event has produced far less effect
in this way than might have been expected. The em-
barkation is proceeding to-day with more vigour than bad
been seen before, ami the Nubia, which is now nearly laden
with stores, will shortly be ready to replace the ill-fated
Crcesus. The Carlo Alberto, too, is ready for sea, and
may probably be despatched this evening. Immediately
on the receipt of the first intelligence of the Crcesus being
on fire, which was about five p.m., Captain Brock or-
dered the Jura, which happened to have her steam up,
shifting her berth, to proceed in search, and the Vulcan,
Voop•ship to get up steam and follow. They both re-
turned in the erening, and brought in the Pedestrian.
The Jura is alongside the pontoon at the New Mole, and
is taking in horses to the number of 400. The other
steamers of the first division are also taking baggage on
board.
*Pieflmontese Gazette of the 26th ult. publishes the
T h
e
following particulars relative to the destruction by fire
of the steamer Crcesus

" When the captain discovered that it was impossible
to extinguish *3 fire he gave orders t• out the rope by
which the Pedestrian was held in tow, and his sole ob-

ject was to make for the coast of Corsica with all possi
ble despatch. He thus speedily reached Cape Portofino,
close to which is the small village of San Fruttuoso. The
captain resolved to run the vessel on the shoals, in order
to sink her, and thus save a portion of her cargo, • and
he cautioned the passengers on hoard to prepare for the
shock, and not to quit the deck until she grounded.
Unfortunately, the Crcesus before reaching the shoals
met with a sandbank, w here she struck. The soldiers and
crew then either got into the boats or swain ashore. It
is supposed that at that moment some soldiers who could
not swim well were drowned. The officers and crew
remained last on board. Everybody becomingly per-
formed his duty:"
We read in the Opinione :
" The conflagration of the Crcesus is accounted for as
follows :—lt is well known that when a mass of coal has
been several times exposed to rain, a sort of phosphoric
oxyde forms itself on its surface, which becomes easily
inflamed when the motion of the steamer occasions a
certain friction and brings the masses of coal in contact
with each other. The fatal accident which destroyed the
Crcesus cannot be attributed to any other cause. The
captain, whose conduct was above all praise, ordered the
rope which served to tow the Pedestrian to be cut, for
the double reason that the latter was laden with gun-
powder, and that her weight retarded the progress of
the steamer. The boatmen on shore displayed little
zeal in assisting the shipwrecked. Two poor women,
sisters, threw themselves into a boat, and by diet of
rowing they reached the wreck ; but, too many soldiers
having rushed into the boat, it sank, and those two
courageous women disappeared and perished, victims of
their devotedness."
Another account in the same journal says :--
Maria and Caterina Avigno are the henceforth im-
perishable names of the two heroic sisters. The body
of the first was seen some time afterwards floating
among the shoals. She leaves eight young orphans.
The second was taken out of the water in such a state
that there is little hope of saving her life. The number
of victims is said to be eight or ten, mostly soldiers, who
got into the boat that capsized or attempted to swim
ashore. Two poor fishermen of Comagli, who occa-
sionally come to sell their fish on the coast of France,
behaved most nobly. They arrived i i time to embark
60 men of the English crew, who reached Genoa last
evening. The Mayors of Comagli and Becco also has-
tened to give every assistance in their power. Tue
brave captain and the major commanding the Engineers
were the last to quit the Crcetus. The military chest
and various other objects were saved. The shipwrecked
were received on shore in the most hospitable and
humane manner. The engine is said to be littledamaged. The major's horse and twenty-five mules
were drowned."
The Piemonte says :
" The soldiers on board the Crces
well. They belonged to the Artillery and
ctoenbid,rable.
of Engineers. The loss of provisions " behativieedCvoerrpys
awsawsithin 15 miles
When the fire broke out the Crce3ua
Greatw was the anxiety
of land, off Portofino and Reeco
on board during the honuor. anA'd agelniacirfottihse
wveosnsleolnwansf
steering towards Portofi
the men were afraid to expose
Comagli,
clegatngthar,t in order to save the shipwrecked,
themselvessetoei
got into a bois, aend rowed alone towards the Crcesus.
The boat having upset, the poor woman met with
a watery grave. She leaves a husband and eight

~~~~~~

I-PRICE 5D

ARMY BEFORE . SEBASTOPOL COM-
-311 TTEE.-(THIS DAY.)

The committee reassembled this morning at the usual
hour.

General, Sir John Burgoyne was the first witness
called, and was examined by the chairman.
He stated that he had the management of the whole
engineering operations before Sebastopol. He arrived
there with the army. When the army arrived he had to
plan the approaches to the town and to direct the for-
mation of the trenches. They could not get one half of
the work done which was necessary, in consequence of
the weakness of the army. Before the siege operations
began the communication with Balaklava was very good.
That continued up to November, when the bad weather
set in, and the road became a mud-hole. It was their
opinion that Sebastopol would yield to the attack of the
Allies in a very short time after the commencement of
-the siege. It would have required a very large force
to hive constructed the road, and the men employed
ought to have been to some extent acquainted with the
nature of the work. A sufficient number of men could
not have been spared from the army—they were all so
heavily engaged in the trenches. In fact the force was
scarcely sufficient to man the trenches with any degree of
efficiency. It was his opinion that it was at that time
more advantageous to the army that the men should be
employed in the" trenches rather than in making the
roads. The discomfort which followed did not arise en-
tirely from the bad road ; it arose equally as much from
the mortality amongst the baggage animals. They died
off from want of care and proper attention.
Chairman—Had you any complaints of the want of
tools sent out 1
Sir J. Burgoyne—No complaint was made to me on
the subject. I never heard of it until I saw it mentioned
in the papers. 'I afterwards, however, made inquiries,
and the Sappers told me that the tools they had might
certainly have been of a better description. I also found
that some of the tools were of the old Peninsular pat-
tern.
Examilhation continued—ln his opinion the labour of
the men was not' impaired by defective or improperly
made tools. He could not understand how the tools
could have been complained of to the extent they-had
been. There was certainly some little ground of objec•
tion to part of them in the respect he had mentioned,
but not to the whole of them.
By Mr. Layard—He did not recollect that the tools
sent out in 1828 to Portugal were condemned and sent
back. To his knowledge no complaints were made of the
tools by the men.
By General Peel—The siege operations extended over
a space of 3 miles. The covering party consisted of
2,000 men, but the working parties varied in strength
according to circumstances. The covering party was
afterwards reduced in consequence of the weakness of
the army. When the army landed, so far as he knew,
it was in ignorance of the amount of the Russian force
in the Crimea. It was manifest that they must, at all
events. receive large accessions ; and it was therefore
advisable that the siege operations should be commenced
as soon as possible.
By Mr. Layard—He did not make any representation
to head-quarters for a larger supply of men to carry on
the trench operations. He was constantly applying for
men ; but the Adjutant-General informed him that they
could not be afforded, in consequence of the weakness
of the army. He had the command of the corps of
Engineers. His position in the Crimea was different to
that he bad held in the Peninsula in conducting siege
operations. The siege operations were, however, en-
tirely under his control, and he considered himself the
responsible person for everything connected with them.
The army arrived at Balaklava on the 27th September,
but no ground was broken-until the 10th October. The
troops were in the interval employed in conveying up
materials and tents to the camp. At that time there
were no means at the command of the army to make a
road.
By Lord Seymour—lt was not believed 'on the Bth
November that the troops would have to winter in the
Crimea 2 • at all events it was not so to his knowledge.
By the Chairman—When the bad weather commenced
he did not think of making good the road, principally
because he had not sufficient labour at his command.
By Lord Seymour— One important provision which
ought to have been made for wintering there was the
construction of a good and available road. No consul-
tation was held at head-quarters relative to preparations
for wintering. If a number of " navvies " had then been
sent out to make the road, they would have been of in-
finite use ; but unfortunately the idea was not thought
of, In his opinion a good road would have been far
more adapted for its purpose than the railway. Lord
Raglan had power to depute officers to inquire into the
best means of providing for the care of the baggage
animals by placing them under cover, and to direct them
to report to him (witness), but it was not done.
By General Peel—The responsibility of constructing a
road devolved upon the Quartermaster-General, but he
derived all the assistance he could from the Engineers.
[LEFT BITTING]