The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-11 00:00:00

M ITTE E.

The committee re.anembled yesterJay at the usual

Mr. Wood, Secretary to the Board of Ordnance, was
examined by Lord Seymour.—lle stated he had filled
the situation of secretary about 18 months, and had
been in the service 51 years. He was not aware whe-
ther any communication had been made to Lord Raglan
as Master-General of the Ordnance since he had
been i❑ the Crimea. The Lieutenant-General had
performed his duties. He did not think it possible
for one member of the board to perform all the dukes
of the board, but it was the custom for one to discharge
the duties when one only was present. F,,rtnerly
copious minutes of the transactions of the board were
kept, but now only the principal ones—these were duly
forwarded to the Master• General, who hail power to re-
verse the decisio❑ of the board. The Lieutenant-
General had not that power. He could not say whe-
ther all instructions or orders given by the hoard
were entered on the minute-book. In a great measure
he himself and those under him were the judges of what
wa9 of sufficient importance or not to be entered on the
book. The erection of a shell foundry at Woolwich
would have been of sufficient importance to be entered
on the book. He could not say when the erection of
the shell foundry at Woolwich was brought bef re
the board, nor when he first heard of it ;
neither could he remember if a plan of it
was submitted to the board. Every paper received
into the office was registered, dated, and numbered, and
afterwards sent to the Master General, the business was
decided by the majority.
The Chairman—But if there is only one member pre-
: sent there could be no minority ?--The decision of that
one member is considered as the decision of the board.
There were circumstances which required. The signature
of two members.
The witness was then examined at length on the de-
tails of the office.
Admiral Sir D. Dundas, admiral of the Black Sea
fleet, was next examined by the Chairman—He stated
that when he was in Besika B iv, in 1854, he understood
it was likely his fleet would be used against the enemy.
When it was likely war would be declared, he was under
Lord Stratford's orders. The Admiralty gave him
rough statement of the power of the enemy's fleet in
the Black Sea likely to be brought against him. After
he moved into the Black Sea, he was unable to gain
more correct information as to the strength of the
enemy's fleet from Lord Stratford, and he was equally
unsuccessful in his applications to other persons.
The gallant admiral proceeded to read copies of letters
he had written with respect to the attacking Odessa and
Sebastopol, when he was interrupted by the committee,
wh thought it desirable they should not be read.
By Mr Drummond --He wrote to Lord Stratford re-
specting it, but received no answer, on which he sent
Captain Drummond to him ; but there was some diffi-
culty about the passport, and he received no answer by
him.

Admiral Dundas examined by Mr. Drummond.—
Mr. Drummond was about to put a question to the
gallant admiral, whether he did not suggest to Lord
Stratford, in order to obtain information respecting the
state of Sebastopol, that as two Russian ships were
being repaired in Portsmouth harbour, and he had a ship
with a hole; in her bottom, he had better send her into
Sebastopol to be repaired, when the room was cleared
and the question ultimately withdrawn.
The gallazit admiral in the course of his examination
said he took every step possible to obtain correct infor-
mation as to the forces in Sebastopol and the fleet, but
with little success, which he attributed to the vigilance
of the Rus..siaris to prevent it. Before the declaration of
the war he was under the ambassador's orders, and after
that under instructions from the Admiralty. He Lever
heard,of M.r Yeames offering to procure a complete plan
of the fortifications of Sebastopol. With reference to the
embarkation of troops from Varna, he conveyed all he
could with the transport.; he had at command, and he
was satisfied with the arrangements for that purpose
made by Admiral Boxer. It was impossible for him to
protect the Crimea by the prevention of troops entering
it by way of Perekop in consequence of the shallowness
of the water, and had there been water he would have
required troops to assist him. With reference to a state-
ment of the Duke of Newea-tie, that he had not taken
sufficient steps to be acquainted with the state of the
enemy's strength, he read a letter he addressed to Lord
Raglan in May, 1854, wherein he stated Sebastopol was
a second Gibraltar. ilany new batteries he could see
erecting, and the Russians were strengthening the land
side—that he had been informed there were 120 000
men in the Crimea and from 14 to 16 sail of the line in
the harbour with their sails bent, and that he expected
when they attacked Odessa the Russians would have
come out to draw them off from attacking the place.
The gallant admiral wished to read a private corre-
spondence between himself and Sir James Graham with
reference to this point, since a member of the late Go-
vernment had asserted he forwarded home wrong infor-
mation, but the committee objected., His examination
was then continued, in the course of which be statedthat
Marshal St. Arnaud asked him and the French admiral if
the fleets could take Sebastopol, and they said no. He
did not think it was possible, from the time of the rais-
ing the siege of Silistria to the embarking of the troops
for the Crimea, to have procured a •sufficient number of
transports for the service. Many horses were left be-
hind at Varna, and he believed they were there now,
because the transports with the ammunition, &c., could
not be unloaded fora fortnight (until they got into Baia-
klava harbour). All the screw ships were stationed
near Balaklava, and the squadron near Eupatoria. It
was never supposed the troops would have wintered
in the Crimea, because it was expected they would
have been in Sebastopol in a week. He was
once in Balaklava harbour, and thought it small, and
there were vessels enough in the harbour at the time of
the loss of the Prince ; the arrangements for the harbour
he left to Admiral Boxer. He could not have trans-
ported the troops easier from Constantinople than from
Varna. He did not consider himself answerable for the
transport service, that being left to Lord Raglan, Admi-
ral Boxer, and Captain Christie. He considered
" Boxer a very useful fellow, but not very polished"—
(laughter)—and he never had any occasion to represent
his conduct to Lord Raglan. The first intimation-he had
to fit up hospital ships was from Sir James Graham,
but tbey were not fitted up properly for the large num-
ber of sick and wounded brought on board, the number
being larger than they had ever anticipated. If more
had been fitted up there would have been a deficiency of
ships for horses and baggage. His fleet was well-man-
ned, but he had not a sufficiency of assistant-surgeons. He
was able to procure plenty of fresh meat, though not of '
the best quality.
The gallant Admiral's evidence was then closed, and.,
probably much shortened from many of the questions
put to him, but which were not answered, involving
reference to the demands made on the French for assist-
ance.

The room was again cleared, and, after deliberating
half-an-hour, the committee adjourned at half-past three.

ERUPTION OF VESUVIUS.

NAPLES, May 2.—Everything in Naples is for the
present extingutahed by one great fact—the eruption of
Vesuvius. King, Ministers, and policemen, in their
several spheres' are all scorched and shrivelled up into
nothingness. We have been expecting and longing for
it for some time. The wells at Resina had been dried
up. More than once since 1850, the mountain nas
thundered and smoked, and in the beginning of the
year a portion of the crater fell in. Great numbers
of strangers have, therefore, waited till very late in the
season, in the hope of seeing this extraordinary spec-
tacle, and have just taken their leave, when the moun-
tain, as in " disnetto," breaks out. The principal guide,
who is called Cezzalino, reported on the morning of
the Ist May that he had just ascene,ed the mountain,
and that on arriving at the summit there were a
thousand reports as of cannon, and then was thrown
up a discharge of red-hot stones. The rain and mist,
and smoke, however, all mingling together, prevented a
near approach or nearer observation, and we are, there-
fore, for the present, left to our unaided observations.
During the whole of yesterday nothing was to be seen
but smoke and cloud, which enveloped not only the
mountain but the whole coast, and then swept away in
immense volumes tawards Capri. As evening came on
the heavens were in a bright glow, and the whole pope
lation flocked down to the mole of Santa Lucia, to see
the magnificent spectacle. The mountain was indis-
guishable ; nothing was to be seen but clouds,
smoke, and fire. Up to the very zenith the sky was
covered with large bulbous clouds, black as ink,- and
fringed with white ; underneath, and half-way down the
mountain, everything was on fire, whilst right in the
centre of it shot up a cone of black smoke. Still lower
again, dark clouds covered the base of the mountain,
having, too, as their centre-piece and contrast the river
of lava which is running down towards Resins. During
the whole of last night there was a perfect procession.
of carriages towards Resina. I contented myself
with remaining here for the first view,. but probably
shall go over to-night, and will send you farther details
by Saturday's boat. The scene was rendered still
grander by an eclipse of the moon, which took place
about two hems and a half after midnight.
A report is circulated that his Majesty was shot at
on the last day of the late review at Capu. It is s,id
that the ball passed near enough to be heard. The fact
I doubt. What is certain is, that the king immediately
after broke up the camp. For a punishment the
whole regiment was sent back to Naples on foot,
instead of returning, as u-ual, by railway. On
Mon lay last a large Piedinontese steam-frigate, laden
with troops, came nearly into port, and after reakirfg the
round of the shore went off again. TheSardinian colours
A Hann SKULL. —ln the Callao (Peru) News of Feb. were flying, and the band was playing the national air.
oar
General added, bd. There
sO, we read as follows :—The approaching carnival sea.
was no comarinoramunic; tion was,
"withis the sbore.on This demonstra-
son promises to be rich, rare, and racy is its character. tion is the more remarkable at the present moment when
By reference to our advertising columns, it will be seen the Consul General of Naples at Genoa has just been
that a butting match is in contemplation between the deprived ef his "exequatur," and the Corriere Mei,
steward of the Wild Pigeon and a ram celebrated for cunt `he speaks of the conduct of the Consul as declar-
his strength and couresse. It is almost unnecessary to lug the two countries to be in a state of war.
add, that the challenging party is a coloured man. Some ;
idea of the strength o his skull may be formed from the '
fact of his having, a day or two since, butted in the M. Drouyn de l'Huys left Paris for the Country on
head of a porter cask, upon which a heavy hammer Monday night. He was accompanied to the railway
would make no impression.
F station by M. Thouvenel.
mro an official report, which has been just received NEW CHURCH IN Si'. PANCIta. A new ,district
by the French Government, relative to the cultivation 'church, to be called St uke's, has been commenced in
of tobacco in Algeria, it appears that the results of the Judd-place, New-road, between King's-croes and Euston-
season of 1854, e'n' g on the 31st March, 1855, have square. It is intended to accommodate the densely-
exceeded those of the preceding year on all points
of the populated locality of Somers Town, and will be erected by
colony, and that the plantations in the provinces of Oran one of the societies connected with the increase of &s-
-and Con,tahtina have acquired considerable extension. trict churches in the metropolis, assisted by voluntary
The total quantity purchased by the Government up to subscriptions. Two semi-detached dwellieg-honses have,
the 31st March last, amounts to 2,930,014 kilogrammes, been removed to make way for the fronts of the new
at a cost of 2,708,232 f. 860;
edifice,