The Sun.
London, England, 1855-01-27 00:00:00

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committed, owing to that want of power and control. I
then said—

" The Cabinet has it is true, in its recent meetings, done
much to repair omissions ; but a Cabinet is a cumbrous and
unwieldy instrument for carrying on war. It can furnish
suggestions, or make a decision upon a measure submitted
to it, but it cannot administer. What you want, there- .
fore, I repeat, is a Minister of War of vigour and autho-
rity. (Hear.) As the welfare of the empire and the suc-
cess of our present conflict are concerned, I have no scruple
in saying so. Keep up, if you think right, as a temporary
arrangement, a Secretary at War. Make it clear that it
is temporary—that is to say, only to last till more complete
consolidation can take place; but let Parliament and the
country be assured that you have placed the conduct of
the war in the hands of the fittest man who can be foundl
for that duty." (Hear, hear.) In answer to this, I re-
ceived a long letter from Lord Aberdeen, which I shall
read to the house. It is dated .diovember 30, 1854, and is
as follows :

" After all, I think your letter plainly reduces the ques-
tion to the simple issue of a peemonal preference, and the
substitution of one man for another. In answer to my sug-
gestion
that some consideration wee due to the duke on the
part of his colleagues, you say that you understood the Ad-
ministration was founded on the principle of doing what was
best for the public service, without :regard to the self-love or ,
even the acquired position of individuals. Undoubtedly this
was the case ; and I fully agree in thinking that the Duke of
Newcastle would be the last man to. wish for any exception
to this rule in his fayour. But I must observe that at the
formation of the Government no such office as the War De-
partment was contemplated ; and 'when, subsequently, the
Colonial-office was divided, no objection whatever was made
to the choice of the War Department t. by the duke ; nor, as
far as I am aware up to this moment, to his management of
adnuotthieesr ablymightanbde
the office. Now, I think you will mdmit that although an-
other person might perhaps have b(!en preferred on the first
constitution of an office, it is a very different thing to dis-
placea man h
merely o
found still more efficient. Undoubtedly, the public service
must be the first object ; but, in the absence of any proved
defect or alleged incapacity, I cam see no sufficient reason
for such a change, which, indeed, L think is forbidden by a
sense of justice and good faith. . . . . On the whole, ,
honourably, w
ihnasthdeschhearliegfeathaitts
then, believing that any change like that proposed would be
of doubtful advantage to the public, feeling very strongly
that it would. be an act of unfairness and injustice towards
a colleague, and thinking, also, that all such changes, unless
absolutely necessary, only tend to weaken a Governmes4, I ,
must repeat that I could not honestly recommend it 'to the
Queen."
Lord Aberdeen spoke to meaner-wards on this subject, and
asked me when I intended to bring the question before the
Cabinet ; and I, certainly after a good deal of hesitation,
told him that, as he had said he mould not honestly recom-
mend that change to the Queen, and as I did not wish to
do anything which might tend to disturb his Government
and remove him from office, I should not press the matter
further. I should say that my hesitation arose very much
in consequence of the opinion of other high authorities,
with whom I for years—during the whole of my political
life perhaps—have been living in the closest intimacy, who
told ma they thought the change unadvisable, and that it
would weaken that which I meant to strengthen, and who
advised that I should not press it. Now, when I stand
here to justify my resignation, and when I am told, as I
have been, that I have acted prematurely, I own that the
doubt that presses on my 'mind is whether I ought not at
that time to have brought the question of this change to
an issue. But among those who urged me not to do so
was the noble lord himself, the Secretary of State for the
Home Department, who at the time when the correspon-
dence took place was absent, and to whom I afterwards read
it. He urged me, considering the objection which had
been made, not to press the matter any further. (Hear.)
However, that being the case with respect to men, I have
further to consider what was ;the case with respect to mea-
sures. I have reminded the house that last year a pledge
was given that a new arrange' neat would be made of the
military departments, with the view of rendering them
more efficient. I myself had the honour of serving on two
commissions having for their object the consolidation and
improvement of those departments. Various commissions
repbrted from time to time, au cl it is now, I think, 22
yea rs since the first of them was. appointed. At the corn-
narinCelllent of the war, then, tleat which before had been
ecepedient became urgent and n 3cessary, and that conside-
Tation to which I have referred was due to the interests of
the public and to the expectations of this house. (Hear.)
The only change I was able to a nnounce in the session be-
fore Christmas was that the cm amissariat was placed un-
der the War Minister. With respect to any further change
I heard no mention until a proposal was made in the
Cabinet—l think on Saturday Last. I reflected on that
proposal, and then I went to my- noble friend at the head
of the Government, and told hism that, after considering,
the proposal, I thought it incomplete and inefficient. I
gave him also a paper containing my own views on the
subject. This, the house will observe, was very lately;
but I had no reason to expect, that my views would be
adopted. I had therefore to consider, when I came to re.
fleet upon the Tuesday evening on the course to be taken
on the following Thursday, whether I could fairly and
honestly say, " It is true that evils have arises—it is true
that the brave men who fought at the Alma, at Inkerman,
and at Balaklava are perishing many of them from neglect
—lt is true that the heart of the whole of England throbs
with anxiety and sympathy on this subject; but I can tell
you that such arrangements have been made—that a man
of such vigour and efficiency has taken the conduct of the
war department with such a consolidation of offices as to
enable him to have the entire and instant control of the
whole of the War-offices, so that any supply nsay be imme-
diately furnished and any abuse instantly remedied."
(Hear.) I felt I could not honestly make such a declaration.
(Hear, hear.) I could not say, after what I had written
( and I only mention this in passing, because I think no-
body will impute it as blame to my noble friend, Lord
Aberdeen, as he had not taken an active part in the direc-
tion of the war)—l could not say that there was a person
with such power and control, and of sufficient energy of mind
and acquaintance of details, at the head of the War depart-
ment. I oemgd not say either that the arrangement which had
been proposed on Saturday last—that the consolidation of the
military departments had either been carried into effect, or
was in prospect in such a way that I could pledge the
fahiiir iet11, off.Gl
ionvge Thmi
se—ntg ov
nt hg et
heeffimc iaetntecry
the
eo
satr r &la
painfulgem e ntat-
tention—feeling also, as I have already said, that I could
give no faint nor faltering opposition to the proposition of
the hon. and learned member for Sheffield, and that I
must get up, if I opposed it at all, and stand in the way of
that which wally would think might afford a remedy for
those sufferings and distresses which had been complained
of, or, at least, if it failed in doing that, might point ant
a way for their correction and remedy—feeling, too, that
many members of this House would look for an, assurance
on my part which they would be ready to act upon, as they
did so far honour me with their confidence, that efficient
alterations had been made, I was conscious that I should
be repaying that confidence with treachery if I gave an
assurance of the kind, knowing it not to be true. (Hear.)
Well, it appeared to me, no doubt, that the members of
the Government could hardly remain in office if such
a committee as the one proposed were appointed ; that it
would not be, I will not say dignified, but consistent with
the practical good working of our institutions, that there
should be a Minister sitting on that bench (the Ministerial
bench) to govern the war, and that the military depart-
ments should be at the same time constantly overlooked
and checked by a committee sitting upstairs ; and that Vile
Minister for War should have not only to consider what he
was to do in order to provide for the ordinary necessities of
tho war, and to attend to applications from day to day, but
must also consider the evidence to be adduced with respect
to his conduct five or six months ago. (Hear, hear.)
Such a state of things could not be consistent with the effi-
ciency of our administrative system. (Hear.) I therefore
felt that I could come only to one conclusion, and that as I
could not resist inquiry, by giving the only assurance
wniale I thought sufficient to prevent it, my duty was not
to remain any longer a ;member of the Government.
(Hear.) It would be competent for others, if they thought
either that everything necessary had already been done, or
would be done, consistently to oppose the motion for
inquiry ; but for my own part I feel that I could not do
so, and I, therefore, wrote in very short terms, not quite
accurately stating the terms of the motion, a note to the
following effect :

" Cheshanl.place, Jan. 23, 1855.

_ . .
" My dear Lord Aberdeen,—Mr. Roebuck has given notice
of a motion to inqu're into the conduct of the war. Ido not
see how this motion is to be resisted ; but, as it involves a
censure upon the War departments, with which some of my
colleagues are connected, my only course is to tender my re-
signation. I therefore have to request you will lay my humble
resignation of the office which I have the honour to hold
before the Qm.,en, with the expressioh of my gratitude for
Her Majesty'r4 kindness for many S-cars.
" 1 remain, my dear Lord. Aberdeen, yours very truly,
"J. RussELL."
To that note I received no answer ; but on thelollowing
evenini.., my noble friend informed me that he had been to
Windsor with my resignation, and that her Majesty had
been pleased to accept it, with the gracious expression of
her great concern in doing so. This, then, so far as this
iw.mediate statement is concerned, is my case with respect
t 0 my own conduct. Those Ministers who believe that
eachth a
t I company,ha
ve
they can successfully oppose inquiry—who believe that they
are right in respect to what has been done and what is do-
ing, will be perfectly justified in taking the part of object-
ing to the proposed committee. I should have been out of
place
(Hear.) But at the same time I
must
heard that there is a rumour, and I
hope a trio one, that the arrangement which I proposed in
my first letter of the 17th of November, or rather in my
subsequent letter—namely, that of placing the seats of the
War Department in the hant4 of the noble lord, the Home
Secretary, has been made. (Hear, hear.) I shall greatly
rejoice it that is the case, for I believe it will he of great
benefit to the country that my noble friend (Lord
Palmerston) should hold that taffies. (Hear, hear.) I
shall be glad to think that my retirement from office has
acset say in
in any way contributed to that change, and I believe it
must in seine way have contributed to it—(" Hear," and
laughter)—for otherwise I have no doubt that my noble
friend, Lord Aberdeen, with the fairness and candour
which belong to him, and which I always found in him,
would have answered the letter I have just read, by saying
that circumstances hail in some respect changed, that that
which he could not honestly recommend to the Queen in
, November he had thought necees ery at the resent time—
(" Hear'" and laughter)—and that therefore my difficulty
in opposing the motion of inquiry might be in some degree
lessened, if not entirely removed. (Hear.) That cannot
have been the case. This must have been the subsequent
arrangement, and I shall be very gad if my retirement
from the less important office, in the present conjuncture,
of President of the Council could have led to the appoint-
ment. to the War Department of my noble friend
Home Secretary, of whom I cannot speak
in higher(Hear,
terms than I have already used in one of mylotierth
hear.) Having stated thus much with respect to my posi-
tion and the position of the Government, I have not regu-
larly any right to go further, but as perhaps _
I shall take
l a
part in the debate on
the motion of the hon. and earned
member for Sheffield, and as it is not my intention even to
question, I may be permitted to say
give a vote on the'
somewhat more in reference present state of public
I should state, in the first place, that I be-
affairs. (Hear.) this house, be-
lieve that all parties in this house, without distinction—for
I will make no distinction whatever, ar s anxious that the
war should be carried on, as the meeting: at Leeds declared
by the most vigorous measures, until we can obtain a just
and honourable peace (cheers) ; and I xepeat my opinion
that those measures which are the most vigorous for the
prosecution of the war, and those terms oaf peace, which are
and unquestionably just; and honourable,
will meet with the most favour from all parties in this
house. (Cheers.) I thorougly believe ti tat if any triumph
attends her Majesty's arms, those who are in opposition tO
Lord Aberdeen's Government will as heartily rejoice at
that triumph as the Government themselves. (Hear.)
This at least gives great facilities at present for carrying