The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-16 00:00:00

glOg WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE.
'Ms DAT —Morning 19 min.after 1 I Evening 47 minatft. 1
T4-*lcitaow--MorninE 11 minotfter 2 1 Evening 36 min.aft. 2

violation of justice ; for, it must be remembered,
that while one only was to blame three indivi-
duals have severally been accused. And if it be the
duty of the historian, who may not have to deal
with the professional reputation of the living, to
attribute the blame to the right quarter, still
more imperatively is it the duty of the journalist
who, while dealing with the professional reputa-
tion of contemporaries, has primarily to consider
what is due to the imperilled interests of millions.
In the discharge of this duty, however, we freely
admit that the utmost impartiality and discretion
should be exercised. On no slight or dubious
grounds should so grave a fault as the reckless
sacrifice of between three and four hundred of our
fellow-countrymen, and these the bravest of the
brave, be attributed to any man.
With these preliminary observations, we beg
to call the reader's attention to a letter from Sir
J. S. LILLIE to the Editor of the United Service
Magazine, which appeared in the February HUM-
bor of that periodical, and is now published in a
separate form. The gallant Knight, it may lya
remembered, addressed, a while back, a letter to
the Times, in which he endeavoured to exonerate
Lord LUCAN from the charge of having ordered
the cavalry charge at Balaklava, and attributed
the blame exclusively to Lord RAGLAN,
and then proceeded to vindicate the con-
duct of the Turkish troops, who were
driven by overwhelming numbers from their posi-
tions the ou' nosy: on the morning of the
memoraole day when the charge was made. On
this letter a writer in the United Service Maga-
zine, after having cast the blame of the charge on
Lord LUCAN, to the complete exoneration of Lord
RAGLAN, thought fit to comment in terms of some
severity. Having drawn attention to the state-
ment of the Times correspondent, written on the
spot, that "Lord Raglan was an amazed spectator•
of the catastrophe," the writer in question pro-
ceeded to ask whether Sir JOHN considered this
(his letter to the Times) a fair onslaught on an
old companion-in-arms, to whom, no doubt, he,
in common with almost every British officer, had
been indebted in times past for more than one act
of courtesy, if not of kindness ? "To us and to
every impartial eye," he subsequently remarks,
"it (the alleged onslaught) appears in the light
of a deliberate perversion of facts, nor can we
speak more favourably of his observations in re-
ference to the detached outposts manned by the
Turks," &c.
So damaging an imputation as that of deli-
berately perverting facts in order to exculpate
Lord LUCAN and inculpate Lord RAGLAN could
nut well be submitted to in silence by an honour-
able man, conscious of nothing but a manly desire
to do justice. So it would appear thought Sir
JoHN ; and the result was the appearance in the
United Service Magazine of the letter we have
already referred to, and now intend still further,
though briefly, to notice.
With little, if any, circumlocution the gallant
Knight sets about the task of defending himself
from the imputations levelled at him, in which
we are of opinion he is thoro-ughly successful. No
unfairness, no ingratitude, because no obligation,
no perversion of facts on his part are we able to
discover. His appeal is to facts, and they acquit
him. This, however, is not the only nor the
most important result of his defenco----certainly
not that which will most interest the public.
Sir JOHN'S simple, unvarnished statement tells
heavily, in our opinion, against Lord RAGLAN,
and in a corresponding degree in favour of Lord
LTICAN. The question of blame seems more readily
susceptible of a correct solution than we feared.
Lord RAGLAN, say his friends, did net give the
fatal order. So far from having done se, he
" was an amazed spectator of the catastrophe."
Lord RAGLAN did give the order, says Lord Lu-
CAN j that order is in existence ; and here is a
verbatim copy of it :—" Lord RAAMAN wishes the
cavalry to advance rapidly to the front, to follow
the enemy, and try to prevent their carrying off
the guns. Troop of horse artillery may accom-
pany. French artillery is on the left. Imme-
diate. (Signed) R. Arany." As it appears to
us the sole question to be answered now is—the
order, of which this is a copy—is it a forgery or
not ? If it is, what are Lord RAGLAN'S friends
about ? If it is not, why do they strive to incul-
pate Lord LUCAN The terms of the order are
precise and peremptory, and such as left his Lord-
ship no alternative but obedience. He did but
his duty. It is not he, but Lord RAGLAN, who
is to blame.

A NATIONAL GUARD.

It must be admitted, however, that at the first
blush the statement of the Times correspondent,
that Lord RAGLAN was " an amazed spectator of
the catastrophe," tells in his Lordship's favour.
But further consideration deprives it of all force
in that direction. His Lordship's amazement, as
SirJouN Limas! asserts it was, might be occasioned
by his having discovered, on arriving at the scene
of action, that the enemy had not been in full re-
treat, as he had supposed, when lie despatched
the order from a distant point.
Against this supposition what is there in the
events of that memorable day, to say nothing of
the entire campaign, to militate ? Foresight,
prudence, tact, whatever is included in the word
generalship, what amount of these did his Lordship
exhibit ? Was there any is confiding, and that
to the very last, to a body of undisciplined
Turks, at the unusual distance of a mile and a
half in front of our lines, and wholly unsupported,
the guns, subsequently captured by an over-
whelming force of Russians ? If there was, we
must confess our inability to appreciate it. It
may be all very well, though we don't think so,
to try to smooth the matter over by talking of the
cowardice of the Turks ; but the imprudence of
the General will be uppermost, we should imagine,
in the minds of military men fresh from the re-
collection of " the poor Moslem—lapped by the
Russian cavalry—steel flashing in the air," and
falling, " quivering, on the plain, split through
to the chin." Thinking men will naturally ask why
the poor Moslem were not supported, and how it
could reasonably be expected that, without horses,
and in such inferior numbers, they should carry
off the guns from the grasp of thirty thousand
Russians. The generalship of that day, there can
be no doubt, was of a piece. The neglect that
lost the guns was of kin to the rashness that
strewed the valley of Balaklava with hundreds of
slaughtered heroes of the Light Brigade. It was
not NOLAN—it is not LucAN—that is to blame.
Posterity, at all events, will be more just than to
attribute to dutiful subordinates the blame be-
longing exclusively to their chief. Posterity, did
we say—nay, the time is not far distant, it has
almost arrived already, when the question of
" Who ordered the charge ?" will b• as promptly
and confidently answered as that of " Who led
it ?" The reply to the one will as assuredly be
" Lord RAGLAN," as " Lord CARDIGAN " will
be to the other. But this is not the only
affair for which his Lordship will have to an-
swer. The fearful mortality of the troops under
his command during the entire campaign will
have to be accounted for. We wish his Lordship
a good deliverance.

TO THE RIGHT HON. SIR GEORGE GREY.
Sir,—At the present critical crisis, when it behoves
every Englishman to demonstrate his views, if such are
conceived to be patriotic, and to make them known to
the proper authorities, I beg to submit to you an idea,
which you are aware had great moral effect on the pro-
ceedings of a certain class of men commonly known
as Chartists. I allude to the movements more par-
ticularly of this body of disturbers, who at that time
supposed their power to be sufficiently great to have mo-
rally disturbed and upset this great metropolis, and ulti-
mately carry confusion through the country. On the 10th
of April their movement was considered by their leaders
to be completed ; and there is no doubt that the
demonstration made by the gentry, and the trades-
people as special constables showing a bold and de-
termined front, put an almost entire extinction upon
either Chartists or any other bodies meeting for such
unlawful purposes. My idea, in unison with several
of my neighbours, that such a system should be again
adopted, as carried out on the 10th of April, would
show to the country at large the full and explicit con-
fidence which is and ought to be placed in the present
or any other Government that may be formed with a
single eye to put an end to that dire calamity, war,
with all possible speed. I feel confident, sir, that
some thousands of persons situated as myself in the
metropolis would join in this matter, which would
give the Government an opportunity of sending the
whole of the police, if required, to meet the enemy,
who in and upon every point has most distinctly made
known to us that it will only be by countless numbers
that the world's disturber shall be ultimately, honour-
ably, and finally put down. I had much to do at the
time of the Chartist meetings, and drew the first twenty-
five men who showed themselves on the 10th of April.
I shall be too happy to render my services, should they
be required, at the present crisis.--I am, sir, your obe-
dient humble servant, GEO. SIMMONS.
Oxford and Cambridge Reading-rooms,
64, Edgeware-road, Feb. 10.

TEE WEATHER AT ST. PETERSBURG.—The letters from
St. Pe.ersburg describe the weather as very severe, the
temperature being 13 degrees below zero of Fahrenheit.
From Odessa tho dates are to the 3d inst., but they con-
tain
.nothing of interest, the business of the place 'Poing
constdert4 over.

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 16, 185 5.

COLT'S REVOLVERS. -