The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-23 00:00:00

THE INDIAN OFFICERS.
Sir E. PERRT wished to ask the right hon. the Presi-
dent of the Board of Control if Indian officers who had
served ora the staff in the field in the Crimea would be en-
titled to the same brevet promotion as other officers.
Sir C. WOOD said it was a question which it was
scarcely proper in him to answer, inasmuch as it related to
a matter not within -his department.
THE PRESS AND THE WAR.
Sir F. BARING wished to ask the Secretary at War
whether it was true that Lord Raglan had addressed a
complaint to the Duke of Newcastle relative to the infor-
mation furnished by the newspaper correspondents in the
Crimea, and whether in consequence of tisat remonstrance
a circular had been addressed to the editors of newspapers
on the subject. He wished to know whether the right hon.
gentleman had any objection to produce the remonstrance
and the circular addressed on the subject ?
Mr. PEEL said the letter of the Duke of Newcastle was
of a private character, and he had not the authority to
produce it. The circular addressed to the newspapers was
also of a private character, but if the right hon. baronet
thought the public service would be benefitted by the pro-
duction of these documents, he should have no objection
to produce them.
Sir F. BARING asked if the communications contained
any information whieh it would be disadvantageous to
publish ?
Mr. PEEL said, with regard to the document addressed
to newspapers, there was nothing in it which could not be
made known to the world, and therefore he could have no
objection to produce it.
Mr. LAYARD said it was only fair that both sides
should be heard, and should be glad to know if the hon.
gentleman had any objection to produce the answer of the
newspapers to the circular.
Mr. PEEL said he was not in possession of the answers.
APPEARANCE OF THE HOUSE.
The house towards half-past four o'clock began to fill,
hen, members coming in one after the other in close suc-
cession ; and after taking their seats joinedin conversation
with little knots of hon. gentlemen, from whose earnest and
animated jestures it was evident they were discussing the
prominent topic of the day with deep interest. Lord
Palmerston had not yet made his appearance, but
Sir James Graham, and Mr. Sidney Herbert' had
arrived, and, amidst some amusement, took their
places amongst the Cobdenite section of bon. mem-
bers, below the gangway on the Ministerial side of the
house. Mr. Cardwell selected his seat in the row imme-
diately behind the Treasury Bench. Mr. Gladstone
arrived about half-past four o'clock, and immediately
joined his late colleagues on the Cobdenite Bench.
As five o'clock approached there war still a vacancy on the
Treasury Beach, the Prime Minister not having arrived.
The house in every part was thronged almost to suffoca-
cation. Presently Mr. Granville Berkeley (one of the
whips of the Treasury) hurried up to the Treasury
Bench, and whispered to the Ministers present, amidst
laughter and general cries. of " Hear, hear." Having
gone through this pantomimic performance he harried
away, and there was another ominous panic of some dura-
tion. Bye-and-bye Lord Mulgrave (another Treasury
whip) came in in the samemysterious manner, and had
another whispering consultation with the right ho-
nourable gentlemen, but with the same results.
It is many a day since the house presented such a per-
turbed and exciting aspect ; there was scarcely a seat va-
cant en the floor or in the galleries, whilst the Peers and
dietingaished strangers' boxes wore also crowded with
occupants. At five o'clock the most anxious sus-
pense prevailed, when Mr. Granville Berkeley
rushed hurriedly into the house, followed in a mi-
nute or two by Lord Palmerston, who took his
seat amidst vociferous shouts of "hear, hear," to which
succeeded almost immediately the deepest silence.
The SPEAKER then called the order of the day for
going_into Committee of Supply, upon which
Lord PALMERSTON rose, and moved that it should be
postponed until after, Mr. Roebuck's committee had been
disposed of.
MINISTERIAL EXPLANATIONS.
Sir J. GRAHAM said, according to established usage,
and in conformity with salutary practice, haring ceased
to he one of the confidential advisers of the Crown, and
now only holding office until his successor was ap-
Poillteids •ha thought it a duty incumbent upon him
to state the reasons which had induced him to take the
bet:Pst Itt avail 11e had just referred to. He had thought it
being before
himself of the opportunity of a motion
the chair to tender those explana-
tions, because •
him wt:spafasrseidforit would be neces-
sary for h
the indulgence of the house, a short time on
anadato state reasons which
would give rise to ergarnent,
(Hear, Pear.) He ...Al was the nmorP:rh!ps some reply.
disposed to take
that course, because it consequence of the illness
from which he had scarcely recovered—ehese, hear
—he was not able to attend in his place when Roebuck Mr.
moved the appointment of a committee to inquire into the
state of the army before Sebastopol, and which corn.
mittee ho was now about to nominate. (Hear, hear,) In
n '
his opinion, the further prosecution of such inquiry of a
select committee, was in the present circumstances of the
country highly inexpodient—(hear)—and he therefore
to nominate the re-
grettedmem-
bers, to know that the Government had now adopted
the motion, at least they had agreed
ot
assent.
(Hear.) If
ben, and to that course he could not
the Government had on the whole,
however, made up its
mind that the committee should be appointed, he regretted
extremely not to find iu the names now p
the members of her Majesty's Government included
list. Now,, he had a strong feeling that if that inquiry
proposal
in th©
d any of
was to be conducted in a fair and impartial manner,
stred at the same time with a due regard to the interests of
this cott;ftry, there would have been a great advantage in
laing a' Minister of the Crown present during its pro-
,
'veediegs, aid= if during the inquiry any questions were
'whicfi, from that Minister's knowledge of our
f4tlfika ielafi4ins, appeared to him inexpedient, or perhats
e4slNerottrs d.;be disclosed,warning might have been given
,t.