The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 16, 1855.

ARMY BEFORE SEBASTOPOL COM-

of Lady Olivia Blackwood, who took much interest in
them.

vid,

IlArt.veats.

Compai,

tosni, ••• •
yestertay

ess
this lth:,

MITTEE (7111-13 DAY.)

Mr. Layard—'Vas any attempt made to organise
them as nurses, or to turn their labour to some useful
account ?

The inquiry was resumed this morning at the usual
hour.

Mr. Macdonald—Any attempt-to have done so would
bare been futile, as the effect the war had had upon
their minds, combined with other circumstances, ren-
dered them totally unfit for any beneficial empleyment.
Examination continued by Mr. Layard—During the
space of four months the hospital had six changes ;
first, there was Dr. Menzies ; then a period during which
Dr. Cumming acted under orders from Lord Raglan ;
then Dr. Forrest came down from the Crimea ; then Dr.
Forrest fell ill, and Dr. Pennell took his place ; then
Dr. Crnikshank ; afterwards Dr. Lawson ; and, finally, 4
Dr. Cumming again. _

The first witness called was Mr. T. M. Mackay.
In reply to Mr. Layard, he stated that he was the re-
presentative of Messrs. J. Baines and Co., shipowners,
Liverpool. Some of their vessels were tendered to the
Government. as transports in March of last year, and
were chartered for the conveyance of horses. Captain
Boyce came down on behalf of the Admiralty to inspect
the vessels, and to give directions as to the fitting of
them up for the required purpose. He did not produce any
written regulations as to the alterations he desired to be
made. Amongst other changes he insisted that a house
on the deck should be taken down, for which there was
no necessity, as it would have served ai an accommoda-
tion fur several horses. These alterations were made at
the expense of several hundred pounds, which fell upon
the Government. The vessels were- afterwards fitted up
according to Captain Boyce's directions, regardless of
expense; hut in so improper a manner in his (witness's)
opinion that he shonld not have been surprised if a coil-
siderable number of horses were lost. They were only
separated by a bar ; and when the vessel rolled in a
storm if the horses slipped they must fall under the feet
of the others and be crushed. The animals could not lie
down.

[LEFT SITTING.]

LAW INTELLIGENCE.-(THIS DAY).

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(IJefore Mr. Commissioner Goulburn.)
IN RE RUSSELL.--SPECULATIVE BUILDERS-ADJOURN-

3IENT SINE DIE.
This bankrupt was described as of Elgin-road, Not-
ting-hill, builder, and to-day was appointed for his last
esw•eination.

The solicitor to the assignee objected, as the case had
been already adjourned for accounts which had not yet
been filed, and the assets would barely pay the expenses
His Honour said that this was another of those cases
where there would be nothing for the creditors. If it
man came to this court to be " whitewashed " it must
not be at the expense of the creditors. There were more
cases of this class among speculative builders than in all
the other cases put together. He should therefore ad- j
journ the examination sine die, and leave the bankrupt
to come up at his own expense.

Mr. Layard— Are you acquainted with the Hull mode
of fitting up ships for the conveyance of horses ?
Mr. Mackay replied that he was not personally—but
he had been informed it was an excellent plan, and one
of great safety.
Mr. Layard—Did you make any proposal to the Go-
vernment to feed the troops in the Crimea ?
Mr. Mackay—We did. Our tender was to provision
the troops at 3s. 6d. per day per man ; giving each man
per diem a pound of bread, a pound of beef or pork
conked, a quarter of a pound of preserved potatoes, which
would be equal to a pound of raw. They would also
have given a weekly supply of 3oz. of tea, 3oz. of coffee,
11b. of sugar, 11b. of cheese, gill of pickles, 2ez. of salt,
ioz. of mustard, besides j pint of ale a day, and .1 gill of
spirits. They would have done all this, and reaped a
reasonable profit, as they bad been in the habit of
victualling emigrant ships. They would have been able
to accomplish this with four vessels of 1,200 tons barden
continually employed.

The Chairman—You would not have kept your
transports in the harbour for six weeks ? (Laughter.)
Mr. Mackay—Oh, no ! They would go backwards and
forwards as quickly as possible.
Cross-examination continued—He undertook to
deliver them at the camp. He had an objection
to say publicly what means he should have adopted
to cook the potatoes and other things. He
found that preserved meats and vegetables kept un-
commonly well, especially the latter ; and by his
plan they could feed me❑ in the Crimea at almost as
cheap a rate as they could live at home. He should
have accomplished this by means of a continual line of
ships running to and fro. lie tendered two ves-
sels to the Transport board, for the conveyance of
horses ; but, on arriving at Cheapside, he was told
he was too late. He was, however, told to put his
tender into a box, and after running down stairs and
into the clerk's office to find where his tender had got
to, he at last met with it and placed it in the box, which
was then taken by the messenger into the boardroom.
But although he was only two minutes behind the spe-
cified time for sending in his tender, he was informed
that he was too late, and that there was no help for it.
Mr. Layard—Did you recommend the adoption o
hospital ships to the Crovernnient
Mr. Mackay—They did ; but none were to his know-
ledge fitted out.

In reply to Lord Seymour, Mr. Mackay stated that
they made the tender to supply provisions when the bad
weather had set in, and when so much had been heard
about the bad state of the road from Balaklava. They
had well considered where they could obtain their sup
plies. If there had been no means of landing stores at
Balaklava he should have gone to liareiesh Bay.
Mr. Green (of the firm of Messrs. Green, shipowners,
Rackwall) stated that three of their vessels were char-
tered ,by the Government, their names being the
Northumberland, the Resolute, and the \\rainier Castle.

The first and laq of these were chartered at 30s. per ton,
and the other at 253. They were all employed as trans-
ports for horses, and were fitted up on the Admiralty
plan. If he hat been fitting out the vessels on their
own account he should have adopted that plan—and
not the Hull mode for a short voyage, and be considcre.l
the voyage to the Crimea was a very short one. Ht
thought ,a si❑gle bar separating the animals was a suffi-
cient protection.

The Chairman—Why do you prefer that plan to the
Hull system

Mr. Green—Because it accommodates mere horses.
Bat] no difficulty with the Admiralty as to the contract
or filling of the vessels. They were chartered by their
regi,te.r. The Resolute was detained five weeks at
Balahlava.

Mr. Llyard —I believe the Resolute was lost in the
storm ?

Mr. Green—She wag.

Mr. Layard—Did you effect your own insurances en
;hose vessels r

Mr. Green—l did.

for compen,ation for the loss of the Resolute ?
applied to the Government
Mr. Layard—llave you
Mr. G
but only recently, on the ground
that shel
the captain not being allowed
t ) take care of her.
rs a
cr
i
was
ee n have,ced fi ;

Examination continued by_ Lord 'Seymour—He be-
lieved all the horses were conveyed without casualty.
The Reso!ute took 50, and the Northumberland 48.
They had nothing to do with the provisioning of the
horses. That was undertaken by the Admiralty. It
was only two days ago that he had applied to the Go-
vernment for the loss of insurance on the Resolute.
Mr. Macdonald, of the Times, was then recalled, and
was examined by the chairman.
He stated that he was sent out to administer the
charitable fund raised by the Times by an appeal to the
Sympathy
was placed in his bands for distribution, and for the
relief of
t h
the n
an
repo' ted existed amongst our sick and wounded at Scut ani.
raawd liberality be
whichrality :atf the British public. That
had been from time to time
When be got out there, though these wants presented a
somewhat milder aspect than had been stated, they still
existed. The Government had a better opportunity of
administering to these Wants, as they bad ambassadors
and agents in the East, and could have commanded the
markets ; whereas he had to discover everything, and,
in fact, to worm out, in the first instance, what were
the real necessities most required. He had letters of
recommendation! to !various authorities, amongst them
to Dr. Menzies.

minis
were no wants.
—6-11-i
terini:man g —Didund ?he afford you any facilities for ad-
your f
Mr. Macdonald—No, he did not.
Chairman—Dil be obstruct you ?
Mr. Macdonald—ln fact not. But I was met with
bo
yb s
Dt a
rc.l ei‘sie
n placezi r ds
tindirectly every Way. I was informed
Examination resumed—He found, however, that
there were wants existing. A few articles were pur-
chased in England before he went out, but others from
Constantinople. That town contains about one million
knowbec n supplied
that
tko onFr
e n
of inhabitants, and there were markets, so that the thehos-
pitals
h lspol,t
that t provided w
of different articles, so that when one was out they could
fall back upon another ; but we had no system of that
thepita committeels might
h a
tv o e
kind.
might
tghtht have
esaavme ebeteimned,emriovsed f
most, if not
the locality. Miss
not a
Nightingale and her staff of ladies had arrived two days
before he did, and he should say she was obstructed in
her benevolent object. The medicaLofaeer, he knew,
having authority, refused to accept his supplies, although
these supplies, which were much required, were not ob-
tained elsewhere. The nurses, too, whom Miss Nightin-
gale offered were not accepted to the extent they might
have been. He had tasted [the port wine sent out by
the Government, and certainly it was not genuine—in
fact it was not port wine at all.
By Mr. Layard—He bad visited the bazaars in Con-
stantinople, and could say that everything which was
required
might have been procured in them. The houses
in Constantinople were constructed of wood, but that
article there he believed was not very plentiful. Ile
did not know whether sufficient planking might have
lle wishedeat so r
eks
e
ciui .
been obtained to have erected large huts for the recep-
tion of the sick and wounded. There was plenty of
room around the hospital in which such huts might have
been erected.
Mr. Layard—Where were the French stores kept ?
Mr. Macdonald—They bad an hospital ship, on board
which all parcels directed to Constantinople were sent.
They also had an hospital on the hill, to which their stores
were carried. All stores addressed to UK passed through
the custom-house at Scutari ; but they were discharged
there without being apparently consigned to the care of i
anybody, and the packages frequently, therefore, be-
came
broken open and lost. He had seen parcels of
nreserved meats and other good things, addressed to
officers, broken, and their contents lying scattered about I
in all directions. The French hospital was much more I
strictly looked after than ours, and an order had to be
applied for before it could be entered by a stranger.
Mr. Layard Were there any soldiers' wives
,at
Scutari ? I

Mr. Macdonald—Nothing can convey to the corn.
mittee the ttate in which the soldiers' wives lived at
Scutari. In one small room he saw at one time as many
as 43 of them, some with children, all huddled together
in a small, dark, dirty room, which could not be com-
pared to a room in one of the very worst lodging-houses
in the metropolis before the Lodging-House Act came
into operation. some imilrovement had been made in
t * 9iii44021 40Werg: bdin 1* the cliertiou
_