The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-09 00:00:00

that I then committed an error which I was met prepared
again to commit. No doubt, on the occasion Whio h has
been referred to, I said that if there was a banquet in
honour of hi aTeturne antri sv.Villivit &no attend Tat, IBI7C-uuld .
be prepared to do so in oreleir to celebrate the brilliant suc-
cesses which were then anticipeted. • Well, I have aecei ved
no such invitation—(a laugh) ;1---and had received that in.
vitation, the punishment to w hich I have referred was so '
severe, and I was so conscious of the indiscretion that I
committed, that I know not whether I should have re-
peated it. (A. laugh.) Happily I have not been put to
she test. It is true I stated on that occasion that I had,
",4.'
the greatest opinion of the proved and distinguished( valour
of Sir Charles Napier, and I added that I thought he was.
,: 0;
also discreet. He has confirmed that opinion. Disc retion,..--e,
the better part of valour, has not been wanting to him. e',i
He has proved himself that consummate admiral Whom t.`''t
praised for his valour and discreetness. (A. laugh.) • I shall '.'''
only say, in answer to another comment made by the hon.
and learned gentleman that private letters have be en pro-
duced before committees of this house; but then those 14'
were cases when an inquiry of a judicial character was in
course of prosecution, andwhen it was the order cif the :-,n,—
house that persons, papers, and records should be prod need.' ;„;.
I think the house will perceive the difference between.' the -7,
.
production of documints before a judicial committee
ras c- ..:e_
tioned by the authority of this house, and the produotionT
of documents such as the hon. gentleman has produced ''','
.
' to-night—partially and, as I should say, most. unfairly '-
in support simply of an appeal to the house to say *hailer
it is consistent with the duty of the Government and the '
Public interests at stake, that the whole or any part 'of
them should be produced. (Hear, hear.) He has said.
and quite correctly, that on the whole the conduct of Sir ~..,
• --
Charles Napier in reference -to the command of the fleet '
Govern-
ment. thcee2r4tatihnoly, of September
iptsoomber wets approved by the Govern-
general rule that " a good work-
man doez not quarrel with his tools;" and yet it is true that the gallant officer; Dot at the Mension-house but in -,,
an official letter, did state, that the fleet under his com-
mand was ill-manned and unfit to meet tho enemy. On
the receipt of that letter, the Admiralty called on the gal-
lant admiral to state the specific ships to which he applied
that remark, and when se called on he failed to specify
any ship. (Hear.) Ido maintain that the discretion.mts •
cised by Sir Charles Napier, in reference to attailka Jterth an
inferior force upon fortresses was, in the terms of icy pri-
vate letter, "a wise discretion?' .T have never quarrelled
with the exercise of that discretion, and had he adhered
to his assertion matte early in May and repeated in July,
that Sweaborg was unassailable either by land or sea, no
one word bf hesitation with respect to the prudelice exer-
cised by him, either in writing or in speech, wergild have
fallen from me. It is quite true that on the 24tb of Sep•
tember, when he, for the first time reconnoitred Sleveaborg
close at hind, he did write to the Admiralty a despatch
upon whieth I shall not further dwell, because r do not
think it Ponsistent with my duty to enter into details
which wollild, if stated, materially alter the present. aspect
of the case. It is said by the hon. and learned si tember
that the•a pliances for that attack, as contemplated by Sir
.barley o the '24th of September, were not sent •by the
Aelmirale . But on the 12th of May he said that ads par-
ticular for ress was unassailable either by lend-or see, and,
I dying on !the jildgenent of tee gall:ins admiral, the Board
of Admire:icy thought it of practical use to send further ap-
pliances for the purpose of that attack. It is also certain
that a diArence of opinion did arise between naval and
military officers of the highest autlorityn.avl alntoopethmiettitoinifs-
terence of opinion I ant sure the house will not expectme
co enter, because it beers directly upon
which hay° only beeu suspended for a short period, heel
are now abhut to be resumed. (Hear, hear.) The hon. and
learned gentleman says he has looked et these papers care-
fully. lleis an equity lawyer. What does he think of the
justice of d proceeding which calls upon me to defeeet my.
self with.nly hands tied behind any back, when, wit boat a
ereach of duty, I cannot produce this corresponden to, or
even refer to it ? I have felt nry sense of duty so ste!ongly
chat I haite not brought a paper clown with me. I have
only seen a paper prepared ex parte, and marked " cotnEdens
114" containing extracts from both public and private dee
sp aches. .And yet this equity lawyer, who is so fond
,f fair play, after conning his case and speaking from
a brief, comes down and makes an attack- which he
axp3cts me to answer when I have aet the materials,
and when a sense of public duty, even if I had them,
would absolutely forbid me to use them. (Hoar, hear.)
it is quit' true that the letter of Sir Charles Napier
.S the 24th of September, with reference to the attack on
Sweaborgddid• present to the Board of Admiralty an en-
tirely (afferent view of the subject from that con,eined in
his former} communication. it then appeared p.erfeetly
clear to thin, even on the showing of Sir Charles Napier
aimself, t at it was perfectly possible if the whole fence
-then in th Baltic was reunited, to make an attack by the
naval foie() alone on Sweaborg; the departure both of the'
English and French fleets was accordingly arrested. An&
then the hpu. and learned member has not thought it un—
worthy to !assign a motive for the instructions sent out on
the 4th Orober. He said that accounts had then been
..eceived o the supposed fall of Sebastopol, and that, acting
under the, influence of the excitement which then pre-
ftiled, the Board of Admiralty varied their instructions,
and gave orders entirely different from what they had given
eofore. Pgive the most positive denial to that statement.
Elie now orders to which he has referred were sent out on
the day after we received Sir Charles Napierni letter of the
•.e4th of Setember, and if the hon. and learned gentleman
.vill look at the close of the despatch of the 4th of October,
f think that he will seo that Sir Charles Napier • was tokt
chat he ninst make no desperate attack; and that whether
ie should attack or not was left entirely to his own discre-
tion. Warning was given him that if the means placed at
ids dispos4l were adequate, the country had a right to ex-
pect that everything that valour could do should be at-
tempted ;1 but that the decision as to the course which
should baJ taken rested entirely with him. (Hear, hear.)
If that p4ssage is in the despatch, I must say that I think
the hon. and learned gentleman has been guilty of a want
of fairnesi and candour .towards the Government in not
reading it. (Hear.) Something has been said with re-
spect to an assertion made both by myself and my gallant
friend thh member for Gloucester, that Admiral Napier
had not been dismissed from the command of the lest.
It is quitO true that on the whole the Admiralty had no
ground for censuring Sir Charles Napier for his conductor
the fleet, but it is not true that the Board of Admiralty'
did not censure certain acts of Sir Charles Napier with re-
foremen tee the euthority of the Government. On the con-
trary, they had more than once to warn the gallant admiral
that the language and tono he assumed towards the autho-
rity under which he served did not appear consistent with
the subonlination and deference due to the supremo authe.
rity under which he so commanded. Then, as to his
alleged dismissal. It is quite certain that admirals, hav-
ing performed similar services in the Baltic, have mailed
similar orders at the end of the autumn so to strike Their;
flags. Admiral Hope, who commanded in the Baltic let
1812' was on his return ordered to strike his flag. It does:
not, however, follow that, when an admiral is ordered to
strike hii flag, he may not he ordered to rehoist it. It,
rests with the authorities to decide whether the •conduct •
of the officer in that command has been snob as to entitle
him to tilat confidence. And I do not think that it will
redound to the efficiency of the service, or be conducive to
good disiipline, or have a happy effect on our forces,d whe-
ther
by ilea or land, if this homes should sit in
weahmepthseigrLittliiesyrisghhotultahaat,gaaitn tehmeptloerym_tinatirotnicuolajfu-ragolealr
orof
snoept.teLltbeisr,qiunitwerictlienagr, that
this despatchSir e awpTtarh , orenfetrehneer to
ho
finastuurreedotaeimrattihoenseobmetraenSdwienabthoergß, dali
tl le gallant
adopted. But it was for the executive to deters nine vihe-
ther,. haying regard to the whole conduct of
had
admiral: it was desirable to reappoint him. I bas's
tdictaikfeatheAla.turp.sleanwhwica,sh
the hOnour of knoWing Sir Charles Napier for a long Pe-
! rice?. Ilhave the greatest admiration of the gallantry' he
:I„hteis.twfihhagams
' has displayed on many trying occasions. These are not
empty qords. Oa my responsibility, in the year 18b3, I
awarded to biro a good-service pension, as a mark of the'
respect !of the Admiralty- for his past_ s cry ioes. But I ..
should le altogether unworthy of my place in this helm, -
:Ind of the offide which I lately had the hon. ev r to fill, if 1
did rot say that the tone, ;ma a very early 1 crioil, taken,
by Adn ilea Napier iii commenting. on his instructions
was turlliulent and insubordinate, and assumed, a character
i ti t walittyh
had
which II should say was altogether incoesistea
1 the duty to I the Admiralty; and that if t(lixeo.naAp,.ilerntt
tamely Submitted to it, and orderedhim. to rebel
l''
it wont' have set the worst possible
to Sir
ser-
vice. I have now told the exact truth with regard
occurred. I have not a particle of unkind feeling' .
Chas. Napier • on the contrary, I deeply regret
happened. Bat' again I repeat it, I think it will be a very
great misfortune if the executive Government consent .tea
the publication of this correspondence. If I had had any—
doubt'before as to the propriety of ordering Sir Charles
Napier to resume the command of the Baltic fleet, the course
he has tursued since he :was ordered to strike his lag—his
language, to which I hawe before adverted—his act having
hesitated, when angry with me and the board under which _
he served, to produce &aliments of a most confidential
nature—would certainly have removed' arty hesitation on
that subject from my mind. (Hear, hear.) I now leave
the matter in the hands of the house. They will decide
whether this correspondence shall be produced. But never
in my life was I more astonished at any course taken by an
hon. member of this house than at that which the' hon.
' and learned gentleman the member for Wisllingford has
thought it consistent with 'his dignity to pursue on this
occasion. lam certainly glad that it is not a member:of,
the naval profession who has acted in this way. (HearA,
hear.) As for the equity and love of justice of the ho e.
and learned member, it may be very good-practiee in the
courts, but it will not, I think, satisfy thOLlense of Wee.
mons. (Cheers.) •
Admiral WALCOTT, after declaring that he was mot
influenced by any party feeling on; 'this question, stion, that is
much regretted the course taken by Sir Charles Napier,
in addressing the company assembled at the Lord Mayole's
banquet at the very time that his application for a court.
martial was under consideration by the Admiralty, and
that he did not enter into any discussion of the papers
which had been referred to until they were all before the
house—said that it was true that there was a very preva-
lent impression that the achievements of the Baltic fleet
were not adequate to the magnificent armanierttlewerhliiclbl.
111€:Isilidees.
had been sent out. He thought, however, this imitreasion
was unjust. For there could be no doubt
edtg)h,naaatiti
epatehed to sea on so short a notice must have
manned (as Admiral
that it was necessarily inefficient in the teas to, which
it was sent, from being Nalev)i eirthhoaudt . number
of praums or gun-boats adapted for shallow water.
Ho believed, too, that it was quite erroneous to snp. lel;
pose that ships could act successfully against stone walls. etekt
What had taken place at Boinarsund and on the naval awirt
attack of Seba.topol had shown the fallaciousness of the -.0
public expectation on this point ; and he believed that if V
oho Dey of Algiers had not born so cursedly afraid of our
fleet—(loud laughter)—and allowed them to come unmo-
lested close under the batteries, that it was very doubtful iiitor
whether Dird Exmouth could ever have gained the posi- NV"
tion from which he operated so stercessfully. He certainly risie!
did not say that a fleet could not run into Sebastopol or jai'
a • but the chances ware 100 to 1 against such
a movement being attended with success. 0..
fore, as he could. judge, Sir Charles NaeLoor_riad. far,e
x. exorcised
ies.re. di:
a wise discretion in net running the ri?ks fofetr;ipepololuntni
fleet, and ,had fulfilled the just
be wholly or not,
expectationutheedluction of those
papers hear.) With respect to
authority; but e) n thise point. h e
papers he quite agreed that they _
at all before the house. Ho could nogthstapt; -whether it would
the right
bweasprruatdheeurt
Napier to
was true
it
trlldears
conveyedto Sir Ch Charles eas
Curt
way;
intoclpinreoddutoc e
defer any o
tof them
the
, strikehe n.
b i
his baronet.
flag,
.it As to
think
that
that,at i t oursan
the not
Admiralty c o fo n IA e
said lo
they
but then the Admiralty were invariab* curt. (A laugh.).
Nor could he say that the order was either in itself a cen-
sure or a dismissal,dismissal,alf
sale
Iliveerodoidt: the whole satisfied with his conduct, and at al/
however, o
events brought no charge against him, it would have been
only a proper consideration for his feelings had they, in
ordering him to strike his flag and come on shore, con-
voyed to him that fair and merited praise which the gal-
lent admiral's letter drew from them two days later. (Hear,
hear.) He thanked God we had now a fine fleet at Spit-
head, ready to sail in a few days. A more efficient fleet
could never leave these shores. It would possess one great
advantage which Su 0. NA/Ada fleet 404 not—it wgt4