The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-20 00:00:00

ARMY BEFORE SEBASTOPOL 00317
MITTEE --(THIS DAY.)
The committee reassembled this morning at the usual beer'
The first witness called was Dr. Andrew Smith. _4,8
In reply to Mr. Ellice, he stated that he entered the sieers;_.
of the army in the year 1815. He had had considerte sax'
perience as army surgeon, and in medical hospitals- ,„ the
staff surgeon of the Ist-class before he was appointed be •
lie
Medical Board in 1835. His salary was 1,2001. per annumobief,
had an assistant at 500/, per annum. The Commander-in
the at and the oard of Ordnce were hinitvt.
Smith's)Secretary immediate War, superiors, B
and he receivenad from the eOl
parate and independent directions from each of these
cities, He proposed all medical appointments to the fa'ti_tref.
ritics, but to no Civil authority. He selected the nameethe
officers for promotion from confidential reports, and gay „eir
preference to such as had the most recommendations 11,1,Leiy.
favour, and recommended them for promotion aceore.les4S4
Their removal from station to station abroad also origin'''.
in himself. sebe
Mr. Ellice—ls any distinction made between oleos' bao
enter the service with high qualifications and those wile
passed the necessary examinations only
this
DExr.amSminiatthio—nOhcolnyteinsu,eeedrti%inlye ; every distinct Lion is rit'
kingdom were under his superintegnadne.:Teoen. hT°llsPereit3lWals. ee,illoenreeait
Fort Pitt, another at Dublin, and another at Cork. 7,00;
no hospital in Scotland. He had the Power efl{senk it
medical officers in colonial hospitals but he did: not ea
advisable to exercise any positive authority he neigliy.;-Iteeir
them because he was unacquainted to a great extent Isis
regard to
local circumstances. He bad notmuch authority with bbie
the Queen's troops in India, except that he was in the habit
him
of receiving reports from them. Reports were made eedicoi
from all medical hospitals under the Crown. All medical
stores:were supplied on requisitions to him from the :Steels ;
or localauthorityat garrison, or general, orbtarack NISI' „el-
and these requisitions were approved by the officers °loped
mend. in the case of colonial hospitals.. They were 1114-
to regiments in a somewhat similar manner. • emforls
Mr. Ellice—How are stores of clothingand medical es-
supplied to the purveyor of an hospital?gas lnW
Dr. Smith—Formerly, in the year 1830, rethee s„veyor in chief, who purchased everything, and ms reisvica
ble for its supply ; but since then the duty had del° es 05
the Ordnance department. The ordering of these stores leer
wo understood) was involved in much confusion. 040
department claimed the authority, and he thought it
_dot
to be vested in himself; in fact there was a perpetual be had
of authority on the subject, and had been ever since,,,be pie-
been at the Medical Board, and long before then. Secretary
sent Secretary of State for War holds the office of
State and at War. th °
at
Mr. Ellice—At what period were the intentions of t aot
vernment to send out a military expedition to the Fl's
communicated to you ?
Dr. Smith—lu February Lest year. 1103ao
Mr. Ellice—What directions were. e
to Yon to
necessary prepamtLns, and by whom ? 4.be Cote;
Dr. Smith—l roc: Wei a communniestion from, e' to see'
mender-in-Chief stating that the Government intends' so the
10;000 men to Malta, and directing me to nrevidepil thal
necessaries requisite in the medical department. mail
es'
was necessary for him to do was to complete the..,,,ree
arrangements by appointing additional assistanteyes
to each regiment, which before had but one, and be' OW to
ing the number of staff assistant-surgeons. Then tired fer,
provide
.a supply of medicines and all articles rer, edit's
hospital furniture, utensils, bedding, &c., as well e'e force;
comforts in proportion to the probable wants of seneelretact
He issued an order the day afterwards to the ue,',„ stoics
druggist contractors, and in eight days afterwards ha Set
were delivered. Thentensils, furniture, and bedding he clot 4
by requisition to the -Board of Orduauce, wile" Pr°
thet
was to supply theme • ee see
Mr. Ellice —Did 'yOu. consider it your duty,e,peel
these articles were actually provided and safely s'arA so, the
Dr. Smith .rep'iecl, that ho had no authority to eea to
persons in his office were from day to day despateeheat
Tower, in order to ascertain the progress whic:ore °Ye
made. No invoice of any of the goods "101
to him, nor yet a bill of lading ll°f st°„l`-5
the slightest power or control over the shis;ping °` telletbeTe:
furnished by the Ordnance. He had only to seesesytls"
requisition of what was wanted, and they took ev tee ee,-,
else out of his hands. He received an intimation it
009
suing month that an additional force of probable' "; etSl,Bll
would, in all probability, be despatched to the se! 0 lej°
took the requisite steps, as before, for prof the
quantity of medicines, stores, and medical comorte,:hooe,
it
Mr. Ellice—When you heard that, in all liktosideresi
army would be despatched to Turkey, did Tee the l,
necessary to ascertain the nature of the climassetroet'
diseases of the country, and their best mode of tree tee C°l:r
Dr. Smith, in reply, stated that he represented teems(' ge;l
mander-in-Chief that as then were inorant on not,
jet , a staff consisting of themse senor medical officers elle, Tas°
to the army, accompanied by an engineering officer_lo4l
a sketch of every place in which it was probable 110 °wee ef 10
be located, should be despatched to Turkey in aV3°_,,,,or A
army to make observations in these respects and tO !Sicots
him. " The medical officers were sent out,
ance with his instructions ; but no officer of engiet pa the
wailed them. Those medical officers reported 'ere 0f ic,
• the matter, and he issued instructions to the offic
__A ,
army generally founded upon that report. With ore:icier oe
the establishment of any hospitals, he did not ese tllto
right to interfere with that beyond abettergivin adoS,"Aded
subject. He thought these things were
.eoiti tP;
the discretion of those who were on the spot, guide did • 00 05
and and
ole
:coo;
circumstances or emergencies of the localitY. ~,(ea to
think it advisable that medicines should be Pan veto.
spot, because they could be got better at home,
raliocc 5 0
depended upon. As to the stares, as
plied them, he could not say whether they
medicineswere tee
home or" bought on the spot. Some of the knee,
were
Mit, instead of being delivered at Santa", b able to 0
about from port to port. He might no doubt
what eatis
certain when these stores were despatched and r
of them arrived at their destination Ocer°
the
soot froo
Mr. Ellice—Was authority confided to any officer orot 0.00
to purchase a supply of articles which had not been s.ligif re.
home, or had not arrived, but which were pro° r
quired ? fro
Dr. Smith—Yes; the purveyor, he believed, WI r-° 6
purchase such articles, but he thought there was sello tee
understanding as to the authority cif the purveyor. i;ecti
veyor thought he was not compelled to obey tlle
of the medical board ; but he was supreme in his °YriVio
mont. He (Dr. Smith)
ffic 1•38 obliged to"aPPesl t°° t
es
oe to have this mistake rectified. see
es
Mr. Ellice —Do you think that if there had been ,/ ,
with proper authority, at Scutari, he might 11'0
everything at Constantinople necessary for tile SiC'es
hen
taxi, without depending upon a supply of articl
from England?
Dr. Smith—l have some difficulty in answerin:sth thc,wl;er
tion, because I am not sufficiently acquaintedovlif62° f
lity ; but from the evidence given by the Time' re COIO6-
before this committee, I apprehend there would
difficulty in the matter. • .0 the '6OO
Examination continued—He had no authority] ele
oto
to interfere in the improvement of the hospital Ace, ortljo
at Scutari, of its sanitary condition, or of its medic cosw;
requirements. Ho thought sufficient power 'c.o.: ite,
the ambassador to supply whatever Was rag -
remedy these defects.
Mr. Ellice—Mr. Macdonald, the Tunes esnnTl4 01,1`iiee6
his evidence before this committee, has stated...l' esrteete
waited upon you for letters of introduction, efir
the object of his mission to the East, you told hi at Coeee
00°
was everything that was required in the hosPitals
tinople and Scutari; Will you inform the I „oil/
what ground you were justified in that asserti",°, for roof,'
Dr. Smith—l had no reports in my possesil°lettet tlief
mo in asserting anything else. I had received-, vo the (or
• the medical authorities there, which led me helleee.lare
had everything they required ; and I was aw 3.-
tites of stores of all kinds had been sent tipg:
In reply to a series of questions from Mr. P, Abec
Dr. Smith said that the want of bedding au; -0g1iL,740 tit
mentioned by Mr. Stafford and Mr. Macdonala 6,trtirvi;elo
been provided by the purveyor, who had full a4...;t0 t)/
purchase any articles of necessity. The pureeYdictsg; tbet4
before said, conceived that he ought not to be 10,1 i r
the medical officers, and he supposed that it WI.: 11
conflict that the neglect complained of afe°e to° ffs'ee,ll
officers were afraid of pushing their a,uthonsr.o choes et
he (Dr. Smith) had been the medical officer
would have compelled the purveyor to
were required. Whether the medical otneer „jell l'''solLlieee
tb
or not, the commander of the forces there ees7/. the.eitloo
Put had the". Oro
suspected that it was from no want of caret, o°oo
that this neglect • occurred, but from an 1111-1.1.01 bicet4re
the part of those concerned. That titniditiile greA
were attributable to the system, and led to porcrets
lamities. The purveyor was not a medical ofgeetie Scote?„,
appointed by witness. He was appointed I°).oidePleire /to
at War. Dr. Hall was the head of the me",,o boFPlee it
in the East and authority over the whole of -Ls were toe!,
eluding Balaklava. He believed that reeaesereeee fee b'Ls;
send a supply of what was required to the arch. ores 14
was ascertained that there was to be a flank Inie,el 5,„100i0
self had taken means to see that a depot of we ffell Is „ i'l'
established at Scutari, and he wrote to Pr dried 111:14. it)
him that anything he required might be obtal',e Scser or "
stores were consigned to the chief commiseserie-ers'el."lp f
°
commissary would deliver them either to tine .`" ripeleri,
medical department.• t Se°
Mr. Ellice—Well then if Dr. Hall „DV s- to
medicines in the Crimea, to whom could he
of co efts,.
cc,
as you had informed him ? Meer, tbe
Dr. Smith—To the principal medical eet. by per
whom the stores ought to be delivered ' to ee,g
missary. entletij itt7o
Mr. Ellice—But supposing they We— bye, ee- fro'
veyor, would he have obeyed the orders of„actiens 0.
by what you say of his jealousy of 1.1 t "eV
medical department, and given them u 12.,,, COtedneo of be.
Dr. Smith—l presume ho would. oe tio erdeeer°
fused to give up stores his refusal to ober,. coos ois
medical officers, he believed, only appliea toe'
penditure of money was concerned. of
at'
Mr. Ellice—At the time the war broke- s f resesoe etige
the army a sufficient medical staff fora tim,„rest Pre,„ % Pr)"
Dr. Smith—l think not. There was 3 „ririCe ill 0"
the officers, who had returned home front 15' to Ob'' je
station, in consequence of his being unable eri''Prelf
to fill their places. ee of o'l
Mr. Ellice—Do you think that the existerl;red I° 00
• partments to whom you had to appeal Int elf ie
o
with the efficient discharge of your dutyloo_, 03
toe
Dr. Smith—Very seriously. If there tad so oll° et
department with authority, I could have bocedeef th:tip
instead ° poe'" the
half the time, and with half the labour,
have had only to correspond with that 00e I was ret: tteoe
four. I should have known to whom where cooe' tic
and the public would have known uPrerosi in - ab
blame of any failure that might have 0"" the 04
with the medical department. errs 1°50,0 tli°
By Mr. Layard—When he saw the re Rais et t, too
prints relative to the state of the hose
,dry to I"iler`
Constantinople, he did not think it neeeseeliSceorts nerd
medical officers to ascertain whether tilos"
and to what extent. , four °
The committee adjourned shortly he'el
Thursday at twelve.
BER2/18' e ;cif°
of
or A. SON. t, tb
On the 17th inst., at Loughborough-Psrj"
Charles Bird, Esq. o,jof
h
ON A DAIVIITO. gos
On the 18th inst., the wife of EOM'
Esq., of Sydenham.
-
On the 15th inst., 11149omIasENDaili313' tht.e
India-road, Poplar, aged 87. es, of
On the 12th rest. Mr. Mr. Samuel Jaye Clebt
nu, Is
Conduit-street, aged 56.
Vincentio Corbett Taylor, late o
On the 18th inst., at 41, Norfolk-,satriteegtsSaaar°
Infantry, aged 35. 16 life
1)
LONDON : 'Printed and Publisi:v.. ofgoe, P.,0
of No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The
ait the Our-
Strand, in the Proem' ct of the Savoy'
Daddlesea, Tuesday, tierce

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