The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-17 00:00:00

The Ship SIUCKAMAXON;

1,3E9 tons, nm; built at Philadelphia in 1851. Length 175 feet
5-10ths, breadth 33 feet 3.loths, depth 28 feet 4-10ths ; sheathed
with 3 ellow metal ; copper-fastened ; lying in Albert Dock.

The Ship SCHOODIAC ;
1,004 tons, n.m. ; built at St. Stephen, N. 8., in 1544. Length 154
feet 4-10ths, breadth 29 feet 2-lOths, depth 22 feet 6-10ths; sheathed
with yellow metal ; copper-fastened ; lying in Brunswick Dock.

Tho Ship SEA. KING ;
773 tons register; built at St. Andrews in 1845 ;sheathed with yellow
metal. Length 140 feet ; breadth 30 feet 1-10th, depth 20 feet 1-10tk ;
lying la Bi unswick Dock.
Th• splendid new St. John .built Ship WESTERN BRIDE ;
1,121 tons per register; built at St. John, N. 8., last year, of carefully-
selected materials. Length 176 feet 4-10ths, breadth 31 feat 7-10ths,
depth 22 feet ; lying in Union Dock.

The Ship YEOMAN ;
055 tons, n.m. ; built at St, John, N. 8., in 1845. Length 143 feet
3-tOths, breadth 31 feet 4-10ths, depth 22 feet 8-10ihs ; sheathed with
yellow metal; classed .1E 1 ; lying in Stanley Dock.
For inventories and catalogues apply to
CUNAItD, MU NN, and Co., and/ Brokers,
CURRY and CO., $ Liverpool.

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

(From the Times of this day.)

We have within the last few days some important addenda
to the confirmations of our statements given by the witnesses
before the Crimean Star-chamber. There is some little diffi-
culty in dealing with these separate blocks of evidence. One
witness testifies to the shortcomings of the commissariat,
another denounces the mal-administration, a third inveighs
against the transport service. The report is, as it were, a
tesselated pavement, and can only be dealt with piecemeal.
It may perhaps add something of clearness to our notice of
the testimony given, if we confine ourselves to the statements
of two leading witnesses, each deposing to matters strictly
within his own knowledge, and of the utmost importance to
the welfare of the expedition. We spell: of Lord Lucan, who
commanded the cavalry division, and of Mr. Macdonald, the
gentleman who acted for the subscribers to the fund for the
Relief of the Sick and Wounded Soldiers, with which the
name of our own office has been so largely involved. Lord
Lucan shall have the precedence.
The difficulties against which lie had to contend seem to
have had their beginning almost simultaneously with the ar-
rival of the cavalry at Scutari. No sooner were they
placed in barracks at Kululee, about four miles from
that place, than Lord Lucan began his contest with the
Commissariat officers—a contest which seems to have raged
with greater or less intensity during the whole period of the
general's stay with the British forces. The two commissaries
at Kululee knew nothing about horses. They were two young
gentlemen from the Treasury—one was Mr. Murray, a son of
the Bishop of Rochester ; the other a Mr. Cookesley. Dur-
ing the encampment at Varna the heavy cavalry suffered
fearfully from the cholera, but that is nothing to our imme-
diate purpose. When the embarkation for the Crimea took
place numbers of horses were left behind for want of trans-
sports, but even for all of those taken riders could not be
found. So great was the sickness among the men that when
the army reaehed the Alma there were no less than 150 led
horses on 1,100 taken. Each of thesis 150 horses required a
mounted trooper to lead it ; so hero were 300 mon and
horses hors de combat. We pass over the transactions at the
Alma. When the army got to Balaklava at first there was
forage enough for the horses, " great quantities of hay being
found about the country." Not only was there plenty of hay,
but there were cargoes of forage in the port. " There could
have been no difficulty," said Lord Lucan, " in making stores
to any extent, as the weather was line and there were plenty
of ships in the harbour full of forage." Nothing was done,
and soon the sharp pinch came. At first the commander of
the cavalry sent his own troopers to the ships to procure
forage for themselves, which they did out of the holds of the
vessels, and this staved off the evil day for a while. Next
came representations to Quartermaster-General Airey, and
bickerings with Mr. Commissary-General Filder ; both were
unproductive of result. " The Commissary-General continued
to entrust the commissariat duties to youths utterly inexpe-
rienced, and who, moreover, showed no great zeal or desire
to make up by their exertions for their personal deficiencies."
Can we wonder that, as a natural consequence of such a
state of facts, we find Lord Lucan, a lltle further on in his
evidence, complaining that the supplies of fbrage for the
cavalry were most irregular, and sometimes failed alto-
gether? The Light Brigade were in an analogous situa-
tion. The forage was never landed from the ships, unless
immediately before it was wanted. Lord Lucan com-
plained of this in the proper quarter, but simply received no
answer to his letter. At one time, driven to desperation, he
was forced to apply to General Canrobert for assistance, and
the French General lent them from his stores 30 days' fodder,
which was chopped straw. This was as early as November.
Then, again, Lord Lucan complains of the want of common
necessaries for the use of the cavalry—such as cornsacks,
nosebags, &c. This led to a great waste of grain, for when
the nosebags were worn out the corn was cast clown upon the
ground, and a great portion of it wasted, especially in wet
weather. And all this time there wore ships innumerable in
the harbour and offing, with sailmakers aboard, who would
soon have made nosebags by the score, and Constantinople
was distant but three days' sail 1 The whole history would
appear to be related rather to play upon our credulity than
to convince our judgment. We have not, unfortunately, space
to follow Lord Lucan through the remainder of his valuable
evidence, but in it may be seen how speedily, under " existing
arrangements," the high-mettled racer is brought to the dung-
cart—in other words, how soon the few half-starved sur-
vivors of the British troop horses, which should have borne
their brave riders to victory, had common precaution been
taken for their preservation, were brought down to the duty
of carrying up stores from the port to the camp, for the pur-
pose of keeping the infantry alive. It is the same through-
out, on Lord Lucan's showing. Planks for huts for the horses
were be-ought from Sinope, " but they were not able to use
the boards for some time from the want of nails. By
some mistake or other, they had forgotten to soul nails with
the planks," And so we pass on to the evidence of Mr.
Macdonald.
What can we do with this testimony ? Transcribe it ?
Part has already appeared iu our impression of Thursday, and
the rest we ieW lish to day. We take it up with the idea of
briefly mentioning the principal points, and we fall straight
upon the following statement, which, if false, cau easily be
set aside by those whose credit is involved. For five weeks
after the arrival of Mr. Macdonald no washing was done in any
of the hospitals, save the Barrack Hospital. " I know," said
this witness, " that the dirty clothing of the men was put
under the beds as, it was, crawling with vermin, filthy
with the discharge from wounds, and sometimes containing
maggots." Medical stores and medical comforts of all kinds
were wanting, notwithstanding the fiat denial with which this
statement was made at home. Upon ono occasion, and one
occasion only, the ambassador, Lord Stratford, sent down to
the hospital to inform the medical authorities that he had the
power of supplying them with anything that was wanted.

Their answer was that they were not in want of anything ;
they did not have recourse to him, and he never troubled his
head any more about the matter. Everything, or most things
wanted, might have been purchased at Constantinople, but
nothing was done. Tho great failure was in the purveyor's
department. One infirm old man and a couple of youthful and
imbecile assistants seem to have been charged with the duty
of catering for the wants of so many thousands of sick and
wounded men. "If the medical officer saw a man in want
of a shirt he would wri.e a requisition for one, and
send it to the purveyor, and the purveyor would say
there was no such article in store,' or Call again to-
`morrow,' or some such answer." Mr. Macionald's account
of the condition in which the men were brought down from
the Crimea, although it contains nothing with which we were
not before acquainted, must affect the reader's imagination
with fresh horror every time it is brought under his notice.
Conceive a number of poor sick and wounded creatures, hun-
dreds at a time, chucked-pcll moll into a transport, writhing
or groaning upon the bare boards—no bedding, no covering,
no preparations for cleanliness, the stench abominable, and
the sea running high—no friend, no nurse, no surgeon, no
medicine, no comfort near at hand. Sometimes this torture
was prolonged for day.. Even when they arrived at Scutari
it might not be possible to land them ; and, when they were
lauded and placed upon the beach, it might not be possible to
carry them up to hospital until five hours of agony had passed
away. When they arrived at hospital,—but hero we must let
fall the curtain for to-day. We would simply, and in conclu-
sion, ask those gentlemen who have opposed inquiry, or who
have denounced this journal for calling attention to such in-
famy, what is their idea now? Ought not things to be
known ? Ought not the guilty persons to be brought to jus-
tice, whoever they may be?

SIR, JOHN PAKINGTON'S EDUCATION BILL.
(From the Morning Post of this day.)
Sir John Pakington, in a speech remarkable alike for its
comprehensiveness and its temperate and tolerant spirit, in-
troduced last night into the House of Commons a bill for the
promotion of education, which, whether it meet with dissen-
sion or agreement, must be admitted, at all events in scope
and completeness, far to surpass any schemes which have
preceded it. As far as the framing goes it is unquestion-
ably superior to that which has been submitted to Parlia-
ment by Lerd John Russell. It embraces more objects,
and faces and grapples with the larger difficulties, to
winch Lord John appeared rather disposed to give the go-
by, in a bolder spirit and in a more comprehensive manner.
The scheme which Sir John Pakington sketched out, and
which ho proposes to embody in a bill, amounts shortly
to this :—Ho proposes to take advantage of the division
of the kingdom, which has already been effected for the pur-
poses of the admiu;stration of the Poor-law, for the objects of
his bill, and to constitute each union an educational district,
within which the provisions of the bill are to be administered
by a board elected by the suffrages of the ratepayers, and
strengthened by the addition of the magistrates within its
area, whose office is to constitute them members of it. The
moans for supplying education to the population are to be
furnished by the imposition of a rate, aided by proportional
graynts to be voted by Parliament, and charged upon the Con-
solidated Fund, and that education is to be tendered to the