The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-15 00:00:00

Light Cavalry Brigade when they first went to the
Crunea was 1,250 men ; but when he left there were
only 300 fit for service. He was not aware of the means
by which the wounded were removed after the Bala-
-I:lava charge ; indeed, ho never heard where the missing
men were until the surgeons reported that they were on
board ship. He had no idea how the surgeons got them
there. The sick, however, were always removed by the
ambulance carts.

---- ---
Mr. Layard—Hoc were the supplies of medical
stores

Lord Cardigan replied that he bad heard complaints
in Bulgaria—but none in the Crimea in this particular.
There was a veterinary surgeon to each regiment. He
did not think the horses suffered from want of shoes, for
they did not wear out so rapidly as on hard roads.
In reply to Sir J. Pakington, his lordship said he had
never visited Karniesh Bay.
By Lord Seymour—The tents which were supplied to
his brigade were not defective ones ; and he had never
heard the men complain of them. The manner in which
the horses were disembarked was by rafts, which were
towed by the men-of-war boats.
By Col. Lindsay—He did not think it was possible to
construct a shelter for a brig ide of c weary buries by ex-
cavating the ground, and covering it with timber. The
plan might answer very well for a few, but not for so
large a number. He was not aware whether there were
any horses attached to the siege train as distinct from
the artillery.
His lordship then retired.
Mr. Macdonald, the correspondent of the Throes, ad-
ministering the sick and wounded fund raised by that
journal, was next examined.
In reply to Mr. Ellice, he stated that he first went to
Scutari in November last. Before he went out he had
an interview with the Duke of Newcastle, and Dr. An-
drew Smith on the subject of his mission ; and bath of
them expressed a conviction that such a fund as that
raised by means of the Times would be of very little ad-
vantage. They admitted hearing reports that had
reached this country to the effect that there was great
suffering from want amongst the sick and wounded at
Scutari, but they doubted them, and stated that if wants
ever existed they would have by that time ceased. Dr.
Smith appeared to state this as a matter of conviction.
Mr. Ellice—Having stated these opinions as conveyed
to you by the Duke of Newcastle and Dr. Smith, have
the goodness to state to the committee what you found
on your arrival.
Mr. Macdonald said he found two hospitals at Scu-
tari, one the General Hospital ; and the other a sup-
plementary or Barrack Hospital. The former was the
medical head-quarters, but the latter was the larger of
the two. There were also two convalescent hospitals—
one a Turkish hulk and another an English vessel. He
had no idea of the number of sick and wounded in these
hospitals and aboard those vessels, as there were great
confusion and irregularity in the manner in which the
returns of deaths were made.
Mr. Ellice—..Who was at the head of the medical de-
partment of those establishments
Mr. Macdonald—Dr. Menzies, and all these hospitals
were under his direction and superintendence. He had
a very inadequate staff until the arrival of the Vectis,
with nurses and a medical staff, in November. The
general hospital, being originally built for an hospital,
presented a better appearance than the other. It was
much more quiet, and contained beds; and so far the
men were well provided for. It was intended at first to
reserve it at first for severe cases, but the more ex-
tended accommodation in the barrack hospital rendered
it the place to which the worst cases were subsequently
consigned.
Mr. Ellice—Were there any bedsteads in that hos-
pital ?
Mr. Macdonald.—One-third of the patients he should
say were on bedsteads ; the other two-thirds being in
beds upon the floor. In the general hospital there
was a deficiency of beds, but otherwise the patient;
were well provided for. He thought the " orderly"
system as it was carried on in our service was most ob-
jectionable. The men were not fitted for their duty,
and they lived in the wards amongst the patients, which
frequently rendered them victims to the pestilential air.
The floors of the barrack hospital were ba,l ; indeed, it, had
undergone but little preparation as an hospital. It win., iu
fact, in such a state that there was but little hope of a
patient recovering within the usual period At the
time of his arrival he should say there were from 1,500
to 1,800 patients in the barrack hospital. Not being
head-quarters the medical staff was inadequate, until
the arrival of the Vectis. The two supplemental ship
hospitals lay in the Golden Horn. There were no beds
for the men, except 25 in the Turkish hulk.
Mr. Ellice—Holy were the patients as to the state of
their clothing ?
Mr. Macdonald—They were very poorly clad, and
many of them had nothing but their coats. Those who
were not provided with beds lay upon the floor in the
clothes in which they arrived, or in their blankets.
There were about 650 men in the two vessels. He should
think when he arrived there wore 2,800 patients
of all descriptions in the four hospitals. That
was previous to the battle of Inkerman. After
the arrival of the fresh patients the hospitals were greatly
overcrowded, but they were much more comfortable.
The ladies and nurses had arrived and supplied those
wants in the way of attendance which were so inuch felt
previously. Still there was little real improvement.
The first visit he male to the hospital he found the men
cheerful and apparently at ease, but on his second visit
they were despondent and silent. The purveying
department was not worthy the name. The first
purveyor who was sent out was Mr. Ward, a per-
son upwards of 70 years of age, who was exhausted
by a walk from the general to the barrack hospital, a
distance of a quarter of a mile. He had two assist tilts
and two boys—a most inefficient staff. Lord Stratford
de Redcliffe only visited the hospitals once to his know-
ledge ; and he believed that the only consul who took
any active interest in them was Mr. Calvert, of the
erdanelles.
Mr. Ellice—Well, then, you arrived at Constantinople
with large supplies of money, to be applied to the pr,-
motion of the comforts of the sick ?
Mr. Macdonald—Yes. Most of the things he sup-
pliei were bought at Constantinople, with the exception
of tea. The things of which there was a positive defi-
ciency in the hospitals were tea, arrow root, sago, sugar,
port wine, Marsala, brandy, and a variety of other mat-
ters ; and those he supplied—as also clothing, of which
there was likewise a great want.
Mr. Ellice—What was the condition of the sick and
wounded who arrived ?
Mr. Macdonald—No language can describe their de-
plorable condition. They were almost destitute of cloth-
ing; and frequently without bed utensils and articles re-
quired for personal cleanliness ; and sometimes without
medicines. Four hours was the average time occupied
in disembarkation, and laying the men on their beds.
No proper means of transporting the sick and wounded
were provided by the authorities, and the stretcher 4
were of a very uncomfortable character, and not fitted
for the purpose. Sometimes in bad weather they were
taken to the hospitals without covering.
Mr. Ellice—Can you tell us what was the condition
generally of the sick and wounded on board ship when
they arrived ?
Mr. Macdonald—Some of them were without shoes,
or with such as one observed upon mendicants. Their
shirts had been thrown away from utter disgust at their
filthiness. Their persons were covered with vermin.
Their trowsers were torn into shreds—their coats were
ragged, and only hung on their backs. Some were with-
out coats at all, and others wore the coats of comrades
who had died on the passage. Fresh clothes could not
be supplied to them at the hospitals, and he was obliged
to step in and minister to their wants out of the fund at
his disposal. At the same time, however, ample supplies
of clothing could have been obtained at Constantinople,
where he himself bought some. For five weeks alter his
arrival there was no washing done. Dirty clothes were
put under the patients' beds, covered not only with ver-
min but excrement. Miss Nightingale, on her arrival,
took immediate steps to endeavour to remedy this state
of things, and the floors were cleaned. Thera was a
laundry attached to the hospital, but by some reason or
other it had become filled with chopped straw, and
was so up to the time ho left. It was under-
stood that the washing department was under the direc-
tion of the purveyor. [At this portion of the evidence
Mr. Macdonald handed to the committee a list of the
articles which he had been the 'means of distributing
by means of the Times' fund.] He then went on
to state that he paid a visit to the Crimea
in September, but was only at Balaklava a few days.
The object of his going was to see the manner in which
a quantity of things he had forwarded there had been
made use of. Whilst there he inspected the hos-
pitals. With them he had no cause of complaint,
but wherever the medical and purveying depart-
ments were concerned difficulties were sure to
arise ; and there were various deficiencies, such a 3
in port wine, arrow-root, sometimes of opium,
although from Constantinople, which was the first mar-
ket in the world for that article, of course unlimited
supplies might have been obtained.
Mr. Ellice—Whose duty was it to make arrangements
for the providing of those comforts
Mr. Macdonald—lt was the duty of the purveyor,
who bore the same relation to the hospital as the corn.
missary did to the army generally. The supply of opium
would depend on the apothecary, who was another very
old officer. He did not think the medical inspector
had any control over those two officers. Whilst at
Ealaklavm he noticed the condition of the harbour,
which was a perfect cesspool, and there was an
intolerable effluvia from the burial ground. He
attrributed the mismanagement of the hospital to the
want of their organisation under a single head. He
returned to Scutari in February last.
Mr. Ellice—Did you find any improvement on your
return there!
Mr. Macdonald—Yes, much improvement. Dr.
Cumming established there as medical .inspec-tor, .
Cunnning
ahn_d for _
the_e first time the hospital had superintend•
inl
labludt
the
itrode's'unna-Nswt hospitals had also been erected at
heen sent ~_u.yrn,az and additional supplies lied
vitals uI he arrangement as to ho—
of the English beenarinyn; to the arrival
make due peovieion this respect,
French had taken care to
merit was excellent. respect, and their nuatia;;o-
- reply to Lord Seymour,
Mr. Macdonald sold he believed Dr,
supposed
h
e had adequate power Menzies never
to make nece•s. •
arrangement.; for carrying out plans for the promotion
the comforts of hie patient:. The purchase ofi, arY
of
articles which he (Mr. Macdonald)bought atConsta,ntirsi;lhe
might have been much more advantageously conducted by
the Government. He bad seen the French orderly Etcetera
—which was very far superior to ours ; in fact, he
might say it was perfect.
It being now four o'clock, the committee adjourned
until to-morrow, when the examination of Mr. Mac-
donald will be resumed,