The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-27 00:00:00

ARMY BEFORE SEBAST6POL CUJI•
MiTTEE.-(TIIIS DAY.)

The Committee re-assembled this morning at the
usual hour ; but the room was cleared immediately after-
wards, and the committee remained in deliberation for
fully half-an-hour.
Captain Dacres, R.N., of the Sanspareil, was called
on the readmission of the public, and was examined by
Mr. Layard.

He stated that he went to Balaklava on the 26th Oc-
tober. He was present at the embarkation at Varna.
In his opinion, there might have been more boats
used with advantage for the embarkation. He said the
French boats, were more numerous, but he did
not think they were better adapted for the purpose than
ours. There was no delay in our case in embarkation
or disembarkation. They might have bad to disembark
in the face of the enemy. Supposing the army had been
called upon to embark a month earlier he did not think
there would have been the proper means at command.
He bad personally the superintendence of the disembarka-
tion. He was afterwards engaged in removing on board

the sick and wounded, who were brought down to the
shore from the field by sailors. Supposing there
had not been sailors to have discharged that duty
he did not know what arrangements had been made.
He saw no precautions for the purpose, beyond a few
country carts. He saw the French wounded removed.
They were removed by means sent out from home with
the army. Our wounded were packed very closely in
the carts ; but he believed that the best means at com-
mand were made use of to remove them, and the best
care was taken of them that could be exercised under
the circumstances. The men were afterwards trans-
ported on board ship. No ship was specially i
fitted up for the reception of the wounded.
The Sanspareil was at Balaklava at the
beginning of September. Sir E. Lyons then had
command of the harbour. ' He (witness) took the super
intendence of the hart our on the 27th October. Orders•
had then been issued for every vessel to evacuate the
harbour, and when he arrived there were not three ships
there, but there were 60 or 70 sail outside the harbour.
This order was issued by Admiral Dundas. After thht
time he was responsible for the management of the
harbours. There were several corpses he admitted
drifted into the harbour, but they were buried
as soon as possible. The accounts given of the
state of the harbour were inaccurate as a genera
state of things. When any offal or anything of that
sort collected it was immediately removed. The way

the ships were anchored was in his opinion the be: t.
They were anchored so as to allow other ships to pass
into the harbour, and the opinion of Sir E. Lyons agreed
with mine in this respect. At the time of the gale all
vessels were anchored according to his instructions, and
he never had any difficulty with the captains of trans-
port-ships in this respect, or any complaints. The
master of the Sanspareil had the superintendence of the
anchorage. Previous to the gale he advised the captain
of the Resolute to put to sea at once, in order to Le
safe. He did not think steam tugs were proposed until
Sir E. Lyons proposed them,. He never heard of any
representations being made by the Captain of the Prince.
She came in on the 10th November, and she was admit-
ted into the harbour, and he heard no more of her until
he learned that she was lost. Ho thought she bad no
business to have anchored as she did. He had ofte n
spoken relative to the anchorage iu the harbour. Many
ships were detained because those inside could not clear.
Mr. Layard—How was that

Witness—A great many vessels came without any ba'
last, and much time was lost after unloading them and
getting there ballast into them. That was the principal
reason. The best exertions were used to clear ships as
they arrived ; but labour was very Scarce and men could
not be got. There were three wharves ; one was formed
of the rafts which had been used to land the cavalry,
and was a very good one. If it had been expected
that the army was going to remain there things
might have been different, and many improvements
would doubtless have been made in the habour,
but he did not believe there were ten men in
the army who were not sanguine of Sebastopol
being taken without delay. The Turks at Bala-
klava were in a wretched condition ; almost every house
was filled with them, either dying or dead. They were
riot ill-treated. He bad heard of the soldiers jeering at
them, but he was not aware that any physical violence
was done to them. The Sanspareil had 14 tons of coal
on board ; but there was a general deficiency of coals.
There ought in his opinion to have been proper arrange.
ments for keeping up a proper supply of coals to the
fleet. The weather was very bad at that time, and he
supposed the coal transports could not come out of the
Bosphorus. The position of the Turkish burialground
was very bad, and the effluvia was very offensive.
Mr. Layard—With regard to Capt. Christie, had you
ever any complaints made to you as to his conduct ?
Witness—Never at any time.
Examination continued—Every sick and wounded
man who was put in the boats to be conveyed on board
he saw himself, and he felt bpund to say the best at-
tention was paid to them, and the greatest kindness and
gentleness displayed towards them. Just before the
battle of Inkerman, two vessels were fitted up for the
reception of the sick and wounded, and they
would accommodate about four hundred together.
They were fitted with palliasses. After Inkerman,
however, the pressure of the wounded was so
great that they were obliged to be sent on board with
little of no previous arrangements being made for them.
He only visited Balaklava three times. He had been
at Eupatoria, but he never heard of any large provision
stores being there. There was, however, a Large flour
depot at Old Fort, which was given to the English. The
naval brigade did not suffer very much. They were
properly fed, and properly clothed, and had no work
in the trenches. They were also better able to take care
of themselves than the.. troops. The sailor was readier
in making use of his wits and his bands than the soldier,
as he had been brought up to it ever since,he had been
in the service : and, in these respect; be had a decided
advantage over the latter.
By Mr. Drummond—He left Balaklava in the middle
of November. He knew Captain Christie. It was not
true that he was an old gentleman upwards of 70. He
was about 55 or SG. Captain Christie asked witness
for permission for the Prince to enter the harbour.
By the Chairman—The description given of the state
of Balaklava on the 28th October, to the committee, did
not agree with his experience on that day, which was
the day on which he arrived there. He found no such
thing as offal, dead bodies, entrails of animals, and
things of that sort floating about. He had no doubt
that latterly, after he had left, things did fall into con-
fusion and neglect, owing to the scarcity of men.
By Captain Gladstone—Whilst he was in command
there, at all events, the harbour was in a clean and pro-
per condition.
By Lord Seymour—He had nothing to do with 'the
transports. His duty only consisted in general direc-
tion, and affording assistance to vessels clearing and
the like. It he required anything done with the
transports he invariably applied to Captain Christie who
superintended that department. He always ordered
vessels out of the harbour as soon as possible because
the harbour was always overcrowded. He was always,
whilst there; afraid that if a gale sprung up it might en-
danger the shipping, and accordingly he gave orders for
all steamers to be kept und€.r steam all night in order to
be ready to put to sea. He had plenty of boats at his
command for the landing of Commissariat stores, and
no want was felt in that respect whilst he was there.
By the Chairman—Every vessel which arrived tva.
directed by the master of the Sanspareil how to ancboss
If the Andes came in, as her captain had stated., and
anchored without any directions being given her., it was
contrary to his knowledge, and also to the regulation.
He did not, however, mean to say what her captain had
stated was untrue ; it might have been the case.
By Lord Seymour—He had nothing to do with coal-
ing at Constantinople. He thought better arrange-
ments ought to have been made there for the perform-
ance of that operation, considering the large number of
vessels which had to take in a suptsiy there continually.
By Sir John Pakington—lt.was hi 7: firm opinion that
before the great gale which occurred reached its height,
if vessels could have put to sea, a vast amount of
damage might have been averted. The gale began as
early as the 11th, but no sailing vessels, he thought,
could then have put to sea in consequence of the swell.
The Prince, being a steamer, might have got outside,
and if she had it was his conviction that she might have
been saved. It was only advice, not an order, he gave
to the captain of the Resolute to put to sea.
By Mr. Layard—Admiral Lyons did not make any
signal on the 14th for the fleet to put to sea, The cap-
tain of the Firebrand and other vessels obtained permis-
sion to put out, and Admiral Lyons pus (au t also.
This concluded the examination of l'..aket,tain Dacress
Captain Milne, of the Admiralty &arc]' was then
sailed.. He stated that he had tree -direction of the tran-
sport department, and made the wibole arrangements
for the transport of troops, stores, and. horses from this
country. The witness then went on to state the different
steam-shipping companies with whom communications
were entered into for the charter of steamers by the Ge-
yer nment, andalentioned the different vnessels so taken up.
kle afterwards said he considered himself i responsible to the