The Sun.
London, England, 1855-05-14 00:00:00

THE CONDUCT OF THE WAR.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH then rose for the purls-se
of moving that an humble address be presented to her
Majesty, to assure her Majesty of our continued sup-
port in the prosecution of the just and necessary
war in which her Majesty is engaged. To declare
the sincere gratification with which we have
regarded the perfect community of counsel between her
Majesty and the Emperor of the French, and have seen
friendliness established and increasing between the French
people and our own—events full of hope for the futere
to other nations, as well as to ourselves. To express our
admiration of the many deeds of valour by which the
allied forces in the East have illustrated their broteer-
hood in arms, and our satisfaction that the brave aeny
of Piedmont is now called to participate in their
actions and their fame. To declare our persuasion Viet,
areid all their disappointments, the people of this co to-
try still retain the generous feeling which led them, at
the oommeneement of the war, willingly to place all the
means required for them at her Majesty's disposal ; that
they will still protect the weak against the aggression
of the strong ; and that they are not prepared to consent
that Russia shall, by her increasing preponderance, so
control the Turkish Government as practically to held
Constantinople within her grasp. To acquaint
her Majesty that, while we admit and lament
the privations to which war necessarily subjects •
all classes of the people, we yet venture to assure her
Majesty that they would in so just a cause bear thole
privations without complaint if they could feel that the
war bad been well conducted, that the troops had not
been exposed to any hardships that could have been
avoided by forethought, and that everything had been
done to enable them to achieve decisive success,
and humbly to represent to her Majesty that her
people, suffering privations on account of this war,
have as yet had no such consolation ; that, on
the contrary, we cannot withhold from her Majesty the
avowal of our conviction that the conduct of the war
has occasioned general dissatisfaction, and given zio3
to just complaints, and that we most humbly hy
before her Majesty our deliberate opinion that it is
only through the selection of men for public em-
ployment, without regard to anything but the pub-
lic service, that the country can hope to prosecete
the war successfully and to ebtain its only legitimate
object, a secure and honourable peace. The noble lord
said we had now been more than a year at war, a pe-
riod somewhat longer than was expected by the Min;-4-
ters who made it. We had been allied with the f„treateqt
military power in Europe, and there had been the mo-t
cordial union between the two powers, But whilst we
had obtained so much glory, notwithstanding our al:i-
ance and the devotion of our troops we had not obtained
any decided success, nor was there any expectation of it.
This caused him to call their lordships' attention to the
subject—to its causes, and the remedy to be applie 1.
But there was another important point. The Vienea
negotiations had failed, and failed in a manner as to
afford to us the apprehension of a protracted war and a
great conflict. Under these circumstances the only ape-
logy he had to offer was for not having brought forward
the motion at an earlier period. The Government Of
Lord Palmerston, it was true, had not been favourable
to such motions, for the very first measure of the
noble lord was to attempt to stifle the committee of
inquiry. Lord Palmerston, in fact, by his own acts, ap-
peared to wish to figure in the masquerade of the world
in the character of Richard 11., who fell, among other
things, from a disregard of public opinion. He recol-
lected sitting by the side of the Duke of Wellington when
that unfortunate difference arose between the noble duke
and Mr. Huekisson which led to the resignation of
the Coalition ministry. Suddenly the duke was called
oat of the house, and on his return, he said, that "it
was Palmerston, who came to say that if Huskisson
went, he should go too." " I said nothing," said the
duke, "for I did not think it worth while to fire large
shot at small birds. (Laughter.) But since then the
small bird had attained the dimensions of an
eagle.
The noble lord then proceeded to
refer to
foreae4 tool
popular anticipations which were
eke tool: Zit Lord Palmerston took office, but in
had not basuehe went on ; whilst these anticipations
had arrived ateZ?ed, the public had been thinking, and
the selection of ined'anneinainn—that it was necessary, in
cieneeideaes for public employments, to
regard their effi
the advantages as eeZalate could speakfrom experience of
dangers of such a principle.
He bad seen disaster tursnne•
ouedto victory, discouragement
into enthusiasm, public ced
toe:ce established, the pro.-
etxotraordinary point of
perity of a country
selection
these to the
increase, and had been enable'eli
adoption of a principle in the
at the same
qualification for public employmoots.lief, fitness as a
time, there were dangers to these intadiuevni:dtials.
were surrounded by little-minded They
lose no opportunity of wreaking who would
them
the vengeance of disappointed jobbery. nobleThnePo
then went on to express his fear that a great change earlhad
come over public opinion in respect to the belief that
Parliament led public opinion.hHeco influence with
gee
that gentlemen on the platform ,ld more with
the people than members of the Mouse of Commons_
nisi had filled himwith considerable alarm, and
't wile with the conviction that it was essential to
, good working
should direct of. the constitution that Parliament
public opinion that he made that
.motion
that everee
with an humble
leonse to g- It was with the view of cipsing the
address hte° the foot of the throne
lie &sea tisfacrtt a
'their determinationhjY, and to state the amount of pub-
with the conduct of the war, and
Majesty with all tlieand
mention of ajtlat andr that of the people to assist her
that
of the country in the pi o
necessary war, and at the same tim e

to state their opinion that the Government must be con-
ducted in a true public principle, and that men
must be selected for public employment in con-
sideration
only of their aptitude and competency to
serve their country. Ile should, however, be guided
in his observations by one reserve, and that was, th t he
should deal solely with the Government, by whom the
war been conducted. The noble earl next proceedel to
p_ass some stringent comments upon the policy of Lord
Pann.ure, with regard to the militia, and then went on
to observe that he entirely objected to the principle of
pulling to pieces great departments in the midst of war.
The only thing absolutely necessary was to give Vie
Minister of War full power over the subordi-
nate departments, and power to compel the execu-
tion of whatever be required to be done. If
the Dake of Newcastle bad bad that power given
to him at the commencement of the war, and had sur-
rounded himself with a military staff instead of a num-
ber of civil clerks, and bad it been thoroughly under-
stood in the Government that his orders were to be
executed in all departments, he felt hat many of the
disasters of the war would have been prevented. But
he feared, on the contrary, the noble duke had to fight
a battle at home as well as in the Crimea ; he had to wrest
the commissariat from Sir C. Trevelyan, and the trans-
port board from the commissariat ; in short, the nuble
duke had difficaties of every imaginable kind to contend
with, which, had he been spared, he (Earl of Ellenbo-
rough) thought that the difficulties which had led to the
failure hitherto of the expedition would have been
averted. The noble earl afterwards went on to attri-
bute many of the evils which had resulted to the fact of
a separate command in the Crimea, and the lack of
unity in command, he observed, was dearly purchased
by the union of the allied forces in every sea and in
every land. Next to this the Government displayed a de-
plorable want of foresight in the conduct of the
war. It had sent a fleet to the Baltic without gun-
boats, and having contributed to raise public expecta-
tions of great achievements, had only served to bring
unjust condemnation on the officer in command of the
expedition. Whilst he approved of the expedition
to Varna, at the same time he thought the
sending of an expedition to the Crimea, after Austria
had invited our co-operation in the Principalities, was
as great an error in diplomacy as was ever committed.
He (the noble earl) had ventured to predict the effect
this would have, ate e bad never to this day been in
the same position with regard to Austria, as we were
when that offer of co-operation was made. (Hear.)
The noble earl then condemned the sending of the
troops to Eupatoria, and the expedition to Sebastopol,
and passed on to review what would have been
our position bad proper means been taken to
place the army in a proper footing, and
had reasonable caution and foresight been exercised, and
contended that had we ascertained the strength of the
fortificationo in the Crimea, or had we, after
the battle of the Alma, had proper means
of transport at our command, we might have destroyed
Menschikoff, and also at the time he made his move-
ment on Batchkserai we might have gained a consideaable
advantage. The noble earl then adverted to the cala-
mities and distresses that had attended our troops
through want of proper management, and observed that
he would not harrow their lordship's feelings by alluding
c in detail to the miseries the army had suffered.

(LEFT SPEAKING.)

ROUSE OF COMMONS.—(THIS EVENING.;
The SPEAKER took the chair at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Macduff, and Turriff Ra.ilway,Commer&al-roa ;1,
Cork and Youghall Railway, Fibre Company, Leomin-
ster and Ledbury-road, Limerick and CAstleconnel
way, Manchester Improvement, Renfrew Police and
Improvement, South Wales Railway (Consolidati.n),
Swansea Docks, and Waterford and Limerick Railway.
'rue following bills were considered and ordered to be
read a third time :—Crronford and High Peak Railway ;
Kingston-upon-Hull, Hussle, and Ferribly-road ; New-
town and Oswestry Railway, St. Helen's Improvement,
Ayr Harbour, and Weston super Mare Gas