The Sun.
London, England, 1855-03-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

SOUSE OF LORDS--(YESTERDAY.)
The LORD CRANCELLOR took his seat on the wool-
sack at five oclock.
PETITIONS.
Lord LONDESBOROUGH presented two petitions
praying for the total prohibition of the sale of intoxi-
footing liquors.
Lord LYNDHURST presented a petition from New-
-011;41e-upon-Tyne, against the resent system of promo-
in the army, and pray
tion. in the army, aga:inst.floggitnog
in g_ for a searching mcitnryiii the war. -
Lord BROUGHA.Ni presented a petition from Pais-
Vey in support of a vigorous prosecution of the war ; the
Postitioners further prayed that the independence of Po-
wit; might be proclaimed, and that the aid of Hungary
Ida Daly ought to be secured.
Lora' BERNERS Presented several petitions against
the may,' ziooth grant.
Lord LUCAN gave notice that, on Thursday, be
should call the attention of the house to the land trans-
port service in the Crimea.
The Earl of CARLISLE presented a petition from
Yorkshire, in favour of a total prohibition of the sale of
intoxicating drinks.
LORD LUCAN AND THE GOVERNMENT.
Lord LUCAN, approaching their lordships' table, said
he regretted being compelled again to present himself
before their lordships.
Earl GRANVILLE interposed and said, if the noble
lord intended to speak upon the same subject which he
bad before done, he submitted that it would be highly
incorrect in the absence of the noble lord the Minister
of War and the•Commander-in-Chief for him to do so.
Lord LUCAN said he was in the hands of the house,
And he felt himself fully justified in again presenting
•:mud to their lordships' notice. The noble lord was
ten about to enter into his case in respect to his con-
u ctin the Crimea, when
Earl GREY apologised for interrupting the noble lord,
lint said he felt strongly the inconvenience of the course
he was pursuing. The noble lord came forward to read
'otters and public documents which were not thrown on
their lordships' table. rod the nobles lord wished to
o
have the documents puced, he hould make
motion for their production, and when they were placed
upon the table it would then be in his power to raise the
whole question.. The course he was now pursuing was
contrary to the rules of the house.
Lord LUCAN said he had no desire to proceed
irregularly.
Earl GREY—WeII, then, make a motion.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was sure the noble
lard would see the inconvenience of pz %weeding as he
was now doing.
Lord PANMURE, who had just entered the
house, apologised for his absence on Friday when
the noble lord addressed the house.
Lori LUCAN hoped that his lordship would have
yo objection to his reading a letter which he had re-
ceived from the noble lord opposite yesterday after-
noon. (Laughter.) He then read the following letter
from Lord Panmure :
"My dear Lord,—As I perceive that you had read
an incomplete correspondence last Friday in the House
of Lords, I think it right to forward to your lordship
a copy of Lord Raglan's despatch, dated the 16th of
December, and addressed to the Duke of Newcastle.
(Signed) "PANMURE."
X did not know of the existence of this paper, and for
reasons best known to the late Government, or rather
to the noble lord himself. It is a paper which I think
ought to have been produced long since. Now, my lords,
I hold this paper in my hand, and as I do not intend to
offer a single word of comment upon it, I shall certainly
read it, unless I am stopped by your lordships' house,
and for this reason, because I think that I should not
be acting fairly by the Government, or by Lord Raglan,
if I did not take the earliest opportunity of putting your
lordships and the public in possession of the facts of
the ease. The noble marquis, to whom there is no peer
more ready than I am to yield deference, says that so
long as "I refrain from any comments I am justified in
reading this letter." I shall take advantage of this per-
mission :

"Before Sebastopol, Dec. 16, 1854.
"My Lord Duke,—l regret to be under the necessity of
forwarding to your grace the copy of a letter which has
been addressed to me by Lieutenant-General the Earl of
,T, Akan. When I received it I placed it in the hands of
jgadier-General Airey, the Quartermaster-General, and
reciaested him to suggest to his lordship to withdraw the
communication, considering that it would not lead to his
advantage in the slightest degree ; but Lord Lucan having
declined to take the step recommended I have but one
course to pursue, that of laying the letter before your
grace and submitting to you such observations upon it as
I am bound in justice to myself to put you in possession
of. Lieut.-General the Earl of Lucan complains that in
my despatch to your grace of the 28th of October, I
stated that from some misconception of the instruction
to advance the lieutenant-general considered that he was
bound to attack at all hazards.' His lordship conceives
this statement to be a grave charge, and an imputation re-
flecting seriously upon his professional character, and he
deems it to be incumbent upon him to state the facts,
which he cannot doubt must clear him from what he re-
spectfully submits is altogether unmerited. He has re-
ferred to my despatch, and far from being willing to alter
one word of it, I am prepared to declare that not only did
the lieutenant-general misconceive the written instruction
that was sent him, but that there were nothing in thatin-
struction which called on him to attack at all hazards, or
to undertake the operation which led to such a brilliant
display of gallantry on the part of the Light Brigade,
and unhappily, at the same time, occasioned such lament-
able casualties in every regiment composing it. In his
lordship's letter he is wholly silent with respect to a
previous order which hail been sent him. He merely
says that the cavalry was formed to support an intended
movement of the infantry. That previous order was in
the following words :—' The cavalry to advance and take
advantage of any opportunity to recover the heights.
They will be supported by infantry which have been or-
dered to advance on two fronts.' This order did not seem
to me to have been attended to ; and, therefore, it was
that the instruction by Captain Nolan was forwarded to
him. Lord Lucan must have read the first order with
very little attention, for he now states that cavalry was
formed to support the infantry, whereas he was told by
Brigadier-General Airey, that the cavalry was to advance
and take advantage of any opportunity to recover the
heights, and that they would be supported by infantry'—
not that they were to support the infantry ; and so little
had ho sought. to do as he had been directed, that he had
no men in advance of his main body, made no attempt to
regain the heights, and was so little informed of the position
of the army, that he asked Captain Nolan where and what
he was to attack, as neither enemy nor guns were in sight.
,This, your Grace will observe, is the lieutenant-general's
oMlvn admission. The result of his inattention to the first
order was, that it never occurred to him that the second
was connected with and a repetition of the first. He viewed
it only as a positive order to attack at all hazards (the word
attack,' be it observed, was not made nag of in General
Airey's note) an unknown enemy, whose position, num-
bers, and composition he was wholly unacquainted with,
and whom, in consequence of a previous order, he had
taken no step whatever to watch. I undoubtedly had no
intention that he should make such an attack; there was
nothing in the instruction to require it, and therefore I
4conceive I was fully justified in stating to your grace what
was the exact &nth, that the charge arose from the mis-
conception of an order for the advance, which Lord Lucan
considered obliged him to attack at all hazards. I wish I
could say, my lord duke, that having decided against his
conviction to make the movement, he did all he could to
render it as little perilous as possible. This, indeed, is far
from being the case in my judgment. He was told that
the Horse Artillery might accompany the cavalry. He
slid not bring it up. He was informed that the French
cavalry was on his left. He did not invite their co-
operation. He had the whole of the heavy cavalry at
his disposal. He mentions having brought up only two
regiments in support, and he omits all those precau-
tions either from want of due consideration or from
the supposition that the unseen enemy was not in such
great force as he apprehended, notwithstanding that
be was warned of it by L'ird Cardigan after the latter had
received the order to attack. lam much concerned, my
lord duke, to have to submit these observations to your
grace.. I entertain no wish to disparage the Earl of Lucan
in your opinion, or to cast es slur upon his professional re-
putation, but having been accused by his lordship of hay:
ing stated of him what was unmerited in my despatch, I
have felt obliged to enter into the subject, and trouble your
grace at more length than I could have wished in vindica-
tion of a report to your grace, in which I hail strictly con-
fined myself to that which I knew to be tree. I had in-
dulged in no observations whatever, or in any expressions
which could be viewed either as harsh or in any way grat-
ing to the feeling of his lordship.—l have, Sac.
" RAGLAN.

" To his Grace the Duke of Newcastle."
Now, my lords, nearly at the same time at which
received this letter, I received another from the Gene-
ral Commanding-in-Chief, in answer to an application
Which I had forwarded te the noble lord :
"Horse Guards, March 5, 1855.
"My Lord,—l have had the honour to submit to the
General Commanding-in-Chief your letter of the 2d
of March inst., reporting your arrival in London, and re-
questing that your conduct in ordering the charge of the
Light Cavalry Brigade at tha action of Balaklava, on the
25th of October last, and writing the letter you addressed
to Field-Marshal Lord Raglan on the 30th of November,
117 be submitted and investigated by a court-martial.
lat directed by the General Commanding-in-Chief to
sta_____t• in reply that, after a careful review of the whole cor-
.hrwP°er ml.enee which has passed, he cannot recommend to
Jel,t7 that your lordship's conduct in those transao-
tiop,sishhould,be investigated by a court-martial.
ve honour to be, my lord, your lordship's most
obedient, servant,

rc Lieutenant-Gsneral the
G. A.
WETHERALL, A.G.
"laying read this letter, wiltheated
Earl of L
existenceuali of which I
was not acquainted until
ay afternoon, my case
appears so entirely altered, that
Commanding-in
myself ohliged
daym anding-in- Chief,
to read this letter to the General
Which I have delivered to him this
" Hanover-square, March
h
--I have the honour to acknowledge the re.
" Sir, f
your letter, informing me that the Commander-in-chief
cannot recommend that my conduct should be investigated
by a cowl-martial. Until this day I have been kept un.
informed of the letter from Lord Raglan. It appeared
to have been addressed by his lordship to the Minister
when forwarding mine of the 30th of November last. This
letter contains entirely new matter, and is replete with new
charges reflecting more seriously than before on my pro-
fessional judgment and character. There is now imputed
to me, and for the fint time, inattention to, and neglect
of, another order, and, again, a total incapacity to
carry out my instructions, and to avail myself of the
means placed by his lordship at my disposal. Charges so
grave, and of a character so exclusively professional, can-
not, I submit, be properly disposed of without military in-
, vestigation. I find myself, therefore, compelled to express
my anxious wish that the Commander-in-Chief would be
induced kindly to reconsider his decision, and consent to
my whole conduct on the day of the action of Balaklava,
on the 25th of October, 1854, being investigated by a court
martial.
" I have the honour to be, sir, your mast obedient ser
vent,

" LUCA.; Lieutenant• General.
" To the Adjntant•GeneraL"
I will not depart fictal wy tuldertalrjng by adding one

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