The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-26 00:00:00

seat of war. That, indeed, is very much the theoryi-E V!'SP.A.Pi
of the office, and we have no doubt that a Ministet,,,,,.,_
with the requisite personal qualities would find tl,l '-4..‘„...f.5_ '',s
subordinate departments sufficiently at his dispos.y k,,„d5.11/4
land prompt enough to execute his orders. i; t' 4.4.11t,C4 4
then it must be a man who has his heart and . .V14.21-'-'4;Zi•
in the war, who is beforehand with every conjanb\ 4-477-13*41 4,il',
.•...,,i ~,i.
ture, who suffers nothing to go by default, a • - 4--1444;;;
urges on the war instead of lagging behind. Such
..K
1 a War Minister we certainly had not last year.
Nor have we now. We believe that at this mo-
ment the British army in the Crimea is as unpre-
pared for almost any change of operations as it was
any time last year. Whether wo take Sebastopl,
or give it up as hopeless for the present, there ie
the greatest probability of our finding it neces
sary.
to take the field and penetrate into the country.
For that we are certainly unprepared. We have
not anything like the proper number of animals,
vehicles, or other equipages. We have not oven
that summer clothing which by this time must be
necessary, whether we take the field or retain our
present position before Sebastopol. Rejoiced indeed
should we be to find ourselves mistaken ; but we feel
hardlya doubt that in the event of a Council of War
deciding to take the field as soon as possible, it
will be found necessary to wait an indefinite period
for the arrival of proper supplies from this country,
When those supplies at last arrive the opportunity
may have passed, new difficulties may have risen
up, the Russian army in the field may have been
doubled or trebled, and another Council of War
may decide on another course, for which our army
will be equally unprepared.
The Duke of Newcastle doubtless did his best ;
always seeing
he appears in his own evidence, he was
seeing obstacles which he was unable to
remove, and attempting in vain to produce direct-
ness and unity of action amid warring departments
and complicated forms. We have seldom read a
i.
more painful
rnea, narrative. Indeed the authorities in
the Crimea, when accused. of mismanagement, can
now retort triumphantly tly on the confusion at home.
From first to last the
appears to have been
justly dissatisfied with the state and relations of
all the departments connected with the war. He
was slighted by the Horse Guards. He thought
the whole system of the
roaf l
Medicalty
Department ex-
tremely bad, and the systemsupplying medical
comforts through the Admi
could get no information
Wfroinachin thetuar nmoeencl
a
tal•calusa.uthoe-
rities, but only denials,
d out to be
untrue. He was dissatisfiedh with the organisation
of the Medical, the Ordnance, the
Commissariat,
and the Transport Departments—vrith how many
more we cannot say at this moment. He suggested
remedies, overruled forms, and did some things
on his personal responsibility. But, somehow
or other his well-intended measures fell wide of
the mark, or short of it, like Old Priam's jave-
lin. He had just misgivings, but they did him
no service. For example, he was always appre-
hensive, he says, of the number of soldiers' wives
sent with the army, but was overruled by prece-
dent and the foolish wishes of the soldiers, and
found his own views too well justified by the re-
sult. He felt himself deserted by his colleagues
last August and September, and would have pre-
ferred some Cabinet meetings ; perhaps, however,
he says, it did not signify so long as there was
nothing of importance—that is, in a period that
included the embarkation of the troops from Varna,
the landing in the Crimea, and the Battle of the
Alma. He suffered from the Board of Ordnance
the same insubordination as from the Horse Guards,
in the shape of a peremptory order from that board
stopping the manufacture of winter huts which he
had ordered on his own responsibility. In both
instances the insubordinate officials ought to have
been instantly dismissed the public service, but
the Duke of Newcastle, not having called them to
accont, himself pays the penalty, as indeed be
ought to do. If there is one thing more than
another on which Lard Raglan appears to be ob-
servant and well informed it is the weather. As
early as October his Lordship had formed a dis-
tinct and very unfavourable view on this important
subject, and written home accordingly.. The Duke
of Newcastle's prescience, so often exhibited to so
little purpose, here whollyfailed him, and he would
not believe a winter in the Crimea so formidable
as had been represented, though any schoolboy
mig • ht have told him that the inhospitable climate
of the Euxine was proverbial from the remotest
antiquity.
It is not a very agreeable task to trace the defi-
ciencies of a Minister who did his best in a season
of difficulty. The Duke of Newcastle found his
department in a state of disorganisation ; he found
the Horse Guards insubordinate, the Ord-
nance under a chief 3,000 miles distant,
and the Commissariat reduced to the lowest
ebb, obliged to collect a staff from the colonies,
and eke them out with Treasury clerk, Custom-
house officers, and policemen, while it was charged.
with the custody of all kinds of stores and the pur-
chase of everything wanted for the army. He found
the Medical Department insufficient, disorganised,
and without the means of supplying its wants. He
found no Ambulance Corps, no Transport Service,
except only such as the Commissariat might be
authorised to raise, in addition to its other duties,
at the order of the Commander of the Forces. He
found that, while at home it had been resolved that
the war should be prosecuted with the greatest Ti•
gour, it was the general opinion of the army and
navy in the East, including their highest officers,
that nothing was to be done. There was hard,
difficulty, physical or moral, he had not to encotut-'
ter. Does he, then, stand excused I No, certainly'
not. Shortcomings in politics and in war admit of
no excuse. It is inexcusable to be beaten. It is
inexcusable to allow delays that cost the lives of
thousands, and ruin or damage a great cause. It is
inexcusable to stand at the helm and not to see the
lock of danger. It is inexcusable to be supreme
in authority and not in energy, intelligence, and
power. Failures are faults in war. What can ex-
cuse a man for falling into an ambuscade and losing
his life ? What can excuse him for losing the lives
of his countrymen by tens of thousands ? A. man
who undertakes nothing may be excused if he does
nothing. The Duke of Newcastle undertook the
conduct of the war, so far as England was con-
cerned. He asked the confidence of thirty million
people, and he failed. His task was difficult. That
is no novelty in war. Of course, he was aware of
this when, having the choice of the Colonies and
the War, he chose the latter. On this point even
he has not been taken by surprise, and has there-
fore no excuse if he has failed.

: :

TOTAL LOSS BY FIRE OF THE TRANS-
PORT SCREW STEAM-SHIP CRCESUS.

A serious loss was made known yesterday at the Ad-
miralty, by the receipt of telegraphic communications
from Genoa, announcing the burning of the General
Screw-Steam Shipping Company's iron screw-steamer
Crcesus, which had been chartered by the English 'Go-
vernment for the trAnsport service, numbered 191, and
was under the command of Capt. T. V. Hall. The un-
fortunate catastrophe took place about 11 miles S.E. of
Genoa, on Tuesday morning. The Croesus was one of
the fine fleet of iron screw steamers which were built for
the company about two years since, by Messrs. Mare
and Co., at Blackwell. She was upwards of 2,000 tons;
was put on the Australian line, and returned from Mel-
bourne about three montlis ago. She was then taken up
by the English Government, and took out the Royal
Wilts Militia, from Portsmouth to Corfu. On disem-
barking the troops there, she was ordered to Malta,
where she arrived on the 3d of April, and on being
coaled, proceeded with other transports to Spezzia, for
the purpose of conveying the Sardinian troops for service
in the Crimea. She was then ordered to Genoa, and in
the course of Monday the first detachment of the army,
comprising the staff, 37 officers, and 209 rank and d
lea
embarked on board. She also shipped 25 mules, an
large quantity of stores and ammunition.
took
her de-
On the following (Tuesday) morning
d sal of the Sar-
eerr:3s7ll"ir Hydaspes, No. 9, and
the Government had placed at the p
oi. °the contingent,
Sar-
dinian authorities for the conveyanced
lore for the East
majesty's ship Retribu-
parturo for Constantinople. The other
i,s she took
which
and it is reported took theierr p
of the Crcesus) ; Erneu,
(sister
No. '74 ; Cleopatra, o.
Harkaway.
taiboonu,
;Jason, No,
op.ersitodfl:;,
r'ef acconnts that have been re-
According to the b ,
ic appears that the fire broke out
ceived of the loss,
shortly after the •
amongst the stores, ill-fated ship had
and so rapid was the work of destruction that
all Genoa, d
all attempts to stay the progress of the flames or save
the vessel proved fruitless. Her condition
being
provi-
dentially observed, the other transports sent their boats
to her aid, and, with those belonging to the Crcesus, the
whole of the soldiers and crew of the burning
preserved, with the exception •of ship were
one sailor. . six of the troops and
This is the third steamer the
the last two months, two company have lost within
the Mauritius, which b y fire, viz., the Crcesus and
was destroyed while lying in the
dry-dock at Southampton,
by the
teredGovernment, by going ashore near
Cadiz. The company are severe sufferers by these:de-
plorable disasters, s
as the ships, in addition to earning a
considerable sum per month, were not insured to their
value. The Crcesus cost 93,000/. and was only in-
sured for 57,0001. in the room at I:loyd's and the prin-
cipal insurance offices. The Government paid the corn-
: parry 5,0001. a month for her services.

7---- -- --
froM
THE MIME. --SOUTHAMPTON, Wednesday, April 25.
—The United States' mail steam-ship Hermann, Capt.
E. gigging, sailed to-day, with the British, French, and
Havre.
German mails for the -United States, 278. passengers,
aNnedw fairay o York, is
is average
hourlyea r geox.p e
cTtehde sotneahm.crshwipayUntinon,
' The Royal mail steam-ship Laflata, is appointed
. to take
out the next West India, Pacific,. and Mexican mails of
of the Peninsular mails on the 27th
the 2d proximo. The Atrato, with the homeward mails
deferredeParture in consequence of the non-arrival
from the same quarter, may be looked. for about the 30tk
inin:tt:
wTillhbee departure
of the Iberia, and it is probable that no mail-ship vat
leave for those ports until the 7th proximo.