The Sun.
London, England, 1855-07-20 00:00:00

and learned gentleman omitted all argument. The course
take❑ by the hon, and learned gentleman reminds me of an
eloquent passage in a speech of a man of great genius and
power, the late Curran. Addressing the Lord Chancel-
lor of the daye he said, " I am aware that truth is to be
sought only by a slow and painful progress, while error hops
with airy awl fastidious levity over fact and argument, and
perches upon assertion, which it calls truth." That is the
course taken by the hon. and learned gentleman ; be has
hopped over argument with airy and fastidious levity, and
perched upon assertion. (Laughter.) With regard to this
grew, question, two distinct questions in themselves have
been c.;nfounded together by the hon, and learned gentle-
man more than by any one who has spoken on the subject.

The first of these questions—one upon which the committee
of inqu4.,- w.:5 appointed—namely, to consider the con-
duct of the A. buinistlation with respect to supplying the
wants of the army in the Crimea. This appears to me to
be a fit subject for inquiry. I believe the people of this
country, indeed, would never forgive this house if we
11. ed retuud this inquiry. Differ on the subject we may ;
and I am rather of the opinion with Lord Castlereagh, in

respect to the Walcheieu expedition, that investiiati n
should be crtv bad. But be thst as it may, the investiga-
tion might be conducted t i an issue without raining any
other issue than tho wants of the army, (Fleur.) It might
be that the French army was well supplied, or that it was
ill-supplied; but that was not the question. (Hear.) The
m le of reinforcing and providing tor the wants of the
English army was a question quite independent of the
mode of providing fur the French army. But is that the
question brought before us by the honourable and learno.l
gentleman ? It is not. It is, indeed, very difficult,
if not almost impossible, to say what is the (luta,
question brought forward by the honourable and learned
gentleman. But the right honourable member for Droit-
wich and the hon. and learned gentleman who spoke last

seem to think that the charge is, that the Government,
with an insufficient knowledge and insufficient pre are-
tions, sent the expedition to the Crimea, to accompli h au
impos-ible task. (.hears.) Is that the charge ? I an: stand-
ing here to be tried ; perhaps condemned. It is only fair I
should know the particulars cf the indictment. (Hear.)
What are those particulars ? Are there any ?or does the
bon. and learned gentleman mean to trust to the chance of
the vagueness of his motion, and so win votes against the
ministry ui on one ground, wh le he leaves open another?
(Hear ) That was not the course t •ken by Lord Palmerston
i r respect to the Walcheren inquiry. He drew up an ela-
borate series of resolutions, based upon fact, and supported
them by argument. The hon. and learned gentleman,
h ,wever, in his love, I 'oust suppose, of truth and justice
(cheers and laughter)—does no such thing ; on the con-
trary, he finds it expedient to conceal the exact nature of
his charge, and he leaves us to guess what it is he accuses
us of, only stating what he pro:)oses to effect. (Hear.) With
regard to the second question involved in this great ques-
tion, it is of a totally different nature from the first. I
have sail that in the report on the inquiry you might find
that the army had not been duly supplied • that there had
been wilful neglect, and that certain official persons, there-
___.

fore, Wight be censured. That would not embarrass or
engage our alliance. (Hear.) But when you ask whether
the army sent to the Crimea was sufficient for the purpose
you touch on a totally different subject—(hear, he ,r)—

because you will be obliged to ask also in such case whe•
ther the Ministers of the Crown had duly consulted with
the French G ,verninent on what was to be jointly effected
in the war? Whether the number of French troops

which hail been agreed on had been sent ? Whether the
English Government were satisfied with the force that
had been sent ? Was it the French Government that was
deficient, or the English Government? Did that defi-
ciency, if such existed, arise from the number of troops
sent by the French Government being less than was agreed
on, or from a want of transport for them being provided ?
All this implies an inquiry into other subjects, and I agree,
therefore, with the noble lord the member for Totnes, that
inquiry on this point would necessarily be incomplete
until we should know what had been agreed upon, and
what had been admitted. (Hear, hear.) It would be im-
possible therefore, to come to any j List conclusio❑ on the
question. (Hear, hear.) Well, ag tin, with respect to one
great cause of the suffering of the army in the Crimea—
suffering and distress with which lam sure one and all
have the deepest sympathy. No one can entertain a doubt
of the effect of the hardwork in the trenches in diminish-

)ng the army ; comparing its condition from the 10th of
ICovember to the 14th of December, it was one of great
suffering and mortality from this cause. Every one knows
that the nein)) arwy by our side was conducting, as I

may say, a separate siege. But this is delicate ground.
Are you prep fired to tread it ? Are you prepared to in-
quire whether Lord Raglan asked the French general to
support him ? Or, if he did, what was the answer of the
French genet al ? Whether the French general did or did
not matte sir or seven wiles of trenches? Whether he could
spare men in such case ? Or whether Lord Rag:au a keit
such assistance? (Hear.) This is delicate ground I repeat—
(hear)—but it is nevertheless quite impossible that you can
come to a vote of censure in unection with this question
until you know these tacts (Hear.) The hon. and learned
gentleman keeps all these difficulties se iulously out of
sight. It is for these reasons, tferefore, that while I con-
cur in the view that it would he more satisfactory, perhaps,
to all parties to come to an exact vote of aye or no on the
subject, still I cannot deny that the hon. and gallant officer
who moved the previous question, and the noble lord the
member for Totoess, who supported it, have good parlia-
mentary grounds for ne4ativing the motion. (Hear.) But
passing to the great question, which it is impossible to say
whether it has been raised or not by the hon. and learned
geutletnau—(laughter)—l will state in a few words what
consider to be the offence charged against those who
ordered the expedition to the Crimes, and the answer,
so far as I can give it, to that charge. An army
was sent out from this country and fro.o Fran,te, the im-
mediate put pose of which was to defend the capital of the
Turkish empire from occupation by Roma. li,wever, it

was found: from the losses buffered and the resistance