The Sun.
London, England, 1854-08-19 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, AUGUST 19, 1654.

juniors (Lieutenant Cußns) complained against.
We do not then think there can be much doubt in
any unprejudiced mind but that Colonel GARRETT
had used the expressions referred to, and that a
letter to the General of the District had been
tendered to him.

As to the issue respecting Captain NICHOLAS,
the letter of Lieut. WALDEY to the prisoner,
stating the opprobious language used towards
Ensign COOTE, would have justified the assertion,
even if Captain NICHOLAS had come forward to
swear, Eke his superior officer, that "he had no
recollection of hlving ill-treated young officers, or
aided and abetted others in doing so." His ab-
sence, however, prevents the possibility of any
decision adverse to the prisoner on the charges in
which the Gallant Captain is concerned.
Major-General WETHERALL told the Court that
the questions for its decision were, whether the
matter had occurred as stated by the prisoner ;
for if not, "he must have stated what he knew
to be false !" Now this is a gross non sequitur.
He might hare verily believed them to be true,
and the common conversation in the Regiment
would be sufficient to warrant the assumption—
and as the wilfulness of the falsehood, the know-
' ledge of the untruth was essential, the Adjutant-
General laid down the issue very incorrectly in
that which, under the circumstances, was rather
the charge of a judge than the speech of a prose-
cutor. On the whole, we do not think that the
reply of Major-General WETHERALL will place
military tribunals in a more favourable light than
they had previously been regarded ; and, in truth,
it was difficult to place them in a worse point of
view.

LATEST NEWS.

THE WAR.

necessary to cover up to the neck, and to button the
jacket. In calling the attention of the men to these
points, the Commander of the Forces desires to remind
them that they must, for themselves, take the necessary
precautions to avoid those things likely to produce ill-
ness.

" The utmost vigilance is necessary on the part of the
officers ; yet that will have no avail, unless the men will
be themselves prudent.
"The Commander of the Forces, therefore, calls upon
them to attend to thee admonitions, and to be careful."

A second order relating to the issue of a daily
glass of grog, and to the increase of the meat ration,
has, it will be readily believed, given unmingled
satisfaction to all concerned ' • the only drawback
being the fear expressed at the end that, like
other " comforts," the thing may be " too good to
last." I quote the order in extenso
" It having been recommended by a board of medical
officers that, during the present season, a small supply of
spirits should be issued to each man, the Commander of
the Forces is pleased to approve of the same, and to
direct that the commissariat department issue spirits in
the proportion of half a gill for each non-commissioned
officer and soldier.

issuing to the troops this allowance, which is a
free ration, it is to be mixed with water, in the propor-
tion of one of spirits to two of water, in the manner
which will be directed by commanding officers. The
time of issue immediately after dinner.
"The Commander of the Forces further desires that
the coffee lately ordered for the troops should be made
to produce a cup in the morning, before going out on
any duty, and in the evening before retiring to rest.
"The Commander of the Forces likewise sanctions
that, as a temporary measure during the present un-
healthy season, the ration of meat should be increased
from llb to lAlb. The army, however, will understand
that this is only a temporary arrangement, and that the
Commander of the Forces may be obliged, by circum-
stances beyond his control, to discontinue the issue at a
time when he might think it desirable that it should not
cease."

" Cholera belts" to the number of about 450 to
each regiment, have been sent out from England ;
and a further supply, it is said, is to be sent until
every man has his belt. Why was not the required
complement forwarded at once ?
I hear to-day that the sickness statistics are taking
a turn for the better. Pray Heaven the improve-
ment may continue ; but on that there is no calcu-
lating. On Saturday and Sunday last a great deal
of rain fell, and the scorching rays of the sun
raised up noisome exhalations in which lurks peril
to life and health. Let me never more hear the
climate of Old England abused for its fickleness and
the suddenness of its transitions. An autumn's
camp-lodging in Bulgaria would marvellously
change the tone of some of our weather-censors,
who are cynical about the chills and damps of the
tight little island. The climate of this country
tells even more severely on our French allies than
on our own men. lam sorry to hear, on no mean
authority, that the deaths in their armynear Varna
have lately been as high as forty and even fifty
within twenty-four hours.
No doubt can exist that the helpless inactivity,
the irksome, harassing tedium of the idle hours,
assist the pestiferous effects of climate and locality.
The constant sight of men, stricken down by di-
sease, borne on stretchers to the hospitals, is but too
sure to engender a desponding notion, even in the
mind of a healthy man, that he himself may
be the next victim—that he and his comrades
have come to this inhospitable region to rot miser-
ably instead of fairly taking the chances of death
on the field. Nor is it so easy as it used to be
to raise the spirits of the troops by holding out the
prospect of a brush with the enemy. These hopes
have been so often indulged, and so often disap-
pointed, that a gloomy, spiritless, sickly smile of
incredulity has too generally taken the place of the
buoyant eagerness with which " news" was wont to
be looked for. A portion of the troops have been
for some days employed in throwing up field-works,
making gabions and fasciues, and in siege practice
of various kinds. Of course, the name of Sebasto-
pol is heard once more in connection with these
operations, which, if they haVe no other result than-
that of keeping the men's thoughts from dwelling
on the sombre present, will not be useless ; but
with respect to the probability of active belligerent
steps being at hand, a certain kind of languid scep-
ticism begins to prevail. I have myself heard an
officer, high in the service, and who has not the
character of dealing in empty bravado, offer to wager
immense odds that the army A ill not see the Crimea
this year.
I mentioned in a former letter that the Duke of
Cambridge had been unwell from diarrhcea. Hav-
ing happily recovered from that complaint, his
Royal Highness is now annoyed by an equally un-
welcome visitant in the troublsome shape of gout.
He has been confined to his tent these last two
days, but is, I hear, getting better.
We extract the following from another letter on
the same subject :—" The cholera is, I grieve to
say, still prevalent at Varna and in the camps, but
its attacks are not so fatal as before. The change
of encampments has done some good ; but the dis-
ease has not been diminished by the removal of the
men to new and healthier sites. It is my painful
duty to communicate the loss of Colonel Maule,
who died this week of an attack of cholera,
which was brought on by an injudicious dose
of blue pill and black draught. The gallant
officer threw up the post of Surveyor-General
of the Ordnance to come out here, and dur-
ing the performance of his duties as As-
sistant Adjutant-General he had gained the good-
will and esteem of all around him. Poor Major
Levinge, too, is gone. He died of an overdose of
opium, administered by himself, when suffering
from diarrhoea. He was a universal favourite,
gay, light-hearted, and amiable, an excellent of-
ficer, a thorough soldier, and a kind, open-hearted
man ; his loss will be felt by all who knew him.
The men of his troop of Horse Artillery have
evinced the deepest sorrow at his untimely death,
for he was yet a young man in all the pride of life.
Mr. Newberry, the paymaster of the Rifle Brigade,
2d battalion, an old officer who had seen much
service, is also dead • and to this list must be added
a young man cut off in early manhood, Mr. Gregg,
of the 55th Regiment. Mrs. Bolton, mother of
Mr. Bolton, of the Artillery, who accompanied her
son, here is also no more. The mortality among
the troopsis considerable, and sometimes the victims
succumb with fearful rapidity. The hospital is
quite full, and, numerous as our medical staff is,
and unremitting as are our medical officers in doing
all that skill and humanity can suggest for the suf-
ferers, there are painful cases, of not rare occur-
rence, in which the men cannot have the attention
they require paid to them till it is too late. Many
of the poor fellows, too, who desire the attendance of
a clergyman or priest at their dying hour are denied
that ast consolation, for the chaplains are few, or
at least are not numerous enough for the sad ex-
igencies of the season.
The 50th regiment, who are hardly worked, as
they furnish fatigue parties for the town, lost nine
men last night. I was told by one of the officers
that his men were working from 5 till 8 o'clock in
the morning, and that up to the time he spoke
they had received no rations This is almost in-
credible. It is useless to alarm friends and re-
lations at home by talking of the number of sick or
by giving their names, but it is evident we are in a
very unsatisfactory state as regards health. The
beach stinks abominably, and more of the natives of
the town die pro rata than of the men. It is reported
that General Canrobert's division, up beyond Bazard-
shik, lost more than 200 men. Theypassed through
a marsh where the Russians had left dead men and
horses, and that very night the cholera broke out.
We are getting up large flatbottomed boats here
from Malta and Constantinople. It is a pity--if it
can be helped—to send out the whole disposable
British army here to linger for months in inactivity
—to push them on for a few miles from camp to
camp—and then to let them remain " eating their
hearts" for week after week of idleness—till they
sicken and die. Therefore we rejoice to hear of
flatbottomed boats, of screw steamers, of trans-
ports, of anything to take us off to sea out of this.
Lord de Ros is recovering from his fever, but it
is generally thought that his Lordship will seek
the retirement of home when he has recovered
sufficiently to undergo the fatigues of a voyage.

Duero, of the Captaincy-General of Catalonia,"
and expresses " great satisfaction of the zeal,
loyalty, and intelligence with which he has dis-
charged the duties of the post, and of the very
important services rendered by him to the nation
and the throne at the moment at which he entered
the district of that Captaincy-General."
The Constitutional Municipality of Madrid has
presented an address to the Queen, in which, after
stating that it had employed all its efforts to reor-
ganise the national guard, it prayed that new
elections of municipalities might be proceeded to,
those now existing being the same as were in office
twelve years ago.
M. Mariano Carci has been nominated Consul at
London, in room of M. Mora.

The Clamor Publico says that M. Sagasti, the
new Civil Governor of Madrid, on entering on his
office, found the money chests empty, and that the
administration was greatly embarrassed. He pro-
poses, it adds, to publish a memoir on the subject.
The Diario Espanol states from Malaga that the
greatest excitement prevailed at the departure of
the last mail, and it was feared the most serious
conflicts might arise in consequence of the discus-
sions which had taken place at the sittings of the
Junta on the serious question whether that body
ought or ought not to submit to the constituted
government, the majority having declared for the
negative, notwithstanding the strenuous efforts of
the minority, composed of such men as MM. Rios
Rosas, Verdego, and others, well known for their
eminent services in the cause of liberty. The 13th
being Sunday, the Madrid Stock Exchange was not.
open.

- Advices from Madrid of the 14th announce that
the Clubs had sent a deputation to Eipartero, de-
manding the suppression of the passage in the
Decree convoking the Cortes, which declared that
the question of dynasty could not be discussed by
that Assembly.
Espartero had not thought it proper to comply
with this demand.

At a dinner given by the Liberal Press of Madrid,
Espartero gave a toast for " Liberty," and O'Don-
nell another for " Our Constitutional Queen."
No member of the Diplomatic Body attended
the dinner.

The Three per Cents. closed at 73f. 20c., and
the Four-and-a-Half per Cents. at 99f. 75c. for the
end of the month.

According to the Diario of the 16th, the Juntas
of Malaga and Lerida refuse to recognise the new
Government. They insist on maintaining their
privileges.