The Sun.
London, England, 1854-10-21 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

SIII,—.A. morning paper which, to describe it in its
. own words, "happens to be called the Times," spread
dismay -in the bosom of many a family, and excited a
large amount of public indignetion against the military
authorities, by its statements regarding the inadequate
provision made for the treatment of the wounded in the
East. The charges brought forward in its columns were
that there was not a sufficient supply of surgeons, that
there were no nurses or dressers, and that there was
not even linen or lint to bind the wounds. Believing
the truth of this statement, some benevolent individuals,
headed by Sir Robert Peel, commenced a subscription to
vend out comforts to the wounded in the military hospi-
tal at Constantinople, and to supply the deficiencies which
reflected such discredit on the Government. The sums
• subscribed were sent to the Times office, and were by it
• to ee forwarded to Messrs. Cnitts and Co.'s " excellent
correspondent at Constantinople," there to await ,the or-
ders of the donors. After a lapse of four days, finding- it
bad gone rather too far, this veracious journal qualifiedits
first statement by admitting the impossibility of any
army being provided with a r.taff sufficient to bring im•
mediate assistance to all the wounded in such as action
as that of the Alna, withdrawing the charge as regarded
the personnel of the medical department in the field and
on the voyage, but adhering to the rest of the statement.
Two days later comes a document from the Director-
General of the Army Medical Department detailing the
various stores and comforts sent out, and a letter from
Lieut. Fo• tar, of the 95th Regiment, who was himself a
patient in the hospital at Scutari when the wounded were
brought in, testifying from personal observation to the
care bestowed upon them and the ample supply of medi-
cal stores available for their use. The Times thereupon
suggests that Dr. Smith's supplies may have gone amissing,
and avows his preference of belief in the statement
"our own correspondent," as to matters which he proba-
bly did not see, to that of the gallant officer on inattere
which be did see. On another point a wondrous "change
came o'er the Ppirit of his dream." The donations of
the benerolent are no lengcr to be entrusted to :if essra.
Cautts and Co.'s "excellent correspondent at Canstan-
tinoole," but " ono of the most trustworti,y of our o a-n
staff," is to be forthwith sent out as almoner ! It may
be worth while to ask to whom, and in what manlier,
is he to distribute the money ? Nothing cull be given
to any patient in the hospital without the sanction of
the surgeon in charge. He states that he has already
all the necessaries and comforts at command which he
requires, and will, of course, refuse to admit any
he ;
deems suprffuous. The " aunoner's"attenlicns niuq
therefore be devoted to the convalescents out of hospital,
and if so, the sooner Lord Raglan sends a Depute Pro-
vo Marshal to Constantinople the Letter. The liberality
of the aforesaid almoner will soon find him plenty of
out trained nurses is lunch
work. The plan of sending
more feasible. There can be no doubt that if respectable
sober nurses can be procured, their attentions to the
severely wounded will be very valuable. Even this,
however, must be done carefully, for there can
be but little control over these nurses compared
with that over a soldier, and the attention paid by soi.
(4ers who are convalescent to their less fortunate com-
rades, is described by those who have abundant oppor-
tunities ofjode
rig as beyond a!1 raise. We are apt to
a
look upon soldiers
rough andready fellows, endowati
with a small arnounes
• them in. the sick-Aar feeling ;but those who
and at the bedside of their coin-
-
sent raciest give a very deseripte
ion of them. Let nurses be
out to attend on the
sent whose cLaracter—t3 Worst cases, but let none oe
bear the strictest smlt. p elall.y for sobiiety—will not
my. tu
s rest, let the usual
plan in the army, of etnplo •
orderlies, be adopted. The soldiers as hospital
tbeli'vitatids-er the -effects ofv.lZ:: n 2
any who' from
for service in the field, will be available -
net be fit
duty, and their knowl dge of the feell'abi for hospital
soldiers will render them valuable aid to
and habits of
hospital steaff.—Yours, to the perrnaneet

AN OLD SOLDIER.
Army and Navy Club, Oct. 19.

DIFFICULTY OF INVADING ENGLAND.—The adunirable
nature of almcst every part of this empire for defensive
warfare is a fact which cannot be toe frequently men.
tioned. The country, unlike the greatest part of the
Continent, is laid out in fields, varying in size from one
or two to fifty acres, but the average about sight, being
separated from each other either by stone walls, or fences
of thorn, or other growing shrubs, behind which, even
in Winter, when divnsted of leaves, its defenders could
not be discerned. Thick woods and copse are also inter-
spersed as over the country, within short distances of
each other, making it the bast adapted country in the
world for defensive warfare by irregular. troops ; for
militia, yeomanly, and volunteer corps, with the 7 pr-
tial training, cannot be consi,e:•ed othowae.—the Vo-
lunteet Rifleman.