The Sun.
London, England, 1854-04-28 00:00:00

told that the French having first come to Gallipoli, were
first served. Considering that Tonlen was nearer .to
Gallipoli than was any port of Great Britain, it would not
have been remarkable if the French had been there firel:.
But such was not the case ; for our commissaries had
been in Turkey fe r several weeks before any French
ones went there ; and as regarded Gallipoli, the French
and English commissaries-general met there, the
former coming from France and the latter from Con-
stantinople, and concerted together the arrangements for
the arrival of the troops, On this occeeion, he was
nappy to say, the same harmony prevailed between the
inferior as between the superior officers. There was no
quarrelling or disputing, but they made an amicable ar-
rangement. In this article it was said that the French
had. been located in the Turkish quarter of the town,
while our troops had been driven into the Greek quarter,
which was represented as being less advantageous in
consequence of the supposed enmity of the Greek popu
lation to us. He had, however, received a letter from
Sir George Brown, expressing his extreme satisfaction
that the Greek quarter had been allotted to the English
troops ; and he had also seen a private letter, which was
to the same effect, and added, that had they to choose
their situation afresh, they should choose this quarter.
So far p
from this portion, at least, of the Greek opula-
ton being at all hostile to our troops, the bishop had
offered to place his house at the disposal of the general
on his arrival. He had also numerous other statements
that
the Greek population had received our officers and
soldiers in a most hospitable and friendly
manner.
After what he had thus advanced, he thought he was
justified in doubting the details to which his noble
friend had referred ; and he must say that it was unfor-
tunate that a gentleman, habituated to the luxuries of
London life, missing his club and his glass of wine—
he even alluded to the absence of butter ' • really he
(the Duke of Newcastle) hoped that our brave ef-
ficers and soldiers did not imagine that they would
be fed on the sweetest of butter and the best
of fowl—it was a pity that this gentleman, habituated
to the luxuries of English life, and not over well inclined
to going out to Turkey,
.should not have awaited until
he had time to make inquiries and ascertain facts, but
should have written accounts which were not fair to the
persons concerned in the service about which he wrote.
Her Majesty's Government were fair game, let them be
attacked ; but the commissariat department ought not
to be discouraged by undue and unfair misrepresenta-
tion. Our soldiers and sailors were animated by the
hope of glory. By the commissariat no glory was to be
gained ; yet their duties were arduous and difficult,
and upon them often depended not only the success but
the very existence of armies. When men thus devoted
their time and talents to a pursuit which brought no
honour nor distinction, it was hard for them not to be al-
lowed the full credit of the exertions which they made,
and of the success which attended them. He could no•
now produce papers, because if such a course were com-
menced it might hamper the proceedings of our army -
hut if he could lay upon the table the reports which he
had received upon this subject of the preparation for the
troops, he was convinced that their lordships would be
satisfied, not only that Mr. Smith and the officers
under him had done everything in their power, but that
they had been successful to an extent which, looking
at the characteristics of the Turkish people, we had good
' reason to be satisfied. He had gone into this
matter at greater length than he had intended, and
perhaps, than was absolutely necessary, because he
wished most earnestly to deprecate these representa-
tions, or rather misrepresentations, without the moss
accurate information. If these complaints could be
substantiated by all means let them be so. He did not
wish that any neglect should be concealed, or that any
imperfections should be slurred over. It was not his
intention, nor was it the desire of her Majesty's Govern-
ment, that such should be the case ; but lie did say that
upon the eve of the gi eat operations upon which w e
were entering, it was only fair to those concerned in
them that no one should publish his first impressions
without being satisfied that they were confirmed, and
that what on his first arrival at any place seemed to be
facts, actually were so. The strictures as to the order
for sending so large an army to Gallipoli might have
been spared when no such orders had been given.

The Earl of ELLENBOROUGH said it afforded
him great satisfaction to hear his noble friend give
so decided a negative to that part of the statement
contained in the letter to which his own knowledge
made it possible to give such a reply, and he must say
he thought the noble duke was perfectly justified in
doubting the correctness of the other statements when
those of which he had a personal knowledge were totally
incorrect. (Hear, hear.) He had purposely abstained
from adverting to that part of the letter which related
to the contrast between the French commissariat and
military departments and our own. He had purposely
abstained from alluding to any portion of the military
observations of the writer, to which he attached no im-
portance whatever. But when a gentleman was em-
ployed to write letters for the public press, and stated
distinctly certain facts, it was almost impossible to sup-
pose that such facts were not correct. He had directed
his attention only to the facts so stated ; and supposing,
those facts to be correct, he had asked who was respon-
sible for what had taken place. He had heard with
great satisfaction the reply of his noble friend, and he
hoped it would turn out that all the other statements
would prove to be as incorrect as those to which he had
applied so distinct a negative. (Cheers.)
The Earl of HARDWICKE said that the statements
made by noble lords on the other side were not always
free from doubt. Just before Parliament rose, the noble
Earl the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, in reply to a
question put to him, stated that no Russian ships had
left Sebastopol, that none were cruising in the Black
Sea, and that the Russian vessels had not been mile
to disembark troops and destroy fortresses, and
carry on operations of an extensive character.
The noble earl had stated these assertions to be
utterly untrue, but it had turned out that these
operation had taken place. It was possible that the noble
duke, on the present occasion, might have been equally
misinformed. Although he wished to place every con-
fidence in the statements of the Governments, he thought
that when the noble earl was so deceived and misin-
formed on a previous occasion, the Times reporter on
this occasion might have the best of it. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of CLARENDON said that on the occa-
sion to which the noble earl had alluded, a noble ear;
(the Earl of Malmesbury) had given notice of his in-
tention to put a question respecting certain reports in
the newspapers that the Russian had come out in force
in the Black Sea, and that large bodies of troops had
been carried to Varna, Odessa, and Sebastopol, and
wished to know if those reports were correct. On that
occasion he gave the noble earl, almost verbatim, the
last account which had been received from Admiral
Dundas himself, which was that the report rested on
the information of the captain of a ship, that the info!
illation had been conveyed to Sir Edward Lyons, at
Constantinople, and that by the evidence of the person
alluded to it was clearly proved that he could not have
been in a position to have seen what he described.
He had then every reason to believe that the report
was nut true, and he now repeated that belief.
(Loud cheers.) The Russian fleet, to the best of
his knowledge, had not come out of Sebastopol,
and it did not at the time of the report convey
troops from one port of the Russian territory to another.
What did take place, and what he subsequently heard,
was that one vessel (an English steamer) was sent to
survey the Circassian coast. During that time they saw
five small steamers that had been employed in remov-
ing the troops that were placed in the different
fortresses along the shore, which had all been destroyed;
and he must say that the Russians having, of their own
accord, and before the declaration of war, evacuated
and destroyed these fortresses, which had for so many
years been occupied by them, was some proof that we,
and not they, were masters of the Black Sea. (Cheers.)
The steamers alluded to were small steamers, and not
war steamers, and were employed from Odessa to Sebas-
topol. Immediately on seeing the English steamer they
made for their port, but a transport was boarded and
ordered to repair to the nearest Russian port, in pur-
suance of the instructions sent out in December last.
The occurrence happened on the 16th March, and was
not declared in England until the 29th. It was impos-
sible for them to have done other than they did and obey
their instructions. (Hear, hear.)
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGII trusted the noble
earl was not under the impression that the Russians had
destroyed all the forts in that quarter. Only six out of
twenty-two had been destroyed.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE hoped there would
be no objection on the part of the Government to lay on
the table the last despatches which had been recFived
on
the subject and any other despatches w
fol-
low. The Russian Government had publishedhiehmight their
official statement of the transaction, and it differed widely
from the statement of the noble earl. The ships were
described as part of the royal Russiane navy, purpose of
and it was
stated that they were sent forth important
removing ammunition from those fortresses which they
no longer thought it right
those places
and carrying away
in safety the garrisons of A
Amore aces to strengthen theimportant operation
garrison at Sebastopol.
could not have been underthaken by the Russian fleet
in the Black Sea. (Hear, ear.) This was diatinctly
stated in the Russian paper, and it was also asserted
that it was done in open defiance of the combined fleets
of the allied powers. His noble friend had stated that
there was no declaration of war. He took leave to con-
tradict his noble friend, because it appeared from the
papers on the table that a declaration was made, un-
boubtedly by orders from home, to the Governor of Sebas •
topol, that the combined fleets of England and France
would compel Russian vessels to enter the nearest port
or attack them. That was a declaration of war. It was a
declaration of hoetilities—a declaration between the two I
fleets, if not between the two countries. Although that
did not reflect discredit upon our flag, yet so far as the
Government and the superior force which dictated the
message were concerned, when they were not compe-
tent to execute the threat, it certainly was calculated to
tarnish our flag. That was his opinion, and it was for
the country to judge whether it was correct or not.
On a former occasion the noble earl at the head of the
Government said he did not wish to play "the game of
brag." Now, what was it but " the game of brag" to
defy the Russian fleet to come out into the Black Sea,
and then to retire, and not be able to fao,3 the breeze or
dare the battle? He threw no discredit on the naval
officers commanding there. He knew not the circum-
stances under which they acted. He had. no doubt they
were justified in what they had done. But they ought
not to have made such a threat unless th ey were able to
execute it. It was nothing but playing "the game of
tang," and at " the game of brag" they' were beaten.
(Hear, hear.) The noble earl said that - the fact of the
Russians having destroyed these forts was
a pretty
significant proof that we, and not they, -were masters
of the Black Sea. Bat had not the least doubt th at
the combined fleet was master of the B lack Sea,
and that when the admirals had clear instructions
and knew that war had been declare, ip they
would
would not bo wanting, and the RgEOl5llB