The Sun.
London, England, 1856-07-28 00:00:00

GREATCOATS.

The commissioners' remarks of which Sir R. Alrey com-
plained, on the subject of greatcoats, commence at p. 27,
Commissioners' Report.
It appears that Lord Raglan, in the due exercise of his dis-
pensing, power, substituted for the complicated War-office
form of requisition for greatcoatstho following form :
" Requited for the Regiment
"Quartermaster-General's-office "

And a tabular statement laid before the Board, and hereto an-
nexed, shows that orders had been issned, up to Jan. 20, for
6,577 greatcoats, of which only 3,049 had been drawn ; and
it is stated by Col. Wetherall, in his evidence, that every
man had at that time been supplied with a sheepskin coat.
The only reference made by colonels of regiments, in their re-
plies to the commissioners (respecting greateoats) was that
made by Col. Douglas, 79th Itogt., who states that on making
a requisition for 300 coats it was promptly complied with.

WATCIICOATS, COATEES, TROUSERS, SHOES.
In regard to the apportionment of these articles it appears
to us, from the evidence of Col. Wetherell, the officer who
superintended their apportionment, that every means were
taken to issue to the troops such of them as were actually in
store or available for use. Bat all the coatees wore found to
be too small for the men by reason of the groat qu tntity of
under-clothing worn by them. The shoes were also much
too small for all purposes of service in the field.
This statement with respect to boots and shoes is borne out
by the proceedings of a " Board of Survey on the mfitness
of ammunition bouts issued to the men," hell in the 19th Re-
giment on the Bth of January, 1855. ,

TENTS.
INWith reference to tents, it appears that Sir R. Airey, on
the 28th of November 1851, sent home a large requiOtiou in
consequence of the destruction of tents and hospital marquees
in the storm of the 14th of November ; but that requisition,
addressed to the 'Board of Ordnanc.a, although sent direct to
England under 'most pressing circumstances, was not com-
plied with until May, 1?55.
Therefore the Quartermaster-General's Department is com-
pletely exonerated froui all blame .on this head.

PAILLASSES. . .
"The vessels before referred to, which arrived aliont the
middle and end of November, had also brought 21,450 pail.
lasses to protect the soldier from the moistness of the ground,
of which, however, 10,000 were lost in the Prince. It was
inteudsd that they should be stuffed with hay or straw, but
at that time these were deficient in the camp, and no effort
seems to have been made to provide a substitute, though
wool froze the opposite coast might probably have been pro-
cured it proper measures had been taken for that purpose.
Had even the paillasse sack, together with one of the rugs in
store, been issued, it would have afforded the soldier some
protection from the moist .re of the ground till a better bed
Could be procured for him. None of the paillasses, however,
were issued to the troops, and of a subsequent supply of 6,000
only about one-half were used for the hospitals; the whole
of the rest remained iu store.
" It was not necessary that there should be a paillasse for
each man, and, indeed, a tout could not have contained that
...a1)... I ozne to every t•vo men would balk; neon sumcient,
fur nearly one-half were on duty at night, and even in the
end of November the number in store ',voila have afforded
hat proportion."

lu
answer to the observations of the commis sinners, im-
puting blame to the Quartermaster-General's Department
for the non-!s3ue of paillasses, and which might have been
used by the men as a protection from the moisture of the
ground, Sir Richard .a Trey contended that a coarse linen pail-
lasse cover to lay down upon the wet ground would have
been of no use whatever, andthat no man would have taken
the trouble to walk down to Balaklava to have obtained any
ziumber of, them.

Moreover, there were the same difficulties in moving the
paillasses to the front as in the ease of the blankets and other
clothing.
It is also in evidence that there was no hay or straw to
stuff them with, and no wool, or the means of rendering it
available, if procured as a substitute, as suggested by the
commissioners.
Sir Richard Airey's statement on this head is corroborated
by the evidence of Colonel Wetherall (p. 283) and of Mr. Wat-
son (p. 334), and confirms us in the opinion that the pail-
lasses could not have been made servicer.ble in, the mode re
commended by the commissioners.

Hun.
With regard to the subject of hutting, it
Quartermaster-General's Department com p
from Constanti-
e
atpopiyefaarsifinthecaitthtehire
duty, by ordering huts at an early period
nople viz., the Bth of November, 85,1 I)ut the conveyancefonnednc
of the material to the front for hutting the men
part of the Quartermaster-General's duty,
as at that period
that duty rested with the Commissariat Department.
It appears that, the first supply of 'planks and scantling,
_,
which arrived from Constantinople on November 25, 1554
to the second supply, which arrived on January 21, 1.55, the
Land Transport was insufficient to carry up to the front even
the subsistence for the men 'much less was it possible for
them to transport a heavy weight of planks and 87,antling.
It appears, therefore, that the Quartermaster-General's
Department is relieved from all responsibility on this head.
The responsibility of the Quartermaster-General's Depart-
ment was confined to snaking a requisition for such materials
as could be made available for the purpose, and as early as
October (before it was known whether the army was going to
winter) a communication was made to the principal agent for
transports, Captain Christie) to obtain all the sparo sails,
spars, and tarpaulins.
On its being decided that the army was to winter in the
Crimea, the Quartermaster-General states, in answer to the
commitaloners, that be procured WO Turks as !abourei.s, and
. .