The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-12 00:00:00

A.D. 1720.

ROYAL EXCHANGE ASSURANCE
CORPORATION,

(Established by Charter of his Majesty George the First),
For SEA, FIRE, LIFE, and -3.ZNVITIES.
OFFICES—ROYAL EXCIIANGX, LONDON.
BRANCH OFFICE-29, PALL-MALL.
Oetavins Wigram, Esq., Governor.
George Pearices Barclay, Esq., %.Ib-Gwernor.
Sir John William Lubbock, Bart., Dtputy..Goyentor.
DIRECTORS.
Charles John Manninz. Req.
Hon. John T. Lrslie Melville.

henry Bainbridge, Esq.
Edmond S. P. Calvert, Esq.

john Garrett Cattley, Esq.
Alexander Colvin, Esq.
Edward Maxwell Daniel, Esq.
William Davidson, Esq.
Alexander Druce. Esq.
Riversdale Wm. Grenfell, Esq.
Robert Amadeus Heath, Esq.

William Tetlow Hibberi,Esq.
James Stewart Hodgson, Esq.

Lancelot Holland, Esq.

Henry Belson, Esq.
Edward Howley Palmer, Esq.
Sir John Henry Pelly, Bart.
Alexander P. Prevost, Esq.
Abraham George Robarts, Esq.
Charles Robinson, Esq.
William 14 oltau, Esq.

Thomas Tooke, Esq.
William Wallace, Esq.

Charles Baring founi, Egg.

MEDICAL REFEEEE---Samuel Say, Eq.:l4%ms.

Notice.—The usual fifteen days allowed for payment of Fire Pre-
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and Special Acts of Parliament, and tested by the experience of
nearly a century and a half. There is but one older life office in
extsteace.

ROYAL EXCHANGE, LONDON.
JOHN A. HIGHAM. Actuary an& Secretary.

Spirit of the Public Journals.

(Front the Times of this clay.)
The publication of the Crimean Report has at least
bad the effect of convincing the accused Crimean officers
that some explanation of their conduct during the period
of their command is expected from them. In this report
certain specific charges are made against many officers
—among other., against the Earl of Lucan, the Earl of
Cardigan, Sir Richard Airey, and Colonel Gordon. The
representations made by Ministers in the two Houses of
Parliament in palliation of the conduct of their chief
military agents are now proved to have been totally un-
true. The fatuous gossip of "good society," and of the
fierce old gentlemen in the clubs, has been duly weighed
in the balance, and may now be estimated at its proper
worth. The fact simply is, that between them the chief
English officers in the Crimea destroyed one third of the
army committed to their care. Three-fourths of the
misery and starvation, and suffering from cold and want
of clothing, to make no mention of the absolute anni-
hilation of our splendid cavalry, must be referred to
the gross incapacity of the officers in chief com-
mand. These gentlemen are now strutting about
our streets with all the halo of heroism around
their heads ; they are receiving rewards from
foreign Sovereigns they are promoted to honours
and dignities at home, as though they had not done suf-
ficient mischief in the East, and as if the past were to be
slurred over and forgotten. The report of Sr John
M'Neill and Col. Tulloch has fallen like a Russian shell
in the midst of these dreamers, and they appear to be at
Net convinced' that a day of reckoning has come which
they cannot evade. This report—this official report, set
ou hot by the Goverment, and conducted by the agents
of the Government—nsust receive the amplest conside-
ration,-and every officer who're conduct hat-been therein
impugned, must be brought to th most exact account.
The Peers who took share in the debate last night appear
to have, as it were, an inkling of this great 'truth; but
they understand so little the gravity of the position that
they fancy a few formal declarations and formal vouchers
will be sufficient to satisfy the public. This is not so.
By all nearly, if the Earls of Lucan and Cardigan, if Sir.
R. A trey, and Cal. Gordon, are falsely accused, let Sir
J. and Col. Tullocb, and ail the officers and
soldiers they examined, be covered with confusion.
If, on the other hand, they are proved guilty of negli-
gene-, of incapacity, of gross unfitness for command ;
—it it can be shown that the greatest share of the
destruction which fell urn the British army before Se-
bastopol was due to their unoffieer-like administration
of their important trust, by the consequences they must
abide. Fair play for all. But there is fair play for the
dead as well as for the living. The blood of 10,000 gal-
lant veterans—the flower of the English army—as true
heroes as Lord Lucan or Lord Cardigan, or as Sir R.
Airey c r Colonel Ger lon, cries from the ground for jus-
tice. The House of Peers is the highest court of judica-
ture in the realm—we solemnly admr;nish them, in the
nam of the English people, how they prejudge this
cause. If they come forward as partisans, they will
simply link tho prestige of their or ler to the fortunes of
men who are labouring under the weight of a heavy
accusation, brought against them by agents who have
in the most dispassionately judicial spirit reported upon
the case.

The proceedings last night in the House of Peers
amount to this :—Lord Cardigan gave notice to the
Secretary of the War Department, "That, having been
reflected upon in, as he considered, a very unfair manner
in the report of a commission appointed by her Ma-
jesty's Government to inquire into the conduct of the
war in the Crimea. he should feel it his duty to-morrow
to transmit to the noble lord a full explanation
of his conduct as animadverted upon in that report."
There is no objection to this step, as far as it goes, but
what is the court of inquiry to which he appea,ls ? Clearly
the military anth•orities, who with this report before
them—for they ha-I it in July last—have heaped honours
on the officers accused, do not constitute a tribunal in
which the country will have confidence. Lord Lucan,
for his part;• has written a letter to the Secretary of
State, in which ho contradicts "in a mos. positive man-
ner every part of the report." In other words, he pleads
"not guilty " to the charge against him : but where is
the judge ? whc re are the jury ? Surely the bare denial
of Lord Luca'i is ❑o answer to the solemn report of Sir
John M'Neill and Colonel Tulloch, resting a; it does
upon the testimony of witnesses whose names are given,
and whose evidence is printed ? Lord Pantuure rose
after the two officers accused in the character of the
"avvocato del diarolo ;"he was sure, for his part, that
the Commissioners had not the sl.ghtest intention of
attacking the character of the noble Earls ; and, on the
whole, he was for treating the popular clamour with
suitable contempt. Lord Derby, who followed, with
characteristic boldness harped upon the theme, "Are
the two Lords accused to have an opportunity offered
to them for making a public defence ?" By all
me les. They are most fully entitled to a patient
and careful hearing, and, it they can succeed in
setting a-ide the evidence of the witnesses against
them, to a full and decisive acquittal. For their own
sakes, if they hold themselves free from blame, they will
urge forward such a measure, and they will without
doubt meet with every facility for carrying their pur-
pose into effect. The conclusion of the discussion w:4l
simply puerile. The decorations and honours which
have been bestowed upon the Earle of Lucan and Car.
digan have, we are told, been riven to them, not for
their success—not for their qualifications as Generals--
but for p crsonal bravery in the face of the enemy. Were
these noble lords private dragoons, and had they been
rewarded with a shilling a day of extra pay, this would
be well enough, but from Generals other and very dif
ferent qualities are required than mere personal cour ,ge.
Even so, without meaning to cast the shadow of an im-
putation upon the gallantry of the Earl of Lucan, we
know not that in the Crimea his heroism was put to the
test. When the char;e of the heavy brigade took place
at, Balaklava most rightly this General was not seen
flourishing his sabre in the van of his division. As far
as the Earl of Cardigan is concerned in the famous
charge of the light brigade, every man there present did
his duty ; nor, when the fatal order was once given,
did Lord Cardigan do anything more than any private
soldier who rode over that bloody field. It is sufficient
honour that he was one of that band of heroes.

There are no persons so profoundly interested in the
due prosecution of the inquiry to which the Crimean
Report must give rise as the upholders of our present
military system. If they make common cause with
officers whose incapacity for military command has
been proved they prejudge the case against themselves.
Who can honestly assist hereafter in calling the nation
to arms if our soldier* are always to be handed ovsr to
such incompetent guidance ? Our military chiefs and
administrators have not only been in the wrong, but are
resolved to persist in their error. Two officers high in
command, between them, brought about the destruc-
tion of the English cavalry in the East. They are se-
lected as especial objects of their Sovereign's favour.
Another. as Quartermaster-General of the British Army
in the Crimea, brought that army to the verge of de-
struction—he is appointed to the office of Quartermaster-
General of the British Army. Sir John M`Neill and
Colonel Tulloch may be safely left to describe the qualifi-
cations avid performances of the gallant officer who is to
act as his assistant. What the military system of Eng-
land was before the Crimean campaign, such it will he
again in six months' time ; nay, it is the same already.
Years must elapse ere we can replace the legions of
veteran soldiers who died victims of the "system"—and
the "system" remains in full force ! Had such things
occurred under the rule of the First Napoleon, in place
of selecting the incapable officers for rewards, decora-
tions, and promotion, he would have dismissed them
from active employment altogether—they might have
esteemed themselves fortunate if they escaped a yet
fuller measure of speedy justice at the hands of their
indignant master.