The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-29 00:00:00

The Board met to-day at the usual hour.
The case of the. Earl of Cardigan was proceeded with
this morning with the sitting of the Court.
The Judge-Advocate General called upon Lord Car-
digan to paint out distinctly the passages in the Cammis-
sionere' report to which he objected.
Lord Cardigan said he had not asked for an inquiry ;
but he would read a statement. to the Court, in -Which he
would point out the ohjectionable parts of the report.
His lordship then read his statement, iu which he stated
that the Royal Warrant alleged that certain-officers had
demanded a full inquiry into charges which the Commis-
sioners' report had brought against them ; but that so far
as he was concerned, as he bad already stated in Parlia-
ment, and which he now repeated, he bad not demanded
any inquiry. On the 'publication of the report he ad-
drssse f a note to the Secretary for War, containing such
remarks as appeared to him (Lord Cardigan) neces,ary
on a first perusel of that report That
letter 'had been laid on the table of Par-
liament, and he was ready, to wait a deliberate
coneideration of it in that place. It having been de•
aided that the Royal Warrant should issue, he cordially
accepted the oppeitunity thereby given him of more
fully entering into a statement of the facts, having no
desire to shrink from any inquiry into his conduce. He
proposed to call attention to those portions of the re-
port which dealt with the question of the sufficiency or
insufficiency of the means of transport for the cavalry,
and also that of the forage, and with that which espe-
cially referred to the condition of the Light Cavalry bri-
gade, which he commanded, and in which the correct-
ness of his discretion with respect to the management of
the horses had been impugned. The noble earl then
gave a brief summary of his joining the light brigade on
the 23d May, at Scutari, and how be was engacee front
that time to the battle of Balaklava, when 370 horses
of the light brigade were put hors de combat in charging
the Russian batteries, and their being subsequently
moved to the height's of Inkermao, near Sir De Lacy
Eeeees, who commanded the 4th division, where they
remained till the battle of Inkermakn. Up to that time
forage was -tolerably- well" supplied. His lordship said.
the Commissioners' report appeared to charge him. with
contributing towards the subsequent inefficiency of the
Light Cavalry brigade by refusing to send his horses
upon the difficult service of bringing tip forage from the
stores at Balaklava, and he said that at that time his
horses were in .so wretched a State from starvation as to
be unable to carry their riders, aud.were dropping down
dead from exhaustion daily, and that circumstance he
brought under the notice both of Lord Raglan and Lord
Lucan. When the brigade moved to the front and were
a greater distance from Belaklava, the supply of forage
gradually diminished. Previous to the storm of the 14th
November, the transport service was insufficient to keep
the horses supplied, and after that it was impossible for
him to supply hay to the brigade. There was some bay at
this time at Baiaklava, but from the bad state of the
roads, and the commissariat being deficient of the means
of transport for carrying it to the front, the supply sen-
sibly diminished, and, on many occasions, the supply did
not exceed 41bs. or slbs. of hay a horse--at the best never
exceeding 10Ibs. or 121bs. of tiny a horse. His lordship
then detailed the actual supply of forage to the horses
after the et arm, which was the same as that already pub-
blished it, Lord Lucan's case. The noble isri, in eluci-
dating his statement that he did everything he could to
promote the comfort and health of his men and horses,
said he should mainly rely on the evidence taken before
the Sebastopol Committee, so that it would be unneces-
sary far him t r trouble the court with many witnesses.
His lordship was about to read the evidence of Lord
Lucan before that c munitteee when
The Judie Advocate-General said that as that evidence
could not be tieen as evidence by that Court, it would
be better for his lordship not to refer to it.
Earl Cardigan said it was impossible for him to pro-
ceed with his case without referring to it, and be then
read the parts which referred to die precautions he had
taken to provide forage for his horses, &0., and the
difficulties be had to contend with, which have already
been published. His lordship next referred to his suffer
kg from ill health, and his being obliged to resign his
command on the 20th November, and that be was sue-
c•-tided in that command on the 30th by Col. D Merty.
From the time of the storm on the 14th, up to the time
of his resignation on the 29th', he did everything he
could to provide sufficient forage for his horses, but was
enable to provide it ; and the small supply the horses
had of barley was diminished from the want of nose-
bags. With regard to his statement, that the Heavy
Brigade was better supplied with forage than the Light
;brigade, and contained in his letter to Lord Pane:tore,
ha (Gerd Cardigan) at that time believed it to be correct,
but now that fresh figures had been supplied ho found
he was incorrect, and these figures showed a di&rence
in the percentage of the mortality amongst the horses
of the two brigades ef two percent. only, making it 12
per cent. instead-of 10 per cent, as he had stated. He
was ready to give the CommissiOners the advantage of
that increased per centa,ge, but it must be borne in mind
that the actual numerical losses appeared greater in the
Heavy Brigade than in the Light Brigade ; and in con-
clusion said that the evidence of Lord Lucan before the
Sebastopol Committee, who was a witness acquainted
with the place and the difficulties they had to
contend with, fully bore out the opinion he
Cardigan) formed of the horses of the
Light Bi igade being unfit for transport diity, and
was confirmatory of the justness of the discretion he
exercised on that occasion. The same opinion was en-
tertained by the C .rumander-in-Chief of the army. The
conclueion of his Lordship's address was received with
applause, which was immediately -suppressed. '
His Lordship then called Assistant-Commissariat-
General Cruickshank—When he made application to
Lord Cardigan for horses for transport duty between
the 14th and 28th November they were refused. He
made a similar soplication to Lord Lucan, and he re-
plied in a similar wanner that the horses could nut be
sent down ; he was under the impression that he made
several such applicatieris to Lord Luca!), who on each
occasion refused them. It was not his (itir.Craikshanks)
province to inquire why and wherefore they were re-
fused.

His Lordship declined putting any further questions
to the witness, and he then retired.
Earl Cardi:4an then informed the court that he had
no more witnesses to cal'.

Mr. Cruickshank, in answer to questions from the
board, said that he met all the commanding of-
ficers on the 15th or 16th November, relative to
providing transport horses, and they all agreed
to send a eeitAin number to Balaklava fur forage,
and in c msequence of that he made application
to Lord Cardigan, and afterwards, by his suggestion to
Lord Luean, the Divisional Commander. When the
first application was made for horses the roads were not
very bad, and at that time it was thought the horses
could have gatie from the ca op to Balaklava for the
forage. It had never occurred to him that if the trans•
port mules had taken the forage half way, the cavalry
horses could have conveyed it the remainder of the dis-
tance to the camp. It had been arranged that no delay
should take place at B daltiava in loading the animals.
He knew of no instance when the LightiCavalry Brigade
which came under his notice, had to wait for barley at
Balak lava.

Lord Lucan, who was present, out of regimentals,
a,ked to be allowed to explain what occurred with re-
ference to the application for horses, which was at
variance with what he (Lord Lucan) believed to be the
case.

The Court assented.
Lord Lucan then entered into a statement of how he
acted with reference to such applications, and denied
that he was applied to by Mr. Cruickshank to supply
horses, except on two occasions, which related to Inker-
man, and as he had on a previous occasion stated his
objections to these horses, he requested the orders
should he given in writing.
Mr. Cruickshank persisted in the truth of his state-
ment, and that, in consequence of his applications to
Lord Lucan, his lordship saw Lord Raglan on it. The
refusal of the horses was a subject of conversation
throughout the camp.
Lord Cardigan said he had no recollection of having'
suggested to Mr. Cruikshank to apply to Lord Lucan.
If he had done so there would not have been anything
extraordinary in it. It was the duty of the divisional
commander, and not the Brigadier-General to provide
the transport animals that might be required.
A long discussion ensued between Lord Lucan and
Mr. Cruickshank relative to this point, each persisting
be was right.
The Court adjourned at two o'clock, and on ine re-
assembling of the Board,
Col. Tulloch proceeded to make some remarks en
Lord Cardigan's statement, but before doi* so,
The Judge Advocate-General inquired of Lord_Car•
digati it he would have thought himself justified in dt•
taching any portion of the forces under his command for
any particular duties without the consent of the Lieu-
tenant-General commanding the division ?
Lord Cardigan—Certainly vote
General Searlett was then called, and in an,,wer to
que•tions from the Judge-Advocate-General, said that
the foraging parries sect fe,m the heavy brigade into
Belakliava were very much delayed by the want of
beats and the general ebstructiens in the harbour in time
landing of barley. Some time the men were occupied
four or five hou're in loading. and he was obliged in con-
sequence te call upon his eflicers for returns of the time
-the men were so eocupied. The men sent down had
some times tea assist in unloading the barley from the
ships from the want of sailers. He was not certain if
the horses had ever returned without forage, but he
thought they haA. The light brigade was situated
two and a half miles and the heavy brigade 3A miles
at the time he alluded to fr ,in Balaklava.
Col. Doherty was also called and said that a fortnight
after thhealv2irt)lgm
aonv et'b
average,
er tl hosts
, on
)nly wereabout 2 n bad con-
dition, i
bs.or bares
ley per day. He made no application to be allowed to
send to lialaklava f.,r forage, and his reason for riot
aonlying was because he heard from other commanding-
oflieers teat their applications had been refused.
At fiist it would have been pr,cticabie to have
sent the horses to Baiaklava (the Th or Bth of No.
veruber), but not afterwards. He might have applied
11 he lied not heard that others had been refuse,!, hut
he did not think of it at the time. lie never heard
that it was pos'sible forage could have been herd at
Balaklava if the her es were sent for it. He knew
the horses were in a bad state, but he did not know
if there was any forage for them at Balaklava, not
having been there. The horses after the 14th were
too weak to perform tie journey to Balaklava. If th tre
was no forage fir tee bor-e=, the alternative of course
was that they died. The only way in which forage
could be obtained was by it, being snt to
the cavalry, or the letter fetching it. Pert of
the month of November he was sick in his tent,
and was unable to attend to duty. The Commissioners