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

THE ticETN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING JULY, 28, 1866-

. -
sion,ra, varied in some, material particulars from the eyi- all the timber and planks necessary; from Sinop° .and Con-
deuce as giveeby some of the officers in the Crimea (pp. stautinople'.
259-267, Questions' 1,244 to 1,257; p. 2SO, Questions 1,27.. , But it doea not appear that any timber or planks were
to 1,278 ; p. 300). And in closing his address he said, "I ' distributed in the Crimea before theans middle o
pf November or
had intended to impugn the Report, by showing that the end of December, or that any
meansort a
conclusions therein contained would have been prevented able for that purpose,
by that very testimony which, though not printed with the So far as the report of the commissioners may be apposed
rest of the evidence, was, in truth, actua'dy given before the to animadvert upon the Quartermaster-General'sDepartment,
Commissioners ; and I had intended, I confess, to invite the in regard to the want of " promptitude or ingenu yin devis-
attention of the board to the circumstance; under which the big ' temporary shelter' for the horses," and the employment
displacement of the evidence lead occurred. From this of canvas for that purpose, we are of opinion at the evi-
second portion of ray can lam debarred by the absence of'dente of Admiral Sir B. Lyons, MN., Major Keane, R. ,
Sir J. M'Neill and Colonel Tidloch" (p. 337.) Admiral Sir J. Dundas, R.N., Colonel Chapman, R.E ,
He called the attention of the board to the precise limits Major Hackett, Deputy-Assistant Quartte termaster-G statements
eneral,
of the Quartermaster-General's Department, and the nature Captain Dell7llllll, R.N., completely refuhe
of its duties (pp. 235-6-7-9 ; 253-4-5 ; 335-6 ; 341), and pro- of the commissioners.
ceeded to give an explanation on those matters which, falling Before we close our observations on the case of Sir Richard
within the range of the Quartermaster-General's Department, Airey, we think it important to refer to the subject of the
had been made the subjeet of observation by the COIDMIS- road from Bala.kla.va, a matter which so pre-eminently falls
*Milers (p. 235), and contended that there was no ground within the range of the Quartermaster-General's duties, and
whatever for the animadeershms upon his department which about whiCh so much has been-said.
are contained in the Report (p. 337). Sir Richard Aircy has considetaid it sufficient for his vindi-
With a view to a clear stetement of the result of our i cation to quote tie words of the commissioners in their own
quiry into the correctness of those anise alvereions, we now Report, as satisfactorily explaining, so far at least as his own
proceed to report on each of the matters commented on by department was concerned, the causes el the defects, and the
difficulty which existed in remedying them :
theicommissioners, in ,the order iu which :they have taken
" The want of a road from Balaklava to the front, passable
them.
for Commissariat carts, greatly increased the difficulty of sup-
plying the army after the middle of November ; but the offi-
cers commanding divisions who were examined upon the sub-
ject are unanimous iu their opinion that it would have been
impossible to employ a sufficient number of mon to make the
road and at the same time to carry on the military operations
in which the army was engaged."
To this passage may be added the admission of the com-
missioners that hired labour could not be obtained, and the
demand for the services of the troops in the trenches and for
other military duties was such that they could not be spared
for other purposes. (CorainiSsioners' Report, p. 33.)
On a careful review of the imputations, whether express
or implied, against the Quartermaster-General's Department
in the Crimea of which Sir R. Airey cOMplained,
We are of opinion that, in the Perfaimance of their seve-
ral duties, neither that officer tier any of those who served
under him are justly chargeable with mismanagement or ne-
glect; but that, on the contrary, they used their best exer-
tions to premOte, as far as depended upon them, the welfare
of the army:
That their endeavours often failed in" their object cannot
fairly be matter of charge against a department which, al-
though ostensibly responsible for the performance of duties of
the ten, first importance to an army in the field, is yet loft
unprovided with any means at its disposal of carrying out
its own arrangements, and thus become entirely dependent
on the precarious aid of other departments, which, on this
particular service, were over-taxed far beyond their strength
and resources.
Formerly the Quartermaster-General's Department was on
a very different footilig in this respect ; the greater part of a
staff-corps of infantry-, composed entirely of artificers, and
commanded by officers specially trained, or selected with a
view to staff employment, was attached to the Quartermas-
ter-General's Department, and its services were at all times
available for the performance of duties which could not other-
wise be provided for.
It is in evidence that, in the Crimea, the Quartermaster-
General endeavoured to obtain the assistance of the Royal
Engineers for erecting huts for the cavalry, but that none
could be spared, as the operations of the siege occupied the
entire strength of that corps.
It is also stated in evidence that in the Crimea the French
army had a " Corps d'Arts et de Metiers" disposable for the
construction of field ovens, &c., at a period of great suffer-
ing, when not a man of the British army, could be obtained
for a like purpose.
THE HON. COL. 'GORDON'S CASE.
Col. Gordon called the attention of the board, in the first
instance, to the following statements, which had been made
by Col. Tulloch during the course of the proceedings before
the board ; and which statements he considered to be incor-
rect as regarded himself, and prejudicial to him if left nn •
challenged : .
I: A statement to the effect that all the originals of the
evidence given by the officers in the Crimeawere sent to them
for:orrection. .
. Col. Gordon said that this was not doneineertain instances
with his evidence ; 'and that the evidence that was submitted
to him, and which purported to be an original, was materi-
ally different from the actual original (pp. 343-4).
A statement with regard to Col. Wetherall's evidence,

SEPARATION FROM KNAPSACKS.
As regards the separation of the men from their knap-
sacks Oil lending in the Crimea, it appears to the board that
this was a matter entirely within the depirtmeut of the ad-
jutant-General, who, under the orders of the General Com-
manding, could alone see the measure carried into execution ;
but Sir It. Airey, having stated his readiness to give any in-
formation in his power, has said that whoa the force recovered
its communication with the sea, active measures were taken
for restoring them ; and it is in evidence (Questions 1,214-
1,218) that, in consequence of the physical weakness of thee
men who embarked at Varna, a discret.onary power s
landing with or without knapsacks was given to officers com-
manding regiments, and that most, of them availed themselves
of that power to lighten the men's burdens.
It also appears that no blame is attributable to the Qaar-
termaster-Geueral's Department, although much delay was
occasioned in recovering knapsacks from the transports, in
consequence of various obstacles over which that department
had no control. It may, however, be observed that the
packs contained very little that could have added to the, com-
fort of the men, a proportion of the men's necessaries having
been left in the squad-bags :it Scutari. • '
tesces OF WARM CLOTHING FROM ENGLAND.
Sir Richard Airey has stated that the Quartermaster.
General's Department had no stores, no storehouses, no store.
keepers, no issuers, nor means of lauding transport—none,
in fact, of the machinery necessary for receiving stores, or for
keeping them, or for transporting or delivering them to the.
men, and that, the only duty of the depaitment in relation to
the issue of s ores was that of determining- the proportions in
which they should be shared by the tvaopse
It appears to us material to observe that, although the
term " Quartermaster-Geuera,l's stores". seems to have been
applied by the commissioners to 'all Stores fer which the
Quartermaster-General made requisition, the respousibility of
that officer must be understood to be limited to the duty of
making requisitions for certain stores, and not to their safe
custody, stowage, or oven issae.--(Sce Colonel Wetherelt's
evidence, p. 269.)
We now proceed to give our opinion 'as to tho manner in
which the Quartermaster-General performed the duties of his
department.

DIMIBUTION Or WARM. CLOTHING.
Sir Richard Airoy complained of the following statement :
•i The arrangements relating to the issue of the supplies
from the Quarterseaster-General's stores appear to have. been
of questionable expediency."
Sir Richard Airey thinks it is made tci appear,inferentially,
that this supposed want of care in the working of the Depart-
ment may have been the occasion, not of mere inconvenience
and trouble, but. of some of those dreadful privations to which
the soldier was subjected in the winter of 1854 and 1855, and,
that although there always was a supply of warm clothing in
the harbour of Balaklava, official formality or mismanagement
stood up as a barrier between the soldieo and his supplies.
Warm clothing being an extra issue, very unusual in the
service, the principle adopted by the Quartermaster-Ge-
neral as to the apportionment of it, appears to have been a
very judicious one—viz., that of sending orders that the
regiments shOnld apply for it according to their strength,
for which purpose Sir Richard Airey placed an officer (Lieut.-.
Colonel Mackenzie) at Balaklava, who appears to have per-
formed his duties most efficiently ; but the cause of those sup-
plies not reaching the men for a considerable time after the
orders were given was owing to the deficiency of transport,
a fact fully admitted by the commissioners.

viz. : --
" Those notes were never introduced into the body of the
evidence, because the marked difference between what was
received in the one case andacknowledged in the othershowtxl
that the inquiry would lead to no beneficial result, and I
therefore struck out the whole of the latter part of the memo-
randum, and in that state it was subsequently sent to Col.
Gordon for Col. Wetherall, along with his evidence, to save the

RUGS AND BLANEIET4.
Sir Richard Airey, complained (p. 259) of the passages in the
Commissioners' Report referred tie in the margin ; lie said—
" It is there made to appear that the blankets fell short, and
that the men were kept without warm clothing, because it
occurred td no one to give the 8,000 rugs which were lying
in store."
With regard to rugs the commissioners state :---
" These rugs were nearly as well calculated as blankets to
keep out the cold, aad were, perhaps, better suited to resist
wet, yet when the supply of blankets fell short it does not
appear to have occurred to any ono that the rugs were
available as a substitute." -

trouble of re-copying it."
Colonel Gordon said that the memorandum there men-
tioned never was sent to him, and that he never saw it till
he saw it printed in this country (p. 344-5).
111. Colonel Gordon also complained of query 7, p. 200,
of the Commissioners' Report (evidence), as attributing to
him a statement which he had never made, and containing
assertions which• were entirely incorrect (p. 340.
"7. Yon state (page 169 of 7. Thisquestien assumes as
your evidence) as a reason for a fact that which I have not
not making these issues,, that stated, and contains asser-
you thought when the men tions which I believe tobe en-
had two blankets, a sheep- tirely incorrect. ; I must,
skin coat, a fur cap, a pair of therefore, decline entering
leggings, a waterproof hood, on a question founded in
one-third of a buffalo robe, error." ,
two guernsey frocks, two
pairs of drawers, two pairs
of socks, a pair of winter
boots, a comforter, and two pairs of gloves, as well as au
extra suit of uniform, that they were not so badly off.
Were you 'aware, when you made this statement, that
the returns received from the Quartermaster-General's De.
partment show that the articles, of which the non-issue
is complained of, arrived at Balaklava between the 21st
and 28th of November. while- those to which Yen refer
(with the excepti.4 of the blankets) were not received till
near • the middle of January ? How, then, could the issue
of the latter have operated as a reason for the non •issue of
the former, when they were not available for at *ast six
weeks after the 28th of November, during which period
the sufferings of the men from want of sufficient clothing
.were at their, greatest height I"
IV. Also of the following paragraph, p. 26 of the Report,
the accuracy of which he unequivocally denied (p. 318.9) :
" It will be observed, that Colonel Gordon in his evidence
assigns as a reason for the non-issue of many of these sup-
plies, that he conceived the men had enough, and he enu-
merates a long list of articles supplied to them ; but he
overlooks the fact, that the greater number of these were not
issued till about the end of February, whereas the period
during which the men principally suffered was in the
months of December and January, when it appears that
there were supplies enough in hand to.have averted much

This statement is-distinct/1y contradicted by Col. Wetherell,
in the following words : •
" It was a yellow, half-cotton, half-worsted rug, and,
though the commissioners state that thry. were nearly as well
calculated to resist wet as blankets, no one else in the Crimea
thought so, and that was the very reason why they were
I
never used because they did not resist Wet." ' • -
Cot. Wetherell further stated that— . • . - .. .
" The rugs were always placed uncle the same category as
blankets, and requisitions were frequently altered to blankets
or rugs, and that if a regiment asked for blankets, And they.
were not available, and rugs were, they regiment had perinis-
sion to take rugs."
This statement. appears to be-completely borne out by the
evitieuee of Mr. 116 yd, the storekeeper, and, the returns of
1 Emus. •• •
With regard to " blankets," they were one of the articles
which were issued on requisitions made in the usual form,
and approved by the Quartermaster-General, and it appears
that these requisitions were approved of greatly in advance
of the power of regiments receiving the same to draw the
blankets, owing to the want of means of transport. Colonel
Cobbe (p. 279, Commissioners' Report) says, that Ow requi-
sitions of warm clothing or blankets were always in advance
of the means of transport at his disposil.
Col. Wetherell, in his evidence given to the commissioners
in the Crimea, informed them that— ,
" In the month of December alone, no less than 22,740
blankets were issued by the department, though only 17,323
were carried away."
This portion of Col. Wetherell's evidence was omitted by
the commissioners in their report, but was laid before us by
Sir R. A.frey (p. 259.)

of that sufferisii."
V. Also of the following paragraph (p. 27 of the Report
which be considered to be wholly unsupported by the evi
dente (p. 349-50) :
" One of the reasons assigned for not issuing the regi
mental greatcoats was, that the regulations of the service
as established by the Qaeen's warrant, did not authorise
such issue more frequently than once in three years. The
proportion of corps in the Crimea entitled to them in terms
of that warrant was very limited, and it does not appear
that any instructions dispensing with its restrictions were
received there, or that any intimation was given of
the intention with which they were sent out. Had
an application been made, however, it is not probable that
the General commanding would have refused to authorise,
on his own responsibility, the distribution of articles of cloth-
ing which wore likely to contribute to the health and effi-
ciency of the troops ; and if the Quartermaster-General
doubted his own powers in this matter, it appears to us that
ho ought to have applied for that antholity."
VI. Col. Gordon also complained of the following para-
graph in page 24 of the Report, as implying that he had not
sufficient grounds for the statements which he had made to
the commissioners as a witness (p. 347-8) :
" It will be seen from the evidence of Col. Gordon, then
Assistaut-Quartermaster-General, that he attributes the non-
recovery of the knapsacks at an early period to the general
officers of divisions, with the exception of the Duke of Cam-
bridge, preferring not to receive them. On referring, how-
ever, to two of the officers who commanded divisions on that
occasion, one of them states positively that no such offer was
Made to him ; another, that he has no recollection of it,
thoneh it may have been so ; the third being absent, we have
had no opportunity of communicating with him on the sub-
jest."
VII. Colonel Gordon also said—
".A point upon which I think I have some reason to com-
plain is, the fact that, after having obtained from Major
Wetherall and myself, and from numerous other officers,, the
materials from which these portions of their report to which
I have been adverting were drawn up, the commissioners
should not have put to Sir R. Airey, the Quartermaster-Ge-
neral, in justice to himself as well as to his subordinate offi-
cers, a single question upon the subject, either of the knap-
sacks, or the issue of clothing. which had unquestionably
formed in their minds, from an early period, so important a
feature of the inquiry. I was shown by Sir It. Airey the
questions (63 in number) which were sent to him, as contain-
ing the points upon which the commissioners required infor-
mation ; and finding that there was not ono relative to the
issue, or non-issue, of clothing, or to the knapsacks, I had
every right to conclude that the evidence of Major Wetherell
and myself had on the subjects been deemed satisfactory."
(P. 351.)
Complaints respect to the subjects referred
to in Complaints I. endg., after giving duo consideration to
the reasons set forth by, Cel. Tulloch in his paper marked 13,
in explanation thereof, we entirely aeanit the'commissioners
of being actuated by any improper motives in adopting the
course complained of by Colonel Gordon; inasmuch as, with
respect to the evidence given to the commissioners by Colonel
Gordon, we think that the commissioners were under the im-
eression that that officer had sufficient opportunity of cor-
recting it.
Bet as that impression does not seem to have been correct,
we are of opinion that Colonel Gordon's complaint, in this
respect, is not without foundation.
With respect to. Colonel Wetherall's evidence—
The commissioners refer to the fact of Colonel Wetherall's
absence from the Crimea in explanation of the circumstance
of his evidence net.having been signed by that officer. They
orwarded it to Colonel Gordon on the 4th of June, 1855, ap-
parently with the intention of procuring its signature and re-
visal by Colonel Wetherell, overlooking, however, the circum-
stance of Colonel. Wetherall being at that time at Constanti-
nople ; for it appearkthat after Colonel Wetherall's examina-
tion was finished—viz., on the 28th of May, he applied to the
zonamiesioners to know whether he might leave the Crimea,
old the commissioners, having consulted together, stated that
they had nothing further to ask from him, that: they had
ascertained all, they wished as to the clothing, and he was
perfectly at liberty to go to Constantinople. He accordingly
left Balaklava, either on the 31st of May or the Ist of June
(page 281, question 1,288).
• His evidence was returned to the commissioners by Colonel
Gordon without alteration.
ccoonTbs :Liege ilayNea‘ln,uccetel,,,
ehr
atohwisrtesvibteisrgc,n
dnwaeontscaeapdpgmeivnitedteneddb:yeven though
The commissioners state that they were led to believe, in
ooanft I..ietrheetenweeess..ve
the officer
who was charged with the apportionment of the articles in
store, and the importance of that portion of Colonel Wethe-
rail's evidence which was omitted 'when the other portion
was forwarded to Colonel Gordon for correction, both
(=ring upon the delays and omissions supposed to have
Reamed in supplying the troops with comforts that were
available, induce us to express our regret that Col. Wetherall's
attention had not been particularly called by the COMMIS.
sinners to these points, and to the absence of his own sigma-
lure; especially as, with reference to the non-isane of various
articles of clothing, the commissioners appear to have formed
Jonclusious which subsequent explanations and a comparison
of raturns do not warrant.
Complaint lII.—Col. Gordon's complaint of query 7, p.
200 of the commissioners' report, as founded upon incorrect
assumptions of what he had said, appears to be borne out by
a reference to p. 169 of the commissioners' evidence, where
Col. Gordon gives, as a reason for not issuing a rug, a third
•blenket and second greatcoat to the men, that there was not
a sufficient quantity-in store previous to the arrival of other
6

warm clothing, " andnot to his considering they were not so Mareb, was nearly 101 b. por man per month, exclusive of
badly off." that furnished for the trobps on board hospital ships iu bar-
The supplies of the articles enumerated in the following hour,-the aggregateforce being 158,617 men, and the quantity
list are shown to have been authorised as soon as possible of fresh meat issued by the commissariat 1,525,9191 b."
after they were landed and received into store:- Sheepskin The issues in December fell greatly below the average, that
coat, first arrivals. Dec. 28 ; fur cap, Jan. 20; pair of leggings, is, to 631 b. per man, in consequence of the cattle-vessels,
Feb, 9 ; waterproof hood, Feb. 9 ; buffalo robe, Dec. 25 ; which had been damages( in the hurricane, being still under
Guernsey frock, drawers, and socks, Nov. 21; winter boots, repair during that month.
Jan. 30 ; comforter, Dec. 24 ; gloves, Jan. 6 ; coatee and That the healthy did not receive the ration while these
troasees, Nov. 28. figures would indicate was unfortunately owing to the large
The first of Cheer supplies, consisting of the articles most numbers of sick, who, is some divisions, received full rations I
wanted, viz., Guensey frocks, drawers, and socks, oar- of fresh meat daily, in others five days a week, this curtail-
before the end of Nov., they having arrived on the ing the rations of the rest of the troops.
21st of that month; and the assertion that the greater num- lIMEJUICE (p. 9).
ber of them were not issued till about the end of Jan. or be- The commissioners in their Report state--
ginning of Fob., appears to be disproved by the returns "That from the 10th of December the limejuice brought
above referred to. • by the Esk was lying in the commissariat stores at Balaklava,
Complaint IV., V.-In our observations on complaint and none of it was issued till the first week in February, an
No. 111., we have commented ley anticipation on com- interval during which the sufferings of the army from scurvy
plaints Nos. IV. and V., and we may here add, that so were probably at their height.
far from the Quartermaster-General having doubted his own it appears, by the evidence before us, that there is some
authority, or delayed making an application to the Corn- contradiction as to the date of the arrival of the Esk.
minder-In-Chief, as supposed by the commissioners (Report, The Commissary-General stated that that vessel did not
p. 27), it appears that Lord Raglan at once dispensed with arrive until the 19th of December, in which he is ,confirmed
the firms that interfered with the issue of greatcoats,and by Mr. Archer. However this may be, it appears clear that
with any other articles that were required for the use f the the casks of limejuice in the Esk were landed and delivered
troops. into the commissariat stores on the 20th of December; that
Complaint VI.-With regard to Complaint No. VI., Col, information of this arrival was given to the Purveyor of Hos-
Gordon called our attention to the evidence which he had pitals, who appears to have actually removed some of it away
given to the commissioner, and intimated that it contained a from the beach while it was being taken out of the vessel.
correct statement of the matter. He then said- The Medical Department was therefore duly apprised of
"As the commissioners have not thought it necessary to this supply, and Lord Raglan also appears to have been duly
state the names of the two generals to whom they applied, or informed that there was limejuice in store, but the issue of
to insert the correspondence which passed on the occasion, SO it as a regular ration to the troops generally was not autho-
neither do I wish to introduce into this explanation any mat- rised until the General Order of the 31st of January, 1855.
ter of a mere personal nature between the generals of division Steps were promptly taken to procure supplies from Malta
and myself ; I will, therefore, merely repeat the steps taken and Sicily, and as soon as they were procured the issues were
by the Quarterm ister-General to enable them to obtain the regularly maintained ; therefore, in respect to this matter, no
knapsacks of their men." blame seems to attach to the Commissary-General.
With respect to the recovery of the knapsacks, we have MESH BREAD (p. 11).
given our opinion thereon in our report on Sir R. Airey's case. Mr. Filder complains that the commissioners have charged
Complaint VII.- With regard to Complaint No. VII. we him with an indisposition to make the attempt of baking
think that Col. Gordon might reasonably infer, from the cir- fresh bread.
cumstances therein detailed, that the evidence of himself and Be replies to this, and in our opinion satisfactorily, by
Col. Wetherell had been deemed satisfactory by the commis- bringing forward his purchase of three months supply of
sion ere. flour for the purpose of baking bread, but contends that, as
COMMISSARY-GENERAL FILDER'S CASE. bread requires 50 per cent. more of transport for its convey-
Mr. Filder referred to his letter addressed to Mr. Peel atice than biscuit, "it would have been impossible, in the
(which was laid before both Houses of Parliament), as con- then state of the roads, and the transport, to have found the
taining the particular passages of the Report of which he means of carrying it up to the camp."
chiefly complained (p.:156). A floating mill and bakery which he had applied for did not
He objected to the tone and spirit of the whole Report, arrive from England till the 12th of May.
as well as to the more precise charges contained in it, and In proportion as the state of the sea.transport improved bread
contended that it was not justified by the actual facts (p. 357). was brought from Constantinople, sufficient for an issue twice
He also complained that no inquiries were made of himself a-week,
• I either of the two examinations which he attended; or of When, on the arrival of the floating bakery, its capabilities
his officers when examined, which could' have shown them were found insufficient and the construction of ovens was
where the commissioners thought there had been neglect or commenced, the means existed of baking so as to allow of an
omission, or could have given them an opportunity of clear- issue to the troops on three days in the week.
ing up any misapprehension which might exist in the minds The different organisation of the French array is sufficient
of the commissioners (p. 357-352). • to explain the circumstance of their being more regularly sup-
Further, that the commissioners had not taken into
the 'olsfealwaithrehth2el,EnlgBlsissh,.to
account the particular difficulties of his position ; and that plied w
The
gi with fresh b
Quartermaster-General's rt
er
in
asrteea h
rd
Gt
enaenr
awl
their Report, even as 'a statement of facts, was a misrePresen- the commissioners points out the difficulties which at present
Whet) in many parts, and exaggeration in -others (p. 357)• exist in the British service with regard to employing soldiers
In support of these positions Mr. Filder set forth the na- as bakers. 'ass letter
Lure of the dutici of tho Commissariat Department while in
his charge, and the means which he had of performing them
(p. 357-8).
In illustration of the difficulties of his position he referred
to the insufficient establishment both of officers and em-
ployes (p. :358-377) ; the uncertainty of the position of the
army during the winter (p.:358 -373) ; the consequences of
the storm of the 14th of November, 1854 ; the effects of the
wants of a road (p. 359) ; and of the want of sea transport
(p. 360),
He e)ntenbd that the real question to be considered, with
reference to his conduct as Commissary-General, was this-
" Whether he could, from the middle of November, 1854,
to the end of February 1855, have increased the number of
transport animals in the Crimea, and whether, when he had
got them there, lee could have obtained from any quarter
sufficient forage to supply them with food." (P. 363-383.)
He said that on this question of transport depended the
consideration of various other matters of very great import-
ance, which had been made the subject of charges against
him (p. 360); ho instanced the supply of fresh meat (p.
360 -2), and of fuel (p. 363).
He showed in detail what had taken place with reference
to the supply of forage from England (p. 364-9, 370-1 •
381-2 ; 388 ; questions 1,981,1,996, 390 -8 ; 2,016 19, 35,
41 ; p. 406), and contended that the authorities there had
omitted to comply with his repeated requisitions, and that'
by no exertions of his own, or of the Commissariat officers
acting under his directions, could the deficiency have been
remedied from local resources'(p. 372.3).
He referred to some other charges relating rather to the
Peoulier quality or nature of the supplies given out than to
any deficiency, and as to which he said that-
. " The commissioners seemed to have been more misin-
formed, and more ready to arrive at conclusions, than as to
any other matters on which they had grounded their charges
against him (p. 373): -le Vegetable food (p. 373.4). 2. Lime
juice (p. 374-5). 3. Fresh bread (p. 375-6). 4, Tea (p.
381-2). 5. Green coffee (p. 381-2, 3166-7). 6. Rice (p. 382)."
We have thought it right, .in the first instance, to give this
cutting of Mr. Filder's address to the board, in order that the
statement of his complaint might appear in the form in which
he submitted it to us. But we have found it convenient in
our report to observe the arrangement which he has adopted
in his letter to Mr. Peel. •
We now, therefore, proceed to give our opinions in that
order on the several matters on which he has there adverted.
QUANTITIES IN STORE (p. 6).
Under this head the commissioners observe, with regard to
biscuit, that-
" The ration of biscuit haying, oh the 15th of Oct., 1854,
been increased by general order to in consideration of
the severe labour to which the troops were subjected, it was
reduced on the 7th of Nov. to 11b., on the express ground of
the supply of biscuit being insufficient to furnish the in-
creased ration lately authorised.' "
On this Mr. Filder remarks :-
" The est:031141(0 rotiou for all troops in the field was not
reduced, but the eVt.lll. $4310V.41100 ai.c..uti.ued. It was
a matter or notoriety that line. of biscuit was more than the
Men could eat, and that they sold or gave away a part of
what they received to the French troops who frequented our
lines ; this was before the storm or any deficiencies had oc-
curred. My motive for recommending the discontinuance,
under such circumstances, of the extra allowance was, that
its issue impeded the progress of the depot which I Was then.
forming in the front.
" Had the extra quantity of biscuit issued to the troops
in camp been allowed to accumulate in depot there, the ani
mats which, during the winter, were occupied in transient-
ing that article might have been employed in carry'sig
up other supplies, which were then so much needed ;
flare
extra quantity issued very greatly exceeded all the deficiee-
eies of biscuit which occurred throughout the winter."
Iu this view of the case we consider that Mr. Filder was
justified in recommending the discontinuance of the extra
allowance. .
The commissioners further observe, with regard to--
SALT ANAT.
" From the returns handed to us by the Conamissary-Geee-
ral, and from his statements, it appears that, although to
commissariat had at that time in store sufficient for several
days' consumption, there was still (in consequence of 80110
mistake, it is stated, on the part of the commissariat officea
at Constantinople) cause for considerable anxiety lest the
whole army should be left without salt meat, at a time when
no other articles of food were available, except biscuit, run,
and the ordinary groceries. The arrival of a vessel with s
supply of salt meat, before that which had been obtainet
from the navy was issued, relieved the Commissary-General
from the anxiety which he had previously felt on the subject.'
On this Mr. Filder remarks -
" That, although some apprehension on the subject of t
short supply existed in his mind, no positive deficiency ever
occurred in the commissariat stores; that the lowest number
of days for which he had supplies of salt meat on hand was
eight or nine ; and that the circumstance of his having hat
oven so short a supply as that arose partly from the loan ha
had male of alit article to the navy, partly from the deten-
tion of the vessels by contrary winds."
He further remarked that -
" The commissioners have omitted to state what is shown
by the evidence annexed to their report (p. 153), that the
salt meat received from the navy only replaced the quantity
which had been supplied from the commissariat stores for
seamen and marines serving on shore. This supply from the
n ivy was not, therefore, a loan, but a restitution of a loan.".
STIORT RATIONS (p. 7).
Under this head the commissioners state that-
" Iu the Crimea, during the greater part of November and
December. and also in a great measure during January and
a part of February, the soldier was confined exclusively to
biscuit in addition to his salt meat."
The returns quoted in margin show that there were issued
to the troops in the month of-
November 340.818 lb. of vegetables.
December 22,797 ditto.
January 77,250 ditto.
February
Also in the months of •-•
November 79,059 lb. of rice.
December, 63,014 ditto.
January 153,241 ditto.
February
It appears therefore that the statements of the commission-
ers are by no means borne out.
We may here add, with respect.to the remarks of the com-
missioners on the subject of vegetable food (p. 8), that we en-
tirely concur in the view of the Commissary-General, that his,
department is not responsible for the particular articles of diet
which constitute the rations of the men ; his duty is only to
furnish it according to the order of the General Commanding.
BEAT (p 8).-.-ABTYNDANCE OF CATTLE (p. 16).--earnerasce
• • •• or l'ffSsii MEAT (p. 17).
It appears to the board that the insufficient supply of fresh
meat arose from various causes, but primarily from the want
of sea transport, which want Commissary-General Filder ap-
pears to have used every exertion to remedy.
The number of transports at the disposal of the commissa-
riat was diminished during the month of December by the
circumstance of two of the most efficient cattle vessels being
then under repair, and useless.
The supply of fresh meat during the same month was ren-
dered less than it otherwise would have been, owing to the
commissariat officer at Eupatoria having seht back empty
two transports despatched to that place for a supply of cattle,
he having given over the cattle he had in charge there to the
French and Turks, who had arrived -without any supplies
of fresh meat, or the means of providing any.
Mr, Filder says on this subject :-
" I was at all times fully alive to the importance of pro-
viding fresh meat for the use of the troops, and employed
to the utmost a 1 the suitable vessels I could obtain (see
paper annexed, marked D), but I consider sailing vessels to
be unsuitable for the service in winter, particularly in the
Black Sea. Of all the cattle which were forwarded in sailing
transports from Varna at the end of October and beginning
of November, more than one-third were lost. Even on board
steamers, which were not fitted up as es stile vessels, the casu-
alties were verygreat. To have emigre led the use, therefore,
of sailing vessels, would have been to c lestroy the supplies of
the army, and must have led to a defici.envy ; for in winter
it would have been impracticable to oh Lain large supplies of
cattle from the interior of Turkey to re place such losses "
With reference to the observation of the commissioners
that -
" Slaughtered meat might at that season of the year have
been carried without much loss," and their opinion that
" fresh meat in much larger quanti tics might have been,
and ought to have been, supplied to the army"-
Mr. Filder says--
" Slaughtered meat was sent by the cattle vessels dining
the winter, in addition to the cargoes sr f live cattle, notwith-
standing that the plan, in a climate win :re the variations of
'temperature are so extregle, was attends d with much loss. It
was possible for the commissioners to hr %vo inquired into the
trimmer in which this important service t had been conducted
by the commissariat, and they would. have discovered that
their suggestion had been anticipated byeour practice."
"The commissioners cannot, it is pr esumed, mean that
slaughtered meat should have been forware 'Jed is sailing trans-
ports, as vessels of that class were often in winter nearly a
month in performing the voyage from the re tabaland."
Mr. Fader also says -
" The average quantity of fresh memt supp lied by the com-
missariat during the five-winter months, from November t•

(MEM COFFER (p. 12).
Mr. Filder was in no degree responsible for the coffee Lot
being roasted ; it was sent out in a green state by the Trea-
sury, sod it was no part of Mr. Fildor's duty, nor was he
ordered, to cause it to be roasted previously to its being de-

livered to the troops.
No complaint was made on the subject till the mouth o'

November.
Filder stated that a military board decided on issuing
coffee as a ration to the troops, and that the board knew that
it was sold to the men in a green state. He added—
" Subseqwently a small quantity of roasted coffee was sent
out from England as an experiment, upon which I was de-
sired to report ; but although ordered in July, it did not
reach the army till towards the end of September, when we
were on the march from Kalamita Bay to Sebastopol ; and
as soon as I learnt that it was approved of, I recommended
that coffee shou'd be sent out roasted, but none arrived till
about the 24th of January, from which date green coffee

ceased to be issued to the troops."
With respect to the suggestion of the commissioners that
tea should have been issuer to the troops instead of coffee,
ou account of the difficulties attending the roasting of the
latter, owing to the scarcity of fuel, it is obvioas that fuel
would have been equally required for making the tea ; and
as much tea appears to have been issued during the months
of January and February as was consistent with maintain-
ing a supply necessary for the use of the sick.
FUEL (p. 14).
It appears that, on the Ist of August, the Comraissary-
General brought this subject to the notice of Lord Raglan,
and a depot of fuel—viz., wood and charcoal, was formed at
Scutari. Early in November 800,00 rations of charcoal, or-
dered by Lord Raglan, arrived at Balaklava, and the issue to
the troops commenced on the Bth of December.
lii the purse of that month a large additional quantity
arrived. Mr. Filder states there never was at any time after
the beginning of November a want of fuel at Balaklava; the
only difficulty was to find the means of conveying it to the
front.
Mr. Filder having thus actually formed a depot of fuel at
Scutari, under the impression that the army might winter
there in barracks, having also sought instructions relative to
the formation of a similar depot at Varna, supposing the
army might winter in the Principalities, and having, more-
over, taken prompt measures to supply the troops in the
Crimea, when the local resources wore on the paint of ex-
haustion, cannot, is our opinion, be justly charged with
any want of foresight or exertion in this respect.

LAND-TRANSPORT AND RAY (p. 23-26).
The insufficiency of laud transport appears to have been the
principal cause of most of the sufferings experienced by the
army, and this insufficiency appears to have been occasioned
by the want of means of supporting more animals.
As relates to Mr. Filder, therefore, in his position of Com-
missary-General, the question is, in our opinion, correctly
stated by him to be—
" Whether ho is to blame for the deficiency of forage, to
which, step by step, all other deficiencies were mainly attri-
butable, as limiting the number of transport animals that
could be maintained in the Crimea, and whether he availed
himself of all the sea transport which he could obtain for the
conveyance of forage and live cattle."
Mr. Filder stated, at the .outset of his case, and we thins
correctly, that—
"lf was expected that he should provide trauma for
the conveyance of indefinite quantities of huts,, timber, buf-
falo robes, warm clothing, cm, it must be obvious that it
would have been wholly impracticable, even had there been
no difficulty with respect to forage. The additional transport
power could only have been procured by long previous pre-
paration, the time for which was never allowed him."
He showed that even for the most ordinary commissariat
purposes no more sea transport was available than that which
he actually used. And he, in our opinion, satisfactorily ac-
counted for the circumstance adverted to by the commis-
sioners, that the land transport was for a few days reduced
to an effective number of 333 packhorses and mules, and 12
camels.
With regard to forage Mr. Filder stated that—
" As the deficiency of fodder for the animals of the army in
the Crimea during the winter of October, 1854-5, had been
made the chief ground of accusation against him in respect of
his management of the supplies, it became necessary for his
vindication, more especially since the appearance of Sir C.
Trevelyan's statement, to enter into a fuller explanation with
regard to this head than he thought necessary with the other
charges."
Ho also stated that—
" So early as the time at which an expectation was enter-
tained that the army would advance to the Danube, I made
a contract for about 3,500 tons of hay to be delivered loose
at different places in the neighbourhood of Constantinople,
and I also desired the commissariat officer there to form a
depot of chopped straw, in case the army should return and
occupy cantonments in Turkey during the winter. I took
these stops as a precaution, notwithstanding that supplies of
chopped straw, the usual forage of the country, can be ob-
tained to almost any amount along the shores of the Bos-
phorus and the Sea of Marmora, and these arrangements
would have been adequate to the object in view had the army
been cantoned in these districts."
It appears that, on the 13th of September, when the fleet
was crossing the Black Sea to the Crimea, Mr. Filder wrote
to the Treasury, requesting that 2,000 tons of hay might 'be
sent from England ; and he stated that—
" By every subsequent mail, or nearly so, from the time of
our arrival before Sebastopol, througho.ut the months of Octo-
ber, November, and December, and up to the 22d of January,
I represented, in either official or private letters, addressed to
Sir Charles Treveljan, that it would be impossible to convey
by sea sufficient quantities of unpressed hay and straw to
meet the consumption of the army, or, if it were possible,
that we could not laud or ;slue sufficient quantities of forage
in that shapo, and that we should, consequently, be depen-
dent upon supplies of pressed hay from England; the quantity
of that article which could be procured from Constantinople
being quite inadequate to our wants. One or other, and
sometimes all of these topics were mentioned by almost every

Qu the 13th of November I transmitted an estimate of sup-
plies required to bo forwarded from England for the service
of the army in the East during a peniod of three mouths, in
which the supply of hay is stated ati 5,820,3141 b., or 2,600
tons, or 866 tons per month.
On the reciept by me, after I had transmitted the evi-
dence above mentioned, 3f an intimation from the Treasury
by, letter, dated the 9th of November, that shipments pf hay
would only be made at the rate of 357 tons per month,
I immediately informed Sir C. Trevelyan by letter, dated
the 27th of November, that this quantity would not suffice,
and that I should require 580 tons per month for the artil-
lery, cavalryi and-commissariat trangpoit animals alone ; and
b}► the next mail—that is, on the Bth of December—l wrote
to say that, in consequence of Lord Raglan having ordered
full,rations of forage to be issued for all the baggage animals
of the army, I should want the whole of the hay estimated
for, or 866 tons per month. So little attention did this meet
with that, in fact, even the 357 tons per month were not
sent, the total quantity shipped and forwarded during the
two months of October and November not having exceeded
273 tons—that is to s.ty, by the Belgravia, 402,7751 b.; by
the Esk, 108,1001 b ; and by the Helen, 88,4251 b. ; total
599,3251 b.
The following passage in the Treasury statement is confir-
matory of the latter portion of this statement by Mr. Filder:
"The shipments of hay actually made from England up
to the end of January were as follows :-1854. In June and
July, 1,203,8001b.=537 tons in 5 vessels ; in August and
September, 1,023,3001b.=457 tons in 6 vessels.; in Novem-
ber, 599,3001b.=267 tons in three vessels; in December,
1,417,6001b.=633 tons iu 9 vessels. 1855.—1 n January,
800,11101b=357 tons in 7 vessels."
With regard to the 537 tens shipped in June and July Mr.
Filder said—
" That quantity was originally sent out, partly by the Ad-
miralty to complete the horse transports, and partly, on my
requisition, to replace the quantity I had expected to receive
from the horse transports, but which I never got. I got but
very little from the horse transports."
He added,
" Supposing all that had been sent out from England from
the commencement,—that is, from June—or 944 tons, had
been available, it would have left me deficient 1,006 tons of
my requisition of the 13th of September, and I only got, or
there was shipped on account of that 1,006 tons, according
to Sir C. Trevelyan's own statement, up to the Ist or tho sth
of December, 268 tons."
With regard to the 633 tons shipped in December, Mr.
Filcher stated that he did not get them till February. He
said—

" I never received, up to the end of January, more than
510,0001 b ,or 228 tons. To have done it properly, the ship-
ments ought to have been consecutive and immediate; and
allowance should have been made for thc,time occupied in the
voyage."
It therefore appears to us that Mr. Filder used all the
means in his power to communicate to the Treasury the ab-
solute necessity of sending supplies of forage to the army
from England ; and that ho made known the wants of the
army in that particular by a constant seriesof letters, in which
the requirments of the commissariat wore clearly set. forth in
pressing and urgent language.
And we are disposed to concur with Mr. Filder in thinking
that " if the authorities in England are to judge of the expe-
diency of complying with the requisitions of a Commissary-