The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-05 00:00:00

" COATEES AND TROT:SI:RS.

"On the 28th of November the Ottawa had arrived
at Balaklava, bringing 6,000 militia coatees and 6,000
trousers, which had been despatched from England on
receipt cf intelligence that the clothing of the troops had
suffered greatly from the operations of the siege. It
might have been expected that these would be distri-
buted immediately, but the whole of the coatees and
one half of the trousers were still in store six months
after their arrival. The reason assigned was, that the
Secretary-at-War's letter of the 9th of Nov., 1854, an-
nounced 'the immediate shipment' of an extra suit of.
clothing for each soldier, but it is understood that, for
some of the corps, this clothing did not arrive in the
Crimea till March, 1855.
" We are desirous to direct attention to the circum-
stance that the preceding observations, relating to the
non-issue of warm or winter clothing which was avail-
able m the Crimea, "refer exclusively to the interval be-
tween the end of November, 1854, when the first sim-
iles of that description arrive:4 and the middle of Jan.,
1855—a period of about six weeks. After the latter
date clothing and covering of every description arrived
in such quantities, that in the course of a few weeks
the men had more than enough ; buffalo robes to pro-
tect them from the moisture of the ground, sheepskin
coats, fur caps, waterproof coats and leggings were all
issued in profusion, as well as a more limited supply of
long boots suited to the muddy roads and soli of that
country ; but between the beginning of December and
the middle of January they received nothing except the
warm under-clothing previously mentioned, and about
3,000 pairs of trousers. It was during this period that
the sufferings of the men were greatest ; and the liberal
issues of the subsequent period could not repair the evil,
"BOOTS AND SHOES.

"Throughout the greater part of the winter the troops
suffered much from the want of proper boots and shoes,
not because there was any defici icy of them in store,
but because, in a cold climate, the men required to wear
more than one pair of socks or stocking, and because
their feet had swollen so ranch from the effects of the
cold, and from rarely taking off their boots and shoes,
lest they should he unable to get them on again, that
comparatively few were large enough. This was a
difficulty which had not been anticipated in preparing
these ripplies in, England many months previously,
when it was uncertain where the troops might winter.
They are generally made of certain specified sizes, which,
under ordinary circumstances, are sufficiently large ;
and as no suggestion me received from officers corn-

manding corps to have the eiz s altered, the expediency
of any deviation from the ordinary staudard does not
appear to have been considered when supplies were for-
warded to the Crimea.

" It must not be assumed, however, because the sizes
of the boots hal not been adapted to the exigencies of
the peculiar service and climate in which the men were
employed, that the majority were unserviceable. Boots
are usually issued from the Ordnance Department in
five sizes, as under, and the following numbers of each
size are sent in every packet of 80 :
Measurement of each size. No. of each size sent out.
No. 6 lo.f inches 2of the smallest, No. 6.
" " 25 of .No. 7.
8 11 " 25 of No. 8.
~ 9 ll 2.8-1 20 of No. 9.
~ 10 ii Bof No. 10.
As the difference between the smallest size and that of
No. Bis of an inch in length, with a corresponding
enlergernent in the other parts, there can he little doubt
that about "two-thirds at least of all the boots sent out
must have been available for the smaller and middle-
sized men ; this viewis confirmed by the fact that of all
that were issued in December, January, and February,
only about 5,000 pairs were returned into store as being
too small ; consequently, if a proper application bail
been made of these supplies on hand, it was the larger-
sized men only who were likely to have suffered from a
deficiency, owing to the sizes Nos. 9 and 10, intended
for them, having been given up to the others.
"For the men who could not be fitted otherwise sup-
plies of Turkish boots and Frank boots were brought
over to the number of 1,404 in December, and 1,625 in
January ; these quantities were, very probably, too
limited, but to find ready-made boots of an unusual
size must, no doubt, have been a difficult matter even
at Constantinople.
" With this exception, the supply of boots and shoes
appears to have been sufficient to meet the demand, not-
withstanding the loss of 12,800 of the former, and 1,800
of the latter in the Prince, but it is possible that diffi-
culties may have occurred at first in the distribution,
Owing to some of the. casks not having been packed in
the usual manner.
" On the 2d of December, being the earliest date at
which we have any returns of the Quartermaster-Gene-
ral's stores, there were on hand 15,382 pairs of ammu-
nition boots ; frem 2,000 to 3,000 more were received
into store in that month, while the number issued was
only 10,329. In January upwards of 12,009 more were
received ; we cannot' state exactly the number issued,
owing to the difficulty of distingnishieg between those
sent to regiments and those which were merely trans-.
ferred to the department of Kadikoi, though entered as
issues in the Quarterruaster-General's returns ; but the
large supply on hand is not likely to have been ex-
hausted in the course of that month, and the quantity
recei•:-ed into store ill February arid the succeeding
months was so great as to prevent the prebability of
any scarcity being experienced afterwards.
" It seems to be doubtful whether any individual can
be held responsible for the proper adaptation of such

-"
In the Appendix, we have given returns of the quan-
tities on hand in the Quartermaster-General's store at
Balaklava on the 2d of Dec., and the daily receipts and
issues from that date to-the end of March. In the course
of this investigation, however, it csene to our knowled', e
that but little reliance could be placed ape n the accuracy
of the returns subsequent to the 25 hof Jan. On com-
paring them with the qtrintitiem in store and issued, ac
cording to the Quartermaster General's books, it was
found that the two accounts did not correspond, in some
important items, by several thousands. From the evi-
dence of Major Wetherell nod of Col. Gordon, it ap-
pears that, while by the' returns of Mr. Archer (the
Commissariat officer in charge of the Quartermaster-
General's store at Bela.klava), 80,231 great-coats had
been received into that store, the Quartermaster-Gene-
ral's books show, as in store and issued, no more than
23:,880. A still greater discrepancy is observable in the
blankets, of which Mr. Archer states nearly 75,000 to
have been received into store between the sth of Dec.
and the 28th el Feb., whereas the Qiartermaster-Gene-
rare books show only 56,050. These discrepancies, as
well as others iii regard to different item', had given
rise to much correspondence between the Quartermas-
ter-General's department and the Commissariat, which
did cot result in any satiefactory rectification of the ac-
counts. Tire difference appears, in some measure, to
have arisen from Mr. Archer's being in the habit of
writing off a; issues numerous supplies which had not
been distributed to the troops, but which had merely
been transferred from the store at Balaklava to the re-
serve store at Kadikoi, or to stare ships in the harbour.
For these entries. Mr. Archer considered that he had
sufficient authority, because he had pointed out, in the
end of January, when it became necessary to occupy
additional storehOuses, that he could only be responsible
for such as were in his own custody at Balaklava.
"Before submitting these returns in the Appendix,
we endeavoured to,reconcile them so far as the explana-
tions we received would permit, but the discrepancies
are still too great to warrant much reliance upon the
returns of either departments, of a date subsequent to
the end of January. A great accumulation of stores
then began to take place, and, by the end of March,
had so much increased as to be a'inost unmanageable.
"From Cm receipts of the different descriptions of
clothing and equipment, as given in the returns, it will
be seen that, however touch the troops may have suffered
in the early part of the wint:lr, there was not at any
time, subsequent to the end of November, any actual
deficiency in the Crimea of articles which might have
been male conducive to their health and comfort, and
that, at a later period, the supplies were :so profuse as
to cause some embarrassment, besides entailing a consi-
derable expense for the hire of store-ships, which, under
a better- egulated system of supply, would have been
unnecessary.

"With the view of procuring further information in
regard to these issues, we have obtained from effacers
commanding corps a return, showing the dates on which
the different articles of warn' and extra clothing were
received at each corps. Froin these it must be inferred
that in many cases the supplies did not reach the men
for a considerable time after they appear, from th©
Quartermaster-General's returns, to have been issued.
But there is no reason to believe that the delay was in
any degree attributable to that department. Owing to
the deficiency of transport, these supplies may have re-
mained in Balaklava for a considerable time before they
could be conveyed to the front, or in any other way be
made available for the use of the men.
"There is a similar discrepancy between the regi-
mental and the Quartermaster-General's returns in regard
to the quantity issued to each corps, and to which we
were at first disposed to attach considerable importance;
but we found 'that the Quartermaster-General's store-
keeper entered as issued everything that bad been ap-
portioned to the troops, and for which an authorised
requisition had been produced ; whereas many of the
Quartermasters of corps, owing to the reduction in the
numbers of their umi by death, sickness, and absence,
after the supplies had been apportioned, did not find it
necessary to draw a►l that the requisitions authorised.
A series of errors has thus arisen which i 5 is impossible
to rectify.

"The- Quartermaster-General's returns, however,
upon which we have founded our conclusion', show the
amounts and the i:ates of the authorised requisitions,
and, therefore, thAtr,t-et qua-itity that could have been
issued to the treow, and the eariiest date at which the
supplies could have gone out of the store."

Sporting Intelligence.