The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-14 00:00:00

maters which have already been the subject of controversy
between you and them, and still less to enter into a discus-
'don ou documents which have not been laid before them."
He had written for a court-martial, and they said they do-
clieed a:controversy. They had heard of the praise—the
lavish praise—which they had bestowed upon hien. " But
from the moment you left Wingo Sound. which you did
without orders"—after themselves saying that, he was right
in so doing—after his conduct in that respect had been ap•
proved by the First Lord of the Admiralty and the Seem-
tery of State—they went on to say that he had not treated
the board with respect. He did not deny it. They had ac-
cused him of cowardice almost, and he considered it was
perfectly impossible that any man could have restrained
himself and not have written us severely to them as it was
possible to do. He did not complain of their not again
giving him the command, of the Baltic fleet; the Queen
had a right to choose whom she thought fit to command
her fleets ; but he complained of the unworthy manner in
which they had behaved to him, trying to throw the whole
of the blame upon him. He had now done with 18'3, and
he would come to what took place in 1855. The house
was aware that he recommended a large fleet of mortar
and gun-boats to be sent to the Baltic when the fleet was
fitted out again. He did not blame them for not sending
thorn in 1854, but after the intimation received Irons him
of the mode to be pursued to take Cronstadt and Swea-
borg, it was the greatest neglect—it was worse than ne-
glect, for the Government to send to the Baltic, in 1855,
only sixteen gun-boats and sixteen mortar-vessels. There
was no excuse whatever for want of time, because, a
mortar vessel was built and ready the other day in three
weeks from the time she was laid down. What instruc-
tions were given to the commander of the fleet he did not
ki.ow, but it was very evident that no instructions could
have been given him to go to Sweaborg and attack
it with the whole of the force, because part of the gun-
boats went up to Cronstadt, where they remained a consi-
derable time to examine Cronstadt, and see what could be
done with it. They must hays known perfectly well that
Cronstadt could not he attacked by the force they had
sent, but he thought Sweaborg might. In /854 the fleet
was sent out without gun-boats and mortars, and in 1855
the gun-boats and mortars were sent out, and the fleet was
sent away. Now, he did not blame Admiral Dundes in
the least. Ho was erfectiv aware that without a large
fleet of gun-boats and mortars it was ier pos-ible to attack
Sweaborg with success. Had the whole of tke fleet, and
the gun-boats and mortar-boats, been assembled before
Sweaborg, nod not a single vessel been sent to Cronstadt,
he thought the admiral would have been perfectly justified
in expecting to destroy Sweaborg ; but it appeared that
after a bombardment of 38 hours the whole of the mortars
wore split, not owing to the badness of the mortars, but
because they were tired so fast. The admiral had but for
mortars, and he was desirous of trying the experiment to
long as he could. Ho thought Admiral Dandas would
have been wrong, seeing that his mortars were split, to
have taken the fleet in. Ho thought, after the example of
1854, Government ought to have sent into the Baltic as
large a force as they possibly could; they ought not to
have thought of the expense. It was necessary to do it in
order to put an end to the war. He believed that if the
same exertion had been made in 1855 that was now being
made for 1856 the war would have been finished in 1815
with honour and glory to this country. Y• doubt Swea-
borg would have been destroyed. As to Cronstadt he had
no hope of the kind. He thought the house would see that
the Admiralty had treated him in the most scandalous
manner; they had put into his mouth words that he Dever
used, which was not worthy of a man in the position of
the right hon. baronet. He hoped that some notice would
be taken of this in order to prevent this kind of conduct
again. He must say he was never more eurprised then
to see Admiral Berkeley's name to such a document. He
(Sir Charles Napier) could not see any reason why the
Government should hesitate to give him the committee for
which he asked. Two general officers had complained of
the report of a commission which had impinged their cha-
rd-ler, and a new cerinnission had been appointed to exa-
mine into the whole case in order to sea whether these gal-
lant officer-, were right or wrong. He (the gallant admiral)
considered he had an equal right to an inquiry. If he bad
been guilty of misconduct let him be punished ; bat how
could it be ascertained whether he had been in fault unless
a committee was appointed to investigate the conduct of
the fleet in 1854 and 1855? He had now told hie tale, nod
he put his case into the hands of the Government and of
the house, trusting that they would act towards him with
justice and fairness. Thanking the house for the attention
with whch they had heard hire, he would conclude with the,
motion fur a committee, of which he had given notice.
After a short pause,
Admiral WALCOTT. said he never could see a brother
efficer adrift without throwing him out* tow rope. (Lingh-
ter and cheers.) Ho did not see any one disposed to second
the motion, and he would therefore do so himself. (Hear.)
At the same time, he thought that whatever disappoint'
meat or personal reproach might lie at the door either of
the gallant admiral or the right hon. gentleman the mem-
ber for Carlisle, they had themselves justly incurred it.
Before a fleet was despatched to the Baltic both the right
hon. gentleman and the gallant admiral ought to hays
considered the course which it was right and proper
to pursue. The difficulties of navigation in the Bal-
tic, the prevalence of shoal water, the intricacies of the
entrance to the harbours, and the strength of the fortifica-
tions, must have been known, or at all events ought to
have been known, to them both ; and both had therefore
been to blame, the right hon. gentleman for not having
provided adequate means of attacking the Russian forts,
and the gallant admiral for not having seen that the means
supplied to him were sufficient. (Hear, hear.) He con-
sidered, too, that they were also to blame, the one
for his speech at the Reform Club, and the other for
his celebrated signal for having led the country
to expect successes which it was not probable would be ob-
tained. With respect to the question which had arisen on
the subject of mortar boats, he did not think that suffi-
cient use had been made of the experience of the last wax-
tie (Admiral Walcott) happened to have served in Vie
Baltic during the years 1808 9; and he thought that tete
experience of that period might have suggested the sort of
force that would be necessary for services such as the Hoot
would be required to perform. He remembered three as SS
in particular. The first was one in which the boats of the
Bellerophon attacked ti.e sea batteries at Hango Head, ar
td
destroyed them. In the second the boats of the squadron,
under the command of a most sagacious and intrepid offi-
cer, Sir Byam Martin, to the number of 17, manned with
270 men, attacked a flotilla of 12 gun-boats and a large
armed ship, with a convoy of 12 ships, laden with previ-
sions
and ammunition, all of which, with the exception of
one gun-boat, were captured or destroyed. The third was
a similar exploit performed by an officer named Forest,
whe brought out three gun-boats of the •enemy. Those
cases showed clearly what might have bean done had there
been a naval force adapted to the difficulties of the case;
(Beer.) If the object of sending our ships into the Baltic
was merely to blockade those of the Russian Government.
no success could have been more complete than that which
had attended the gdlsnt admiral. He had before now pro-
tested against charging the enemy's fleet with fear, bemuse
it had not Come out and fought with our own. To have
done so would have been a great error; because, the ene-
my's fleet being composed of sailing vessels, to have given
battle to our screw line-of-battle-ships would have been in
trusts. a most senseless act. The courage which our foes had
shown at Sebastopol had redounded greatly to their hononr,
and it ought to secure them from all attacks upon their
gallantry. He thought it was the duty of a Government
to select officers upon whom they could rely, not only for
their valour, but for their wisdom and discretion ; but hav-
ing done so, it was no less their bounden duty to repose in
them the fullest confidence. There was much sagacity in
the maxim cf that greatest of all modern authorities, the
first. Napoleon—" Let the men of the sword bo made to
depend as little as possible upon the men of the pen."
About 100 years ago a very admirable farce was acted. by
our gallant and witty allies. In it an English courier was
represented, very protuberant before and also at the stern
(Laughter.) The commending officer seeing hina,r
" What have you got there before you ?" " Your orders.
sir." "That is all right," continued the officer, " but
what have got behind ?" "Your counter-orders." " The
devil !" exclaimed' the officer, "then it's all up." (Laughter
and cheers.) So long as orders and counter-orders were
given disasters must ensue. (Hear.) With respect to
secret orders, on which some observations had been made,
he was not among those who denial that it was right to
give such orders ; but he thought that if secret orders were
read against an officer he ought to be at liberty also to rend
them in his own defence. He thought the gallant member
had done quite night in bringug this subject before the
house; for he would not give that (said Admiral Walcott,
snapping his fingers) for an officer who did not value his
honour more than his life, and the verdicts of his country
even more. (Hear.) The country no doubt desired greater
success than had been gained in the Baltic, but still he
thought that when a dispassionate view was token of the
services of the navy during the last two campaigns it would
be allowed that they had been most meritorious. Those
services in the Black Sea had been most creditable consider-
ing the means the fleet had had at its disposal. The pro-
ceedings, too, at Kertch, in the Sea of Axoff, and at Kin-
burn—the manner in which nearly 100,000 troops had been
transported by a fleet which covered nearly 16 miles of sea
without the loss of a ship or a man—the behaviour of the
fleet in the attack on the sea batteries of Sebastopol, and the
manner in which the historic Agamemnon went into action,
were worthy of the best period in the history of the British
navy. (Cheers.) If the investigations of the preferesed
committee should remove any misconception which the
public might entertain, or even, if having shown the con-
dition of the Service to he faulty, it should load to its im-
provement, he for one should rejoice that this discussion,
unsatisfactory as he thought it was, had taken place.
Sir C. WOOD said the hon. and gallant member who had
made this motion did not seem to anticipate that he (Sir
C. Wood) should take upon himself the task of replying to
his speech. Nor would ho do so, but he must say that the
gallant officer had road extracts from despatches not laid
before Parliament, and from private letters, and he had
stated the confidential opinion of foreign officers and officers
in her Majesty's service in a manner and to an extent which
he (the right hon. baronet), after a quarter of a century's
experience, had never seen done before. (Cheers.) Last

session when a similar course, though to a very limited ex-
tent, was taken by the hon. and learned member for Wal-

lisgford (Mr. Malins), be (Sir C. Wood) stated his opinions
in similar terms, and the house then seemed very much to
concur with him. (Cheers.) Tho hon. and learned gentle-
man withdrew his motion, and it was much to be regretted
that the gallant admiral should now hero taken a step
which he could not but regard a►s one very prejudicial to the

public service. (Hrar.) He would not follow the gallant
gentleman into a single point which he ha raised upon the
correspondence he had so read, for, so far as it would be

necessary to do so. his right hot:. friend beside him (Admi-
ral Berkeley) alsd his right hon. friend the member for
Carlisle (SirJ. Graham), who were cognisant of all the fasts,
would no doubt do so ; but he should be sorry if they
should think it incumbent upon them, in defending their
own characters, to ft llow the gallant admiral in a courseso
extremely mischievous on all accounts. It was indispen-
sable, not only that secret orders should be given to com-
manding officers, bat that perfectly confidential mistiest'
should exist between them and the First Lord of the Admi-
ralty. Even in his (Sir C. Wood's) short experience he had
experienced the greatest possible assistance from receiving
suds confidential communications ; and the admirals bad
been good enough to say that they had also found great
advantage in the private letters ho bad addressed to them.
But it was obvious that if it might be brought forward in
the manner the gallant admiral had done, there would be
an end to confidential correspondence, and he ventured to
say that in that case the public service could not he ad-
vantageonely carried on. (Hear.) With respect to the gal-
lant admiral's motion, it was not enough that an hon.
member should ask for a committee; but some public
ground must be shown why one should be appointed. He
would appeal to any hen. geetletnae in that house whether
the gallant admiral who Lad toads the motion, or the gal-
lant admiral who had seconded it, had given the slightest