The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-01 00:00:00

good qualities, that he was extremely industrious and pos-
d many attainments, but that unfortunately those attain-
Lents were fearfully neutralised by a total unconsciousness of
his own incompetence and by a most prodigious opinion of
himself—(laughter)—and I requested his lordship, whenever
he had any further orders of importance, to send them to me
by some other officer. This was a serious letter to write re-
garding an officer of that rank. I have in my bands the an-
swer of Lord Raglan. If Col. Gordon had reported to me
accurately the order he was desired to communicate, I am
sure a man of high honour like Lord Raglan would have told
me that no fault was to be imputed to the officer ho had so
employed. But no such thing. Lord Raglan does not in the
slighteet degree exonerate Col. Gordon. I will only read the
passage in his letter referring to this particular case :—" My
dear General, —Your letter has just been delivered to me, for
which I am much obliged to you. I fear there has been some
misconception in this matter. I had no idea of your under-
taking any serious operation. My object was merely that you
should cause some interruption to be given to the convoy if
convoy there had been, which it is evident there was not."
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) Well, now, I ask the house if,
n fter such an inculpation proceeding from me and I challenge
the friends of Col. Gordon to search among Lord Raglan's
papers for the letter I am speaking of—l ask the house whe-
ther it is possible to doubt that Col. Gordon on this occasion
made a serious mistake? There was, too, another small
affair which led me to think that Col. Gordon, in spite of his
attainments, by
no means possessed that judgment and dis-
cretion which the Government ought to have been assured he
possessed before they placed him in so responsible a position.
What I regret to perceive is that this is taken up as a per-
sonal question. Such unfortunately in too many similar cases
is the practice of this house—as if the whole matter to be
considered on this occasion is, whether the conduct of Colonel
This, or Major-General That, or Mr. Commissary the Other
has or has not been judicious. Now, Sir, I, who know some-
thing of these matters, think there are greater interests at
stake and weightier considerations involved in this question.
(Cheers.) It bears upon the death of many thousands ofgal-
lant solders, and I can assure the house that, though my
physical health gave way, and perhaps would have given way
in any case from my not being sufficiently young to bear all
the fatigues to which my position exposed me, yet my sorrow
at seeing the blind and inconsiderate conductwhich was being
adopted frequently disturbed that repose which might other-
wise have refreshed and restored me. In spite, however, of
all this we are told that we must not inquire into this matter
and that we are to leave other armies under similar circum-
stances to be exposed to similar evils. I believe 10,000 or
11,000 men are said to have died out of our small number,
and if you add to these the number invalided and sent into
the hospital what a state of things it will disclose. Surely
such facts ought to be inquired into most amply and publicly,
yet it appears to me tobe very evident, from the concealments
attemptel by the Government, that no such inquiry will take
place unless the public continue to insist upen it. Whenever
a substantive motion is brought forward upon this subject I
shall think it my solemn duty to go into the case as far as my
humble abilities will allow me. In the meantime I must say
that the conduct of the hon. gentleman the Under-Secre-
tary of State for War, as the representative of the
Government, as well as the conduct of the noble lord
the War Minister, towards these commissioners is the most
ungrateful and unjust that I ever heard of. (Cheers.) About
a week ago I was listening in another place to a debate in the
course of which sorn very pertinent and important questions
were put to the War Minister by Lord Derby. The War Mi-
nister made a vary plausible reply, with all that pleasing self-
complacency which pervades his countenance when he speaks
—(a laugh)—observing that he was the last man in the world
to wish for additional patronage. Why, I could tell as much
about he nepotism in the War Department as in any other
department, I am told that one of the clothing officers, who
have very handsome salaries on this account, is a nephew of
the noble lord, and not a fe w other appointments have fallen,
I believe, to Maules and Ramsays. I have heard—the story
was current at the time in the Crimea, and I have heard it a
hundred times —a very good specimen, illustrative of the ex-
cessive delicacy of the noble lord with regard to the exercise
of patronage. When the noble lord communicated to Gen.
Simpson that he was to have the command of the army the
telegraphic despatch ran to this effect:—" Lord Panmure to
General Simpson. General Simpson is appointed to com-
mand the army. Take care of Dowb." (Laughter.) Now,
General Simpson is a modest man, and I think nobody has a
right to blame him. (Hear, hear.) He has been one of the
most unlucky warriors I have heard of, awl I wish to heaven
he had never been placed as he was, but I do not blame him,
because he was forced to it. (Hear.) Can anything, how-
ever, be more egregious on the part of a War Minister than
to force upon an old general a situation of such vast impor-
tance requiring the greatest poss ble energy and physical
powers I (Hear.) The poor general officer did not wish to
have the command, but Lord Panmure insisted upon it that
he was a man of energy and resolution, and quite competent to
discharge the duties devolving upon the Commander of the
Forces at the seat of war. Well, as I was saying, together with
the first news of his appointment came the' strange addendum,
" Take care of Dowb." Such incomprehensible message dis-
tracted poor Gen. Simpson's mind, and made it more obtuse
than it naturally was (A laugh.) What could " Taking care
of Dowb" mean ? (Laughter.) " Perhaps," said the gene-
ral, " it is some outpost or other"—(laughter)—because I am
afraid poor General .eimpson was not as conversant with the
exterior defences of an extended line as a younger man would
have been. The consequence was that in the usual way an
answer was sent by the telegraph— an instrument to the ope-
ration of which I wish to God an end were at once put, for
it has performed some of the most extraordinary antics that
can be conceived—and that answer was, " General Simpson
to Lord Panmure.--Repeat the message ;" which is the
usual way of saying " I don't understand what you mean."
Another message then arrived, and the word " Dowb" was
extended to " Dowbiggin," the name of a relative, of the
noble lord ; and then the mystery was explained and the
message made clear and manifest, (" Hear," and a. laugh.)
Now, the lion, gentleman the Under-Secretary for War, in
the oracular statement with which he has this evening
favoured us—and I must ray that when he deals with mili-
tary topics he does assume a degree of oraeulardy which I,
notwithstanding ray- service in the army of nearly 50 yearg'
duration, would not venture to affect—(hear, hear)---has en-
deavoured to make us understand that the present bovern-
recut are unexampled judges of military affairs, and therefore
I. feel myself called upon to make a. few observations on the
subject. (Hear, hear.) As regards the telegraph, I may
say, in passing, that when the estimates are introduced I
sincerely trust that, it will be found to be like the boots of
last year, omitted altogether. (A laugh.)
Mr. MONSELL—No, it will be included.
Sir DE LACY EVANS —Well, I am sorry for it, for it has
caused a great many blunders. Let mo just mention to the
house a circumstance which I have been informed of upon
what I believe to be very good authority. The house is,
of course, aware that a Turkish. Con:input was formed
under the command of General Vivian. Now, I have
watched the progress of that Contingent with great inte-
rest, for I have a very high opinion of General Vivian, and
I was very anxious to see formed in Turkey the nucleus of
a regular army well officered, and all the accounts which
I have heard of that contingent have confirmed the partiality
with which I have always regarded it ; but I must say that
the favourable progess which it has made is not to be attri-
buted to the Minister for War, but has taken place in spite of
him. Now, the house has, I daiesay, heard that that con-
tingent has been ordered to a variety of places by our great
War Minister. (" Hear, hear," and laughter.) At first they
were stati :red on the Bosphorus, and near the Dardanelles
was a body of irreg dar cavalry under General Beatson, with
Bashi-Bazouks, who were certain to get up quarrels and pay
all kinds of antics if nothing were given them to do, and it
was clear, therefore, that they ought to be sent as quickly as
possible to the scene of action. This, however, was not done,
but it was determined at last to move them, and I have it
upon very good authority that in the coulee of, I believe, six
weeks, about nine different destinations were telegraphed by
the War Department to that unforturiato contingent. One
day an order arrived that it was instantly to proceed to
Shumla, and Commissariat offieers were sent to make the
necessary preparations. In about two days, I think, another
order arrived that they were not to go to Shumla, but to
Eupatoria, and there also Commissariat officers were des-
patched. Then came an order that they were to go to Varna,
then to Kertch, and an these variea destinations were as-
signed to the contingent by that great personage at the War-
office, that second Carnot— my Lord Cernat, in fact. '("He •r,
hear," and laughter.) Is not such a state of things most
pitiful and deplorable ? (Hear, hear.) Than, again, the
Dragoons mimed to Kertch found that the country about
Kertch was net adapted for the cavalry at all, and, conse-
quently, had to return to Balaklava, the horses, meanwhile,
suffering most severely, and it being found necessary to
throw many of them overboard ; but when they arrived they
were not allowed to disembark, but were informed that they
must go back to the Bosphorus, and so for 29 days, for no
purpose whatever, those horses were kept on board ship,
That, sir, is a specimen of the manner in which the War
Department conduct their business. (Loud cries of " Hear,"
There is another subject to which I wish for a mo-
ment to refer, although I wish that the initative had been
by taken hen. gentlemen On the other side of the house. An
lion. and learned gentleman on that side of the house (Mr.
Whiteside) has given. notice of his intention to provoke a die-
• cussion upon the circumstances which led to the fall of Kars.
But, as the Opposition display so much forbearance towards
her Majesty's Government—(hear)—I de tot know whether
that discussion will be brought on or not, and will therefore
make a passing allusion to that subject now. The noble lord
at the head of the Goverment did um the honour, about the
9th or 10th of Aug., of desiring me to Walt upon him in or-
der to give him some expression of my opinion as regarded
the army in the East, and of course it was my duty to fulfil
the request of the noble lord. I must now remind the noble
lord that three months and a-half before the tall of Kars, on
the occasion to which 1 am referring, I pointed out to him
the great anxiety which I felt for the danger in which that
city was left. I will not relate what else took place upon
that occasion, but I will only say that the noble lord did not
appear to me to be as firmly impressed with the importance
of the subject as I was myself. Kars was blockaded for 5 or
6 months, and yet no assistance was sent to that gar-
rison, and it fell. I do not hesitate to say that that disgrace-
ful and disheartening circumstance is to be attributed to the
management of the War Department. AR attempt has been
made to throw the blame upon Lord Stratford de Radcliffe--
an old diplomatist, and the War Department appear to have
thought that be ought to be perfectly conversant with the
carrying on great military operations ; but I say that Lord
Stratford de Radcliffe did not accept the office of Minister for
War—and I also say that all military operations in which we
have taken or could have taken part ought to be most care-
fully and vigilantly watched and directed by the War Depart-
ment of her Majesty's Government. (Hear.) Had any at-
tempt been made to relieve Kars, the Turkish army would
have afforded you most willingly all the assistance
which it was in its power to afford. You wore master's of the
Black Sea, and had ample means for sending troops to any
part ; but yet not the slightest assistance was given to that
garrison. This is a very incidental method of referring to the
subject, but I have been led to make this remark by the lau-
dation passed upon the War Department by the hon. gentle-
man. Let me remind the house of what happened a few
nights back in another place. Tho noble lord at the head of
the War Department, in reply to a question put to him by
Lord Derby, said, " See what a vast sueeriority there is in
the material state of the army in the present year as compared
the
noble
lord
aNs otwrea,
tlinthginhkis that
einr
fmriaeknindsgrtabtahterstahatersmhieyn,
The effect of it, in fact, was to say, " S e what a nice man I
ma, and what a change I have effected ;" for, while ho men-
the
hho
aaln
iget ex
ahwmahapi he): he
:and, br
loe
ue
ohewtf f eamebtooestdit
t,
d. hi
set(
icn ace rtael
ryf 118
al 2SyI ostmi
hmiati
ti-
tt
en
oodtn
follow
) ge
it has been mainly brought about by those Commissioners
whom the hon. gentleman has this night been Instructed
to depreciate and disgrace. (Hear, hear.) I do sot say
that
a vel-
Mr. Filder should be made a scapegoat of. He was
-y c
with him knew what they were a bout, tive and diligent man, but if none of the persons
who -
e in
communication
how
could a commiseary-general be expected to understand every-
thing? I say, eosvever, that the commissioners couferred-a
benefit by explaining t. • the Government that there was an
abler man in the Commissariat Department out there than
Mr. Filder. Who was it also that caused fresh provisions to
be sent for along the various coasts of the Black Sea and the
Bosphorus? Why, the commissioners. (Hear.). There were
1,500 miles of coast along the Black Sea and upwards of 1,000
along the Bosphorus, covered with cattle and provisions;
'there never was an army in the world that bad such vastmeans
of transport at its command ; we had unlimited command
* Raj and. an enormous amount of vessels at our dis-
and, alellongle these thine were known, it was the .

commissioners who have been disparaged to-night, who first
convincedithe Government of the facts. I speak, therefore,
of the co umissioners with gratitude, because of the material
benefits which they conferred upon the troops. (Cheers.) I
fear that they are in a very perilous position ; at least, I will
not sly that, for, although they have incurred the displeasure
of the Government, they are men of too much independence
to care for it, (Cheers.) Tim hon. gentleman has not been
content to pass the commissioners by this evening withmit
notice, as was done a few nights since by the noble lord ; but
he has ventured to impugn even the veracity of those gentle-
men. (Hear.) Sir, Ido not regret the absurdity of which
the Government have been guilty in publishing the reports of
those commissioners. They first publish the reports, thereby
making known to the world that they approve of them ; and
they then come down and say, " We are not sure that those
reports are correct, and therefore we will have another com-
mission." They do not stop there even, but they do their best
to disparage and impugn the veracity of the commissioners.
I rejoice that the Government have committed the gross blun-
der, injustice, and inconsistency that they have Upon this oc-
casion, by publishing these reports ; because, independently
of the proceedings of the commissioners having saved the lives
of some thousands Burin; the last six or eight months, and
having immensely contributed to the efficiency of the troops,
the reports of the commissioners, and the evidence with which
they are accompanied will remain on rec,,rd as a menace to
incompetence and to Governments who may be willing to
place favourites instead of competent men in high stations,
and will point out to the staff, commissariat, and military of
other armies, and perhxps of other ages, what ought to be
dose to protect the lives and health of an army in the field.
(The gallant general was warmly applauded on resuming his
seat.) _ _

M-r. GORDON would- not have addressed the house on
that occasion, but the remarks of the hon. and gallant
general upon a gallant relation of his really left him no
choice. He had listened to those remarks with some sur-
prise, as well as with much pain ; because he knew that his
gallant relative had always felt great pride in the good
opinion which he believed the gallant general entertained of
him. (Hear, hear.) He had heard Colonel Gordon say that
it was a proud moment for him when a veteran officer like
the gallant general selected him after the battle of the Alma,
when the Quartermaster-General of his division had been
temporarily disabled by a wound—selected him from another
division and another service (for he was then in the Adju-
tant-General's department), to fulfil the duties of Quarter-
master-General of his division. (Hear; hear.) It was true
that that appointment did not take effect, because Colonel
Gordon had been appointed the day before to a situation on
the staff of the Quartermaster-General of the Crimean army.
He (Mr. Gorton) felt certain, however, he would hear with
much pain that the gallant general had seen reason to change
the opinion which he believed he had once held of him.
(Hear, hear.) The gallant general's censure of Colonel Gor-
'don had taken the form of several charges. He said in the
first instance that Colonel Gordon had shown a disposition in
his evidence to shift the blame from his own shoulders to
the shoulders of other persons—to get rid of all the responsi-
bility and to throw. it upon others. He (Mr. Gordon) was
happy to be-able. to state that that was not the (Onion of
the comniessioners themselves ; and, in proof of that, be
would read an extract of a letter which his gallant relative
had received frail Mir John M'Neil only a few days before.
" Greater candour," said Sir John, "greater care to avoid
asserting anything too much, and greater readiness to furnish
every information in your power, it was impossible, I think,
for any man to hay, shown. This is so strongly my impres-
sion, that I have frequently spoken of it, as well as of the
excellent arrangements of your office, which enabled you at
once to refer to any point on which information was required."
(Hear, hear.) That was Sir John M'Neil's opinion--an
opinion which would no doubt be considered as entitled to
at least as much weight as that of the gallant general.
(Cheers.) The most serious charge of the gallant Ikember,
however, was one of a very grave character indeed. He had
informed the house, with considerable detail and at some
length, of a conversation which he bad had with Col. Gordon
when the gallant colonel was the bearer to him of a certain
order from Lord Raglan. The gallant general had repeated
that conversation in order to ground upon it a very serious
charge of misconception of orders and of miscouduct—for he
(Mr. Gordon) thought it deserved no less a name. (Hear.)
He (the hon. member) was not himself a military man, and
his gallant relative was unfo. tunately not a member of that
house. (Cheers.) He cou:d not pretend at that moment to
enter into any details of the transaction, but he thought there
were many in that house who would agree with him iu think-
ing that a grave charge of that kind ought not to have been
brought forward without some notice being given to Colonel
Gordon. (Loud cheers,) If Colonel Gordon's conduct had
indeed been such as the ,gallant general had described, it was
his (Sir De L. Evans's) duty either to have taken notice of it
at the time, or to have held his peace about it afterwards.
(Cheers.) Certainly the gallant general ought not to come
down to the house with a story which there were no means
to refute on the instant, although he supposed his gallant re-
lative would be prepared at the proper time co furnish a satis-
factory explanation. The hon. and pliant general might
perhaps say that he had been provoke l by the speech of the -
hon, gentleman the Under Secretary for War ; but he was
afraid, from what had fallen from the gallant gentleman, that
he had anticipated some reference to Col. Gordon. The only
I document he had read was a letter from the late Lord Raglan.
Did the gallant general always carry that letter about him ?
(Cheers.) The gallant general also stated that Colonel
Gordon had made au inaccurate statement with regard to
knapsacks; but the gallant gentleman would find that there
was evidence, in the shape of a memorandum, with regard
to the wishes of the, generals of divisions on that subject.
There was only one other part of the hon. and gallant
gentleman's speech to which he would now refer. The
gallant general more than once stated that Colonel Gordon
was a favourite of the court, and alluded to his courtier-
like spirit. Now he (Mr. Gordon) must deny that his gallant
relative had at all owed his promotion to court favour. Col.
Gordon was not a soldier who had merely attended at court.
He had been employed on active service for many years lie
was in Canada during the rebellion in 1543. and he had been
engaged in arduous professional duties, and not lauluties of a
merely regimental character, since that time. He Lad re-
ceived the highest certificates of scientific skill, and he
trnstea, therefore, that the house would- not beliovethat his
relati'io had owed his promotion to mere court favour. In
conclusion, he (Mr. Gordon) would venture to make an
earnest appeal on behalf, not only of his relative, but of the
other officers that were about to be summoned before the
court of inquiry. He would appeal to them in the strongest
language against the injustice of prejuding this question, by
going further into matters of det ail, or by discussing fur-
ther the pros and cons of a question not then before the house.
(Cheers.) Those gallant officers had already difficulties enough
to contend with. They had enough to contend with in the
natural desire of the public t) find out some persons who
should be responsible for what had occurred, and in the ad-
verse articles of that great organ of public opinion the cen-
sure of which the bravest of them would be unwilling to face.
(Oh, and cheers.) He would appeal, therefore, to- the
sense of justice and honour, not only of the house as a body,
but of individual members, not further to prejudice the ques-
tion, as they must do if they attempted to go further into a
discussion for which that was neither the proper time nor the
proper place.

- Sir DE L. EVANS (in explanation) stated that, after the
battle of the Alma, Major Vaux came to him and said, " My
cousin wishes to occupy the vacancy which has occurred
through your quartermaster being disabled :—have you any
objection ?" He (Sir De L. Evans) replied that he had not,
hut there bad certainly been no offer ou his part to Colonel
Gordon. (Order.) Whatlie wished to say further was some-
thing to the credit of Col. Gordon. He wished to express his
conviction of Col. Gordon's merits and his attainmenti; but
ho (lid not wish to sae him in a responsible situation.
Mr. GLADSTONE regretted the latitude that hail been
given to the debate. . It was just to say that he did not think
that latitude in any degree owing to the speech of the right
hon, gentleman the member for Droitwich. When ho heard
the speech of the hon. gentleman the Under Secretary of the
War Department, he thought it was easy to anticipate what
was to follow. No doubt that hon, gentleman hail been
actuated by a generous regard to the characters of those
officers, but he must by that time have been aware that he
would have acted, if not with greater generosity, at least
with greater prudence, if he bad refrained from the course he
had pursued, He (Mr. Gladstone) lamented the introduction
of the names of General Airey, of Lord Cardigan, of Lord
Lucan, Col. Gordon, and some other officers whose names
were more or less affected by this report. Ho still more la-
mented the introduction of the came of Sir J. Simpson into
that discussion. With respect to Col Gordon, he would ob-•
serve that that officer was not the head of the quertermas-
ter-general's department, lie was not charged with the issue
of army clothing. From the speech of the Under-Secretary
of the War Department ono would suppose that Col. Gordon
was the officer charged with that department. He was nei-
ther the head of the department nor was he the person
charged with duties thesperformance of which had caused so
much dissatisfaction. He regretted that the house was called
upon to say anything with respect to the position of the Cri-
mean Commissioners either in their relation to the Govern-
ment or to the country. When he had seen the notice of
motion of the bon. member for Sheffield, in which he stated
" that there was to be a commission of general officers to
report upon the report of Sir John M`Neil and Colenel
Tulloch," he (Mr. Gladstone) felt there could be no
ground for such a etatem ut as that. Ho felt sure the
Government would uphold the commissioners who had
undertaken so important a duty, under such painful cir-
cumstances, as inquiring into the condition of an army
whose sufferings had harrowed. up-the feelings of that Louse
and the country a year ago. Ile felt sure the Govern- -
aunt would give no grounds for the charge that a com-
mission was to bo appointed so inquire into the report of
those commissioners. No one could read the warrant for the
appointment of the commission without adopting the opinions
of the hon. gentleman opposite. When be, in conjunction
with his friends the hon. member for Carlisle and the hon.
member for Wiltshire, chose rather to*quit'their offices than
consent to the inquiry by committee into the state of the
army, ho said that the report of such a committee must ne-
cessarily be feeble and futile as well as unjust—that that com-
mittee would have no power to suggest improvements, and
that the house would not act upon its conclusions. Had those
assertions been verified or not ? The fate of the motion of
the hon. member for Sheffield, last summer, best an veered
that question. The appointment of Sir J. M`Neil and Col.
Tulloch was an act in which neither lie nor his friends had any
share, but he wou:d say that when the names of those gentle-
men were announced by the noble lord at the head of the Go-
vernment, every one felt that no two individuals better quail.
fled by their character, their abilities, their experience, acti-
vity, and intelligence could have been selected to form such a
commission. It was stated at the head of the warrant that
"a beard of general officers are to inquire into the statements
contained in the report, and on the evidence on which the
report is founded " And the hon. member for Sheffield in his
speech distinctly challenged the Under-Secretary for the War
Department upon this subject. He said, "Are you going to
re-try the report of the commission ?" That challenge was
unanswered. Ho (Mr. Gladstone) had listened with anxiety,
but without hearing any acknowledgment of the labours of
the commission. He had not heard of any benefit resulting
from it, or of any intention on the part of the Government to
uphold it. Ho had heard that there were discrepancies be-
tween the repo,rt and the evidence. If such were the case it
was the duty cif the Government, enjoined alike by prudence
and good faith, to bring the discrepancies to some settlement
and issue. The warrant was not more definite on the prin-
ciple on which it proceeded than in its title. It did not define
the persens into whose acts inquiry was to be made. The
eonunislion was authorised to try nobody except those against
whom animadversions were made in the report. Was it true
that the report contained great animadversions on officers I
There were but one or two 'passages which could be construed
into animadversious. Dr. Hall bad been censured; but it might
be questioned whether Lord Cardigan had been animadverted
on or not. That noble lord had, with high spirit and honour,
written a letter explaining those parts of the report which
related to himself, leaving his caso with confidence in the
halide of the Crown. The question of the position in which
Sir John M'Neil and Colonel Tulloch were to stand before the
commission was the most important point to be considered.
Those gentlemen had not been authorised to inquire into the
conduct of officers, and they had adhered with singular fide-
lity to their instructions. They were ordered to collect the
facts of the case, and to suggest remedies. The reports were
a collection of facts, and the commissioners had done no more
than obey the orders aed instructions which were given to
them. It might be said that out of facts inferences arose
which were prejudicial to the character of officers. He (Mr.
Gladstone) regretted that the precedent afforded by the cora-
l:al-31bn ancintad after the tattle of Ctrs bad not been fol-

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