The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-08 00:00:00

THE NAVY.

ROYAL CO
STORES A

to indulge in any lavish schemes for the army
and navy, but to endeavour, as far as in me
lies, to support what I believe is essential to the
welfare and the best interests of this country.
Colonel SMYTH, M.P.,next rose, and was also
received with cheers. e said—My Lord Mayor
Mr. Chaplain, and gentlemen, I, on 'my own behalf,
thank you for the manner in which my health has
been proposed and received as one.of the city mem-
bers. We are met here to-day to celebrate a great
event—an event which you have, in my opinion,
most properly taken this opportunity of celebrating.
(Applause.) We desire to do so, not, as was said
by my noble friend (the Earl of Carlisle), if he will
allow me to call him so, in any vindictive or boast-
ful spirit; we wish not to revive- any of the pains
or the heartburnings which occurred at the time of
the Crimean war ; hitt we are met to-day, and I
don't hesitate to say so publicly, to celebrate a great
victory—a victory which would not have been wor-
thy of the fame it has obtained if our foes had that
day been less gallant, our enemies been less per-
severing than they were. We desire, in this city
of York, to expreSs our admiration of the gallant
deeds that were performed at Inkermann, our com-
miseration and our mourning for those who fell on
that bloody field where over-matched and surprised
British soldiers held their ground against countless
numbers, whom the timely arrival of our French
allies enabled us successfully to resist. (Cheers.)
Yorkshireman as I am, proud of my country,
and deeply interested in all that concerns this city,
I rejoice—and I say so again—that you have deter-
mined to celebrate this anniversary. (Applause.)
Colonel Smyth then read a letter which he received
from his brother, who went through the whole of
the Crimean war, and which was written on the
day and after the battle of Inkermann. He de-
scribed that they had a hard day's work, stated
thrt his horse was shot under him, and that there
was no doubt they all did their duty. I believe
(remarked Col. Smyth) the officer of every regi-
ment in the Crimea might have said the same.
These, gentlemen, are the men who are the life and
soul of the British army. (Hear.) The British
officer and the British soldier will endure every
privation, every discomfort, rather than disgrace
his country. In my opinion we do not take as much
care as we ought to do of the British soldier.
(Cheers.) Many will tell you that a three or four
years' soldier is of a value which we hardly appre-
ciate. We drill, we humanise, we interest the raw
recruit until he becomes a skilful and accomplished
soldier and well-disposed man, and then we give
him little encouragement, but bad barracks, and
food which is sometimes distasteful to him. Doubt-
less we find some who come from the dregs of the
population, while there are others who join the
army from a desire for adventure or from a love of
glory. To those the words of the poet will apply:
"Tor gold the merchant ploughs the main,
'The farmer ploughs the manor;
But glory is the soldier's praise,
The soldier's wealth and honour."
(Cheers.) It is not. too much to say that of such
men as these we ought to take more care ; we ought
to make their time less monotonous, to teach each
soldier a trade, and give him more employment in
his leisure hours, lire shall then make him more
civilised and more comfortable, and not make him
less gallant or less persevering. (Cheers.)
Among the other toasts were " the Lord Mayor,"
" the Dean and Chapter of York," " Earl de Grey
and the Yorkshire Hussars," and " Miss Nightin-
gale and the Ladies who assisted her in the Crimea."
The Hon. W. E. BUNCOMBE responded on behalf
of Earl de Grey, and in doing so he observed, he
believed that in engaging with the war in Russia
they were only fulfilling the high destinies of this
country. (Cheers.)
The "Health of Miss Nightingale" was proposed
by the Hon. aad Rev. S. W. LAWLEY, who said,
after the battle of Inkermann the wounds of the
soldiers were stanched by the hands of women.
While they therefore remembered the glory of the
soldiers they ought not to forget the tenderness
and the services of woman. No Russian cannon
spoke with more clear-toned voice—no British gun
answered with clearer defiance—than that love,
spoken in clear tones, by the noble sacrifice and
devotion of our countrywomen. (Cheers.) There
was no manual labour ever performed by man, and
no duties more distasteful, which these women did
not perform. In fact, the glory of the British arms
secured its brightest lustre from the tenderness and
the love of woman. (Cheers.)
On the same evening about 70 of the men resi-
dent in York who in arms served their country in
the Crimea, sat down to a dinner which had been
provided by public subscription, when the valuable
services of the army -were duly acknowledged.

ON ARMY
TOTHING.

NUMEROUS FIRES AND GREAT
DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY. •

Saturday and yesterday were peculiarly and un-
fortunately prolific in fires, there being during a
period of little more than 12 hours several in diffe-
rent parts of what is called the metropolitan dis-
trict, which extends a circle of 15 miles from

TilE SON; LONDON, Niolibi*A.'l7- EVENING, NOVEMBER 8, 1858.

those supplied by the colonels, but he could not say
so much for the trousers.
By the Chairman—There could be no doubt that
the greatest benefit would result to the soldiers and
the public if the clothing. of the regiments of the
line was made on a plln similar to that of the ar-
tillery, supposing that a depot with a staff of mili-
tary tailors could be formed for the different regi-
ments. The line regiments had depots at different
places, but that was not the case with the artillery,
whose head-quarters had been at Woolwich for a
century or more.
Mr. Turner asked the witness what his pay was.
'Witness replied 7s. 10d. a-day, with 2s. addi-
tional for lodging money. That, he added, was his
pay as a quartermaster. He was not paid any-
thing additional in respect of the services he ren-
dered in the clothing establishment, and there were
no perquisites connected with his duties there. The
cuttings in the tailoring department were sold by
Quartermaster Grant, who rendered an account of
them, and the proceeds went to defray incidental
expenses connected with the establishment.
Mr. Turner, at a subsequent part of the day, ad-
dressing the witness, said—l have heard, among
other things, that you keep racehorses here, but I
confess I cannot believe it
Quartermaster Taylor—l have none in training
at the present time. •
This answer produced a considerable sensation
among the Commissioners and the people in the