The Sun.
London, England, 1858-12-08 00:00:00

The Chairman reminded the witness that Colonel
Horne, in command of the 2d battalion of the 13th
Regiment at Winchester, had stated to the Com-
missioners that the clothing furnished to the bat-
talion by witness was unsuitable, from the cut of it,
that he complained to the War-office, and that, on
witness being sent down to Winchester to inquire
into the matter, he (witness) suggested that the
men should fit the tunics instead of the tunics being
made to fit the men. (A laugh.)
Witness said he had not wished to do anything
so absurd, On the occasion in question he received
a telegram from tha War-office relative to some
complaints made by Colonel Horne about the
clothing supplied by witness to his battalion, then
stationed at Winchester, and he went there and
had an interview with the colonel on the subject.
The colonel ordered the battalion to be paraded
for witness's inspection. The complaint of the
colonel was that the clothing was made on defective
principles. Witness knew that was incorrect, and he
told Colonel Horne that it was made upon an im-
proved pattern, which, after experience, had been
approved in the service. If the tunic had
been made after Colonel Horne's idea, as soon
as the soldier put on his knapsack or attemped to
walk it would have burst across the shoulders. (A
laugh.) Col. Horne, on fitting a tunic on a soldier,
took him by the elbows and pulled his shoulders
ever so far backwards, so that, placed in such a
position, he could not walk either with or without
a knapsack. At the time witness got the order to
make the clothing there was not a single soldier in
the battalion. (A laugh.) -The men all joined it
afterwards. When witness made up clothing for a
regiment where, as in this case, no size roll was
supplied, he made 45 different sizes, to fit men
varying from 5 feet 4 inches in height to 6 feet.
At the time of witness's visit to Winchester Col.
Horne's master-tailor had deserted, and witness
discharged some duties for the colonel in respect to
the clothing supplied which would have devolved
on the moster-tailor. After leaving 'Winchester
witness reported to the War-office that the cloth-
ing was not cut on defective principles, and that
he saw no reason for altering it. Col. Horne had
rejected 42 suits, the first instalment of 800 suits
which witness had contracted to supply ; and on
the 26th Oct. last, a few days after the colonel had
given his evidence before the Commissioners, he
(the colonel), with Col. Faunce and Col. Cathcart,
signed with his own hand a certificate that " they
had that day seen and inspected 143 tunics sup-
plied by Mr. Tait, army contractor, for the 2d bat-
talion, 13th Regt., and were perfectly satisfied with
the make and fit, little or no alteration being re-
quired." Those 143 tunics were cut from precisely
the same pattern as the 42 which Col. Horne had
rejected. The truth was he (witness) would not
make army clothing on any consideration according
to the ideas of Col. Horne. His (witness's) business
returns amounted to £200,000 a year, and he was
quite independent of Government contracts.
The Chairman reminded Mr. Tait that Colonel
Horne had stated that he (witness) had sent to the
battalion 200 blue forage caps instead of green
ones. (A laugh.)
Witness said, in the first instance he sent 200
blue forage caps instead of green ones by mistake.
Colonel Horne's regiment being a light infantry
one, 200 green caps were sent to replace the re-
jected ones. Previously, however, to the complaint
being made witness received a second order for
200 green caps from the War-office for the same re-
giment, which were immediately forwarded to
Winchester. The two lots of green caps were
rejected by Colonel Horne and returned to Lime-
rick. On their arriving there witness carefully
compared them with the sealed pattern, and finding
them to be equal in every respect, he immediately
returned the same caps to Winchester, when they
were approved, and issued to the men f the batta-
lion. (Laughter.)
The CHAIRMAN expressed his regret that the
witness was not present to give evidence before
the Commissioners at the time Colonel Horne did
so, for they would have heard both sides of the
question.
Witness showed the Commissioners a private
soldier's coatee and two tunics of the patterns which
had been in use during the last six years, and proved
to their unqualified satisfaction that the tunic now
supplied by him by open contract was much supe-
rior in quality to the other two, and furnished at a
lower price to the country. The whole of his
clothing, he added, was cut and sewn by machinery,
driven by steam, and capable of making 4,000 suits
a week. It was owing to the encouragement he
had received from Sir Thomas Troublidge at the
War-office that he had carried the practical appli-
cation of machinery so far. He could now clothe
the whole of the British army, assuming that
250,000 suits would be required annually ; and, on
an emergency, with the steam power at his com-
mand, he could furnish 10,000 suits a-week to the
Government. Ha employed about 1,100 people,
and no man at wages lower than a guinea a-week.
The CHAIRMAN said that all his brother police
magistrates in the metropolis as well as himself had
long been of opinion that nothing could be worse
than the condition of the people who worked for
army clothiers in London, owing to the low rate of
wages which were paid them.
Witness said he paid his workmen at least 30
per cent. more than the army clothiers in London
pay theirs. He added, partly as an illustration of
the value of steam power in this purticular trade,
that on the evening of Monday, the 22d of May
lastAhe received an order in Limerick from the War
Department to supply 800 regimental suits with
the greatest expedition. He had not all the neces-
sary materials by him at that moment, but he tele-
graphed to England for what he wanted, and had
it brought to Limerick the greatest part of the way
by an express train, and on the morning of the fol-
lowing Friday he dispatched by express train from
Limerick to London the whole 800 suits complete.
By. Mr. Turner—There were grave ebjections to
the
,Government manufacturing the whole of the
army clothing, though it would be well for them to
keep up a small establishment for making part.
Competition was the life of business and of enter-
prise in this country, and it was desirable to depend
on the manufacturing and commercial industry of
the people for the supply of clothing to the army.
As to regimental boarc.s for testing the soldiers'
clothing if they were all conducted in the same way
as Colomel Home's they were a perfect farce. (A
laugh.) But, from his (witness s) knowledge of
regimental officers, he was happy to state such was
not the case. At Winchester the two senior officers
comprised the board, along with Colonel Horne,
but, in point of fact, Colonel Horne was the board
himself. (A laugh.)
Mr. Ludlow, a sub-contractor of army clothing,
corroborated the evidence of the previous witness
as to the desirability of applying machinery to the
trade.
The Com Missioners then adjourned to this day
(Wednesday) at 12 o'clock, at No. 11 committee-
room of the House of Commons.

THE EXMOOR MURDER.-DISCOVERY

OF THE BODY.

,
The body of the little girl who was supposed to
have been murdered by a man named Burgess, now
awaiting his trial on that charge in Taunton gaol,
has just been discovered. It will be remembered
that about four months ago Burgess suddenly dis-
appeared from Exmoor Forest, taking with him
the child, his daughter, who was about three years
old ; and that when Burgess was next seen the
child was not with him, and no clue could be found
to her. He was apprehended on suspicion at Swan-
sea, where he was working, and made a desperate
attempt on the life of the constable while he was
being conveyed from the Welsh to the Devonshire
coast. Since then the police have been searching
Exmoor Forest for the body of the child. At length
it was suspected that it must have been thrown by
the prisoner into a disused copper mine in the Ex-
moor Forest, called the " Wheal Eliza." This mine
was full of water, and as it was of a depth of 216
feet, it was at once felt that to empty it would be I
a work of very great labour and difficulty. The
duty was submitted to Mr. Superintendent Jeffs,
under whose direction an engine and various pumps
were erected. After prosecuting the work for some
months the water was got out, but it was then
found that the old workings were so charged with
foul air that to attempt to:enter them would inevi-
tably be attended with loss of life. Further delay
ensued, and the water again began to accumulate.
The police, however, renewed their efforts for its
reduction, and as their reward they have succeeded
in recoverinc, the body. It was in a sack, and was
found on the° platform of the great shaft, at a depth
of 209 feet, orwaansdlw,eirt3h,illit9tled
leoeofemetpoosfedi.he
Ibtotmtoumst.
The body
have been in the water for. more than four months,
but the water
havebeinghem-
tshaletsb,otdhyeywerefly charged with mineral
some remainsher of the poor little girl's
preserved it from putrefaction. On
clothing, and others of apparel were
known. to
found wrapped in an oilskirwahriinct is
have belonged to the father. In the sack with the
-corpge were some small bags full of stones, placed
evidently for the purpose of sinking it. One of
hasm water
been
deposited e
those bags has also been recognised as having been
inthep risfoonreprr'sespeons,saetsio sino Din.
soThmeeofbtoh sa
dey
and notice has been given to tho coroner, Mr.
Munekton.