The Sun.
London, England, 1859-05-17 00:00:00

GENERAL PEEL AND SIR J. 6744HA111.

We are requested to publish the following corre•
spondence :

" War-oe, May 14.
"Dear Sir James Graham,—l have waited in
hope that you would have contradicted a statement
reported to have been made by you in your speech
at Carlisle, on Monday last, to the effect, That in
order to influence the elections the War Depart-
ment, by an act of prerogative, Parliament not sit-
ting, had increased the allowance to publicans for
soldiers billeted on them from 1.3 d. to 4d.'
" Now, this is not only untrue, but if you stated
it, I must leave you to explain how it was possible
for you not to have known that it was mot true. In
addition to your long Parliamentary experience
and knowledge of everything connected with the
army, you, when First Lord of the Admiralty,
must have brought in the Marine Mutiny Bill, and
must have known that the allowance to publicans
for soldiers and marines billeted on them is fixed
by the Mutiny Bill. You must also have known
that last session a Parliamentary committee inquired
into the billeting system, and recommended in their
report that the allowance should be raised from 13d.
to from 4d. to 6d. ; that I was asked publicly in
the house on the 7th of February, this year, whether
it was the intention of the Government to carry,
this recommendation into effect, and that I answered
that it was their intention to raise it to 4d., but
that it could not be done until the Mutiny Bill
was brought in ; that again on the 7th of March, on
the Army Estimates, I made the same statement,
and that Parliament voted the extra sum required
for the payment of it, and that on bringing in the
Mutiny Bill I pointed out that the only material
alteration in it was the increased allowance to the
publicans. The Mutiny Bill passed before there
was any idea of a dissolution, and the War-office
Circular, directing the payment of the additional
allowance, was issued previous to the dissolution.
" Your statement about the castle or barracks at
Berwick is equally incorrect; but, although you
made it, I think you admitted that you could not
say that it could be proved.
" I am not inclined to criticise too narrowly elec-
tion speeches, but when charges of this nature are
made against a public department it is necessary,
that they should be publicly contradicted, and I
shall be glad to accompany the publication of this
letter with any explanation you may have to offer
on the contents of it.

"Believe me, yours very truly, "J. PEEL."

"Netherby, May 15.
" Dear General Peel,—Until I received your
letter this morning I was not aware that the in-
crease of billet money had been specified and sanc-
tioned by the Mutiny Act; or that provision had
been made for this increase in the vote on account
in the Army Estimates. The statement, therefore,
in the speech to which you refer, respecting an
act of prerogative, Parliament not sitting,' is an
inaccuraw. You blame my ignorance. I acknow-
ledge it. A misstatement made by me has been the
consequence. I am sorry for it, and you can give
to this acknowledgment the publicity which you
desire. The fact remains that a large increase of
billet money has been made at the instance of the
Government, and was announced on the eve of a
general election,

" With respect to an allegedpromise of an outlay
of public money at Berwick I said that I could not
speak with any certainty, and that I did not know
whether the allegation could be proved. I have been
since informed that it was not the restoration of the
old castle which was contemplated, but the repara-
tion and the reoccupation of the old barracks at
that place.—l am yours very faithfully,
" J. R. G. GRAHAM.
" Major-General the Right Hon. J. Peel."