The Sun.
London, England, 1857-03-13 00:00:00

THE YEOMANRY.

Mr. K. SEYMER asked the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, whether, in the event of the yeomanry cavalry
not being called out for eight days' permanent duty
during the ensuing year, he was willing, in accordance
with precedent, to remit the horse duty to the enrolled
members of the veotnanry corps ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
that in the event of sufficient cause not bong shown for
the yeomanry cavalry being called out for eight days'
permanent duty, the Government was prepared to ex-
tend the same relief as on a former occa4ion, and remit
the duty for the ensuing year.
In reply to a que4ion from Mr. LIDDELL,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
that he would to morrow give an explanation of what he
meant by a "sufficient cause."

SMITHFIELD.
Lord R. GROSVENOR for Mr. Ker Seytner asked
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Govern-
ment was prepared to give effect to the reelmmen lation
of the Smithfield Committee, viz., " That the bet appro-
priation for the general benefit of so much of the site of
Smithfield as reverts to the Crown would be to adapt it
for the ej,yrnent and recreation of th- plibhc."
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that in July last the report of the committee was sent
to the City Remeinbrancer, informing him that It was
intended to introduce into Parliament a bill f,r appro-
priating the site of Smithfield. To that an answer was
retqrned that the city authorities could not rec9gnise
the claim of the Crown to the land without its being
substantiated in a c,.urt of law. To pre • ent that pro-
ceeding a su,zgestion was made by the City authorities
to make it a dead meat market, but the Government
declined it, and requested the authorities to nmeider a
plan fnr appropriating it to public services. At. present
no answer had been received by the Government, the
question being under the consideration of the City autho•

THE COUNCIL AT MALTA.
Mr. KINNAIRD asked the Secretary of State for
the Colonies whether he had taken any steps to prevent
judges holding the office of member of council at Malta?
Mr. LABOUCHERE said it had been thought expe-
dient to recommend that an or!er in Council be passed,
by which in future the ju iges of the superior courts in
Malta should not be eligible to seats in the Council.

THE CA MP AT CURRAGII.
Mr. COG AN asked the Under Secretary for War
whether there was any intention to establish a mili-
tary prison in connection with the camp at the Cur-
ragh ; and, if so, whether any steps had been taken as
yet with respect to it
Mr. F. PEEL sa►d that two propositions bad been
made for tho establishment of prisons at Curragh—one
for the erection of a civil prison, and the other fur the
erection of a military prison within the limits of the
Camp at Curragh. No decision had been come to with
regard to either of the propositions.
SUPPLY.
Mr. FITZROY brought up the report of supply
granted yesterday.—Agreed to.
THE CRINIEAN CONIMISSIONERS.
On the motion for the house going into committee of
supply,
Mr. PALK moved -the foliewing amendment _
"That Sir John M'Neill and Colonel Tulloch ably ful-
filled the duty entrusted to them of inquiring into the
arrangement and management of the Commissariat De-
partment ; that the evidence in their report proves that,-in
the months of Decembar, 1854, and January, 1855, the
sufferings of the army must have been intense, and
that great mortality was occasioned by overwork and ex-
posure, and want of food and clothing ; that the examina-
tions into this statement by the Board of General Officers
materially support the conclusions arrived at by the Com-
missioners as to the want of organisation in the Quarter-
master General's, Commissariat, and Transport. Services;
that it appears to this house that, from the report of the
board, this inefficiency must be attributed to the imper-
fect arrangement or conduct of those depart►nents."
He said time ft:ye rapidly, and events succ,teded event
in quick succession, but he thought they would all re-
member that it was not many months ago that, in cam-
' mon with the ialiabitants of London, they assembled to
welcome back to the shores of their native laud the
Guards of London. Ile was sure that all who saw them
were struck by the brot zed and martial appearance of
those men who had gathered fresh laurels in every en:
counter in which they had been engaged. The people of
London welcomed back the Guards with loud cheers, and
the people of London that day were a prototype of the
English nation at large. The English nation was not
naturally a warlike nation ; it deliglated more in the arts
of peace and the enterprises of commerce ; but go where

they would, into the manufacturing cities or into
the agricultural counties, they would find one univer,al
feeling pervading the country, and that was r,spect and
regard for the army. They welcomed the Guards back,
but in welcoming them there was one thing which marred
the brilliant aspect of that day. While they welcomed
the return of the Guards the thought would rise un-
hidden but unchecked, how many they had left be.
hind them, not on the bloody field of war, but by the
neglect of their country, by the destitution and
the misery which the inefficiency of our establishments
had occasioned. It wes at the beginning of the year 1854
that accounts first reached this country which convulsed
it from one end of the kingdom to the other, that told
of disasters greater than any that had yet been entered
by British troops. So great was the outcry that the Times
newspaper assumed the executive of E %lend, and by its
wide circulation and by the means at its disposal, raised
a large sum of money which it instantly sent to the reliet
of the sufferers. The country was roused, Parliament was
called together ; and the member for Shefileid, in spite of
all the arguments of the Government, carried in this house
a committee to inquire into the state of the British army
in the East. The result of that committee was known to
them all, and it was not his intention to take up their time
in adverting to it, but the argument of greater force used
against the committee was that it was unfair for a commit-
tee at home to judge of the acts and proceedings of those
abroad. In consequence of that the Governrrsent appointed
a commission of their own, and sent out to the Crimea Sir
J. M'Neill and Colonel Tuffech to inquire into the state
of the British army. Col. Tull ,ch and Sir J. M‘Neili
personally examined the quartermaster and the Burgeon
of every corpe, and they reported that, the sufferings of
the army had 'been intense, that the departmental ar-
rangements in the Crimea bad contributed in no iocon-
-1 siderable degree to the suffering of the troops, and they
pointed out that the system hitherto relied upon had
Ifailed. They stated that the mortality on all previous
occasions sank into comparative insignificance, and by a
return which had been made it was proved that the state-
mentsagain ofna n
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ae
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commissioners also came to conclusions precisely the
sauce as those which bad been stated in the newspapers.
When the British army landed in the Crimea they did
so without their knapsacks. That, he was informed, was
not an unusual course, and, under careful supervision,
no great harm arose ; but in this case it appeared that
the most common precautions which one would have
thought would have been taken were unfortunately
omitted. The knapsacks were sent, some to Yarns, some
to Gallipoli ; they were scattered all over the sea, and
the soldiers did not receive them for many months, some
of them did not get them at all. Again, the knapsacks
on this occasion did not contain the u.ual amount of ne-
cessaries carried by the soldiers. A great number of
them were left in the squat bags at Scutari, and be
firmly believed that was the origin of the distress and
misery which ensued. The soldiers commenced a siege
without change of clothing, without the means of clean-
liness, without a second pair of shoes, and they were
rapidly reduced to a state of wretchedness which was
sufficient to cause great mortality even if there were
no fault to be found with the supplies of the army.
The result was that in the course of a few months
the army which had received the adieus of the Qiiten,
and which it was/ the proud boast of the Minister of
the day had been sent out equipped with every be
cessary, became a disciplined horde of starved and
wretcoed individuals, prone to disea-e, suffering tram
want, from positive starvation, from cold and w ref chedness.
After carefully examining the report he came to the con
elusion that there was warm clothing upon the spot, and
that the reason why it was not issued to the troops we-
still wholly unexplained. Cul. Wetherail admitted there
i were 12,000 great coats in store in his department, and