The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-15 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—(YESTERDAY.)
• THE TROOPS IN CHINA.
(Continued fronz the Sun of last evening.) ,
Lord HERBERT said—There is another point on
which I wish to make an observation. We recommenee 1
hostilities on the 18th of September. On that occasion Mr.
Parkes, Mr. De Norman, Lieut. Anderson, Captain Bra-
bazon, Mr. Loch, and Mr. Bowlby were taken prisoners.
There can be no doubt that these men were taken prisoner
under a flag of true. There can be no doubt of the inhu-
manity with which they were treated. The fate of these
officers and the sufferings they underwent made a profound
impression on the people of this country. We could not but
have lamented their fate if they had met with a soldier's
death in the face of day. But they died in a fearful man-
ner. Their sufferings were ingeniously increased by the
Chinese. Their hands were tied with cords in a barbarous
manner, and the cords were wetted to increase their tension.
They were taken to a distant place ; they were exposed to
the alternate extremes of heat and cold of that temperature
and their sufferings were heightened by every species of
indignity. They were all men of distinction. Mr. Parkes
was one of the most active and energetic men of the expedi-
tion. Without him the commissariat would have begin
almost powerless. Mr. De Norman was a young man of
great promise, and had shown talents of no common order.
(Hear.) Captain Brabazon was an officer who, from his
talents and skill in drawing, had often, I believe, been
selected for sketching the country. Lieut. Anderson was an
officer universally lamented. I have seen a statement as to
the way in which the news of his death had been received
in India, where the head-quarters of his regiment are sta-
tioned. It was a touching account of the effect produced by
the news both on officers and men. There was also agen-
tleman whom I have seen to-day (Mr. Loch) who fortu-
nately escaped. There was also Mr. Bowlby, one of those
correspondents of the press who made himself perhaps
most remarkable by the extraordinary vigour and vivacity
of his reports from the seat of war. No doubt that was a
foul act of treachery, and deserved to be marked by some
great act of retribution. It was necessary that something
should be done to mark our sense of indignation at this
conduct on the part of the Chinese. Let me here advert to
two or three peculiarities of this campaign which I think
mark a great difference between this and former expedi-
tions. We had an excellent commissariat under Mr. Tur-
ner. 'We had an excellent medical staff ; and a first attempt
was made to introduce a system of employing medical cffi-
cers for purely preventive sanitary purposes. lam told
that the greatest success attended the operations of this
board. I have heard remarks made as to the costs of these
proceedings, but it is only because the measures were so
successful that these complaints have been heard. But
what expense can be too great within reasonable limits to
furnish a force so efficient as this was, where the list of
casualties, deaths, and wounds was actually at a lower rate
than occurred in peace in hot climates. (Hear.) There was
a time when hostile critics said—ln your foreign expedi-
tions you can always produce fine men, but you have no
medical staff, and no commissariat to feed them. Gene-
ral Sir Hope Grant had given the lie to all these
accusations. On the whole, it was a bloodless campaign,
and no less so amongst the Chinese, notwithstanding
the vast hordes which they brought into the field. Her
Majesty has been graciously pleased to express her admi-
ration of the conduct of her army. She has distributed pro-
motions and rewards amongst them ; but it remains for the
country and for this house, as forming no inconsiderable
part of this country, to express the gratitude we owe to
them for their gallant conduct in the field, and for the solid
peace they have acquired. I trust, therefore, without tres-
passing longer on your lordships' attention, I may antici-
pate a unanimous assent to the motion I have the honour
to make. The noble lord concluded by moving—
" That the thanks of this house be given to Lieutenant-
General Sir Hope Grant, G.C.8., Vice-Admiral Sir Jas.
Hope, K C. 8., Major-General Sir John Michell, K.C.B.
Major-General Sir Robert Napier' K.C.8., Rear-Admiral
Lewis Tobias Jones, C. 8., for the distinguished skill, zeal.
and intrepidity, with which they conducted the combined;
operations in the north of China, which terminated in the
capture of Pekin, whereby an honourable peace has been
obtained on the terms proposed by her Majesty and her
ally the Emperor of the French.
" That the thanks of this house be given to the other
officers of the navy, army, and the Royal Marines, includ-
ing
her Majesty's Indian Forces, both European
end
native,
for the energy and gallantry with which they executed the
services they were called upoito perform.
"That this house doth acknowledge and highly approve
the gallantry, discipline, and uniform good conduct dis-
played by the petty officers, non-commissioned officers, and
men of the navy, army, Royal Marines, and her Majesty's
Indian forces, European and native ; and the cordial good
feeling which animated the united force. And that the
same be communicated to them by the commanders of the
several ships and corps, who are respectively desired to
thank them for their gallant and steadfast behaviour."
The Earl of DERBY, on rising to second the vote of
thanks, complimented the noble mover of the motion for
the able and lucid address which he had made to their lord-
ships on the subject before the house, and expressed a hope
that his noble friend would long live to adorn the house by
his eloquence and ability. The task which his noble friend
had undertaken to perform must have been most gratifying
to him, as it was consistent with his feelings and with the
position which he occupied in connexion with her Majesty's
Government. He anticipated that the vote would receive
the unanimous concurrence of their lordships, because what-
ever their feelings might be in reference to the origin of the
war, they could not refrain from expressing their admira-
tion of those gallant services by which the reputation of the
country had been so eminently sustained, and which in their
results had had the effect of gaining for the country so much
solid advantage. At the same time without wishing to de-
rogate in the slightest degree from the merits of those ss ho,
under circumstances of the greatest danger, had been em•
ployed in sustaining the honour of the country in China—
he thought that great credit was due for the success of the
operations to those departments of the public service which
had been mainly instrumental in organising the expedition.
The manner in which the expedition had been fitted out
and despatched was most satisfactory, and showed the
country we had derived the greatest advantage frem the
bitter lesson which our past experience and past mishaps
had taught us. (Hear, hear.) Under these circumstances,
and not being connected with the Government, he had
thought it the more incumbent upon him to express his
sense of the admirable manner in which the departments
I concerned had organised the expedition. In every respect
it appeared to have been furnished with the greatest care
and the greatest attention—the greatest care and atten-
tion bestowed, not only on the efficiency of the troops and
the efficiency of the arms, but also on the health and com-
fort of all persons engaged. Indeed, the efforts which had
been made reflected the greatest credit on all the depart-
ments concerned, and more especially upon those presided
over by his noble friend (Lord Herbert), and the illustrious
duke on the cross benches (the Duke of Cambridge). The
campaign itself, whatever might be its ultimate results,
could not pretend to have excited in this country the same
amount of deep interest with which the late military ope-
rations in India were regarded. We watched with the
greatest anxiety the fall of Delhi, the relief of Lucknow,
successive marches and the stern endurance, which charac-
terised the acts of Generals Havelock, Outrun, Inglis, Sir
Hope Grant, Sir Hugh Rose, and last, though not least,
his noble and gallant friend, whom he was happy to see
upon the cross benches (Lord Clyde). But although no'
such deep interest had been excited by the present cam-
paign, yet, when we looked to what had been effected—
when we saw the small extent of the force—not exceeding
altogether 20,000 men—and knew that in the course of
little more than two months they effected a landing, suc-
ceeded in penetrating to the heart of China, and dictating
at the gates of Pekin their own terms of peace—when we
compared these great results, with the apparent dispropor-
tion of the means, the whole transaction read really more
like a fable and a romance than a passage in history.
(Hear, hear.) It must not be forgotten that we had not
met with a contemptible foe, but that the Tartar cavalry
had shown a degree of courage and bravery which, but for
the vast superiority of our arms and discipline, might not
unsuccessfully have resisted our progress. (Hear, hear) He
would add nothing to the accuracy of the description with
which his noble friend had followed the course of events,
from the first landing of the troops until the final reduction
of Pekin, but with regard to the merits of individual offi-
cers be thought their lordships had been left somewhat in
the dark, owing to the want of the official information which
was usually supplied upon those occasions. He believed it
was the practice, in giving notice of a vote of thanks to any
portion of her Majesty's forces, to state the names of the
officers whom it was intended to include in the vote. He
regretted that that course had been departed from.
He had read with great interest the detailed accounts of
Sir Hope Grant and Admiral Hope with respect to the
house
taking of the Taku forts and other operations, and when he
turned to the only official information
by the Government, he folind to his grantet dantropthrisee
though the papers laid on the table enwteergried
devoid of
ataintaitolgyreat detail
as to every part of the subject, they
taken and the services of
any information as to the paurti
notice of their services in
particular individuals. Theed only
ay
despatch of two or three
the Blue Book was contain
lines relative to the captureivoefnthteo Tthaekhuofuo
sr
et s
n. Tg
rhoeurne
dwlaid
,
in fact, in the dospatchesg
for the vote of thanks which the Government now asked
agree to, and while he did not dispute the
their lordshiphsetote,
be thought at the same time that their
propriety of the
lordships should have had some information of these parti-
cular and individual services. As, however, his noble iriend
t singled out any particular officer for special mention
exempt ,Sir Hope Grant and Admiral Hope, it was, of course,
impossible' for him (Lord Derby) to say more than he
thought moot highly of those officers. Sir Hope Grant
especially had surpassed by his gallantry and judgment
even the fame he had won in the previous campaigns in
India. On one particular point he thought his conduct
deserved especial mention and approval. He (Lord Derby)
had seen this in print, and he had never seen it denied, and
therefore he thought it would be wrong not to mention it.
When hi's noble friend had spoken of the cordiality and
good :understanding which existed between the English
and French commanders, and between all branches of the
service, it was right to say that there had been a great
difference of opinion between Sir Hope Grant and General
Montauban as to the nature of the operations to be taken
against the Taku forts. Sir Hope Grant, he believed,
did not succeed in convincing General Montauban
that his plan was the best, and therefore he took
upon himself the responsibility of carrying out his own