Star.
London, England, 1810-02-13 00:00:00

iielirrio;Eltis service, so far as the Transport *rant
is connected with thesila—Weitad fiequcnt connn7
nicaticas; even several times in a day, twice, thrice. or
O4tper in a day, either with Lord Castlereagh or the
Under Secretary, concerning, the providing shipping
for the different departments of. Government.'
Was not the proportion of the hospital Shill thgt
should attend the Expedition, considered, and was nor
it in the contemplation of .Government, the
_
propinquity of the service, the. tack might be removed
.sa transports that carried troops to the Hospitals in
England, and did you not understand* that that was-
a principal service that 'was determined upon ?—I
understood that the sick were occasionally to be sent
to Englan&—the hospital ships and convalescent ships
were to the same extent that had been used in other
Expeditions, to Copenhagen, to the Texel, and even
to distant parts of the wetrld ; the transrairts, as they
returned from the Scheldt, were ordered to be dean-•
sed, fumigated, and provided with a double allow-
ance of medical comforts, in order to bring back the
sick, after we heard that they had so much increased.
Was it not your opinion that the ordinary trans-
ports that conveyed the troops, with an addition to
the medical comforts that were in store with the Ex-
pedition, were qualified to convey the s;ek beak to
the Hospitals ?—I confess, if I could have given them
better accommodation I sl:o ild have thought it my
duty to do so, but the sick had increased ;so much
that.there was no possibility. of
.providing. Hospital
ships for their conveyance to England we provided.,
some of the transports with hair bed,,, which; iv ith
the medical comforts, we thought for so short a vol•.
age might answer the purpose, but the country could
not have furnished tonnage for hospital ships to the
extent that was requited, within the time that was
necessary.
Does nor an hospital ship require from eight to ten
ton a man, and could an arrangement at all-adequate
to the number of sick have been provided under the
circumstances in wlUch the country . was placed ?
The two hospital ships that were apprOpriated to
that service, the Asia and Aurora( were about 480
tons each, and could not receive,more in the cradles
that were provided io hospital ships, than sixty men
in each ship or thereabout.
Regard being hid toahe amount of the force sent.
upon this Expedition, and the propoition of tonnage
which was withdrawn from other set vices, and which
could ma with propriety have been paid .off, and alsi)
regard being had to the proportion of the force that
was carried by the Navy, do you consider that the
'late Expedition, as tar as your department was eon-
oerned, was one of great expence, or the reverse ?—.I
think the reverse. • •

Do you mean to say that there were but two lies.
pital ships, as such, attached ID this Expedition ?
Yes.

At what time did the conversation take place be.
twee you and Lord Castlereagh re•pecting the in- j
crease of the sick, which made it 'impossible to pro-'1
vide hospital ships sufficient for their accommodation ?
I cannot mention the exact day, I think it was early
in the month of September that I went to the Secre-
tary of State's in consequence of receiving a letter
from our principal Agent, who mentioned that there
were 14.00 sick ; I saw the under Secretary of State,
and he told me he was sorry to say therf• were many
more ; at that time there was no possibility of pro-
em ing hospital ships to the extent that was required
to bring over the sick.
• Did you go to the Secretary of State's Office upon
this subect, in consequence ,of any requisition upon
the part of the Secretary of State or the Under Secre-
tary, or any officer of his Nfajestv's Government ?
I went there on receiviT.,g.the intelligence that I have
stated, without any requisition.
Were not you in the hab;t of having repeated and
constant communications both with Lord Castlereagh
and Mr. Robinson, as to every point of the transport
service throughout the whole of the business, whether
it respected the sick, or any other department of the
service ?-7Certainly, without the inteimission of a
single day.

Did not these communications very freitiemly take
place in consequence of a message either from Lord
Castlereagh or Mr. Robinson, that they mished to
speak to you ?—Certainly, very frequently, and once
his Lordship came over to my office ; as I had fre-
quently been sent for, he took the trouble to come
over himself to make some enquiry.
How long do yon conceive it would take to equip
an hospital ship in the Way in which these ships arc
generally equipped, and in the way the Asia was
equipped, after a requisition of that kind had been
Made ?—I think not less than a month.
Had not you communication both with Lord Cas-
tlereagh and Mr. Robinson, before the sailing of the
Expedition, as to this question of hospital ships and
convalescent ships, and as not it thodpbt that, con-
sidering the short distance to which the troops were
to go, the number of hospital ships then provided, to-
gether with the convalescent ships and the means of,
transport arising from the vessels which carried out
either troops or stores, were sufficient to.hring home
almost any number of sick that were likely to require,
conveyance ?—At that time we had no idea. of the
skit being likely to amount to such an extent, but cer-
tainly we could not have provided hospital ships or
convalescent ships to the extent that was required—
the Under Secretary of State, at the time alluded to,
communicated to me a communication which he had
from Portsmouth, requiring an hospital ship to each
division : I told him it was impracticable_ to, provide
them within the time required.
State whether you. had any discussion with his Ma-
jesty's Ministers upon the subject of the increased
sickness of the Army in Walcheren, previous to the
time of your going to the Secretary of State's office,
on the receipt of the letter you have mentioned from
your Agent ?—Nn.
• What is the date of that Letter ?—I canner it
senr state it. . ...
You have stated in, the..former- part ;of ,gone
den.ceohat- any ntunber of transpcittriniglit have been
iroxided by, giving money emiligh ; what particular
obstaele occurred against the providing more hospital
transports, when the deer. Loth of the seetree and the
cause of humanity required it ?—I beg.leaie to state,
that T do not recollect having said that,aay number
of transports might be provided ; if I saideso, I beg
leave to retract it. •
Have you not reason to believe that tlVfirst intel-
ligence received by the. Secretary of State- of there
being any large proportion of sick in the army in the

Scheldt, was contairtewdhiiicafiLmo,arsdreCcietiavieldVrta:S:Ebiettenitair.::::f
Igtate.on the -Ist of September of
hf e
the 29 r h of
Secretary AugAug August, tf
The first intimation I had was from our Agents f
.the 1,44)0 sick I have already mentioned
saw that letter of Lord Chatham's which is alluded rt.,'
• Did not the Riving is. cause ccmoderable. dissati
faction among the owners of the transports who hart
been before in the service i--;-Thernever made any
representation thattholirei
tt.crthaonlelsecgpoitvrttiiisfgoNt:thittaht
piclEl:ittccdea
f.sodi trtilentin; ••
indPucoeytohue believe that
been in the service, to demand an increase of price ee
They demanded an increase of price previous to ne.
and obtained it ; the 13s. a ton was the regular ''
pee
in the year 1795, and from that time it has increa•e4
to the prices I have stated. • • - • '
When you gave 255. a ton to a ship. did not ;moths:
ship equally good, to which you had only paid ce.
I guinea before, demand 25s- in consequence of yfm,
aving given 255. to the ship year last engaged :-.-
No, they never did that I. recollect.; it was no lien.
seal thing in •expeditiens to raise the pride for ship,-
1 taken up at the period of dent pats tieuler expeditios.
I when they, could lint be had without. fei a ngthe prics.;
it had beeta.delke in :almost .e.ieraoittshitice: - s - ....
You have-said, that in order, to •induct many eftl'e
transports to lecept of t he.arrengemetue you c;;easea
teem for a twelventnnth, how ere ti ey at, this time .r. s.
posed of,since the s•.•elsoststontit was:id/eh sifter tte ell.,
they could to used ?---Tae number engaged ii,,. e
te;:eltemonth,.4i4e ecnierceed more than two or thee:.
.hundretholc iii the best ofeny recollection; these-shim- •
can be kept in the service if only employed at nave
victuallers,: or to supply our Colonies "abroad with
stores, arid. the others might he 'discharged withtor
'the least injury to the service.
Did• you state, that if a ship of 180 tons was com-
pletely readyfor sailing in other respects, she would oil.
take a month to equip her f6r an Hospital Ship?
certainly did not mean that, but we had not shies if
that descriptiml in the service at the time alluded to
that could be appropriated to that service, and it
hired, they must in the first instance be ready and
maimed in every respect on the part, of the owners,'
before our seorkmen could work upon tlitm to;fit theti
as Hospital Ships. -
"What time Would it take to fir a ship .in othei• no
spee, rekly as an Hospital Ship ?-e-I do not believe
it ever has been done in less than .a fortnight, but I
will nut say it may not be done in a week with pet
exertion.—[The Witness was directed to withdreie.-;
MAJOR-GENERAL CALVERT, Adjutant General if ha
Army, tear cad in, and examined by the qominitiie,
When were any communications made to you re-
specting intended.operatio Is in the Scheldt, and what
passed in consequence ?—There was very early in ti,e
year an urgent requisition nn-the part of Government,
that troops should be required for service, but I was
.. .. ._
not apprized for what service. .
State any communication made to y.ou eespectine
the prep mug an indefinite force, which force was r
afTerwards senhto any other destination?-The fi ,-T-
-der. that ' was given oat to the troop.; after their
return from Spain was by his Royal Highness the
late Commander in Chief, specifying, that by the- 1 eth
of. April he should expect the troops •te beprcparel
for service ; en the 22d of March a letter was writtee
to the General Officees commanding in the Ewers,
'Kent and Sussex districts, des!ring that they -:ecru: .4.
immediately report, for the Commander in Chief', in
formation, the actual state-of the troops with a sera
to service ; the next requisition did not apply to the
service ; the next application made by the Commas-
der in Chief's order was on the sth of May, which
was directed to the General Officers commanding lu •
the Eastern and Kent districts, for the Same inform:nine
~
ire regard to the troops, and urging: their iMmediate -
equipment ; the next letterto tic same object-was on
the 23d of May, which was directed to the General •
Officers commanding in the Eastern. district, the bent
district, and the Sussex district.
When were you first made acquainted with the pro. •
jected Expedition to the Scheldt ?- I rather think it
was about the middle. of May.
By whom was it communicated to you, and what
was the substance of any communication to yore, as 2
what instructions did you receive I—l believe the
communication was made to me by the Comm:tilde:-
in-Chief, but every instruction respecting the prepa-
ration of the troops for ithice was.previousi y given ;
I am not awate.thatany instruction immediately Is.:!•
lowed, for everyinetruction had been given previous
to my knowledge where the troops were to be ern.
•plcvyed. , .
Was the Commander in Chef's communication to
you in writing ?—lt was not.
I State what communication you had with the Corr.-
' mander-in-Chief ?—That a considerable corps was' to
'be prepared for immediate service in the Scheidt:
that it was to comprise almost the whole of our Ifs-
posable force, certainly the whole of our disposable
infantry, .and a considerable proportion of our dispos-
able cavalry ; that' it Was to he prepared in two dire
-sions, the one was•at that time supp Ised to precede
the other, and the letter, which was the reserve, was
to be forroed of those regiments that we: e leestfit for
-
I Service. .
. , What was the amount-of the force that was requi-
red ?---I think the first ,division .was to moist of
2.5,000 men, and the second division of 10,0e0. arr
is a return of the force that was at that time rut en-
der orders for service, resulting from the rearms made.
by the ComManding Officers of. District.: tae e•tal
is 8569 cavalry, and 80,322 infantry. •
• • •Was that. farce ready for service in the roidelle 'of
May ?—No, it was not.
What proportion of it was ?---It is.very difficult to
answer that question, because the .rettn ;Is late,in
April specified that a very small ration ot the forte
was fit for service, hexing returned cis lately from Ca
runlet.. and likewise from the Militia volunteering
der
.i'nl ;hr' 'Moeda tot April ; 1:lat which I lure stated
wait rroutethe result of- an inget4..m.tsk LI the tif6"
cers commateding districts ins thole:M-4 May jher
had been an inquiry made on the sth of *MTN i:oiot.k.
...
was not so favourable. • . .
What was the disposable force fit for service 911
the sth of May ?--I doubt wheeser the Most •satisfac.-
tory way of answering that will not be by p !
putting
the reports of the General Officers ; the result 19 dd.
ferent as to almost every corps.
' Have.you any means of stating to the Committee'
. _ .
what, at pßrticular periods, was the amount orlorce -
that was actually disposable and tit for foreign str-
Tv.

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