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    THE HOSPITALS IN THE EAST .. Thk accounts of the hospital * are so very contradictory that they are almost valueless- We , however , give them , paying our readers to draw their own conclusions , which , we fancy will he , that , things are progassing , on the whole favourably . The Morning Chroniclecorrespondent says : — r ^ " I made a . long , and , observant ramble through the hospital wasds at Scutari ,: and was most agreeably struck with the imppovement , which . ia visible in nearly every one . of the arrangements . I much question whether the state of things just now at Scutari would afford a peg for the- most imaginative chronicler to hang a growl upon . 1 have no hesitation whatever in assuring you

    that in every particular of essential comfort and assiduous care our , poor si < ak and wounded fellows at Scutari are not a whit behind their French comrades hi the Medji--dieh . - Our hospital is under the untiring superintendence of Miss Nightingale ; we have now a band of ' good angels' bestowing their womanly tenderness upon _ our poor fellows in a way that will not suffer by comparison with those , of the . French ' sisters , ' Our medical staff is abundant , and every hospital store that skill can prescribe , or kindness suggest , is at hand to superfluity . I say this , not on the information of officials , but on the authority of the sufferers themselves . With hardly an exception , every man I spoke to declared that no attendance could be better , nor sick-comforts more perfect . "

    On the other hand , the Times correspondent , writing the same day , says : — " When I arrived here , early in November , the maximum number of deaths scarcely exceeded twenty a day ; now it is nearly three times as high .. At that time the proportion of sick and wounded was about equal- ; now the former vastly preponderates . At the period referred to wounds would heal here ; for some time past they have in most cases refused to do so , or if a patient does show a tendency to get well , dysentery , fever , ^ or consumption seizes him and makes him its prey . This is one of the darkest features in the sanitary condition and prospects of the army , for it leads us to anticipate what the probable fate will be during the next two months , not only of the 5000 sick now crowded in the camp hospital , but of those , still doing duty who are unfit for work . Dr . Hall includes in this last class one half

    the entire-army , the strength ^ of which one now ^ hears variously estimated at from 11 , 000 to 14 , 000 men . Whatever be the actual , state of health in the army , it is quite certain that in the hospitals here- the- number of cheerful , hopeful faces among the patients -diminishes , . and the daily tour of-wards ^ and corridors discloses a steady increase of prostration and glo ' onu Men-huddle themselves up in their bedclothes more , and the "newspaper and amusing book have lost much of their former -attractiveness . N *> . " reading aloud now , and as the new arrivals tell of the hardships they have gone through , it is not an . unusual thing for them , overcome by the recollection , to burst into tears . If these wan and wasted figures could be seen in England —the victims , not of hostile rage ; but of that military system which for forty years we have fostered and petted in insular self-sufficiency—weshould soon have it reformed . "

    On one subject—the skill and devotion of Miss JSTiglitingale—all are agreed . r-Thesame writer says : — " Wherever there is disease in its most dangerous form ; and the hand of the spoiler distressingly nigh , there i * that incomparable , woman , sure to be seen ; her benignant presence is ; an . influence for good comfort even amid the struggles of expiring nature . She is a ' ministering angel , ' without any exaggeration , in these hospitals , and as her slender form glides quietly along each corridor every poor fellow ' s fuce softens with gratitude at the sight of her . When all the medical officers have retired for the night , and silence and darkness

    have settled down upon those miles of prostrate sick , she may be observed alone , with a little lamp in her hand , making her solitary rounds . The popular instinct was not mistaken , which , whon she set out from England on her mission of mercy , hailed her as a heroine ; I trmfc that she may not earn her title to a higher though sadder appellation . No one who has observed her fragile figure and delicate health can avoid misgivings leat those should fail . With the heart of a true woman , and tho manners of a lady , accomplished and refined beyond most of her sex , she ' combines a surprising calmness of judgment and promptitude and decision of character . "

    This is reiterated by a private letter . " As I walked leisurely through the wards the lady nurses wero gliding from bed to bod , inquiring tenderly from the sufferers their respective states and wants , and , like good angels , paying the poor fellows such delicate Attentions , as only woman ' s hand can minister , and woman ' s heart suggest . ' They aro angels , ' said one poor follow to me , whose leg had . been shattered by a round shot at Inkonnan ; ' they arc angels , ' ho repeated * and many a time , as one of thorn comes and aaks me tenderly how I fool , and trios to make my bed softer or my pillow- smootheiy I almost forgot that I am so far away from , my mother aud only sister . There ' s Misa Nightingale , ' continued tho grateful follow , while his voice thickened with emotion as he apoko , ' ' s like a mother to every ono of us , and God will bless her if its only- for the kindty- and tentlor uttontiontt aha has shown to myself . "

    SIR CHARLES NAPIER AND LORD CARDIGAN AT THE MANSION-HOUSE . On Tuesday the . Lord Mayor gave the- usual annual dinner to the aldermen and other dignitaries of the City at the Mansion-house . The proceedings derived their chief interest from the circumstance that among the guests were the Earl of Cardigan and Admiral Sir Charles Napier , Avho each , delivered speeches relating to the war . Lord Cardigan was attired in the uniform which he wore in the desperate cavalry charge at Balaklava . The customary loyal toasts having been duly honoured , The Lord Mayor briefly proposed . " The Navy and the Baltic Service , ! ' coupling with the toast the names of Sir Charles Napier and Captain Lynch , R . N . ( Drunk with enthusiasm . ')

    Sir Charles Napier replied as follows : — " My Lord Mayor , Lady Mayoress , ladies , and gentlemen , if an officer-having returned from , a foreign service like my noble friend , if he will allow me to call him so ( the Earl of Cardigan ) , after having performed prodigies of valour , and been received in "the , manner in which he has been this day , must feel proud on this occasion , how must I feel , who have returned from my command having scarcely performed any service at all , and been censured by the Government and dismissed from my command ? ( Cries of " , no" ') I repeat dismissed from my command . I have no doubt it will be expected that some account should be given of the very small services performed by that magnificent fleet which was sent out from this

    country . That fleet was magnificent , certainly , to a degree . It was very badly manned , and worse disciplined ; but , however , we managed to take it to . the Baltic without pilots , without charts—all the officers being perfectly- unacquainted with the Baltic , and the difficulties of the navigation . Now , the first object I had in view : was to endeavour to satisfy the wishes of the people of this country . I was quite aware that onetenth part of what was expected could never be performed ; but , nevertheless , I was determined to do the best I possibly could under the circumstances . When we first went out my view was to give the Russians every chance of putting , to sea . I divided my fleet into two squadrons ^ but the Russians did not come out . Our

    next object was to go to Cronstadt and see what was to be done there . We accordingly proceeded ^ with the assistance : of a French squadron , but we found the thing totally impracticable . There was not depth of water enough for the ships , and the batteries were of such strength that it was impossible to attempt to attack the place without the certainty almost of destruction to our fleet . 3 Ve therefore returned to our former anchorage , and thence went to Bomarsund .. I only asked fo . r 1000 or 2000 men to make the thing certain , and they sent us out 10 , 000 mem It is needless for me to say how quickly the thing ; was-accomplished . ( A laugh . ) I now come to a matter of greater consequence , and I think it my duty to make it known , as much as I can not iParliament have

    do , here , because I am n . I been very much censured by the Government . Great clamour has been raised against me , and instead of the Government discountenancing that clamour , they have actually supported and encouraged , it . The moment it was known in England and France that the French army intended to retunthome ,. seeing , that it was perfectly impossible at that season of the year to perform any further service without risking her Majesty ' s fleet , the Government became dissatisfied , and they ordered a council of war to bo held . I dare say nobody ever heard yet of a council of way , fighting . ( Laughter . ') However , we did not want that to drive us on . But the whole subject was carefully and thoroughly examined by a General of

    Marshal , of France , a French Admiral , a French Engineers , and also by no less than three British Admirals ; and they all unanimously decided that , it was perfectly impossible to proceed further ; and that had we done so we should have encountered the risk of almost certain defeat and loss . Tho British Admiralty was not satisfied with that , but they listened to the advice of an officer of Engineers , and I was ordered to hold another council of war ,, to ascertain whether French Admirals and English officers would abandon their own opinion and adopt that of tho Admiralty . The officers felt insulted at that proposal . I believe that had we gone up the Gulf of Finland again , instead of returning homo , our . fleet would have been totally lost . Not satisfied , however , with that , I went up , . determined to have another survey of that fortification , whiqh is one of tho and that

    strongest in Europe . That was in September , month in the Baltic corresponds in severity with November here and among tho Channel Islands . Tho moment it was first reported ( erroneously ) that Scbasiopol was taken , it was also said , ' Why does not Admiral Napier go and take Cronstadt and St . Petersburg ? ' In faot , 1 was asked , ' Why don ' t you go and take Moscow ?' ( Laughter . ') Now , I never did expect that tho Admiralty would join in that clamour . At that time I se . nt home a clear and detailod account , stating niy opinions and what appliances wero nocosaary in order to take . Sweaborg . You will not expect ino to state what those opinions were . Sufllco it to flay that I had . given two soparato opinions , one of which , if followed , 1 believed , was certain to insure success , and tho . other , cortniu to bring destruction ou tho Jlcet , What did tho Admiralty tUou do ? I mention this in order that thoro may bo up

    mistake whatever , because if . the Governmeut have the least spirit about them th&y will immediately discharge me , and turn me out of the service , ( Laughter . ) I say that , the Admiralty perverted : my language ; They not only did that , but they asked me why I did not take Sweaborg , and why I did not do this , that , and the other ? They received my letter , giving them an accouft £ of how Sweaborg might betaken ^ on the 4 th of October the very day o » which the . first intelligence reached England of the > capture of SebastopoL On the 9 th of October—five days afterwards—the news arrived that Sebastopol was not taken ; but the Admiralty had not the plain , straightforward dealing , nor the honesty , to write to me and apologise . No ; but what they did was

    this—they perverted what I had written , giving them a plan for the taking of Sweaborg . My lord , I was nofc going to stand that—( laughter and cheers )—I am not the man to put up with an insult . I remonstrated most strongly , but they still persisted in saying that I had led them astray . Well , what could I do ? I was not going to be driven into all this , particularly as Sir J . Graham , during the whole period I wastin the Baltic , had written to me admonishing me to beware of stone walls ; telling me not to risk her Majesty ' s fleet against them ; that these stone walls were not to be trusted ; and reminding me that when I was first known , to be going out to the Baltic I had been accused by certain persons of want of discretion , but assuring m& that now ; in his opinion , I

    had proved myself a consummate commandec-in-chief After that came the most insulting and degrading letters to me ever addressed to an officer ; and 1 mention this particularly in the hope that it will go forth to the world , and that Sir J . Graham will be prevented from ever sitting in the Administration again as First Lord ot the Admiralty . I state it to the public , and I wish them to know that , had I followed the advice of Sir J . Graham , I should most inevitably have left the fleet behind me in the Baltic . I will prove this before all the world ; and if Sir J . Graham has one single spark of honour in him he will never again take his seat at the Admiralty until this matter is cleared up . On the other hand , I will say

    that I have no right to be ever employed again , and I ought , in fact , to be scratched off the Navy List if-I an * not telling the truth in what I now state . ( Cheers . " ) I am taking the first opportunity of making this statement publicly , and I am perfectly ready to answer formy conduct before the House , of Commons whenever-theys ; choose to calluponmeto do so . "\( Cheers . ) The gallant ; Admiral then concluded by again thanking the company for the honour they had done him in drinking his health . The . Lord Mayor gave ^ as the next toa st , . " The-Army , " coupling with it the names of the . Earl of Cardigan and of Captain Maxse , his lordship ' s aide-decamp . ( The toast was given upstanding , with three timesthree vociferous cjieers . )

    The Earl of Cardigan then said , — " My Lord Mayor , Lady Mayoress , ladies , and gentlemen , I feel _ considerably embarrassed in rising to return you , my sincere thanks for the high honour that you have done me , because there are several conflicting feelings which now weigh heavily upon my mind . I am here reminded of what has recently occurred in the East , and I feel- certain that a late engagement , in which I was an actor in . that part of the world , is the cause of the handsome and flattering reception Which I-have met-witb . - this . day . But , coupled with that , there are other feelings which press on my mind—among others , the recollection of the sad and disastrous loss that occurred on that fatal day ,

    and the number of brave officers and soldiers whose lives wen * then unfortunately sacrificed . 1 have further to remember that , as a staff officer , it is very difficult to say anything connected with the war which is now waging in the Crimea . My Lord Mayor , my services in the Crimea having been alluded to by you , perhaps I may be allowed to inform you how I havo been employed since I was sent out to the East . It was my good fortune , when in Turkey , in the first instance , to be sent towards the enemy ' s outposta with the light cavalry . I was ordored to ascertain the position of tho enemy . I had to patrol the whole of the country by means of detaohments of the troops under my command . Shortly

    after this I received a very peremptory order to immediately proceed with a strong body of cavalry to discover what had become of the Russian army ; for the siege of Silistria had then been raised , and tho Commander-in-Chief was totally ignorunt whether the Russians wero about to proceed towards Varna to' attack our position , or intended to retreat towards their own country . You can easily imagine that this was ratlior an anxious undertaking , and ono that required the exorcise of considerable caution on my part . Wo i » WJ * have come at any moment upon the Russiau urmy . we which call perfectly

    travelled over tho country , I may a wild desert , for a iliatanco of « 00 miles . Having ftHcertainod that tho Russian army had returned by Babadagh , camotho ordor to proceed to tho Crimea , and htfe I must say that that expedition was a noble und < £ taking , and had . in view an object worthy of the ambition of two groat nations . ( Chttr * . * ) O * ova S landing in the Crimea , I was employed .. wi hin two hours aftorwanis , with a strong body of cavalry artillery , and inf-uitry ,. in endeavouring to cut ofl so . no Russian cavalry which wero supposed to be marching towards Simpboropol . . I am eorry to say that I

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    P ^ BBUAJiY lfr 1855 . ] THE IE APE ft . X 27

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 10, 1855, page 127, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2077/page/7/