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Leader (1850-1860), 9th February 1856, Edition 1 of 2, Page 125, Untitled Article

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      Untitled Article

      " Russia has adhered to the five propositions -which , are to serve as the preliminaries of peace , and which were presented fox * her acceptance by Austria , with the assent of France and England . This unreserved adhesion was announced in a note addressed by Count Nesselrode , the Russian Chancellor , to Count Esterfcazy , the Austrian minister at St . Petersburg , and in a despatch communicated to Count Buol by Prince Gortschakofi ^ the Russian minister at Vienna . The Russian government , in consequence , proposed the signature of a protocol at Vienna , to enregister the adhesion of the contracting Courts to the propositions intended to serve as the bases of negotiation , and to declare that plenipotentiaries shall meet at Paris within three weeks ( or sooner , if possible ) , in order to proceed successively to the signature of preliminaries , to the conclusion of an armistice , and to the opening of general negotiations .

      " The British Government had already expressed a desire that the conferences should be held at Paris , and the Austrian government having , on its side , eagerly acceded to that suggestion , it is therefore in the capital of the empire that the plenipotentiaries who may be appointed to deliberate on the conditions of peace will assemble- The protocol setting forth the acceptance of all the parties was signed on February 1 , at Vienna , at noon , and it was decided that the plenipotentiaries of the Powers who are to take part in the negotiations shall assemble at Paris before the 20 th of February . " The armistice , when , it has been agreed on , will extend to the 31 st of March .

      Untitled Article

      THE REPORT OE SIR JOHN M'NEILL AND COLONEL TULLOCH . Thb Report of Sir John M'Neill and Colonel Tulloch , the Commissioners appointed by Lord Pabnerston , immediately after his accession to power , to inquire into " the whole arrangement andmanagement of the Commissariat Department , " has been published during the present week . Its tendency is to ' confirm the accounts already given of the frightful condition of the army "before Sevastopol , in the autumn and winter of 1854-5 . In the space of seven months , thirty-five per cent , of the army fell victims to overwork , improper food , insufficient clothing , and exposure to the weather . " It has only , " remarked the

      Commissioners , " been by slow degrees and after the frequent repetition of -similar details , as one witness after another revealed the facts that had come under his own observation , that we have been able to form any adequate conception of the distress and misery undergone by the troops , or fully to appreciate the unparalleled courage and constancy with which they have endured their sufferings . " A great deal of the ill-health of the men is attributed to their ¦ being fud on salt meat , owing to which scurvy was generated to a fearful extent . Fresh meat , it appeal's , might have been procured ; but it was not . The farinaceous food was for a long time confined to hard , dry biscuit ; and it was not till this , had produced great evils that arrangements were made for baking fresh bread . An

      2 , 000 watch-cloaks remained in store , besides a reserve of between 6 , 000 and 7 , 000 at Scutari , which might easily ha-ve been made available . The reason assigned for not issuing these was , ' that the regulation of the service , as established by the Queen ' s warrant , did not authorise such issue more frequently than once in three years . ' On the 28 th of November , 6 , 000 militia coatees and 6 , 000 pairs of trousers arrived at Balaklava ; "but , although- the army was in rags , all the coatees and 3 , 000 pairs of trousers were still in store at the end of six months — the reason assigned , being 'that the Secretary at War ' s letters of the 9 th November

      , announced the immediate shipment of an extra suit of clothing for each soldier , ' which , however , did not arrive till the severity of the winter had passed . On whom does the blame o > f this rest ? Colonel Gordon informs us , in his evidence , that , in consequence of instructions issued by the Quartermaster-General , ' commanding officers were in no respect responsible for any delay in receiving the requisitions for these issues , and he considers the Quartermaster-General ' s department alone responsible for the proper appropriation of them . ' Sir Richard Airey and himself , therefore , are the persons chiefly responsible for this neglect . "

      With respect to Dr . Hall , the Commissioners attach considerable blame to him for want of energy in not taking decided steps to ensure attention to his requisitions . They state that " the returns of sickness aad mortality furnished by the medical officers relate to matters which are beyond the limits of then * inquiry , and therefore have not been submitted on this occasion . " Vegetables do not at present form a part of a

      soldier ' s rations ; but the Commissioners recommend that hi future they should do so . Nd one is specially responsible for the adaptation of the resources to the -wants of the army . The Commissioners accordingly suggest that an officer of high military rank should be specially charged with the proper management of the diet . They also advise the substitution of porter for rum ; and conclude with some remarks respecting the transport , the supply of hay , &a .

      abundant supply of rice , preserved potatoes , peas , Scotch barley , and lime-juice , lay at Balaklava and Scutari ; but , though the Inspector-General of Hospitals pointed out the necessity for serving out these stores—more especially lime-juice , as an anti-scorbutic—the men remained without for a considerable period . Twenty thousand pounds of lime-juice were allowed to lie in the Commissariat stores , from the lOfch of December till the first week in February , without the Inspector-General of Hospitals being informed of their existence . Mr . Commissary-General Filder appears to be saddled with the chief blame in , these respects . Colonel Gordon , ia giving evidence before the Commissioners , says : — " The Commissary-General seems to have desired hia officers

      to issue rations according to his own views instead of according to the general orders of the army . " The arrangements with respect to clothing were as bad . " B y the 7 th of December , " says a summary in the Daily News , " there were in store or in the harbour 10 , 000 rugs , a number subsequently increased to 25 , 000 ; but , while the mon are stated to h < ure BuiForcd severely for want of sufficient covering , the return of clothing received and issued from the Quartermaster-Gouoral ' s store ( up to the end of January ) shows that the troops were supplied with only 800 out of 24 , 000 lying useless in the store ! On tho 24 th and 27 th Deconibor , 25 , 000 blanlcota arrived at Balaklavn , bub wore not issued ,

      although they would havo afforded a third blanket to each man , and hwo given him a , chanoo of having ' two dry blankots in Ms tout besides the one he usually brought in wet from tho trenches . ' In November , about 12 , 000 paillasses arrived , whioh would havo afforded one to each man off duty ; but there wu « no hay or straw to fill them with , and no measures wore taken to procure wool or any other eubetituto , whioh tho Conuniasionora observe might hnve been obtained . Hud thin been done , very much of tho dyisonUwy , whioh was tho chief cause of mortality , might hwvo boon prevented , In tho beginning of Decembor , 12 , 000 grotttooato woro received ; but , during that month and January , 0 , 000 of thone and

      Untitled Article

      PUBLIC MEETINGS . FAREWELL BANQUET TO GENERAL GRANT . The _ East India Company , on Saturday eveniiig , entertained , at a banquet of unusual splendour , Lieutenant-General Patrick Grant , ' .-who was recently appointed to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Madras Presidency . The occasion derived unusual interest from the circumstance of General Grant ' s appoiafeinent being the first that has been made under the new system , which , contrary to the old , throws open the highest class of military commands to the officers of the East India Company's services . The banquet was given at the London Tavern ; Mr . Elliot Macnaghten presided ; andin the absence of Lord

      chanan , the American Minister , had stated in a despatch to his Government , that , if the Ministry of Lord Aberdeen had remained two months longer in power , all the points of difference betwee n England and the United States would have been settled . The first steps which "bring on a war are often so slight , that a man would be laughed at for hinting at th o possibility of hostilities ensuing ; but one step follows another until , by some blundering , the honour of each party is concerned , and he cannot retract , and so the original question i * lost Bight of . When there was a prospect of a quarrel between England and France , some years ago—he ( Mr . Bright ) believed it was with regard to the Tahiti business , or something

      equally absurd—a deputation from the Chamber of Commerce went to Louis Philippe , remained with him all night , arguing the question , and finally made him pledge his word as a king that war Bhould not ensue . We had " drifted" into the war with Russia , to use the expression of our own Foreign . Minister—an expression which showed the feebleness and incapacity which guided the helm ; and we might be "drifting" into a war with America . If we got into the position in which we were placed after the Russians crossed the Pruth , and after the conferences in 1853 , we might have a war with America , unless we do something which will be a humiliation to England ; and he ( Mr . Bright ) was as much against doing

      anything that should bring humiliation on this country as any man could be . Arbitration would not settle the difficulty ^ because , with regard to the Bulwer-Clayton treaty , America would not abide by the result if it went against her , and being , as it were , on the spot / she would contrive to advance , and obtain ascendancy over the disputed region by some means or other , though some of her means he did not consider either very wise or very just . It was quite clear- that our Government was wrong , and , although we had apologised , we had most absurdly coupled with that apology a declaration that we had nothing to apologise for , since we had always been in the right ; , as if a jury should say , " The man is not guilty , but we hope he will not do so any more . "

      The motion for the adoption of the report having been carried unanimously , Mr . Bright , in conformity with a wish subsequently expressed , drew up the annexed resolution , which was moved by the Mayor of Manchester , and agreed to without any

      opposition : — " That this Chamber has observed with deep regret that difficulties have arisen between the British Government and the G overnment of the United States with regard to the construction of a treaty OJL the subject of Central America , and to attempts which are alleged to have been made to enlist men for the British army within the jurisdiction of the United States ; this Chamber would urgently impress upon the Government of this country the propriety of considering these questions in a conciliatory spirit , with a strong determination to spare alike to the United Kingdom and the United States the indescribable evils which must arise from , any interruption of amicable relations between the two countries . "

      , Palmesrston , the Government was represented by the Duke of Argyll , Lord Stanley of Alderley , the Right Hon . Veruon Smith , tho Right Hon . W . G . Hayter , and the Right Hon . Robert Lowe . After a brief speech , from the chairman , complimenting their guest on his promotion , and thanking the Government for the change which they had effected in the old system , General Grant acknowledged in terms of great gratitude tlie toast of his health , and paid a graceful compliment to his former leader , Lord Gough . The meeting was also addressed by Lord Gough and Admiral £ Lushington ( who responded to the toast of the Army and Navy ) , the Duke of Argyll ( for the Government ) ., the Right Hon . Vernon Smith ( for the Board

      of Control ) , Lord Campbell ( for the House of Peers ) , the Right Hon . E . EUico ( for the House of Commons ) , the Right Hon . Robert Lowe ( for the Civil Service of India ) , and others . In the course of his observations , the ]> uke of Argyll said lie believed the events which had recently occurred in Western Asia are interesting to us more from their connexion with the cause of Turkey , and with those other questions in which wo are concerned , than as having any direct relation to the welfare of our Indian empire . He did not think wo had any occasion to dread either Russia or any ofchor

      powor in that direction . The same views were expressed by Mr . Vernon Smith . Lord Campbell jocosely said that , though he had been a member of tho House of Lords flfteou years , he had hitherto " escaped tho perils attending tho discharge of that duty , " and had never beforo been called on to acknowledge the toast of tho House of Lords . Referring to the new life peerage , ho promised that " if any of tb-o goutlomon present woro dostinod to bo niaclo poors for life , they would , be sure of a courteous reception from tlio Houso of Lords . " At thw there was bo mo laughter .

      MB . DUIQUT ON OUR QUAIUUBr . WITH AMBIUOA . Tbo annual mooting of tho Manchester Chambor of Commerce was held qt \ Monday , Mr . Homy Ashworth presiding , Tho adoption of tho report having boor * moved and sooowded , Mr . Bright , M . P ., nddroBsod tho mooting ivb ooueidorublo length on tho subject of tho threatened contest with America . Ho sakl that all our knowledge oh tho question i » comprised in tho fact that w « know nothing . Mr , Bu-

      Untitled Article

      IRELAND . Prospects op Peace or Wab . _—The prevailing ^ certainty as to the great question of peace or was weighs heavily upon all branches of commerce on the Irish side of the Channel . Markets for every kind of produce have been wofully depressed since the first announcement of the acceptance by Russia of the five propositions ; and the corn and cattle trades which had , up to that stage , reached the inaximunt , point of prosperity , as suddenly sank to their ordinary level . However , one of the papers published in the far west —the JBallind Herald—mentions , among the many signs of returning Irish prosperity , as not the least significant , the uuprecedentedly great number of marriages which are taking place previous to the commencement of Lout and the temporary close of the wedlock season . —Times . The Government Provision Contract . — The Dublin Mercantile Advertiser says that ono hundred and fifty tierces of pork made tip in Dublin were rejected on the ground of defeofcivo oasks , and that , unexceptionable casks being afterwards provided , the very same pork was again refused because it did nob oome up to the standard of quality .

      Untitled Article

      THE ORIENT . INDIA . A season of repose appears to havo settled down on India , and nows is vory soaroo . " Hio only important event , " says tho Times' Calcutta correspondent , " is tho introduction of bills for tho punishment and futuvo govornmont of the Santals into tho Legislative Council . The rebellion itself scorns again to be dying out . Tho troops find tho Santala in their VU lagoa , and are met with professions of goodwill an < offers of asaiatanoc . Tho Governor-General haB re contly taken a remarkable- stop in ad vanes . Ho ha addressed a circular to the five Governments and th < oonuniaaionors of hide pendent province a , rcquirini thom to prepare an annual report on tho torritorie under their administration . Each of those reports I

      Untitled Article

      February 9 , 1856 . ] THE LEADER . 125

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Feb. 9, 1856, page 125, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2127/page/5/