17th.—Medical Departments, Colonel Boldero's motion
negatived. Sunday Trading Bill read a first time. Sardinian
Convention Bill read a third time and passed.

18th.—Intestacy (Scotland) Bill read a second time. Sea
Coast Fisheries (Ireland), Mr. McMahon's Bill rejected.
Inland Fisheries (Ireland) Bill withdrawn.

20th.—The Budget. Chancellor of the Exchequer's
Financial Statement. Intestacy (Scotland) Bill committed.

23rd.—Committee of Ways and Means Report brought up,
and Resolutions agreed to. Newspaper Stamp Bill considered
in Committee. Roebuck's Committee, Captain Gladstone
nominated a Member in room of Mr. Ball.

24th.—National Education, Mr. Heywood's Resolution
debated and withdrawn. Charity Commission, Mr. Pellatt's
motion withdrawn. Post Office Communication in the Islands
of Scotland, Mr. H. Baillie's motion, House counted out.

25th.—Marriage Law Amendment Bill, debate on second
reading begun and adjourned to 9th of May. Affirmations
(Scotland) Bill read a third time and passed.

THE select committee appointed to inquire into the
State of the Army before Sebastapol resumed its sittings
on the 17th inst. All the members were present, except
Mr. John Ball, the newly-appointed under-secretary for
the colonies. Mr. Maxwell, one of the commissioners
sent out by the Duke of Newcastle, was recalled. From
his statements it would seem that the commissioners
had left England without written instructions from the
late minister of war, who assured Mr. Maxwell that his
instructions should follow. When they arrived at the
camp, some difficulties arose in consequence of the
breach of military etiquette on their part, in neglecting
to report their arrival and authority to Lord Raglan.
The consequence was, that orders were issued from
head-quarters, reproving the commissioners for putting
questions to the surgeons: but this difficulty was
obviated when Lord Raglan learnt the authority of the
commission. Mr. Maxwell was only partially examined,
as the committee decided that they should be better
able to continue his examination when they had the
terms of his commission and report before them.
Lieutenant-colonel Horsford, commanding the first
battalion of the rifle brigade, gave evidence to the effect
that his battalion had suffered severely from cholera
and the climate, when he left the Crimea, at the end of
January; having been reduced from 960 men to 180
men. He held that there had been no suffering in the
field until the bad weather set in and the climate told
against them: when the bad weather set in it was
impossible to get up the stores, and the officers' horses
were used as transport: the men suffered from hard
work, exposure, and insufficient clothing. The fourth
division, to which he was attached, being the last
organised, had no bàt-horses granted to it, and was
without means of transport.

Sir Charles Trevelyan, assistant secretary to the
Treasury since 1840, having until recently the
superintendence of the commissariat department, was examined
on the 17th and 18th. The following are the principal
points of his evidence. It was on the 9th February,
1854, that directions were first given to provide for the
expeditionary force about to be sent to Malta; and on
the 17th, Mr. Filder—not as recommended by seniority,
but as the best officer for the purpose, a man of tried
and proved abilities—was appointed commissary-general.
He reported that a staff of forty officers would be
sufficient. Mr. Smith, commissariat-officer at Corfu, received
orders to proceed to Constantinople, obtain information
as to the resources of the country, take measures in
concert with Mr. Calvert to receive the troops as they
landed at Gallipoli, and make further provision for their
reception at Scutari. These services he performed: and
when Mr. Filder arrived at Constantinople, he found
that the troops were well supplied. Shortly after his
arrival, the forces were increased; Mr. Filder increased
the number of his staff and subordinates; took instant
measures to get together the means of land-transport:
2000 arabas, with their animals, and 5000 mules, were
required for 25,000 men, a force that Mr. Filder deemed
sufficient. Although not complete, there were means
of transport at the end of July for rations for 25,000 men
for thirteen days. Mr. Filder, in writing home, never
said in so many words that he had enough means of
transport to move the army from Varna; but he never
said anything to the contrary, and he had made large
provision. Sir Charles was closely pressed on this
point; and the provision made by Mr. Filder was
compared with rules set down in books treating of the
subject, from which it appeared that 24,000 animals
would be required for 53,000 men. Mr. Filder's
estimate of 3000 arabas and 5600 pack-animals for
25,000 men seemed to the committee inconsistent with
the above estimate: but it was explained, that 3000
arabas are equal to 9000 pack-animals, which, plus
5600, give a force equal to 14,600 pack-animals. In
Bulgaria, Mr. Filder never had fewer than 1000 arabas.
When he landed in the Crimea, Mr. Filder had 1203
animals for the reserve ammunition, 842 baggage-animals,
134 for carrying water, 98 for sundry services, and 70
carts. When he had been there a little more than a
fortnight, he had imported 216 carts and mules, 193
waggons of the country, and 206 pack-animals; making
a total means of conveyance for 317,900 pounds daily—
more than the army then required. The animals left
at Varna were "to spare," and were sent to Constantinople
early in October. To illustrate the nature of
the march from Old Fort to Balaklava, Sir Charles
said, that "regularly as the ammunition-animals broke
down, Lord Raglan ordered the contents of the commissariat-
carts to be turned out and left to the mercy of the
Cossacks, while the carts were loaded with ammunition."
When Mr. Filder saw the result of the first day's fire,
he began to be seriously alarmed. He pressed Lord
Raglan for orders to lay in supplies and form depôts;
but could get no precise directions. On the 8th November,
when informed that the army would winter in the
Crimea, he had already written for additional supplies
—1,250,000 pounds of biscuit per month, salt meat,
40,000 gallons of rum, and 40,000 pounds of forage per
fortnight. These things the treasury requested the
admiralty to forward. Whether they were forwarded
or not, Sir Charles could not positively say; it had
been assumed that they were; if the ships had not
arrived the treasury would have heard. On the 13th
November Mr. Filder wrote home expressing his
apprehensions respecting the feeding of the army, as the
roads were likely to break up; and he drew the attention
of the quarter-master to the state of the road. He said
he had plenty of food and plenty of transport, but feared
for the road. After the battles of Balaklava and
Inkerman, and the hurricane of the 14th November,
the period of disaster began. By the breaking up of
the road rendering carts useless, "the transport power
was actually reduced to one-sixth" of what it had been.
The animals died, and the drivers "disappeared." The
hardships affected alike the small horses of the country
and the finest mules from Spain. Mr. Filder wrote
home for 350 drivers; and these, with 270 waggons and
carts and harness, were raised and sent out in a short
time. The animals that had died were after much
delay on the part of the sea transport service, supplied
by fresh horses drawn from Constantinople, and Turkish
porters engaged at the same place. The delays at
Constantinople were so great that Lord Raglan wrote a
"courteous letter" to Admiral Boxer, reminding him
how much depended on forwarding horses, forage, and
stores. Throughout this period, one great link in the
chain of difficulties was the break in the sea route
between Constantinople and Balaklava. Admiral Boxer
was a zealous officer, but he had not administrative
powers sufficiently high for the situation. Down to as
late as the 16th January there would seem to have been
deficient transport; mainly in consequence of the
practice of horse-stealing, so common in the camp;
which, again, arose from the total unfitness of the idle
Turks to act as muleteers. Mr. Filder fully described
to Lord Raglan the state of the road and the necessity
of mending it, or the service of supplying the army
must come to a stand. He also pointed out the evils
arising from the want of magazines at Balaklava, and
the delays and confusion it caused in the issue of
supplies.—Touching other points Sir Charles Trevelyan
made some statements. Inquiries were made early in
the year respecting supplies of vegetables; and successive
cargoes of potatoes and large quantities of rice
were forwarded. Mr. Filder was instructed to get
forage on the Black Sea; but he failed as far as hay
was concerned: chopped straw abounded, but some of