10 FEBRUARY 1855, Page 6

'lie 31Ittroplie.

The Lord Mayor had a great dinner, at the Mansionhouse, on Tuesday. Among the guests were Sir Charles Napier, the Earl of Cardigan, and some other officers recently returned from the Crimea. The two prin- cipal guests delivered remarkable speeches on the occasion : that of Sir Charles Napier, especially, must have taken the Lord Mayor and his company by surprise.

Sir Charles began by contrasting his position with that of Lord Cardigan. If, he said, an officer who had performed prodigies of valour like his noble friend felt proud at his reception on that occasion, "how must I feel, who have returned from my command having hardly performed any service at all, and been censured by the Government, and dismissed from my com- mand." "I repeat," he said, when friendly voices called "No, no! "- "Dismissed from my command !"

It would be expected that he should give an account of the very small service performed by that magnificent fleet in the Baltic. It was magnifi- cent " to a degree, but 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 that sea and the difficulties of its navigation, and we succeeded in getting there in perfect safety. Now, the first object I had in view was to endeavour, if possible, to satisfy the wishes of the people of this country. I was quite aware when I went there that not one tenth part of what was expected could be performed; but nevertheless I was determined to do the best 1 possibly could." He de- scribed how he gave the Russians a chance by dividing his fleet in two, but they would not come out ; how he found an attack upon Cronstadt impracti- cable ; how he then went to Bomarsund. " I had written before to the English Government, proposing to attack Bomarsund. I wanted no other troops to go there ; I had troops enough ; but the French Admiral thought it more proper to have some. The French Government sent out ten thou- sand troops. I did not want them. They had much better have been em- ployed at Sebastopol. I only asked for one or two thousand men, to make the thing more sure ; but I could have done the thing without them ; and I wrote home to that effect. However, the Government sent out ten thou- sand. It is needless for me to say how quickly the thing was done. Bomar- sand was taken in no time."

Next he came to a matter of greater consequence. "I have 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 it." When it was known that the French army in- tended to return home, the Government became dissatisfied, and ordered a council of war. The whole subject was thoroughly considered by a Marshal of France, a French Admiral, a General of French Engineers, and three British Admirals ; and they decided that nothing further could be done. The Admiralty listened to the advice of an officer of Engineers, and ordered another council of war. The French General and Admiral felt insulted by the proposal, and refused to join in such a step. "The Government at home was not satisfied with that. The French General of Engineers sent another report home, still more bare than the first ; and it is unnecessary for me to say that we all concurred in condemning that opinion also; and the French army returned home; and I believe, and have no hesitation in saying, that had they gone up the Gulf of Finland again, instead of returning home, our fleet would have been totally lost."

However, Sir Charles Napier made another survey, and sent home a report. "At the moment it was reported that Sebastopol was taken, it was also asked Why does not Admiral Napier take St. Petersburg and Cronstadt ? ' and in fact it was asked, Why do you not go and take Moscow ? ' Now I did not expect that the Admiralty could join in that clamour. I say, I certainly never expected that they could be so mean and despicable as to join in that clamour, in order to bring odium upon a naval officer who had done the best in his power to bring honour and credit to his country. What did I do ? I sent home a clear and detailed account to the Admiralty, stating to them my opinions, and what appliances were necessary in order to take Sveaborg. What did the Admiralty do ? Now I mention this particularly and plainly, in order that there may be no mistake whatever, because, if the Government have the least spirit about them, they will immediately discharge me and turn me out of the service. The Admiralty perverted my language. They not only did that, but they wrote me the most goading letters they could possibly write : they asked me why I did not take Sveaborg, and do this, that, and the other. They received my letter, giving an account of how Sveaborg might be taken, upon the 4th of October, the very day the reports reached this country of the taking of Sebastopol. On the 9th of October the news came that Sebastopol was not taken ; but the Admiralty bad not the plain straightforward dealing or the honesty to write and apologize to me; but they perverted what I had written, and which gave them a plan for the taking of Sveaborg. I was not going to stand that. I am not the man to, put up with an insult. I remonstrated moat strongly; but, after all my re- monstrancee, the Admiralty persisted still in saying that I had led them astray. What could I do ? I was not going to be driven into all this, par- ticularly as Sir James Graham, during the whole time I was in the Baltic, bad written to me calling upon me to beware the stone walls—not to risk her Majesty's fleet—that these stone walls were not to be trusted, and saying, When you were going to the Baltic, you were generally accused of want of discretion, but now you have proved yourself a consummate commander-in- chief.' After that came the most insulting and degrading letters ever ad- dressed to an officer : and I mention this particularly, and I hope it will go throughout the world, and that Sir James Graham will be prevented from ever sitting again in the Administration as First Lord of the Admiralty. I state it to the public, and I wish it to be known, that, bad I followed the advice of Sir James Graham, I should most inevitably have left the fleet be- hind me in the Baltic. I will prove it before all the world ; and if Sir Tames Graham has one single bit of honour in him, he will never take his seat at the Admiralty until this matter is cleared up ; and I have no right ever to be employed again, and I ought to be scratched off the Navy List, if I am not telling the truth, I am taking the first opportunity, and perhaps the wily one I may have, of making this statement publicly as I now do ; and I tun perfectly ready to answer for my conduct before the House of Commons, whenever they choose to call upon me to do so."

The Earl of Cardigan's health was drunk with "three times three." In commencing a spirit-stirring address, he spoke of his embarrassing po- sition—many things weighed heavily on his mind. He not only recol- lected that he was there on account of a recent engagement in the Crimea; but he felt that it would be difficult to say anything about the war with. out touching upon some of those subjects now occupying the public mind and Parliament. " I think you must clearly see that it would be by no means fitting or proper fur me, in the situation which I hold—that of a high Staff position in the Army—to enter into that subject." He then gave an interesting account of how he had been employed at the seat of war.

" It was my good fortune in the first instance to be sent forward by the Commander of the Forces to the outposts with the light cavalry in the di- rection of the Danube. It was not well known where the Russians were at the time when the siege of Silistria was being carried on, and I was ordered to ascertain the position of their army and outposts. I had to patrol the whole of the country by detachments of troops under my command. I re- ceived a very peremptory order from bead-quarters, by no means unsatisfac- tory to me, immediately to proceed with a strong body of cavalry to ascertain what had become of the Russian army ; for the siege of Silistrie had been raised, and the Commander-in-chief was totally ignorant of whether the Rus- sians were about to advance towards Varna, and attack our position, or retreat towards their own country. You can easily imagine that this was a somewhat anxious undertaking, and one that required considerable caution. We might have come at any moment upon the Russian army or its outposts. We travelled over the country, which I may call a perfectly wild desert, for three hundred miles. My orders were to proceed as far as Trajan's Wall or the confines of the Dobrutscha. We marched a hundred and twenty miles without

o ver seeing a human being, nor saw a single house in a state of repair or inhabited, and not an animal to be seen except those which inhabit the wildest regions. Having ascertained that the Russian army had retreated by Babadagh, and having given the information to the Commander-in-chief by means of my aide-de-camp, Captain Masse, whom I sent back, I pro- ceeded on a very interesting march, patrolling along the banks of the Danube to Rutschuk and Silistria, and returned from thence by that grand fortress Sohumla, which has been often attacked, but never taken, it being in fact impregnable. Returning from those parts to Varna, then came the order to proceed to the Crimea.

"And here I must say that was a grand object, a noble undertaking, and worthy of the ambition of two great and powerful nations. (Cheers.) Immedi- ately after landing in the Crimea, the person who has now the honour of ad- dressing you was employed with a strong body of cavalry, artillery, and in- fantry, in endeavouring to cut off some Russian cavalry supposed to be march- ing to Sinspheropol. I am sorry to say I did not succeed, for I never could find the Russians. (Laughter.) A few days afterwards came that glorious affair, the battle of the Alma. And here I must say that nothing, according to my humble judgment, could be so perfect as the preparations which were made by a great army for that attack. There was to be seen the advantage of the preparation that had been made for the attack. The columns of our infantry, which bad previously marched in perfect order, instantly deployed into three lines end advanced down the hill, crossing and fording the river, and ascending the opposite side marched straight into the batteries on the heights, which appeared to be impregnable, and drove out at the point of the bayonet the Russian army of forty-five thousand men in the short space of two hours and a half. (Cheers.) The arm of the force in which I served had not the honour of being engaged on that occasion in anything of im- portance. We had the advantage of sitting on our horses under a heavy fire for a long period, and in that position witnessed the glorious exploits of our brother soldiers. Soon after this was fought the battle of Balaklava ; and unfortunately, at the commencement of that battle, our allies the Turks dis- appeared from their position in a very short time, without carrying on any contest with the enemy. It was late in the afternoon when I received an order to attack the Russian forces in the valley, consisting of a long line of guns drawn up in the form of batteries. I received that order, and I obeyed it. (Loud cheering.) I delivered that order myself to the brigade under my command—I ordered it to march—I ordered it to advance —I ordered it to attack the Russians in the valley.. But, my Lord, I must say this, that I should upon that occasion—it being my duty to give the o rder to the brigade I did it, though I deeply regretted it at the time—I run sure, I say, I should have much more deeply regretted it afterwards, if any- thing had prevented ray performing the rest of my duly, which was to share the danger with those brave men. (Loud cheers.) Whatever danger those troops incurred, I shared it with them. (Renewed cheers.) We proceeded down and along a gradual descent of more than three-quarters of a mile, with the batteries vomiting forth shell, round and grape shot—a battery on the right, and a battery on the left flank, and all the intermediate ground covered with Russian riflemen ; so that when we came down within a dis- tance of fifty yards of the mouths of the artillery, we were truly and in fact surrounded and encircled by a blaze of fire, in addition to the fire from 'the riflemen upon our flanks.. As we ascended the hill, the oblique fire of the artillery was brought to bear upon our rear. We had, therefore, a • strong fire upon our front, our flanks, and our rear. We entered the battery—we went through the battery—(Cheers)—the two leading regiments cutting down a great number of the Russian gunners. In two regiments which I had the honour to lead, every officer, with one exception, was either killed or wounded, or had his horse shot or wounded under him. Those regiments proceeded, followed by the second line, consisting of two more cavalry regiments, which continued to perform the duty of cutting down the Russian artillerymen. Then came the third Line, formed of another regiment, which was employed in also carrying out the duty assigned to the brigade. The result was, that this body of about six hundred and seventy men succeeded in passing through the mass of Russian cavalry, which, as we have learned since, was Ave thousand two hundred strong, and having broken through that mass, they went, according to our technical expression, threes about,' and retired in the same way, doing as much execution in their course as they possibly could. Upon re- turning up the hill which we had descended in the attack, we had to run the same gauntlet, and to incur the same risk, from the flank fire of the tirailleurs which we had encountered in commencing the advance. Numbers of our men were shot down, men and horses were killed, and many of those brave soldiers who had lost their horses were shot down when endeavouring to make their escape. But what was the feeling, and what the bearing, of those men who returned to the position? [Here Lord Cardigan.appeared to be greatly affected, and shed tears.] Of each regiment engaged there re- turned but a small detachment—two-thirds of the men having been des- troyed ; and those men, when they arrived at the summit of the hill from whence they had commenced the attack a short time before, gave three hearty cheers of triumph and rejoicing at the exploit which they had per- formed. For they had ridden over a Russian battery, and attacked a most powerful body of Russian cavalry in its rear. "It has been stated that the British cavalry is of a very inferior descrip- tion, and that that body requires a thorough reform—that it is badly officered, being efficered by gentlemen of too high a rank in the country—and that it ought to be better officered. I will only say this, that I do not think you will find any body of officers more careful of their men than those officers. who now live, command, sad perform their duties in the cavalry regiments of this country, or that you will find any regiments in the world where there is such a mutual and sincere attachment between the officers and men as exists in our cavalry. The officers are at all times perfectly ready to assist and attend to the comforts of their men, The men are so attached to their officers, that wherever those officers lead them, in the cause of honour and glory, those men are sure to follow. In conclusion, I will only say that in the minds of those who escaped the dangers of that attack there exist reflec- tions of which they cannot divest themselves. I think that every nun who was engaged in that affiair at Balaklava, and who was fortunate enough to survive it, must feel that it was only by a merciful decree of Almighty Providence that he was saved from the greatest certainty of death which could by possibility be imagined." [Much cheering accompanied Lord Car-

digan's speech throughout.] •

Both Houses of Convocation met on Tuesday ; the Upper House in the Bounty Office, the Lower House in the Jerusalem Chamber. The principal proceedings in the Upper House related to proposed alterations in the Church services. An address on the subject was presented by the Bishop of Salisbury from a clergyman in his diocese, and ordered to lie on the table ; and a report was read by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Some conversation arose on the propriety of discussing the suggestions of the report without the sanction of the Queen. The Bishop of London and the Bishop of Oxford argued strongly against discussion. The Arch- bishop of Canterbury said that the reception of the report would not pledge any member to its contents ; and the Bishop of Exeter thought it might be discussed. The Bishop of Oxford moved the following resolu- tions— " That some modifications of the Church's rules are desirable, to enable her adequately to administer to the spiritual necessities of the people of this land ; and that such modifications may most properly be considered with reference, first, to the services, and secondly, to the ministerial agency which she now employs. "That, in any modification of the Church's rules to her services, It should be a fundamental principle that the Book of Common Prayer should be main- tained wholly and unaltered, except in so far as it is inconsistent with the rubric ; and that the division of the present in the formation of new services be reconstructions from those now existing, with such changes in the Psalters and Table as may be judged needful. "That no division of the services appears to be desirable which would not insure the use of the whole order, morning and evening, now contained in the Book of Common Prayer, on Sundays and other holidays." The Bishop of Exeter moved the addition of the words " Provided that nothing new be introduced which is not now in the Book of Common Prayer." But there was no support for this, and the Bishop of Oxford's resolution was carried. After a long discussion, it was resolved to ap- point a Committee to consider the heads of an address to the Queen, founded on the resolution.

At the opening of the sitting of the Lower House, the Reverend Canon Villiers suggested that the blouse should adjourn until her Majesty's

Government should be formed. Permission to sit for the despatch , business had been given under different circumstances, and the House would show its respect for the civil powers by adjourning. Dr, 51`Catil moved accordingly, that it was inexpedient to proceed to business : but the Prolocutor decided that the motion could not be put.

The Venerable Archdeacon Allen presented a schedule of gravamina on the subject of fees demanded by Bishops' secretaries for various acts ; and after some discussion it was received.

The Venerable Archdeacon Denison made a statement respecting his case; to show, that whereas Committees of both Houses had declared the • state of the law touching the discipline of the clergy to be unsatisfactory, and that the framer of the Church Discipline Act himself had said he never intended that it should be applied in cases of doctrine, yet in Mr. Denison's own case a commission had been appointed under that act. Ile was about to argue that the House should concern itself with such cases, when the Reverend Mr. Vincent rose to order, and the Prolocutor stopped the speaker ; as nothing could be more iujudicious than to go into such matters. Mr. Denison, however, since he was not allowed to make a speech, read a statement purporting to be an account of what took place before the Clevedon Commission ; and he reserved to himself the right to go into the whole case at a future session. It next became a question whether the written statement could be received ; and on this the House divided, rejecting the paper by 36 to 33. The resolutions which had been agreed to in the Upper House-were then brought down and read. Archdeacon Denison had moved that the Church service resolutions should not be received, when the House was adjourned without coming to a decision.

The Houses met again on Thursday. In the Upper House, the Arch. bishop of Canterbury read a report on the changes required in the present constitution of Convocation. The principal changes are, that there shall be a proctor for every archdeaconry elected by the clergy ; and that all be ,eliced clergy, curates, and chaplains in Fiesta' orders, and licensed. by the Bishop, shall have a vote. The remaind A. of the report relates to the mode of doing business in both Houses, founded on precedents. With respect to the vexed questions as to the right of the president of the Upper House to refuse to submit propositions to the Upper House, and as to his power of proroguing Convocation against the wishes of his brethren, as the precedents are not decisive, the report suggests that it would be ex- pedient that he should not bs at liberty to refuse to submit propositions ; and that while he possesses the power of prorogation, he should, in ordi- nary prorogation, act with the consent of his brethren. This report was received; but, on the motion of the Bishop of Oxford, the House re- solved that it was not expedient to address her Majesty as to any altera- tions in the constitution. The Lower House was occupier} with the consideration of the resolu- tions on Church services sent down from the Upper House ; respecting which there was great difference of opinion; and strong expressions from Dr. M'Caul, Archdeacon Denison, and others, against touching the Prayer Book. At last, a modification of the resolutions sent down by the Upper House wis adopted, on the motion of Archdeacon Grant.

A Committee was appointed, and the House adjourned.

Another step has been taken towards a settlement of the religious war in Pimlico. The Consistory Court of the Bishop of London has issued a decree and monition citing the Reverend Robert Liddell, Perpetual Curate of St. Paul's, and Tames Home, Churchwarden, to appear before the authorities in Doctors' Commons, and show cause why a licence should mai be panted le Chit** W480;4414 to remove the altar, prows-

tore altar, credence-table, candlesticks, &c. from the church of St. Paul's, and substitute a table and covering consonant with the laws and usages of the Church of England. In default of their appearance, or of good and sufficient cause to the contrary, the Bishop's Vicar-General, his Surrogate, or some other competent judge, will grant authority to the said Charles Westerton for their immediate removal.

A similar decree and monition has been issued in the case of St. Baraa- bag.

A deputation of the clerks, surveyors, &c. of the various London Paving Boards, lately waited upon Sir Benjamin Hall, to induce him to insert in his new bills a clause giving them compensation for the abolition of their offices. Mr. Lewis, clerk to the Paving Commissioners of St. Cle- ment's Danes, was the spokesman of the deputation ; and he urged their claims both on the ground of their offices having been created by the Legislature, and that of precedent, as in the case of the county soli- citors deprived of their commissions by the Bankruptcy Law Consolida- tion Bill. Sir Benjamin Hall, in answer to the deputation, described in detail existing abuses of local management. There are nearly two hun- dred different boards for paving, lighting, &c. in the Metropolis ; uncon- trolled by the ratepayers. In St. George the Martyr, Southwark, the executive of the board costs 2171. a mile ; in St. Mary-le-Strand, it costs at the rate of 4401. per mile ; in St. Paul, Covent Garden, the surveyor is a tailor ; in the Strand Union, the cost of the executive is 901. a mile ; in the Dover Road, 441. a mile; while in the parish of Marylebone, under one control, the cost of management is not more than 121. a mile. It is the same with lighting. In Lambeth there are eight boards ; and in one district 2911. 17a. 6d. is paid for the superintendence of 363 lamps. Sir Benjamin gave other instances of the kind. He told the deputation that be should have received them before had he not met with great obstruc- tion from the officials when seeking information. In his bill, with which be should persevere, there was no compensation-clause; but he would take care that their-claim should be duly investigated.

Another rogue has been discovered in the ranks of the Police. Joseph Davie, a young constable of the M division, has been committed by the Bow Street Magistrate on a charge of forgery. Captain Haines, 1LN., of Bilderston, Suffolk, received a letter purporting to be sent by Mr. Harries, an old shipmate, soliciting a loan of bl. to meet a difficulty arising out of the failure of a co-surety. Captain Haines sent an order for the amount. Da- vis presented this order to the Navy-agent on whom it was drawn, and he was detected. The fraud had been cleverly managed : the fact that Captain Haines and Mr. Harries had served in the same ship a good many years ago was ascertained from an old Navy List. Other letters written by Davis had been sent to naval officers asking aid for brother officers in distress. Davis told an improbable story of his having been hired to write the letters by one "Stokes," who lives somewhere at Greenwich.

Edward Davis, a young man of nineteen, has been remanded by the Clerkenwell Magistrate on a charge of robbing his employers, Messrs. Collins, jewellers of Clerkenwell. Messrs. Collins had missed quantities of gold for some time past; the greatest confidence was placed in Davis, and he had the whole control of the business; his masters urged him to endeavour to de- tect the thief. It turned out at last that Davis himself was the thief : he had induced another apprentice to combine with him in carrying off bul- lion and in making up articles which he either gave away as presents to a woman or pawned.

Littleton, the supposed coiner, has been liberated by the Lambeth Magis- trate, the Mint Solicitor persisting that there was no legal evidence against him. Several failures of justice have arisen from the existing act having been passed when very different "implements" from those now in use were employed by coiners—when electrotyping was unknown.

A sweep has been sent to prison by the Clerkenwell Magistrate for assault- ing his wife with even more than the customary circumstances of brutality, for the poor woman was paralytic and otheririse in bad health. She pleaded for her husband's liberation ; but the wretch preferred going to gaol to making a promise of future good behaviour.