iHASZARD’S GAZETTE, MARCH 24.

LATEST NEWS PRO! ENGLAND. SPEECH or HR. LAYARD.

On Wednesday ursuant to invitation, the Count Hall atA esbury was densely ﬁlled with t e electors o the borough and hundred, to hear from Mr. Laya_rd an _accoun_t of his ‘parliamentary conduct since his election, and . is opinion on the state of affairs in the East. ‘Tire chair was taken by Mr. Acton Tiudall, ’ Clerk of the Peace .—Mr. Iiayard said : Gentle- nien,—You have no doubt seen, that I have been otfered oﬁice, and have declined it. Some time before I had the honour of representing Ayles- bury, Lord Granville named me as Un Secretary for Foreign Aﬁiirs, and Iserved for a short time in the Foreign-ollice; but Lord J. Russell's ministry went out about three weeks after. Of course it was mlyo duty to go out with the vernment, but rd erby, who succeeded, ehaved to me in the most handsome manner. I was not then_in parliament, but Lord Derb told me, I might remain in the oﬁce until is son returned from India, as he intended him for the post; but then, if be con- ﬁnned at the head of alliiirs, he would ive me an equivalent appointment, or a dip omatic snission on the continent. That was a hand- some ofer, and one which I could have accepted without any compromise of principle. I had not as yet entere life as a public man, and could easil have acce ted the mission abroad. All in political frien s were of opinion, that I should accept the olfer, except Lord J. Russell, who expressed himself the contrary, and his opinion I did not hesitate to follow. Lord Derb remained but a very short time in oﬂice, and rd Aberdeen succeeded him. r Russell put me down as Under Secretary for the Board of Control. Shortly after, the same noble lord sent for me and informed me that a tleman remained unprovided_ for, vrhose ability and long public services entitled him to a position, and his lordshi threw him_self upon Inc to resign my oﬂice in avour of this cutle- snan. acceded to rd John Russel 's_ re- quest, and Sir Thomas Redin ton was appointed to the Board of Control. hortly afterwards Lord John Russell oﬁ'ered me a consulship in Egypt: but thatldeclined. Shortly afterwards the rest uestion which is now agitatin the who c wor d be u to show itself in the st, and Lord Strut ord was sent to Constantinople. He was anxious that I should accompany him, and I did so. These questions then arose about which I differed from Lord Stratford; and I returned to this country. Government having sustained a great defeat, went out of oﬁice, and Lord Palmerston succeeded. Lord Palmer- ston oﬂ'ered to appoint me Clerk of the 0rd- nance, but I felt that, having voted only two days before, that no conﬁdence ou ht to be placed in the late government, I coul not con- sistently take ollice in another composed chieﬂy of the same materials (“ hair,” and cheers). Secondly, I recollected that I had stated it to be the duty of government to put the right men in the ri ht places, and I was in no way connected wit the "rdnance. The new govern- nscnt disagreed, and three of its most important members retired. Lord Palmerston then oﬁer- sd me the oﬂioe of Under-Secretary at War. I simply made some conditions as to being allow- sd certain inﬂuence and accepted it. But on the following da , Lord Palmerston sent for me again, and sai that for certain important reasons he was obli d to withdraw his oﬂ"er, but that at Lord . Russell’s request, I could have the oﬂice of Under-Secretary for the Colonies. I now felt that I was in the same position as I had been a few days before. I was not acquainted with the colonies, and al- though, in time of peace, I might have had time for learning, I felt that, at a moment of great national emergency, public men, when ed on to act, would betray themselves, if mattempted to do that for which they had no previous preparation. I, therefore, declined the oﬁco, at the some time informing Lord Palmerston, that if he succeeded in form- ing a government wortlay of the public conﬁ- dsnos, and of my oonﬁ ence, he should have nyindcpendent support (hear). So much for ni auto iography. With respect to the one- III question, it has been said that constitutional rnment is on its trial, and that the eyes of ﬁeworld are turned upon ngland to see whether constitutional government can carry out its principles. Now, if public mm, at a lites when the national interests are at stake can forgd everything but themselves, and scramble for gﬁu, raking thsﬁrst place theta‘: oﬂmd to them, I ssy that see shall be the laughing-stock of the world, and the system of which we are so proud will be looked upon as a sham, in which the public places are to be only ﬁlled by the men who are nnprincipled enough to sacriﬁce their country in order that they may obtain the emoluments

O H I

- the destinies of a countr

tho Turkish laws and, in consequence, the Christian population have made immense pro- ress in learning and civilixation,while liberal opinions have een rapidly gaining ground amongst them. The Emperor of Russia saw this progess with alarm; and his object in sendin rincc Menschikoﬂ to Constantinople was, i possible, to check the growing liberal tendencies of the Christian opulation of Turkey. He knew that, if the C ristians could at any time render themselves capable of self- govcrnmcnt, he might bid adieu to those ma - niﬁcent provinces, the possession of whic would make him the cutest monarch in the world. Accordingly, rincc lllenschikoﬂ‘ was sent to Constantinople shortly after Lord Aber- deen had been made prime minister—(hear, hear)—and my impression is, and I shall hold it to my dying day, that if we had exhibited a bold front,we should never have been obliged to go to war (cheers). Instead of telling Russia what England would ermit, and what she would not, we pursue half-measures, at one time putting her back, at another checkin her, but never ursuin anything like a bol and decisive po ic . Al this time we had at Vienna,to protectt e interests of Turkey,a man of great worth and many estimable qualities, but entirely unequal to such a crisis, butthc misfortune throughout the whole rrjfoir has been that our our-rnmerit has never put the right man in the rig I place, nor been able to sacrifice private, or part , or family considerations to the public in- terest ( oud cheers). How did we ct into this war? Our Minister for Foreign A irs told us that we were “drifting" into it. I ask, was that the word of a statesman appointed to guard (hear, hear)? The war was proclaimed to ave no territorial ob- jects; every one knew it had not, but was that a statement to be made to Russia, showing that she could lose nothing—we, everything? Our government having “dri d” thus into war, they made the plunge at last without having the slightest idea of what were the necessary rel rsltions. hThe ﬁrst sent the troops {O ‘a i i, wit out avin ire red an su of fodho, and had it not began! foi-The Freiich, ihe; would have starved. Then they sent them to Varna, and I must mention, thatduring their ﬁrst operations I was in constant communica- tion with the governmcnt, and there is scarcely anything which has happened since that I did not foretell, and which might have been avoid- cd, had my advice been taken. Next the Crimea expedition was determined on. Go- vernment tells us that it was determined on in s ring, but for their own sakes, I trust that t at is not the case. Were it so, I should sa that some people ought to be sent to Tower-hil , whore persons were formerly sent for crimes for which they now get distinguished and re- rded (cheers and cries of “ The Grrrtcri”) If the expedition was contemplated in spring, they shou d have taken every preliminary pre- caution, before resortin to the critical experi- ment of throwing a British army on a foreign shore. But nothing was done. I saw the ma iﬁcent ﬂeet of men-of-war and transports, an thought that England, possessing such re- sources, ought to be able to accomplish any- thing. Although I knew the expedition was late, I thought it could notdpossibly fail, and I was still further conﬁrme in my opinion b the victories of Alma and Inkcrman, whic laced the old English coura e on apinnacle Iiigher than any it had ever efore attained. But after the battle of Alma a delay took place, and why? If we advanced at once. it is stated by the best military suihorities, that Sebastopol must have fallen ; ihe psnic was so great, that the gates would have been thrown open to us; and ii is also known that the French wished to advance. We could not. because we had iuade no preparations for the transport of our wounded; and thus, in consequence of the neglect of the Government, two days were lost—-and with them an opportunity which will never occur again (hear). Again, after our forced march across the country, an extraordinary delay took place: and the result was, that when, on the l7th of October; we

G :9

‘ostensibly opened ﬁre, we in reality did nothing

(hear, hear). Having alluded to ihe want of roads,of de ts, and of irsnsporis, Mr. Lsysrd went on :—'I has the army were left no tents, no necessaries; and while supplies were rotting in abundance at Eupstoris, the soldiers were perish- ing in hundreds at llslaclsvs. For the sick we be

no hospital. although the French hsd prepared one; and the consequences of this neglect were dreadful. 'l‘hc incdicsl sisff was insutlicient. a statement of which I will give you s striking proof. There was s stssmercsllcd the Kangaroo, on board of vihich were placed 700 sick and wounded men. She was to have sailed in the afternoon, and a doctor was to have accompanied the IIIVIII‘-B2 one doctor being considered enough for 700 wounded men on ship-board. was on

ofoﬁcc (cheers). Messrs. Cobden and Bright sndeavour to make it appear that we are , again; for the Turks. True, to a certain ex- tent we are; but the condition of the Turks is not an essential part of the war question. It? is all very well despotism, and to point ..i number one and two despots ti hting for the third: but the realf Ruth is, t at we are ﬁghting for the Cluristivin subjects of Tiirliey. You are aware that of late 4

to excite public fcelir»gr.gainst;d_sir.,, l

board iii-oili r i-es-scl, and what was my surprise to sci ll 0 l\':ingsi'oo still alongside, with the flag ai h.i|' l n..-xi In-,lr as a signal of distress. Our (‘upln n \\ .. lu see what was the mailer. and he found in :-'«- 3- so covered wiih ihe tI('3'l and -tuld scarcely walk the deck. He aslinl il.- « . n, why he had not gone, and the lllllrt u - u . il-r-::he inedicril man who lino been ordrrcal lm‘ ..u'er ('Ulllt' (l.iss.2s, and a general cxpn s-.i-in ol lmrirr and ird'2naIi'm). ’l‘|i-e medu-

' r I ~ ., - ' V b r I f d . years there have been great lhIl.ell0l'u.Is0DI oflcs mu vlii s aklﬁhs use su seque .y can out

’tried by court~iusrtisl, and acquitted ; and do you

know why! It appeared that the general had

told him to be in readiness to go and to present

himself at his tent at a certain hour. ow,

whether it was ,ihst the doctor did not like to go,

I cannot tell, but instead of going into the

Gcnersl's tent, he went up outside and looked at

it, an he was acquitted on the grounds that he

had strictly fulﬁlled his orders (loud cries of“ Oh,

” and “ Name”). at is worse, he has

been allowed to remain in the service since. But

the some neglect pervsdes all our service. Lord

Raglan writes home that he wants forage, because

the hay has not arrived from England. Conceive

the absurdity of bringing hay from England, when

in Turkey there are hundreds of miles covered

with the best horse-food (hear, hear). N a wonder

that our troops should perish, when porter is kept

sailing backward and forward while the men

perish, and the transports are loaded in such a way

that medicines are put at the bottom and chain

shot at ihe top. so that when the vessel calls at

Scutsri, she has to be wholly unlsden in order to

get st the medicine chests (hear. heai(. All this

time, it should be recollecled that we have in our

pry 350,000 ions of transport ; and the estimate

for that item alone is £5,000,000 (hear, hear).

But we have now in command men born in another century, who have spent all their lives at the clubs, and now at sixty or seventy years of age are sent to like charge of the army. To remedy this state of things, it is proposed to send out commissions, a course against which I have enieicd my warmest protest, because I believe they can lead to no good. You send out com- missions to inquire into the transport and com- missarial. Do you think any ollicer in the service will give evidence before these commissions! No, an unsatisfactory inquiry will be executed, which will have no effect, but that of screening the offenders. But it is impossible that such a slate ofihings can be permitted to go on much longer. England ﬁnds her army of 54,000 men reduced to l5,000, or 18,000 at the most, some regiments being reduced to the olllcers and a corporal; and ii is believed that, with proper attention to details, all this misery might be avoided. hat we want is to reciil these men, and not to less time in send- ing out commissions, which can lead to no particular results (cheers)—-Resolutions were then paswd approving of Mr. Layard’s parliamentary conduct, and the proceedings terminated.

O '5'

THE BALTIC l~‘LEE'I‘ or 1855.

We have endeavoured to obtain a correct estimate ofihis gigantic Englisli ‘-Armada." or “ I00 pen- dants," and we believe ihe following list will be found as correct as can be obtiiined,at tliio early period, of the ships inlended to form the expediiion:—-

Commaiidcr-in-Chief—Rear-AdniiraI of the Blue the lion. R ichurd Saunders Dundas, C. .

Second in Comrnand—Resr-Admiral of the Blue Michael Seymour.

Third in Command——Rear-Admiral of the Blue Roherthmbert Buyiies, . .

Captain of the Fleet—Thc Hon. F. T. Pclhsm.

Horse Guns. power Duke of Wellington (ﬂag) 31 700 Royal George, Csptsin Codringion, C.B. 102 400 Exinoutli (ting) 9| 400 James Walt, Captain George Elliot 9] 600 Orion, Captain Erskine 9 600 Cinsur, Captain Robb 9l 400 Nile, Captain Mandy 9l 500 Mrijesiic, Captain J. Hope, C.B. 9| 400 Cressy, Captain Warren Bl 400 Colossus, Captain I-lobiiison 8| 400 Snnspaireil, Captain Ileuth 70 350 Blenheim, Captain W. H. Hall 60 «I50 lloguc, Captain Ramsey 60 450 Ajsx,Ca lain Warden 60 450 Edinburg I, Captain Ilswleit 60 450 Russell, Captain Scott 60 200 llswke, Captain Erasmus Oinmsnsy 60 200 Cornwallis, Captain Wellssley 60 200 Pembroke, Captain G. H. Seymour 60 20) Hastings, Captain Csﬂin O0 luiperieuse, Captain Watson, C.B. bl 860 luryalus, Captain Ramsay 51 400 Ann uni. Captain Yclverton 47 360 Amp ion, Copisin A. C. Key 84 300 Horatio, Captain Cochrane 24 250 Cossack, Csplain Funshswe 31 250 Pylsdes, Capt.-iiu D'Eyncosrt ii 250 Eek. Csptsin T. I‘. Burch 2! 250 Tsrlsr, Captain Dunlop 21 250 Archer, Cspiriin Heathcots I7 Retribution, Captain Fisher 28 Magicicnne, Ca lain Tsihsm I6 Odin, Captain illcox I8

Sampson, Captain Brock

Dragon, Captain Stewart

Bulldog, Csptsin W. K. Iliill Penelope, Captain Sir W. Wiselnan Lightning, Captain 8. J. Sullivan Vulture, Cs tsin Glssse

Desperate, ‘ommsnder White Conflict, Coininsoder Cuuimi

bbOGC6‘;OOO Q «I O

' beneath the window.

raoa-riira IATTIIIII. [Etna 16 Thunder [3 Gluiion I6 Trusty u Meteor 16 Horse power not published. atoaraa vsssxns. Blazer 1 Manly 1 Fl!!! 1 Msstitf 1 Hardy 1 Porcupius I Hsvock 1 Burl 1 Horse power not published. s-ruins cuivnoa-rs.

Gleaner 3 Hind 2 Pelier 3 Jsclidsw 2 Pinclier 8 Jasper 2 Ruby 3 Jack 2 Teszer 3 Magpie 2 Badger 3 Redwing 2 Snapper 3 Skylark 2 Biter 2 Snap 2 Boxer 2 Sterling 2 Clinker 2 Stork 2 Cracker 2 Swinger 2 Dapper 2 'l‘hisile 2

one 2 Weasel 2 Grin er 2 Pigmy 2

Belleisle, 24, Commander Hoskeu, hospital ship. ./Eolus, 2-l, ammunition magazine.

Perseverance, store ship.

Volcano. ﬂoating engineers‘ factory, Master Coni- msnder Dyer.

The operations in the Baltic this spring will be conducted on a scale of extraordinary magnitude. In addition to the naval forces of England, which are to consist ofone hundred steamers, France will send ﬁlly steam-vessels and a powerful land armament. which is now stationed along the coast from Calais to Cherbourg. For the conveyance of these troops and all the materiel, the French Government have entered into a contract wiih an English company. the representative of which is at present in Paris- su srrsn ement which will have the advantage of leaving i o vessels of war to set with all their power agn'in:l the great Russian strongholds in the Gulf of

ms .

MILANCHOLY Dru-ii or A Biii-rrsii Arm.- Lniiir Oi-*irici‘.a.—Msjor Charles Colville Young, of the Royal Horse Artillery, 'ust returned from the Crimes, and en route from Turkey to the Isle of Wight, where his wife and family reside, was killed, on Saturday morning last, by fallin from ihe top-story front window of one ofthe be rooms of the Fountain Hotel, High-street, Portsmouth. The deceased arrived at the hotel, on Friday night, and on retiring to bed gave particular di- reciions to the “boots” to call him at seven o’clock next morning. The “boots” saw him partially undressed, and there is no doubt. that he retired to his bed: but about two o’clock on Saturday morning he appeared at the bed-room window, and called to a police-constable, to whom he said. he did not feel well, and that he wished to get quietly out of the house to s che-

isi’s shop opposite, without disturbing the people in the hoiel, as it was so late. The po- liceman went to his incpecior, to see what assist- snce he could give, and when he returned the deceased was lying bleeding on the pavement He was dressed, and hsd sn umbrella as if he was going a journey. A surgeon was inimediaiely procured, but the un- foriunsic gentleman died before four o’clock, owing it was supposed, to the rupture of a blood vessel. He had frsciured his ribs in falling. but there was no wound on his head. The surgeon thought the deceased might lisvc had a tit of vertigo, through hanging over the window sill. He was 38 years of age. When lately engaged in the trenches before Sebssiopol he received a ﬂesh wound in the leg. There was no evidence that his mind was in any affected. He had been in the army since 1833, and had served in Spain, in lndis,the Chinese war, at Msdrss (where he was military secretary ltl Lord Harris, and after- wards the Marquis of Tweeddal, governors of that presidency.) The jury returned a verdict to the eﬁ‘eci,iliiii the deceased was killed by accident- ally falling from a window.

[The above gentle an use the youngest sousf qpr lstc Governor Sir A. W. Young ].—ld. .

az. ‘

AUSTRALIA. SERIOUS R101‘! AT BALLARAT.-—COLLISIOI' WITH THE GOVERNMENT AUTHORITIII.

We have received advices from Mclbourpe to the 2d of Dec. On the 30th November, distur-

0 bances took place at Ballarat, which assumed I

ver serious aspect, and on the 2d Dec. order ha not been rc-established. The cause of the disturbances was a refusal on the ‘rt of the diggers to pay the “ license"-ad si_on ado?‘ ed ata monster meeting on the previous day. The followin report appeared in the Mel Ar :-—-“ essrs. Commissioners Reds and Johnson, with their troop of mounted and foot lico, with drawn swords and ﬁxed bayonets. emsnded from the diggers their licenses. ‘l'ho diggers assembled in masses, many will! arms, to resist the enforcement of the tIIX- T50 cry of the diggers was—' We will not have drawn swords or ﬁxed ha oncts.’ ‘Where I, the Governor?’ ‘Send up Sir Charles llothaim ‘ We want 'uslicc, and we will have it.’ Upon this, Mr. ornmissioner Reds declared he was determined to collect the licenses. , (: W‘ liav’nt got them; we can't give tl_icm- W? have burr-t theai.’)--i‘lr. Commissioner Redo-

Cruizer, Com. the Hon. G. Douglas I 00

arrier, Commander Story I 100 Arie-l, Commander Luce 9 60 Falcon, Commander Pollen I1 I00 llui-ilisk, Com. the lion. F‘. Egertus 6 400 Ross mond, Comnnder Croflon 0 280 Driver. Commander ice 0 280 Janus. Lieutenant Runs 4 220 Locust, l.icutsuunt—— 8 I80 Utter, Iiicuiennnl \V. A. 1. Heath 8 I20 I'orcupin-r, Licuisniint Jackson 2 I22 Zephyr, lieutenant Bo..d 2 I00 Recruit, Lieut. .l. I". Day 4 160 V eser, l.ieulen.inlCon.merell 0 I80