HC Deb 09 May 1856 vol 142 cc287-93

The QUEEN'S Message considered in Committee.

The Chairman having read the Queen's Message as follows:— VICTORIA R. HER Majesty being desirous of conferring a signal mark of Her favour and approbation on Major General Sir William Fenwick Williams, K.C.B., for the eminent and distinguished services rendered by him as Her Majesty's Commissioner at the Head Quarters of the Turkish Army in Asia, and particularly in the gallant defence of Kars, recommends it to the House of Commons to enable Her Majesty to make provision for securing to Sir William Fenwick Williams a Pension of One Thousand Pounds per annum for the term of his natural life.

VISCOUNT PALMERSTON

Sir, the distinguished and brilliant services of General Williams are so fresh in the recollection of everybody I am now addressing, that I feel that I should really almost be doing injustice to that gallant individual by entering into any detail of the grounds on which I propose to move an Address to Her Majesty in answer to Her gracious Message. It has seldom fallen to the lot of any man to be able, in his own person, to perform services more brilliant, displaying more the energy of a commanding character, or more calculated to produce important results, as far as those results depended on the exertions, talents, and efforts of the gallant officer himself, than have been performed by General Williams. I will only make one remark, and that is, that General Williams is, I believe, a native of Nova Scotia; and it therefore must be a matter of satisfaction to the House to feel that our fellow-countrymen in North America have partaken, through the person of General Williams, in the distinguished services which marked the war in the East. I have only to add that Her Majesty has been pleased to confer upon General Williams the dignity of a Baronet, and, in order to mark more distinctly the services for which that honour is conferred on him, Her Majesty has been pleased to grant that the dignity be held with the style and title of Sir William Fenwick Williams, of Kars. I beg to move to resolve— That the annual sum of One Thousand Pounds be granted to Her Majesty, out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to be settled upon Major General Sir William Fenwick Williams, K.C.B., for the term of his natural life, to commence from the 8th day of May, 1856.

SIR. JOHN PAKINGTON

Sir, I believe that in point of strict form, it is not necessary that a Resolution moved when the House is in Committee should be seconded. Nevertheless, I hope I may be allowed the great gratification of stating in a few brief sentences how cordially I concur in the proposal now submitted to the Committee by the noble Lord. Sir, I feel convinced that not only will the Motion of the noble Lord be carried with acclamation by all within these walls, but I hope and believe that out of doors the proposal will receive the sanction and support with no less unanimity of every subject of Her Majesty. Sir, no Member in this House concurred more heartily than I did in the tribute of gratitude paid to the gallantry of the army and navy yesterday, so eloquently proposed and so unanimously adopted by the House. I feel very strongly that next after those signal mercies for which during the late war this nation has reason to be grateful to Divine Providence, the early and successful termination of the war must be attributed to the wonderful gallantry of the British army and the noble spirit of the British people. Never were those high qualities more conspicuous than they have been during the late war; and I am glad to take this opportunity of stating that I entirely agree with the observation which fell the other evening from the noble Lord the Member for London, when he said that the events of the late war have offered an additional and a triumphant proof of the vigour and power of free institutions. But the position and services of General Sir William Williams of Kars have been altogether peculiar, and quite distinct from those services recognised in the unanimous vote of yesterday. In the case of General Williams, neither the high spirit of the British people nor the gallantry of the British army could exercise any successful influence on the defence or fall of Kars. Had it been otherwise, perhaps, there is nothing presumptuous in believing that the fate of that fortress might have been very different from what it was. I think, Sir, I should only give expression to what every man must feel, when I express the opinion that the conduct of General Williams, in the defence of Kars, displayed a combination of all the highest qualities of the British character—that it was marked, by all the valour, all the sagacity, and all the skill which make an eminent commander. Amongst other reasons for our rejoicing at the termination of the war is the consciousness that the restoration of the blessings of peace terminates the captivity of General Williams; and I cannot allude to his captivity without uttering some words of recognition of the generous treatment he has received from General Mouravieff. That generous treatment has been recognised by General Williams himself, in the most grateful language; and we find interesting records of the same behaviour in the pages of Dr. Sandwith. General Williams, I hope, Sir, will in a few days return to this country. I trust that upon his return, with restored health and covered with honour, he will be received with that enthusiasm which his eminent services so fully deserve. I am convinced that upon his return to his native land General Williams will be deeply gratified—as I, in common with my countrymen, feel grateful to Her Majesty, and, I must say, to Her Majesty's Government—for the prompt, generous, and appropriate recognition of his services, which, though not crowned with success, will stand out in history as amongst the most conspicuous and distinguished of those glorious deeds of which there have been so many instances in the late brief but sanguinary war.

MR. SEYMOUR FITZGERALD

said, he could assure the House that he had no desire to interpose by any observations of his to prevent them from proceeding with the business that was immediately to follow this Resolution; nor was he presumptuous enough to suppose that anything which he could say could add value to the statements of the noble Lord or the sentiments expressed by the right hon. Gentleman. But while they remembered with admiration and gratitude the distinguished and eminent services of General Williams, he hoped he might be pardoned if he expressed a hope that they would not forget the very valuable services of the small but gallant band who had stood by General Williams's side through the many eventful months of that memorable siege, and who had contributed almost as much as their distinguished chief to make the character of British officers admired and respected throughout the world. He must take the liberty of saying that he thought the country had neither been generous nor prompt enough in its recognition of the claims of the companions of General Williams at Kars. For instance, let them take the case of Colonel Lake. That gallant colonel was a distinguished officer in the East India Company's service when he was engaged by Her Majesty's Government to go to Kars; and though he was at the time on leave of absence in this country, he gave up a valuable and important post in the East Indies to comply with the wishes of the Government. He was employed at Kars on a very reduced salary. Every one knew that he there rendered most important services. He had in a short time succeeded in making what had been the trifling fortress of Ears an almost impregnable fortress; of which fact they had the testimony of the Russians themselves, who had styled him the English Todleben. He thought we might take a lesson from the manner in which the Russian Government had recognisd the services of General Todleben, who, from being a subaltern in the Artillery, had been raised to the rank of general, and had received every honour which his Sovereign could confer upon him. Then there was the case of Lieutenant Teesdale. No one who had read the report of that able officer could have failed to be struck by the intelligence and prudence of all his arrangements. His skill and intelligence could only be equalled by his gallantry and humanity. Dr. Sandwith mentioned one cirumstance connected with Lieutenant Teesdale which was not forgotten by the enemy when he was at length taken prisoner. It was, that in the midst of a storm of grape and musketry he leaped over a battery to save the life of a Russian officer who was being ill-treated by some fanatic Turks. From all that they knew of General Williams, he (Mr. S. Fitzgerald) was sure that though he would gratefully appreciate the value of the present recognition of his services by the British Parliament, he would still feel that something was wanted to make his triumph complete if honours extended to him were not shared in by those who, by their counsel and personal valour, had contributed to his success. He (Mr. S. Fitzgerald) did not know that Government might not have some honour in store for those officers: at all events, he hoped that no mere routine—nothing of that which was called red-tapeism—would prevent unprecedented services from being marked by unprecedented rewards.

COLONEL NORTH

said that, of course, he could not know how the Government proposed to carry out the wishes of Her Majesty; but he was sure that it would afford increased pleasure to the country if it were known that the baronetcy which was to be conferred upon General Williams was bestowed free of all the ordinary fees upon such occasions. In the case of Sir J. Burgoyne the fees had been paid by the Government.

SIR GEORGE GREY

They are always paid by the Government when the baronetcy is conferred for services in the field.

COLONEL NORTH

expressed his satisfaction that such was the case. He regretted to hear that, under the present statutes of the Order of the Bath, the distinctions of that Order could not be conferred on those young men, the distinguished companions of General Williams. He, however, hoped that there would be a considerable increase made, on the occasion of the Queen's birthday, in the number of those who obtained the Bath distinctions—that those young officers would then be remembered, and that the distinguished veterans of the Peninsular war would not be forgotten either. One case would illustrate the hardship of the present statutes of the Order. A young soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Packe, took the command of the 7th Fusiliers, after Colonel Yea was killed, and was shot down in the attack on the Redan, near the abbatis. He was unable, owing to the severity of his wound, to sign when the list of the killed and wounded was being taken, and was omitted from Lord Raglan's despatch. So that the circumstances of his having been badly wounded, which should have entitled him to additional honour, actually shut him out from a participation in the honours of the Order of the Bath. He (Colonel North) had seen letters from Generals Codrington and Simpson, and the officer who commanded the brigade on the occasion, all concurring in their statement of the services of Lieutenant Colonel Packe. He (Colonel North) thought that this case illustrated the necessity of a change in the statutes of the Bath.

MR. STAFFORD

said that, as the hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. S. Fitzgerald) had paid so graceful a tribute to some of the comrades of General Williams at Kars, he must be excused if he ventured to mention the name of Dr. Sandwith, who had been liberated by General Mouravieff on account of the humanity and skill with which he had treated not only Turkish but Russian soldiers. This circumstance reflected great credit upon Dr. Sandwith. It was not for him (Mr. Stafford) to suggest to the Government, how they should treat the brave comrades of General Williams, because he saw that there was every disposition on the part of the Government to reward those men who had shed such lustre on the British name; and he would only add that, since his return to England, Dr. Sandwith had, by his modesty and ability, conciliated the esteem and regard of all who had the happiness of knowing him.

MR. WATSON

said, he thought it a great hardship that there should be thirty-five officers between Lieutenant Teesdale and promotion. His conduct in the defence of the batteries, and the bringing up of the troops, had very much contributed to the glory achieved by the general defence of Kars. Mr. Teesdale's duties were not those of a lieutenant, but those of a consummate general. Such abilities were very rare in our army, and Lieutenant Teesdale should get promotion for the duties he had performed. They had found an officer of ability and education, and they ought to promote him.

Resolved, Nemine Contradicente— That the annual sum of One Thousand Pounds be granted to Her Majesty, out of the Consolidated Fund of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, to be settled upon Major General Sir William Fenwick Williams, K.C.B., for the term of his natural life, to commence from the 8th day of May, 1856.

Resolution to be reported on Monday, 19th May.

The House resumed.