§ THE EARL OF MALMESBURYsaid, he wished to put a question to his noble Friend the Minister for War, with respect to a statement in The Times of that morning, which had, he believed, created considerable anxiety in the public mind, and which had certainly been to him a subject of great concern. The statement to which he referred was, that Lord Raglan, in consequence of illness, had resigned the command of Her Majesty's forces in the East, and that, as he (the Earl of Malmesbury) understood the article, Sir George Brown also was suffering so much from illness that he could not succeed to the command which Lord Raglan had given up. He begged leave to ask his noble Friend if that statement was well founded?
§ LORD PANMUREIn answer to the question of my noble Friend, I am happy to be able to state that there has been some error in the statement which appeared in The Times of this morning of the resignation of Lord Raglan. No such resignation has been tendered, and I am happy to think that there is no reason for tendering it. It is quite true that Lord Raglan has been suffering of late from a severe attack of diarrhœa, of which the first account reached me the day before yesterday. Last night, however, I received a further account from the Crimea, in which, I am glad to be able to state, Lord Raglan was reported to be going on most favourably; and I therefore see no reason to apprehend that his most valuable services will be lost to his country. With regard to Sir George Brown, I was informed a few days ago that that gallant officer repaired on board the Royal Albert for the benefit of his health; but no mention is made of him in the last communication I received from the Crimea, and I am therefore led to conclude that his health was improving. While those officers are on the sick list, and confined to their quarters, the army is under the charge of General Simpson, than whom there could be no better officer, nor one in whom the Government could place more confidence.
§ THE EARL OF SHAFTESBURYsaid, he wished to take that opportunity of communicating to their Lordships some information he had just received with respect to the health of the army at the seat of war. He had that morning seen the chief inspector of the Sanitary Commission, who had returned from the Crimea on the preceding day. That gentleman had informed him that nothing could be more satisfactory than the sanitary state of our army in the East. He stated that the medical man and the commanders of regiments had joined heart and soul with the Sanitary Commissioners in promoting, by every possible means, the health of the troops. For that happy state of things they were indebted to the energy and sagacity of his noble Friend at the head of the War Department, who had sent out that Commission, and who had the gratification of knowing that he had, under God, been instrumental in saving thousands of lives. He (the Earl of Shaftesbury) could further state, that the harbour of Balaklava was at present in a very much improved condition. It was constantly cleansed, and, owing to the exertions of Admiral Boxer, the filth which used formerly to accumulate in it was removed to a distance along the coast; so that it no longer gave rise to any effluvia or noxious exhalations. Sources of water had also been discovered near that harbour, and had been found extremely useful. In order to show their Lordships the value of attention to those points, he would just mention the case of the 79th Regiment. That regiment had been encamped upon an unhealthy spot, although few persons were aware that it was unhealthy—and many of the men died. Dr. Sutherland, on his arrival, examined the spot, and finding that it was unhealthy, reported the fact to the proper authorities, by whose directions the encampment of the regiment was removed a distance of 300 or 400 yards; and since that removal had taken place not one man of the 79th had died, and the regiment had become a model for its sanitary arrangements. The Commissioners were still engaged in their labours, and he believed they would do as much as could be done to overcome the natural effects of that climate, which was so unhealthy that the natives themselves were hardly able to resist its pernicious influence.
§ House adjourned to Monday next.