On this page
-
Text (1)
-
Untitled Article
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
-
-
Transcript
-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
Untitled Article
i £ « ^ f to tear up the defences require ; HaSESS ^ JSSSfS Some twenty yards—once there , they are ours . ^ Se iSht is P itch dark . A few steps ahead a man appears / ^ tonished . he glides towards him .- It ^ one of Sown men . If they all get up they are lost ; a tench stops him ; he hears the sound of the ^ pade and the pickaxe in the rock ; he hears the workmen converse the guard splash with their feet m the water , the men cough . What does this mean ? The sound is hollow ; it is a mine . It commences here and leads there . But the rain continues to pour down . It is bitter coldand the flash of a gun may lead to their
dis-, covery . The officer gives the signal to retreat . They return ' the way they came . Their track on the moist earth guides . them . They pass again the Russian outwork . The Russians little suspect a mortal foe is so near to them . The men speak low together ; they might take them all prisoners , but it would be imprudent . There are other parts of the defences to be examined . The success of the enterprise is more valuable than the death of ten Kussian soldiers . Finally , all 'having been explored , they rejoin the remainder of the band who are waiting for them lying down in the mud . Anything new , boys ? ' says the officer . ' Nothing . ' * Then let us return . ' And these twenty brave fellows , wet to the skin , pass our sentries , who were becoming anxious about themin the same silence as before .
, " It is said that in the night between the 28 th and 29 th of December the same men destroyed some works which annoyed our troops , * took a ^ prisoner , despite of themselves , and carried off some sacks of powder . One of them received a ball in the foot . " The Times published on Wednesday a full page from their correspondent before Sebastopol . We are only able to give a few extracts . EFFECTS OP " ROUTINE . " " Each hut weighs more than two tons , and , somehow or other , 1 fear it will so happen that no effort will be used to get them up till men are found frozen to death in their tents . As to the ' warm clothing , ' the very words
immediately suggest to us all spme extraordinary fatality . Some went down withjhe ilL-fatediind ill-treated Prince , some of it has been lost , and now we hear that a ship-with clothing for the officers has been burnt off Constantinople ; that some of it haa been saturated with water ; and I had an Opportunity of seeing , several lighters full ~ of warm great-coats , &c , for the men , lying for a whole day in the harbour Of Balaklava beneath a determined fall of rain and snow . There was no one to receive them when they were sent to the shore , or rather no one would receive them without orders . In fact , we are ruined by etiquette , and by ' service' regulations . No one will take 1 responsibility' upon himself if it were to save the lives of hundreds . "
MENSCHIKOFP . " We hear from the deserters that the Kussian soldiers are led to believe that the two Grand Dukes are still there with the General-Commanding . I heard from one of these men that when the Grand Dukes beheld the fearful slaughter-of-the-Russians-at Inkerman . they were greatly affected , and that when they saw the day was lost , and that the English and French had signally defeated their troops , they burst into tears . As they retreated into the town with their staff , they implored Menschikoff not to tsontinue the struggle any longer ,
and to abandon Sebastopol , making tho best terms of capitulation that he could . Menschikoff ia said to have promised that he would do so , and to , have led them quietly away till they recovered their * spirits . This is the mere gossip of a soldier , and it may be from this story that the report has sprung that Menschikoff has written to ask tho French and English Generals what terms they propose , should he capitulate . Those who know the Prince well declare he will fight the place to the last . This is his war , and there can be no doubt he will hold out as lorfg as there is a prospect of obtaining reinforcements and provisions .
A NEW METHOD OP DYING . " The cold is developing itself , and I regret to say our efforts to guard against it . have been attended with mischief . Captain Swinton , of the Royal Artillery , a gallant and excellent officer , was found dead in his tent , suffocated by the fumes of charcoal from a stove which he had placed in it for tho purpose of warmth . Great numbers of iron stoves have boon brought out here from Constantinople , ' and are not used with proper caution , and several officers have been half-killed by carbonic Acid gas generated in these deadly apparatus "
AN INDIGNANT ZOUAVE . " There are some , few degenerate wretches who grumble even among this corps d'tllite . An officer commanding a fatigue party , who happened to fall In with . party of Zouaves engaged in a similar duty , brought tb . em all off to the canteen to give them 4 littlo goutte After their day ' s labour . While he was In tho tont a Tf * ttior » with a splendid face for a griovanco , carao inj and Joined in the conversation , and our friend , seeing he was nk ) t a private , but that ho had a chatty , talkative Mpect , combined with an air of rank , began . to talk of tfte privations to which the allied armies wore exposed . Tnia was evidently our ally ' a champ de hataille .. Ho at once throw hinw « Into an attitude which would havo
brought down the pit and galleries of . the 1 Porte Sf Martin to a certainty , and , in a tone which no words can describe , working himself up by degrees to the grand climax , and attuning his body to every nice modulation of phrase and accent , he plunged at once into his proper woes . Our gallant friend had been expatiating on the various disagreeables of camp life- in the Crimea on winter time : < C ' est vrai ! ' quoth he , ' ™* ™} E " effet nous eprouvons beaucoup de misfere I The idea of himself seemed to the
any one suffering misery except Zouave too preposterous not to be disposed of at once . ' Mais , mon lieutenant , ' cried he , ' regardez-moi——moi ! pr-r-r-r-remier basson du 3 me Zouaves I eleve du Conservatoire de Paris ! Apres avoir sacrifid vmgt ans de ma vie pour acque'rir un talent—pour me r-r-rendre agreable Jv la socie ' '—me void ! ( with extended arms and legs ) me void!—force * d ' arracher du bois de la terre ( with terrible earnestness and sense of indignity ) pour me faire de la soupe !'"
OBJECTS OP FLAGS OP TRUCE . "A flag of truce came in last night from the enemy with a request that all similar flags might in future be received at the parallel now constructing in front of the Second Division . This request Lord Raglan instantly refused . His lordship added that all flags must be received at the broken bridge on the Tchernaya-road , and at no other place . To receive flags of truce in front of the Second Division would be entirely to open our camp to the enemy ' s view , which , without doubt , was the object of the request . " " ^
SUPPLIES OF COMFORTS . From the Morning Post we obtain an actual list of clothing and kindred articles received up to the 9 thinst . . " A great deal has been written about the paucity of stores for the army during the last two or three months . The following list of ' comforts' actually disembarked gives a brighter side to the picture , and will be ' gall and wormwood' to that class of grumbling letter writers , of whom it is to be feared there are too many in this camp . The annexed list does not include a very large quantity of goods of a similar character , which still remain on board ship in Balaklava harbour , owing to want of store-room : — = Woollen Jerseys 49 , 480 Flannel drawers 41 , 448 _ Socks , pairs ... „ 65 , 288-Comforters , woollen 13 , 500 Boots , pairs ...... 29 , 280 — Shoes , ditto 4 , 120 Trousers , ditto .... ; . " 6 , 000 Coatees 5 . 934 Greatcoats .....:..... 10 , 000 Gloves ......... 50 , 234 Buffalo robes 12 , 061 Blankets ( beyond the one carried by the men ) .. 44 , 650 Rugs 24 , 200 Palliasses i . 19 , 200 Bolster cases 21 , 800 Sheepskin coats 1 , 515 . " * How ~ ever 3 to be done besides receiving them : — " The army has all the comforts sent out that a generous nation can give ; they know it . Even the meanest man in the ranks knows it . But Balaklava harbour and the Sebastopol heights are two places . An immense gulf separates them , and this is the stumblingblock of all their luxuries . A distance of ten miles here is less surmountable than the whole journey from England . Requisitions are freely given for everything re- ' quired by the quartermaster-general's department ; but then comes the rub—the articles are at Balaklava . "
PARLIAMENTARY VOTE OP THANKS . Very great satisfaction was felt throughout the army by _ the publication of the vote of thanks . Lord Raglan issued the following " GENERAL ORDER . " Head-Quarters before Sebastopol , " January 8 , 1855 . " The Commander of the Forces has the highest satisfaction in publishing to the army the unanimous resolutions of the Houses of Lords and Commons , expressing their sense of the conduct of the . officers , non-commissioned officers , and soldiers in the operations in which they have been engaged in the Crimea , in tho brillinni and decisive victory on the Alma , and in tho signal defeat of a very superior force of tho enemy on tho heights of Inkerman .
( Horo followed tho vote of thanks . ) " Lord Raglan congratulates the army upon receiving this unequivocal recognition of their arduous services by the Parliament of tho United Kingdom , and ho is glad of tho opportunity of declaring that tho manner in which tho troops have borno the privations and hardships they havo had to endure , and in which they havo perfonncd tho arduous duties they have had to discharge almost without an intorval of rest , entitle thorn not only to tho approbation , but to the admiration which is felt , and hus been manifested for tuoir conduct throughout tho United Kingdom . •' Tho Field Marshal has tho pleasure , at tho same imo , to announce to tho troops , that tho Houses of
Parliament have desired that the same tribute of thanks may be conveyed to General Canrobert and the French army , for their gallant and successful coroperation with her Majesty ' s forces in the attack on the enemy ' s position at Alma , for their energetic and timely Assistance in repulsing the enemy at Inkerman , and for their distinguished exertions , in concert with her Majesty ' s troops , in the siege of Sebastopol . —By order . - ( Signed ) " J . B . B . Estcourt , Adj .-Gen . "
SCRAPS FROM THE CAMP . No matter what the hour 6 t the day you enter Balaklava , you are sure to see a dead Turk . The English force here does not exceed 16 , 000 effective men at this moment—about the same as previous to Inkerman . Iron saucepans , stoves , and general canteen utensils , are in great request , and fetch any sums when they are to be had , which is seldom . Only fancy a party of the officers of the Guards eating an Irish stew , with their fingers for knives and forks , out of the lid of a saucepan . Yesterday , January 5 , I was at Balaklava ; all the ships are covered with snow and long idcles , and the hills which enclose the bay look like gigantic icebergs . Altogether , it gives a tolerable idea of the Arctic
re-The huts are the most complete things of the kind that could possibly be sent out . The framework is admirably arranged , and strong without being heavy . The whole is packed in the best manner , and bound with thin bands of iron in such a way that one horse can cany two—one on each side . Only fancy a vagabond buying a cargo of geese and turkeys at Sinope and Samsoun ; the former cost him there 6 d . each , and the latter Is . t he charged at Balaklava , on the 20 th—turkeys 15 s ., geese 5 s . ; on the 23 rd—turkeys 20 s ., geese 15 s . ; and on the 24 th ( all the turkeys being sold)—geese 22 s . each , skinny fowls 5 s . each , and everything in proportion extortionate . half what is said
As to our officers , do not believe respecting their indifference to the comforts of the men ; for I assure you that with a few exceptions to the contrary , take them as a body , and they are the best and bravest set of men in the world . We love them—yes , that is the word ; they are identified with us in all our trials , as in all our glory . ' While men remain , they will do their work ; and such an idea as not taking Sebastopol—such an idea of giving up the object—is never heard of . One but sets one ' s teeth the harder , and faces the hard fact the fuller ; it must be done , - " coute que coute , " , as I tell my men here , _ when they say a thing can ' t be done , " Can ' t ! There is no such word as ' can't' for us out here . The word for us is ' must , ' and that alone is to be used in its place . " I do wish they would let us get at those Russians .
THS * MILITARY SYSTEM . A correspondent of the Times complains of the injustice done by Lord Hardinge in promoting Lord Eustace Cecil , son of Lord Salisbury , from a Lieutenancy in the 88 th Regiment to be Lieutenant and Captain in the Coldstream Guards without purchase . The value of one ,-the , commission . of the _ 88 . th , _ being . _ about ^ 7 . Q 0 t , . that in the Coldstream a little over 2 , 000 / . ( the correspondent of the Times erroneously says 3 , 500 ? . ) Lord Eustace , when promoted , had been only three years in the army , and was not on active service , having been attached to the de'pot of the 88 th since he exchanged into the regiment last spring . The correspondent complains , " There are , " says the writer , " many hundred Lieutenants , of more than twice Lord E . B . Cecil's standing , to whom this promotion would have been a boon , by purchase even . Lord E . B . Cicil is supposed to be the most deserving man to get it without purchase .
EVERYTHING FROZEN BUT FLEAS . An officer writes— " I have put the inkstand by the littlo fire of charcoal in the grate to thaw , having accomplished which proceeding , I may tell you that a Russian winter is at present upon us , and has commenced in nil its rigour . Last night was mdst severely cold ; wo ha'd a tremendous snowstorm during tho day , and tho north wind to-day may be described in the language of novel writers as a ' piercing blast . ' Our hut is buried in the snow , and . icicles encircle the canvas roof , tho interior of
which was this morning a sheet of frost and ice ; all the jolly warm things you sent out are most kpropos indeed . I have as yet kept clear of a little parasitical animal the name of which sounds very horrid with you , but whose prosenco is very familiar with us—in plain English , officers and mon are almost equally in a state of vermin , and it is amusing to hear the inquiries made of ench other as to their condition in this respect . One of our generals has particularly . suffered in this way ; in fact , every rank and grade have done so alike . "
A ItV UAL SCENE . An officer gives a capital account of a reconnoissanco on tho 30 th . It is very artistic and amusing : — . , " On crowning tho rocky ridgo a magnificent sqenc was flproad beforo us , tho whole country being laid out ( like a model map ) at our feet , tho village of Kamnra being immediately underneath us . Tho lines of tho French cavalry wore pushing on beneath , and thoao of tho French battalions extended on tho shoulder of a brown hill , and from those proceeded , tho sound of artil-
Untitled Article
. THE LEADER . [ Saturday , ¦ ~/ 7 O ¦ - __ - ' ¦ ' '"¦ •• ¦"¦'• ¦¦ - •¦¦• ¦¦ ¦ —
-
-
Citation
-
Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 27, 1855, page 76, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2075/page/4/
-