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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.
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Yaewiir. . ; ' There Appears To Be An Es...
** fb $ ti ; to tear up the defences would require time ; fes ^ £ « iSl JS ^ wfll reiain ; it is more advisable to carry them « ff some twenty yards—once there , they are ours . ^«^ £ e night is pitch dark . A few steps ahead a man anneais . Astonished he glides towards him . It is one tfhfe own men . If they aU get up they are lost ; * trench stops him ; he hears the sound of the spade and the pickaxe in the rock ; he hears the workmen convene , the guard splash with their feet in the water , the men cough . What does' this mean ? The sound is hollow ; it is a mine . It commences here and leads then . But the rain continues to pour down . It is Utter 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 then * 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 Russian 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 them , in 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 Twim * published on Wednesday a full page from their correspondent before Sebastopol . We are only able to give a few extracts ,
; KFFECTSOF " 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 iip till men are found frozen to death in their tents . As to the ' warm clothing , 'the very words immediately suggest to us all some extraordinary fatality . Some went down with the ill-fated and ill-treated Prince , some -of'it '' has been lost , affd now we hear that a ship with clothing for the officers has been burnt off Constantinople ;
that some of it has been saturated with water ; and I had an opportunity of seeing several _' . lighters full of warm great-coats , & c , for the men , lymg 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 ' responsibility' upon himself if it were to save the lives of hundreds . " .
MENSOHIKOFF . "We hear from the deserters that the Russian 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 Inkermanthey 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 hot to continue the struggle any longer ,
and to abandon Sebastopol , making the best terms of capitulation that he could . Menachikoff 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 the 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 long as there is a prospect of obtaining reinforcements and provisions .
• ANSV METHOD OF 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 the purpose of warmth . Groat 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 old gas generated in these deadly apparatus . "
AN INDIGNANT ZOUAVE . , " There are eome few degenerate wrotchoa who grumble even among this corps d'dlite . An officer commanaTrig a fatigue party , who happened to fall in with . Ajriuty of Zouaves engaged in a similar duty , brought thent all off to the canteen to givo them a little goutto ftw " their day ' s labour . While ho was , in the tent , a ifarrloti with a splendid face for a grievance , carao in , * n < f jplpetffn the conversation , and our friend , seeing ho w « s hot a piWato , but that ho had a chatty , talkative * Jpe ct , coinbltted . with an air of rank , began to talk of flhw ^ rlvatlonii ttl which the allied armies wore exposod . Tnw TJBs evidently / our ally ' s champ de bataille . Ho at oufeVthrew nfmself iht © an attitude which would havo
brought down the pit and galleries of the Porte Sf Martin to a certainty , and , in * 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 in winter time : 'C ' estvrai ! ' quoth he , ' mon ami I & n effet nous eprouyons beaucoup de misere ! The idea of seemed to the
any one suffering misery except himself 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 8 me Zouaves ! eleve du Conservatoire de Paris ! Apres avoir sacrifie' vingt ans de ma vie pour acquerir un talent—pour me r-r-rendre agre * able a la societe—me void ! ( with extended arms and legs ) me voicil— force * d ' arracher du bois de la terre ( with terrible earnestness and sense of indignity ) pour me faire , de la soupe ! ' "
OBJECTS OF FLAGS OF TRUCE . "A flag of truce come 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 trace 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 dnring 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 19 , 200 Bolster cases 21 , 800 Sheepskin coats 1 , 515 " Howevei ^ the following p ^^^ to be done besides receiving them ;—" The army has aJU . 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 often miles here is less surmountable than the whole journey from England . Requisitions are freely given for everything required by the quartermaster-general ' s department ; but then comes the rub—the articles are at Balaklava . "
PARLIAMENTARY VOTE OF THANKS . Very great satisfaction was felt throughout the army by the publication of the vote of thanks . Lord Raglan issued the following " GENERAL 03 OER . " Head-Quarters before Sebastopol , " January 8 , 1866 . " 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 the brilliant and decisive victory on the Alma , and in the signal defeat of a very superior force of the enemy on the heights of Inkerman . ( Hero followed the 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 the manner in which tho troops have borno tho privations and hardships they havo had to endure , and in which they havo performed the arduous duties they havo had to discharge almost without an interval of rest , entitle them not only to tho approbation , but to tho admiration which is felt , and has boon manifested for their conduct throughout tho United Kingdom . " The Field Marshal has the pleasure , at tho same tUno , 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 co-operation 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 , "
SCKAPS FROM THE CAMP . No matter what the hour of 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 icicles , 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 onahorse dan 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 . ; he charged at Balaklava , on the 20 th—turkeys 153 . * 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 .
As to our officers , do not believe hah * what is said 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-objeqt-= 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" and , 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 .
THE 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 , theconunission . of _ the . 88 tb ,, _ being about 7 P 0 l ; t } mt in the Coldstream a little over 2 , 000 / . ( the correspondent of the Times erroneously says 3 , 600 / . ) Lord Eustace , when promoted , had been only three years in the army , and was not on active service , having been attached to the depot of the 88 th since he exchanged into the regiment last spring . The correspondent complains , " There ore , " 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 little 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 all its rigour . Last night was most severely cold ; we had a tremendous snowstorm during the day , and the north wind to-day may be described in tho language of novel writers as a ' piercing blast . ' Our hut is buried in the snow , and icicles encircle the canvas roof , the interior of
which was this morning a sheet of frost and ice ; all tho jolly warm things you sent out are most hpropos indeed . I have as yet kept clear of a little parasitical animal the name of which sounds very horrid with you , but whoso presence is very familiar with us—in plain English , officers and men are almost equally in a state of vermin , and it is amusing to hear the inquiries made of each other as to their condition in this respect . One of our generals has particularly suffered in this way ; iu fact , every rank and grade havo done so alike . "
A BUItAL SCENE . An officer gives a capital account of a reconnoissnnco on tho 30 th . It is very artistic ami amusing : — " On crowning tho rocky ridgo a magnificent sceno was spread before us , tho whole country being laid out ( like a model map ) at our feet , tho village of Kamara being immediately underneath us . ¦ Tho lines of tho French cavalry were pushing' on bonoath , and those of tho French battalions extended on tho shoulder of a brown hill , and from thoso proceeded tho sound of artil-
*Jr ¦ - ¦ 5-If?-.S Alijeiabbr. T[Saturpa...
* jr ¦ - ¦ 5-if ? -. S AlijEiABBR . t [ Saturpat , v * P . . ¦ - '; ___ ' ——^—»
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Jan. 27, 1855, page 4, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_27011855/page/4/
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