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    disorganuedV . The men . scatter far and wide over the fields cwltetfag iiiekVknd brushwood , and it seems incredible tliat they ^^ iaw gathered all those piles of brambles and dried wood « nd-leayefl which they deposit in the ns ^ of the lines in sjii&tquajntity-from the country that loosest . so bare * The officen gatherln groaps ^ Ught cigars , chat and laugh , or sit oiLthe ^ grojifid whfl e tbeir coffee , is being boiled .. From the moment tile ' halt J&kes place , off ccmes the boxes from the mtih ^ iS ' -little portable table is set tip—knives , forks , glfUUKIjand cups ire laid out—a capacious coffee tin is set iipra . thre ^ stoues over a heap of bramble , and in three mroutes ^ I ; tim ed the whole . ojperatiou ) each officer could take a cup : of t ) bw refresiiing drink after his hot march , wlffi a Mscmt anl moreel hF i-heese . and a . chasse of

    brandy al ^ wiar < ls £ ; The men were equally alert in providing ttumiselvesrwi th their favourite beverage . In a vejry ^ sh ^ apace o& titne two or t hree hundred little cam p fires ard , lli ghted , and send up tiny columns of smoke , ahd . <^ ee tms aw boiling , and the busy brisk vivandiire , wwlf ^ : Smue ^ or « vary one , and a joke , or boot oh the ear for a ffcrounttf t&ttx moustache , passes along through the haze , and fills ' out ? tiny caps of Cognac to the thirsty soldiers . Pip ^(^ AY € fy <» nce |\^ bIe variety of shap ^ are lighted , i&ijd a hum and b ^ ye rise tipifrpm the animatedscene so , nobin , ever ^ biftine combinations of form and coloor that MacJise iifig 1 » tlx > ofc 9 n it with wondqr and despair . Regiment after , rei ^ iAtild ^ es ^ ia-oni tQe ^ anks of the Zouaves , halts , and remarKaDie \

    repeats , tne process / , ineroniy corps oemg aa J ^ iJ&ft ^ Pfc vl > ij | tive ¦¦ % &&& ** $ whov&re dressed e * ac , tlyTtheC sajne ^ M ^ M ^?^»^ ¥ ^ PP " ^ JF ^ S * fr 008 *** * ^ 4 ? are ' of *» lbnght tKxwder bine , trinVnied with yellow , add their turbos brtke fold of linen ronnd the fez ar « of pure white v la ai'hour or so'the crest of the hHI on v ^ hich we stand , aad ^ lu ^ extejnd ^ two or three miles v iajtio ^ ered ; by batt ^ ona of infantry , and they may be seen todffi ' g tiptheoppo&te ; jaSgej till , before , us there is nothing vislfil ?^ m * i # ^^ other but the broken liHgptf «« K ^ % fctfwart fiatta 3 tens . theift 5 ras a ready , d ^ ing ^ s # rfce ^ le look about the men , that justified the remark ofJon ¥ * of ; the-caTitaihs- ^ . t L We are ready as we stand

    . ** T % r ^^ a 8 a vivacityi sotospeak , abouttue appearance of ^ tli | ptr ^ o ^ % hic | i ¦ . c ^ g htrjthe v fero ' at o ^ ic | .. . The air of re&Utyla ^ fr om . sHani fic&ts anaitieldsdaya-vand ^ all hcOiday demoiistratipns of tfiefcmd : ^ H ^ j ^^ ei ^ ftHeri ! : were ^ bout ' 22 , 000 troops on , the x > iS ^ a ^ M ^^ , ] 0 ^^^ cMx ^ a ^ i <^^ tjf «« n of arnllerfe of nme-raniMer / guns . with appointments complete ^ Dem ^ VsWtioned&tTe valW ^^^ ^ ^^ UneaUy ' eitended upwards of « iVhtmn ^ Strange as such a specucle must imTeoeen to l ^ Sand Greeks ; ^ sgaJ ^ £ * Lnaii ^^ oi

    wpRjpej ^ awaj&u ; Msj jmposHioie tosayrivpiit ; uaiiip ) , intn splCTdid spectacle - It Horace be riglJt , the Gallipolitans hai ^ i ^ ae ^ idiscorered the secret of the onIj true ? happiness . Theyiabiolutely rewlin ' the most voluptueus indulgence ? of theiiii ;( M |^ > e ^ ^ Whi le fheretare six or sev en Fwnchinen . T , of-war anchored , in their waters , ' while frigates and steamers and line-of-battle ' ships are passing up and down in continuous jrtieams , waking up the echoes of the Dardanellesjvith ¦ e im ^ 0 ^ i 0 ^ a ! fi ^^ i ^ As--'h&iag : ' eiwr comes down to cast a glipe ;' a | $ ttoiCfeittet ., - ¦ The : old crones sit knitting ia their w& $ 0 ^^ $ f i ! & * ib if they are Gjreeis , slouch ' ^ about the corners , in , ' tlifeir bkmrv nr » i > cli ' eii . a « rj th « -nrp . tt ^ r » n < l

    du ^/ ' ^ tue Child ren continue their ' games withot » t < iliowing tbei sjnallesi » gn of curiosity , though a Whole' fleet ' be bluzuig away its thunder in an Imperial welcomes within ^ a few yards of them . And aS for the Turks , they 4 t , so ob ^^ inatel ^ on their sh elves and smoke their apath « f ) C pipes" so pertinaciously—they are -so determined in resenting tbe ^ ' iinpalses' ^ of curiosity ^—that one ' s fmjjeics are perpetually itching to indulge in the luxury of giving them a . 8 upinlthe face | and it is all but impossible to resist the iqapttl | e ~ Df . trying . what effect a sound good kick would have in disturbing 3 uch irritating equanimity . However , we mus t . make therb ^ stof thefoct . There were , no Chobham cro ^ d ? to break the uniformity of the lines of military , but great ; numbers of the English soldiery in their Sunday

    coscunie turned , out and * assisted * at the ceremony . Shortly before 12 o'clock a brilliant staff—it did indeed literally blaze in gold and silver , brass and polished steel , as tfce hot sun p layed on rich uniforms and accoutrements—was -visible coming up the valley from the direction of the town . They were preceded by fonr videttes , French dragoons with brazen helmets and leopard-skin mountings ; the various staff officers in advance ; then Prince Napoleon in the uniform of a Xi « utenant-Qencral , and General Ganrobert , in fall dress and covered with orders , on one side , and Sir George Brown on t ^ e other , both somewhat in the rear . The effect of the cortege as it swept , past , . the vision of prancing hors « s and gorgeous caparisons , of dancing plumes , of gold and silver lace , of hussar , dragoon , artillery , rifle , Zouave , spabi , lancer , of officers of all arms , dressed with that eye to effect which in France is very just as long as men are on horseback , was wonderful . It flashed by one like " . some grand procession of

    the stage , if one can so degrade its power and reality by the comparison . It was not gratifying to an Englishman to observe that the red coatee and cocked hat , the gold epaulettes and twist of the British officers , looked very ill amid all the variety of costume in which the Frencli indulged , nor was it without reason that the latter complained they could not tell which was the gonerul or which tho captain by their uniforms . As the viduttes came in view , the drums or each regiment rolled , the trumpets and bugles sounded , and all the men who had betfn scattered all over the ground in disorderly multitudes cauio running in from all sides , and dressed up , unpiled arms , and with great celerity fell into unes three deep , with bands , vivandibrea . inulos , and smoking fires hastily extinguished in tlie rear . Aa General Camrobert came up to the tirat rociment he raised liis cocked hat , and shouted luatily , ' ViveVEmptreur : The officers repeated } $ * ^ 7 ' * n » ee times it ran along the line of the regiment . 108 Dand struck , up , the men presented arms , and tho Prince rod « past bowing and rawing kua hat in acknowledgment , and again the band , out of compliment to tie J £ nglb 7 i General ,

    played- ' God save the Queen . ' Then there was- profound silence as the Prince approached the next regiment , till coming in front of its leading tiles the salutes "were repeated . In this way the staff passed along the ridge of one hill till they came to the extremity of the lines , taen descending , they passed the artillery in the valley , spurred up the opposite mil , and in like manner passed in front of the columns which crowned it . The inspection lasted two hours . The ; staff returned to Gallipoli , tor the Prince wished to embark that night for Constantinople , and the troops breaking' up into columns of regiments returned to their various camps , leaving traces of their presence beliind them in crushed cornfields " and innumerable smouldering fires . ' With the exception' of ine man , who complained , of being ill and lagged behind to rest , f did not see a single soldier fall out on the line of inarch , but those regiments who had a long way to go halted after a raarfch of three or four miles , the sun being very powerful , gathered sticks , lighted fires as before , and regaled themselves with coffee . So much for one picture ; now look upon another : ?—THE BRITISH AJtUT . "On Saturday j the 7 th , the English general , Sir George Brown , had a sunilar inspection cf the' regiments under his command before his departure for Scutari . Soon after daybreak the tents of the Bifle Brigade , of the 50 th Regiment , and of tie 93 rd Regiment , forming the working brigade at the camp ; of Bulair , were struck , and the whole encampmeat was broken up . At the same tune tbe 4 tU Begiment , 28 th Regiment , and 44 th Regiment , struck their tents af th « Soulaii encampment , about two Biiles from tlie town of Gallipoli , and' proceeded on their march towards Bulair , there to take lip the quarters vacated fcy the other brigade . The mass . of baggage belonging to these regiments- was enormous . The trains of buffalo and bullock carts , of packhorses and " mules , and of led horses , which ^ led alongtae road to Gallipoli , seemed sufficient for the army of Xefxes . For ' seven or eight miles the teams of country carts piled up with beds and trunks , - and' soldiers' wiveo and tents ,- were almost unbroken , and now and then an overladen mule tumbled down , r or a jmpeXcame ofF , and the whole line of march became a " confused struggle of angry metf and goaded" Cattle . It so . happened that two French battalions were moving out to fresh quarters ( for , in the excellence of their sanitary a * - rangenaentBvthey change their oaiaps nearly once a fortnight ) v and it became , perceptible at a . glance that , pro rata t they , carried mncli less irnpeSimenia tliari our regirhents . ' There ; isr considerab \ le difficulty in accounting for this , because' without , a ! tomple 1 te knowledge of the interual economj of both armies cbmparla ^ ii is difficnlt ; but it may be' fairly supposed that the jabs > mceof women and the small lit of the French officers , as J w eH , as the' inferior , size of the tents , go far to account for at . Another matter to be taken into consideration in the officers ' baggageis , that Frenchmen live in their aniform , while we allkiio'w no real British soldier is quite happy without his mufti . ' He must have bis wide-awake and shooting jacket , and di ; esaing 7 gowi ) , and evening dress , . aud a tub of some sort or other , and a variety of gay shirting , pictorial and figurative , while the Gaul does very well without them . Leaving the baggage to its fate , let us climb up one of the hills , near the scene of the French review , and watch the match of our regiments . They came on solid and compact as blocks , of marble , the sun dancing on their polished bayonets' and scarlet coats -with congenial fierceness . The gallant * —th' halt close by—all the men are as red in the face as turkeycocks—they seem gasping for ; breath—they are indeed sorely distressed , for a rigid band of leather rendered quite relentless by fibres and buckles of brass is fixed . tightly round their throats , and their knapsacks are ' filled to the pitch of mortal endurance , so that it requires theiaid . of a comrade for each man to get his on his back ; while the Frenchman , unassisted , puts his knapsack on in an instant ; The coat is buttoned tightly up also to aid the work of suffocation , and belts and buckles compress the unhappy soldier where most he requires ease and the unrestricted p lay of the muscle . Begiment after regiment reaches the parade-ground , and falls into its place with admirable precision . The lines of these red aud blue blocks seem regulated by plummet , and scarce a bayonet wavers in the long streaks of light above the shakos . The rifles , too , stand compact and steady as a piece of iron . Thus they stand under the rays of the morning sun , till at nine o ' clock Sir George Brown and staff , accompanied by the French General , and a number of officers , Mr . Calvert , our Consul , &c , ride alone the lines , and , after a brief inspection , dismiss them . The Eiflea and 93 rd Regiment continue tlieir march to the shore , where they are to embark for Scutari . The 60 th follow to their , new camp at Sovlari , and if one follows them , he will see how men dropout , exhausted and half-smothered , and at what a vast amount of physical inconvenience all this solidity and rigidity of aspect are acquired . Take one fact : —In a single company which left Bulair 45 file strong—90 men—so many men fell out on the march to Soulan , a distance of six miles or thereabouts , that the captain reached the camping ground with only 20 men—the rest straggled in during the forenoon . The halts were frequent for so sliort a march , and tho rush to e _ very well and fountain showed how the men suffered from thirst . On arriving at the beach they found all their troubles cease , for the French- Admiral had , with the greatest promptitude , sent the launches and boats of the fleet to the piers , and in about one hour tho whole of the two regiments , consisting of neariy 2000 men , wero shipped bodily on board the Andes and tho Golden Fleece ; their baggage took a longer time , and there was considerable difficulty in getting tne horses on board . The Orient and Sir George Pollock transports conveyed the horsee and baggage , aud under the active superintendence of Lieut . Kendell , It . N ., tho Amiralty agent , the operation of shipping them , in spite of many inconveniences , was effectively accomplished . SirAGcorge Brown and his stuff -went on board the Golden Fleece , in which Colonel Lawrence , Major Norcolt . Captain Kbrington , and tlie officers and men of tho Hifio lirigado were embarked . The 08 rd were stowed away comfortably in the Andes , and . tlie City of London having taken the two transports in tow , the littie flotilla left their anchorage unostentatiously , and moved

    on at dusk to Constantinople . Dr . Alexander also went on being relieved as principal medical officer of the troops iero by Dr . Forrest . " [ It may be remarked , parenthetically , that three men of the G uards fainted at the inspection of those troops last Saturday , in honour at the Queen ' s birthday . ] . ; ¦ The private's letter to his sister ia dated " Camp Boulahar ( Boulair ) , May 9 . " The writer is said to be " a thoroughly trustworthy man , vho would not state what was not to the fullest extent true . "

    " My dear Sister , —It was my intention to have written to you before now , bat , circumstanced as TO are , we cannot send letters but seldom , unless we pay Is . 4 d . for each , and then there is some'difficulty in getting them posted ; and as yon may well suppose , our convenience for writing is very bad , for we have no other means but to sit on the ground and put pur knapsacks on our knees , and so do our best ; and to sit in this position for any length of tune is very painful ; but I never think of this -when I have time and opportunity to do it . The last few days have been very wet , and consequeatly we have been very miserable , for we w $ re . nearly washed out of our tents , and they are so very thin that the rain comes through them almost like a fine colander . The . ground on which we are now

    encamped have recently been ploughed , and the ram have made it so soft and muddy that we have plenty to do to movea&out . We are now employed in dig ^ Bg trenches , and throwing up batteries for a place to retire to , if necessary . The work is very hard , for the soil is of such a close nature that it requires great strength to move it ; and every man has his work measured to him for the day ; and he must do it , let it take a long time or short ; he is not allowed to leave the ground until he have , completed his task , aad a hard task it is tp those that have not been accustomed to such work . But , thanks and praise be to God , we hare most excellent health , not having in oar regiment one serious case of sickness , nor have I heard of one in any other . It is truly astonishing that , notwithstanding every

    change of climate and weather that tre have'had . to endure , and several very wet days aad cold piercing winds aud sudden heat , yet all are well ; some of them poor young lads that have , lately left their hdmes and never knew what it was to be out of a comfortable bed have now to put up with the cold clay every' night , with but one blanket to cover them , and their tent is of such miserable cloth that it will not keep out the dews that fall nightly very heavily here ; but we . are all well and ^ cheerful , which proves to me that the kind hand of Providence is dealing very mercifully -with us , and most heartily do I wish that the men would acknowledge the goodness ot God * more than they do , but their chief aim , I am sorry to say , seems to be to get as much of the very bad drinks that are here as they can , and the result of it is that many will yet meet the enemy confirmed and habitual drunkards . The great complaint is , that the Government at home does not send oat

    suitable provisions Cor us ; for , my dear sister , we have been already- nearly perished with cold and wet , with not so much as . a drop of warm drink , such as tea or coffee ; nor could milk be procured , or any other provisions ; but for days we were without anything but a pound of bread , . and a pound of beef of the most miserable kind ; and yet the public papers , before we left , trumped up the public with a lot of falsehoods that provisions of every kind , such as would render the men . as comfortable as possible , were sent out under the directions of the Government . England is certainly , in many respects , both ungrateful and unkind to its . army ; they know their wants , still they will . not alleviate them in the least ; but , as we are healthy and well , we will not complain ; but , on the other hand , shonld sickness break out among as , the fault would rest . upon the backs of them who might make things far different if they would ; but we must pray that God in mercy Trill protect us from the ravages of sickness , and grant us a speedy victory . "

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    CONTINENTAL NOTES . The general news of the week , from the continent and the seat or * war is of great interest , taken altogether , although no event of the magnitude of the bombardment of Odessa is recorded . First let us state what is recorded of the doings of the fleets in the Black Sea . Admiral Hamclin ' s despatches to Paris , of a date prior to the loss of the Tiger , continues the story of the fleets from the attack on Odessa . On the 26 th April " the allied squadrons set sail and steered for the west coast of the Crimea , as I had agreed upon with Admiral Dundas . On the 26 th , finding ourselves in sight of the lands bordering Euoatoria , I detached the steam-corvette the Caton , accompanied by the Furious , to explore the bay on the south of

    that city . The Caton , while accomplishing its mission , captured three Russian vessels , two of which were coasters ; the Furious took a fourth . Already , in the morning , the Descartes ^ giving chose a-head of the squadrons , had Mien in with an Lnglish brig , which , captured the day before by a Russian frigate , had been hastily abandoned by ir , when , on seeing the squadrons , it had made all sail to gain the port of Sebautopol . Of these four prizes , two have been sent to tho Bosphorus ; as for the two coasters , we sank them . " On the 29 th , the wind permitting us to make for Sebuatopol , the combined squadrons steered for the entrance of this port . They there lay to in order to flee if the Russian

    squadron really was decided on meeting us , as the Russian authorities gave out in tho lilack Sea , according to tho statement of tho prisoners when questioned the day before . If such , in fact , had been the intention of the Russian fleet , never did a better opportunity present itself for proving to tho natives of the Crimea that it wished to avenge tho humiliation of the check given at Odessa , and felt in its neighbourhood . The weather wus fine , a uoutherly breeze an < l quite fair , that is to say , favourable for leaving Scbustopol as well as returning to it . 1 shall add , Lastly , that , in order to induce the Rusaian admirals to como out to us , Admiral DunUaa and myself had ordered two of our ships to keep

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    4 ftg TI £ E / L E A D E R . J > atijiu > ay :

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), May 27, 1854, page 488, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2040/page/8/