Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/33

 s. in. JAN. H, 1905.] NOTES AND QUERIES.

LONDON, SATURDAY, JANUARY U, 1005.

CONTENTS. -No. 55.

WOTE 3 : Sufferings of Troops in Winter, 21 Biblio- graphical Notes on Dickens and Thackeray, 22 Kpi- taphiana, 23 ' Yankee Doodle ' Clergyman as City Councillor Cranmer's Library, 24 Holy Maid of Kent English Canonized Saints, 25 Dagger Pies Vanished Pastimes Nelson In Fiction The Victoria and the Cani- perdown, 26 Luther Family " Totem," 27.

>QL KIUK3 : Hugh Percy London Bridge Theatre Besant Warren Hastings and Sir Charles Malet Rev. Thomas Newman David Morgan, Jacobite "Broach" or " Brooch," 28 -" Walkyn Silver " " Wapiti "Pembroke College, Cambridge Sir Thomas Cornwallis " Blood- funkers" "Caveac" Tavern Abbotsley, St. Neots, Hunts "Heart of my heart" Police Uniforms: Omni- buses, 29 Polar Inhabitants Spanish Arms Triplicate Writing Holyrood Font, 30.

REPLIES: Sir Walter 1'Espec, 30 Spelling Reform " Licence " and "License," 31 Great Seal in Gutta-percha Mercury in Tom Quad Queen Anne's Last Years- Bibliography of Christmas Heraldic Children at Execu- tions, 33 Algonquin Element in English English Burial- ground at Lisbon Bio id used in Building, 3i Three T-ulors of Tooley Street -High Peak Words Ben Jonson and Bacon Battlefield Sayings, 35 George Washington's Arms Parish Documents Armorial Visiting Cards "Phil Elia." 36 - Heacham Parish Officers ' Hardyknute 1 Sarum, 37 "The" as part of Title ' Assisa de Tol- loneis,' &c. Sir William Cal vert Modern Italian Artists Agnostic Poets, 38.

NOTES ON BOOKS: 'New English Dictionary' Madame d'Arblay's Diary and Letters Boswell's 'John- son' 'Poets and Poetry of the Nineteenth Century' 4 Halejjhana ' Routledge's "Miniature Reference Series" Mr. DodgS'm's ' Don Quixote' in Basque' Fry's Guide to London Charities.'

Notices to Correspondents.

gaits.

BUFFERINGS OF TROOPS IN WINTER.

AT the present time, when the war in the Far East has drawn attention to the hard- ships inseparable from a winter campaign, it may not be uninteresting to recall the sufferings of our army in the Crimea during the winter of 1854-5. The following notes are extracted from letters written from the camp before Sebastopol by the late General Maxwell, O.B., who commanded the 46th Regiment during the siege. These, of course, were not intended for publication, and do eiot pretend to be anything more than private letters, written at odd moments and sent home to his friends, to tell them of his life and work at the front. At the same time they are interesting as giving the impressions of an officer on the spot, and showing that the army was quite alive to the mismanagement and procrastination of the authorities. They also form an additional testimony to the good conduct of our soldiers under very trying circumstances, and to the appalling loss of life caused by sickness, chiefly due to exposure and starvation.

Camp before Sebastopol,

Sunday, 12 Nov., 1854.

We arrived at Balaclava on Wednesday last, landed and marched here (seven miles) that night, passed the night alfresco, and of course hard rain and no grub. No one at home can form the ghost of an idea of the hard work a soldier has here ; what between the trenches and alarms we have never a moment to ourselves. I feel for the men, as they have been wet for three days ; the work in the trendies is no joke. We march down there at 6 P.M., as soon as it is dark, and remain there till some time next day ; half of the men are on the qui rive, the others lie down ; but, poor devils ! of late you see them lying up to their middles in water. How they stand it I know not. What a fool I was to be so anxious to come out here ! We have only commenced work yet. The Russians cannot drive us away, but starvation and cold may. We hear that we are to winter here ; if so I shall often remember you, as I have got the fur coat here. Old Garrett has got a brigade ; I have the regiment and have my hands full ; it quite amax.es one after the quiet, dry, snug work in barracks at home. So much for my doings. All 1 can tell you about Sebastopol is it has not fallen ; we only have in- vested the south side, all the rest of it being open to the enemy. The French and ourselves are bombarding away day and night, and have been doing so since the 5th of last month, and are likely to do so for another month ; and even when we get in we cannot remain, as- the strong forts on the south side command the town. A pretty look-out we have. The fact is, we have tried too much, and if we fail you may all thank the press for it.

I, to my great joy, met Colin* at Constantinople ; he had been sent down sick, but was nearly well. Poor fellow, he was nearly naked ; I was happy to be able to clothe him in a complete suit. He ex- pected to be back here very soon, and appeared anxious for it, which I rather wonder at. We were too late for the action last Sunday :f [except those of] our people we sent out before us, and our friend, the Editor of The Times, will be happy to hear that they did at least as well as their neighbours. The pluck and spirit of the men is wonderful. Last night in the trenches a party of ours were at work ; the Russians came out, and our fools wished to be allowed to go at them with their spades and pick- axes. I am sorry to say that this morning cholera made its appearance in our camp, and we bare lost five men. I trust it may stop as it is an awful scourge. The men care nothing for bullets, but don't like the cholera.

Camp before Sebastopol, 8 January, 1855. That infernal town is as far off as ever from being taken, and looks as nice and comfortable to our longing eyes as the Russians could wish. Our winter has commenced now ; it was ushered in with a devil of a fall of snow, and then hard frost with a biting cold north wind ; but poor weather for tents, but they are wonderfully warm, more so than you can fancy, or we may be getting accustomed to


 * His brother, in the 93rd Highlanders.

I Inkerman. Two companies only of the 46th were at this battle. The remainder of the regiment had been detained at home, owing to an inquiry into a case of " bally-ragging" an officer. A cartoon appeared in Punch with reference to this incident. See issue of 19 August, 1854,