Page:Notes and Queries - Series 10 - Volume 3.djvu/34

 NOTES AND QUERIES. [io< h s. in. JAN. u. 1905.

them and to the cold. The mercury was down to 8 last night ; I think that is the lowest we have had it yet. If it does not get worse we may weather it yet, but we are sadly reduced ; our Brigade, con- sisting of the 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade, 46th, 63rd, and 58th, can only turn out 700 men fit for duty. Yesterday the 63rd could only turn out/cw men ! This morning we have 244* men fit for duty: that includes officers, servants, and every man in the regiment. We have 337 away sick at Balaclava or Scutari, and 174 sick here. We have buried, since landing on 8 November, 169 only 9 of these from loss in the trenches by shot, the remainder killed by hard work, exposure to cold and wet, bad or rather short allowance of food, and insuffi- cient clothing. The poor fellows are half naked, have no change of clothes, and consequently are never, I may say, dry. They have at the very most only one night in bed not in bed, but in their tents : that is to say every other night they pass in the trenches, and from their proximity to the enemy and cold they dare not sleep, and hard work it is. This night I have the pleasant prospect of marching down there at five o'clock, remaining till six next morning. My duty when there is to see that our guards are properly posted, and sentries out in every direction. I have a deal of ground to walk over, rough and hilly ; on a fine, dry night it keeps me warm, but on a wet, dark night it is dreary work : and that is the sort of night we must be most wide awake. Your fur coat, which I most providentially brought out, has been the saving of my life. With another one over it to keep off the wet, it is a famous thing. If I had only a pair of waterproof boots and a good, strong waterproof coat, I should be all right ; but I am in hopes of getting them from some of the numerous supplies coming out. We hear a great deal of wooden houses and no end of things coming out from the generous people at home ; but, alas ! they will come up to us too late, I am afraid. Everything here is top late. The authorities here are most supine and dilatory about everything ; I suppose their eyes will be opened when the whole army is like the 63rd, dead or in hospital ; then I hope they will have to give an account to the country for their mismanagement. The Timvs correspondent (with one exception) gives a fair account of what is going on here, drawn mildly, of course, when he talks of the ill-treatment of the men. The exception I allude to was his account of the 46th not turning out for the trenches the night of the gale ; a more unfounded lie never was ; never did wet, half-clothed, poor devils, without a morsel to eat all day, turn out more willingly not a murmur to be heard. I sent the captain who marched them down and remained with them that night in the trenches, and the adjutant who paraded them, to the correspondent todemandhisautnority. Hewouldnot give it up, but said he was sorry at having written it, and was very contrite ; but the fact is, he must please his employers. One never sees Lord Raglan ; he and his staff live in a good house, his horses have good stables, and are all very comfortable. I wish their house were burnt down and they put in tents. He believes, I verily think, that the men are getting all the good things the papers talk of; but don't think the whole army is so badly off' as our brigade. The 3rd and 4th Divisions are the hardest worked,

"Morning State" of the regiment, given later on, there would seem to have been only 140 fit for duty.
 * This is the figure in the letter, but from the

and consequently the greatest sufferers in the army. Colin is with the Highland Brigade near Balaclava. Their men are very well, fat, and well fed. They are well because they have no trenches and expo- sure ; well fed because they are close to Balaclava, where the supplies are kept. We are seven miles- off, and the country is in such a state, and the com- missariat so bad, that our biscuit, meat, and rum are often obliged to be sent for by fatigue parties of poor men worn out with work in these infernal trenches. All our clothing and other supplies we send men for, and the wooden houses, &c., will lie r and are lying, at Balaclava, with no means of being brought up ; our want of arrangement is beyond conception. They have commenced a railroad from Balaclava to this again too late ; it will be finished when the weather gets fine and the country is in good order. I sometimes tremble to think what the consequences of all this mismanagement will be i but triumph at last we must, at a frightful cost of men. I was never better in my life; eat, if pos- sible, better than ever when I can get it. Salt meat is poor stuff to live on, so we take every opportunity of getting preserved meats, but at ruinous prices. Till this time we have been supplied by Maltese and Greek rascals, whom the Govern- ment have stupidly allowed to settle at Balaclava and charge what they choose for things. Living, as we are, men are reckless of expense, and, not knowing how long they may live to eat, pay anything.

Morning State of 46th Regiment, 8 Jan., 1855. Men fit for duty, including all casualties, such

as officers, servants, &o. ... 140 1

Sick at Scutari 337

Sick in tents here. l"4

651

Lost from disease since landing 9 Nov.... 160 By shot 9

169.

From this state, you may judge how our men get n. We have sent away six officers sick.

T. F. D.

BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES ON DICKENS AND THACKERAY.

SEVERAL bibliographies of Charles Dickens have been compiled since the death of that writer, and the latest of them appeared a few months ago under the editorship of Mr. J. C? Thomson. It is not, perhaps, very high praise to say that this little work is a decided advance upon its predecessors, though it still leaves much to be desired ; and I consider that it appeals more to the student of Dickens than to the collector of his works. This was perhaps the object of the compiler, especially as very few of the writings of Dickens come within the category of "rarities." Nevertheless, it would have been better if the- collations of the books had been drawn up on- a more scientific plan, and if the whole work lad been subjected to closer revision. A few- errors will be discovered on close inspection,,