The Press. — London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

THE PRESS, SEPTEMI3ER 19, 1857. campaign. Here is the result of the first I attack of Soyer's batteries de cuisine. The allied generals pay him a state visit : Generals Pelissier and Simpson proceeded to taste the various articles of food. The pot•au-feu, or beef soup, was prepared partly from ox-heads, which were usually buried, instead of being used as food for the soldiers, no doubt in consequence of the difficulty of cleaning them. General Pelissier tasted several samples of the pot•au fen, and, addressing General Barnard, declared that he felt as interested in this unexpected exhibition as in the ceremony of the morning. The witty General Barnard replied, Your Excellency must agree with me that this day has been remarkably well spent : we devoted the morning to the cordon roe ye, and the afternoon to the cordon bleu." General Pelissier much enjoyed the bon not, and repeated it to the officers of his Stuff, thus creating great hilarity amongst them. I requested many of my visitors to taste the different preparations, and, much to my satisfaction, I believe :almost all of them did so, and expressed their approbation •of them- After pointing out the merits of the stoves to the commanders•in•Chief, 1 conducted them to the spot -where the Scotch Division formerly cooked their rations in the old tin camp kettles. On our way, I observed to 'General Pelissier that I had visited the French camp kitchens, and found their marmites superior to the Eng. dish. The soup made by the French soldiers, I said, was wry good. At this the General seemed much pleased. The space required for three or four regiments extended Shout three hundred and fifty feet in length. A rough wall of loose stones had been erected by the men to form a screen, which when the regiment moved was, of course, left behind. The furnaces were also constructed of loose stones, held together by iron hoops; upon these the tin cans were placed and the rations cooked. By this plan an immense quantity of wood was inevitably wasted, and the fires were sometimes extinguished by the heavy rains. My stoves completely obviated all these previously insur mountable difficulties. Having listened to this explanation, the commanders in•chiet admitted the beneticial results and advantages of the stoves. ---- The stoves were supplied to the different regiments. " Every man," writes M. Soyer, •" did his best, and not one found fault with either the stoves or the receipts : on the con ." trary, they all took pride in their task, and -" only regretted being compelled to return to -" the use of the camp-kettles, as sufficient of '" my stoves hod not then arrived to enable me "'to supply them all. The cooking out of doors was also very agreeable to them, be -44 sides the saving of labour, in not having to '" cut, split, or saw several hundredweight '" of wood for each company, as they ' 4l now only required a few pounds." To give some notion of the amount of fuel saved by the use of these stoves, in a regiment *of 1,000 men, with eight stoves, a daily saving of 3,0001b5. of wood took place—an enormous *consideration in the Crimea, or indeed in any campaign. The superiority of the new appa ratus to the old canteen plan was universally admitted, and to Soyer belongs the credit *of this important reform. We have alluded to the dinners and banquets which rapidly succeeded one another on the 'conclusion of peace. Here is one worthily recorded by the genius of a good dinner. General 'Alders was to visit the allied camp. The night before the information was sent to Soyer, and with it a demand for his aid. The lime given for the invention of some divine dish to commemorate so great an event was most niggardly. " I must say," writes the great maestro, " I did not think it was all well " with me ": " What can I do," said I to myself, " for an event of historical importance 7' Neither Mr. Crockford nor the captain could assist me, when an idea struck me :—" If you can't give me an idea," said Ito my friends, " at any rate lend me a dish." " That I will," said the captain. " Recollect, I want a large one." " You hail the largest fur your salad yesterday." " That one will do ; it will hold enough for twenty-five persons." " Then here goes," said I, writing. " To-day I shall dress in it the Macedoine Liiilersienne a i'Alexandre II." "A very good name in honour of the event," said Mr. 'Crockt'ord. " But pray, of what is it to be composed T' " Oh ! for that," said I," if I were to implore the Genius of Gastronomy, from Lucullus to Apicius and Vitellius, or Vatal to Ude and Careine, I could get nothing from them but inspiration; while what I require is something sub• atantial, and not artificial. It strikes me that a word from you to your head man at Kadikoi is you will not be there to morrow) would do more for me in a few minutes than the whole of those defunct celebrities, whom I am not now inclined to trouble upon so material a subject. Pray give me carte blanche to get anything you may have and l require for the composition of this modern Babylon, which must he constructed upon a base sufficiently strong to resist the joint attack of the heads of three of the most howerful armies in th e w o rld, and only be destroyed after aving conquered the conqueror's place (farms, the stomach, so called in military parlance." The order was readily given by my friend Mr. Crockford, and we then lay down to sleep, being both completely exhausted with the fatigues of what was called a day of pleasura. We had hardly closed our eyelids, when morning caused them to be reopened; so up we got. My friend started for Constantinople, and I for head-quarters. On my way I called upon Major Ross, who kindly lent me a pony, and told me of the message left with him. I started immediately—bought a few things in Balaklava market — called at Crockford s store at Donnvbrook, which I ran sacked and despoiled of condiments of every description. Instead of going direct to head-quarters, I changed my mind and went home to prepare, having decided, as the time was so short, to produce one good dish only, instead of several small and insignificant ones. This was, however, to be worthy of the occasion. I was well aware that Gene • ral Codrington's cook, under the liberal management and command of Captain Ponsonbv, would turn out some thing worthy of the event. Upon arriving at my hut, I sent two of my cooks to assist him, desp itched my groom on horseback to Kamiesch for various things, and then began the construction of my Liidersienne upon the lid of my new field kves, the dish 1 had brought from the "liar being too small. My novel dish was completed, and carried to head• quarters by two soldiers; an I at. a quarter to two I per sonally placed my culinary wonder upon the table. It was called BOYER'S CULINARY EMBLEM OF PEACE, The Macedoine Liidereienne u l'Alexandre 11. This monster dish was composed of :-12 boxes of pre. served lobsters-2 cases ditto lampreys-2 cases ditto sardines-2 bottles ditto anchovies-1 case ditto caviar -1 case ditto sturgeon-1 case ditto thunny-2 cases ditto oysters-1 pound of fresh pawns-4 pounds turbot cloute —l2 Russian pickled cucumbers-4 bottles ditto olives -1 bottle mixed pickles-1 bottle Indian ditto-1 bottle pickled French beans-2 bottles ditto mushrooms—i bottle ditto mangoes-2 bottles ditto French truffles-2 cases of preserved peas-2 cases ditto mixed vegetables -4 dozen cabbage lettuces--100 eggs-2 bottles of preserved cockscombs. The sauce was composed of six bottles of salad oil, one of Tarragon vinegar, half a bottle of Chili vinegar, two boxes of preserved cream (whipped), four ounces of sugar, six eschalots, salt, cayenne pepper, mustard, and a quarter of an ounce of Oriental herbs which are quite unknown in England. This monster Macedoine was placed in the centre of the table : " In a few minutes," said I to myself, "those great men whose names are echoed and re-echoed throughout the world by the trumpet-blast of fame will be here, not only gazing upon my impromptu chef d'asurre, but, I hope, also freely partaking of it—and, while enjoying the pleasures of the table, cementing the sentiments of peace and of friendship." The generals entered, amid the thunder of guns and the exquisite strains of the Russian national hymn. In the conversation which followed, it appears that the delicacy of Soyer' s dish was only equalled by the refinement of his compliments : My anticipations were realised ; for no sooner had the guests taken their seats than the conversation became more animated. I had placed at the apex of my pyramidal Macedoine a small card, with the dedication written upon it. Sir W. Codringtnn hanged it to General Laden, who, after showing it to several of his suite, requested permis sion to keep it as a reminiscence of the day. This request was granted by Sir William with a smile. The entrées, roasts, and the entremets had been handed round, and a serious attack upon my Liideisienne com• menced, almost every guest partaking of it twice. Captain Ponsonby requested me to remove it, as several gentlemen at the other table wished to taste it. General Pelissier, with whom I had the honour of conversing longer than with any one else, was in an excellent humour, and full of that vivacity and wit so characteristic. He bantered me several times for not having stoned the olives which formed part of the Macedoine. I told him that time would not permit of this, as I had received such short notice of the banquet, and that I went the evening before on an excursion by water to Luken. At the same time, I expressed my regret to Sir William at not being at home when sent for. " Never mind, Monsieur Soyer," replied Sir William. " I am, at all events, very happy to see you here, and thank you kindly for your exertions." General Pelissier again addressed me ; " Yon may say what you like, Monsieur Soyer, but you might as well have stoned the olives." " Very true, general, if time hail allowed. It is all very well for you to take the Malakoff in a few minutes, but it took me four hours to make that dish." At which reply he could not help laughing. " Your friend, General Barnard," said he, pointing to that officer, who was sitting at the bottom of the table, " would like to taste it. Go and offer him some." I did so ; but the general had been served. I then made a tour round the table, asking each guest, above thirty in number, whether he had been attended to. With this extract, as a fair sample of the lively and entertaining gossip to be found in this book, we must take leave of M. Soyer. He has writtensan entertaining volume, and he has given us a valuable contribution towards the better management of our hospital and camp kitchens. Numerous woodcuts, wall executed, illustrate the work, which should be in the hands of every soldier and of every hospital cook, and no doubt will be read with pleasure by all who 923 benefited, either by the illustrious chefs ex cellent instructions, his gratuitous services, or his sumptuous dinners. NOVELS AND STORIES. 1. Tice Young Bride. By Mrs. Briscoe. Lon don : Hurst and Blackett. 2. A Lord of the Creation. By the Author of " Ethel." London : Groombridge. 3. Sigler Anne. By the Same. London : Groombrid ge. 4. Katherine Evering. By the Author of " Mr. Arle " London : Groombridge. 5. The Story of My Girlhood. By Mrs. H. Lynch. London; Longman& OF the first tale upon our list the design is better than the execution. Sir Aldrich Bul strode is a long-descended baronet, with a large fortune, an obstinate will, and a fiery temper—a nephew, his heir, who is of a tho roughly congenial disposition. and an orphan • grand-daughter, who is gentle, pious, and affectionate. To bring about a match between these two is the cherished purpose of Sir Aldrich, and, finding the young lady obsti nately opposed to it, he contrives to have the marriage solemnised in London when she is only fourteen, and almost unconscious of what is going forward. Harold then departs fur India, and " the young bride" returns to her former life at Bulstrode Court, under the pro tection of her grandfather. After an absence of six years the husband returns to claim his wife. She flies from her home in disguise, and seeks safety in the assumption of an other name, and the occupation of a governess. Her adventures while hiding from pursuit, including the growth of a passion for a certain ColoneCHardy, form the most interesting portion of the book. But the plot is in no way made the most of, and the denouement is commonplace in the extreme. The characters are very indifferently drawn. Sir Aldrich and his nephew both come up to the Horatian idea of inconsistency—neither fish nor flesh. At one time they are called fine specimens of the old English gentleman ; at another they are described as acting with inconceivable base ness and unrelenting cruelty. The heroine herself is not natural. No English lady would calmly submit to such protracted misery with out a struggle. Mary Bulstrod.e is a woman who has seen the world and mingled in society. She could not be ignorant that the law might possibly be able to extricate her from her bondage. She would at all events have tried. But her conduct is rather that of an amiable imbecile, who was only capable of entertaining one idea at a time. The incidents violate probability. The elopement of Lady Marty and her residence at the Isle of Man, the murder of Lady Brierly, and the flight of the heroine herself, are all managed -.vial little skill. But nevertheless our readers will per ceive that the book presents very considerable variety, and to a large class of novel-readers will be found very satisfying. The language is florid, and not much in accordance with modern tastes. 2. " A Lord of the Creation" is rather a narrative than a novel—one of those quiet pieces of domestic life that are to fiction what Mr. Redgrave's favourite subjects are to paint ing. When well done they are very pleasant reading; but great knowledge of character, and unusual powers of observation upon life, are demanded to prevent them from becoming insipid or unreal. We are happy to say that in his present work the author has achieved a success. Without anything that can be called a plot, or any singularity of incident, he has produced a story which we lay down with regret and take up again with eagerness. " A lord of the creation is represented by a certain Vaughan Hesketh, betrothed to his cousin Caroline, his uncle's ward. She has conceived for him that full, perfect, undoubt ing affection which suspects no secret and sees no deficiencies. Vaughan considers her as rather honoured than otherwise by his pre ference, and makes no secret of his influence with her. But the progress of the story is such as gradually to unfold the selfishness, hollowness, and moral cowardice of his nature, while, on the other hand, it shows us the ILI