The Press.
London, England, 1855-03-03 00:00:00

MARCH 3, 1855.

Original Plus fro tte Criinta.

We have been permitted to publish the follow-
ing amusing letter from an officer of the second
division

Camp before Sebastopol, Feb. 12, 1855.
My dearest —, I don't know whatever you
must all think of me, not having written to any one
for three posts ; but I'll tell you the reason. I have
been working like ten navvies for the last week
building myself a house; it is gettting on stunning,
and it will be a stunner when finished, and no mis-
take. It is built entirely of hewn stone, taken from
a Russian quarry about a mile from this, where they
(Russians) had been getting ready to make a fort
which would have swept the plain we are on now,
and commanded the approaches to the town on this
side, but the sudden appearance of the allies after
" the flank movement" interrupted them, and so
they left the stones already hewn and squared for us
to build houses with—(very kind of them.) I have
(no matter how—all's fair in war) obtained possession
of a cart, and my cossack pony makes about eight
journeys to the quarry every day. To-morrow (God
willing and the weather permitting) the walls and
gable ends will be finished, and then I put the roof
on, which is to be made of planks, when I can get
them. I intend going down to Cape Chersonese and
getting on board the Algiers, ostensibly to see
and (who are both on board of hcr), but in
reality to make friends with —, and get some
planks and nails out of him for my house. I hope
my next letter will be dated from " the house." I
got a letter the day before yesterday dated the 26th.
• a • I'll tell you what. Most of the letters from
here tell such awful lies; they exaggerate everything.
They cram about the French like the devil. It quite
riles me to read it. All I can say is, that the French
that I have seen (General Bosquet's division), and
whose camp I pass through every time I go to
Balaklava (about twice a week), are ten times as
badly off as us. They have NO HUTS WHATEVER—
(vide Times, Jan. 26)—little or no warm clothing,
and bad tents, about as big as this sheet of
paper for six men. Our fellows (that is, what's left
of them, about 25,000) are in perfect health ; they
have (at least our regiment) so much warm clothing
NOW that they don't know what to do with it; lots of
grub, meat, potatoes, rice, split peas, coffee, sugar,
and rum, each man every day. Standing at the door
of my tent I can count thirty-two huts already up ; I
can't see the third division at all, and at 13alaklava
there is a wooden town all round. The Crimean
Fund stores have arrived ; everything at cost price
except tea-6d. a lb.! I saw in the Times an absurd
story, that the English had been obliged to borrow
great-coats from the French. What an idea! Console
yourselves with the thought that it is an entire fabri-
cation, without foundation. I'll, tell you one thing,
though :—the greater part of the French troops are
landed by English men-of-war's boats; so young
told me, who was up here a few days ago, and had
luncheon with me. Pork and peas-pudding, Bologna
sausage, white bread and butter, with brandy and
water, was his fare—not a bad luncheon to get from
one of the starving English in the Crimea. I only
received your letter of the 26th this morning. I was
very pleased with the contents of it; indeed it is
thanks to it that I spare time from my house to write
this, for I thought I couldn't leave such a kind and
affectionate letter unanswered.
In consequence of the promotions, &c., a great
many officers out here (the juniors in each grade)
have been sent home, and others brought out in
their place. I can only say, that if I had the offer
of going home to-morrow I wouldn't accept it. Not
that I wouldn't much rather be at home, and long to
see you all again; but, having come out here, I
shouldn't like to go until I had seen the inside of
Sebastopol, and. I will see it too, please God, and
perhaps before another month is over—so rumours
say. Besides, lam very jolly even in my tent; how
much more so in a waterproof house, with a fireplace
in it. I shall then have my bath every morning. I
bought an indiarubber tub at a sale the other day
for 21., and I also got a very good saddle (English)
for 30s.—cheap ? A Russian picket-house was taken
the other day close to Sebastopol, and, as you may
suppose, directly I heard of it I was off there in the
night to forage. I got as much wood as three men
Zld two glass tumblers, and a looking.