The Press.
London, England, 1855-10-27 00:00:00

HOW THE MONEY GOES.

A LETTER in the Morning Herald of this week
lets us into the secret of how some of our
millions are disposed of in " the vigorous
prosecution of the war." In our zeal to assist
our excellent ally the Sultan, we have made
an attempt, at vast expense, to embody some
of the vagabondage of his dominions in various
corps. First we have those " irregular cavalry"
—very irregular, indeed—the Bashi Bazouks;
next, the " Turkish Contingent ;" then the
" Turkish Land Transport Corps." These
various bodies may be capable of doing good
service, but they seem very reluctant to allow
us an opportunity of putting their valour and
ability to the proof. The Bashi-Bazouks are
ready to fight every one but the enemy ; and
as for the other two corps, the order that they
were to embark for the Crimea was the signal
for their simultaneous desertion. How will
some future Joseph Hume feel when, turning
over dusty files of old newspapers, he comes
on the following paragraph :
_

- - -
Constantinople, Oct. 11.
General Vivian returned from the Crimea on the 9th,
and immediately after his arrival orders were given to the
Contingent to embark for Yenikale and Kertch. The sol-
diers, I am sorry to say, have been worked iik) to oppose
this order, and when it was known that the Crimea was the
point selected for winter quarters they became excited, and
about five hundred deserted. Of this number but three
have been retaken, the rest having returned to their villages.
The same thing occurred with the drivers of the Land
Transport. They unanimously agreed to run away, which,
indeed, they did at night, leaving their cattle, and taking to
the hills. About 220 drivers have since returned, on the pro-
mise of a free pardon, but several hundred are still absent.
As for the horses and mules, more than one hundred and fifty
have been stolen. It is time to do something with the Con-
tingent. The experiment has already cost the British Go-
vernment upwards of three millions sterling, and no results
have accrued thereof.
- -

------
The Land Transport Corps would appear
from this account to be the best disciplined of
our Turkish auxiliaries. They deserted
" unanimously," but, on the other hand, the
" Contingent" seems to have unanimously re-
solved not to be retaken. Three out of five
hundred are a meagre per centage. The
animals of the " Transports" have been so
repeatedly stolen, that it is a curious subject
for speculation how often the same horses and

SATURDAY,

mules have been repurchased by our autho-
rities for the use of the corps. We agree
with the correspolideat of the Herald, it is
time to do something with this Contingent,
but wkat? The men have cost us so much
that &strong body of the Landon police might
be useful to keep watch over them.
As for tke Bashi-Bazoidlul, their movements
have bee* so irrestbrila that it is impossible to
keep acceount of The reports concern-
ing their commander, General BEATSON, are as
conflicting as those spread by the Chinese
rebels of their Mrs. Harris-like Emperor,
YANG-Tar-KuNo. At one time he is murdered,
at another a prisoner, and at another pre-
paring to march at the head of his force
against some offending Pacha, who objects to
the Bashi-Bazouks making a target of the
bodies of his officers. The last account of him
is—that he is dismissed from his command.
Perhaps to-morrow we may hear that his
faithful Bashi-Bazouks have recovered him,
and have stuck the head of the Pacha,
his enemy, on a pole at his tent door. There
is much that is amusing in a letter we publish
elsewhere, from the Dardanelles, only that in
reading it we cannot help heaving a sigh over
our lost "three millions sterling."