The Press.
London, England, 1855-01-27 00:00:00

DEPARTURE OF THE " PIONEER."

Tars vessel, which had been engaged by the committee of
the Crimean Army Fund, sailed on Tuesday last for the
Black Sea, having been delayed for two days by an acci•
dent which she encountered while on her way down the
Thames, through coming into contact with a collier brig.
The Pioneer is freighted with a cargo of almost inestimable
value, consisting of warm clothing, comforts, and con-
veniences of almost every description, intended to mitigate
the privations and to sustain the courage and spirit of our
brave army before Sebastopol, and collected or purchased
under the auspices of the committee of which the Earl of
Ellesmere is at the head. _ _

Since its establishment on the Ist of December last not
less than 20,0001. has been contributed to the fund by sub-
scribers of every rank, from her Majesty downwards, and
the committee have already despatched several vessels to
the seat of war with supplies of various kinds. On the 7th
of December, they sent out the royal yacht schooner
Fairy, laden with tobacco, pipes, tea, stationery, lea-
ther, and other useful articles for the accommodation
of the troops. The public liberality also enabled
them to hire and freight the Zarnia, steam-vessel, which
left the Tower ou Chistmas-eve, laden with 270 tons of
valuable goods of all descriptions. The Earl of Elles-
mere's yacht, carrying seven hundred additional tons,
sailed on New Year's-day, from Southampton, for Bala-
klava ; and on Saturday last the Pioneer started on a
similar errand, carrying a cargo far more valuable than any
that has yet gone out at the instance of the committee.
The following are some of the principal articles of which
her cargo is composed. There are, first of all, four hundred
cases of potted provisions, including venison and other
articles, and a quantity of ale, generously presented by his
grace the Duke of Portland; thirty-seven cases of potted
deer, from Taymouth, and eight hundred gallons of whisky,
the gift of the Marquis of Breadalbane ; a hogshead of
whisky from each of the distillers of Campbeltown, packed
in cases of two dozen each, for easy transit from Balaklava
to the camp, and a hogshead of port wine from each of the
principal distillers in London, similarly packed ; four hun-
dred patent stoves, peculiarly adapted for use in the Crimea,
and an immense quantity of candles and lamps—in all
about 740 cases—the donation of Price's Patent Candle
Company, whose workmen have also given 1501. to the
fund, being one-half of a day's pay ; great quantities of
Gloucestershire cheese, the gift of residents in that county,
and other donations, amounting to several hundred hales of
woollen goods, blankets, Jerseys, drawers, shirts, stockings,
together with as many muffatees as will furnish two or three
pairs to each officer and soldier in the army ; and contri-
butions of game preserved at Gunter's and Batty's. Besides
these donations, the committee themselves have purchased
a large quantity of provisions, comforts, and useful imple-
ments and utensils, which also form part of the freight.
These include, among a variety of other things, regimental
boots, shoes, leather, and shoemaker's tools, 1501. worth of
tobacco and clay pipes, cocoanut fibre matting for the
floors of tents, blankets, railway rugs, Australian jackets,
waterproof clothing, stationery, oatmeal, pearl barley, half-
salt butter, essence of coffee, cocoa, chocolate, Parmesan
cheese, turnery, brushes and combs, gridirons, saucepans,
fryingpans, conical beer warmers, milkman's pails and
yokes for carrying water, wa'er filters, saws, hatchets, ham-
mers, six gross of iron spoons, two hundred teapots, Welch
wigs, portable fuel, a great number of interesting books,
2.50,0(K) rations of patent compressed vegetable soup
(French), an exceedingly agreeable and nutritious article;
a large quantity of preserved vegetables, and last, but
perhaps not the least useful, one street baked-potato
machine ; more of which would have been sent, but the idea
of forwarding them did not occur to the committee until
the eve of the vessel sailing, when time did not permit
of their being procured. The ship on touching at Malta
will also take on board a number of oranges and lemons.
Three wooden storehouses have already been sent out
to Balaklava, to be erected, on their arrival there, as a depot
for the provisions and clothingforwardcd by the committee.
The whole of the articles have been packed with a careful
regard to the difficulties of transport from Balaklava to the
camp, namely, in small wooden eases, one of which a man
may carry on his shoulder for a considerable distance, or a
number of which may be conveyed together:on hand trucks,
or shag on polio, a supply of which theme part of the cargo

of the Pioneer. Sir Edmund Lyons has written to the
committee, stating that he will afford all the facilities in his
power towards landing the cargoes despatched under their
auspices.