The Press.
London, England, 1854-10-14 00:00:00

SATURDAY,

field had white fair skins to justify the expression. Each
man had a loaf of dark brown bread, of a sour taste and
disagreeable odour, in his knapsack, and a linen roll, con•
taining a quantity of brown coarse stuff broken up into
lumps and large grains, which is crushed biscuit or hard
granulated bread prepared with oil. This, we were told
by the prisoners, was the sole food of the men. They eat
the bread with onions and oil; the powder is "reserve"
ration ; and if they march they may be for days without
food, and remain hungry till they can get fresh loaves and
more " bread stuff." It is perfectly astounding to think
they can keep together on such diet; and yet they are
strong, muscular men enough. The surgeons remarked
that their tenucity of life was very remarkable. Many of
them lived with wounds calculated to destroy two or three
ordinary men.
The soldiers are all shaven cleanly on the chin and
cheek ; only the moustache is left; and the hair is cropped
as close to the head as possible. The officers (those
of superior rank excepted) are barely distinguishable from
the men, so far as uniform is concerned, but the generale
wore sashes and gold epaulettes. The subalterns wore
merely a lace shoulderstrap, instead of the cloth one of the
privates. The officers displayed great gallantry, and the
men fought with a dogged courage characteristic of the
Russian infantry, but they were utterly deficient in elan

and dash.
Many of the Russians had small crosses and chains
fastened round their necks. Several were found with
Khorans in their knapsacks—most probably recruits from
the Kasen Tartars. Many of the officers had portraits of
wives or mistresses, of mothers or sisters, inside their
coats. The privates wore the little money they possessed
in purses fastened below their left knees, and the men, in
their eager search after the money, often caused the
wounded painful apprehensions that they were about to
destroy them. They seemed to have a general idea that
they would be murdered : possibly they had been told no
quarter would be given, and several deplorable events took
place in consequence. As our men were passing by, two
or three of them were shot or stabbed by men lying on the
ground, and the cry was raised that " the wounded Bus.
sians" were firing on our men. There is a story, indeed,
that one officer was severely injured by a man to whom he
was in the very act of administering succour as he lay in
agony on the field. Be this as it may, there was at one
time a near chance of a massacre taking place, but the men
were soon controlled, and confined themselves to the
pillage which always takes place on a battle-field.

- -
INCIDENTS OF THE FIGHT.
At the commencement of the action many ladies were on
the heights. Prince Menschikoff had given them to under
stand that on the part of the Russians it would be a mere
review—that the allies would not be able to meet his
heavy artillery, and would retreat.
In the battle the colours of the Scotch Fusilier Guards
had twenty-six bullets through them. The staff of one
colour was broken ; but Mr Lindsay held fast, cool as a
cucumber, and escaped without a wound.
The following is an instance of daring on the part of an
English non-commissioned officer and a Russian soldier.
The Englishman had just moved forward, under a heavy
fire, to plant a camp colour as a guide to point out to his
division the position they were to occupy. A Russian
stepped out from the ranks, rushed at the Englishman,
killed him, and carried off the colour. But another
Englishman was watching the movement: he dashed in
pursuit of the Russian, avoiding the musket shot which
the latter aimed at him, overtook his man, dropped him
with a double shot from a revolver, seized the colour, and
returned to the ranks as fast as he could run amidst a
terrific fire. He had no sooner resumed his place in the line
than he fell dead. He had been pierced by seven balls,
but he had saved the colour of his regiment.
The Vulcan brought two Russian prisoners ; one is
wounded brigadier-general, who will not disclose his name.
He mentioned a curious circumstance. It was observed is
singular that, though the loss of English officers had been
very great, yet no general officers had received a hurt,
although they are conspicuous by a white plume, and the
Russians confessedly singled out the officers while the
British were advancing across the river and the valley, in
a clear day and free from smoke. The Russian replied
that the generals were not aimed at, because they were
thought to belong to the commissariat. In the continental
armies the higher officers are surrounded on all occasions
by a brilliant staff, but our own generals ride attended only
by one or two aides-de-camp. They were therefore in this
case indebted for their safety to the unobtrusiveness of
their habits.
Several Poles deserted from the Russian army after the
battle of Alma, who declared that three thousand of their
countrymen were in Sebastopol, only waiting an oppor
tunity to effect their escape. A Polish regiment, when
standing opposite to the French troops at Alma, fell, as if
shot dead on the field, where they lay until the Russians
retreated, when they rose safe and sound, owing to the in-
genious stratagem they had adopted.
The two superior Russian officers captured are Generals
Tchetchanoff and Gonikoff. They were dressed as simple
privates, and were so treated until their rank was made
known by their fellow-prisoners.
All the Russian soldiers wore long boots, which our blue
jackets prize, arid each man took a pair. The mode of
measuring was somewhat novel. The sailors sat down,
and placed the soles of their shoes in opposition with those
of the dead, when, if the length corresponded, the Musco-
vite was speedily unbooted.
In Prince Nlenschikoff's carriage, when captured after
the battle, a sum of 50,000 francs was found in specie.
Papers found in the portfolio show that he was perfectly
well informed as to all that took place at Varna. He wrote
to his master "that he had allowed us to disembark
quietly, in order to drive us back into the sea, and that in
any case the formidable position on the Alma would at
I least detain us three weeks." He added that, "if we forced
him at once on the Alma, nothing would remain cscept to