The Express.
London, England, 1855-12-06 00:00:00

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

(MON OUR SPECIAL

......roL„ Nov. 13.
By far the most important ineident of iced oe-1
canna sines the last mail ham been the issue, on
Wednesday, cl the new winter clothing to the troops.
Neale in the quality nor the quantity of these ar-
tidies can the most fastidious grumbler Sad excuse
ler complaint spinet the War-offlos this time; in
fact, the inn, if any, has been on the sale side of ax
utter regardleesness of expense, and the result iamb
se, I venture to my, can be seen an the backs and
lags of no army in Bumps. The winter-kit served
oat to each man is "soh as would reader him toler-
ably independent of the merest meson that can visit
the oath anywhere between the poles, and will cer-
tainly enable ;him to laugh at Bores', be the temper
el the stormy god what it may, for the next four
ands in the Crimea. The articles distributed on
Wednesday comprise a most excellent tweed oat,
lined fitionsheat with rabbit or attain, the same as
molest year served mato the officers; a larprand still
warms:sheepskin coat, two pairs of thick worsted
drawer", two Jerseys, on pair of worsted gloves,
one wonted cholera belt, one pair of long water-
proof boots, one waterproof sheet, one pair el
worsted stockings, one pair of mocks of the same
quality, and one seal skin cap to tarn down and
completely own the ears and neck. No on, lam
disposed to think, will charge Lord Penman with
having neglected :a single article that the health or
comfort of even the rawest recruit now in camp can
require. The men themselves are loud in the =-
precision of their satisfaction, and strut about in their
sew toggery mach more like officers than private
soldiers. Bat while the soldiers have been thus
liberally provided for, the complaint 'Oleic
I threw out some weeks ago with referees,
to the course to be perused towards the officers no-
steins as forcible Si ever. Nothing whatever is to
be given to them. A small supply of warm great-
nets has indeed been sent out, bat for each the high
charge of 665. is to be made--a price which mmai;
dome of poor subaltern officers can but very
afford to pay. Surely in providing so lavishly for
the comfort of the men as he has done, Lord Penman
might have ventured on the additional liberality et
supplying winter requisites to the *Moen as well, at
very reduced prices, if not as a free gilt. The hard-
est premed taxpayer, between the Scilly and this
Orkneys, would scarcely have grudged his shale
the outlay, Involved in so well earned a piece et
official genersity.
Besides the comfort to be expected from these
storm-defying wearable', the troops have every pre&
peat of being, for the greater part, equally
lodged. All over the camp new buts are inwanlA
course of erection, whilst the old cues are be
rendered still moreireather-proot, by being built
on the outside with a thick veneering of rouge
mason ,ice which empty bottles, old preserved meat
cases, Ruins round hot, and stones, are all worked
in as materials. The effect is odd and incongruous
enough to the eye, bat the result to the inmates
will be a great increase of warmth in every seas in
which this original style of honsocoating is being
carried out.
Oar first fall of snow occurred on Tuesday night,
after a day of intense bitterness, and on Wednesday
morning all the hill tope within view were silvered
over with the white flakes for several inches deep.l
Yesterday and to-day again, however, the cold has
abated, and the temperature is not more than
healthily bracing. But come when the float change
may, we shall be prepared for it, and man and beast
may look forward to the double honours of frost and
rain, with little fear of suffering greatly from their
severities.
Steamers have sailed within the last day or two from
Leitch Bay for Signori* to transport the brigade
of Light Cavalry to the Bosphorus, whither the
HHeavies" have already proceeded for the winter. A
weshiitec mail is also to be made up for Bupatoria and
the service to be taken alternately by our-
selves and the French. Hitherto the troops at both
places have bees dependant on chance vessels for all
esemanniaties, poital or otherwise, either with
had-porters or Constantinople, and the resultant
‘tteenvesieness have been neither few nor slight.

CARP,

(711011 OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
CARP, SEBASTOPOL, Nov. 24.
The chief talk in the camp since last mail has been
—lst, about the shortly expected scale of leave for
officers daring the winter ; 2nd, the non-arrival of the
mails, which oertainly, since the French engaged to
convey them, always reaches two or three days late ;
and Srd, the forthcoming steeplechases. At eight
o'clock lag night the weights for the Sebastopol
Handicap had not been published at Stewart's, Cath-
cart's Hill, as promised by the programme, but I
will let that document speak for itself. There are to
be four races, and the added mousy amounts to 1601.
Each division and the cavalry brigade furnish a
steward; seven in all.

GRAND MILITARY STEEPLICCRASE3.
MOIDAT, Dsasusss 3, 1866.
STZWMUM.
let Divides. Captain Addy, Fusilier Osards.
tad Divielos.Z Doubesy.ls2ad.
ird Divides. K Hudson, 8911.
4tb Moab.*ll, 46th.
Highbad Divides, Colossi Taylor, 79th.
Light Divides. Mr. Dins, 7th Fusiliers.
Cavairf, Kr. Wilkie, 11th Hums.
Fade Rgas.—Tau OIAwD INTWATIONAL STIBIRLI
Clues, s Semegsbilios of 61 each with 601. added, for all
hones, the pow" of, sad to bi riddles by aims of the
allied sredis. Two miles, over a course selected by the
dower& ;: the mead horn to restive 101. Weights.
12st nb sash.
BZOOND RAOS.—Tas ALLIANCII Cur, a Sweepstakes of
31. ease, with 4111 added, tee ea hones Oise wlaper of the
Ant sage esslailed). Mss. lane Ss reeds, 101. list sash.
Aria sows as Se Oessd Isessitalesel.
Tata, lass —Two Ilaasiseessa, IlAirsiciar, a Sweep-
stakes of K sash, adds Wink Ise ell pommies 14 beads
2 is. sled salsa To he lissibrigell by lbs asessdo. Oss
any Wig assns.
Foam —Tss Conliairviow licaauscs. a Hew
Map etssospimbie 21. seelkoddi 211/. Wad Ise bastes
Masa
Ose WIN a seem. T
bsadiseypsd lossmodisisly lelestasse .be entered sad

TM amain of the elegrie:e M M Is&
Few hem% the property of diSereat women, ter dad tee
oak nee. is N. petite mew trtll be Ova.
All ma Si Mold..by.doiss if Ile ad Indio.

Battles W he wade sad stakes paid to Kr. Dime, 7th
FWISSISVS betsio Thursday, the tiled Narsealter, at
1 Lithe sifrigl se vela barbs er were weather
g, the rams will be postpesed, at the dimmed= et
the stewards.
Malt rage to start at 12 o'closk gratuity.
The weights it the SEBASTOPOL HANDICAP will be gob-
tithed at IDresidwrot _Balsklave, sad Stewart's, Catheart's
Hilt, es Prliar the Nal last., as 2 p.a.
The wens 1* these races will be chosen NOW
where near the Monastery.
In January the chief chaplain to the forces, the
Rev. Henry Wright.* going tome on three months'
leave, when, in all probability, the Rey. Mr.
now with the Fint Division, will assume charge. The
former has lately received the Crimean medal with
three clasps, Alma, Balaldava, and Inkermann, and
he is to get a fourth, Sebastopol. The 'chap*
lain of die ght Division, Mr. Wallace,
is shortly to got a hat given over to him
far Church purposes. I suppose the other chaplains
will get the same. He also wears the Crimean rib-
bon, and will get with all the rest of non•conabatants
the clasp for fkbastopoL Where will oar absurdities
stop ? Thet soldier who ham done his duties in the
trenches regularly, under heavy Si., gets no more
reward and gains no more distinction than a man in
the Co:embus:id, Transport, or Civil Ordnance Do-
minants. Barely a Crimean medal is sufficient to
give a ace-combatant without also giving him the
clasp for Sebastopol. Why now there will be more
non-fighting met who wl weer the clasp than
there are men living who have served in the trenches.
[ Lately the Russians have been keeping up rather a
her/ fire upon the French part of the town, and I
am informed that the casualties amongst our allim
average eleven a day.
I her that owing to the English having stated it
a Connell of War that their portion of the docks
would be ready to blow in in twelve days, General
Neil, the French engineer,. ordered more heads to bs
put on in his portion, staling at the same time that
[6e thought Ahem days would be the earliest for the
English to be all ready. Three weeks is lately
to be nearer the date, for although another
Company of flappers marches down this
morning to assist, and the demolitions are to be
continued day and night, still, the water which
percolates through the ground into the horizontal
gallseiss of the English must impede the work
greatly, and will oblige oar engineers to be very
careful about the powder not getting damp.
9 a.m.—The mail due on the 22nd has not yet ar.
rived at head-quarters. The weather could not be
finer. Major Morris, C. 8., RA., is to be military
secretary to General Windham.

(FROM 017 R OWN CORRESPONDENT.)
EIJPLTORIA, Nov. 19.
Even here, cu ts as much as at Sebastopol, the
year's operations have drawn to a close, and, except
in the very improbable contingency of General Shia-
belskoy running his own and his army's head@ spiut
ear fortifications, they are likely to remain suspended
till spring. With nearly 70,000 Russians ten miles
off, it is more than improbable that General d'Allon-
ville will attempt anything important; and it is
equally beyond the range of expectation that the
enemy will again approach our entrenchments, gar-
risoned as they now are by 50,000 men, of whom
nearly Ware French. When our own light cavalry
brigade landed here, exactly a month ago, the impres-
sion was general that a movement was to be at once
made in the direction of Sinapheropol, to co-operate
with the French divisions, who had advanced from
Baidar, and crossed the Upper Belbeck at Albat ; but
it soon became evident that as little was to be dons
from &pearls as from the Tchernaya, or that, at
most, a few reconnaissances, or other equally fruitless
demonstrations, would form the sum and substance of
our winter's campaign. Half under pressure, I am
disposed to think, of the general opinion both with
the army and at home, that some blow should be
'struck in this direction before winter rendered fur-
ther operations impossible, the Commander-in-Chief
hurried off Lord George Paget and his brigade in am
great haste as if General d'Allonville only awaited
their arrival to execute some brilliant and decisivecoup
that should, worthily supplement the triumphant close
of the siege. To be sure the usual delay clogged our
first start from Kadikoi ; and, though under orders to
embark on the 6th of October, it turned out to be the
nth of the same mouth before we landed at Ear,
toria. The weather was then flue and genial em as
English autumn, and Sir Richard Airey, the Quarter.
master-General, accordingly directed that the men
should take nothing with them beyond what could)
be carried in the small valise behind the
saddle—an arrangement, I need not say, which
necessitated their leaving behind everything in the
shape of winter clothing. He also suggested that
the officers should take only a couple of chargers,
leaving all their extra animals behind in camp, as—
everybody was assured—we were only to remain ten
or twelve days in all at this place. On the strength
of this intimation from hestquarters, the whole
winter clothing of the brigade, and a great part
of the private kits of the officers, were delivered
into store at Balsklava, to be forwarded down to

ilieloOiltoreut as soon is the four regiments had ac-
complished their brief minion here. Bo confident
were the majority of the brigade that a fortnight
would suffice for this, that hardly a single offloer
carried with him more than a change or two of linen,
and still fewer of them anything in the shape of
crestureoemforts, either fluid or solid. As the com-
missariat arrangements, however, have been well
carried out by Mr. Green, and thesupplies at his disposal
have been generally good—with the exception of a
couple of days last week, when biscuits and salt
pot k constituted the whole of our stores—this neglect
of bottled beer, brandy, preserved meats, and the
other items of a camp larder, hu not resulted in snob
inconvenience as might have been expected; but, by
shutting everybody up to commissariat regimen, it
has had the effect of rendering our palates " more
Irish and Jess nice," at all events._

Sine, the 2nd fut. the French have been busy in
repairing their quarters, and in erecting supplemental
wooden huts, whilst our own men have been, not
very patiently, enduring the bitter cold which has '
been withering horse and man for the last ten days. '
Camped in a sandy swamp (into which we have only
to sink about a couple of feet to find the brackish
water which men and offiosrs have alike been using),
open to every wind that blows' and without a single
one of the thousand reliefs to the discomforts of a
camp life which were to be had at Kadikoi, it is not
to be wondered at that our hospital has bad a larger
than usual quota of inmates. Oat of a total strength
of 1,150 men in the brigade, about 140 are at present
on the doctors' books, and if we remain here much
longer. exposed to the cold, and destitute of winter
clothing,as all have been, there is every probability
that this list of sick will be doubled before the
month reaches its close. The poor horses, who
have even less shelter than their riders, are suf-
fering severely too, fifty-four of them being at prip-
sent under the veterinary surgeon's are; and more
than double the number—nearly all of them being
the small but valuable Arabs procured in Egypt by
the regiments from India—are only a degree better
conditioned. Seventeen have already died, and it
will need all the care that can be here given to them
to confine the loss to so comparatively low a figure.
So utterly, indeed, does the whole brigade appear to
have been forgotten that no eonimimariat stores have
been forwarded beyond what accompanied it a month
ago, till the arrival of this morning's steamer with
biscuits, pork, and groceries, and that of some selling
ships the day before yesterday with forage. For
eight mails not a letter has been forwarded from
their placate detention on board the Royal Albert at
Kasateb, and for nearly a fortnight no communication
of any kind has been ressived from heed-quarters.
Nov. 20, 8 • a.
Some Preach spies came in late last evening from
' the neighbourhood of Bimpheropol, bringing the
/ ve doubtful intelligence that the Russians were
. rapid)ryy preparing to evanute that town and the
earrotiaftg districts. prelimbserily to a total with-
! draws! from the Crimes. The same individeals an-
nounced the approach also of a strong cavalry and
Wilkey toes of the essay in this direction has
Theregeetisel mien woe accordingly soot resod at
tee latt for the brigade to
to
AY
e'eloolt
old nay 61 met at • atoepeat's settee at