The Press.
London, England, 1857-10-03 00:00:00

THE PRESS, OCTOBER 3,1857.

been fired but did not explode. Major
Ranken, with that zeal and activity for which
he was pre-eminently distinguished, took upon
himself to re fire the mines. Captain Gordon
thus relates the catastrophe which fol.
lowed :

1 was on the outside of the building close to him.
With a light in his hand he called to the men to run away
as fast as passible, for there was only a minute for them to
escape. He stooped down and lighted the train. I sup-
posed that he had attached to the focus of the powder
hoses a length of Bickford's fuse of about a yard, which
is calculated to burn for about a minute, the time he
allowed himself fur escape out of the building.
But no sooner had he applied his light than (from what
cause I know not) I saw the running fire and smoke of
the ignited hoses.
The crash and fall of the walls and roof followed almost
immediately. Men crept wherever they could into the
ruins to listen for Bounds of life, but, alas ! none were heard.
A working party was immediately put on, and search was
continued by reliefs of men during the whole night until
about ei6ht o'clock this morning, when his body was
found. His death must have been instantaneous.

Universal sorrow was felt throughout the camp,
for Major Ranken's reputation stood high with
all ranks. By his " cool courage and intrepid
zeal " in the trenches, and especially in the
assault on the Redan, ho had won for himself
a high reputation, and his death was felt as a
severe loss among officers and men.

The present volume consists of selections
front Major ltanken's diary and letters during
his in esence in the Crimea; and under the
melancholy circumstances of his death a
peculiar interest attaches itself to these
memoirs. Here is his description of a first
night in the trenches :

On my first night of actual duty I was associated as
jnnior officer with Captain Cooke, R.E. We had to cow-
menee a new sap from the fifth parallel, on the salient of
the Roden. A number of gabions, bread bags full of earth,
baud barrows, anti spades, and shovels, were collected.
Our working party was a strong one, and set about their
labours sktlfidly and cautiously : two gabions were quietly
pulled out of the parapet awl an opening made for men
carrying gabions to pass. The direction of the sap was
indicated by a white tape, and the gabions were placed in
a row with as little noise as possible, along the line thus
marked out. The utmost silence was necessary, as we were
within a hundred anti fifty yards of the Redan, in range of
every description of missile, and, besides, were close to the
Russian sentries. The firing, which had been maintained
with some spirit during the evening from our advance
trenches on the Redan, suddenly almost ceased, and the
suspicions of the enemy appeared to be aroused in conse-
quence. They threw out a fire-ball, which alighted within
a few yards of our newlyplaced gabions, and blazed
brightly up. We withdrew our working party as rapidly
as possibly to prevent their being observed, and waited iu
anxious suspense watching the burning missile. By what
seemed almost a miracle the fire fell m every direction,
apparently, but that of our trench, and the enemy clearly
had not perceived us, as no fire was opened for several
minutes, and then only a chance shower of grape, with the
view of inaking sure all was right, directed across the space
in front of the salient. This unhappily killed one of our
working party, and I had an opportunity afforded me of
witnessing the coolness and unconcern with which a
casualty was regarded in the trenches. The poor tellow's
body was borne past me as I stood near the entrance of the
trench, and half•amhour afterwards, when at the same
place, one of the bearers returned to report that the man
was buried, adding that " he was surprised to find he made
such a handsome corpse." All this was said with the
enemy's shot and shell flying over us, and scattering death
around. There was only one casualty in the working party,
and eighty-seven gabions were placed and filled, and a
small trench dug behind them.
For the life of us we never could understand
how " working parties " could do their work
effectively in their full uniform. Major
Ranken appears to have been struck with the
folly of such a proceeding, and suggests an
excellent remedy :

I had charge of another working party of 100 men
employed in improving the fifth parallel. The ground,
was extremely rocky and unfavourable, and it was necessary,
in order to obtain earth, to place a portion of the party
employed outside the trench, unprotected by any cover what-
ever. The men worked in their red costa buttoned up to the
throat, and with sixty rounds of ammunition suspended
across their shoulders, as they had to resume their arms
and act as part of the guard of the trenches on the slightest
alarm being given of a sortie of the enemy. It was not to
be supposed that men thus encumbered would be able to
get through much work.
The real fact of the case is, that the system pursued is
wholly an erroneous one. It is not to be supposed that
men will work well buttoned up to the throat, and weighed
down with straps and pouches; neither eau it be thought
that inexperienced workmen will achieve much under any
circumstances. In addition to these disqualifying causes
a man is physically unable to undergo much fatigue after
a night passed in the trenches without sleep, and under
the enemy's tire (as all morning working parties have to
do). The proper mode of proceeding in my opinion would
be, to establish two regular permanent working corps. of
1,000 or 1,2(X) men each, selected from the various regi-
ments in the army ; to give these men higher pay and a
more suitable working dress, and to camp them as near to

the siege works as possible. These corps would be Built.
cient to furnish all the requisite working parties for each
attack ; they would perform more work in an hour than or.
dinary working parties would in five or six, and do it in
more workmanlike manner. They should be marchtsl
home to camp immediately their labours were over, anti
have plenty of time for rest and sleep, being merely
worked as ordinary navvies or labourers. It seems stir.
prising that some system of this kind has not been
adopted.

This is virtually coming to the " contract and
navvy " system, but there can bo no two
opinions of the efficiency of a separate work-
ing corps for trench and earth work. It has
often occurred to us that it would be a grand
thing to organise a " marching corps "—that is
to say, a corps composed of the best walkers
in the army. Such a corps would be au in-
valuable adjunct in a campaign. They would
be to an army what Nelsons frigates were to
his fleet. How often uro the best designs frus-
trated and the finest opportunities lost in a
campaign foe the want of 10,000 mon who
can march forty miles a day for more days than
one ? The organisation of such a walking
corps, or of working corps, would only bo
the creation of another " special corps," like
the engineers, artillery, cavalry, &c.

At the assault on the ltedan, Major ItAnkeit
headed the ladder party; his testimony there•
fore is entitled to consideration. His descrip-
tion of the assault brings the scene vividly
before us. It is lung, but it will bear real.
ing

I awaited the signal to advance ; silently calling upon
God to aid and assist me in doing my duty, and, if it were
His will, to preserve my life. Suddenly there was a shout
that the French were attacking the Malakoff. I looked
over the parapet, and saw them rushing no the salient.
They were apparently unresisted. The French flag in a
minute was seen waving on the ramparts. All this hap.
pened so instantaneously, that it took us all by surprise.
We had anticipated a hard struggle, and we were ordered
not to advance till a decided success hail been achieved ;
hut, as it were, in a second the dreaded Malakoff had
fallen into the hands of the French. Our men could be no
longer restraiued ' • before there was titue to get the ladders
to the front, end before the sappers could advance to out
away the abatis, they rushed in a straggling line over the
parapets, and dashed onwards to the salient. I hurried
up my suppers as fast as I could, shouting to them till I
was nearly hoarse, and ran forward with them and the
ladder party, with a drawn sword in my hand (my vie tb•
bard and belt I left behind). In the hurry and confusion
many ladilers were left behind. There was, however, little
excuse for this, as the men had had their places distinctly
assigned to them, and should not have left the trench
without their ladders. It was of course impossible to
perceive that anything of the kind haul occurred, and still
more impossible to have rectified it had it been known.
The only word was—" Forward ;" the only course to
pursue—tn advance as rapidly as possible. Nearly WO
yards of rough broken ground and au abatis hail to he
crossed under the enemy's fire. The men advanced with
the greatest spirit. I could see bodies dead and wounded
lying along and strewing the ground on each side of me,
as I pressed forward, shouting continually to the men to
advance, and not to pause for an instant. When I c rme
to the abatis, I found five men nearly exhausted carrying
a ladder and trying to get it over the opposing branches;
the remaining three men composing the party of eight had
probably been killed or wounded in the advance. I lent
them my aid and urged theta on. The edge of the ditch
Was soon reached, and I was relieved to find the ditch
not nearly so formidable as it had been represented, and as
had good reason, from the solidity and extent of the
Itusaian defences, to suppose it was Likely to prove. I
was prepared for a broad deep ditch, flanked by ceponieres,
and for military pits, chevauxele frise, palisades, and all
kinds of obstacles. The dreaded ditch of the Itedan, how•
ever, proved nothing but a simple trench, perhaps fourteen
or fifteen feet deep at the connterscarp, and twenty or
rather more at the escarp. I kept my ladders rather to
the right of the salient angle, having been warned that the
flanking fire would probably be severe up the proper left
face. Haltaalozen or so were lowered and reversed in a
minute, and the men poured up them with eager haste. I
set to work with every sapper I could get hold of, or to
whom amid the din I could make myself audible, to tear
down the rubble-stone work with which the salient of the
escarp was revetted, and form a ramp practicable for ascent
without hidden..

The long continuance of dry weather which preceded
the assault must be regarded as a very favourable circum-
stance. The gahions staked to the ground with wooden
spikes ( with which the counterscarp was rivetted ) were
torn down, and used in forming with rocks, stones, and
debris, a small parapet across the ditch of the proper left
face, and a similar counter•caponicre thrown up also on the
other side. I had to work, however, with my own hands;
it was difficult to get any one to do anything; the men,
as they straggled up to the assault in support of the advance,
seemed stunned and paralysed—there was little of that
dash and enthusiasm which might have been looked for
from British scMiers in an assault; in fact it required all
the efforts and example of their officers to get the men on,
and these were rendered almost ineffective from the manner
in which the various regiments soon got confused anti
jumbled together. The men, after firing from behind the
traverses, near the salient, for half•an•hour at the enemy
—also firing behind his parados and traverses—began to
wares. I rushed up the salient with the view of cheering

ROYAL OLYMPIC THEATRE.
Lessees, Messrs. F. ROBSON and W.B. EMDEN.
On Morality neat and during the Week. the Drama of THE
LIG HTHOUSR,writteu by Wilkie Collins, andin which Messrs.
F. Robson, G. Cooke, Addison, Walter Gorden, Miss Wyndham,
and Miss Swanborough will perform. To be followed by a Come-
distta called A SUB I'ERFUGE. To conclude with MASA-
I ELLO, in which Mr. F. Robson will perform. Commence at
Half-Past Seven.

(111RISTY'S MINSTRELS at Polygraphic
1,..) Hall, King William-street, Strand. OPEN EVERY
EVENING, and on SATURDAY a GRAND MORNING EN-
T ERTAINME NT, commencing at Three —Seats can bo secured
at Mr. Mitchell's Royal Library, 33, Old Bond-street, and at the
nalL Admission, 35., 25., and ls.

111 IN ERXLOGY.—King's College London.-
01 Professor TENNANT. F.G.S., will commence a COURSE
OF LECTURES ON MINERALOGY, with u view to facilitate
the study of tiEOLOGY and of the application of Mineral
Substances in the ARTS• The Lectures will be illustrated by
a collection of 3,000 Minerals and Rocks, and will begin on
Friday, th.tober 9, at nine o'clock a.m. They will bo con•
tiuued on each succeeding Wednesday and Friday at the same
hour. Fee 21. 2s.

GLENFIELD PATENT STARCH,
USED IN THE ROYAL LAUNDRY.
And pronounced by HER MAJESTY'S LAUNDRESS tobe
THE FINEST STARCH SHE EVER USED.
Sold by all Chawilera. Grocercao. &a.