The Press.
London, England, 1857-09-19 00:00:00

THE PRESS, SEPTEMI3ER 19, 1857.

campaign. Here is the result of the first I
attack of Soyer's batteries de cuisine. The allied
generals pay him a state visit :
Generals Pelissier and Simpson proceeded to taste the
various articles of food. The pot•au-feu, or beef soup, was
prepared partly from ox-heads, which were usually buried,
instead of being used as food for the soldiers, no doubt in
consequence of the difficulty of cleaning them.
General Pelissier tasted several samples of the pot•au-
fen, and, addressing General Barnard, declared that he
felt as interested in this unexpected exhibition as in the
ceremony of the morning. The witty General Barnard
replied, Your Excellency must agree with me that this
day has been remarkably well spent : we devoted the
morning to the cordon roe ye, and the afternoon to the
cordon bleu." General Pelissier much enjoyed the bon-
not, and repeated it to the officers of his Stuff, thus creating
great hilarity amongst them.
I requested many of my visitors to taste the different
preparations, and, much to my satisfaction, I believe
:almost all of them did so, and expressed their approbation
•of them- After pointing out the merits of the stoves to
the commanders•in•Chief, 1 conducted them to the spot
-where the Scotch Division formerly cooked their rations
in the old tin camp kettles. On our way, I observed to
'General Pelissier that I had visited the French camp-
kitchens, and found their marmites superior to the Eng.
dish. The soup made by the French soldiers, I said, was
wry good. At this the General seemed much pleased.
The space required for three or four regiments extended
Shout three hundred and fifty feet in length. A rough wall
of loose stones had been erected by the men to form a
screen, which when the regiment moved was, of course,
left behind. The furnaces were also constructed of loose
stones, held together by iron hoops; upon these the tin
cans were placed and the rations cooked. By this plan an
immense quantity of wood was inevitably wasted, and the
fires were sometimes extinguished by the heavy rains.
My stoves completely obviated all these previously insur-
mountable difficulties.

Having listened to this explanation, the commanders-
in•chiet admitted the beneticial results and advantages of

the stoves.

----
The stoves were supplied to the different
regiments. " Every man," writes M. Soyer,
•" did his best, and not one found fault with
either the stoves or the receipts : on the con-
." trary, they all took pride in their task, and
-" only regretted being compelled to return to-
-" the use of the camp-kettles, as sufficient of
'" my stoves hod not then arrived to enable me
"'to supply them all. The cooking out of
doors was also very agreeable to them, be-
-44 sides the saving of labour, in not having to
'" cut, split, or saw several hundredweight
'" of wood for each company, as they
'4l now only required a few pounds."
To give some notion of the amount of fuel
saved by the use of these stoves, in a regiment
*of 1,000 men, with eight stoves, a daily saving
of 3,0001b5. of wood took place—an enormous
*consideration in the Crimea, or indeed in any
campaign. The superiority of the new appa-
ratus to the old canteen plan was universally
admitted, and to Soyer belongs the credit
*of this important reform.
We have alluded to the dinners and banquets
which rapidly succeeded one another on the
'conclusion of peace. Here is one worthily
recorded by the genius of a good dinner.
General 'Alders was to visit the allied camp.
The night before the information was sent to
Soyer, and with it a demand for his aid. The
lime given for the invention of some divine
dish to commemorate so great an event was
most niggardly. " I must say," writes the
great maestro, " I did not think it was all well
" with me ":
" What can I do," said I to myself, " for an event of
historical importance 7' Neither Mr. Crockford nor the
captain could assist me, when an idea struck me :—" If
you can't give me an idea," said Ito my friends, " at any
rate lend me a dish."
" That I will," said the captain.
" Recollect, I want a large one."
" You hail the largest fur your salad yesterday."
" That one will do ; it will hold enough for twenty-five
persons."
" Then here goes," said I, writing. " To-day I shall
dress in it the Macedoine Liiilersienne a i'Alexandre II."
"A very good name in honour of the event," said Mr.
'Crockt'ord. " But pray, of what is it to be composed T'
" Oh ! for that," said I," if I were to implore the Genius
of Gastronomy, from Lucullus to Apicius and Vitellius, or
Vatal to Ude and Careine, I could get nothing from them
but inspiration; while what I require is something sub•
atantial, and not artificial. It strikes me that a word
from you to your head man at Kadikoi is you will not be
there to morrow) would do more for me in a few minutes
than the whole of those defunct celebrities, whom I am
not now inclined to trouble upon so material a subject.
Pray give me carte blanche to get anything you may have
and l require for the composition of this modern Babylon,
which must he constructed upon a base sufficiently strong
to resist the joint attack of the heads of three of the most
howerful armies in the world, and only be destroyed after
aving conquered the conqueror's place (farms, the
stomach, so called in military parlance."

The order was readily given by my friend Mr. Crockford,
and we then lay down to sleep, being both completely
exhausted with the fatigues of what was called a day of
pleasura. We had hardly closed our eyelids, when morning
caused them to be reopened; so up we got. My friend
started for Constantinople, and I for head-quarters. On
my way I called upon Major Ross, who kindly lent me a
pony, and told me of the message left with him. I started
immediately—bought a few things in Balaklava market—
called at Crockford s store at Donnvbrook, which I ran-
sacked and despoiled of condiments of every description.
Instead of going direct to head-quarters, I changed my
mind and went home to prepare, having decided, as the
time was so short, to produce one good dish only, instead
of several small and insignificant ones. This was, however,
to be worthy of the occasion. I was well aware that Gene •
ral Codrington's cook, under the liberal management and
command of Captain Ponsonbv, would turn out some-
thing worthy of the event. Upon arriving at my hut,
I sent two of my cooks to assist him, desp itched my groom
on horseback to Kamiesch for various things, and then
began the construction of my Liidersienne upon the lid
of my new field kves, the dish 1 had brought from the
"liar being too small.
My novel dish was completed, and carried to head•
quarters by two soldiers; an I at. a quarter to two I per-
sonally placed my culinary wonder upon the table. It was
called

BOYER'S CULINARY EMBLEM OF PEACE,
The Macedoine Liidereienne u l'Alexandre 11.

This monster dish was composed of :-12 boxes of pre.
served lobsters-2 cases ditto lampreys-2 cases ditto
sardines-2 bottles ditto anchovies-1 case ditto caviar-
-1 case ditto sturgeon-1 case ditto thunny-2 cases ditto
oysters-1 pound of fresh pawns-4 pounds turbot cloute
—l2 Russian pickled cucumbers-4 bottles ditto olives-
-1 bottle mixed pickles-1 bottle Indian ditto-1 bottle
pickled French beans-2 bottles ditto mushrooms—i bottle
ditto mangoes-2 bottles ditto French truffles-2 cases
of preserved peas-2 cases ditto mixed vegetables-
-4 dozen cabbage lettuces--100 eggs-2 bottles of preserved
cockscombs. The sauce was composed of six bottles of
salad oil, one of Tarragon vinegar, half a bottle of Chili
vinegar, two boxes of preserved cream (whipped), four
ounces of sugar, six eschalots, salt, cayenne pepper, mustard,
and a quarter of an ounce of Oriental herbs which are
quite unknown in England.
This monster Macedoine was placed in the
centre of the table :
" In a few minutes," said I to myself, "those great men
whose names are echoed and re-echoed throughout the
world by the trumpet-blast of fame will be here, not only
gazing upon my impromptu chef d'asurre, but, I hope,
also freely partaking of it—and, while enjoying the
pleasures of the table, cementing the sentiments of peace
and of friendship."

The generals entered, amid the thunder of
guns and the exquisite strains of the Russian
national hymn. In the conversation which
followed, it appears that the delicacy of Soyer' s
dish was only equalled by the refinement of
his compliments :

My anticipations were realised ; for no sooner had the
guests taken their seats than the conversation became
more animated. I had placed at the apex of my pyramidal
Macedoine a small card, with the dedication written upon
it. Sir W. Codringtnn hanged it to General Laden, who,
after showing it to several of his suite, requested permis-
sion to keep it as a reminiscence of the day. This request
was granted by Sir William with a smile.
The entrées, roasts, and the entremets had been handed
round, and a serious attack upon my Liideisienne com•
menced, almost every guest partaking of it twice. Captain
Ponsonby requested me to remove it, as several gentlemen
at the other table wished to taste it. General Pelissier,
with whom I had the honour of conversing longer than
with any one else, was in an excellent humour, and full
of that vivacity and wit so characteristic. He bantered
me several times for not having stoned the olives which
formed part of the Macedoine. I told him that time
would not permit of this, as I had received such short
notice of the banquet, and that I went the evening before
on an excursion by water to Luken. At the same time, I
expressed my regret to Sir William at not being at home
when sent for.
" Never mind, Monsieur Soyer," replied Sir William.
" I am, at all events, very happy to see you here, and thank
you kindly for your exertions."
General Pelissier again addressed me ; " Yon may say
what you like, Monsieur Soyer, but you might as well have
stoned the olives."
" Very true, general, if time hail allowed. It is all very
well for you to take the Malakoff in a few minutes, but
it took me four hours to make that dish." At which reply
he could not help laughing.
" Your friend, General Barnard," said he, pointing to
that officer, who was sitting at the bottom of the table,
" would like to taste it. Go and offer him some."
I did so ; but the general had been served. I then made
a tour round the table, asking each guest, above thirty in
number, whether he had been attended to.
With this extract, as a fair sample of the lively
and entertaining gossip to be found in this
book, we must take leave of M. Soyer. He has
writtensan entertaining volume, and he has given
us a valuable contribution towards the better
management of our hospital and camp kitchens.
Numerous woodcuts, wall executed, illustrate
the work, which should be in the hands of
every soldier and of every hospital cook, and
no doubt will be read with pleasure by all who

923

benefited, either by the illustrious chefs ex-
cellent instructions, his gratuitous services,
or his sumptuous dinners.

NOVELS AND STORIES.
1. Tice Young Bride. By Mrs. Briscoe. Lon-
don : Hurst and Blackett.
2. A Lord of the Creation. By the Author of

" Ethel." London : Groombridge.
3. Sigler Anne. By the Same. London :

Groombrid ge.
4. Katherine Evering. By the Author of " Mr.

Arle " London : Groombridge.
5. The Story of My Girlhood. By Mrs. H.

Lynch. London; Longman&
OF the first tale upon our list the design is
better than the execution. Sir Aldrich Bul-
strode is a long-descended baronet, with a
large fortune, an obstinate will, and a fiery
temper—a nephew, his heir, who is of a tho-
roughly congenial disposition. and an orphan •
grand-daughter, who is gentle, pious, and
affectionate. To bring about a match between
these two is the cherished purpose of Sir
Aldrich, and, finding the young lady obsti-
nately opposed to it, he contrives to have the
marriage solemnised in London when she is
only fourteen, and almost unconscious of what
is going forward. Harold then departs fur
India, and " the young bride" returns to her
former life at Bulstrode Court, under the pro-
tection of her grandfather. After an absence
of six years the husband returns to claim his
wife. She flies from her home in disguise,
and seeks safety in the assumption of an-
other name, and the occupation of a governess.
Her adventures while hiding from pursuit,
including the growth of a passion for a certain
ColoneCHardy, form the most interesting
portion of the book. But the plot is in no
way made the most of, and the denouement is
commonplace in the extreme. The characters
are very indifferently drawn. Sir Aldrich and
his nephew both come up to the Horatian idea
of inconsistency—neither fish nor flesh. At
one time they are called fine specimens of the
old English gentleman ; at another they are
described as acting with inconceivable base-
ness and unrelenting cruelty. The heroine
herself is not natural. No English lady would
calmly submit to such protracted misery with-
out a struggle. Mary Bulstrod.e is a woman
who has seen the world and mingled in
society. She could not be ignorant that the
law might possibly be able to extricate her
from her bondage. She would at all events
have tried. But her conduct is rather that of
an amiable imbecile, who was only capable of
entertaining one idea at a time. The incidents
violate probability. The elopement of Lady
Marty and her residence at the Isle of Man,
the murder of Lady Brierly, and the flight of
the heroine herself, are all managed -.vial little
skill. But nevertheless our readers will per-
ceive that the book presents very considerable
variety, and to a large class of novel-readers
will be found very satisfying. The language
is florid, and not much in accordance with
modern tastes.
2. " A Lord of the Creation" is rather a
narrative than a novel—one of those quiet
pieces of domestic life that are to fiction what
Mr. Redgrave's favourite subjects are to paint-
ing. When well done they are very pleasant
reading; but great knowledge of character,
and unusual powers of observation upon life,
are demanded to prevent them from becoming
insipid or unreal. We are happy to say that
in his present work the author has achieved
a success. Without anything that can be
called a plot, or any singularity of incident,
he has produced a story which we lay down
with regret and take up again with eagerness.
" A lord of the creation is represented by a
certain Vaughan Hesketh, betrothed to his
cousin Caroline, his uncle's ward. She has
conceived for him that full, perfect, undoubt-
ing affection which suspects no secret and sees
no deficiencies. Vaughan considers her as
rather honoured than otherwise by his pre-
ference, and makes no secret of his influence
with her. But the progress of the story is
such as gradually to unfold the selfishness,
hollowness, and moral cowardice of his nature,
while, on the other hand, it shows us the

924

heroine increasing in goodness, dignity, and
strength The issue our readers can doubt-
less foresee as readily its we did ourselves
after the first hunlred pages. Vaughan
and Caroline each full in love with
somebody else, and each attain what
happiness they deserve. Indeed, the
interest of the book does not depend on its
catastrophe. The delicate and careful deli-
neation of character in Vaughan and in
Caroline's old governess, Miss Kendal, and the
various pretty descriptions of Caroline herself,
constitute its chief charms. These are so
great that we fancy the writer would achieve
success in more ambitious efforts. " A Lord
of the Creation " is nut a work upon which a
reputation can be founded It contains much
promise ; but, as we have not had the plea-
sure of reading the author's former work,
" Ethel," we are the less able to pronounce
on his capability for improvement. . _

3. "Sister Anne is another r eprint from
the magazine culled Titan, and by the
same author. It• strikes us that this is rather
a clumsy way of reproducing these tales. Why
could not they have all come out together in
two volumes, in the regular way ? We do not
know which of these two was written first, but
as we read " A Lord of the Creation " first we
accord it the higher praise of the two. " Sister
Anne " is but a repetition of it. Helen is only
Vaughan Hesketh in another sex, and Miss
Blackburn Miss Kendal. Mr. Hesketh and
Mr. llynevor are very much alike, and the
plot is hinged on essentially the same contre-
temps—Helen representing to Mr. Avarne
that her sister is already engaged, just as
Vaughan Hesketh had done to Mr. Farquhar
about C troline. Probably, if we had read
" Sister Anne " before the other, we might
have liked it even better. There is the same
knowledge of character and freshness of feel-
ing, with more variety. The two children,
Grace and Albert, are to us the most truly
interesting personages in the story. They are
thorough children, with a fine, healthy, and
simple tone about them which is extremely
pleasant. Their close fraternisation with Joy,
the old gardener, is most naturally tout ;
while Mrs. Dynevor's demeanour towards
them is .described with a truth and humour
surpassed only by the ever-memorable portrait
of Mrs. Nicklety. The following passage of a
graver stamp is well worth quotation :

Children bred up in cities ! How shall we think of
them, but in tender, regretful, reverent pity, as of angels
Phut out of heaven without fault ; the sinl-as thrust among
the sinful—the pure imprisoned in c'rruption—the inhe-
ritors of nature cruelly kept from their birthrivht. Poor
little things—stunted it' mind—bereft of the fairer half of
the faculties God set in each tiny being—dwarfed, deformed
souls that will never on this aide of the grave attain to
their full altitude, their complete symmetry. A child in a
town, even under the most favourable auspices, is either a
sad little alien, a forlorn wanderer in swinge scenes, or
else, sadder yet, becomes by habit and use so citizenised
that nature is the most foreign of all its associations, and
the language she speaks is incomprehensible to its ears.
Most melancholy orphanhood! They who, from any
other cause than direst necessity, condemn their little
ones to such, have surely much to answer for.

Anne herself is, we hope and trust, a fair type
of English girlhood, unspoiled by the vulgari-
ties of second-rate fashionable life. Yet even
of these she herself speaks with warmhearted
charity, and we believe with some truth. Her
companion, Miss Blackburn, is commenting at
a picnic on the follies of the commonplace
young ladies around her :
" Well, I maintain that all this affectation, and minau-
derie, and utter want of reslity in all they say or think, or
do, is hateful, and therefore may be and ought to be hated.
Anne, you are too latitudinarian with your wild indulgent
way of thinking. They are traitors to their sex, these
girls; it is they who achieve tor uniremail womanhood the
reputation it has with three quarters of the worl.l—tritliug,
silly, vain, Mae."

"Is that our character ? Ah ! it is you that are trai•
torous," cried Anne ; " you are unjust—you blind yourself
wilfully to the other and better portion m the nature even
of modern young ladies. Think of the little halo of :me
that encircles every one of these girls you have been de-
crying. Think of the many, many acts of daily beauty
that naturally, and almost inevitably, spring from the very
position of daughter or sister. Think of the quiet good-
ness and unselfishness that we know goes on around us,
though we do not, and may never, see it ; but which has
been since the world began, until all these gentle, silent,
but divine characteristics have grown to be summed up
and esprevadd by the one word womanly."

4. Wily do people write stories like "Kathe-
rine Evening"? We do not see the object. It
is a tale of painful interest from beginning to