The Sun.
London, England, 1855-04-16 00:00:00

SERGEANT ROBERT BENTLEY, ROYAL ARTILLERY.

" BEFORE SEBASTOPOL.—I don't care what I suffer
and go through while I am here, so that I am able to
bear it all, also that we beat the Russians, and I live to
come to old England again all safe and wound ; and I
live in hopes of so doing ; in fact, I feel sure of doing
so, but we have a great deal to do yet to beat the Rus-
sians. If I had to live on my bare rations only every
day, I shouldlnot have been so well as I am at present.
Our rations are daily 11b. of salt beef or pork, 11b. of
biscuit, coffee night and morning, and now we have got
some potatoes, perhaps three times a week, and we find
them to do us a great deal of good ; but I have lived on
salt meat and biscuit for so long that I cannot take it
now, so I buy bread, butter, &c., with my pay, and I
think it is that that has brought me round so well, but
we have to pay very dear for everything we have to buy.
The French bake their own bread, and we buy a loaf
of them when we can, but we have to give 3s. 6d. for a
loaf not more than 3 lbs. weight, and if we send to
Balaklava, and that is about seven miles from our camp,
we give 2s. for a loaf not more than 11 lb. weight, and
glad to get them at that price ; butter (salt of course) is
3s. per In. ; English cheese, 3s. per lb. ; sugar, Is. per
lb. ; flour, ls. per lb. ; porter, 2s. Gd. a bottle, about a
pint and a half in the bottle ; ale, ls. Gd., it they call it
ale—l call it emall beer. I heard the other day that
there was some red herrings to be got, and I thought I
should like one, so I sent for one, and they only charged
4d. for it, and it was av. ry small one ! Oranges are
also 4d. each, so what money we do get it does not eo
far for a few coniffe-te, but I fii d they do me good, and
as long as I have money and there is such things to be
got I will get them."

FROM SERGEANT SELI3Y. OF THE 50TH.
"CRIMEA, March 17.—Dear Mother.—We now want
for nothing that old England can send out, and we are
as well off as any one can wish to be. We all thank the
ladies of England for their comforts, for if we had not
had them all the soldiers in this euuntry would have
died before this. Wo have everything ready for a good
fight, which is sure to take place one of these days ; but
I think we shall be victorious, for they (the Russi•sns)
are afraid to come out and. fight us manfully, for they
know that we can beat them. Dear mother, be not
faint-hearted about me, for I will do all I can for my
country, and the ladies that are in it, for their kindness
towards us. But my time is short ; it is now twelve
o'cio,k at night, and the post leaves in the morning at
five o'clock, so I must conclude."

A VOICE FROM THE RANKS.—An old soldier writes
from before Sebastopol on the 17th ultimo :—" Sickness
and the enemy have not carried sufficient mortality into
our ranks, but now that we are close upon the town we
must pipe-clay our belts, to render us a pezlect target for
the enemy, who are within one hundred yards of us. All
are of the same opi*n. Aro I:VP Ufa
though we were pipe-clayed for general inspection at
home ? Cannot we fight as wag as though we were
polished up for a guard of honour ? For proof, look at
Alma and Inkermalin ; we were then both dirty an d
wet. Yet because we have got a few fine days, we are
harassed with pipe clay and blacking. lam not a
grumbler or disconteted soldier, yet I should like to see
the people of England take this in hand, for it would
greatly ameliorate our condition. Another thing which
is greatly disliked is, that Sir G. Brown has ordered us
to wear stocks on parade, an article which we now hate
to see, and especially when the summer is coming on."

THE VIPER AT KERTCH.
The following is an extract of a letter from Mr. T.
Flintham, serving as a warrant officer on board the gun-
boat Viper. It is addressed to his father, Garrison Ser-
geant-Major Ftirithain, of Guernsey :----
" March 14, 1855.—Fur our gallant conduct at Eupa-
toria the admiral has detached us to the flying squad-
ron at Kertch, at the entrance to the Sea at Aztiff.
There are about two hundred sail of merchant vessels
lying here, and five Russian men of war—two corvettes,
one brig, and two large steamers—lying under the Rus-
sian forts ; but the brutes will not come out and face
16,
we
could get them from tinder their forts, we would give
Swallow,u althoughl2, o
.vu fpeorr,e2e onlyandconsists
eo t2h e Leopard,fauns.
uns.
them British play for it, as I am longing once more to
bring myself under the notice of my new commanding
officer distinguished conduct ; and then, no doubt,
you
will see your Tom come Lowe with a lieutenant's
Ih ta ov e distinguishd en e mily
duty. ni y -
commission. However, it shal not be my fault if Ido
I am sorry to inform you that we have lost Mr.
Brock, he having left us on the 2d of March. He
received his promotion as lieutenant, and wa4 appointed
country see
t that wishing
to do duty on board the Firebra, d, 6-gun paddle-
steamer.
Mr. Bruck was respected by all on board
the Viper. He was a good commanding officer, and
a strict one ; but he was rather too young to have
the command of a vessel. There is no doubt he will
make a smart officer, for he gallantly worked our little
vessel at Eupatoria under the fire of the Russian artil-
lerymen ; and for his gallant conduct Omer
commander-in-chief of the Turkish army, sent a letter of
thanks to the officers and crew of the Viper. I under-
stand that we are to have the Turkish order of Medjidee
given us by the Turkish Government. Sir Edmund Lyons
also sent us a letter of thanks, and Mr. Brock told me that
the admiral was very much pleased with him and with the
whole of the ship's crew. Before he left the Viper he gave
me an excellent certificate, and told me should I ever want
any assistance to write to him, and he would be moat
happy to do anything in hi 4 power for me. On 1, aving the
ship Mr. Brock was seen to shed tear,. Lieut. Lodder
was invalided at Malta on the 26.. h of February last, and
Sir E. Lyons appointed Lieet. Armytage, late frst
lieutenant of the Higliflyer, steam corvette, to the com-
mand of the Viper. He is a lieutenant of very long stand-
mg—in fact, he is the oldest lieutenant on the station ; and
therefore he demanded the little Viper as his right, and
Lieut. Brock had to leave and take up his appointment as
third lieutenant of the Flrebratid. Our new commander
'teems a very pod officer, but, as I have been t Id
by his old shipmates, a very strict one ; but the strict
officer is the man for me. In fact, Ido not care a straw
who conies or goes, as long as I do my duty ship-shape
and Bristol fashion. I shall be able to let you know
more about him by-and-bye, but at present I am all the
go with him, through Lieutenant Broek recommending
me so highly. My kind respects to Mr. Broun and all
inquiring friends.

I mist now inform you that at the end of March,
while lying at Kertch, a young man named Henry
Nicholls fell overboard, and perceiving he could not
swim, I jumped overboard after him. He had then
disappeared twice under water, and just as he was
going down a third time, I muzzled him like a tiger,
and swain with him to our vessel. Our commander and
all the officers stood and i-aw me fulfil my duty towards
a fellow-creature, and I was cheered by officers and
men on my arrival with my prize. 'We both found
ourselves very cold, being almost frozen to death,
but soon came round, and now we are all right. Our
commander called me aft, and shook hands with me,
and he has sent a letter—and also copies of the letters
that I received from Captain Brisbane, of the Larne,
after having saved the lives of two boys that were upset
in a boat belonging to the above-named ship, during the
tune we were
yn
esn: atyoi oct iih-leeitodyk,o
tfinot ttoloibetgaci
tea
.s
ft
ryofonAul
et
wrai
yourill see the
r
Royal
whatever medal
son before long with four meda!e on his jacket.
"T, F,"

MOUNTED ESCORT CORPS FOR AUSTRALIA. 100
men selected from the police of Glasgow_, Liverpool, and
other northern towns willrail from Liverpool in the
Exodus, appointed to sail this day. The force, which is
to be a mounted one, consists of 90 men, eight sergeants
and two inspectors, the last-named officers being Capt.
Hampton and Mr. John Cecil Reed, late inspector in
the G division of metropolitan police. Garnet, the no-
torious bank robber, proceeds by the same vessel under
the charge of the above body of police.
THE COMMISSARIAT CHEST ACCOUNT.—The annual
Parliamentary paper, issued on Saturday last, shows that
dur'n,g the year ended March 31, 1854, the sum total re-
Ceived into the Commissariat chest amounted to
7,903,019/., and the sum total paid out of the same, to
7,210,4901., lea Vin-4 a -balance on March 31, 1854, of
anout 692,529/. The liabilities of the Commissariat
chest an the same day amounted to 866,7361.,
and the
a,s,,ti to 2,752,4001., leaving a surplus balance of assets
available for carrying on the service of the Commissariat
chest on the 31st of March, 1854, of 1,325,8074