The Sun.
London, England, 1864-09-13 00:00:00

A Winter Journey.

The annual reports just issued from the Army Medical
Department comprise one from Dr Muir, Inspector-General
. . . .

of Hospitals, on the overland transport of British troops in
Canada in the winter of 1861,2, on the occurrence of the
Trent affair. The garrison of Canada, consisting then of about

3,000 men, was suddenly to be raised to between 10,000 and
11,000. Halifax, with its magnificent harbour and easy sea
access, was fixed on as the rendezvous, and comfortable quar-
ters were provided there for the men ; thence they were con-

veyed in small steamers across the Bay of Fundy to St. John,
New Brunswick, from which point the journey to Itiviere du
Loup, the terminus of the Grand Trunk railway was made
in sledges. This land journey of 316 miles occupied from 10
to 13 days ; and for six weeks the gloomy track was aroused
from its wintry stillness by an almost continuous stream of
life across its frozen surface. Medical officers arrived at
Halifax from England at Christmas, and were immediately
despatched to stations along the line of march, a small hos-
pital establishment being formed at each of the nightly halt-
ing places ; each detachment was also accompanied by a
medical officer. Except at some midday halting place it
was found that the men could be comfortably lilleted en
route, without erecting log huts. They arrived at Halifax
well equipped by the home authorities, and bringing with
them all possible provision for preserving them in health
and efficiency. Each man had a sealskin cap with ear lap-
pets, a woollen comforter, two wool jerstes, two pairs of
wool drawers, chamois leather vest, long woollen stockings,
sealskin mitts, and jack boots ; and at Halifax a pair of
blankets and a pair of mocassins were added, and the sleighs
were provided with two or more buffalo robes each. They
moved in detachments of 160, and the first party left St.
John on New Year's day. The sleighs were drawn by two
horses, and contained eight men each, placed vis a via, the
bottoms being filled with hay or straw. The men were not
allowed to loiter or lounge about before getting into them,
but passed from warm rooms to their seats charged with as
large an amount of caloric as they were capable of imbib-
ing. During the journey they were encouraged to get and
and run alongside in turns, in order to maintain their ani-
mal heat. They started between 7 and 9 o'clock a.m., and
generally reached their halting place for the night in about
nine hours, They had a hot meal before starting, another
with coffee or tea at the midday resting place, and a hot
substantial supper awaited their arrival at their billets for
the night. The command of telegraphic communication
was of unspeakable advantage. Half a gill of rum was in-
cluded in the rations', not from any belief in its necessity or
even suitableness, but bectaise, being considered by the sol-
dier as his summum bonunt, the prospect of it was thought
likely to stimulate and encourage him, while its small
quantity could exercise no prejudicial effect on his health.
The rum was served out either at the midday or supper
meal. Some delay was occasionally caused by snow storms,
and the road through New Brunswick was very bad ; but
in Lower Canada the Government had kept it open by
snow ploughs and rollers. The weather was on the
whole unusually mild. Several medical officers note the
thermometer as having touched the low figure of 25 deg. ;
but, as there was little wind at these times, the effects of so
intense a cold were, comparatively, little felt. The health of
the men was excellent. Of a force of nearly 7,000, not more
than 80 claimed admittance into the hospitals en route, and
nearly all eventually returned to duty. Excluding two fatal
cases directly attributable to excess in drinking, only two
men died—one from pneumonia through hard drinking, and
one from entiritis. Of the seven cases of pneumonia all got
well with the exception of the fatal case just mentioned.
The other affections were trifling attacks of diarrhoaa, occa-
sioned by thinking, to which not a few gave themselves up
when they had the opportunity. Such a journey in mid-
winter was an operation of some peril, and called for fore-
thought and sanitary precaution ; but the arrangements
were eminently successful. Dear-bought experience bore
its fruit ; our military organisation was proved equal to the
sudden strain, and the men were placed in Canada with ra-
pidity, in excellent condition and fit for taking the field.
to

DR. I)OLLIVER'S PATCHWORK MORNING-GOWN.
—lie crammed a great silver watch into his fob,
and drew on a patchwork morning-gown of an ancient
fashion. Its original material was said to have been the
embrodezed front of his own wedding waistcoat and the
silken skirt cf his wife's bridal attire, which his eldest
granddaughter had taken from the carved chest of drawers,
after poor Bessie, the beloved of his youth, had been half a
century in the grave, Throughout many of the interven-
ing years, as the garment got ragged, the spinsters of the
old man's family had quilted their duty and affection into it
in the shape of patches upon patches, rose-colour, crimson,
blue, violet, and green, and then (as their hopes faded, and
their life kept growing shadier, and their attire took a
sombre hue) sober grey and great fragments of funereal
black, until the Doctor could revive the memory of roost
things that had befallen him by looking at his patchwork
gown, as it hung upon a chair. And now it was ragged
again, and all the lingers that should have mended it were
cold. It had an IListt,rn fragrance, too, a swell of drugs.
strong-scented herbs, and spicy gums, gathered from the
many potent infusions that had from time to time been
spilt over it; so that, snuffing him afar off, you might have
taken Dr. Dollivor for a mummy, and could hardly have
been undeceived by his shrunken and torpid aspect, as
, he crept nearer,—.Nathaniel Amthorne's " Eansfe,",