The Sun.
London, England, 1854-12-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, DECEMBER 26, 1854

LETTERS FROM THE CRIMEA.

Camp 4th Division, Heights above Sebastopol,
November 26.
I cannot think that a letter from us in front of Sebas-
topol, giving an authentic account of the proceedings of
the 63d Regiment since leaving England, will be un-

welcome. We came out here in the Avon steam-ship,
with two companies of the 46th Regiment. We were
first landed at Sultan's valley, on the Asiatic side of
the Bosphorus, about eight or ten miles from Conatan-

tineple, where we were encamped for a week or two,
and where we were also attacked by cholera, which
carried off eight men in a few days. We re•embarked
in the Avon, and had a stormy passage to Varna, where
we arrived when the bay was crowded with the fleet
ready to proceed on the great expedition. We called in
company with it, cholera prevailing most extensively in
almost all the ships, and landed in Kalamita Bay towards
evening on the 14th, and were immediately bivouacked
on the sea•beach. The night, as every one knows, set
in wet and stormy, and we were of course exposed,

without any shelter. But in some respects we were
better off than regiments which had been earlier
landed and pushed up the country, as the sand
on which we lay was drier than mud or clay, and
we had, besides, firewood in the shape of boats which
were stranded and broken up amid the surf. We re-
mained in this bivouac until the evening of the 19th of
November, the 63d having been left behind to reship the
tents and other stores, which, after being landed, it was
found impossible to carry with the army for want of
transports—to place the sick in the boats, and to bury
the dead—duties of a very fatiguing nature, under a
hot sun, with want of water, and with the men's con-
stitutions impaired by sea voyage in an over-crowded
transport. Our own sick accumulated fast, and our
march to Alma was a scene of much suffering and dis-
tress. We were aware of the general action going on
early in the morning of the 20th, and Brigadier Torrens,
who marched with us, harangued us on the subject ;
but though we did our best we did not reach the scone
of action till nightfall, when we bivouacked close to
Lord Raglan's tent, on the left side of the river. For
miles before we reached the Alma we were lighted to
our goal by the blaze of burning villages, and for more
than half a mile before we got to the bridge evidences of
the battle were manifold in numbers of dead horses, dead,
dying, and wounded men. The next two days were
spent in burying the dead and removing the wounded.
I was sufficiently occupied with the sick. The difficulty
of getting kansports was not very great, the only avail-
able kind being the commissariat waggons passing be-
tween the ships and the army, returning from the latter
empty, and bringing up stores for the troops. In our
march, which occupied the whole day and night, we
were disturbed by alarms from the enemy. Officers
generally had nothing more than they could carry on
their backs, but we were a little more fortunate, as just
before we left the beach a drove of Tartar ponies bees
captured by the commissariat, and most of our officers ma-
naged to possess themselves of one. The commissariat sup-
plies were also liberal, and we passed through a rich coun-
try, where we eked out our rations with grapes, apples,
potatoes, pumpkins, melons, chilies, onions, and deli-
cious honey. Since coming before Sebastopol on the 28th
of September we have remained stationary, except shift-
ing our camp to the rear a little, as they were throwi.'ag
shot and shell into our camp from the batteries and ship-
ping. Our duties were very heavy, as besides having to
be constantly ready to turn out at a moment's notice
by night or by day, the men are kept constantly at work
in the trenches. We were engaged in that sanguinary
battle of the sth November, when the regiment greatly
distinguished itself, and where its loss was severe. Colo-
nel Swyny fell near the commencement, struck by a
piece of shell on the right temple, close to the Russians,
one barrel of his revolver being found to have been dis-
charged. His body was recovered without being robbed
as most were, and we buried him near our General,
Cathcart, and other officers who fell almost at the same
time. He was the only mounted officer of the corps
whose horse escaped. Ensign Clutterbuck and Ensign
Twysden, carrying the colours, both fell. The former
died instantaneously on the field, struck in the head ;
the latter received a mortal wound, and lived in his tent
most carefully attended by his servant (Kenny), fur some
days. He was a gallant young fellow, and need not
have been in the field that day, as he was on inlying
picket. He carried the Queen's colours, which he uncased
and unfurled, which doubtless :nade him a conspicuous
mark, though he died from a shell wound. Captain
Fairtlough was shot through the thigh, Adjutant Ben-
net through the leg, his horse shot under him. Lieu-
tenant Newingham, who left the sick-list that morning
to be present, received a ball in his leg, wnich is still
lodged ; Captain Harries was wounded in the foot by a
splinter from a shell ; Ensign Morgan, very severely by
a shell jin the leg ; Captain Harrison and Lieut. Johns,
wounds slight. Almost every officer present was
grazed, bruised, or had his clothes torn. The regiment
was fairly among the Russians, charged like veterans, and
when they turned pelted them with large stones. Poor
Captain Curtois, towards the close of the action, when
lying on the ground, was out nearly in two by a round
shot. I spoke to him a few minutes before, and he was
smoking as coolly as possible. He lived two hours, and
died tuietly in his tent. Major Hon. Dalzell had a
horse shot under him. Sergeant Hack proved himself a
hero ; he was acting sergeant-major, the other being on
the sick-list. Sergeant Brophy was shot through the
thigh. Captain Macquarie, Ensign Bea.mish, ana sixty
men have arrived ; and the 46th, 62(.1, and 97th Regi-
ments have also arrived, as well, as drafts from the
Guards, 23d, 55th, 57th, and 6811 ; these constitute re-
inforccments to about 4,000 men, and were wanted, as
the army, originally too small, was reduced by at least
8,000 men, by disease and casualties. The winter will
be, however, our worst foe. Our position here is so strong
that the most overwhelre:ing force of the enemy can
hardly dislodge us.

had at Balaklava, I believe, but they are very scarce
up here. I went for some tincture of opium just now,
and they gave me a few drops in a quart bottle, the
only one they had, I believe, and without any cork.
I wear a flannel belt constantly round my
stomach, and it is of the greatest service. I
am going to try and get some sago or rice,
as the salt meat does not agree with my interior.
They say our second battalion is to come here, but
it is only a report. Everybody thinks it will be a very
long war, in whisk opinion I coincide. lam sure those
who come out here fresh from the perusal of the
" Romance of War" will find their vision of the delights
of campaigning roughly cast to the ground ; for hero we
have -a bloody war in its most harassing form of a
lengthened siege, without any prospect of relief. As
fast as we knock down one work, in the night as if by
magic another springs up, and with their superiority of
artillery and position at present it seems hopeless.
We were relieved this morning in the trenches by the
Fourth Division, very fortunately half an hour earlier
than usual. I had not marched my company more than
half a mile, when we suddenly heard a Russian cheer,
followed up by a smart discharge of musketry ; the fight
lasted about three-quarters of an hour, and we have not
yet heard all the particulars. The Russians had ob-
served the time the covering parties in the trenches
were relieved ; preparatory to which the advanced sen-
tries posted during the night are withdrawn. Taking
advantage of this, and the very dark morning, they
cra*led close and jumped suddenly into the trenches
with a cheer. While the parties are being relieved there
is always some confusion, and if we had changed guard
at the usual time they would have done for us. Our
men this morning were a little prepared for them, and,
I believe, drove them back, for the Russians opened fire
on them by guns—a sure sign the place was still ours.
They have been bringing up our wounded, but I have
not heard what the loss was. You will see more about
it in the papers, for without we happen to be on the
spot at the moment we never hear anything. We
gather all the news from the English papers. The two
Grand Dukes are in Sebastopol. Deserters came out
two days ago ; they say the town is well supplied with
provisions, water, &c. We can hear the bells ringing
quite plainly and the dogs barking.

Camp before Sebastopol, Nov. 30.
The siege is still dragging its slow length along ; but,
as far as I can see, without any prospect of immediate
success. The weather has been very bad—nearly con-
stant rain—and the roads are in such a dreadful state
that it is impossible even to bring up provisions from
Balaklava, much less guns ; all •ur batteries are dis-
mounted or burst, and I do not think we have twenty in
a serviceable condition. I was in the trenches the day
before yesterday for day work. We parade at a quarter
is five, and come off at seven; for night work we parade
at a quarter to five, and come off at seven in the morn-
ing. We parade in the camps, and march down a mile
and a half through a ravine, tilt we get under cover of the
trenches. The road down is above the ankles in mud
and wet, and we are always wet in the feet before we
get there. The trenches are in very bad condition ; no
attempt at draining, and the men haee to sit 12 hours in
the wet. It is really shocking work for both men aid
officers. They get wet through, have no dry things to
put on, the tents leak, and they lie down in mud. The
cholera has broken out again very badly ; 33 of our men
have died in three days, and they are carrying others
to the hospital fast. Most of them, indeed all, are those
we brought out withus in the draft. It seems quite like
murder sending fresh troops out to this climate at this
time of the year. The 46th have lost 90 men the short
time they have been out here, and the 62d seventy ; the
9th came from Malta two days ago, and they are knock-
ed up fearfully. The men are in such a state of despe-
ration that they say when going to the trenches, " They
would rather be shot by the Russians than come back to
die by inches." Lord Raglan expected to take the place
at once and so, instead of making preparations to hut
the men at once while there was wood, allowed it all to
be burnt, and now the order is issued we hive no mate-
terials to work with, and I am afraid no means of trans-
port to bring up the wood for fuel, which they say is
being sent from Sinope and Scutari. am giving you a
gloomy picture of affairs out here, but not more than I
think is justifiable by a careful consideration of all the
pros and cons.

As I said before, I was down in the trenches the day
before yesterday, and I was watching the Russians for
a long time ; their fire is undiminished, and they are
working with the utmost spirit upon new batteries both
outside the town and in the streets ; from their move-
ments I do not believe the stories you hear in England
of their being in a state of desperation and starvation ;
all the rocks and quarries near the town close up to our
approaches are filled with their riflemen, who fire very
sharp-pointed conical bullets from the Prussian needle-
gun ; the bullet has no sap, and carries, I think, farther
than our own. They keep up a constant firing at any-
thing they may see, and often at nothing, but just on the
chance of biting something, while our men lie coolly
down, not trying to keep them under. Colonel Waddy
of the 50th was Nearly hit, and he sent me forward
with a file of men to try and drive them out of the
quarry ; we had a stalking match, but the place was full
of them ; every stone holds them ; so we could not do
much. They sent a flag of truce to Lord Raglan in the
evening, and stopped fir. for half an hour, but they soon
went at it again. Every street in the town is trenched
and barricaded with cannon behind, loaded with canis-
ter. The houses are each in the same way a citadel, so
that when in the town cur labours will not be over,
added to which this side is commanded by Forts Sava-
rino and Constantine; en the opposite side the shipping
gives some annoyance, but till we can get the guns up
from Balaklava, to make a battery at the Inkerman
Valley, we shall not be able to touch them. We heard a
rumour here of some French having landed at Eupatoria.
I only hope it may be true, for the Russians draw in
what stores and men they please by the northern side.
They have an army still in our rear threatening Bala-
klava, and there was some firing in that direction last
night. Thad a small attack of cholera yesterday, brought
on I suppose by the change of living. We get nothing but
salt meat and siscuit, and not too much of that. What
is worse, the rem has been stopped for a day or two ; it
is the only thing that keeps the men alive. I hope,
after this, I shall become acclimatised. It is not very
sold, but the raise is terrible ; nothing in the tents is dry.
We awake in tie morning with our hair as wet as if it
had been dipped in a bucket ; the top blanket is the
same way from the evaporation. My bed has been
ng
stolen, but I get a stretcher from the hospital yesterday,
which will raise me from the ground. This is certainly
the dark side of war ; but I can only trust in God that
we may all meet again either here or hereafter. It is
such hopeless down
which
t o the
neverm
trenchesco e
s.
ghlti ei work m
an attackmarching
gec to keep close, for the shot comes con-
tinually teWivneeuray areil night
about is, and we cannot hit them. The French
are, I believe, getting on better, but they will not be
able to get in guns with the roads in the present
state. I can't describe te you how bad theyare—two feet
deep in clayey read, through which it would seem impos-
sible to drag the heavy ara.b. as. The wretched animals
fall dead in their harness—it is taken off, and they are
left to putrify. They ought to set these rascally Turks
to mend them, viiich might easily be done, as under the
clay there is plery of capital stone. They are, I am
sorry to say, broging more of those brutes into the
Crimea, which cakes more mouths to feed without being
of any use.

We have been favoured with the following interesting
letter from the seat •of war. The writer, who is assis-
tant-paymaster of the 2d Battalion Rifle Brigade, is
brother of Mr. 'Fr. B. Ablitt, tobacconist, of Colchester :
" Still the Heights of Aloack, Nov. 3, 1854.
es My dear Mother,—I thought by this time to have
addressed my leters from Sebastopol, but the Russians
still hold out, and I fancy the Commander of the Forces
will not fire upon. the town until he has tried every plan,
as the Russian commander refused to send the women
and children out, although Lord Raglan offered to send
them under escort to the interior of the country. Up to
the present time the Allies have confined their fire to the
forts, shipping, snd Government buildings, which they
have nearly destroyed. The loss on our side has been
very little—about 3l killed and 60 wounded. This is
the 17th day of the bombardment. Their loss must have
been fearful, as we have near 290 guns firing continually,
and the noiseis tremendous. Oar armies have had several
engagements lately. On the 25th ult. the Russian
army attacksd our rear, but were repulsed with loss ;
we also suffered severely in cavalry-483 men and
horses. Os the 27th an army, estimated at 12,000, tried
to leave Sebastopol at night. Our pickets discovered
them, but let them goi close under our guns, and then
opened fire. It is calculated they lost in thirty minutes
killed and wounded, 3,000 men. There were 753 on
one little fill, all dead, close to our division. Is it not
dreadful bat such scenes should take place through the
ambition 9f one man ? But the day of retribution will
surely cone to him. His soldiers are slaves, and in
many instances chained to the guns to make them fight.
A great riany have given themselves up to our men.
They jump from the batteries at night, and run into our
lines. The nights are getting very cold, but we (the
staff) marage to make ourselves comfortable. We
have a tent, and have dug a deep trench round,
and mach a fire-place with chimney and every-
thing conplote. I am very successful at candle-making :
cut up in old stocking and dip it in the fat from our
meat—capital candles, but do not burn very steady,
in conseanence of the salt. Our clothing is in rags.
I am jut about trying my hand at trousers making from
an old banket, but I suppose we shall get some clothing
soon. Ssme speculatingipeople have arrived with provi-
sions, bat the prices are or will be to English people fabu-
lous. Bitter 55., bad cheese 45., and soap 2s. per pound, a
flannel shirt 1/. 105. and V., worsted socks Bs. per pair ;
boots, et. 4s. ; but there is one thing in our favour—we
can wear what we like ; seine make shirts frOm biscuit
bags. lam pretty well off for under-clething. I feel
certair that the place must soon fall. I believe our
regiment is to return to England with the first ; I shall
be very glad. Thank God my health continues very
good ; we have very little sickness in camp at present
—a fess suffering from fever brought on by exposure.
Our regiment has suffered fearfully. We came from
England 950 rank and file ; we have now only SGO
effectise men 1 390 dead or sent away unfit for service,
or ill h camp. • • ' •
"I
am almost ashamed of my letters, but I have such
very bad tools. This paper I obtained yesterday from
the French camp ; they are much better situated in
every respect than ourselves. I was invited to dine
with the Chasseurs yesterday, but was unable to leave,
as we are not allow,rl away from (mow after dark
You would, I thick, cdanre my api.ear.ince when I
take a usaik with a large sword by my side arid a brace
of horse pistols in my bolt. I have no duty whatever
to perform, and scarcely know how to spend my time,
as we are not allowed to bring our accounts into the field.
" CgstAbitAl ADLITTe'.:
.

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.

The Nile, 91, screw, arrived at Portsmouth from the
Baltic, and brought up inside the Nab light-vessel.

The Princess Royal was taken out of No. 1 dock at
Devonport on Saturday morning, and is complete. The
St. Jean d'Acre is to be fitted to receive some horses.
The Malacca, steam-sloop, Captain Hißyer, which
put back on Saturday morning, having her engine
disabled, was brought into Plymouth on Sunday morn-
ing. To facilitate the work, a new eccentric band is
required. The time to make good her defects will be
about five days.
The Firefly, transport, having been lightened, sailed
again yesterday, with ordnance stsres, for the Black
Sea..

The foremast of the Monarch has been found defec-
tive, and will be obliged to be taken out for further
examination.

The Devon, lighter, Rowett, master, with bread, from
the Royal William Victualling yard, for Queenstown,
put back on Saturday night, having been caught in the
gale in the Irish Channel. She was obliged to lay to for
many hours, during which time she shipped much water,
some of which reached the cargo.
. .

The Clyde, iron screw chartered steamer, at Ports-
mouth, is in perfect readiness to receive troops onboard.
Yesterday the Oscar transport, laden with ordnance
stores, left Deal for the Crimea.
DEVONPORT, Sunday.—ln the Sound—The Calcutta,
Euryalus, and Libertas, transport. In Harbour—The
Impregnable, Royal William, Monarch, St. Jean d'Acre,
Princess Royal, Cisar, Exmouth, Porcupine, Malacca,
Cossack, Belleisle ; Nix and Salamander, Prussian gun-
boats ; Sylph, Avon, Nautilus, and Confiance. Ia Ha-
nioaze—bevon and Rochester, lighters.

INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS.

At the annual general meeting, the annual report of
the retiring council was read, and the meeting proceeded
to the election of the president,. Tice-presidents, and
other members of the counoil for the ensuing year, after
which the medals and premiums that had been awarded
were presented. _ _

The leading events of the political world and partial.-
larly the occurrence of war, were alluded to, as having
tended to arrest the progress of civil engineering works,
whilst, OR the ether band, the mechanical engineers had
found ample employment in supplying engines, ma-
chinery, yeeisels, tools, and stores of all kinds for the use
of the army, the navy, and the mercantile service. The fact
of the aid of civil and mechanical engineers being so ex-
tensively sought for, in conjunction with the army and
navy, was alluded to, and the cases in which their
combined eflorts,had conduced so essentially to mutual
benefit were shown. Allusion was also made to the novel
expedient of sending out a corps of "navvies" and other
artisans to lay, as it was expressed, " the first section of
the railway, from Sebastopol, to St. Petersburg." The
production of the Lancaster rifled cannon, and of the
wrought iron ordnance, by engineers, and the investi-
gation for the Government, by a member of the institu-
tion, into the manufacture, boring, and firing of rifles,
were noticed.

The few large works of civil engineering now In pro-
gress in Great Britain were then mentioned, and the im-
petuous onslaught of the Home Secretary upon the smoke
and other nuisances of the metropolis was noticed, with
the view of directing to those points, as also to the
general sanitary questions and to the sewerage of the me.
tropolis, the attention of civil engineers, whose advice
would be found trustworthy, and who would discrimi-
nate between sound systems and the nostrums and base-
less schemes which were now igncirantly thrust forward.
The extensions of the feeding mains of the principal
companies to points high up the river, beyond the
influence of the tidal range, and, in two cases, the
removal of the entire establishments, in order to afford
almost unlimited supplies of the best water for domestic
purposes, was noticed ; and it was pointed out, that it
was now only necessary to afford such an ample sup-
ply of water, at a sufficent elevation on the north
side of the metropOlis, as would enable the sewers
to be constantly flushed, and that their contents
should be delivered at positions, so low down the
Thames, as to preclude the necessity for the mechanical
lifting of the sewage, excepting for a limited area, and
for those portions under high water, and thus the noble
li metropolitan river might be rendered as pure as was
practicable for a stream flowing amidst habitations, and
necessarily subject to some degree of pollution.
A. slight sketch was given of the progress of railways
on the Continent, in the colonies, in America, and,
in feet, throughout the world, and in every quar-
ter members of• the institution were to be found
earnestly pursuing their calling. On the conti-
_ nest the main lines were being extended, so as to
bring the chief capitals of Europe within a few
hours' journey of our metropolis, whilst the electric
telegraph, acconipanied and frequently preceded the
lines, for that more rapid communication which had
now become indispensable in mercantile, political, and
social relations. In Egypt, and in India, portions of the
main lines were in use. In the colonies small local lines
were at work and large schemes were projected. In
Canada the Grand Trunk Railway was noticed, as being
fraught with great commercial and political importance ;
the great work on its course—the Victoria bridge—was
described as spanning the St. Lawrence, at Montreal,
by a wrought-iron tubular structure of, including the
abutments and embankments, nearly 9,000 feet in length
employing for its manufacture 1Q,400 tons of iron.
The Norwegian and Danish railways, recently opened,'
were described, as also the preparations made at Lowe-
stoft for the eficouragement of the trade with those coun-
tries. The railways in the U.S. of America appeared
not• to have taken any great extension during the past
• year, although the project of extending a line on towards
California had been favourably received.
-

The successful opening and subsequent progress of the
Crystal Palace at Sydenham was noticed ; and it was
shown that in the" projection, the prosecution, and the
support of this great work, many of the members bad
been actively engaged • and the same energetic aid was
asked for the approaching " Exposition" at Paris, in
1855 ; the Council had given their best aid to the Go-
-vernment in the matter, and it was specially impressed
on members to send only such models and specimens of
work and machinery as should sustain the high charac-
ter of the British engineers and manufacturers.
A sketch of the statistics of railways in Great
,Britain was then given. It was also represented how
essentially the civil engineers could contribute to the
investigations of antiquaries and arelimologists, by im-
mediately reporting to the Antiquarian Society the
finding of any. objects during the course of excavations,
and by transmitting the objects found to that society,
for a report, before depositing them in the national col-
lection of the British Museum.
• Sketches were then given of the subjects of the
principal papers read during the past session, for
part of which Telford medals had been, awarded
to Mtssrs Beardmore, Henderson, Smith, Hobbs,
and Yates ; and Council premiums 'of books to
Messrs. Harrison, Clark, Simpson, jun., Peniston, and
Chadwick, which, in the course of the evening, were duly
presented ; the President noticing the advantages to be
anticipated from the.examination, by Mr. Henderson, of
the great steamers and other large vessels of the
present day ; alluding, also, to that now building by
Mr. Scott Russell, under the direction of Mr. Brunel,
T.P. ;—the valuable inquiries opened by Mr. Harrison's
view of the state of the drainage of the district south of
the Thames ;—Mr. Beardthore's and Mr. Peniston's ac-
count of the works of improvement on the Lea, and of a
tunnel on a railway ;—Mr: Pigott Smith's Paper on
Macadamising the streets of towns ;—Mr. Simpson,
jun., on the smoke question ; and Mr. Chadwick on
water meters; all subjects of importance in a sanitary
point of view ;—Mr. Clark's description of the novel
mode of propulsion exhibited by the Enterprise, in-
tended especially for the Deep Sea Fishing Company ;
—Mr. Hobbs; on locks, eulogising particularly the
honesty of purpose, and the temperate enunciation of
startling facts exhibited in the communication ; and Mr.
Yates's Paper on the Decimal Coinage, &c., in the
investigation of which much industrious research had
been shown.

Numerous valuable presents of books, maps, charts,
&c., were announced, as also the presentation of the por-
trait of another Past-President, Mr. Joshua Field ;
special allusion was made to the bequest of the late
Mr. B. L. Vulliamy, Assoc. Inst. C.E., of a large
and very valuable collection of works on horology,
second only to the collection in the library of the
Clockmakers' Company. The thanks of the meeting
were unanimously given, with a vote of condolence
to the family, on the loss they, in common with all his
friends, had sustained, in the decease of Mr. Vulliamy.
The past year had witnessed extraordinary mortality
among the members ; the decease- of two honorary
members, nine members,and nine associates being record
ed. Among them were the first honorary secretary of
the institution—a distinguished Prussian Minister—
some very old and well-known members and associates
—as also some younger men who promised to become
ornaments to the profession—and an associate member
of Council (Mr. C. Geach, M.P.), well-known and es-
teemed by all the institution, as one of those ener-
getic, enterprising men, who gave vitality to every spe-
culation in which they engaged, and who, by the up-
rightness of their transactions, and the justness of their
views, upheld, worthily, the credit of the British capi-
talist and manufacturer.
The great mortality in the Royal and other societies
was also noticed, and allusion was made to the intelli-
gence, brought by Dr. Rae, of the melancholy fate of
Sir John Franklin and his devoted companions, martyrs
tto the cause of science, and the meeting was called upon
to unite with the eouncil in the expression of sorrow for
the sad termination of the career of a man who was
equally distinguished by his devotion to his duty as an
officer, his enthusiasm in the prosecution of scientific
research, and his general public and private worth ;
and as a parallel case exhibiting the devotion and the
noble sense of duty of the officers of the British Army,
the case was cited of that "noble old man," the-late Co-
lonel Moore, who on the event of the burning of the
vessel bearing towards the Crimea part of the 6th Dra-
goon Guards, "with none of the excitement of action, or
of the glory and enthusiasm of the battle-field to
animate him, faced, in cold blood, the most terrible
death that man could meet, and refused to leave the
burning ship, while any of his men were alive upon it."
The decease announced were Messrs. Aikin (the first
Honorary Secretary) and Peter Christopher Wilhelm
Beuth, Honorary Members ; Edmund Scott' Barber,
George Watson Buck, John Donkin, Alexander Easton,
Henry Fowler, Daniel Pinkney Hewett William Rad-
ford, William Stuart, and James Trabshaw, Members ;
John Armstrong, Charles Geach, M.P., Nathan Gough,
Benjamin Louis Vulliamy, Alderman William Thomp-
son, M.P., Colonel John Neave Wells, R.E., Lieut.-
Colonel John Augustus Lloyd, Captain Joshua Wm.
Cedrington, R.E., and Lieutenant WilliaatTlrepman,
R.E., Associates.
Memoirs of the deceased members of all classes were
ordered to be printed as an appendix to the Anuual
Repoit.
The resignations of fourteen members and associates
were announced.
The financial statement showed the funds of the so-
ciety to be in a very prosperous state, since, by the vo-
luntary contribution of the members of all classes, the
printing debt had been paid, arid, after giving the detail
of a special general meeting of .members, convened for
the purpose of introducing some modifications into the
bye-laws, which had, however, been demonstrated to be
unnecessary, and therefore were not made, the report
concluded, by announcing the.t two parts of volumes
XI.
and XII. (together, upwards of 800 pages) of the
minutes of proceedings, had been issued, and the editing
and printing of all the remainder would proceed with
all
despatch.
The thanks of the inetifettion were unanimously voted
andto theAs
sPorcielsaittel
of
Ct President, cu en-
el:1 ; r e s iads a
e n
ltse()
to an
tdh eAd
other
Members
ba
enl7l
.Scrutineers of the Ballot, and to the Secretar t' •
severalTb eservices.ful l
o
ing gentlemen were elected to fill the seve-
ral offices in the council for the ensuing year :—James
Simper)
'resident ; G. P. Bidder, -I. K. Brunel, J.
Locke, M.P., R. Stephen on, M.P., Vice-Presidents ;
J. Cubitt, J. E. Errington, J. Fowler, C. H. Gregory,
Hawkshaw, T. Hawksley, J. R. McClean, C: May,
J. Penn, and J. S. Russell, members ; and H. Hens-
•'. t •,,.

' i ;}f r !S

t; - 7. .T9rl.
9th, 1.655, when it was aai.taleeti tent to ti ballot for
members would take place, and the discussion would be
resumed on Mr. P. W. Barlow's paper, "On some
Leculiar features of the Water•bearing Strata of the
ondon Basin,",