The Sun.
London, England, 1857-05-12 00:00:00

MR. IV. RUSSELL'S LECTURES.

Yesterday evening a brilliant audience, compris
ing all the literary celebrities who figure in the
London world, assembled in Willis's-rooms to heat
the first of the three lectures in which Mr. Russell
purposes to give a description of the late war. A
general feeling of curiosity manifestly pervaded the
whole assemblage. The excitement produced by the
written descriptions of the lecturer was still fresh
in the minds of all, and all therefore were anxious
to ascertain whether he was as potent with his voice
as with his pen. Let us add that among the lite-
rary portion of the audience a general sympathy
with Mr. Russell was plainly visible. The zeal and
energy that he has displayed-on 'so many-oceasions,
the vivacity of his descriptive powers, and the geni-
ality of his disposition, have made him an object
of admiration, and we may say of affection, among
his fellow-craftsmen, and he himself could hardly
have been more anxious for his own success than
many of those who had gathered together for the
purpose of hearing him.
On the appearance of Mr. Russell in front of a
large map representing the Black Sea and its vici-
nity, an encouraging cheer arose from every part
of the room. He modestly stated that his intention
was merely to describe his own personal impres-
sions, without dogmatically claiming for them any
exclusive value, and, consistently with this prefa-
tory declaration, the vicissitudes that he experienced.
in the course of his visit to the seat of war were
interwoven throughout with the series of great
events of which he was a spectator.
The first part of his lecture comprised his fortunes
from the time when he left Marseilles to the arrival
of the allied forces in the Crimea, and at the be-
ginning,was jocular enough. The nuisances endured
at Gallipoli, though serious at the time of endurance,
can be laughed at when they are over, and Mr. W.
Russell's record of " villainous smells" created as
much mirth as Falstaff's. Even the scanty supplies
of tents, provisions, and ammunition could be
lightly treated, and the remark of somebody that
"an army directed by stationery was sure to be a
stationary army," was an acceptable bon snot. The
early portion of the sojourn in- and about Varna
allowed the narrative to be continued in the same
pleasant vein, and the description of a camp start-
ing into activity in the morning was as fine a speci-
men of word painting as one would wish to hear.
The pleasures attendant on various excitements were
narrated in the best possible humour, ‘but the nar-
rative became more grave as it proceeded. The
lassitude that took possession of the army as the
result of long inactivity, and the failure of all means
of amusement, came as a sort of prelude to the
cholera, the ravages of which were described by Mr.
Russell immense power—the lecturer allowing
himself a more liberal use of allegorical imagery
than at the commencement of his narrative. • The
departure for the Crimea brought the tale of horror
to its termination, and the landing of the troops
led to a consolatory remark with reference to the
possibility of a French invasion. Although no
enemy was at hand and no obstacle was presented
by stress of weather, four days were occupied in
landing an army that even when on shore was in.
no immediate condition to begin a campaign.
At this point Mr. Russell retired for a few
minutes, and the map was changed for a plan of
the battle of the Alma. To this great battle, and
the events that immediately preceded it, the whole
of the second part of the lecture was devoted.
Wand in hand, Mr. Russell designated the various
positions marked on the plan, and went through
the entire battle as if he were witnessing it once
more. The glittering of bayonets in the sun, the
movement of red masses up the heights, the dark
gray coats of the enemy, which at a distance looked
like patches of wood, were reproduced with won-
derful vivacity in the imagination of the lecturer,
and, through him, in that of the hearers. With
particular impressiveness did he dwell on the mani-
festation of a certain feeling, unknown in times of
peace, when the Russians were first in sight—the
" Cain-like feeling" when the prospect of homicide
affords a ferocious pleasure. It each point of his
narrative he boldly claimed the sympathies of his
hearers, and at the record of some particularly
gallant deed they cheered aloud as if the exploit
belonged to the preceding moment. The announce-
ment of the victory—for so we may call it-s-was•
received with a burst of enthusiasm. However,
Mr. Russell did not allow his audience to leave
him in a state of unmixed exultation, but gave a
most thrilling description of the horrors of a battle-
field when the contest is over.

Few lecturers have over undertaken so weighty
a task as Mr. Russell. His discourse lasted for
full two hours and a half, and required greater
exertion at the end than at the beginning. He de.
parted from the platform followed by loud soda.
mations' and will resume his narrative on Thurs-
day next. —Times.