NOTES AND QUERIES. [io< h s. in. JAN. u. 1905.
them and to the cold. The mercury was down to 8
last night ; I think that is the lowest we have had
it yet. If it does not get worse we may weather it
yet, but we are sadly reduced ; our Brigade, con-
sisting of the 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade, 46th,
63rd, and 58th, can only turn out 700 men fit for
duty. Yesterday the 63rd could only turn out/cw
men ! This morning we have 244* men fit for duty:
that includes officers, servants, and every man in
the regiment. We have 337 away sick at Balaclava
or Scutari, and 174 sick here. We have buried,
since landing on 8 November, 169 only 9 of these
from loss in the trenches by shot, the remainder
killed by hard work, exposure to cold and wet, bad
or rather short allowance of food, and insuffi-
cient clothing. The poor fellows are half naked,
have no change of clothes, and consequently are
never, I may say, dry. They have at the very most
only one night in bed not in bed, but in their
tents : that is to say every other night they pass in
the trenches, and from their proximity to the
enemy and cold they dare not sleep, and hard work
it is. This night I have the pleasant prospect of
marching down there at five o'clock, remaining till
six next morning. My duty when there is to see
that our guards are properly posted, and sentries
out in every direction. I have a deal of ground to
walk over, rough and hilly ; on a fine, dry night it
keeps me warm, but on a wet, dark night it is
dreary work : and that is the sort of night we must
be most wide awake. Your fur coat, which I most
providentially brought out, has been the saving of
my life. With another one over it to keep off the
wet, it is a famous thing. If I had only a pair of
waterproof boots and a good, strong waterproof
coat, I should be all right ; but I am in hopes of
getting them from some of the numerous supplies
coming out. We hear a great deal of wooden houses
and no end of things coming out from the generous
people at home ; but, alas ! they will come up to us
too late, I am afraid. Everything here is top late.
The authorities here are most supine and dilatory
about everything ; I suppose their eyes will be
opened when the whole army is like the 63rd, dead
or in hospital ; then I hope they will have to give
an account to the country for their mismanagement.
The Timvs correspondent (with one exception) gives
a fair account of what is going on here, drawn mildly,
of course, when he talks of the ill-treatment of the
men. The exception I allude to was his account of
the 46th not turning out for the trenches the night of
the gale ; a more unfounded lie never was ; never
did wet, half-clothed, poor devils, without a morsel
to eat all day, turn out more willingly not a murmur
to be heard. I sent the captain who marched them
down and remained with them that night in the
trenches, and the adjutant who paraded them, to the
correspondent todemandhisautnority. Hewouldnot
give it up, but said he was sorry at having written
it, and was very contrite ; but the fact is, he must
please his employers. One never sees Lord Raglan ;
he and his staff live in a good house, his horses have
good stables, and are all very comfortable. I wish
their house were burnt down and they put in tents.
He believes, I verily think, that the men are getting
all the good things the papers talk of; but don't
think the whole army is so badly off' as our brigade.
The 3rd and 4th Divisions are the hardest worked,
- This is the figure in the letter, but from the
"Morning State" of the regiment, given later on, there would seem to have been only 140 fit for duty.
and consequently the greatest sufferers in the army.
Colin is with the Highland Brigade near Balaclava.
Their men are very well, fat, and well fed. They
are well because they have no trenches and expo-
sure ; well fed because they are close to Balaclava,
where the supplies are kept. We are seven miles-
off, and the country is in such a state, and the com-
missariat so bad, that our biscuit, meat, and rum
are often obliged to be sent for by fatigue parties of
poor men worn out with work in these infernal
trenches. All our clothing and other supplies we
send men for, and the wooden houses, &c., will lie r
and are lying, at Balaclava, with no means of being
brought up ; our want of arrangement is beyond
conception. They have commenced a railroad from
Balaclava to this again too late ; it will be finished
when the weather gets fine and the country is in
good order. I sometimes tremble to think what
the consequences of all this mismanagement will be i
but triumph at last we must, at a frightful cost of
men. I was never better in my life; eat, if pos-
sible, better than ever when I can get it. Salt
meat is poor stuff to live on, so we take every
opportunity of getting preserved meats, but at
ruinous prices. Till this time we have been supplied
by Maltese and Greek rascals, whom the Govern-
ment have stupidly allowed to settle at Balaclava
and charge what they choose for things. Living,
as we are, men are reckless of expense, and, not
knowing how long they may live to eat, pay
anything.
Morning State of 46th Regiment, 8 Jan., 1855. Men fit for duty, including all casualties, such
as officers, servants, &o. ... 140 1
Sick at Scutari 337
Sick in tents here . l"4
651
Lost from disease since landing 9 Nov.... 160 By shot 9
169 .
From this state, you may judge how our men get n. We have sent away six officers sick.
T. F. D.
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTES ON DICKENS AND THACKERAY.
SEVERAL bibliographies of Charles Dickens have been compiled since the death of that writer, and the latest of them appeared a few months ago under the editorship of Mr. J. C? Thomson. It is not, perhaps, very high praise to say that this little work is a decided advance upon its predecessors, though it still leaves much to be desired ; and I consider that it appeals more to the student of Dickens than to the collector of his works. This was perhaps the object of the compiler, especially as very few of the writings of Dickens come within the category of "rarities." Nevertheless, it would have been better if the- collations of the books had been drawn up on- a more scientific plan, and if the whole work lad been subjected to closer revision. A few- errors will be discovered on close inspection,,
