get boats down to the water's edge and cut these steamers out, or sink them. Lord Raglan and Sir Edmund Lyons reconnoitred their position, but on. reflection the latter refused to sanction an operation which would have gone far to raise the prestige of our navy, and to maintain their old character for dash and daring.
BOOK V.
THE COMMENCEMENT OP ACTIVE OPERATIONS — THE SECOND BOMBARDMENT — — THIRD BOMBARD MENT, AND FAILURE— PERIOD OF PREPARATION.
Preparations— The Railway in use— Vanity Fair, or Buffalo Town — Intrusion- Flowers and Birds — Exciting Sport — First Spring Meeting— Rumours— The Turkish Levies— The Electric Telegraph— News of the Death of Nicholas— Mismanagement— Progress of the Siege Works— Jack in Clover — Improved Condition of the Army— Admiral Boxer— Council of War— Affair between the Russians and the French.
It froze on the night of the 1st of March. The thermometer was at twenty-four degress at two a.m. next morning, the wind strong and very cold. It was scarcely to be believed that, with all onr immense stores of warm clothing, boots and shoes were at that time by no means plentiful in the army. About three hundred pairs of boots were served out to the 14th Regiment, which was employed in fatigue duty in and near Balaklava; but the thick heavy clay sucked the soles off, and for a week some of the men went about without any soles to their boots — ergo, their feet were on the ground, with the thermometer at thirty degrees: that was not agreeable locomotion.
About 240 sick men were sent in from the front to Balaklava on French ambulance mules, and were received and refreshed at the Caradoc restaurant. The preparations for the renewal of our fire were pressed on; and arrangements were made to send up 2000 rounds a-day to the front. About 200 mules were pressed into this service in addition to the railway, and the Highlanders and the artillery horses were employed in the carriage of heavy shell to the front, a duty which greatly distressed them. The men of the Fourth Division, the 17th and 18th Regiments, were armed with the Minie rifle.
The silence and calm were but the omens of the struggle which was about to be renewed for the possession of Sebastopol. The Russians were silent because the allies did not impede their works. The allies were silent because they were preparing for the contest, and were using every energy to bring up from Kamiesch and Balaklava the enormous mounds of projectiles and mountains of ammu-
CRIMEA.
nition which were required for the service of the new batteries and! to extend, complete, and strengthen their offensive and defensive lines and trenches.
The railway had begun to render us some service in saving the hard labour attendant on the transport of shot and shell, and enabled us to form a sort of small terminal depot at the distance of two miles and three quarters from Balaklava, which was, however, not large enough for the demands upon it, and it was emptied as soon as it was formed by parties of the Highland Brigade, who carried the ammunition to the camp depot, three miles and a half further on. The railway was not sufficiently long to induce Mr. Filder to avail himself of it largely for the transport of provisions to the front, as he conceived a partial use of it would impede the formation of the rail, derange his own commissariat transport, and produce endless confusion at the temporary terminus. The commissariat officers of the Second Division were, however, allowed to use the rail between six and eight o'clock every morning.