The weather was lovely, and it was difiicult in gazing on the calm expanse of the Euxine, its bright scarcely ruflled waves coquetting with the grim-looking men-of-war which floated so proudly on their surface, to realise that that lake-like sea could ever be murked by overshadowing clouds and lashed into fury by the winds. It is interesting to contrast this stately Armada, the largest, most powerful, and most admirably equipped the world has ever seen, with the fragile vessels in which the Goths, after their conquest of the Crimea, traversed these very waters, in their piratical quest of fresh countries to plunder and lay waste. They were called camarce, and were, says Gibbon, " slight flat-bottomed barks, framed of timber only, without the least mixture of iron, and occasionally covered with a shelving roof on the appearance of a tempest." In these " floatinghouses " the daring barbarians of those days trusted themselves to the dangers of an unknown sea, braved the fleets of the Emperor of the world, and, after ravaging the fairest cities of his empire, returned laden with plunder to their remote starting-place. But the modern Goths, though possessed of a fleet constructed with all the aids and appliances of western science, counting many ships of the first class, armed with metal of the heaviest calibre, have constantly declined the contest, and, shrinking behind the granite shelter of their fortifications, have permitted the tricolor of France and the immemorial flag of England to menace and insult with impunity every inch of their sea-board, and every maritime position of their empire. The heroes of Sinope have avoided every engagement under less advantageous circumstances than those which enabled them to crush by mere force of numbers a defenceless and unsuspecting foe, and the destruction of the Tiger illustrates the conditions on which alone they will take up the gauntlet thrown down to them by the Allies. No attempt was made by the Russian Admirals to interfere with the progress of the expedition. The huge fleet of transports, crowded with soldiers, and so widely dispersed over the sea that when they reached the rendezvous three days elapsed before the latest stragglers took up their position, was not only unmolested but unmenaced. A few cruisers, guided by able and enterprising commanders, and under the cover of night, might have compromised the success of the undertaking, and must have caused incalculable mischief, damage, and confusion; and the fact that no such attempt was made, while it demonstrates the prestige of the Allied Navies, will ever remain an inexplicable and ineffaceable blot in the history of the Russian Marine.
On the morning of Thursday, the 14th September, after making a demonstration towards Eupatoria on the preceding day, and leaving a small garrison in the town, which had surrendered at once on our appearance, the disembarkation of the French and British troops commenced simultaneously — a boat's-crew of the former nation having been the first to leap on shore, and plant their flag on the soil of the Crimea. The infantry was nearly all landed before the evening, but the disembarkation of the artillery and cavalry did not take place until the following day. The French force amounted to nearly 24,000 men, while our own mustered 27,000, distributed among the First, Second, Third, Fourth, Light, and Cavalry Divisions.
The First Division was commanded by His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge, with Major-General Bentinck and Sir Colin Campbell as his Brigadiers.
Sir De Lacy Evans had charge of the Second Division, one Brigade of which was intrusted to BrigadierGeneral Pennefather, and the other to the late Brigadier-General Adams.
Sir Richard England commanded the Third Division, supported by Brigadiers Sir John Campbell and Eyre.
The Fourth Division was under the orders of Sir George Cathcart, the Brigadiers being Generals Goldie and Torrens.
The Light Division, under Sir George Brown, had as Brigadiers, Major-General Codrington, who now commands it, and BrigadierGeneral Buller.
The Light Cavalry Brigade was commanded by the Earl of Cardigan, and the Heavy Brigade by BrigadierGeneral Scarlett, the whole Division being under the orders of the Earl of Lucan.