We must act in concert with our allies, and the rule seems to be that neither France nor England shall act independently of the other, but that they may act as they please respecting the Sardinians or the Turks. There is always a want of decision and energy in allied councils, and even Marlboroui^h and Eugene had to regret that no two men can take precisely tlie same view of all tlie parts and accidents of any single matter. Not that there is the least difference of opinion respecting the large operations of the war, or any want of unanimity as to the grand details of our plans among the Generals, but that the force required, the nature of the troops to be engaged, the time, the mode of action, and the results of success, ire presented in different ways to the minds of different men (all Df great weight and authority), and the natural consequencG is indecision — ^just such as arises in the mind of a man to whom the opposite sides of a question are propounded by able advocates.
General Simpson has ever evinced the utmost readiness to accede to Marshal Pelissier's suggestions, or to any propositions made by either generals or admirals of character and experience, so that no obstacle to any energetic steps arises from him, bnt if he wished to-morrow to march against the enemy he could not do so without the co-operation of Marshal Pelissier. We have a large armj' in the field at present. We issue at least 60,000 rations daily, and omeffective force cannot be less than 45,0(X) men. It is doubtful if the French much out-number lis in strength, but they certainly do generally preponderate and take the lead in military operations here, either by land or sea. The cordial good feeling between the Allies, and the esteem and admiration entertained by us for our gallant brothers in arms diminishes, or rather subdues, any little unea.sy sentiment of mortified pride or national vanity, which might be created among our men by this prominence of action, but they can hardly be blamed if they desire once more to fight side by side with their allies, to revive the glories of the Alma, and the gratitude and triumphs of Inkeiniiann.
When the armies take the field next year, the English soldiers will be in fine condition, and as soon as the roads are made, the men will have time to learn the trade of which so many of them are now ignorant. In truth, our army stand in great need of the drill sergeant. A siege is at all times rather demoralizing and destructive to discipline. The siege of Sebastopol has done this to a considerable degree, because to the ordinarj' influences of such operations the effects of a Avinter's campaign were superadded. Most of the old soldiers have been used up; and the bulk of our regiments contain an undue proportion of recruits. To see a body of our soldiers coming back from the roads in the evening — to mark their careless air — listen to their loud voices in the ranks as they tramp througli the dust — one would scarcely think ihem capable of being turned out as a clean smart regiment at ten minutes' notice.
They are in coarse and rather dirty fatigue Buits of grey linen, and but for the appearance of order as they march, and their forage caps with the regimental numbers, they would not look, to any lounger in Hyde-park or the Phoinix, like the British soldier, all kempt and compact as he usually is presented to the public gaze at home. The officers, too, often mere boys or j^oung lads not long from England, ride or march along with the men. The latter either sing a quick march-song in chorus, or whistle some air to keep the step. Such high spirits are very pleasant to see, but occasionally the march becomes rather too noisjand riotous to suit the notions of a strict disciplinarian; old soldiers do not commit these irregularities, but young recruits who have seen little of military life, and who scarcely know what drill is, are apt to exceed the bounds of decorum and military rule when they find themselves free from pai'ades, and field days, and inspections, and put to work on the roads like labourers.
If the men grumbled it would not be surprising, for they are not f aid for their labour! Each man was promised 8d. a day for his work, and hy the rules of the sei-vice the British soldier is always paid when doing duty of the kind, but he has not yet received a penny. The reason for this is curious. All extra labour for which the soldier receives special recompence is generally under the direction of Engineer officers, and it has become a rule not to pay any man without the signature of an officer of that corps, as authority for the fact, and as a proof that the work has been really done. But the Engineer officers do not superintend the work on the roads under Mr.