and we made some arrangements, which will, I
trust, have a beneficial effect.—I have, &c,—E. C.
LYONS, Rear–Admiral and Commander–in–Chief."

The private letters from the army continue to give
gloomy account of official maladministration; of the
sufferings, disease, and mortality among the troops.
The state of the army, however, is described as
improving, the weather having become milder, and
supplies of necessaries and comforts having been
received. The following are specimens of these
communications:

Correspondent of the Daily News, January 22nd:—

"A few of the huts are being erected in camp. They
have been brought up from Balaklava wholly by the
exertions of individual regiments. In some instances
the commanding officer has sent in the men in large
bodies as large as could be spared from their duties in the
trenches, and each man has returned with one or two
planks; bât horses assisting in bringing up the heavier
parts. There are thirty–three horse–loads to each hut.
Many of the regiments have not yet been able to get up a
hut, the men having been employed in bringing up
clothing, blankets, or rations; and from the third
division, on the extreme left of the camp before Sebastopol,
to the second division on the extreme right, no
regiment, as yet, has got more than two huts in course
of construction. Very little of the warm outer clothing
has yet been issued; but the mild weather which has
prevailed the last few days has rendered this of less
importance. Buffalo robes have been given out for use
in the tents. It is a matter of regret that the huts
have not been sooner erected, if only for the preservation
of these and other valuable articles issued to the men.
It is almost impossible amidst the mud and damp of the
tent ground, to take such care of these things as their
value demands. On the partial wooden flooring of the
huts their protection could be easily arranged. The
huts for the officers have not yet arrived, nor has the
warm clothing intended for the officers. Officers, however,
have been permitted, by application at the Quarter–
master–General's office, to obtain articles of the soldiers'
warm clothing instead of those expected for themselves,
when desirous of doing so. The commissariat officers
have not yet been able to obtain a sufficient number of
transport animals to enable them to supply the regiments
in camp with complete rations of food or rum;
nor have they yet been able to comply with the general
order desiring them to furnish the troops with rations of
charcoal or other fuel and light. The troops quartered
near Balaklava have been so far fortunate that they
have been able, by their nearness to the port, to avail
themselves of the abundant supplies in store there."

Correspondent of Morning Chronicle, Jan. 25: "I
am sorry to be unable to report any better news as to
tha sanitary condition of our own troops. The every–
where–abounding slush which followed the thaw has, I
need hardly say, not added to their comforts, and dysentery
was rather on the increase than otherwise. Everything,
however, that official care and energy could
accomplish was being done to reduce the discomforts to
a minimum; and if the improvement in the weather
which has now set in here extend northwards, Balaklava
and its neighbourhood will, before the present month is
out, be the scene of much less physical wretchedness
than has unfortunately fallen to the lot of the allied army
hitherto."

From a French officer:—"The English army is no
longer an army; it only bears the name. Of the 56,000
men which the British Government sent to the East,
there remains at this moment not more than 10,000 to
11,000; and even those are not all able to carry arms. I
must add, that there are, moreover, about 10,000 in the
hospitals of Constantinople, and 1000 in the ambulances
at Balaklava; the remainder are gone to their long
home. A sad result of the two principal vices in the
English army: the officers, with few exceptions, have
forgotten how to conduct a campaign, and the
administration for the supply of provisions is absolutely null."

The Times correspondent, on Jan. 22, says: " Desertions
have taken place to the enemy both from the
French and from our own ranks; but there is a great
disposition to exaggerate them. The deserters from the
French have generally belonged to the Foreign Legion;
the deserters from the English have generally been from
the young draughts and from regiments just sent out.
I have already mentioned the case of a man in the
93rd, who was killed by the enemy as he approached
their pickets, in the act of desertion. A soldier
of the 19th was since killed by his own comrades
as he was escaping to the Russians from the third
parallel. He had hinted to one of his friends in the
same company that it would be a good thing to go over
to the Russians. His suggestion was received by a
threat, 'If you attempt to run, I'll shoot you, as sure
as you are a living man.' The fellow watched his
opportunity, and, slipping across the parapet, made towards
the Russian lines; but his friend had perceived the
man and called on his comrades to fire. They did so,
and missed him; and he ncared the Russian picket.
'Here goes for you now, according to promise,'
exclaimed his Achates; and, taking a long aim, he stopped
the career of the deserter, and dropped him, writhing
and bleeding, in front of the Russian videttes."

The same correspondent, on Jan. 23, describes the
management of the Medical Department: " A circumstance
occurred in Balaklava to–day which I will state
for the calm consideration of the public at home, without
one single word of comment. The Charity, an iron
screw–steamer, is at present in harbour for the reception
of sick British soldiers, who are under the charge of a
British medical officer. That officer went on shore today,
and made an application to the officer in charge of
the government stoves, for two or three to put on board
the ship to warm the men. 'Three of my men,' said
he, 'died last night from choleraic symptoms, brought
on in their present state from the extreme cold of the
ship, and I fear more will follow them from the same
cause.' 'Oh!' said the guardian of the stoves, 'you
must make your requisition in due form, send it up to
head–quarters, and get it signed properly, and returned;
and then I will let you have the stoves.' 'But my men
may die meantime.' 'I can't help that; I must have
the requisition.' 'It is my firm belief that there are
men now in a dangerous state whom another night will
certainly kill.' 'I really can do nothing; I must have
a requisition properly signed before I can give one of
these stoves away.' 'For God's sake, then, lend me
some; I'll be responsible for their safety.' 'I really
can do nothing of the kind.' 'But, consider, this
requisition will take time to be filled up and signed, and
meantime these poor fellows will go.' 'I cannot help
that.' 'I'll be responsible for anything you do.' 'Oh, no,
that can't be done! ' 'Will a requisition signed by the
P. M. O. of this place be of any use? ' 'No.' 'Will it
answer if he takes on himself the responsibility?' 'Cer–
tainly not.' The surgeon went off in sorrow and disgust.
Such are the 'rules' of the service in the hands of
incapable and callous men. But here is a special fact for Dr.
Smith, the head of the British Army Medical Department.
A surgeon of a regiment stationed on the cliffs
above Balaklava, who has about 40 sick out of 200 men,
has been applying to the authorities in the town for the
last three weeks for medicines, all simple and essential,
and cannot get one of them. The list he sent in was
returned with the observation, 'We have none of these
medicines in store.' To–day this poor surgeon, too,
came down with his last appeal: 'Do, I beg of you,
give me any medicine you have for diarrhœa.' 'We
havn't any.' 'Anything you may have I'll take.' 'We
havn't any.' 'Have you any medicine for fever you
could give? Anything you can let me have I'll take.'
'We havn't any.' 'I have a good many cases of
rheumatism among my men: can you let me have any
medicines for them? ' 'We havn't any.' Thus, for fever,
rheumatism, and diarrhœa, the most prevalent
complaints of the army, there were no specifics whatever;
and the surgeon returned up the hill–side with the bitter
reflection that he could give no aid to the unfortunate
men under his care. Can any one of the facts I have
stated be denied? Certainly not by any one who regards
the truth, and who is not a shameless utterer of
falsehoods."

The Times correspondent, on Jan. 20, speaks of Lord
Raglan:—"The visit of Lord Raglan to Balaklava last
Thursday seems to have had considerable effect in