The correspondent of the Daily News, writing from Balaklava on the 5th instant, gives some particulars respecting the condition of the army:—"Even without inspecting the hospitals and hospital ships, the merest look at our soldiers must convince any one who knew them before of the hardships to which they have been exposed—their appearance tells its own tale. They have all of them lost flesh, and walk as men do who feel their limbs, and their faces, yellow with the accumulated dirt and sweat of many days, have a haggard and care-worn look. Their clothes, which they have not pulled off for weeks past, defy the brush; they must look soiled, dusty, and seedy. Frizzy hair, deep-set eyes, and the feverishness of uncleanliness, are the order of the day with the men and with most of the subalterns. I defy the most water-loving man to wash his person and his clothes, when there is hardly water enough to drink! Take off the wardrobes of the generals and some of the more favoured among the staff officers, and rely upon it there are not a dozen clean shirts in the army. An officer told me he had not washed his hands for a week; as for washing his face, that is too great a luxury to be thought of. The appearance of the hard-working, gallant officers of the line and guards is certainly most unusual to home ideas of a British officer in full uniform, and but for the seriousness of the situation it would even be ludicrous. Landed with no luggage but what they could carry, they have worn their full-dress coats for the last three weeks; they have marched, and fought, and slept in them. Of course the scarlet bears but a faint resemblance to what it used to be, and the gold lace and heavy gold epaulettes are but dingy reminiscences of their former selves. The commissariat have of late been pretty regular in rationing the troops, and the ration bread and meat is most assuredly the staff of life; but, taken by itself, that staff is a rugged one. In the long run a man feels he has a great many more wants, especially if he has money idling in his pockets, and that is the case of all the officers and soldiers—in fact, of all those who are rationed. Besides, there is the advice of the doctors "to live well" (would they could also tell us how to do it!) in order to stave off "seediness" and disease. The officers in the camp are continually coming into Balaklava; each is charged with a hundred commissions from friends who must not leave. They hail boats, and go from transport to transport, inquiring whether the captain or steward has any goods to sell, and if any, what goods? I will give you a price list, with the list of articles most in requisition— perhaps it may encourage the efforts of some enterprising trader. The teetotallers will be sad to learn that, owing to the prevalence of disease and the badness of the water, brandy and sherry are in great demand, and 6s. a bottle is asked and cheerfully given. That is a long price, considering the ships take their goods out of bond or buy them at Malta. Salt, pepper, and curry-powder are articles continually inquired for, and not to be had at any price. Maltese cigars sell at 10s. the hundred. Loaf sugar, no supply. Arrowroot biscuits were much in demand, and could not be had. A small parcel came in the other day: they sell at 1d. a piece. Soap, no supply. Flannel shirts are in enormous demand, and so are flannel jackets, but none are to be had at any price. It is the same with lucifer matches. I was witness when half-a-crown a box was offered and refused. In short, any one sending out a general cargo of good and useful things, always keeping an eye on the severity of the winter here, would be a benefactor to the army and part of the navy, and pocket large profits at the same time. But the strangest want, which startled even me, is that of books. The army are not generally considered to form an important part of the reading public, but of this I am certain, that if any speculative bookseller were to send out a cargo of good, cheap, light books, he could safely demand, and men out here would gladly pay, an advance of 30 per cent. on the London price. Our army are likely to remain long in quarters wherever they are—at least so long as the men who have hitherto managed the war continue in the discharge of their kindly offices. The majority of the thousands of officers out here expected marches and operations on a grand scale—plenty to do— little spare time—books added to the baggage would lumber it and be a bore. They now find themselves for weeks and months shut up in camps, with no food for the mind except here and there an old newspaper. They cried out for books in Bulgaria; they will again raise the same cry when once settled in winter quarters in the Crimea. Books are not to be had at Constantinople—the most illiterate of capitals. Parcels from Malta and England have a knack of seldom if ever coming to hand. They pass through the offices of Pera and Galata agents, and get thrown into corners, knocked about, and lost in some way or other. The few books— no matter what they are—belonging to officers of various regiments, go the circuit of whole divisions. I have now in my possession—and to borrow it cost a vast deal of persuasion—a copy of Mr. Routledge's edition of Bulwer's "Last of the Barons." This book has been read by every officer of the 33rd Regiment, and some of them have read it twice. It was then passed over to the Engineers, and they read it to a man, and then gave it up to the Ordnance, who, having done with it, let me have it for a week. I have seen men hard at work reading Culverwell's tracts on health, and a treatise "on the homÅ“eopathic treatment of diseases in children" has actually been studied by a score of young lieutenants, all of them bachelors, and likely to remain so for some time to come. A general cargo of stationery, with memorandum and sketching books, and the books published by Routledge, Cooke, and Bohn, with Bentley's and Colburn's "Standard Library," would find a ready sale in the Crimea winter quarters. So would the "New Quarterly Review," because it gives a capital digest of current literature. In short, any books —good, cheap, and light—would benefit us and the importer, no matter whether our winter quarters are in the Crimea or at Scutari."

A corporal of the 95th pays a tribute to General Pennefather:—"Sir de Lacy is gone away sick, and so is our Brigadier Pennefather. A braver soldier never drew a sword: if you could but hear his 'Hurrah my darlings,' and bullets flying round him like hail, you could not but admire the fine old fellow; all the brigade are sorry for him (the Irish brigade as we call ourselves)." The same writer speaks of the Turks—"Our chaps and the French are all right, and would do anything for each other, but a Turk gets no quarters. The friendly 'Bono Johnny,' with which we used to greet them in Bulgaria, is now exchanged for ' Go to ——, you cowardly rascals.' I suppose you will have seen in the papers that they ran away from a fortified position they were entrusted with near Balaklava, and which we had to retake, at a great sacrifice of life. We have them now at the only work they are fit for, making entrenchments and repairing the roads."

"It is hardly necessary to say that there is the greatest esteem for General Sir de Lacy Evans, General Sir George Brown, and General Cathcart. The French commander, Canrobert, comes in for a share of praise; but the great favourite seems to be the Duke of Cambridge, who is never mentioned but you hear a dozen exclaim all at once, 'Plucky fellow, that!' '"What do you think of Miss Nightingale?' 'Oh, a noble lady,' replied the poor fellow, who was suffering from wounds and dysentery. 'She's worth all the nurses at Scutari. She's here, there, and everywhere. You never lose sight of her.' A private of the 17th Light Dragoons enthusiastically added—'Why, she's worth more than seventy doctors put together. The doctors are fearfully rough, but she's very gentle.' There was abundance of provisions for men, but not for horses, up to the 5th of November. 'Why, Bill,' said one of them, 'the Crimea was nothing compared to the campaign in Bulgaria.' 'No,' added Bill, 'fighting is better than sickness, after all.'

On Tuesday the 13th, the witnesses were Captain Shakspeare of the Horse Artillery, Mr. Joseph Crowe; Mr. Kellock, Master of the Himalaya; Colonel Sparkes, of the 48th Regiment; and Sergeant Dawson, of the Grenadier Guards. Captain Shakspeare spoke very distinctly on three points. The horses of his troop were well supplied in Bulgaria; before Sebastopol they were not got under cover until the middle of December, when seventy had died; the supply of forage was pretty good, but after the storm in November, the men had to go to Balaklava to fetch it. The Artillery had fresh meat three, and sometimes four, times a week; they had a good supply of clothes; from the first a waterproof sheet to lie on, and had not the severe work which the infantry had to perform. He was president of a committee which sat to report upon the tools, and all were condemned except the pickaxes. The bill- hooks were especially bad. Fresh tools were issued before he left, but they were as bad as the first. All the tools, stores, harness, and all things for the Artillery, were sent out direct from Woolwich to Mr. Young at Balaklava. Mr. Crowe (who was the Correspondent of the Illustrated London News) said that he was not employed in any military capacity in the Crimea. He spoke to the mismanagement of the harbour. The Trent, with 240 mules on board, was kept waiting five days because huts for their reception were not ready. She remained some days longer with artillery-platforms, which Captain Christie thought it was the business of the ordnance department to land; and after all she returned to Varna with a quantity of fodder on board. There were plenty of crews who would have landed the stores had they been paid. The fodder was not landed because there was no place for it. On a previous occasion, the Trent, with 200 bales of hay, was ordered to Varna without landing them. Captain Kellock, illustrated the transport system. The Himalaya had altogether conveyed 1682 horses, two of which only had been lost. He transported the horses of the ambulance corps; the men were old pensioners, and addicted to drinking. The Himalaya also took charcoal from Constantinople to Balaklava. There were about 650 sacks.  It was much wanted by the army. When he arrived with it at Balaklava, it was not landed, because Captain Christie would not receive it; and he took it back to Constantinople again. Witness was extremely anxious about the charcoal, and offered Captain Christie, if he would receive it, to land it by his own boats, and with his own crew. It was not received, and witness carried it back to Constantinople again. There he delivered it to Admiral Boxer, who sent lighters to land it. He had daily opportunities of examining the harbour of Balaklava. It was in a very beastly condition, with offal floating about thrown over from the ships. The offal floating in the harbour could easily have been removed. He would have made a requisition to the commander of one of the ships of war, and with 100 men from her crew he would have undertaken to clean out the harbour and the town in seven days. He did not know whose business it was to keep order in the place. He never saw any order kept at all. When he was at Constantinople he was under the command of Admiral Boxer. The Himalaya required 1200 tons of coals, and from want of system at Constantinople they were often seven days being put on board; at Malta they could have been shipped in twenty-four hours. Sergeant Dawson had lost an arm at Inkermann. He gave emphatic evidence as to the wretched things supplied as tools. He worked in the trenches, and often heard complaints of the tools. The bills would not cut a piece of wood; pieces chipped out of the edges an inch long. The pickaxes were generally bad; they were always coming off the handles, if they did not break; and the shovels were worse than the picks.

Dr. Andrew Smith, inspector-general of the medical department, was examined at great length on Tuesday and Thursday the 20th and 22nd. His evidence consisted partly in a narrative of the various supplies of medical stores sent out to the East from the commencement of the war, and partly of replies to questions arising out of his statement. Dr. Smith bore strong testimony to the conflict of departments. His immediate superiors were the commander-in-chief, the secretary at war, the minister for war, the board of ordnance, and he did not know how many more. The perpetual reference of representations and matters from one authority to another interfered most seriously with the efficient performance of the duties of his department. He specified the dates at which medical stores had been sent out. At the outset of the war, the surgeon of every regiment sent to Malta reported to him that his medicine chest was complete and his instruments in order. Mr. Wreford, the purveyor at Constantinople, was authorised by him to get whatever was necessary, and Lord Stratford had authority to spend whatever money might be wanted for that purpose. When he told Mr. Macdonald that the relief fund would not be needed, all the reports he had received justified him in saying so; for ample supplies had been sent out, and at that time he knew the medical authorities were expecting the entire equipment, for a large hospital left at Varna would have been carried to Constantinople. But, notwithstanding repeated remonstrances from the medical officers to the transport service, passage for it was not obtained, and it did not arrive until the 10th November. Dr. Smith read reports from medical officers, showing that there was no want of lint after the battles of the Alma and Inkermann, and that no application was made to the French for lint; that up to the middle of November there had been no want at Scutari of medicines and surgical appliances; and that the statements in the newspapers on that head were false. The officer who was responsible for any deficiency of stores, and for the cleaning of the hospitals, was Mr. Wreford the purveyor. The supply of medical comforts comes under the authority of the medical officer, and the purveyor is bound to purchase what the medical officer requires. Mr. Wreford is sixty or sixty-five years old—he served in the Peninsular war: he frequently complained that he was unequal to supplying the demands of the hospitals. There were constant disputes as to authority between purveyors and medical men. Since the months of September and October he had to supply all the medical comforts of the army; and from that time he could tell when they went, where they went, and when they were delivered; previously to that time he could not tell. He thought that the control of all the stores for hospitals should be with his department; but this is not the case at present. The total number of medical officers sent out to the East was 559; of whom 29 had died, 58 had been invalided, and on the 7th of March there remained in Turkey and the Crimea 469 army medical officers, a number which would give about 30 sick to each medical man. With respect to clothing for the army suitable to the East, he had acted on a report from Dr. Dumbreck in Bulgaria, received early in 1854. The first steps were taken in the matter early in May. With difficulty large supplies were collected and sent out in August; and unless there was some unaccountable delay it must have arrived before November. It was different from the ordinary winter clothing of the troops, and was not the supply sent out in the Prince.

I do not know that anything occurred during our voyage worth notice, except that we met with immense flocks of migratory wild ducks bearing with quivering flight and outstretched bills away for the marshes of Bulgaria and the Principalities. We had a discussion with one of the officers about our fare, however. I note it, because the same thing has occurred to me before on these Lloyd's boats, and cries loudly for notice. We had neglected from want of time to take our passage at Constantinople, and consequently had to pay on board. The officer, an ill- conditioned fellow, if there ever was one, determined to turn this circumstance to account, and mulcted us of precisely two shillings in every Turkish pound above the legal exchange at Varna or Constantinople. This wants sadly looking into; and therefore it is well to be explicit, and add that the officer, whose misconduct was very gross, was not one of the stewards, who are apt enough to do such things, but one of the superior officers appointed by the Company. It has been objected to these kind of details that they show something like a settled intention to complain. Well, so be it, a traveller who only complains of things really complainable cannot complain too much. The fact is, few people will take the trouble to complain, and therefore folks should be the more obliged to those who will.

Sir Charles Trevelyan, assistant secretary to the Treasury since 1840, having until recently the superintendence of the commissariat department, was examined on the 17th and 18th. The following are the principal points of his evidence. It was on the 9th February, 1854, that directions were first given to provide for the expeditionary force about to be sent to Malta; and on the 17th, Mr. Filder—not as recommended by seniority, but as the best officer for the purpose, a man of tried and proved abilities—was appointed commissary-general. He reported that a staff of forty officers would be sufficient. Mr. Smith, commissariat-officer at Corfu, received orders to proceed to Constantinople, obtain information as to the resources of the country, take measures in concert with Mr. Calvert to receive the troops as they landed at Gallipoli, and make further provision for their reception at Scutari. These services he performed: and when Mr. Filder arrived at Constantinople, he found that the troops were well supplied. Shortly after his arrival, the forces were increased; Mr. Filder increased the number of his staff and subordinates; took instant measures to get together the means of land-transport: 2000 arabas, with their animals, and 5000 mules, were required for 25,000 men, a force that Mr. Filder deemed sufficient. Although not complete, there were means of transport at the end of July for rations for 25,000 men for thirteen days. Mr. Filder, in writing home, never said in so many words that he had enough means of transport to move the army from Varna; but he never said anything to the contrary, and he had made large provision. Sir Charles was closely pressed on this point; and the provision made by Mr. Filder was compared with rules set down in books treating of the subject, from which it appeared that 24,000 animals would be required for 53,000 men. Mr. Filder's estimate of 3000 arabas and 5600 pack-animals for 25,000 men seemed to the committee inconsistent with the above estimate: but it was explained, that 3000 arabas are equal to 9000 pack-animals, which, plus 5600, give a force equal to 14,600 pack-animals. In Bulgaria, Mr. Filder never had fewer than 1000 arabas. When he landed in the Crimea, Mr. Filder had 1203 animals for the reserve ammunition, 842 baggage-animals, 134 for carrying water, 98 for sundry services, and 70 carts. When he had been there a little more than a fortnight, he had imported 216 carts and mules, 193 waggons of the country, and 206 pack-animals; making a total means of conveyance for 317,900 pounds daily— more than the army then required. The animals left at Varna were "to spare," and were sent to Constantinople early in October. To illustrate the nature of the march from Old Fort to Balaklava, Sir Charles said, that "regularly as the ammunition-animals broke down, Lord Raglan ordered the contents of the commissariat- carts to be turned out and left to the mercy of the Cossacks, while the carts were loaded with ammunition." When Mr. Filder saw the result of the first day's fire, he began to be seriously alarmed. He pressed Lord Raglan for orders to lay in supplies and form depôts; but could get no precise directions. On the 8th November, when informed that the army would winter in the Crimea, he had already written for additional supplies —1,250,000 pounds of biscuit per month, salt meat, 40,000 gallons of rum, and 40,000 pounds of forage per fortnight. These things the treasury requested the admiralty to forward. Whether they were forwarded or not, Sir Charles could not positively say; it had been assumed that they were; if the ships had not arrived the treasury would have heard. On the 13th November Mr. Filder wrote home expressing his apprehensions respecting the feeding of the army, as the roads were likely to break up; and he drew the attention of the quarter-master to the state of the road. He said he had plenty of food and plenty of transport, but feared for the road. After the battles of Balaklava and Inkerman, and the hurricane of the 14th November, the period of disaster began. By the breaking up of the road rendering carts useless, "the transport power was actually reduced to one-sixth" of what it had been. The animals died, and the drivers "disappeared." The hardships affected alike the small horses of the country and the finest mules from Spain. Mr. Filder wrote home for 350 drivers; and these, with 270 waggons and carts and harness, were raised and sent out in a short time. The animals that had died were after much delay on the part of the sea transport service, supplied by fresh horses drawn from Constantinople, and Turkish porters engaged at the same place. The delays at Constantinople were so great that Lord Raglan wrote a "courteous letter" to Admiral Boxer, reminding him how much depended on forwarding horses, forage, and stores. Throughout this period, one great link in the chain of difficulties was the break in the sea route between Constantinople and Balaklava. Admiral Boxer was a zealous officer, but he had not administrative powers sufficiently high for the situation. Down to as late as the 16th January there would seem to have been deficient transport; mainly in consequence of the practice of horse-stealing, so common in the camp; which, again, arose from the total unfitness of the idle Turks to act as muleteers. Mr. Filder fully described to Lord Raglan the state of the road and the necessity of mending it, or the service of supplying the army must come to a stand. He also pointed out the evils arising from the want of magazines at Balaklava, and the delays and confusion it caused in the issue of supplies.—Touching other points Sir Charles Trevelyan made some statements. Inquiries were made early in the year respecting supplies of vegetables; and successive cargoes of potatoes and large quantities of rice were forwarded. Mr. Filder was instructed to get forage on the Black Sea; but he failed as far as hay was concerned: chopped straw abounded, but some of

On Monday, the 14th, Sir James Graham was examined at great length. His examination went over a great many matters connected with his department,— such as his duties as First Lord; his relation to the board; the state of the transport service; the appointments of Captain Christie and Admiral Boxer; and the state of Balaklava and the Bosphorus; the blockade in the Black Sea; and the steps taken to obtain information with regard to the numbers of the Russians in the Crimea. The First Lord, he said, has no power to over- rule the decision of the board; but Sir James never found that it interfered with his large discretionary powers. So far from being a "screen," the board is a council, without the aid of which no layman could advantageously administer the affairs of the navy. Sir James considered himself responsible for all things done in the naval department. When the war broke out, we had only three iron war–steamers, capable of carrying 2000 men, available as transports. Government were strongly of opinion that steamers should be employed as largely as possible; but the supply was so limited, and the demand rose so rapidly, that it was impossible to employ steamers alone. In reply to further questions, Sir James said, "Some persons seem to imagine that steamers could be obtained as easily as a cab could be called from a stand; but he had experienced difficulties in that respect of which the committee could have no conception. In the course of the year we had moved about 60,000 British soldiers to a distance of 3000 miles, 6000 horses and between 25,000 and 30,000 French troops from Marseilles to the Crimea; and simultaneously with the difficulties of supplying those transports for the Black Sea, we moved, principally by steam, 12,000 French soldiers to the Baltic. Altogether, in the course of the year, we had moved, chiefly by steamers, about 150,000 men; the greater number of whom we conveyed to a point 3000 miles distant, in addition to the 45,000 Turks brought from Bulgaria to Eupatoria; and, in addition to that, the Admiralty had fed not only the navy but the army, and during a portion of the year also some of our allies." He had seen a calculation which showed that a million of money was lost to the country by the transport service; but that calculation rested upon two erroneous assumptions, —that transports could be fitted up in four days, whereas they require ten or fourteen days; and that the transports could return as soon as they had landed their cargo. On military grounds, it is inexpedient to weaken a large army by cutting off its base of operations. When the Duke of Wellington occupied the lines of Torres Vedras, in a friendly country, with Lisbon and the Tagus in his rear, he kept there the means of embarkation for every man. Admiral Boxer was first made known to Sir James by Sir Thomas Hardy in 1830; and in 1854 Sir James selected him as "an officer who was better acquainted with the embarkation and disembarkation of troops than any officer he knew." He read letters showing that Admiral Boxer had applied, on the 8th of September, for a store– keeper, coal–depots, and receiving–ships at Constantinople for invalids. Sir James now regretted that he had not complied with the last request. Captain Christie was recommended by Captain Milne. Sir James thought well of his conduct, except in two particulars, —allowing the Prince to remain close in–shore off Balaklava at a single anchor, and sending to Varna for Turkish troops to come to Balaklava, instead of Eupatoria. For those mistakes the Board of Admiralty have ordered him to be tried by court–martial; "and

The Greek population is, of course, far the most numerous; but they are said to have well deserved a very ill reputation. They are generally considered as cunning, insincere, and dishonest, so that it would be well to sojourn among the Turks whenever a preference was possible. The Bulgarians and the Arabs are remarkable as being the best grooms in Turkey, and the Bulgarians, as a rule, are even better than the Arabs. I am unable to explain this on any supposition save the extraordinary value that horses acquire in a fiat marshy country, where the distances between the towns and villages are very great, and not easily traversed on foot. Bulgaria is also a corn country, where horses are in much demand for field-labour and are cheaply kept. It is worthy of observation that they are comparatively seldom harnessed; the ploughs and small agricultural waggons of the country are almost entirely drawn by oxen.

Rustchuk, like most Turkish towns in Bulgaria or elsewhere, covers a large extent of ground; for the houses are scattered about here and there, and the shops and the dwelling-houses of the shopkeepers are often wide apart. The great Turks also often live in a house completely separate from that in which the harem resides; and if any great Turk has more than one wife (a rare occurrence), each wife has often, perhaps I may write usually, a house and servants of her own. The Turks, indeed, are fond of having a good deal of house-room. A grand Turk will rarely offer a guest apartments in his own house, but he will provide him with a distinct establishment, visiting him every day and perhaps dining and breakfasting with him, but not residing. This arises, of course, chiefly from the jealous seclusion of their women. The near relatives of Turkish ladies—their sons and brothers, for instance— are of course allowed to enter the harem; but as a Moslem guest would, of course, be horror-stricken at his womenkind being beheld by the relatives of his friend's wife or wives, this disagreeable chance is duly provided against by giving them a separate house. The relations of host and guest are almost as clearly defined among the Turks as they were among the ancient Greeks and Romans; for every traveller of respectability claims the hospitality of his acquaintance, as there are no hotels, and the khans are merely refuges for the destitute.

General Simpson's despatches continue the narrative of the siege. On the 31st of July he writes:—"I beg to enclose the list of casualties to the 29th inst., which, I regret to say, are very heavy. The proximity of our works to those of the enemy, together with the lightness of the nights and rocky nature of the ground, making it impossible to obtain rapid cover, materially contributes to such a result; notwithstanding which disadvantages our engineers continue steadily though slowly to advance in the direction of the Great Redan. An agreeable change has taken place the last few days in the temperature of the weather; heavy showers of rain have occasionally fallen. Several reconnoissances have been made from the valley of Baidar towards Ozenbash, Aitodar, and through the Phoros Pass towards Aloupka, the enemy nowhere appearing in any force; but the narrowness of the mountain roads, with the exception of the Woronzoff, makes it unnecessary for them to alter their concentrated position on the heights of Mackenzie and plateau of the Belbek. The health of the troops continues very satisfactory." The general list of casualties for two days consists of 1 sergeant, 11 rank and file, killed; 5 officers, 2 sergeants, 106 rank and file, wounded. The officers wounded are as follows: "July 28, 19th Foot—Lieut. A. Goren, slightly; 44th—Capt. L. Thoroton, slightly; 46th— Major C. F. Campbell, Assistant-Engineer, slightly; 86th—Capt. N. Steevens, slightly.  July 29, 79th— Assistant- Surgeon E. L. Lundy, slightly." In a despatch dated the 4th inst. General Simpson says: "On the night of the 2nd instant, between ten and eleven o'clock, the enemy made a sortie in considerable force by the Woronzoff road. The strength of the enemy is computed to be about 2,000. Their object was to destroy a heavy iron chevaux de frieze, made across the Woronzoff road, between our right and left attacks, and being further supported by heavy columns in rear, to take advantage of such circumstances as might present themselves. They came on with loud cheers and bugling, and were received with great gallantry by our advanced picquet, under the command of Lieut. R. E. Carr, of the 39th regiment, who withdrew his men, firing at the same time upon the enemy, to the main body, under the command of Capt. Leckie, 39th regiment. A heavy and well-directed fire was opened upon the enemy by the party under Captain Leckie on the Woronzoff road, as also by the guards of the trenches on the right of the 4th parallel, under the command of Captain Boyle, of the 89th regiment, and Captain Turner, of the 1st Royals, which in about ten minutes caused the enemy to retire from an attack which, if it had not been so well met, might have been a serious affair. The enemy left four men killed, and some wounded were carried away. We had only one man slightly wounded in this affair. I have the satisfaction of announcing the return to this army of Captain Montague, of the Royal Engineers, from being a prisoner of war. He expresses himself highly grateful for the kindness with which he was treated by the Russians during his captivity. It is with great regret that I have to communicate that Lieut.-General Sir R. England, G.C.B., has been compelled, upon the recommendation of a medical board, to return to England. Sir R. England is the last of the general officers who left the United Kingdom in command of a division; he has remained at his post throughout the trying heats of Bulgaria, and the severities and hardships of the winter's campaign in the Crimea; and great credit is due to this officer for the constancy and untiring zeal he has exhibited in carrying out arduous and difficult duties on all occasions. The casualties between the 30th ult. and the 2nd inst. are 12 rank and file, killed; 1 officer, 3 sergeants, 80 rank and file, wounded, including Lieut. W. T. E. Fosbery, 77th Foot, dangerously." The correspondent of the Times gives a description of the present habitations of the soldiers in camp: "The habitations of the army are of three classes—wooden huts, huts or hovels (dating from last winter, and partly subterranean), and tents. Happy, at least at this season, is the man who possesses a good wooden hut with a plank flooring. Most of the large huts, however, are used as store-houses, or for other general purposes. The walls of the hovels (for such is the term that most correctly designates them) are usually three or four feet below ground and about as much above it, and are surmounted by gabled roofs, without which, in some of them, a tall man could hardly stand upright. These singular dwellings are, as may be supposed, damp and gloomy. They are entered by three or four steps cut in the earth, and usually covered with stones or planks. Here is one of which the entrance is so low that a man of average height must bend double to get in. It is considered rather a good hut, and its owners speak with gratitude, almost with enthusiasm, of the excellent shelter it afforded them in the. trying times of last winter. It is eight or nine feet broad and about twelve in length. At one end a sort of embrasure admits light through the thick wall, composed of mud and shapeless masses of stone. Below this embrasure, is the bed, barely raised from the ground; on one side is a small niche in the wall used as a fire-place. The walls are tapestried with sail-cloth, horse blankets, and mantas that have come all the way from Catalonia and Valencia with the Spanish mules and muleteers, and are adorned with pictures cut from illustrated periodicals, and with numerous pipes, bien culottées—well blackened, that is to say, by the tobacco oil that has soaked through the porous clay. There is actually a chimney-piece—a thick board wrenched from some packing-case, the rusty nails still sticking in its edges—which supports a biscuit- box, tobacco, bottles in various stages of consumption, and other small comforts. Here is a rough tub, used for the inmates' ablutions, until scarcity of water caused the prohibition of such luxuries. Suspended from the homely tapestry are a sword, a pouch-belt, waterproof and leather leggings. A pair of tall boots are in one corner, and hard by the door—the lightest place—is a crazy table, with writing materials and sundries. A shelf has been contrived, and holds a few well-thumbed volumes. The heavy rain has flowed into the hut through the doorway up to the edge of the bed; the consequence is that the floor resembles a muddy road, in which you slip about and almost stick. A trifle, this, to Crimean campaigners. The roof does not leak, which is more than can be said of the roofs of many huts. The one I have described may be taken as a fair specimen of the class of edifice. Transported to England, and exhibited as the dwelling of an Esquimaux or American Indian, it would doubtless excite surprise and compassion, and people would wonder that even savages could exist in such dens—here cheerfully tenanted by very civilised persons. Huts and hovels are few in number compared with the tents, which, when carefully pitched, with a good gutter round them, make endurable habitations for this time of year, although liable to be overthrown by very high winds. But against the cold, when the canvas crackles with the frost, and the icy breath of winter enters at every chink, they afford poor protection indeed. If we are to pass another winter before Sebastopol—I mean to say, if the higher powers consider it probable, or even possible that we shall do so—it is presumable that measures will be taken for the preservation of so costly a commodity as the British soldier. Seasoned veterans, who have survived the bitter sufferings of the winter of 1854-5, may be able to withstand the less severe hardships of that of 1855-6; but what do our rulers imagine will become of youthful recruits, in the year's worst season, on these inclement heights, unless provision be made for their comfort superior to any at present existing? Rations and raiment will, doubtless, not be deficient, but, as far as appearances yet go, proper shelter will."

Passing eastward, M. le Play discourses of the iron-manufacturers of Samakowa, in Bulgaria. They are of the Greek religion, and are a smoking, illiterate, unawakened set of boors. They belong to their masters, by reason of the money which these first lend their workmen to establish themselves and begin life with. Though no money is allowed to be lent out at interest in any part of Turkey, yet the master of course makes an interest he cannot avow, and the operative works out his debt as he best can; sometimes, indeed, saving large sums, such as a thousand or even twelve thousand francs. Large common-lands supply him with firewood and pasture. The land in Turkey is said to belong to God, but the cultivators pay a tax to the seigneur notwithstanding. The terres mortes are small patches of land cultivated by the spade, by a peasant living in a house in the midst of his gardens. He must leave his house and cease to cultivate his grounds three years before they lapse to the state. After this time, he loses all right in them. The terres vivantes are those lands which are under plough cultivation. The proprietors of the terres mortes often place them under a functionary called a mosquie; who, for a few pence, inscribes them in the parish books under his own name or that of some institution, at the same time guarantee- ing them to their actual possessor. These lands are hereditary, if the possessor remains stationary, which the seigneur takes good care he shall do. M. le Play says, that even when they have worked themselves free of their debt, they remain in the same conditions and at the same place as before. Moreover, that no one feels his debt a hardship, and no one wishes to be free—another of M. le Play's sweeping assertions. The women wear chains of coins strung together, which are long in proportion to the wealth of the family.