BIOGEAPIIICAL SKETCH. xxix 



breach ; for our men would have to move over 700 or 800 yards of ground, exposed to the 

 fire we failed m silencing, then find a deep ditch at some distance from the main defence, 

 clamber over it, and then surmount a heavy " ahattis." 



In a letter from " The Naval Brigade Camp," Arthur Hay gives a description of the 

 bombardment which opened on the 9th of xipril, and he mentions that his brother John had 

 had a very narrow escape in the trenches that day. Late in the afternoon, as he was speaking 

 to Captain Twyford, a shell burst, killing the latter, and striking Lord Jolm on the lower part 

 of the jaw. Lord Raglan came to visit him, for he was regarded as a most promising officer. 

 Several of the officers from the Naval Brigade got their promotion and went home, anxious to 

 be out of it ; but he volunteered, and remained, though only on halfpay, losing no opportunity 

 which was presented of distinguishing himself. To Lord Arthur himself this incident was 

 almost a relief, for he had for a long time laboured under an apprehension that his young 

 brother would certainly be killed. He had seen him several times escape almost by a miracle ; 

 therefore it was a relief to have " Johnnie " put out of danger's way, though it was only for a 

 short period. 



Respecting the bombardment he remarks: — "The results of our fire have, I am sorry to 

 say, too fully justified my worst expectations. I have never written so strongly as I thought ; 

 but what has happened was foreseen by Peel, Morison, Lushington, Johnnie (his brother), 

 Kennedy (an old gunnery lieutenant), and by some of the artillery. We endeavoured, with 

 a smaller number of guns, with guns of inferior calibre, with an absurdly long range, without 

 a sufficient supply of ammunition, with very defective parapets, and without a reserve of guns, 

 to silence the enemy's fire. I think in this sentence I have comprised the chief reasons of 

 our failure ; the result has not tended to improve the tone of the army. I believe Lord 

 Raglan offered to attack the place as it is, and that Omar Pasha volunteered his troops, but 

 Canrobert declined." 



In another letter of about the same date, we find an amusing account of a false alarm given 

 in camp :— " Our horse-patrols got too near the Cossacks, and a few shots were exchanged : such 

 a scene is curious enough, and has its excitement even for us, for there is something about an alarm 

 and assembly very striking to the listener ; it gets one out of bed with greater ease than any 

 other means I know. Every regiment plays it, one taking it up after the other on deep-toned 

 bugles, then the shrill Cavalry trumpets, then the Horse Artillery, then the Rifies, and all mixed 

 up with bagpipes from four Highland regiments ; each being at a diff"erent distance, the sounds 

 reach us here with difi'erent degrees of loudness. The pipes across the valley sound very jolly, 

 especially when they play ' Hieland Laddie,' which means turn into bed again. We have 

 Zouaves and French line regiments with calls which add to the general clang of trumpets— 



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