248 SIR WILLIAM FLOWER 



ground as closely packed together as possible. In spite of the 

 free ventilation, the smell in the tents was generally most dis- 

 gusting. There was no attempt at cleanliness of any sort. The 

 orderlies did their best, but they were quite insufficient in number, 

 strength, or energy. Most of them either became sick or died, 

 and we were obliged to obtain others, quite inexperienced or 

 unfitted for the work. 



The men in hospital were generally supplied with fresh meat, 

 but very rarely with vegetables. The supply of provision to the 

 men (of the 4th Division) up to the i6th of November was very 

 regular, consisting of biscuit, fresh meat two or three times a 

 week ; salt pork and beef on the other days ; greefi coffee ; 

 occasionally tea and rice ; sugar and rum. After the 1 6th the 

 supply was very irregular, the meat almost always salt, and some- 

 times none issued for two days together ; the biscuit was the only 

 thing to depend upon, and that was wanting on one occasion. 

 As the officers could obtain supplies from Balaclava, they did 

 not feel this so much as the men. Fresh vegetables were served 

 out once — a few onions and a small cabbage between half a 

 dozen men. There was no insufficiency of lint, bandages, and 

 surgical appliances, but of medicines I may say we never had an 

 adequate supply — sometimes we were in total want of some of 

 the most useful. We had to send down to Balaclava for them, 

 and generally would get but half or quarter the quantity put on 

 the requisition, and sometimes none at all. 



The great causes of sickness at this period were overwork, 

 insufficiency of diet, and exposure to weather without change of 

 clothing; the men never took their clothes off, and were fre- 

 quently wet through from one week's end to another. The 

 overwork from which the men suffered was partly caused by a 

 fallacy in the daily returns. At the morning inspection the 

 surgeon sent in the number of men unfit for duty ; the remainder 

 were all supposed to be fit ; but many were in the trenches or 

 away on duty in the morning, and reported themselves sick when 

 they came home, and others fell sick in the course of the day, 

 so when the time came for going to the trenches in the evening, 

 the number of able men was much less than was calculated on, 

 and consequently the duty fell more heavily on them ; for every 



