BATTLE OF BALACLAVA 25 



when our batteries began to play on the town they must sur- 

 render at once ; but instead of that, the more we fire at it the 

 less likely we seem to make any impression on what must 

 certainly be one of the most formidable places in the world. If 

 this expedition should prove a failure, it would be a great blow to 

 the English and French alliance, as they are sure mutually to 

 throw the blame on each other. 



The weather continues summerlike, ' though cold at night. 

 Since the first night of our landing we have scarcely had a drop 

 of rain. I do not know what would have become of us if it had 

 been otherwise. I think this hard mode of life will do many of 

 us a great deal of good. It is curious to see noblemen, officers 

 of the Guards, etc., men brought up in every luxury, leading 

 precisely the same life and feeding on ^ the same rations as the 

 common soldiers, but, of course, exercising the Englishman's 

 privilege of grumbling and growling at everybody and everything, 

 more especially at the Czar Nicholas, the author of all our 

 troubles, who, of course, is duly anathematised by every officer 

 and soldier in the army at every convenient time and oppor- 

 tunity. . . . 



Camp on Heights above Sebastopol, 

 October 27, 1854. 



Dear Edgar — I wrote home last on the 22 nd. Since then 

 very little change has taken place up here. We have a beautiful 

 bird's-eye view of Sebastopol from the camp ; it appears a very 

 handsome town, the buildings all very substantial and good- 

 looking of white stone, but we seem as far off' as ever from seeing 

 the interior of them. The pounding match continues with as 

 much vigour as ever on both sides, and with so little apparent 

 effect that it is beginning to lose all interest ; however, we are 

 kept in a constant state of excitement by the Russian army in 

 our rear, who are now disagreeably near to us. The day before 

 yesterday was a most deplorable one for our army.^ Some 



1 Battle of Balaclava. This inaccurate account shows, as Flower himself 

 often pointed out, how little the eye-witnesses were really able to see and 

 understand what was going on until they read the news afterwards in the 

 Times. 



