30 .SIR WILLIAM FLOWER chap. 



our fate, expecting to be frozen to death.^ Here we had to stop 

 till the following morning, when the tents were able to be put 

 up again, and a fine day restored all to its wonted serenity. The 

 sufferings of the men were very great, especially of the poor 

 wretches in hospital, five of whom died; this was increased by 

 the stoppage of food and rum, which could not be issued on 

 account of the weather. . . . 



The siege drags its slow length along, and we seem in for a 

 regular winter campaign, which is considered a great sell and is 

 talked of with very long faces, especially if such little episodes as 

 that of Tuesday last are to occur again. Then there will be the 

 difficulty of "getting up provisions from Balaclava now the roads 

 are so dreadfully heavy and the storms on the sea wrecking the 

 ships. But it will not do to anticipate evils, though it is rather 

 amusing to read the Times articles about the beginning of the 

 cairipaign, where they abuse the Russians and Prince Menschikoff, 

 and make out that everything they did were blunders, and that 

 Sebastopol was so easy to be taken ; whereas we find them most 

 respectable opponents. The defence has certainly been success- 

 fully conducted so far, and it is strange that, with our boasted 

 civilisation and progress in the arts and sciences, our only 

 superiority over the Russians seems to be in the greater courage 

 and mettle of the men, while in those very departments in which 

 the most civilised nation should excel, they beat us, as in their 

 artillery, engineering, and in the arming, clothing, and equipment 

 of the men. On the whole, I have a great respect for Russia 

 and the Russians from the Czar downwards, and I think this war 

 is decidedly one against civilisation and progress. What would 

 the Crimea have been if left to its original Tartar possessors or 

 given over to the Turks? Where would have been such 

 magnificent towns as Sebastopol and Simferopol are said to be, 

 the beautiful and well -furnished country houses, comfortable 

 villages, vineyards, etc., but for the Russian Emperor? And 

 now, by spreading the horrors of war, we are stopping and 



1 Such a dreary scene as tlje camp presented this evening I never saw, 

 and such a night as we passed. Myself sick with feverish attack and feet 

 frost-bitten. (Diary, November 14, 1854.) 



