10/8 
THE FIELD. 
as to your answer. If it were yes, I am certain Mrs. 
Bracebridge would go with you, and give you all the 
comforts you would require, and which her society an.l 
sympathy only could give you. I have written very 
long, for the subject is very near my heart. Liz is 
writing to Mr*. Bracebridge to tell her what I am doing. 
F go back to town to-morupw morning. Shall I come to 
you between three and fivo ? Will you let me have a line 
at the War Office to let me know ? There is one point 
which I have hardly a right to touch upon, but I trust you 
will pardon me. If you were inclined to undertake the 
great work, would Mr. and Mrs. Nightingale consent ? This 
work would be so national, and the request mode to you pro- 
ceeding from the Government) which represents the nation, 
comes at such a moment, that I do not despair of their con- 
sent. Deriving your authority from the Government, your 
position would ensure the respect and consideration of every- 
one, especially in a service where official rank carries so much 
weight. This would secure you any attention and comfort 
on your way out there, together with a complete submission 
to your orders. I know these things are a matter of in- 
difference to you except as far as they may further the greilt 
object you would have in view ; but they are of importance 
in themselves, and of every importance to those who have a 
right to take an interest in your personal position and com- 
fort. I know you will come to a right and wise decision. 
God grant it may be one in accordance with my hopes ! 
“ Believe me, dear Miss Nightingale, ever youra, 
"Oct. 15. " Sidney Herbert.” 
BRITISH HOSPITAL AT SCUTARI. 
Applications from candidates desirous of acting as nurses 
to the British general hospitals in the East having been 
made erroneously to some of the public offices, we are 
requested to state that such applications should be addressed 
only to the Countess of Shaftsbury, 24, Grosvenor-square ; 
to Miss Stanley, (J, Grosvcnor-eresent ; or to the Hon. Mis. 
Herbert, 49, Belgrave-square, who will at once attend to 
them. 
GOVERNMENT ARRANGEMENTS FOR RECEIVING 
NEWS FROM THE EAST. 
A few days ago we directed attention to the imperfect or 
no use made by Government of the telegraphic lines, by 
which early intelligence might be received from the Euxine. 
A correspondent who has great practical experience exposes 
in the following letter the inadequate use made of the means 
of postal despatch which Government possesses in their 
steamers : — 
, Oct. 20. 
The time occupied in conveying mails vilt Marseilles, 
Malta, and Constantinople, to and from Sebastopol, ought 
not to exceed nine days. I have taken a London newspaper 
to Constantinople in nine days from its date, although the 
steamer I was on board of was detained a whole day at 
Malta, and another at Syrn. It is, therefore, quite easy to 
oonvey mails to Constantinople in seven or eight days from 
London. From Constantinople to Sebastopol can be reached 
in twenty-six hours. The time required to bring a mail from 
Sebastopol to Englaud will always be less in consequence, of 
the prevailing winds and current down from the Block Sea. It 
is quite within the bounds of probobility that mails may be 
brought from Sebastopol to England in eight days. If the 
Banshee, Caradoc, Emperor, or any other of the fast steamers, 
had been sent off, under the command of an active man, 
immediately after the battle of the Alma, the news might 
have been in London on the 29th. 
For years past steamers have been frequently sent from 
Constantinople, on the most frivolous occasions, and regard- 
less of expense, to overtake the French packet at Syrn. They 
have again nnd again been sent with despatches which might 
have been got ready in time for the sailing of the packet, or 
which might very well have been kept back till the next. 
Besides this employment of extra war steamers when there 
waB no important or urgent news to forward, there have 
always been a great number of Foreign-office messengers 
continually on the road, carrying despatches backwards and 
forwards And now that there is news of importance to be 
sent from the East — now that there are urgent instructions 
to be sent off to the East — not a steamer fit for the work can 
be spared. The first intelligence of the battle of the Alma is 
transmitted by a merchant steamer, and not till five days 
after the action is a Government officer sent off in a Govern- 
ment steamer. 
The blame rests with a high authority ; certainly not the 
Admiral. 
An attempt has been made to throw blame on Lord 
Stratford de Reddiffe for not sending the Nil direct. The 
Nil is a French steamer belonging to a French company, over 
whom Lord de Redcliffe could have no authority . — Daily 
INTELLIGENCE BY STEAMERS, COURIERS, AND 
TELEGRAPHS, FROM THE CRIMEA. 
It is satisfactory to know that an arrangement has been 
made, in conjunction with the French Government, for the 
despatch of a steamer every second day from the Crimea for 
Varna. From Varna a corps of mounted couriers will con- 
voy tlu* intelligence to Kronstadt, in Transylvania, whence 
the electric telegraph is laid on to Vienna. The distance 
rom the Crimea to Varna can be done in forty-eight hours, 
something hko the distance to Constantinople ; but from 
Varna t<> Kronstadt is much shorter than from Constanti- 
nople to Belgrade, "here the telegraph ends in that direction. 
When Constantinople was the centre of intelligence, it was 
arranged that ^teamers should leave Constantinople six 
tunes a-month, or once in every five days, for Marseilles • 
and six steamers a-month left Marseilles with mails for Con- 
stantinople. The French and English Governments sent 
steamers alternately either way. Those have sometimes 
failed, from various causes. Indeed, of late, the French 
steamers were required for the conveyance of troops ; and 
although there have been several extra steamers passing and 
repassing along this route, the communications have been 
very irregularly kept up. It is most unjust to compare our 
delay m intelligence with that received at St. Petersburg 
and transmitted westward from that city by the electric 
telegraph. St. Petersburg is reached by the old semaphore 
teom the Crimea iu two days, and intelligence is sent from 
- f , tersl)UI S to ^ er l* n > anil thence to London and Paris, in 
a few hours. The new arrangements will meet the natural 
impatience of the public as nearly as possible, though they 
cannot keep up with the intelligence transmitted to the 
Sminionw 1188111 ^ ^ mcaua ulread y established iu its own 
LETTERS ABOUT THE ARMY IN THE CRIMEA. 
BalakUiva, 18 th October. 
I have arrived at this little village, and found that all the 
troops were fast getting under arms to repulse an attack of 
the enemy. The fact is, we have been expecting such an 
attack for some days past, and for that reason Sir Colin 
Campbell has been left commanding the garrison. The 
latter h is been further strengthened by the addition of 8,000 
Turks, all the English and French cavalry, two additional 
batteries of artillery, and 600 marines : altogether, the force 
to protect this place can be little short of 15,000 men. All 
the heights which command the approach across l he val- 
ley to the village of Baluklava have been strongly entrenched, 
and some of the heaviest ships' guns mounted iu redoubts. 
The enemy would have to storm and capture nearly forty 
such earthworks before they would be in a position to attack 
our infantry on the hills, so that I think we are pretty safe. 
It is a mntter of paramount importance to us, not only that 
Bulnkluva itself should be retained, but that our communi- 
cations with it should be perfectly free and uninterrupted. 
The knowledge of its importance to us will of course induce 
the euemy to attack us, oud I believe we shall yet have a 
bloody battle ofBalaklnva. — M. H. 
Camp, Sebastopol. 
A Turk is every inch a soldier ; eats whatever is giveu 
him, obeys without a murmur, works like a horse, marches 
till he drops, draws his own water, cuts his own wood, ties 
his horse to a tree, and sleeps on the ground, without mov- 
ing a muscle of his face, or giving the smallest sign of impa- 
tience. The contempt with which the Austrian officers affect 
to treat such men as these is ridiculous iu the extreme — as 
if good-fitting clothes and well-shaven cheeks were the main 
elements in the composition of an army. The fact is, that 
the Turks have all the leading military virtues in a greater 
degree, I firmly believe, than any people iu the world ; and 
if officered as they ought to be, and armed as they ought to 
be, might ouce again make Europe tremble. 
Ou the 13th and 14th October, 4,000 fresh Turkish troops 
arrived from Stamboul, and proceeded to the right fi ont of 
the position of Balaklava, where they are making batteries 
for the defence of that position. It was easy to see that 
these Turks were from Constantinople, for more than usual 
care had been bestowed on their outfit. They had all warm 
winter clothing, and they were moreover provided with 
teuts. The troops that accompanied us from Bulgaria are 
still iu their summer dress, have no tents, and are compelled 
to sleep in the open air. 
Oct. 14. — Heavy fog. Great progress made iu the bat- 
teries last night, and a large quantity of ammunition carried 
up. 
10 a.m. — A large party of the enemy, supported by a 
considerable force in rear, is observed coming up the ravine 
which runs on the left of the Second Division towards the 
upper part of the town. A picquet of the 49th Regiment 
is surrounded in a house in the ravine, and the sergeant 
made prisoner. The rest of the picquet escape and give the 
alarm. Two picquets, one of the 23rd Regiment, and one of 
the Rifle Brigade, hasten to the attack, and succeed in driving 
the Russians back, but not until they had eaten the diuuers 
of the 49th picquet, which they found iu the house. During 
the skirmish the sergeant of the 49tli escapes. Several of 
the Russians are wounded, and one, who was at the time 
carrying off a 49th knapsack, is killed iu a personal en- 
counter with a rifleman. One of the 23rd is wounded 
mortally. One Russiau, wounded and made prisoner, states 
that the force was commanded by a general officer, and that 
its object was to reconnoitre, and also to fetch water. It was 
suspected that they were trying to find out where our powder 
magazine — the casks of which they might have observed our 
sailors carrying — was placed. It is in a cave, and quite se- 
cure from observation or fire from the town. The troops 
were turned out ready for a more general attack, but were 
not required. Several rifles taken from the Russians on 
this occasion were found to be of the kind known as the 
needle gun, and bore the mark of being manufactured at 
Liege. A broad, double-edged, short sword was also earned 
by each of the Russians. — D. N. 
Oct. 16. — Some French officers mention that five of their 
men who had been taken prisoners have managed to escape, 
two Zouaves, and three of the 6th regimeut of the line. 
They describe that there is a great want of water iu the 
town, and that the troops are receiving rations of wine three 
times a day as a substitute for it. An announcement is 
made to the English through the commissariat that the 
French have been baking bread, and wish to present every 
English officer and soldier with a loaf. — D.N. 
Balaklava. — “ Our London letters up to 27th September 
reached us on the night of the 16th October, and again on 
the 17th October another batch came to hand up to the 3rd 
October, by which we see that our movemeuts here are duly 
chronicled. Lettera are always acceptable : we require 
something of the kind when we retire to our ‘ downies,’ or 
rather lodgings on the ground floor ; and we heartily thank 
you for all aiid for overythiug sent in the shape of news 
from England." 
Use of a Plaid in Battle. — A letter was received a 
few days ago by a draper at Inverness, in which occurs the 
following curious circumstance : — “ The big rough plaid 
which we got some time ago for Captain Campbell, 23rd 
Regiment, saved his life at the Alma, as he found several 
balls iu it after be was carried off the field ou the 20th Sep- 
tember.” — Edinburgh C our ant. 
INTERPRETERS WITH THE ARMY OF THE EAST. 
To the Editor of the Daily Netcs. 
Sin,— Why should thore a Greek spy on the staff with our 
army iu the Crimea? Were there not English gentlemen 
thoroughly conversant with the Turkish and other eastern 
languages, eminently qualified for the post called “ Drago- 
man," who offered their services, and were rejected in favour 
of a traitorous Greek ? — I am, &c. 
London, Nov. 3. Bono Johnny. 
[See Letter-Bag in The Field of to-day.— Ed.] 
MISCELLANEOUS ANECDOTES, INCIDENTS AND 
MEMORANDA. 
OCR batteries are flaced so near Sebastopol that 
we can hoar distinctly the church bells, the tunes pluyed 
n tho „, ban , d8 ( thu °»«er day they played “ God save the 
Oneeu ), the howling of the dogs, and the crowing of vigi- 
lant cocks, so that a body of Russian riflemen, inclined for close 
quarters, have only to creep quietly towards our works, aud 
they are forthwith gratified. Ou Saturday, Oct. 14, about 
ou of the enemy came up a ravine, at the bottom of which 
were twelve men and a sergeant stationed to keep close 
watch m a small house, which would have afforded a deter- 
mined party good protection for a volley or two, after which 
a speedy retreat would have been but an act of prudence 
The sergeant of the party took a more cautious view of the 
matter, and considered that ruuning away, without disturb- 
ing the euemy, would secure him from the fire of nfl e . 
men still at a goodly distance from the house. Acting upon 
this reasoning, away he went, leaving behind him all the 
knapsacks, that the flight might bo unimpeded. This fatal 
nnd cowardly conduct might have been atteuded by serious 
results ; for the Russians, finding no opposition, were euabled 
to steal to the rear of the battery. Fortunately, one of our 
soldiers saw them, and gave the alarm, upon which an offi- 
cer of the Rifles at once gallantly called to twelve of his 
corps to follow him. Away they went, of course, supported 
ns soon as possible by others, and the 1 50 Russians retreated 
before them very steadily. Now it was that a terrible, but 
interesting, conflict took place between the tallest man of 
the 2nd battalion of Rifles and a huge Russian rifleman 
Hannan, an Irishman, noted at the Cape for his rashness 
rushed forward aud fired. The shot was returned, and a 
second shot attempted by his opponent, but fortunately a 
cap could not be found. Seeing this, Hannan rushed up, 
aud with his fist knocked the Russiau over a low wall, aud 
leaped after him. The two now grappled, aud a dreadful 
struggle followed, in which, at last, our soldier was worsted 
and a short-sword was in the air to give him his death-blow 
— nay, more, its point was through the trousers, and about 
to penetrate the thigh and bowels — but, ere the thrust was 
given, a shot from Hannan’s comrade aud friend, Ferguson 
pierced the heart of the sturdy Russian, and he fell lifeless 
by the side of liis iutended victim. We lost in this affair 
only one killed, and two wounded. Of the enemy, three 
were brought in wounded, several remained dead on the field 
aud others were carried off into Sebastopol. 
When the allied fleets attacked Sebastopol on the 
17th of October nothing could be more noble than the 
gallant way in which the Agamemuon and Sanspareil 
steamed in amid a perfect hail of cannon-balls and shells 
preceded by a little tug-steamer, the Circassia (or Shark)’ 
commanded by Mr. Ball. This little bit of a cockleshell’ 
which looked as if she might have been arrested by a fowling- 
piece, deliberately felt the way for the large ships till her 
services were no longer required. At sunset, at the close of 
the action, the change was magiail from a hot sun, mist, 
smoke, explosions, shot, shell, rockets, and the roar of 10,000 
guns— to a still, cool, brilliant starlight sky, looking down 
upon a glassy sea, reflecting in long tremulous lines tha 
lights at the mastheads of the ships returning Beaward amid 
profound silence. Three of our ships were roughly handled 
and the killed and wounded amount to 46 English killed 
and upwards of 250 wounded. Lieutenant Chase, of the 
Albion, has fallen, and Mr. Foster, midshipman on board the 
Sanspareil, is seriously wounded. No captains have been 
hit. The bluejackets showed all their ancient valour. Eight 
or nine men were swept away at a forecastle gnu on board 
the Sanspareil by the explosion of a shell. The two re- 
maining men coolly went on loading, with then* sponge aud 
rammer, as though nothing had happened. The sight of the 
Bquadrons when first approaching the port of Sebastopol, and 
arriving within range of the forts, was one of the most im- 
posing which one could possibly witness. Some of the liners 
observed from the starboard side, hid their tiny propellers 
so completely that the huge masses seemed to move by them- 
selves. If this was the most imposing sight, the most 
exciting was that when the first shot was fired by the enemy. 
It was as if an electric spark was running through the crews. 
There was a perfect fury for firing, aud the greatest difficulty 
was to make the men cease, as was at times necessary when 
one or another of the allied vessels was in the way. A great 
inconvenience in working the guns was experienced from the 
absence of so many men at the naval brigade ashore, 
especially in the ships from which some of the superior 
officers had gone to the camp. Several of the liners could 
not work their upper-deck guns in consequence. [Why not 
send out by steamer some of the Baltic Fleet blue jackets 
from Spithead ?] 
When the fleets attacked Sebastopol the French com- 
menced first, at about six p.m., aud iu less than an hour 
their fort was blown up, totally disabled, which, says a cor- 
respondent, “has had the effect of preventing them taking 
any great part iu to-day’s bombardment. The fire from the 
enemy lias been terrific, and ours equal. About two p.m., 
the shipping of the combined fleets commenced on the out- 
side forts at the entrance of the harbour, and such fearful 
firing on both sides I should think was hardly ever before 
witnessed. The different tiers of guns from the forts was 
quite equal to our broadsides. The ships must have suffered 
severely. At three p.m. one of the principal magazines of 
the enemy blew up, and the cloud must have been more 
than a mile in circumference. It was from an eighty gun 
tort ; but, fancy, in less than forty minutes they had several 
guns blazing away at us again. One of our magazines, or 
ammunition waggons, with four horses and driver, was 
blown to atoms by a shell from the euemy. One of the Lan • 
caster guns has burst, and killed six hands. The naval 
brigade has suffered from a continual cross fire, and iu the 
early part of the day Captain Peel was wouuded slightly in 
the face, a lieutenant of the Leander killed, and five mem 
At half-past three the French opened again, and at five they 
had a second magazine blown up, but I could not ascertain 
the extent of damage sustained. The naval brigade has two 
post captains and two commanders attached. The valleys 
near the entrenchments are quite paved with shot and shell 
from the enemy. The doctor of the G8th was cut in two by 
a shot, aud an assistant surgeon belonging to a ship, who was 
a spectator, was killed. One of the sailors pnssed me ou » 
stretcher, with his arm taken off, singing, ‘ God save the 
Queen.’ ” 
Monday night, the 16th of October, was an anxious time. 
As if the enemy anticipated the coming struggle of the 17th, 
and reserved their strength for the following day, we were 
but slightly annoyed by their lire during the night. A 
deserter who came over to us that evening, however, imagined 
a very different reason for the slackness of the Russiau bat- 
teries. He said that all the officers of the garrison were that 
evening giving a grand ball to the inhabitants of Sebastopol, 
and that it was attended by all the leading ladies and gentle- 
men in the town. He said also that both town aud garrison 
are perfectly certain of success, and of repulsing all our at- 
tacks within a fortnight ; their earthworks and batteries ho 
knew were powerful, and General Luders, who commands in 
chief, was daily expecting news of the advent of an immense 
body of troops. The statements of these deserters may well 
be open to doubt, but this fellow appears to have told the 
truth. Certainly, from whatever cause it arose, the enemy 
tired little that night, though one shot did ample mischief, 
killing Captain Evelyn Rowley, of the Grenadier Guards 
They wore relieving the guard on the works, and Captain 
