534 WITH THE INTERNATIONAL FIELD FORCE IN CRETE, 189;. 
the employ of the Government; whereas the word means “ civilian,” 
and so much so that, if a Turkish soldier was asked how gentlemen in 
this room were dressed this evening, he would say you were wearing 
Bashi Bazouk clothes. I do not think I can say anything more about 
the Turks—I might mention somethinjg about the Russians, because 
I had some of them under my command at Fort Izzedin. They were 
very merry fellows indeed—they always sang on the march’ as Major 
Simpson has described, and their songs were always, as might be ex¬ 
pected, either about war or about love. They had also the peculiar 
habit of never carrying scabbards for their bayonets. And they were 
very religious—at anyrate in form. Every morning and evening the 
company officer used to go to the barrack room and have prayers there, 
and they all sang hymns to there heart’s content. It is the general 
impression, moreover, that the Russian officers are much given to in¬ 
temperance ; but I must say that my experience of them in Crete was 
quite the contrary, especially amongst the Naval officers, and I had 
seen a great number of them before in different parts of the Mediter¬ 
ranean. They are exceedingly temperate amongst themselves, al¬ 
though they are very anxious to make their guests enjoy themselves a 
little too much. The Austrians struck me as being very much handi¬ 
capped by the mixture of languages, especially in the Naval service, 
where they have three languages in use side by side in the same ship— 
the men coming from Hungary speaking nothing but Hungarian, those 
coming from Austria proper speak German, and those coming from 
the Dalmatian Provinces speak Italian, so that the officers are forced 
to give the details of drill and orders in the different languages in 
which the men can understand them, although the executive orders are 
given in German. I daresay many Englishmen do not know that the 
Austrian service is handicapped in that way. I do not think there is 
anything more of interest to be added to Major Simpson’s lecture so 
far as my experience went (applause). 
Major W. BABTIE, M.B., C.M.G., Royal Army Medical Corps: — 
General Maurice, Officers and gentlemen, I am afraid there is nothing 
I can say that will at all interest you except from the general point of 
view. Major Simpson complains that he had not got all the mules 
and transport and everything of that sort that he would like to have 
had; but he managed somehow or other always to have his Battery 
where it was wanted, and, if he was short of transport, he always con¬ 
cealed the fact most excellently (applause). I am certain that none of 
the Turks knew it at all events, and very few of he English. I do 
not know that I can say anything more except that I agree generally 
with nearly all that Major Simpson has said, and with what Major Bor 
has said. I think generally that the experience gained out there with 
all these different nations was most interesting, and, I think, valuable 
I do not think we ourselves failed very much in comparison, it may be 
prejudice on our part, but I think we came out fairly well. I think 
all the officers were extremely interested in the Turkish soldiers. The 
Turkish officers, as Major Srnpson said, were old, and, I think, as a 
rule, effete. I know personally there was one officer who, after taking 
