conspicuous, and keep longer clean than the British white havresack, which should also be waterproof. The banners were green, with a shield and red cross in the white centre.

Sir James Simpson, the Commander-inchief, having requested to be relieved of his command, our new chief, Sir William Codrington, alert, intelligent, affable to every one, with great command of temper, and most zealous in the discharge of his duties, held a review of the British Artillery; and 74 guns, in first-rate order, with their gunners, horses and forage, marched past His Excellency. The rapid rise of two officers on the ground is worth recording. A year before, Sir William Codrington held a company in the Guards; he was now a General-officer, K.C.B., and Commander-in-chief; General Sir Richard Dacres, K.C.B., commanding the R. Artillery, was a captain three years before, merit and willing service had much to do with the rise of these two officers.

CHAPTER VIII.

Inventory of the Stores found in Sevastopol-Trophies-A Startling Calamity-Losses sustained by a Great Explosion-Sufferings of the French from Cold-RacesWar with the Raki sellers-The Sanitary CommissionExtraordinary Escape of One of the Commissioners— Steeple-chases-Dinner at Sir William Codrington'sCold Huts-The Guards' and Engineers' Messes-Amateur Theatricals-Discovery of Antient Buildings-A sudden move to the Marine Heights-Grand Review -The Russians disposed to make Peace-Violent Death of an esteemed friend-The white Flag at the Traktir Bridge-A Disaster on St. Patrick's Day-PeaceRemains on the Field of Inkerman-More Reviews and Athletic Games-Due respect shewn to the DeadVisit to my old Prison-The Field of the Alma-Mangoup Kalé-Laspi-The South Coast-Leave the Crimea for Malta-Arrive in England.

THE

Mixed Commission had been

labouring hard to make an inventory,

and to distribute the stores found in Sevastopol. They consisted of nearly 4,000 guns, besides shot, shell, cannister-cases, gunpowder, ball-cartridges, waggons, yawls, logs of lignum vitæ, nearly 600 anchors, chain cables, copper sheathing, ropes, pitch and tar, water-casks, spars, fir-wood, paint, boilers, large and small bells, coal, steam-engines, pumps, dredging-machines, marble statues, sphinxes, biscuit, flour, buck-wheat, salt meat, &c. Russian muskets and bayonets were appropriated as plunder they were so easily carried off by soldiers and sailors. The shot and dead shells were collected from the works, and from the ravines, and shipped off in immense quantities; but what all the above realized to the respective Governments, no one knew.

Guns were allotted to the Sardinians and the Turks.

Considering the difference of pay between the the French and British private

soldiers-1d. a day and 1s. clear (as an additional 6d. had been given to our people to make up for the wear and tear of clothes, &c.)-it was quite fair that both at Sevastopol and Kilburn, the French should have got the cream of the plunder of small articles, though there was a good deal of grumbling about this at the time.

It was natural that the officers were desirous of securing trophies. We got no gold or silver, and no prize-money, and the specimens of Russian arms—muskets, swords, lances, drums, &c.-which were picked up, or bought, would have fetched little or nothing if sold pro bono publico.

The road-making, the hutting, the collection and arrangement of stores for passing the winter had all gone on regularly and satisfactorily of late, the weather was also good, and the health of the men excellent, when suddenly a most startling calamity took place in our midst.

It was on the 15th of November, the

day after the anniversary of the disasters by storm and shipwreck the previous year in the Black Sea, that I happened to be drilling the battalion in front of our huts, when on our right there rose suddenly in the air, to a great height, a vast column of black and grey smoke, accompanied with intense flashes of fire, a loud and awfully grand sound, followed by the crackling of shells, and hissing of rockets, producing a combination of sights and sounds of the most soul-stirring character, and the immediate conviction that a large magazine had been designedly blown up.

Wounded and scorched men were ere long brought to the General Hospital beside us, and we learnt that the catastrophe we had witnessed, arose from the accidental explosion of a great part of the Russian powder, brought out of Sevastopol, and placed in the Parc de siège of the French Right attack, where also 800 barrels of French powder shared the same fate; be