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52s TEE III D MB. ^Saturday,
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WAR LITERATURE. Pictures fom the BaUU-Fi...
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BOOKS ON OUlt TABLE. Travels and Adventu...
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52s Tee Iii D Mb. ^Saturday,
52 s TEE III D MB . ^ Saturday ,
War Literature. Pictures Fom The Bauu-Fi...
WAR LITERATURE . Pictures fom the BaUU-FieMs By the Roving Englishman . Routledge . A Trip to the Trenches in February and March . By an Amateur . ¦ Saunders and Gtley . Narrative of a Campaign in the Crimea . By Lieutenant George Shuldham Peard , 20 th Regiment . t Bentley . These three volumes are , in different ways , the best specimens of War Literature that we have yet met with . They are all genuine books , written by men who are evidently above descending to the common-place * ' catch-penny" style of ordinary writers from the seat of war . The literary abilities of " The Roving Englishman" entitle him to the first place on our list—he has the advantage over his two brother-authors , of practice in writing , and of all the ease , fire , and variety of narrative which practice alone can give . His book really is what it assumes to be on the title-page ^ a series of Pictures—pictures , it must be understood , of the ^ social side of military life—travelling adventures in the' region of the War , rather than battle-pieces . All subjects of the picturesque kind come alike to his hand , and all alike are treated in a manner thoroughly and most attractively his own- Constantinople and Pera—the Black Sea and the Sailors—Varna in its dirtiest aspects—French Privates in their prosiest politeness of manner—Transports , and the company on board—Balaklava , and dialogues between the English sailors and the Turks—Camp life and the Bashi-Bouzoukspen-and-ink portraits of Russian spies , officers , and soldiers—admirable sketches of the Zouaves—Travelling miseries and adventures in V \ allachiathe Demi-Monde , French and Russian , in the East—these are only a few of the " pictures" which our lively author has brought home from the battlefields , and which he always contrives to paint brilliantly and agreeably "from tne life . " Besides the pages devoted to the immediate subject of his book , there are some chapters on the abuses and corruptions of our diplomatic system , and some character-portraits of the highly-distinguished gentlemen who condescend to thrive upon them , which are . strikingly sue < jessfiil . as unflinching exposures of systematic wrong-doing-, by a man evidently w « ll acquainted with his subject , and thoroughly able to do full justice to his convictions with his pen . Leaving these passages to be ¦ enjoyed' by our readers , we will give them one specimen from another part of the volume which is . better adapted for our present purpose—of making a short extract—and -will then bid the Roving Englishman heartily and gratefully farewell . THE ZOUAVE . Respecting the rights of property , a Zouave ' s ideas are not quite correct ; he would steal anything to eat or drink , in an impudent , dashing sort of -way , without the smallest compunction ; but then he would walk twenty miles through a bog in a snow-storm to return it , if he found out afterwards that he had stolen it from anybody entitled to his peculiar sympathy , or if his feelings became subsequently interested about them—or , perhaps , even for a whim . He likes brigandage more from the danger and bravado of it , than from any substantial advantages which he may hope to reap ; for if you meet him with his hands full of no matter what , that he may just have become possessed of at the most dreadful risk , his first object and anxiety appears to be how he shall get rid of his burden , to set out again immediately in chase of something else . If any one has ever shown him the smallest kindness , he -will pay it with the most surprising magnificence . For a pipe of tobacco supplied to him at some forgotten time of need , or for a drop out of a brandy-flask , he would return a casket of jewels snatched from a general conflagration in a town given over to plunder . When he has conferred a benefit on anybody , he is apt to disappear with ^ jreat agility , or even perhaps to do or say something offensive , in his anxiety to avoid thanks ; and he would never thieve with such determined perseverance as when foraging for a sick Englishman : " Car ces Jean Boule , voyez vous , 9 a ne saft rien ! ca ne sait pas s ' arranger comme nous autres ; 9 a ne sont que des zenfans , puis 9 a nous saime ! cr < S nom de chien comme 9 a nous zaime !" I think I see one of the rowdy , kind-hearted little fellows now . He is the guide , philosopher , and friend of a towering guardsman—for your Zouave is aristocratic in his ideas and predilections , so that he will seldom be seen to consort with the common troops of the line . Both Guardsman and Zouave are proud of their intimacy , and take every possible means to display it , though their conversation is utterly incomprehensible to themselves or anybody else : it consists in eccentric but fruitless sallies into the English language ,, on the one side , and into the French on the other , each friend obligingly translating into his native tongue what ho supposes the meaning of tthe other friend may be , the first speaker confirming the translation with the promptest and most social approval . Our little friend looks up at his gigantic companion with an air of admiring solicitude and protection that completely beggars description . His baggy red breeches come down so low , from want of braces , as almost to hide his legs ; his blue ] jacket flies open in well studied disarray ; and his immense turban is cocked so much on one side , that it is a wonder how he keeps it on- Ho wags his hips martially , aa he struts along with hie little nose in ' the air , and his little white gaiters on his little feet , a yard apart from each other . He has no consciousness of being ridiculous , and he believes , with all his stout little heart , that the eyes of the world are fixed on him and his acquaintance—as , indeed , they are . A Trip to Hie Trendies differs from the volume just noticed , in that . it gives us tlie martial side of military life , and takes us dangerously near to the < $ n . emy . The author had two objects in visiting the Trenches as an " Amateur . " The first , to observe as a civilian what effect the practical exercise of his vocation had upon the nature of the soldier ; and the second , to discover for himself whether the terrible narratives of oflicial incapacity and misconduct in the East , by which the Times startled and shocked all England , were exaggerated or not . The result of these investigations appears in tho volume before us . We can honestly praise it as an intelligently and modestly written book , containing much to interest and instruct , and offering many proofs of careful observation and . just judgment on the author ' s part . His opinions on reforms that are still grievously wanted ; his narrative of what he himself saw of the condition of the army in . the Trenches , in Camp , and in Hospital ; and hie testimony to the deteriorating effect of war on tho soldier ' s nature , are presented to the reader , with a moderation and fairneBs . which have given us a most favourable impression of the author , and of the-value of what ho has to communicate . Wo will quote from his volume a page or two descriptive of BAX . AKr . AVA IN FKBKUABT . Webrnory ard . — i-The morning was bitterly cold , wind and snow , and twelvo dagreoa of frosfc The sight that mot our eyes when wo wont on dock in the raprniug was
really quite sickening . The stern of our vessel was about twenty yards from the shore , and there we saw scores of miserable , half-clothed , half-starved objects shivering on the wharfs , or trying in vain to keep their blood in circulation by shambling up and down ; -no workhouse could have shown a more abject set of paupers than did Balaklava that morning . Good Heavens , was one ' s first thought can these miserable objects , with scanty ragged coats , clothes in tatters , and boots in holes , or with none at all , be British soldiers , who the country is informed by their rulers are at this moment actually borne down with warm clothing , and furnished with every luxury that the mind of the soldier can conceive ? How fearfully have the government been deceived , or how cruelly have they deceived the people of England ? The warm clothing was just now , on the 3 rd of February , being served out , slowl y enough , Heaven knows ! and long boots were being issued at the rate of six and seven pairs to each regiment . The distribution of warm clothing was not completed before the middle of February , and many officers' servants and batmen had not even received them by the 20 th of the month ! Miserable as the men were when I arrived , I was assured that their condition had
wonderfully improved during the last three weeks . If that was true , in what a pitiable case must they have been during January ? About nine or ten o ' clock fatigue parties began to drop in from the front ; gaunt , haggard , bearded men , with a reckless , desperate look that was indescribable . Many of these had sheep-skin coats ; some of the Artillery and Cavalry good long blue great coats , and even long boots ; but the majority of the men , especially those of the line , were clothed in every imaginable patched-up , worn-out garment it is possible to conceive ; there was not an atom of uniform visible amongst the lot of them . The appearance of the cavalry horses was most pitiable ; if no workhouse could have supplied a more dilapidated quota of bipeds , no knacker ' s yard could have supplied more miserable quadrupeds . Gaunt cavalry horses , eaten up with mange , with tails half eaten off , more than half starved , and with scarcely strength to move one leg before the other , were being dragged or kicked along , with slight loads of planks , or bags of biscuits , under which any jackass in England , would have trotted away with ease .
Lieutenant Peard ' s Narrative of the Campaign in the Crimea asserts one strong claim to our welcome—it is , we believe , the first English account of the War in the East by an officer who has actually taken part in it . The author was ordered for service with his regiment in July , 1854 , and was not invalided and sent home until after the battle of Inkerman . lie was , consequently , present at all the most conspicuous events of the first campaign ; and he has described them in a simple , manly , straightforward manner in the pages before us . As a clear and modest narrative of the war , from the personal point of view of a brave soldier , this little book has a special merit , and secures a friendly greeting . We have allowed our other two authors to speak for themselves ; and we must , before closing the present article , in common justice extend the same privilege to Lieutenant Peard . A fair example of his truthful , unaffected style of writing , may be chosen from the record of his own experience of the fearful hurricane in which the " Prince" was lost :
THE STORM AMONG THE TENTS . Our tent was so old and thin , that the rain came through in great quantities ; but I fortunately had a waterproof sheet , which I laid over my bed , and it rendered me great service . But the men , however , had not these luxuries , and had to light against the elements as best they could . The tents were crowded to excess , and for some time they had as many as twenty men in each , and consequently swarmed with vermin . The men ' s clothes were torn and in a filthy state , and their boots -were in tatters on their feet ; they had purchased some French-made boots at Balaklava for seven or eight shillings a pair , and these had come to pieces as soon as the first rain fell . No one can form an idea of the wretched picture the British soldier presented at this period , or of his emaciated appearance . It blew fresh on the 13 th from the south-west , but there were no indications of worse weather , and the night was comparatively fine , and at intervals almost calm . Towards daylight on the 14 th , however , a gale came on , which , at 6 . 30 a . m ., grew into the most fearful hurricane ever remembered in that country . This was accompanied by thunder and lightning and torrents of rain .
Being ill , and not likely to be called out , I had unfortunately undressed myself , and I . had not time to put on my clothes before our tent was blown quite over our heads , inside out , the pole at the samo time falling , on my head , with swords and things which hung around it . The wind was blowing so furiously that the sea of mud which was before us was blown up in our faces , and covered everything about us . I looked in despair at S , who was in a roar of laughter ; while our servants were standing around , unable to move for amazement . All the neighbouring tents had shared , or were sharing , the same unhappy fute . My eye caught K ' s tent still standing , and I told my servant to carry me in my bedding to it . Tho poor wretch stopped linlf-way , and looked in my face , as much
aa to say , he could carry me no further , and 1 was in the greatest fear of being precipitated , headlong into the mud : however , ho staggered on , and depouited me in the tent on li ' a bed , which he most kindly prepared for me . 1 found him holding on , in the most determined manner , to his tent-pole , which was reeling about very suspiciously . Tentless friends came in all the morning , mid they were Hivorn mto the service , and by their united exertion * it weathered tho gale ; others were wulkinfj about in their cloaks , drenched to their skin , seeking shelter from the pitilesH storm . Eyes were cast to the other Divisions , and we found they were in the mime plight us ourselves ; all except tho Turks , who seem better to understand the urt ol tentmaking . And so we take leave of three writers of War-Literature , who are also—it is pleasant to be able to add—three writers of good and useful books .
Books On Oult Table. Travels And Adventu...
BOOKS ON OUlt TABLE . Travels and Adventures in the Province of Assam , duriny a Jieaidence of Fourteen i can-By Major John Butlor . Smith , JCldur , and to-Select Works of Thomas Chalmers , D . D ., LL . D . Edited by hb Son-in-Lnw , thu liov . William IIan » ia , LL . D . Vol . 4 . Thomas Countable anU O <> . Passing Thoughts . I 3 y James Douglas , of Cavora . Thomas Constublu a « d t / 0 . 4 now ? Geography for Children . By llarriet Beeehor Stowo . Koviwcd by an Kn « l | sU Lady , by direction of the Author . Sninpnon Low , # o ) i , and Co . Education : a Lecture . By N . I . Lulto , M . 11 . C . P . Arthur Hall , Virtue and Co . £ yfc of Napoleon the Third , Emperor of the French , from his Birth to the Present Time ; Illuttratedfroin his Letters and / Speeches . By Frederick Greenwood . * Purtridgo , Oakey , uud Co .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 2, 1855, page 18, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_02061855/page/18/
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