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    not very clearly explained , no copy was that day seat by th « French . Admiral to his Government , he having received an assurance from Admiral Napier that the report of the meeting should be communicated by the English Government to that of France through the Ambassador . Before transmitting the minutes to England , Admiral if apier is said to have added a postscript , or written a separate despatch to the Admiralty , to the effect that the minutes contained the opinions of tlie officers of the squadron , but that these opinions were not in conformity with his own ; and that , on the contrary , he thought the attack on Helsingfors and Sweaborg ought to be made at once . This despatch , or postscript , is stated not to have been communicated to the French

    Admiral . This officer became acquainted with the fact soon after ; and without loss of time sent to his Government the minutes , which it appears he drew up from memory , aided by the officers who were present . In the meantime , the Imperial Government received from . London the communication of the report as transmitted by Admiral Napier , with the Admiral ' s separate postscript , and the result was , that orders -were at once sent by the Miniser of Marine to Admiral Descienes to

    commence the attack forthwith . Before anything could be done the communication made directly by the Admiral , and which contained the decision of the meeting of officers against the attack , reached the Government , wio , no doubt convinced by the reasons submitted to them , at once sent counter-orders ; and these counter-orders were in all probability those to which I alluded a few days since . This matter has , it is said , produced an -unpleasant feeling among the officers of the fleets , though not by any means against each other . "

    At any rate the fleets are coming home without having gamed anything in the Baltic except Bomarsund , and , perhaps—experience .

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    ANECDOTES OP ALMA . Every day brings with it its 'budget of information of the " Battle . " The contributions of intelligence from private hands are not among the least interesting histories of the events of the day . Every roan of course has a personal history to tell ; and many of them have a value outside the circle of families . We subjoin some selections : —> . A Son ' s Letter tco his Mother . —The Honourable Hugh . Annesley , of the Guards , was severely , wounded , and he writes thus to his mother : —" The Light Division advanced to the attack , supported by the first -division ( Guards and Highlanders } . They got across the river , and then advanced against the entrenchments .

    The 23 rd was in column when the brigade of Guards charged in line . My company ( 4 th ) was next to the colours , and in the very centre of the line . We got up to within fifty yards of the ditch , when the regiment before us ( which has had the three senior officers killed ) turned right about , and came down in our face , thus breaking our lino . We were about thirty paces then from the . ditch , and the fire was so hot that you could hardly conceive it possible for anything the size of a rabbit not to be killed . I kept on shouting , ' Forward , Guards ! ' to the ? fqw men that were not swept away by the , when a ball came and stopped my mouth most unceremoniously . It entered the left cheek , and went out at the mouth , taking away the front teeth , I

    in-Btantly turned to the rear , feeling it was about 10 0 to 1 against my ever getting there , as the bullets were ¦ whizzing round me like hail . I tripped , and thought it was all over with me . However , I got up again with the loss of my sword and bearskin , and at last got into the river , and out of fire . I had then another struggle on the other side , where grapo and round shot wore ploughing up tho ground , and shells bursting ; however , I stumbled on , and at last got out of ilre , and sat down among -wounded and dying soldiers and horses . Tho doctors gave mo soino water , and then wore obliged to go to others ; bo wlion they left , I sat tliore for above half an hour before I could find out whore our hospital was . At last an officer of tho 10 th , though wounded himself , gavo

    mo his arm , and took mo to tho Fusilier Hospital , where I got some water , and sat down to bathe my face , There wore six or seven of our follows thoro -, one with five balls ii > him , another three , and a third with his leg broken . My servant got mo somo Iblankcts , and then wo got ft atftblo , half-burned down , cleaned out , and five of us lay there fojr tho night , vory wretched na you may suppose , operations going on all round us . Sorno weak brandy nnd wator and some tea wore all wo h&d . Tho ehed we woro in waa n horrid thing—tho hoat , and dust , and / lies intolerable j so in tho morning four of ua camo down to tho fleet , and I with two others am on board

    her Majesty ' s whip London . I had n hot bath and some arrowroot . I watt nearly famished , having had nothing to oat . since four o ' clock a . m . tho duy before . Tlxo doctor says tho enrolling will noon go down , it ' s rather painful , of coujtho , at present Poor B oiuno to hoo mo in Uio hovol wo woro lying in , . and burst into tours when ho rocoguiaod nno , I wua ho ul tared . Of course one cannot have ah ounce of loud through out * without swelling , and my face in like a go « od-Hized turnip j my mouth much larger than I have any desire lo h « g it In future . I do not suppose tho ball could havu hit mo In any other part of tho hand where it would not 3 havo boon attended with more danger—a most suminury dentist

    the ball was , to take out all my teeth at one smash , except four grinders ( there was a decayed one , -which I hope has gone with its brethren , but I can't make out yet if it has or mot ) . There is a good bit of tongue gone also , but the doctors say that will not signify , and that I shall speak as plain as ever , or , at most , only with a becoming lisp ; so , altogether , I thuik even you must allow that I have every reason to be thankful , and 1 hope you will not allow yourself to fret the least about me . Just as we were charging the great redoubt , I prayed 'O God ! spare me ! ' and I really no more expected to return alive than if I lad been tied to the cannon's mouth . Only fancy grape and canister being fired at us within thirty yards , besides a whole battalion letting drive as hard as they could into us . .... I -vms close

    to Lindsey when the Queen's colour -was smashed in his hand ; there were twenty bullet holes in it , yet he was not touched . The doctor cannot say how long I shall be unfit for duty , but I shall try for leave to go to England soon . Strange , Jocelyn was the only officer commanding a company who was not struck by a ball . Seymour was not wounded , but hit 5 n the watch , which saved Ms life . The Russian soldiers are savages : fancy their firing at our poor men when , they were lying wounded on the ground—they even -tried to stab some of them with their bayonets . One of our doctors was actually binding up a Russian's wound , when the man turned round and fired at him . Tell B I shall , perhaps , have some shooting with him , this winter , after all . I shall , at least , try to get home . * ¦ * *"

    The Fusilier Guaeds' Colours . — - Among the many daring exploits of the intrepid men . by whose energy and unshaken courage the allied arms have been carried , to the heights of the Alma , we have not heard of an instance which surpasses in cool daring the conduct of Lieutenants Lindsey and Tkistlethwsite , of the Scots Fusilier Guards , the Queen ' s colour being carried by the former , and the regimental colour by the latter gentleman . At the moment before the heights were gained , and when the deadly ' struggle raged so fiercely as to make it almost impossible to tell friend , from foe , the two lieutenants "became separated from their batta ^ - lion , and found themselves , with the four sergeants whose duty it was to support them , attacked . by a body of

    Russians , whose commanding officer had led them against the colours . A desperate conflict ensued , the four sergeants quickly fell under a shower of balls . The Queen ' s colour , carried by Mr , Lindsey , was torn into stripes , being pierced by a cloud of bullets . The staff was shot in two ; still the gallant officers persevered , and succeeded in cutting their way through the enemy who surrounded them . They were aWy assisted , and at the right moment , by Captain Drummond , the adjutant of the regiment , whose horse was at that moment shot from under him . Captain Lindsey , seeing the danger to

    winch the colours were exposed , rushed . to the relief , and , with a revolver pistol , shot -three of the assailants . The successful bearers of the standard escaped almost miraculously , and succeeded in planting their colours on the heights , which had been then but just won from the Russians , Mr . Lindsey having actually climbed the steep face of the hill with the aid of the broken staff , while he excitingly waved what remained of it , with her Majesty ' s colours , over his head . Neither this gallant gentleman nor his equally distinguished companion , Mr . Thistlethwaite , received any hurt .

    A Fighting Militauy Secretary . —Colonel Steele , Lord Kaglan ' s military secretary , was for some time supposed to have fallen . Lord Kaglan , in the heat of tlie light , ordered him to ride to the brigade of Guards and give the order to advance , intending , of course , that , tlie order being given , ho should return to his plnco with tho staiF . The moment was , however , too exciting for the hot blood of the military secretary , and , having given tho order of his chief , he rushed forward himself with his old battalion , and did not again present himself to Lord Raglan until he camo to announce that tho iield was won , and to ask forgiveness for tho breach of orders of which ho had been guilty in joining in the brilliant charge of tho Guards which so largely aidod in gaining the battle .

    I ins Hiohlani ) JiniGADK . —A soldier of tho 42 nd Highlanders writes ;— "After tho battle , Lord Kaglan , the Duko of Cambridge , and Sir Colin Campbell , tho genoral of our brigade , with all the staff , camo up to our regiment , and lmlted in front of tho colours , which were unfurled , ana complimented tho regiment in a vory gratifying manner , nnd said that wo should bo particularly mentioned in tho Government despatches . Tho Duko -also did us justice ) . Sir Colin Campbell was fairly overjoyed with his Highland brigade . Ho rodo forward to > Lord llaglaii , n »< l said that as ho had been kind to him from hi » boyhood , that ho wished to ask him one favour , and that was , that ho would allow him to woftr one of our feather bonnets , whioh request was granted him on tiio spot . Our Colonel Cameron declared afterwards that ho did not know till then that liu

    is a brick . ' ' Ay , ' says a sergeant of ours , ' and you are a brick yourself , ' and so we gave them three times three . " Lord Raglan ' s Debt of Hououk . —A mot is attributed to Lord Raglara at Alma . When the armies were drawn up , the French ofiicer who was in attendance on his Lordship for the purpose of communicating with the Marshal , made some observation upon the appearance of the French wing , to the right of the English . " Yes said Lord Eaglan , glancing at has empty sleeve , " France owed me an arm , and she has paid me . "

    Ubiquity of the Irish . —An Irish surgeon , writing to the Freeman ' s Journal , says : — " Very strange that every man I spoke to on the 21 st was a countryman . I was often amused at their remarks—their elasticity and queer drollery never forsake them under the most trying or even awful circumstances . 3 observed to one fellow of the 23 rd , who was looking among the slain for a lost comrade , ' You had Rot work of it yesterday , my man ?' ' Bedad , sir , you may say that ; but we showed them as purty a bit of play sis ever they had . I wish you were here to see us at them , sir ; it would do your heart good . ' I replied , ' That much as I admired the purty play , as he called it , I questioned if my heart would be a bit the gainer for being near them . ' He agreed with me . And then to hear them in groups asking each other , ' Did you see Mick Coimellor Thady Murphy this morning , or are they here ? It was great to see Jim Sullivan walking into a lot of these Booshiins /"'

    Enthusiasm makes Light " Weights . — -A private in the 7 th lusiliers vrrites home to his friends : — " The cannon shot came into our ranks in all manner of ways , but-We advanced right through it , and through a liver to get close to them . I was tired with carrying a load oninyback before I got into the fight , but after I got through the river and into the fight , I did not feel the load at all , for I looked over rny shoulder to see if I had it on my back , for 5 t felt as if I had nothing on , and it was safe . " The Contents of JMenschikofi . '' s Carriage . —r A letter from an ofiicer serving in the Criinea , dated Camp , Balaklava , September 28 , 1354 , states i— " Poor

    Menschikoff , who . commanded , ' , left behind him his carriage and horses , the former being full of boxes , containing most magnificent Hussar uniforms , and also portmanteaus of valuable articles . These were quickly ransacked . Watches and jew-elry , arms , and fine clothing of every kind were found , which soon exchanged possessors in the persons of our men . The officers came in but for a small portion , though I deemed myself lucky in appropriating to my especial keeping a very compact and useful portmanteau , ' manufactured from the most esteemed -Russia leather . Among -the various articles found was a pair of white satin slippers , which made us suspect that the gallant chief was most agreeably attended in his campaign sojourning . "

    Russian Accounts phom the Alma . —A Russian infantry officer , who fought at the Alma against the English , wrote an account to St . Petersburg thus . — " The battle ( of the Alma ) was discontinued on our side solely because our battalions would have been exposed to tho fire of the English and French ship guns , which have a long range . The battle had for us no disadvantageous result , for the enemy required just as much time as we did to rally . Tho English , whom we had on our right wing , fouglit brilliantly ; wo could not deny them

    our admiration . The fire of tho Minie" rifles , with their long range , did us a good deal of mischief , and would have done us much more if the enemy had had better shots among them . Our antagonist has not as yet obtained the smallest advantage over us . The Prince ( Mcnschikoif ) id quite well , nnd tho state of the troops very satisfactory . Tho Cossacks arc constantly bringing in French marauders as prisoners , but it is a fact that we have as yet not taken a single English marauder . The old British Excellency ( Lord Kaglan ) who commands up there must bo keeping up good discipline . "

    Tins Famous Flank Movement on Sisbastoi'ol . — An ai'tillcry oilncor gives a graphic description of th « march toward Balnkhvva : —" We found ourselves on tlie 25 th within a mile or so of tho fur-fumed Sevastopol , whbn wo nil Bujppoecd wo should onci \ mp , and go to work in right earnest the day following . No such thing , howeror , took place , for wo were ordered to move on , and « t night wo encamped in a donso bush , just two miles from the city . During the night enmo the thumlej of artillery , as well as a sharp roll of musketry , whioli made us as active as squirrels ; thin , however , soon died away , nnd ' All's well' passed , from one end of 1 ho enmp to the other . Tho canoe of ulnnn nppourud to urifio from somo Cossttclta having -ventured Monicwhat nonr to the

    I ' ronch hues , who found u wnnupv roc-option than they contemplated . When iluy dawned wo were ngmn on tlie march , turning nNiilo iVoqn Subiml'opo ] , our tiicties being changed , na w « were limiting a do tour , so as to gain tho other Hide of this < : Uy . To accomplish thin engaged fl two ( lays' march , in conHocpicudo » if tho harbour talcing n dii'wtion inland . On » lui firm , oft Ik-no days wo parted company will * tho I'Yoneli , and proceeded by a narrow road which lmd In a direction away from Subnstopol . Thiri route led through tho Inwli , mining in u long road which uiicIohimI a largo opun space-, where several ronrtfl meet . AVhoa within n mile of tho nbovu wo heurd sovoral rounds flrori Innn urtillory , and pmiontly an « ldc ~ do-fla « 7 i [) rodo through tho wood and broug ht us tho intelligence that tho ltuHsiima wore occupy ing tho

    hud such a regiment . " Another writer , a corporal of tho 42 nd , suys : — " After tho battle , tho Duk « himself caimo up the hhhio uh if ho was ono of our chums , and nt tho sniiio tiino up tomes a colonel on horseback— ' I havci to thiuik your Ttoynl IJighncHs . forsavhiR uh to-dny . ' ' Oh , ' «« yn tho DuJco , ? you must not tlwnlt mo , for these nr < i the ( jontlomon that won tho day , «« U saved you . ' Tho oolonol rojpliod , And Sir Colin , too . ' ' Ah , ' says the Duko , ' Sir Colin

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    988 THE LEADER . [ Saturday ,

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Oct. 21, 1854, page 988, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2061/page/4/