army on our right on the Balbek. Perhaps they are gone to watch the operations from Eupatoria. At all events, we are relieved from them for the present, and Sir Colin Campbell, who is entrusted with the defence of Balaclava, will now be able to take his breeches off, which he has never done at night yet since he first landed in the Crimea. You ask about Sir Richard England.3^ He is not thought much of in his Division as a General, they do not think him particularly competent, and rather look upon him as an old woman; but it is childish to accuse him of not having been more engaged with the enemy than he has been. At the Alma his Division was placed in support of the 2nd Division, not by his wish of course, but by Lord Raglan's orders. The 2nd Division did its work without wanting the help of its support, and so it happened that the 3rd Division was not engaged; but Sir Richard could not help that. He had a particular post assigned him, and could not go skylarking all over the field just as he pleased; and again at Inkerman the attack was on the right of our line, and Sir Richard's division was on the left, nearly three miles off. In front of him is our left attack or parallel, containing 35 guns defended by a guard of 500 men; his business is to support that guard in case of attack, and suppose the Russians had made a sortie upon those trenches in large numbers on that morning, as they did upon the French trenches, and in the meanwhile Sir Richard had marched his Division three miles off, what sort of a position would he have stood in in the event of this supposed sortie succeeding? If Sir Richard England should have been at Inkerman, Lord Raglan ought to have ordered him there; but his proper place was where he actually was. As it was, he detached two regiments to the field, which was as much as he dared spare. The fact is, the Times not being infallible, now and then talks about matters of which it is not thoroughly the master, and instead of retiring with grace and dignity when it finds itself in the wrong, tries to justify itself by abuse, and (in this case) most
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
ridiculous assertions. Heaven forbid Sir Richard England from commanding the forces out here, but as for abusing him in the way the Times does it is both foolish and ungentlemanlike. Pray thank my mother and sisters for a parcel I received five days ago, containing some flannel shirts, two books, etc.... Best love to Julia and all your dear children.... — Your affectionate brother,
'Fredk. Stephenson.
To his Sister, Charlotte Augusta Stephenson
Before Sebastopol, January 12, 1855.
My dear Guss, —... I have received a box coming from I know not whom, containing a most acceptable collection of warm underclothing, some indiarubber water [? bottles'], with a pillow and some provisions, consisting of a German sausage, tea, sugar, and portable soup. I cannot say how thankful I am for them.... A better selection could not have been made. If they do not come from you, pray try and find out who my kind benefactor is, and you will much oblige me. And now that I have discharged this duty, I have another, a most painful one to perform, and that is to announce to poor Mrs. Mitchell the death of her husband. Poor fellow! I have just heard with really deep sorrow of his death at Scutari of diarrhoea on the 27th of December. He had been ill some time previously, indeed soon after Inkerman, of diarrhoea and fever; at last I thought it best to send him down to the Hospital at Balaclava, and from there he was sent to Scutari. Poor fellow I I feel his loss like that of a friend; he served me truly and faithfully for nine years, and I looked upon him more like a friend than a servant. Tell his poor wife how deeply I sympathise with her. I quite dread her hearing the news. He behaved most gallantly at Alma and Inkerman, and has died in the service of his country, having done his duty faithfully throughout. I feel sure he died a happy man. I used constantly to lend him
1855] DEATH OF HIS SERVANT 123