sea, while the enemy's will decrease. I was delighted to hear of the reception we gave the Emperor and Empress ^ in England, for I think it will do an immense deal of good. It will flatter the French national vanity, and there is nothing so conciliating to a Frenchman as that, except perhaps flattering his private vanity. Our Sardinian allies are not yet arrived, and I cannot make out why they are so long. They will be very acceptable when they do come, and we expect great assistance from them.... You can have no idea how comfortable our huts are; they will be more serviceable against heat than against cold, for they are delightfully cool. Promotion is going on very rapidly in our regiment, and I am already, within a year, more than half-way up the list of captains.... Send me out the best map you can procure of Russia, and another of Europe. I should like the best; as they may be rather expensive let me know how much they cost, for recollect I am a rich man now. How lovely your gardens must be looking now.... — Ever your affectionate son,
Fredk. Stephenson.
PS. — I have just heard the reason of the recall of the Kertch expedition; it is not a good one, nothing can be worse. The Emperor knows nothing about it; an order was simply sent from Paris for all available ships to be sent at once to Constantinople to bring away troops for the Crimea. The fleets, however, were on their way to Kertch, so Canrobert rides off at once to consult with Lord Raglan, who, after a long talk, persuades him not to recall the expedition. Canrobert rides home, but an hour after Lord Raglan receives a message saying that he has changed his mind and recalled the fleet. There's a General for you! there's a man who doesn't feel responsibility! there's decision of character! there's common sense! And this is he who is in command of an army of 100,000 men and whose object is the conquest of the Crimea!! I I
[fragment illegible in the scan of the first edition]
To Lady Stephenson
My dear Mother, — We have had a great deal to interest and keep us aUve this last week, and though you will have heard by telegraph most of the particulars, I dare say you will like to hear a few remarks of my own. On Tuesday and Wednesday nights the French fought a severe action between their own and the Russian works, and although they lost a great number of men, nevertheless they succeeded in the object of their attack and gained a most important success in advancing their works very considerably nearer the town, and as we did the same thing in our works during their fight, the siege has made good progress in consequence. On Wednesday morning the Kertch expedition sailed, and while, on the following day. Her Majesty's birthday was being duly celebrated in England, it was done full honour to out here by one of the most charming successes possible. Kertch and Yenikale were taken possession of without firing a shot, the only casualty arising from a drunken French soldier, who, in trying to break in the door of a house, accidentally discharged his firelock, which killed a Highlander and wounded his rear rank man. The following day 18 pennants of the allied squadrons were floating in the Sea of Azoff, this squadron being ordered, I believe, to proceed to the mouth of the Don and burn and destroy everything they came across. They say there are 300 merchant ships that have taken refuge in this sea; the destruction of these vessels will be a great blow to Russia, and if they can manage to destroy Tuganrog and a few other places on the sea, it will be a great thing. We have just dispatched Colonel Dixon, of the Engineers, with twenty heavy guns to build a fort on the Asiatic side of the Straits of Kertch to protect the passage. The Russians had built their fort of Yenikale (or New Fort) on the European shore, but there is a deeper channel close under the Asiatic shore, and
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