ANECDOTES, ETC

THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE’S HEAD-QUARTERS PRIOR TO THE BATTLE OF INKERMANN.

His Royal Highness’s quarters were situate about one hundred and thirty yards to the left of the windmill on the Woronzoff Road. Five parallel bell-tents were occupied--one by the duke, the others by Colonel Macdonald, Colonel Tyrwhitt, Major Clifton, and Dr. Gibson, his staff. M. Comte, _chef de cuisine_ to the duke, and to whose devotion to all who came in his way and needed help while in the Crimea I before have had in this work occasion to allude, has since related to me that on the morning of the Battle of Inkermann he got up at three o’clock, the weather being chilly and damp and a thick heavy fog surrounding the camp, and having lit his fire he made himself some tea, when, about five, as he was quietly smoking his pipe _à la bivouacaire_, within range of the fire (of his open-air battery) the duke came up to him, exclaiming, “Halloo! M. Comte, you are about early this morning.”

“Yes, your Highness,” he replied; “the fact is, the weather is so cold and damp, that for the life of me I could not sleep, therefore I turned out and made myself a cup of tea.”

“You are right,” said the duke, warming his feet by the fire; “the weather is truly wretched.”

Hardly had the duke said these words, than several volleys of musketry and loud shouts reverberated through the camp, something like the growls of thousands of wild animals. Leaving no doubt that it was an attack of the enemy, the duke immediately left me and ran for his horse, and was soon mounted, and started alone towards the scene of action; a few minutes after, his staff followed in the wake of their gallant leader. So sudden was his departure, that, having made a bowl of tea which I had intended for him, though I ran after him with it in my hand, his Highness started without partaking of it. Not till five o’clock in the evening did the duke return, his horse wounded, and a bullet having passed through his coat-sleeve without injuring him. Major Clifton had been wounded in the cheek during the battle, and came back to quarters during the day to have his wound dressed by Dr. Gibson. On returning once more to the field of battle, he had his horse shot under him. When he again returned he was seen carrying the saddle of his defunct animal on his back. At the return of the staff in the evening, the outside of the duke’s head-quarters had the appearance of a field hospital, M. Comte having taken on himself to supply refreshment to all the wounded who were brought to his nursing care. I have heard that no less than six or seven hundred had been supplied with succour in the course of two or three days by his Highness’s faithful _chef de cuisine_.

On the 11th of the same month, and while the duke was staying on board the _Resolution_, in the harbour of Balaklava, our heroic _chef de cuisine_ was ordered to remain in possession of the commandant’s house in Balaklava, awaiting the return of his royal master, and also having under his charge no less than fifteen female prisoners of war, whom he was charged by the authorities to watch over with the aid of sentries, as it was thought that these female Amazons might fire Balaklava. Amongst them was the Governor’s wife and children. All the men being ordered out of the establishment, the Governor’s lady, with a smile on her lips, in very good French, inquired of M. Comte if two gentlemen present would be allowed to remain, which favour, after serious consideration on the part of the new Governor _pro tem._, was granted, these gentlemen being of the advanced ages respectively of three and five years. “Never did I feel a greater relief,” said M. Comte, “than when these lady prisoners were taken out of my charge, as each day discovered some fresh attempts at conspiracy.” It was during the governorship of this semi-warrior that the dreadful storm took place in the Bay of Balaklava, and uprooted the beautiful avenue of poplar trees which ornamented his capital, and which, to his sorrow, much disfigured the prettiest part of his dominions.

On a previous occasion, just after landing, before the battle of the Alma, this indefatigable culinary artist, who by the bye is an old traveller, was seen, under a heavy shower of rain, cooking beneath the wings of an open umbrella, preparing a dish of fried croquettes, at a time when the duke himself did not anticipate such a delicacy. The umbrella was used to stop the rain falling in the pan, which would have prevented the completion of this dainty dish, water and fat being irreconcilable foes.

Early the following morning an alarm took place, when our warrior-cook deserted his umbrella, and shouldered his gun in his right as commander-in-chief of his own battery (_de cuisine_). The moon was faintly shining, and with its rays appeared the duke, who indistinctly seeing some one, exclaimed, “_Who’s there?_” when M. Comte replied, “It is me, your Highness. Having heard the alarm, I considered your tent and my battery could not be too well guarded, so I have just taken up this musket to be on the defensive.” The duke replied, “Really, Comte, vous êtes impayable;” and immediately started with his staff to the supposed scene of action. After a few hours everything was restored to order, when Comte grounded arms, inspected his battery, and had breakfast ready to the minute as usual.

A VISIT TO THE SULTAN’S NEW PALACE OF DOLMA BATCHI.

In the month of March, 1856, I was fortunate enough to obtain an order, which I procured by great favour, to visit this huge pile of marble, prior to its final completion and occupation by his Majesty the Sultan and his harem; and although many parts of it were open to the public by ticket, yet very few visitors could boast of having seen so much of the interior as myself of this stupendous and most elegant area, where the modern houri of Mahomet were shortly to be located, they at this time still remaining in the old palace on the Bosphorus. The large room preparing for the reception of the Sultan’s favourites had but very little moveable furniture, but at the same time was most elegantly decorated. Nothing but couches were placed round the room, while the flooring was of highly-polished wood of a most tasty design; the whole of the hangings and coverings were of a rich satin of a lavender colour, with a large flowery pattern; twenty chandeliers, of immense dimensions--about seven feet in height--sprang from the ground, proudly bearing each more than one hundred wax-lights. The wall was after the Oriental fashion, which I do not much admire, here and there painted _al fresco_, representing various views of either landscape, colonnades, palaces, &c. In spite of this defect, the effect was so peculiar at the first glance, that it produced on me a most extraordinary sensation. To my surprise I found the ceiling remarkably low, but which I found, on consideration, would not appear so to its future innumerable tenants, from their habit of squatting on the floor. The effect of the light on this apartment had been tried two nights before, and the ends of the wax-lights still remained in the sockets of the chandeliers, and which, when lit, must have had a most extraordinary effect. Here for the first time I had an uninterrupted view from the interior of a harem, through the latticed windows, which are now made on an improved principle to the old Turkish style, which give y

THE PARISIAN KITCHEN FOR THE WORKING-CLASSES,

OR FOURNEANT DE L’IMPERATRICE

The kitchens for the working-classes are sixty-eight in number, each capable of supplying from one thousand to twelve hundred mechanics with good food, for which each one pays about two-thirds of the value received, although nothing is given gratuitously. They are attended by Sisters of Charity, and kept extremely clean, while the deficit is, I believe, made up by her Majesty the Empress and the municipality of Paris, from whom these institutions derive their name of Fourneant de l’Impératrice. The provisions are supplied from the central market of Paris, the Halle au Blé, which is under the superintendence of the Comptroller-General, M. Durand, by whom I was treated with the greatest courtesy while drawing up the report I made to his Majesty by imperial command; and I much regret that want of space prevents my giving it at full length here, although the report had chiefly a local importance. Wagons take the different articles of food early in the morning to all the establishments. These are most useful institutions, and in case of a scarcity of food, provisions could always, at a trifling expense, be dressed here for the needy. Indeed, every metropolis, and all large mercantile towns, ought to follow this excellent example, which, I believe, owes its origin to England.