to be put off, as the Commissariat had not provisions enough ready to start for two or three days

more.

May 30th.-Sir George Brown left here with his staff on Sunday evening for Varna, and his division followed him yesterday, consisting of seven battalions of infantry, one troop of horse artillery, and three troops of the eighth Hussars, and it is to be hoped that they have arrived by this time. All the sailing transports were towed by steamers. The distance from Constantinople to Varna by sea is about 140 miles. In a few days the Duke of Cambridge's Division, consisting of the brigade of Guards and Highlanders, will go up; and after them the 2nd Division, under Sir De Lacy Evans. The whole of the infantry has, I believe, arrived, with the exception of one battalion. The 8th Hussars and the 17th Lancers are the only cavalry regiments yet come, but the transports with cavalry on board are arriving daily. It is very bad policy of the Government sending out the cavalry and artillery in sailing transports: many horses die on the voyage, and almost all arrive in bad condition, and are not fit for

service for some time after they are landed. Some of the horse-transports have been sixty and seventy days coming out. Far better to keep the horses in England till they have steamers available that would bring them out in ten or twelve days: in so short a time the horses would not lose their condition, and would therefore be fit for active service the moment they arrived in the East. The commissariat are now getting on with their purchase of baggage animals, and during the last three weeks they have bought some 3000, and I believe many more are collected at Varna. There are 500 horses coming from Tunis and Alexandria, intended as remounts for the cavalry and artillery. I can't help thinking they will prove too light for either service. The weather is very hot; it was 95° in the men's tents the other day. Two French officers of the "EtatMajor" have lately been attached to Lord Raglan's personal staff, and I have made the acquaintance of both. One is Colonel Lagondie, and the other Commandant Vico,—the first, a very fat, powerful man, who speaks English perfectly; he is very well read both in English and French literature; certainly

clever, and has much to say for himself. The other, M. Vico, is a thorough Frenchman, always very smartly dressed, with a waist that any lady might be proud of. He does not speak English, but is very amiable and good-natured. I like him the best. They are attached to the English head-quarters as the medium of communication between the allied Commanders-in-Chief. On the personal staff of Marshal St. Arnaud are Colonel Rose and Major Claremont, who act in the same capacity as Colonel Lagondie and Commandant Vico. It is strange, considering how much has, during the last two or three years, been said, especially by the press, of the inferiority of our soldiers' appointments to those of the French, that I have heard many French officers lately praise so highly the arms, clothing, and accoutrements of our men, and say how very superior they are to theirs, and also what much better rations our men have than theirs. Yet, if you were to believe the English newspapers, everything we have is not to be compared to the French. Somehow or other, I don't know how it is, but the reporters of the English journals have made themselves very unpopu

lar. They appear to try and find fault whenever they can, and throw as much blame and contempt on the English authorities as if their object was to bring the British army into disrepute with our allies. Altogether they seem to write in a bad spirit, and in a manner calculated to occasion much discontent and grumbling among the troops, and therefore tending to injure the discipline of the army. A few days ago two reporters of newspapers went to headquarters, and asked for an order on the commissariat for tents and animals to carry their baggage, rations for themselves and their servants, &c. &c.; and when told that no provision could be made for them, appeared to think they were very hardly used, and grumbled not a little, and one, as he was going away, talked about the "respect due to the press"! In the French army no reporters are tolerated, and, though that is rather too strong a measure, I think, at any rate, some sort of constraint might be kept on these gentlemen, so that they should not send home the complaints of every discontented man, and keep people in England in constant agitation and anxiety by their reports of official misman

agement, which are really oftentimes purely imaginary.

May 31st.-I was present at a grand diplomatic dinner last night, given by Lord Stratford in honour of the Duke of Cambridge. The guard of honour to receive his Royal Highness was furnished by the 93rd Highlanders, with their band, and they not a little astonished many of the diplomatists with the noise of their bagpipes and the appearance of their kilts. I was much amused at the contrast between Lord Stratford and the Turkish Ministers. His Lordship so slight and upright, so cool and calm, and yet so very dignified; the Ministers of the Porte so fat and round-shouldered, so hot and flurried, and so very ungraceful; one and all so anxious for a word from the English Ambassador, and yet so uncomfortable when his eagle glance fell upon them. However, as dinner advanced, the Turks got more at their ease, and ate immoderately, and, in most instances, did not despise the excellent wine with which the table was supplied. After dinner all the smokers retired to a room hard by, and indulged in their hookas. Probably you have heard