The day after the opening, I proposed to Doctors Cumming and Macgregor, the superintendent, to take one wing of the hospital, which contained one-fourth of the patients, and supply these with all which they might require. This I did with the greatest ease, and without the least confusion, much to the satisfaction of the patients. I continued to do this for three days, and then took half of the hospital in hand. As I wished fully to impress the patients with the superiority of my newly-adopted diets, I then took the other half in hand, and put the first back to the old _régime_, for a day or two, as I was not quite prepared to undertake the whole at once. The patients immediately became dissatisfied, so I was obliged to go with Dr. Macgregor to them and explain the reason of the sudden change, which was only momentary, three cheers from my numerous guests closing my laconic, though effective, speech. CHAPTER XII. THE SCUTARI MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. The extra-diet kitchens closed--One large kitchen--Plan for keeping the dinners hot--General satisfaction--The General Hospital--Summons to Kululee--Labours there--Palace and Hyder Pacha Hospitals--Ordered to proceed to the Crimea--Model field-stove--Conversation with Lord W. Paulet--A new Purveyor-in-chief--Companions for the voyage to the Crimea--An evening at Dr. Macgregor’s--Return home--A midnight scene--The dying soldier--The guardian angel--Mr. Robertson, the new purveyor--Final tour of inspection--General Vivian and his aide-de-camp--Parting testimony. A few days afterwards, I closed all the extra-diet kitchens, with the exception of the one under the direction of Miss Nightingale, and another under the direction of Dr. Taylor, having discharged about twenty soldier cooks, who consumed daily ten times more fuel than was required; this at the same time much deteriorated the quality of the extra diets, which required the greatest attention as regarded the regulation of the heat. We prepared everything in the one large kitchen--viz., breakfast, dinner, tea, extra-diets, the cooking for the orderlies, &c., included. Having got all under my own eye, I placed two civilian cooks in charge of the extra-diets, with six soldiers to assist them, who might at the same time be instructed, instead of the twelve before required--thus simplifying the whole process.