Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil InstitutionsSoyer, Alexis
History
Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions
Soyer, Alexis
Cooking for military personnel; Crimean War, 1853-1856
I noticed that the Board of Health were aware of this, and had taken
sanitary measures by having great quantities of lime thrown over the
remains. Captain Heath observed that the mound would very likely be
completed the following day. I believe that such was the case, for a
short time after I saw it was done.
This unpleasant discovery broke up our party sooner than was intended,
but it did not disturb the mirth of the sailors; their fun lasted till
daybreak. This corner of the harbour was seldom frequented, which no
doubt was the reason that the exposure of the bodies had not been
noticed sooner. In pointing out this fact to Colonel Hardinge, he
observed that under the water his power ceased. Admiral Boxer’s nephew,
who was there, remarked that above the level of the water he had no
power; so that the tide, alternately washing over and receding from the
bodies, led me to infer that neither the naval nor military authorities
could remove the nuisance, as it must have been well known to many that
the bodies from the wreck were deposited there.
The floating bakeries called the _Bruiser_ and the _Abundance_ were now
ready to commence baking, and were visited by all the authorities--Lord
Raglan, Sir John Macneil, Colonel Tulloch, Commissary Filder, Dr.
Sutherland, the Admiral and the Commandant, &c. The vessels were so
crowded, that Captain Thompson, with whom I had the pleasure of being
well acquainted, expressed his fears of never being able to make a fair
beginning. Good bread was at that time, I must say, the most important
thing wanted. Bakeries were in course of erection at Kadikoi, so that
between the steamers and them about twenty-five or thirty thousand
rations could be made, producing a supply of bread four days per week,
and the other three biscuit. No one could then wish for better field
rations.
While at the Sanatorium, making inquiry about Miss Nightingale, I heard
from the purveyor that the doctor’s advice was that she should go direct
to England, when able to travel. My friend, Dr. Hadley, whom I was going
to face boldly, and scold for causing me so much trouble with his saddle
and bridle, had been waiting anxiously for my return. In despair, he had
gone out in search of them. I therefore did not see, though I heard much
about him.
Having met Mr. Parker, the clergyman, he informed me that he had been
told that I had lost four horses in three days--viz., three myself and
my secretary one, and that none of them belonged to me. Upon this I
replied, “Therein lies the merit of being trusted. Had they been my own
it would have been nothing, as any fool can manage to lose his own
horse, but it requires a good deal of skill and standing in society to
lose four belonging to other persons, in so short a space of time.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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