The Widows were so instituted, about forty years or more ago, by Mary of Wirtemberg, during so many years the venerated Empress-Mother. It is quite possible that in the war-pressure their services proved rather nondescript, they being neither sisters nor nurses, strictly speaking; or perhaps the sole reason why Professor Pirogoff has not one good word for them is, that they were not under his orders. The Sisters of the Elevation of the Cross were a body of secular women, with a few Sisters of Mercy, formed by the Grand Duchess Helena, and placed by her under the orders of the famous civilian Surgeon Pirogoff, to whom the supreme surgical command in Sevastopol was virtually given. Several things are incidentally mentioned concerning them in his pamphlet, quite inconsistent with the constitution of an ordinary religious order. One or two things in the pamphlet are incongruous enough to English ideas:--the narrative given, however simply and succinctly, of the performances of the sisters by name, the publication of the Professor’s evident disagreement with the first “Oberin,” or Superior, who served ten months, (the second, whom he so highly praises, had only served two when he wrote); the improvement, by which the Sisters’ concerns were “sat upon” by the Comité of Oberin, Chaplain, Doctor, and elder Sisters, &c., &c. But the division of Professor Pirogoff’s war-nurses into three categories is a pregnant hint for future service, please God we yield it. These three categories consisted of (1) the “Verband-Schwestern,” or those who assisted the Surgeon in the dressings, and the “Feld-scherer” (Dresser) in preparing them. (2) The “Apothekerinnen,” or those who were in charge of all medical appliances for immediate use, and who superintended the “Feld-scherer” (Dresser) in the administration of medicines. (3) The “Wirthinnen,” who looked after the diets, clean linen, &c., of the patients, and the order of the hospital. Each “category” was responsible for carrying out the orders of the medical officers. To every Hospital-_Baracke_ (hut) was attached one sister of each of the above descriptions. In ordinary service the less nurses know of each other’s wards the better--in war service it is essential that as few women should serve as many sick as possible; and it is impossible to attempt assigning to each nurse the entire supervision of a ward. I think the categories, modified, of course, and adapted to the Queen’s service, might be most useful.