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22 Sep 55 Peter on board 'Alipore' Father 1, Hyde Park Place ______________________________________________________________________________________________

H.M.Transport Alipore

Kamiesh 22 Sept /55

My dear Father

I wrote to my Mother, by the last mail but was unable to send the letter therefore as I am sure she is not greedy, I address this to you.

Yesterday (the weather, since the town has been open to admittance having been bad) I started with the Mate of our vessel for Sebastopol and in the course of the day must have passed over without the slightest exaggeration 25 miles – he says 30 – for from 7am till 8pm we were on our legs allowing one hour for eating.

We were of course stopped when we got to the town by the French sentry but that only means ‘get in somewhere you can see no sentry’ & so going some distance to the right we crept on our hands & knees through a hole in the wall of a house and once in, nobody said anything.

We then walked thro’ dozens of houses and eventually got down to the water side and saw the masts of the vessels sunk across the harbour as also those of the former Russian fleet which lie quite thick all over the harbour.

Sebastopol itself is an antiquated looking place. The houses mostly are pasteboard looking things with verandahs covered with glass, trees overshadowing all the windows and a little colour about the exterior. There are however some very fine buildings built of white stone on which the fire has left no traces but a little black round the windows. Sebastopol abounds in trees – at times you come upon avenues six feet broad overshadowed by these trees which I do not know how to call but of which I preserved some leaves which the rats have had the kindness to eat together with other flowers last night.

Sebastopol is the picture of desolation. Wherever a house has not been burned every possible thing in it has been smashed. Windows, furniture and any and every thing. If you were to find a spoon you would find it in two – sofas, beds, chairs, pictures; every thing is destroyed. We have not the town, but I far prefer what we have – our part abounds with fine buildings which we have turned into barracks. The Dockyards we are undermining to be blown up. Every thing I believe will be destroyed.

Every thing is on a grand scale & first rate. The Harbour presents a most peculiar appearance. You see nothing but the tops of the masts of the sunken vessels. Others burnt down to the surface of the water show nothing but a collection of old iron floating about. Dead Russians are to be seen floating. One I saw swollen to the size of an elephant.

The Russians will soon be as strong on the other side as ever, but we are I believe (or rather I know to a certain extent) sending men up to Eupatoria and how, having the positions, there is no reason why we should not attack them in the rear and then while there engaged, we might dash up the cliffs which separates us from the north side & which otherwise are impenetrable. How they could lose such a position as the Malakhof is wonderful. It is true they were surprised, but to be surprised in such a place is truly absurd. They ought to (be) ashamed of themselves.

You can have no idea of what a position and what an impregnable place it is. The French laugh at the idea of taking such a place and say if they only had enough men to man the guns they would defend it against any army of any size.

The Redan is different – that is a wonderfully strong place. It is a place that can be taken but not be held. I do not mean to say we ought ever to have got in – which we however did in gallant style, but when once in, go which way you will, you come in for it. There are batteries every way behind it – well take one of these, but there are still the rest and so on.

Not so the Malakhof – there, if you take the place it is taken & nothing further to do. Of course I went over all these yesterday.

I saw Julius. He is getting on very well indeed and in first rate spirits. You would not discover there was any thing the matter with him. He says he is allowed to eat any thing now, which perhaps accounts for that.

I have got plenty of Russian relics, amongst the rest a couple of Russian Helmets – not very elegant ones however. A Russian musket bayonet & all correct – ditto belonging to Julius – I told a French sailor to bring some Russian swords on board & I would buy some off him but he has not brought them yet. As however I have bought lots of things off him, I have no doubt he will.

Please try & find out whether the ship will come home this winter as if not, I must have some clothes sent to me. I mean to say warm things &c. of which I will give a catalogue and you had better send them to ‘Care of Messrs. Hanson & Co’ to be forwarded at once from Constantinople to the ship. I say to them, because at Constantinople it would have to change ships as all English Transports go to Balaclava and it would have to come to Kamiesh. Send a note requesting them &c. as that is generally of use.

In about another fortnight we shall have discharged and shall then know our movements. Till then therefore I will not say anything about preparations for winter.

Good bye & love to all. Which has got tired first – my Mother, of Worthing, that delightful place, or Mary of lovely Keswick. I never get a letter from the latter. Tell her she is quite welcome to read mine and if she will only favour me with one now & then, I will in turn devote a short time to writing her a line or two.

Again love to all from

Yr. affect son

Peter Laurie