were physically too exhausted and worn-out to go down to Balaklava for necessaries, even of the most urgent kind.  Many of the regiments were almost annihilated.  Large numbers of fresh troops had come out, and drafts for those already there, but the new-comers, mostly raw lads, broke down under the strain almost as fast as they arrived, and in spite of the number sent out, the total available strength did not increase.  One regiment could only muster nine men fit for duty.  Many were reduced to the strength of a company.  The few survivors of one regiment were sent down to Scutari until fresh drafts should arrive and the regiment could be reorganized, and yet this regiment had not been engaged in any of the battles.  Scarce a general of those who had commanded divisions and brigades at the Alma now remained, and the regimental officers had suffered proportionally.  The regiments which had won the Alma still remained before Sebastopol, but their constituents had almost entirely changed, and the proportion of those who had first landed in the Crimea that still remained there when Jack returned was small indeed.

The sufferings of the French, although great, had not been nearly so severe as our own.  Their camps were much nearer to their port, the organization of their services was far better and more complete, and as in the first place the siege work had been equally divided between them, the numbers at that time being nearly the same, the work of our men had become increasingly hard as their numbers diminished, while that of the French grew lighter, for their strength had been trebled by reinforcements from home.  Thus, while our men were often five nights out of the seven on duty in the cold and wet, the French had five nights out of seven in bed.  This gave them far greater time to forage for fuel, which was principally obtained by digging up the roots of the vines and brushwood—­every twig above the surface having long since been cleared away—­to dig deep holes under their tents, to dry their clothes and to make life comfortable.

At last the strength of the English diminished to such a point that they were at length incapable of holding the long line of trenches, and they were obliged to ask the French to relieve them, which they did by taking over the right of our attack, a measure which placed them opposite to the two Russian positions of the Mamelon and Malakoff batteries, which proved to be the keys of Sebastopol.

As spring came on matters brightened fast.  English contractors sent out large bodies of navvies, and began to lay down a railway from Balaklava to the front, reinforcements poured in, and the health of the troops began to improve.  Troops of transport animals from every country on the Mediterranean were landed.  A village of shops, set up by enterprising settlers, was started two miles out of Balaklava.  Huts sprang up in all directions, and all sorts of comforts purchased by the subscriptions of the English people when they heard of the sufferings of their soldiers, were landed and distributed.