A CULINARY CAMPAIGN. NAPOLEON'S KITCHEN AT AJACCIO. | and be well received by the authorities at the various hospitals, which, in your department, are much in want of some kind of regulation. I also hope that the Minister-at-War has invested you with power to act according to your own judgment." "I am happy to inform your ladyship," answered Soyer, "that her Majesty's Government has not only granted me the power required to superintend, and, if possible, improve the diet at the hospital, but has also honored me with its full confidence as regards ordering any thing extra which may be required, as long as it tends to the comfort of the sick." the sight of a huge building, which, he is told, is the Scutari Hospital. He reflects that it is full of sick and wounded; that each patient will require from three to four articles of diet daily, making a total of several thousands per diem to be provided for in some shape or other; that he had undertaken to reform and introduce a better organization in the cooking department, where all was confusion, in so strange a country; and lastly, that he himself might, perhaps, catch the fever, or the cholera, or some of the other diseases at that time raging within the walls of the hospital. But Soyer was not a man to remain long in doubt or despondency. "I am happy to hear that such is the case," His courage rose with the difficulties of his position, for he felt confident of ultimate success. said Lady Stratford; and her ladyship then The mosques of Stamboul are passed; the Si- conducted the chef to the sanctum of the emmois has dropped her anchor opposite the Toph-bassador, to whom he detailed the particulars ané tumble-down stairs, and, half an hour after, M. Soyer and his compagnons de voyage are safely ensconced in the Hôtel des Ambassadeurs. One of M. Soyer's first movements in Constantinople was to pay his respects to Lord Stratford de Redcliffe, the British Embassador. Upon calling at the embassy he was at once shown into the library, and ten minutes had scarcely elapsed when Lady Stratford entered, and addressed him in French, with a smile of welcome which, the chef assures us, it would be difficult for him to forget. "Well, Monsieur Soyer, we heard of your departure from England for the East." "No doubt you did, my lady." "And I sincerely hope that you will succeed have no doubt in your laudable undertaking. your suggestions will prove highly beneficial, of his mission. The same day Soyer dispatched one of his men to the Barrack Hospital at Scutari to inform Lord William Paulet-then BrigadierGeneral of the British army-of his arrival at Constantinople, and to inquire at what hour his lordship would favor him with an interview. On returning from the English Embassy, Soyer found that his man Julien had arrived from Scutari, terribly frightened by his passage en caique across the Bosphorus. 'At "I must tell you, Sir," said Julien, "that upon announcing your arrival his lordship seemed very much pleased, and observed, 'So Monsieur Soyer has arrived! Where is he?' Pera, my lord, at the Hôtel des Ambassadeurs.' I had the pleasure of knowing M. Soyer,' said his lordship, when he came to Ireland in the year of the famine. Tell him I shall be happy to see him any time to-morrow between the hours of nine and four.'" The chef punctually kept the appointment. "Monsieur Soyer," said Lord W. Paulet, as soon as he entered the apartment, "We have not had the pleasure of meeting since 1847, when I saw you in Dublin-the year of the famine in Ireland. I was at the Royal Barracks at the time you opened your kitchen in the Square. You had nearly a thousand visitors that morning, and fed between four and five thousand poor people in the course of the day. The samples of food prepared by you were excellent, though made at such a moderate price." "Indeed, my lord, you give me much pleasure by recalling the incidents of my success at that period; and I accept the same as a good omen for my present undertaking." "Monsieur Soyer, you may depend upon my support, but I tell you beforehand you will have no end of difficulties." "Well, with your lordship's support, a good will, and perseverance, I have no doubt of doing some good." The chef then presented Lord Panmure's letter. After reading it Lord W. Paulet assured his visitor that the Minister's letter should be closely attended to, and that orders on the subject should be immediately given. Sir." "Throw it away, "Throw it away!" exclaimed Soyer, horrorstruck. "Yes, Sir, it's only the water in which the fresh beef has been cooked." "Do you call that water? I call it strong broth. Why don't you make soup of it?" "We orderlies don't like soup, Sir." "Then you actually do throw it away?" "Yes, Sir; it is good for nothing." Soyer immediately seized a ladle and removed a large basinful of beautiful fat, which, when cold, was better for cooking purposes than the rank butter procured from Constantinople at from ten to fifteen piastres per pound. The next day he showed the men how to make a most delicious soup with what they had before so foolishly thrown away. Within a week all the evils and mistakes that existed in the kitchens of the Scutari hospitals were remedied and corrected under Soyer's superintendence. He had the cooking confined to one large room, so that the whole operation might be performed under his own eye. He initiated the soldier cooks into his method, and taught the sergeant to see it properly executed. drew up two receipts-one by weight and the other by measure, the former for beef and the latter for mutton-soups. These receipts were He "How many cooks have you brought with copied and hung up in the kitchen, and the you?" asked his lordship. "Four, my lord." "Only four! I thought you would want many more than that. However, let me know what you require. You are staying at Pera?" "Yes, but I intend coming over to-morrow to make a beginning." "I must get you a house in town; we are so full here, we have not room to spare." "I'm not sorry for that-it will be a change of air-though I shall require a small room in the hospital." cooks were supplied with weights and scales. He also taught them how to stew meat well, and to manage the fires, so as to prevent overboiling or burning, as well as to economize the fuel. Every soldier in the department soon became an experienced cook. Absorbed as Soyer was in his profession, he was not incapable of being touched by the melancholy scenes around him. As he was leaving the hospital, one night, his attention was attracted by a faint, flickering light in a distant ward. Upon approaching, a solemn and affect "We'll see about that; but tell me, of how ing picture was exposed to view. A dying solmany does your staff consist ?" "About seven or eight." “I'll try and get you a house to yourself." "Many thanks.' dier lay, propped up by pillows, on his bed. Life was fast ebbing; and Death was anxiously waiting for the soul, to convey it to its eternal destination. But stop! near the dying man was a guardian angel, sitting at the foot of his bed, and most devotedly engaged in penciling down his last wishes to be dispatched to his friends at home. A watch and a few other trinkets were consigned to the care of the writer; the lamp threw a painful, yellowish glare over that mournful picture, which a Rembrandt alone could have traced, but which every one, as long as the world lasts, will understand, feel, and admire. On the next day Soyer was introduced to the officials of the Scutari hospitals, including Miss Nightingale, and was formally installed in his new office. He inspected the kitchens, cooking utensils, and provisions, and found them all very exceptionable. In one kitchen the fire would not burn, owing to bad charcoal; another was full of smoke, with every thing boiling too fast; the boilers were lined with copper instead of tin; the meat was wrongly spitted; the poultry consisted chiefly of old fowls; the vegetables were stale; and, to crown all, there was not the slightest attempt at order, but a general scramble among the soldiers at dinner time for the soup and meat which were then distributed. While the chef was making his inspection he perceived a large copper, half full of rich broth, with about three inches of fat upon it. He in-eral Vivian: quired of the soldier cook what he did with this? After regulating the culinary departments of the hospitals of Scutari, Alexis Soyer initiated the same reforms, and with equal success, in those of Kululee. Before he finally left for the Crimea he received the highest encomiums from the officers in command, and was thus addressed, as the chef himself naïvely tells us, by Gen "Monsieur Soyer, Miss Nightingale's name A CULINARY CAMPAIGN. COOKING ON THE MAGIC STOVE IN THE ACROPOLIS AT ATHENS. to himself, "moving accidents by flood and field, and peril in the imminent deadly breach," excited his martial ardor. He afterward gave the company to understand that he was courting a wealthy lady, who, being decidedly of opinion that "none but the brave deserve the fair," had declared that no one should wed her who had not both fought and bled for his country. P. M. needed some such stimulus to risk his life in his country's cause, as the following anecdote will show: and your own will be forever associated in the person of no small importance in his own estimation, and who was very desirous of accomarchives of this memorable war." Among M. Soyer's fellow-passengers to Ba-panying the chef through his Crimean camlaklava, were Mr. Bracebridge and Miss Night-paign, and of making himself useful, should ingale. The latter's personnel is thus sketched his services be required. Remuneration was by the chef: "She is rather high in stature, to him a secondary consideration. According fair in complexion, and slim in person; her hair is brown, and is worn quite plain; her physiognomy is most pleasing; her eyes, of a bluish tint, speak volumes, and are always sparkling with intelligence; her mouth is small and well formed, while her lips act in unison, and make known the impression of the heart-one Her visage, as seems the reflex of the other. regards expression, is very remarkable, and one can almost anticipate by her countenance what she is about to say; every now and then, while matters of the most grave import are under discussion, a gentle smile passes radiantly over her countenance, thus proving her evenness of temper; at other times, when wit or a pleasantry prevails, the heroine is lost in the happy, good-carrying a dish to the table. natured smile which pervades her face, and you recognize only the charming woman. Her dress is generally of a grayish or black tint; she wears a simple white cap, and often a rough apron. In a word, her whole appearance is religiously In conversation, simple and unsophisticated. no member of the fair sex can be more amiable and gentle than Miss Nightingale. Removed from her arduous and cavalier-like duties, which require the nerve of a Hercules-and she possesses it when required-she is Rachel on the stage, in both tragedy and comedy." During a gale, some time before, a lookingglass had been broken in the cabin-the steward, as the ship made a heavy lurch, having Probably the sent his head through it while in the act of glass was not set flat in the frame, for the steward's head had made a perfect star of a hundred jets. The circular hole looked just as though a shot had passed through it. While at dinner, P. M., who was sitting next Soyer, inquired how the glass had been broken. "Upon my word," said the chef, "I do not know; but the mate says it was done by a round shot." The captain, who was disposed to be jocular, perceiving that P. M. was uneasy at the information, said, "Ah! and I had a very narrow esAnother passenger to Balaklava was a trav-cape on the occasion. I was sitting at the head -a of the table at the time, nearly opposite the spot." eling gentleman, whom Soyer calls P. M. "What!" P. M. exclaimed, in great trepidation. "What do you say, captain? A cannonball broke that glass?" "I did not say so," replied the captain, "but such, unfortunately, is the case." "Well," said P. M., "I do not like the job I have undertaken. You don't mean to say that our lives will be endangered at Balaklava?" "Oh dear, no; not in the least, unless they fire on us." "I tell you what it is, I won't stand it; for I bargained for nothing of the kind." "At any rate," said Soyer, "if you are killed by shot or shell, all your former bargains will be of no avail, and off you must go." "Had I been aware of this, I certainly should never have left Scutari." This story was always brought up as a capital joke against P. M. whenever he boasted of his courage; and he soon had a further opportunity of displaying how lamentably deficient he was in that essential virtue. On the day after their arrival at Balaklava, Soyer, in company with Miss Nightingale, visited the camp hospitals and kitchens, to make his first inspection in the Crimea. The party then proceeded through the French and English camps, which, for miles, surrounded the doomed city of Sebastopol. The afternoon was drawing on; both sides were firing sharply; and it was proposed to have a peep at the great fortress. Miss Nightingale, to whom the offer was made, immediately accepted it; so the party prepared to go under fire. But P. M. exclaimed, nervously, "I say, Monsieur Soyer, of course you would not take Miss Nightingale where there would be any danger!" Both, however, neglected the remonstrance, and pushing on, soon reached the flag-staff at the head of the Woronzoff Road, where the sentry informed them they must dismount, as they were in danger, pointing, at the same time, to the marks of a number of cannon-balls and splinters of shell, which, he said, were fired by the enemy whenever he saw a group on horseback. Fortunately P. M. did not hear this, or he would have vanished. All then dismounted, and entered a stone redoubt, where there was a telescope. The day being clear, and the sun pouring its rays on the city, its large buildings, Greek temple, church, club-house, hospital, barracks, and fortifications could be plainly distinguished, and every shot sent in by the Allies could be seen. One of the party then proposed to advance some distance further to the Three-mortar Battery. Miss Nightingale seconded the proposal, but the sentry strongly objected, saying it was too dangerous; that only a few days before those mortars had poured a very heavy fire into the city, and the Russians kept a good look-out upon them. Soyer himself appears to have been impressed with the remark, for he observed to Miss Nightingale that it was very imprudent of her to run such a risk for no purpose, and that, if any accident happened to her, no one would pity her, but all the good she had done would fall into oblivion. The heroine was, however, obstinate. Turning to the sentry, who still kept up his cautious advice, she said, in French, "My good young man, more dead and wounded have passed through my hands than I hope you will ever see in the battle-field during the whole of your military career. Believe me, I do not fear to being told that he would thereby incur more die." As the party were leaving, P. M., who had remained in the redoubt, came running out, exclaiming, "I say, where the deuce are you all going?" "Oh, not far-only to the second trench." "But, good gracious! there must be a great deal of danger. Why should we go to the trenches? This is very rash to risk one's life for nothing; it is what I call giving a chance away." danger, as he might be taken for a deserter, he altered his determination. "Well," he observed, "you may say what you like about bravery; let me tell you, Monsieur Soyer, that I did not bargain for being brave, and I think the sooner we get out of this the better. Only listen to the roaring of the cannon!" At last they regained the redoubt. The French corporal attributed their safety to the presence of Miss Nightingale. "Ladies," he said, "often come to this spot to get a view; but the enemy never fire while they are pres The sun was now sinking into the ocean in front of Sebastopol, and the party hastily mounted and returned to Balaklava. While the chef was trying to calm the agitated nerves of the speaker, there was a cry of "A shell! a shell!" upon which P. M. imme-ent." diately caught hold of Soyer by the shoulders with both hands, and placed himself, for protection, behind that portly personage. The shell did not fall any where near our group, and a hearty laugh was raised at P. M.'s expense. The following leaf from P. M.'s diary, detailing his adventures, is characteristic. It ran as follows: They all arrived safely at the Three-mortar "Got up at five o'clock. Off for the day, acBattery, from which point they had an excel-companying M. Soyer and other friends. My lent view of the city. Before quitting the battery the gallant chef begged Miss Nightingale to give him her hand. He then requested her to ascend the stone rampart, next the wooden gun-carriage, and to sit upon the centre mortar. This done, Soyer boldly exclaimed, "Gentlemen, behold this amiable lady sitting fearlessly upon that terrible instrument of war! Behold the heroic daughter of England-the soldier's friend!" All present greeted this spontaneous outburst with loud bravos and hurrahs. After leaving the battery, the party were again exposed to the enemy's fire, which had increased in vehemence. P. M. said he would run; but mule very restive. Accident the first-broke a strap. Weather very hot, water scarce, wine and beer more so. Ride up a ravine-nearly split. Quarrel with a Bashi-Bazouk. Gallop away from my friends. Splendid view of head-quarters. Visit the sick and wounded at General Hospital. Miss Nightingale present; troops greet her with cheers. First glance at Sebastopol, peeping through the gabions. Dangerous visit to the Three-gun Battery. 'A shell! a shell!' Barely have time to lie flat on the grass. One of our party wounded by a splinter. Dangerous traveling at night. Take coffee with the Zouaves. Arrive home safely, but very hungry, after our perilous expedition." |