Soyer's Culinary Campaign: Being Historical Reminiscences of the Late War.: With The Plain Art of Cookery for Military and Civil Institutions

been described too often for me to dwell upon it. Nothing but the effects of a devastating earthquake can give any one an idea of the _débris_ of the interior, or of the destruction caused by the fire of the Allies, and the explosions that had ensued. We proceeded to the city by the Arsenal, on the British side. The town was still burning. On reaching the large barracks, we visited the kitchens and bakeries. In the former, some of the boilers contained cabbage-soup; others, a kind of porridge made with black flour. In the bakeries, loaves of bread were still in the ovens, and dough in the troughs. We removed a loaf from the oven and tasted it. As we had brought no provision with us, and there was none to be obtained in the burning city, we ate about half a pound of bread each, and finished our frugal repast with a good draught of water: the latter was retailed at the small charge of sixpence a pint. A quarter of an hour after, I looked my Zouave hard in the face, saying, as I placed my hand upon my stomach, with a rueful face and in a piteous tone of voice-- “Bless me, Bornet! do you feel anything wrong?--because, if you don’t, I do!” Looking still more pitiful, I continued--“I _am_ confident the bread has been poisoned!” “The deuce it has!” he replied, turning pale, and putting his fingers in his throat in order to throw off the dreadful meal, but without success. I laughed at him, and called him a coward. “Coward!” said he; “no, no, governor, I am no coward. I should not mind a round-shot, sword, or bayonet wound, in the field of battle; but, by Jupiter! to be poisoned ingloriously like a dog, would be base in the extreme.” “You’re right,” said I. “Come, don’t fear, let’s go and taste the soupe-aux-choux.” To this invitation he most decidedly objected, saying, “No more of their relishes for me, if you please.” In my culinary ardour I tasted it, and found it extremely bad and