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

I took upon myself to object to this part of his proceedings. I was the more induced to do this because I had promised my illustrious _compagnons de voyage_ to look after the cook and his cooking, with which he really took much pains, and gave us great satisfaction. The infuriated Marseillais poured a volley of the most foul language in his Provençal dialect, while he and I were holding the doomed leg of mutton. He then asked me who I was? “A passenger,” I replied; “and one who has a most decided objection to your feeding the fish--with legs of mutton,” I continued, boldly. He then gave it up; and, in acknowledging he was in the wrong, exclaimed, at the top of his voice, “I wish you no harm, but I should be highly pleased if you and all in the steamer were at the bottom of the sea.” “Wherefore?” “You ask me wherefore! Because I shall lose above a thousand francs.” [Illustration: COOKING ON THE MAGIC STOVE IN THE ACROPOLIS AT ATHENS.] “The directors will make that up,” I said. “Not a sous,” said he. The comical part of this scene was enhanced by the continual rolling of the ship. This incident kept us alive till we reached Messina. The following letter, addressed to the _Illustrated London News_, will explain my subsequent proceedings:-- ACROPOLIS, ATHENS, _March 18_. Having left Marseilles, on the 12th inst., for Constantinople, in the prosecution of my mission to the Hospital at Scutari, owing to a sudden and unexpected change from a beautifully calm to a rough and stormy sea, M. Favre, the captain of our vessel (the _Simois_), was compelled to seek shelter in the peaceable harbour of Ajaccio, in Corsica, the birthplace of the immortal Emperor Napoleon I. Since our departure from that celebrated port, a favourable breeze succeeding a most tempestuous gale, soon brought us alongside the Levrazzi Rocks, on which the French frigate _Semillante_ was wrecked a few weeks ago, and all her passengers and crew lost. At night we were gratified with the sight of a slight eruption of