RHODES'S TENTS AND TENT-LIFE. * CAPTAIN RHODES served in the army
of Omar Pasha during his Danubian campaign of 1853-1854, and passed his time very com- fortably, so far as cover went, in " one of Edgington's improved military tents of a dark green colour." The canvass house sub- sequently accompanied its gallant owner to the Crimea ; but there alas ! it shared the fate of nearly all the other " British and Al- lied tents (the Turkish round tents excepted) " and was blown down with the rest in the terrible storm of the 14th November 1854. This misfortune turned the author's attention to the " tents and tent-life " of the 'varsal world. He begins with Jabal " the father of such as dwell in tents," and comes down with his his- torical survey to a later period than the mishap to his own dark green. His geographical range is as wide as his historical survey. Tents of the Jews, Greeks, Macedonians, Syrians, are touched upon. Those of modern peoples are passed in consecutive review. The " canvass ",—to speak generally rather than exactly, as some peoples use skins or felt—of the Arabs, Persians, Indians, the vari- ous races that inhabit the steppes of Asia from China to the frozen sea, and his old comrades the Turks, is examined and described. The tents or extemporized huts of Africans, Armenians, including the Esquimaux, and of barbarous tribes from the Malaya to the Fuegians are in like manner presented. We have an account, which might have been clearer, of British tents in former times ; a tolerably full survey of the tents of modern European military nations, including England, but not including Russia, completes the subject of tent-life. For practical purposes the survey is much too extensive, and in a literary point of view the treatment is rather operose. When the authorities of the captain do not give much essential information as to the structure and manufacture of tents, he ekes out space with the manners of the people who dwell in them, or the splendid style in which some Eastern sove- reigns have been accommodated. The work consequently might be reduced by the excision of much incidental matter. A toler- ably clear idea, however, of the leading principles and practee of tent-making may be drawn from the book. When Sultans, Emperors, or Governors-General take the field, the tents are of so large and complex a character that we need not pause to speak of them. Unless in very hot climates, as Syria, where coolness is desirable, the tents of those peoples who fre- quently or continually dwell in them are essentially of three kinds, the conical, the oval, and the pedimental, which, so far as form is concerned, may be represented by the sugar loaf, the bee- hive, and the gabel of a house. The simplest pedimental tent is a branch at right angles with the trunk of the tree, and a blanket thrown over it. But this is immoveable. A. couple of forked poles form the supports of a ridge-pole, and a blanket or similar covering thrown over the ridge constitute the real tent. The necessity of three poles, and the want on a small scale of inside space militate against its use for general purposes. The space which can be gained by extending the length of the ridge-pole, multiplying the number of supports, and introducing what are called walls—that is pieces of canvass stretched and sup- ported perpendicularly from the ground till the sloping roof is met— render this principle available where weight is postponed to other considerations, from hospital tents to canvass palaces. The oval
• Tents and Tent-Life, from the Earliest _Apra to the Present none. To which is added the practice of Encamping an Army in Ancient and Modern tuner. By God Rhodes, Captain of Her Majesty's 94th Regiment. Published by $mttk and Elder.
form seems well able to resist wind, but from some causes—con- neeted probably with the trouble of erecting it, or the smallness of accommodation unless it 'be high, when its powers of resistance diminish—this shape is not in such wide use for • a tent as a wi wam. The conical form' seems the most universally employed. The inhabitants of the table, lands of Asia or of 'Siberia swept by stormy or jet blasts, the Laplander amid his herds of reindeer, the British soldier visiting every clime, and military nations in ge- neral employ some modifieation of the cone. We may assume there- fore, that this shape combines more than any other the advantages of strength, accommodation, portability, and facility of erection. Its strength, however, and in some sense its convenience, depend upon its mode of construction. The following from Erman is an account of a tent of the Samoyedes, a race which is spread over Asia front the frontiers of China to the Polar Sea.
" After a good journey with the rein-deer, we halted, at about 5h. 30m., on a level spot. Our drivers began busily to grope with their hands in the snow ;, and, on pulling out tolerably large bunches of lichen, the place was prenounced suitable for a night's station, and the rein-deer were immedi- ately unharnessed and turned loose. One of the men then cut down a stem of larch, which he split into small pieces for fuel ; the rest of the business devolved on the woman. She picked out two of the tent-poles, which were tied together at the upper end with a flexible thong, and set them up, in the first' place, leaning against each other, with their lower ends in the snow ; the other poles were then ranged round the junction of the first pair, so as to form a conical frame with a basis fifteen feet wide ; and on one side an open space of about two feet was left between the poles for the door. " In covering the tent, the same principle was followed which is observ- able in the Ostyak clothing, for immediately on the poles was a layer of skins, with the hair turned inwards, like the Malitza ' ; while a second layer, like the Park' or Gus,' covered that, with the hairy side turned to the air. For this purpose, long ready-lined strips of rein-deer skin are permanently sewed together, and were in this instance very cleverly wrap- ped over the tent-frame. This is done by two persons, who hold up, with poles, i s, the two ends of the skin covering till it is nearly on a level with the top.of the frame ; then, one of them goes on with his pole round the tent till the skin is wrapped in a spiral form close upon the framework. The different pieces were thus laid one upon the other, overlapping at the bor- ders like roof-tiles; and, without any fastenings, they kept their places by their weight, which contributed, perhaps, not a little to hold the framework together. We have already ,described how the door of the tent is formed by the lower end of one of these leathern pieces. At the height of about four feet from the ground the woman now fixed two horizontal cross-sticks to the tent-poles, to support the kettle ; then she kindled a fire and fed it with chips of wood, which lay on a box filled with sand, in the middle of the tent. One of the men, in the mean time, had thrown up the snow with a wooden shovel, which they carried with then,' till it was about a foot high round the tent ; and, as there was a great deal smoke inside, he made an opening in the cover towards the wind : at the top also, where the poles met, there was a space left uncovered to carry off the smoke. In the inte- rior of the tent, the snow was covered in one place by a rush matting, which was the owner's seat and bed. For the guests, rein-deer skins and fur clothing were spread upon the snow in the remainder of the tent. " In half an hour after our arrival, the fire was burning cheerfully and the most important preparations were complete. Then the party, all iu good humour, entered the tent together, and seated themselves round, with their hacks to the hairy covering and their feet to the fire. Here' too, the men stripped the upper part of the body, and covered with the furs only their backs; which were leaning against the cold sides of the tent ; but the breast was exposed naked to the fire, and was in this way more quickly and sensibly heated by the radiation.
" After completing the repast, consisting chiefly of a porridge, some dried and pounded fish, and all were satisfied, every one stretched himself on the ground, wrapping himself up carefully with his fur garments and other skins. This proved to be a complete protection, for the people slept soundly and tranquilly, and yet the snow beneath them and immediately around the tent was at the low temperature of 28' 11. ; the passage for the smoke, also, at the top of the tent, remained open, and the influx of cold air from above could have been checked only while the fire was brisk, by the ascent of a warm current."
The number of poles supporting the Arctic tent no doubt con- tribute to its solidity ; but they add to its weight. If the soldier's tent has one pole, and the Samoyede even only eight : there is the obvious difference in transport of eight to one. Hence our com- mon tents, and those of most military nations, have a single centre pole, the ropes which stretch the canvass, and with the aid of pins fasten it to the earth, answering the purpose of the numerous poles of some barbarous tribes, the canvass being further strengthened by storm-ropes. Whether mechanical ingenuity can render one pole as strong as many does not appear. It was not strong enough to support the Captain's Edgington in the.Crimea indeed tents blowing down is a common mishap with travellers, and often furnishes them with an incident for description. The improvement which Captain Rhodes has discovered in tent- making—and for which, by the by, he has taken out a patent, is based on the prir.ciples of the arch. His abutments or points of support are flexible ribs made of ash, bamboo, or any other fit material with iron sockets at the lower end ; his point of resist- ance is the earth into which the ribs or rather their sockets are inserted ; a wooden head, with iron sockets, towards which the flexible ribs are bent and into which they are inserted, forms his key-stone. The form of the general tent is a curvilinear octagon, as less liable to catch the wind. It is covered by canvass, and this canvass is secured by straps and other contrivances ; while storm- ropes may also be used. A ground-rope may strengthen the structure slightly ; but its chief utility seems to be in aiding the tent-pitchers to easily fix the true form, especially in the larger or hospital tents. As long as the ribs hold firm, the Captain's claim to security seems valid. The point of resistance, the earth, can- not, we imagine, be blown away. The key-stone. in the form of the wooden head is equally safe, while the ribs stand. The fa- cility with which these ribs can be inserted into the head, and still more removed, seems to us open to some doubt. The su- periority of these ribs to the common pole on a march may also be a question. Break a tent-pole and a blacksmith or carpenter can repair it, or any iiaait can lash it together. Smash it, or loose it and if there is wood in the neighbourhood it can be replaced. The ribs are probably more liable to fracture than a' pole and not so easily reinstated. These, however, are practical rather than cri, tied questions.
The captain further claims a very considerable advantage in space and weight, over existing systems.
" The author's tents occupy remarkably less space than those of the go
vernment tents. The present hospital tent is 29 feet long, 141 feet aide- .
and 15 feet high, inside measurement ; when pitched, it covers a space a'f, ground 20 paces by 17, or about 340 square yards. The author's hospital tent, which is 30 feet long, 15 feet wide, and 10 feet high, inside measure- went, when pitched, covers a space of ground 7 paces by 9, equal to about 63 square yards; the difference in favour of the latter being about 277 square yards. Thus, on the author's principle, five of his patent hospital tents occupy the same superficial quantity of ground as is required for only one of the government hospital tents. The latter gives accommodation Co either 20 sick, or 30 soldiers fit for duty ; whereas the former, with live tents, which occupy no more space, give accommodation to 100 sick or 110 soldiers in health.
" The field tent is made up into one package, 5 feet 6 inches long, weigh-
ing 100 pounds ; the guard tent into one package, 7 feet 6 inches long, weighing 52 pounds ; and the hospital tent into three packages, viz., two of 7 feet, and one of 4 feet long, weighing respectively 166 pounds, 139 poutz, and 90 pounds; making in the aggregate 395 pounds."
The subject of tents singly is followed by that of tents col- lectively, or in other words by an essay on encamping an army irt ancient and modern times, including the last regulations of the horse-guards. It is handled in a closer and more workmanlike manner than the history of tents, and is sufficiently illustrated by plans. The interest is, of course, rather of a professional than general nature.
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