The Press. — London, England, 1854-11-11 00:00:00

NOVEMBER 11, 1854. in my power to inform your grace, with anything like certainty, when it may be expected that ulterior measures may be undertaken. I have the honour to transmit to your grace the return of killed and wounded between the Itlth and ;40th inst., inclusive. In my last I announced to your grace the death which had just been reported to me of that deeply lamented officer the Honourable Colonel Hood of the Grenadier Guards. No other military officer has since fallen ; but Major nines Edward of Saxe Weimar was slightly wounded on the 19th. His Serene Highness insisted, however, upon remaining in the trenches until the detachment to which he was attached was relieved at the usual hour, and he has now resumed his duty. Captain Lord Dunkellin, of the Coldstream Guards, was unfortunately taken prisoner yesterday morning before daylight in front of the trenches. The naval batteries have continued their exer tions without intermission, and I regret to have to report the death of two gallant officers of the royal navy; the Honourable Lieutenant Ruthven, who has died of his wounds, and Lieutenant Greathed of her Majesty's ship Britannia. Both are universally regretted. The latter received a mortal wound while laying a gun, after having, to use the language of Brigadier-General Eyre, who was then in charge of the trenches," performed his duty in the batteries in a manner that excited the admiration of all." A considerable body of Russians appeared two days ago in the vicinity of Balaklava, but they have since withdrawn, and are no longer to be seen in our front. I have reason to believe that Prince Menscbikoff is sot in Sebastopol. He is stated to have placed him self with the main body of the army in the field, which is represented to be stationed in the plains south of Baktchi Serai. Admiral Korniloff, chief the staff, and temporarily in command of Sebastopol, is reported to have died of his wounds the day before yesterday. RAGLAN. The French official despatches comprise the sub joined reports from General Canrobert:— Before Sebastopol, Oct. 18. Yesterday at sunrise we opened fire in concert with the English army. Matters were going on well, when the ex plosion of a powder magazine belonging to a battery, which, unhappily, was a large one, created some distur bance to our attack. This explosion had the more effect as our batteries were accumulated round the spot where it took place. The enemy took advantage of it to increase their tire, and, after consulting the general commanding the artillery, I deemed it advisable to suspend our fire to repair our damage, and complete on our right, by new batteries nearer to the English lines, our syst . ..tm of at tack. This delay is certainly much to be regretted, but cannot be helped; and I am taking every means to render it as short as possible. The city has withstood the fire much better than was expected. The meiotic, in its enormous development in a straight line, carrying all that it can receive in heavy calibre from the fleet, allows it to prolong the struggle. On the 17th our troops took possession of the plateau situated in front of the point of attack, called the mast bastion, and occupy it. This evening we construct there a masked battery of twelve guns, and, if possible, a second battery at the extreme right above the declivity. All our means of attack are concentrated on this bastion, and will, I hope, soon clear it, with the assistance of the English batteries, which take it in the left flank. Yesterday, about ten a.m., the allied fleets attacked the exterior batteries of the place ; but I have not yet received the reports to enable me to give you an account of the results of that attack. The English batteries are in the best possible condi tion ; they have received nine new mortars, which will have great effect. Yesterday, in the battery which surrounds the towers situated on the left of the town, an immense explo sion took place, which must have done great hurt to the enemy. Since then the fire of that battery has been very slack, and this morning only a few guns were able to fire from it. I have no precise news of the Russian army. There is nothing to indicate that it has modified the position in which it awaits reinforcements. 1 have received nearly all the infantry reinforcements I expected from Gallipoli and Varna. General Le Valliant has just arrived with his eat-major, which increases to five divisions of infantry the army 1 command. The health of the troops is very satisfactory, their moral condition excellent, and we are full of confidence. A second despatch from General Canrobert reached Paris subsequently : it is dated Oct. 2:4: — Our works of approach continue according to the plan indicated in my preceding despatch of the lttth. The difficulties with which we meet are of two kinds,—those which result from the nature of the soil, the solid stratum of which, already insufficient, diminishes in proportion as we approach the lace, and those resulting from the number and the calibre of the pieces of artillery which the enemy plants against us almost in a right and very ex tended line. In this respect, the resources which he draws from his vessels t.tationed in the port—men as well as ma terials—are almost inexhaustible ; while ours, although augmented by the loans which we make from the two fleets, are necessarily limited. The 68-pounders, the Mb howitzers, and the 12-inch mortars are, in short, almost the only artillery upcn which we can rely. THE PRESS; This position renders the siege of Sebastopol one of the most laborious operations which have been met with for a long time, and the efforts which we are compelled to make to carry them into effect will explain the delays that have arisen. In the night of the 20th the enemy made an attempt to spike our guns, which failed. A few men who, by a sur prise, entered our batteries, were killed there by the officer in command. The losses which we have experienced from the fire of the enemy are by no means so considerable as might have been expected, considering the difficulties of our posiuou, which I have explained to you. I send successively, and by all the means which the fleet places at my disposal, my wounded to Constantinople, where our hospital resources have assumed a more satis factory character. The state of health of the army is satisfactory. The maladies which have arisen have been produced by the ex cessive fatigue which our brave soldiers have had to undergo. The naval gunners who have landed have also been attacked with illness. They evince a courage and devotion which are remarked by the whole army. CANROUERT. From a diary of the attack, recapitulating the pro- Tess and incidents of every hour from the commence- ment of the cannonade, written by the Times correspondent in the camp we make the following extracts : Oct. 17.—0 n the night of the 16th it was determined that our fire should be opened on the Russian lines the following morning, as it was evident the enemy was en• trenching himself with much activity, and greatly strength. ening his position. In spite of the efforts of oar engineers our works were not quite completed, and most of the mor tars could not be mounted in the batteries. Firing com menced, however, from the French and English batteries by signal at 6.30 s.m. on the 17th, but for thirty minutes previous the Russians fired furiously on all the batteries. The cannonade on both sides was most violent for nearly two hours. Our left attack consisted of four batteries and thirty-six guns ; our right attack, of twenty guns, in battery. There were also two Lancaster batteries and a four-gun battery of 68-pounders on our right. The French had about forty-six guns. In all we were supposed to have 117 guns to subdue about 130 guns of the Russians. At eight o'clock it was apparent that the French batteries in their extreme right attack, overpowered by the fire and I enfiladed by the guns of the Russians, were very much weakened ; their fire slackened minute alter minute. At 8.30 the fire slackened on both sides for a few mi nutes, but recommenced with immense energy, the whole town and the line of works enveloped in smoke. At 8.40 the French magazine in the extreme right bat tery of twelve guns blew up with a tremendous explosion, killing and wounding 100 wen. The Russians cheered, tired with renewed vigour, and crushed the French fire completely, so that they were not able to fire more than a gun now and then at intervals, and at ten o'clock they were nearly silenced on that side. At 10.30 the fire slackened on both sides, but the allies and Russians reopened vigorously at 10.45. Our practice was splendid, but our works were cut up by tire ftom the redau and from the works round a circular marten() tower on our extreme right. At 12.45 the French line-of-battle ships ran up in most magnificent style and engaged the batteries on the sea side. The scene was indescribable, the Russians replying vigorously to the attacks by sea and land, though suffering greatly. At 1:25 another magazine in the French batteries blew up. The cannonade was tremendous. Our guns demo lished the Round Tower, but could not silence the works around it. At 1.40 a great explosion took place in the centre of Sebastopol, amid much cheering from our men ; but the fire was not abated. The Lancaster guns made bad prac tice, and one burst. At 2.55 a terrific explosion of a pow der magazine took place in the Russian rodan fort. The Russians, however, returned to their guns, and still fired from the re-entering angle of their works. The cannonade was continuous from the ships and from our batteries, but the smoke did not permit us to see if the British fleet was engaged. At 3 30 a loose•powder store inside our naval battery was blown up by a Russian shell, but did no damage. The enemy's earthworks were much injured by our fire, the redan nearly silenced, and the fire of the Round Tower intrenchtnents diminished, though the inner works are still vigorous. At 3.34 the magazine inside the works of the Round Fort was blown up by our shot. At four the ships outside were ripping up the forts and stoneworks and town by tremendous broadsides. Only the French flag was visible, the English fleet being ou the opposite side of the harbour. Orders were given to spare the town and buildings as much as possible. From 4 to 5.30 the cannonade from our batteries was very warm, the Russians replying, though our fire had evidently established its superiority over theirs, the ships pouring in broadside after broadside on Forts Nicholas and Constantine at close ranges. Towards dusk the fire slackened greatly, and at night it ceased altogether, the Russians for the first time being silent. They are busy repairing damages, and we are doing the same, and are also mounting new guns and mortars for to-morrow. The French have lost about 200 men, principally by the explosions ; our loss is very small—under 100 killed and wounded since the siege began. We have gained greatly on the works to-day, and. but for the melancholy disasters which befel our allies, should have crushed much of the Russian batteries. The French fleet avenged these misfortunes most amply. 1061 The Grand Puke Constantine is supposed to have entered Sebastopol. Much of the sea side of the town is in ruins. We reopen fire at daybreak. Oct. IH, '3 p.m.—The fire was resumed this morning soon after daybreak. The French were still unable to support us. Their extreme left is still silenced. They will not be ready till jhe Hither 20th, so damaged are they by the Russian fire. During the night the Russians remounted their guns and brought up fresh ones, and established a great supe riority of tire and weight of metal. At ten cm. the alarm was given that the Russians were marching to attack our rear on the Balaklava road. Lord ltaglan and staff, with large bodies of French troops, at once moved there, and found the Russian cavalry and two battalious of infantry, with one gun, endeavouring to creep up in a fog to the outposts. The Turks opened a tire from the redoubts, and the Russians retired. At this moment (3 p.m.) the Russians are pressing us very hard, returning three shots for our two. The attack by the fleets is to be renewed to-morrow. The rattan fort, flagstaff fort, and Round Tower works are firing very warmly just now. We can scarcely get up ammunition to our guns. The Morning Herald correspondent, writing on the 18th, furnishes some highly-interesting particulars. His account of the practice with the Lancaster guns, and the effects of their tire, differs materially from that given in the foregoing extracts It was half•past six a.m. The enemy had been quiet for the last few minutes, both sides seemed preparing for an effort, when suddenly volumes of smoke and flashes of tire broke out simultaneously from every part of our lines — the shot and shell screamed hoarsely through the air, and, with a reverberation which seemed to shake both heaven and earth, our attack on Sebastopol commenced. Apparently neither surprised nor daunted, the enemy returned the discharge with double vigour, and then both English, French, Turks, and Russians, fell to work at the guns in right earnest. The &at volleys showed us what no soul in either army had hitherto been certain about — viz., the precise nature both of our works and the enemy's, and I am sorry to say it also showed us that, even in eath• work batteries, thrown up since we came here, the Russians immensely outnumbered the allied lines. Not only were there extensive entrenchments, mounting twenty- Ave and thirty heavy cannon; but on every height and ridge guns of heavy calibre were placed in battery. I have been informed that the extensive nature of their works completely astonished our generals, and we are by no means sure that we have seen them all yet, fur during the day fresh ones were frequently unmasked iu places totally unexpected. Conspicuous among the din could be plainly heard the Lancaster guns. Their sharp crack, different from the other heavy guns, was like that of a rifle among muskets. But the most singular effect was produced by its ball, which rushed through the air with a noise and regular beat precisely like the passage of a rapid expresa•train at a few yards distance. This peculiarity excited shouts of laughter among our men, who instantly nicknamed it the express-train ; and only by that name is the gun known. The effect of the shot acsmed most terrible. From its deafening noise the ball could be distinctly traced by the ear to the spot where it struck, when stone or earth alike went down before it. A battery of twenty or thirty such guns would destroy Sebastopol in a week. Unfortunately, from a short supply of ammunition, we can only afford to mount two, and even those are only fired onoe in eight minutes. At eight o'clock the firing was deafening, and about that time a breeze sprang up from the south, which cleared away the smoke, and allowed us a full view of what was going on. Our friend the Round Tower was then barely recognisable, the delicate attentions of the Lane utter gun having effected a moat unfavourable change in its appear ance as a place of strength. Not a soldier remained on its roof, the four guns on which were overthrown, and lay about like dead horses. Huge holes were also visible in its side, where masses of the solid masonry were dislodged. The earthworks round the tower were turn up and pitted with shot from the other batteries, but, beyond this, remained much the same. Between these works and the redan wall, and the Twelve Apostles on the one side, and our Crown and Green-mound Batteries on the other, an awful fire of shells was being interchanged, but most of the enemy's, as usual, burst in the air. On the left the French were gallantly maintaining a splendid fire against the flag-staff batteries, but from the commanding position of the latter, and the ten•gun battery which completely flanked our allies, it wasevident they were fighting at •dis advantage. About eleven o'clock it became evident that the fire of the French on our left had slackened considerably, and was falling off still more every minute. The fact was, the commanding position of the enemy's batteries left our allies no chance. They suffered so heavily while working their guns that it became folly to persevere, and at length, be order of their conitmilider, the men were withdrawn, and the fire of the French ceased. Our batteries were in full play, and appeared to engage more than a due amount of the enemy's attention ; for the Twelve Apostle.a, which was completely sheltered by the land from the attack of the French ships, and quite as completely sheltered from everything but one of the Lan caster guns, began to drop red-hot hollow shot into the Crown Battery. The effect of this was soon apparent. Before a dozen had been fired, one of them hounded and struck &spare ammunition waggon full of powder, which it instantly exploded. The shock was not so severe as it might have been, fur the powder was comparatively un• confined. It of course killed a few of our men, but the works of the battery were uninjured. The Ilusaisiis set up tremendous cheers when they saw the expl o si on, as I they did when the batteries of our allies blew up, imagining