The Press. — London, England, 1855-10-06 00:00:00

Tilt WAR. Igo telegr"a' despatch has been issued by our War office this week, and we are, therefore, left to glesn intelligence of what is taking place in the Crimea from other sources. The force at Eupatoria has been considerably strengthened by the arrival of bodies of French troops, and as they pushed forward to the advanced posts of the Russian army there was every probability of a collision taking place. The enemy still retained their position on the north side of Sebastopol, and though it was evident that they were transporting stores and ammunition to some unknown point in the interior, it seemed probable that they were doing so to remove them from the range of the French fire, and not in contemplation of a general retreat. We give below a summary of all the principal points of intelligence received. ANTICIPATED FIELD OPERATIONS. Two mails have arrivei during the week froth the Camp. In the earlier letters of the 17th and IBth September an attack against the Russian positions seemed generally anticipated, but in those of the 42nd the field movements of the army appeared doubtful. On the 17th of September the Times correspondent writes : There are signs of a speedy move. The French are gradually breaking up their old camps, and leaving the positions which they occupied in front of Sebastopol. Already, two days after the fall of the south side, the Division Antemarre (first division of the first corps d'armie), and two regiments of French cavalry, went down to liaidar. They were soon after followed by the Division Espinasse (third division of the second corps), formerly Facucheux. The Divisions Dulac (fourth division, second corps) and Anrelle (second division of reserve) came like wise down the day before yesterday to the plain, and occu pied the hillocks where the Turkish redoubts were last year. They remained there yesterday, and went this morn ing towards Balder. The Transport Corps was diligently employed in the work of preparation : Great activity prevails throughout the Land Transport co , several divisions of which have received orders to hold themselves in readiness for immediate service. Colonel M'hittrdo is busily engaged in ascertaining the actual capabilities of his corps, and has been required to furnish bead quarters with an accurate estimate of the amount of supplies of a certain character which he could convey, and of the number of mules and horses fit for duty. In one division the captain has been ordered to pre pare mules to carry 2.50,000 rounds of ball cartridge, that is fifty rounds per man for a force of 5,000 men. The officer in charge of the small-arm reserve ammunition has been warned to prepare for taking it into the field. The troops of Royal Horse Artillery and the field batteries have been turned out in marching order, with baggage, &c., and were under the impression on Monday m3rning that they were really going to start at once.—lb. No actual movement in the British army bad begun, the only sign of activity being the removal of the heavy field batteries to the front. But the Daily News correspondent (Sept. 18) supposes that the most effective part of the British force would be Aoined to the French corps, and adds the important statement that a passage which the Russians had entirely neglected is open for the advance of not only infantry, but cavalry and guns, by which the Mackenzie heights might be turned : Preparations, both as regards transport and commissariat, are in progress for a move of a portion of the army. Neither the destination, nor the force to be sent, are known. It is generallunderstood that two or three divi sions are to join a French force, to make a movement against the Russian position at Bektchi-Serai. The prin cipal passes toward the Mackenzie heights are so strongly defended, that it could only be with great loss, and very great risk, an attempt to force them could be carried out; but it is said that a way of approach has been discovered hich has been quite overlooked by the enemy, and which will well serve not only for the passage of cavalry and ihrtinfry, but also for light field-guns. The French, for several days past, have been marching strong bodies towards Bahian. Five divisions, formerly engaged in the siege duties on the left, have been moved to the right Rank and to the plain. Of the British troops, the divisions of Guards and Highlanders, and either the third or fourth division, or both, are talked of as likely to leave. Under date of the 22nd, the Times correspondent 'aiming us that the French divisions were returning from Baidar to Kamiesch, it having been ascertained by their recent reconnaissance that the position of kitodor was too strong to be forced. The results of the week are thus summed up : Early this week the army was agitated by the universal report and belief that they would be sent on some great expedition forthwith before they settled down in their winter quarters. The French made a great demonstration towards Baidar and Aitodor, which led to no result, except directing the attention of the enemy to the pass from the latter place to the plateau of the lielbeck. Now all hope Of active operations being undertaken before the winter sets in has been abandoned; but there is some reason to Tilt 1.41_ ESs, hope that the advantage offered by Enpatoria as a base of operations will no longer be neglected, and that the allies will act on the Russian rear from that point. It is said that Simferopol is quite open, and that no field-works or redoubts have been erected to protect it The rumours of a move are dying gradually away, and the army bas made up its mind to remain quietly in winter quarters. The preposterous on dit is that the generals have sent home for instructions ! --- It is certain, nevertheless, that a strong French force had embarked at Kamiesch for Eupatoria:— Troops have been embarking, both yesterday and to day, at Kamiesch, and it is understood that they are to proceed to Eupatoria. Five French divisions are to leave, it is said, Eupatoria, and to march southwards, with the intention of meeting and combining with a corresponding force advancing from the south. The only English divi sions which have received orders to hold themselves in readiness to move as yet are the first and second, but other divisions expect to receive orders of the same nature.— D. News Cor., Sept. 22. There appears to be some doubt whether the Eng• lish army would share in the Eupatorian expedition, for at the last moment on the 22nd this correspon dent writes : . . The expected movement of our three divisions for Enpatoria bee not yet taken place ; though the report still continues to be circulated, and believed, that it will not be much longer delayed. We are in the habit of taking fresh steps in any direction so slowly, and apparently with such an expenditure of deliberation, that this lapse of some five or six days between the intimation of such an intention as a hasty flank movement on the enemy and its execution is not necessarily any proof of its having been abandoned. I am myself the more disposed to believe that it will still take place, from the fact that two regiments of French cavalry sailed from Ksmiesch for the north coast on Thursday afternoon, and were to be followed immediately by fifteen thousand infantry for the same destination. This is a carrying out, so far, of the concerted movement in which camp rumour declares our own first, third, and fourth divi sions are to take a part; and it may still, therefore, be pre sumed that their despatch for the scene of the allied opera tion en pleine champagne will take place all in good time. MOVEMENTS OF THE RUSSIANS. The enemy still keep their movements and inten tions secret. It was tolerably clear, however, that the state of their supplies alone would determine them whether to retreat from their northern position or to hold their ground. The Times correspondent (Sept. 17th) has these speculations:— If they have sufficient provisions and ammunition col lected for the winter, they may throw a part of their troops into the north forts, and withdraw the rest to form the basis of a new army for the spring. Protected on the west by strong batteries towards the sea, on the north side by the high banks of the Belbeck, on the east by the steep Plateau of Inkermann, and towards the harbour by the casemated forts and new earthworks, having the winter in their favour, during which no siege operations can be carried on, their troops, shut up, may hold out until the arrival of fresh troops in spring, the more especially as it would require a great number of troops to invest their position. But if one remembers the difficulties which they had during the last winter, when their communications on all sides were open, to provide themselves with provisions, it is not very probable that they laid up large stores for this year ; besides this, the fall of the south side must have considerably shaken their morale, and morale is an indis pensable condition for the garrison of an invested place. At present, however, they appear to use the rerpite afforded them in making every disposition for the defence of the Northern Plateau, though it would really seem that they intended to withdraw altogether from the north side, as numbers of troops and large convoys have been seen passing inland on the Simferopol road, and their prepara tions for the defence of the north side, such as the great concentration of troops on the Inkermann Plateau, and the activity with which they have begun to throw up batteries on all the more commanding points of the harbour and of the plateau. have only been looked at as so many contri vances for better effecting their retreat. The same correspondent, under date of the 22nd, states his full belief that the Russians are perfectly capable of retaining their present position : The recent heavy rains will fill all the wells and swell the water•conrses of this district, and it will no longer be untenable by large bodies of men. Having secured their right flank by the very formidable earthworks and bat teries which we are permitting the enemy even yet to erect, in addition to their former defences and to their regllar forts, the Russians will now no doubt direct the bulk of their army to protect their centre ever the Tacher nays, and their left at Aitodor and on the Upper Belbeck. They seem prepared to hold this extensive line, and we appear at present by no means prepared or willing to attack it. As the allies can scarcely spare men enough to send to Eupatoria, and thence to march on Simferopol, or to force the Russian position on the Belbeck by a corps de. scending on them from the north, and as there is no apparent intention of attacking them from Inkermann or the Tschernava, this dead lock may last longer than we think, and is likely enough not to be relaxed this winter. The quantity of stores removed by the Russians from the north side to their new depot shows that they are not in want of provisions, unless they take the trouble to carry dummy sacks and fill their carts with "makebelieves." It may and must be difficult for them to feed their army, hut, somehow or other, they do so. They left considerable quantities of food behind them in the city; large flocks and herds (many of which, however, may be araba oxen) stud the plains near the citadel. The soldiers who fell into the hands of the Sardinians and French on the 16th of August carried abundance of bread and spirits, and we hear they had meat and plenty of everything except water, when they came down to attack the allies. If the worst comes to them, the stomach of the Mujik soldier is as well able to wrestle with arabs ox beef as the stomachs of the hungry Highlanders, who did not despise that very mus cular fibre one day after our landing at Gallipoli ; so that altogether, I am not so very sanguine as to think the Rus. sians will be forced to abandon their position on the approach of winter. The country around them will supply abundance of wood, and they are skilled in making coin. fortable and warm underground huts ; so that, compare'. tively speaking, they will be as well housed and warm as the allies, supposing the latter succeed in getting up huts before the winter sets in. Leaving them alone will never drive a Russian army out of the field ; the only thing to do that is the French and English bayonet. This new depot is somewhere to the north-east of Sebastopol, in the direction of the Belbeck ; but it is not certainly ascertained that the carts which remove the stores unload them : On the contrary, it seems as if carts from the interior came down from Simferopol, and deposited stores at this locality, which must be somewhere in the neighbourhood of Kamischli. The carts from the north side, which are now apparently occupied in carrying away provisions, keep along the road which passes the citadel and winds along the top of the ridge near the sea, and when they descend that ridge they are lost to sight, and do not reappear. If they were going to the new depot they would keep far more away to our right, and take the road which is nearly parallel to the northern side of the roadstead of Sebas topol. These carts are to be seen not only at the great storehouse between Fort Catherine and Hollandia, but at the citadel and at Fort Constantine, and it would seem as if they came empty and went away heavily laden. The number of them is endless. They are not creeking lum bering arabas drawn by oxen, but light, well appointed military carriages driven by soldiers, and excellently horsed, as is rendered quite apparent by the speed with which they travel when a rocket or a bomb is pitched at them from the south side. The large magazine which the enemy seems most solicitous to empty is a very spacious pile of buildings of dark grey stone, with small windows, and is not unlike a prison or penitentiary. The sides form a square, but we cannot ascertain what is in the yard in the centre. There is a quay before it, along which horses, carts, and men rush at full speed whenever the French take it in their heads to annoy them.—lb. THE NORTH AND SOUTH BATTERIES. On the north side the Russians make frequent wig of their batteries, and throw shot and shell into the town with effect, though only occasionally : They are not to be always trusted, however, for if a knot of officers or horsemen collect in one place they unel pectedly send a shell or shot among them, and now and then do a little mischief to the remains of their own town. They could sweep some of the chosen look-out places with grape, but it is believed they are waiting fur a grand collection of generals, staff officers, and officers to astonish us all with a broadside some fine day. The paymaster, Rifle Brigade, was slightly wounded by a shell from the north side, and his horse was killed at the same time.—lb. The French are not bebindhand, for, in addition to a breaching battery which they are constructing between Fort Nicholas and the ruins of Fort Alex ander, to act against Fort Constantine on the north, they have established a mortar battery behind Fort Nicholas, with which they shell the Russian working parties:— The latter fort affords excellent cover, though it is rather avoided, in consequence of a popular belief that it is extensively mined, and will go up some fine day with a crowd of distinguished visitors. In spite of the flames it is intact, and does not in any way justify the assertions of those travellers who maintained that the Russian case mated forts would crumble to pieces, or would smother the gunners with smoke. The casemates are open, with fine airy galleries behind, and the whole building is most admirably and compactly built. In the same way Fort Alexander is comparatively but little injured, although the mines underneath exploded with a tremendous crash. The walls of the fort are still erect. Fort Paul alone is in per fect ruins.—lb. From this mortar battery the French keep up a constant fire against the quadrangular storehouse, and the Times correspondent of the 22nd gives a lively description of the effect of the shell practice upon the Russian working parties : It was amusing to watch the coolness of the fellows at work inside the large magazine to-day. Some of the n usually stood in the doorway by the waterside to look out for the mortars. " Boni " goes one, and the thick white smoke flies upwards in a circling pillar, marked here and there with whirling rings. " T-wit I twit ! twit l" the bomb whistles aloft, the sound becoming fainter and fainter as it leaves us, till it begins to grow on the ear of the gentleman in grey, who is on the watch at the other side; he pops his head, and out come at his summons, like rabbits actft tling from a ferret-haunted warren, a swarm of his comrades, just as the bomb, with a prodigious crash, and knocking op a cloud of tiles, timber, atones, and dirt, rushes through the roof, and bursts inside ; they are down on their faces in a moment, and the bits fly over them, and strike the earth far inland, or dash the water of the harbour into foam. Then the " Itooskies" get up and return placidly to their work inside till the next bomb comes dangerously near. If it does not fall inside the building, or is not likely to slip down on them through the roof, the fellows never stir out,