The Press. — London, England, 1855-02-17 00:00:00

1 F BBRUARY 17, 1855. THE WAR. Intelligence from the Crimea of the 6th inst. is said to have reached Vienna by telegraph, according to which nothing of importance had occurred up to that date. Advices from Yambsch of Feb. 3, received in Paris, state that the Russians made sorties on the Ist and 2nd, but were driven back with great loss by young French volunteers. Everything was then prepared in the Crimea for an approaching assault. Favorable weather was anxiously expected. The French had extended their position to the extreme right. The British army and the Imperial Guard were to fotm the reserve corps, and also to be charged with the defence of Despatches of the 27th ult. have been received, both from Lord Raglan and Admiral Lyons, and duly published by the War-office and Admiralty. Lord Raglan writes : Before Sebastopol, Jan. 27.—1 have the satisfaction to ssquaint your grace that the weather continues fine. There are severe frosts at night; but the sun shines brightly through the day, and there is an absence of wind, which, while it continued, added cons i derably to the suffer ings of the troops. Every exertion is making by public transport and indi vidually in getting huts up ; but this is a most difficult ope ration, and the ground is still so rotten that it is a most arduous labour to pass along it. The extremely confined space of Balaklava and the vast accumulation of stores have obliged me to erect huts at some distance outside the town fur their reception. The Admiral's despatch runs as follows Agamemnon, off Sebastopol, Jan. 27.—Since my last general letter of the 23rd inst. the weather has been par ticularly fine. The health of the army has been much benefited by the change. A good deal of progress has been made in hutting the troops and distributing the cloth ing which has been so liberally sent out from England, so that the men express themselves as being comfortable. The health of the fleet and of the naval brigade is excel lent. The men are well supplied with fresh meat and vegetables, and also with oranges, sent from Malta by Rear- Admiral Stewart. The fire from the batteries of the allies has increased during the last week, and that of the enemy has not slackened. New gun. have been mounted in our batteries during the last four days. On the 24th inst. I passed the day at Balakiava, to super intend the service going on there, and to make inquiries and examine into matters connected with the duties of the port and the transport service. I met Lord Raglan there by appointment, and we made some arrangements which will, I trust, have a beneficial effect. .. Later advices have reacheil,the Freuch Marine De partment from Admiral Brunt, and were published in the Moniteur Montebello, Kamisch-harbour, Jan. 30. The General-in-Chief demands of me thirty fresh ship guns, and 15,000 charges, in addition to the 32,000 already required. The Du,perre has just anchored in the harbour of Kamisch ; she brings 950 military passengers, 32 huts, 1,000 bombs, and 320 barrels of powder. The Panama brings 160 passengers, and army stores (camp furniture and tools). Feb. 2.-1,350 soldiers and a cargo of provisions have arrived, as also changes for the fleet and camp articles for the army. Since the 31st January the Russians have recom menced their night sorties, but have been vigorously re pulsed. The two Grand Dukes have entered Sebastopol. The roads near Eupatoria, hardened by the frost, are become in an excellent condition. The Russians have received considerable reinforce ments. Letters from General Niel, dated " Camp before Sebastopol," have been received in Paris. They state that the condition of the French army is satisfactory, and that he had found the English army in a better state than he had expected. The Journal de St. Petersbourg of the 6th instant contains a report from Prince Menschikoff to the 28th, in which he speaks of some shells of prodi gious magnitude thrown from the French trenches into Sebastopol, but states that they did no harm. The same paper reports, that on the 22nd a French war transport, the Ajax, grounded on a shoal near Eupatoria, and that, in spite of a steamer which came to its assistance, the captain and six seamen were taken prisoners by some Russian lancers, sent to the place with two pieces of horse artillery. The vessel itself, with its cargo of hay, was burnt. From Varna, on the 4th instant, we learn that 30,000 Ottoman troops had landed at Eupatoria. Others were on their march, and would be embarked for Eupatoria as they arrived. Omer Pacha was to leave Varna on the oth for the Crimea, accompanied by Colonels Dieu and Simmons. Intelligence is said to have been received in the camp of a large amount of the Czar's property—it is asserted to the value of 400,0031.—which had been found in Eupatoria, and would be realised for the benefit of tins allied armies. THE PRESS. The 9th French division was to have left Constan tinople for the Crimea on the 6th of February. By the fire which broke out in the arsenal near the Golden Horn, a severe loss of stores was sus tained by the French. The Russian army in Asia had taken up its winter quarters, and awaited reinforcements. PROGRESS Or THE SIEGE. The letters from the camp bring intelligence to the 29th ult., but their contents are almost devoid of in cident. The following extracts contain the details of most interest : Our men are now feeling the effects of the cruel priva tions which all underwent from the latter part of November shunt to the beginning of this week. An awful proportion of sickness and mortality prevails. It is not enough to say that our men are sick and that many the, but it literally seems as if the army was melting away day by day. That this is no exaggerrated statement your readers will readily believe when I tell them that I am informed, on good au thority, that between the Ist December, 1854, and the 20th January, 1855, no less than 7,804 officers and men were invalided at Scutari. This number, of course, does not in clude either the men sick in hospital at Balaklava, or those treated at camp in the various regimental hospital tents. It is simply the number of men actually sent out of the Crimea. But, enormous as this amount of sickness may appear at first sight, it is really less than that which I was led to anticipate from seeing the condition of the men in the various regiments and divisions For instance, I know that the Guards landed here upwards of 3,000 strong, and I know that they have received reinforcements of nearly 6,000 men since they arrived at Balaklava. Yet I know also that' they have lost 986 men and officers since it:kerma/in, and that yesterday their whole effective strength was 738 men. The Guards, in fact, are but a remnant, a mere shadow, of one of the finest brigades which ever eutered a field of battle. In single regiments the loss appears to be some thing quite beyond comprehension. The 23rd, I am told, buried thirty-five men at camp within one week. The 28th have a rnere l ly nomival existence, and the 63rd have ceased to have even that. The gallant 40th are reduced to some seventy or eighty men, and,the 89th are almost as bad. In fact I believe there is not one regiment at this moment in camp which musters four hundred men, and there are not many which could turn out three hundred. Thank Heaven, as far as atmospheric influences are con cernel, the condition of the allied forces is consider ably better. The weather is magnificent ; the nights clear and cold, the days mild and genial, as in the month of April in London. In fact the weather is exactly that which we have wished for, though hardly expected. Advantage has been taken of this unlooked•for interval to get up supplies to the commissariat depot at head-quarters, and I am in formed that it now contains nearly ten days' provisions for the whole force. The warm clothing has also been issued in large quantities; and at present there are only two or three regiments which are not supplied with those admira ble sheepskin great-coats, the comfort of which the men are never tired of lauding. As a matter of course, the whole force is on full rations, and by the arrival of the k'srious,with a large supply of sheep and oxen, fresh meat will be issued for two days this week. The three hundred mules which ar rived in the Trent are used to carry up the wooden houses, but as the disembarkation of the mules was only completed yesterday (27th) very little worthy of notice has been done in this respect. It will still be the end of February before all our men are under cover. This will be of no great moment if the present weather continues, but if any change for the worst takes place, of course the troops must suffer as before.—Herald Correspondent. The weather has of late taken a favorable turn for our troops. It is moderately cold at night. The days are clear and sunny. The wind is low, and incoming vessels report fair average passages. Among the late arrivals was the 14th Regiment, and the Jason, with a fresh load of bat horses from Constantinople. Mules, too, the finest that were ever seen with the army, have arrived from Gibraltar, accompanied by Spanish drivers, who, it is to be holed, will know how to take care of these invaluable animals. This opportune accession to our transport cannot fail to make the service more efficient ; and, as good will is not wanting in the commissariat, though method may be, there is every reason to believe that all our troops in front will, from this date, receive full rations regularly. In this respect our prospects are certainly brightening. There is yet no sign of the tramway, which at the earliest date will at least take two months for its completion, counting from the day of its commencement. Supplies of charcoal have been issued to the troops during the last two days, and raw coffee beans are still the order of the day.—Daily News. Strong earthworks have been thrown up all round the town of Balaklava, which is now garrisoned by about ' 20,000 English, French, and Turks. The latter form three-fourths of the entire strength of the place. But there is one point which cannot too strongly be pressed upon the attention of authorities at home and in camp. Unless energetic measures are taken to cleanse Balaklava and the intrenched camp from the abominations which have been allowed to accumulate during an occupation of four months, early spring, with its fever season, will do quicker and deadlier work among our troops than has been done by all the rigour of winter. We should be free of fresh graves, old filths, and the rotting carcases of thousands of horses before the advent of that trying season. Colonel Hardinge, the new commandant of Balaklava, has up to the present done little or nothing to cleanse the town of muck and mire. It is asserted. though it is hardly to be believed, that he finds difficulties in the way of procuring fatigue parties for the work to be done. The Gottenburgh and Oscar remain in the harbour of Balaklava, with all their numberless little comforts, which were to have been sold at cost price, still untouched. This is about the most striking and gravest piece of ntgligenee which ha' occuaed ma out here. 111 the delay, it is said, arises from the want of a quartermaster with some non-commissioned ofcer•s to superintend the sale. The delay in the distribution of clothing and stores, and, inleed, the whole system of the quarter master-general's department, is bitterly complained of. Even for such a simple thing as a pair of shoes the appli cant must have a properly tilled up requisition, to get which and have it sikied by all the authorities occupies, or rather wastes, three days. The immense masses of wrecks which lie outside the rocks of Balaklava, and which, if collected, would have served the whole army with firewood for the winter, have been set fire to by some ruffian. and have been burning for the last three or four days. These piles of wood, which are now destroyed, would have been brought into the har boar long ago if the naval authorities had not refused per mission to auy one to touch them, under the plea that the Maltese would steal it, and sell it to the troops at exorbi tant prices. But even according to this shallow excuse the troops would ultimately have derived the benefit, for it would have been flar better that exorbitant prices should be paid for the wood than the men go without it altogether, and freeze to death, as many dui. The real fact, however, is, that the wrecks of these ten or eleven ships were exclusively set apart for the use of Lord Raglan and his staff. Boats from men•of•war were sent out each day to collect it fbr Lord Raglan, and it was regularly forwarded to head•quarters, and though his lordship could not have consumed the immense amount of wreck wood in ten years, still no one else was allowed to take it.—Herald. OMER PACHA ON BOARD SHIP. The following particulars relative to the Turkish Commander-in-Chief are extracted from a letter from an officer of her Majesty's steamer In f lexible, a native of Cork : Inflexible, Varna, Jan. S. I told you that we were going from here to the Crimea with Omer Pacha and suite. Well, we have been there, and back again. We left this with his Highness on New Year's-day, arrived on the morning of the 3rd at Eupatoria, where he went on shore and examined the defences of the place, coming on board again in the afternoon, and we left Eupatoria early on the 4th, and got into Balaklava in the evening. Next day Omer and staff disembarked, and went to the head-quarters of the allied generals,•where a council of war was held, from which he retnmed in the evening, Next day, the 6th, at noon, we left lialaklava, and, after a fine ran, arrived here at eight last night, when his High ness, taking an affectionate leave of us, bade us farewell, having distributed fifty sovereigns among our servants and ship's company. Omer is what may be called a handsome man, and wears his age remarkably well, being close on fifty. He has a very pleasing expression of countenance, and an im mense flow of spirits. He was quite delight ed with the attention shown to him and his followers by our mess. He occupied, of course, the captain's portion of the ship, but every day regularly, twice or three times, he would walk into our gunroom, take his glass of wine, or more gene rally grog, and sit and chat fur an hour or so. His great amusement was in caricaturing Lis followers for being sea sick ; in especial, he was very hard on Prince Stourza, of Moldavia, one of his aid,es-de-canip. It appeared thin prince had: just married a very beautiful woman, and was very jealous of her, so much so that, when he was leaving to accompany Omer, be sent her off with a few servants to some old estate of his in the interior, with strict orders that she was to see no one. Omer knew al,l this, and used to get this fellow into a dreadful rage by talking about her, and telling what, happened in time of war, when beautiful ladies were deserted by their spouses. In fact, he was the life of the whole lot. I had to explain to him all about the machinery. Yesterday he came in, and wrote his name in Turkish and in German on each of our cards. The Turkish cypher is most remarkable, and Le never signs his name in it except on great occasions. The Inflexible has been placed for the present entirely at the disposal of Omer Pacha, to allow of his superintending the transport of the Turkish troops to Eupatoria. SUPPLIES FROM INDIA. A. letter from Calcutta states : The progress of the war in Europe excites intense in terest in India. The subscription to the Patriotic b'und has been headed by Lord Dalhousie with 3001., and will probably reach from all India 20,(X)01. There is a strong feeling among military men that India might send aid to the forces in the Crimea. We cannot spare Europeans, and the idea of sending Mussulmans is a mistake. Oar Mussulmans are not fond of the Turks, and are not easy to hied. The Sikhs, however, would go willingly, and 10,000 irregular Sikh horse would be equal to at least '20,000 Cossacks. They mess altogether, drink rum, will eat anything except beef, and would be proud in the ex treme of such a proof of confidence. The only difficulty would be in transport, and that is, in India, simply a ques tion of money. We cannot get steamers, hut we can get any amount of sailing tonnage by paying for it. A PROSPECTUS has been in circulation in Paris for a pleasure trip to Sebastopol atthe commencement of the spring season. The travellers are to start from Paris and proceed to Marseilles, thence to Constanti nople, next to the Crimea, afterwards to Egypt, and, finally, home by Algeria. The vessel fixed on for the tour to the East is the Isabella steam pleasure-yacht, under the neutral colours of Tuscany. The charge for each person is tl be 12,00 K. The trip is to last three months, and only ten passengers are to ►e taken.