The Press. — London, England, 1855-09-01 00:00:00

832 THE WEEK. THE telegraph has been almost silent this week. The War-office has only communicated a brief message from General SIMPSON that the allied works continue to make satisfactory progress—a proof that up to so late a date as Thursday last nothing material had occurred worthy of publication. Probably Lord PANMURE has not yet been able to decide on a plan of operations for General SIMPSON to carry out. His Lordship is at his post with his map; but to decide on military movements at a distance of three thousand miles from the field of action is an enterprise requiring caution, even from so able a commander as Lord PANMURE. Perhaps he thinks that in the present position of the allied forces the safest course is to do nothing. As TEE PRESS stated a fortnight back, our Government expects that the Russians will be compelled to evacuate Sebastopol from failure of supplies. Why not, then, play the Fabian game, and allow them to starve at leisure, or retreat in quiet? In the absence of new facts from the scenes of war, we must be content with the details of those events previously announced by the telegraph. The despatches of General SIMPSON and of General PELISSIER, describing the battle of the Tschernaya, have been re ceived, with the letters of private correspondents. It would appear that, notwithstanding the warnings received of the intended attack of the Russians, they succeeded in surprising the French and Sardinians, and at one moment were near establishing themselves on the ground. For days previously the blockading ships had telegraphed the collec tion of large masses of troops behind the hills of Inkermann, and on the 15th General IYALLANVILLE, commanding the French cavalry in advance, telegraphed to the camp that large bodies of men were collecting within sight and evidently preparing fur attack, but no precautions appear to have been taken by General PELISSIER to pre pare for the enemy. Before break of day a few shadowy figures were seen in advance of the Piedmontese pickets, and they had scarcely time to fire the alarm when the Russians burst upon them with tremendous force, driving them in upon all points, and crossing the Tschernaya, and then made a dash upon the French position with great courage ; but here, after a desperate struggle, they were checked, and never once during the morning made much head beyond the fatal embankment of the river ; the front lines were only pushed on by the hinder ranks to be mowed down rank and file as they crested that fatal height, for the Sardinian guns caught them in the flank, and, with the range to a hair, swept off every man who advanced a pace in front from the river. This battle, though eminently disastrous to the Russian arms, places in a favorable light the active courage of their troops. They rushed through the river with the water breast-high, and did not cease cheering till they fell. After their terrible losses, they still retired in good order, though this may be in part referred to the prudent policy of General PELISSIER, who declined to give any order for their pursuit. His caution seems to have excited some dissatis faction in Paris ; and his want of prevision before the battle, and energy while it was in progress, are criticised with equal severity. In that capital an opinion prevails that he will not long be continued in his present command. If the bravery of the Russian soldiers is to be extolled, nothing can be said for the skill of their commanders. The attack was made at an immense disadvantage, and, unless the surprise had been com plete in the first instance, there was a moral certainty that it must be repulsed. The recklessness of Prince GORTSCHAKOFF supplies a presumption that he has plenty of men to spare. The announcement in this journal, of the 14th of July, that large reinforcements were on their way to the Russian camp has been borne out by this battle. The men killed, it is remarked by more than one correspondent on the spot, were mostly fine men, in the prime of life ; many of them vieux grognards, with decorations for good service or gallant conduct. and, on their own confession, had only very lately arrived in the Crimea from Poland and Bessarabia. They belonged, principally, to the regiments of grenadiers. Beyond the details of this action the intelligence from the camp is scanty. The siegeworks are progressing; but whether we are to expect a fresh bombardment and an assault, or to look for more peace able possession of Sebastopol, it is difficult to say. The letter of the Emperor of the FRENCH to General PELISSIER, and that of Admiral BRUAT, commanding in the Black Sea, to the Minister of Marine, would point to the latter conclusion. The Emperor declares that "he " knows, from sources which he believes to be sure, that the Russian " army cannot maintain the struggle in the Crimea during the winter:" while Admiral BRUAT, in his reflections upon the battle of Tschernaya, declares that the situation of the Russian army is most critical. These two letters appearing almost simultaneously have excited much com went. Time alone can decide how far their conclusions are well founded. There is one other remarkable paragraph in the Emperor NAPOLEON'S letter. He announces his intention of sending to the Crimea those regiments which have not yet participated in the war, that the regiments which have been engaged there from the commence ment may return to France, and enjoy a period of repose. Hence it would seem probable that, while the constitution of the French army in the Crimea is to be gradually changed, it is not to be materially augmented. Incredible quantities of stores and ammunition continue, however, to be forwarded from Marseilles. Th. llifonis# Poet this week has informed us that we need not illtintst try further o_psrations fr om the Baltic. :feet this year, The MO o *tto, so 6 tehrehei to the letter of our Baltic correspondent iii. THE PRESS. SATURDAY, will show, are rapidly leaving the station. The fleet has sailed from off Cronstadt. Before long the liners will be en route home, and the Baltic left to the care of a few steam frigates and some gun-boats. So much for the boasted campaign of '55. That of '54 was perhaps a mis take, but that of '55 is a decided failure. The facts of the case are few, and shortly stated. The Government of Lord PALMERSTON, with ample experience, perfect knowledge of locality, and full time for pre paration, fitted out a fleet in the first instance without a mortar-boat attached to it. For four months that fleet was allowed to cruise up and down the Baltic iu tremendous but useless force, and at length, in the beginning of the fifth month, some sixteen mortar boats with sixteen mortars were with infinite labour collected together. A bom bardment of b. strong fortress followed, the storehouses and arsenals were destroyed, but so little damage was done to the fortifications that the heavy line-of-battle ships retired without risking au attempt to follow up the success the bombardment had achieved. The attack lasted forty-live hours ; half of the sixteen mortars were rendered use less, and there was not one in reserve—not one more even en route from our arsenals at home. The winter is rapidly coming on ; there is no time now for fresh supplies to be sent out. Next year we shall find a fleet of Russian mortar-boats and 13-inch mortars in every Russian fortress. We shall be matched, if not beaten, with our own weapons. The exhibition is pitiable, and if the Baltic campaign be a sample of Lord PALMERSTON'S " vigorous policy," Heaven help the country which is long under his sway. With regard to Sweaborg, we have at length received the Russian report of the affair. General de BERG, while admitting the destruction of the buildings and stores within the fortress, states that the injury done to the works of the fortress itself and to the batteries is insignificant. He gives the loss of the killed and wounded as amounting to 159 in the fortress, and 100 on board the line-of-battle ship in the harbour. This is a singular contradiction to the assertion of the Times, that 2,000 men had been lost by the Russians. Whatever may be the truth of the case, it is nevertheless curious to see how the gallant General sticks to the stereotyped " one Cossack." He is detailing the terrific explosion of the four depots of shells, which all correspondents, from the Admiral downwards, declare to have been tremendous, and to have lasted for some minutes, but which, the General says, " by a most special fiivour " of God, caused the loss to us only of one man killed and three " wounded !" He is more candid when relating the effect of the fire of the mortar-vessels upon the line-of-battle ship moored off the entrance—" Shells," he observes, " of enormous calibre, passed through " her decks." This is a new feature in naval warfare, and one lucky—or unlucky—shell in the magazine,would settle the fate of such floating monsters as the Duke or Marlborough. It is not too early for our shipwrights to set about contriving some means of defence on the upper and main decks of ships to resist the vertical fall of a shell. Au increase of four or five inches in thickness appears to offer the most ready and available means. Hei Majesty the Queen, accompanied by Prince ALBERT and the Royal children, landed at Osborne house on Tuesday morning soon after 10 a.m. The reception which has been accorded to the Queen by the Emperor and people of France, is one of the most enthusiastic upon record. The welcome with which Louts NAPOLEON was greeted upon his visit to England has been well repaid. Let us hope that their visit will mark the conclusion of those " disastrous rivalries," as the Moniteur calls them, between France and England which have occasioned such infinite disaster to both countries without altering their relative strength. Events in Italy are becoming daily more and more complicated. Austria, we learn this week, has backed up her good advice to King BOMBA, by sending a squadron of six ships of war to the Bay of Naples, four of which are anchored in the harbour, and two lying off Castellamare. King BOMBA seems bent upon exciting insurrection in his dominions; and Austria, naturally anxious upon the state of Italy, remonstrates ith him on his folly, and sends a squadron to his assistance. In Paris it is rumoured freely that CANROBERT is to command an expedi tion, also to be sent to the King's assistance. The attitude of Austria towards the Western Powers is rapidly becoming more reserved. An insurrection in Naples would be followed by one over all Italy, and Austria would be driven in self-defence to seek a Russian alliance. With the Principalities in her power, and 500,000 men fresh for the contest, what is there to arrest her in her march from Bucharest to Con stantinople ? By the arrival of the mails from India and Africa, we have intelli gence of outbreaks in both countries. At Sabbagee, on the River Gambia, an insurrection has taken place among the negroes ; villages have been burnt, the British forces, with the Governor at their head, defeated in two actions, and, had it not been for the efficient aid of the French from their neighbouring settlement of Goree, the rebellion would not have been put down. As it is, it. appears to be more scotched than killed, and, in spite of the grape, canister, and shell which destroyed the rebels' village, we may expect to hear further ac counts of their depredations. In India a serious outbreak has taken place among the hill tribes of Rejmahal, a district bordering the west bank of the Ganges. The accounts vary as to the cause of the outbreak; but it appears gene rally to be asserted that some mismanagement of the Company's col lectors is the basis of the insurrection. About 20,000 of the tribes are ravaging the country on all sides, murdering Europeans, and commit ting every species of depredation. 7'he Government of Calcutta were hastening strong bodies of troops to the spot to suppress the molt.