The Press. — London, England, 1855-11-24 00:00:00

1114 THE WAR. The tremendous explosion of the French artillery park at Inkermann, and the destruction in the Sea of Azoff by that active officer Captain Osborne of an enormous mass of grain and forage of this year's harvest, carefully stacked in what was thought a safe part of the coast, and ready for the supply of the Russian armies in the Crimea anti the Caucasus, compriee the two chief events in the war news of the week. The army is still road-making and hutting, the weather mild and healthy, but drunkenness in the English camp was on the increase, and the example was rapidly infecting the French army. The appointment of Sir William Codrington to the command-in-chief, though not officially known, was rumoured in the camp and regarded favorably. By a late despatch from General Vivian, via Con stantinople and Trieste, it will be seen that the Russians were concentrating their forces in the 8 outhern half of the Crimea. OFFICIAL DESPATCHES. Lord Panmure on Monday received the following telegraphic despatch from General Sir W. Codring ton, dated Nov. 16:— A very heavy explosion of a store of powder at the French siege-train tooic place about three p.m. yesterday ; it communicated fire to our siege-train close to it, where there was no powder, but some naval hie shells, most of which were removed; but the loss of life and damage done is considerable. The great explosion threw shell over the camp of our siege -train, and the huts of the first brigade were entirely damaged, but not by fire. All officers and men were on the spot at once, and worked with good will and energy, and I saw all safe when I quitted at seven p.m. Killed, Deputy-Assistant-Commis sary Yellon, RA., and twenty-one non-commissioned officers and men wounded—Lieutenant Dawson, R.A., lost his leg below his knee ; Lieutenant Robert, dangerously in the arm; Lieutenant Eccles and Assistant-Surgeon Reade, second Battalion Rifle Brigade, slightly : 110 brigade commissioned officers and men, of whom 47 slightly; missing, 4 rank and file. A telegraphic despatch, dated the 18th of Novem ber, from Sir E. Lyons, was received also on Monday by the Secretary of the Admiralty : Varna, 7.15 p.m. Captain Sherrard Osborne reports that on the sth and Bth inst. a flotilla under his orders in the Sea of Azoff de stroyed enormous quantities of grain and forage of this year's harvest, which was compactly stacked in six tiers, extending two miles along the coast, near Gheiskliman, ready to be conveyed partly to the Crimean army after the formation of the ice in the Gulf of Azoff, and partly to the army of the Caucasus, and which the enemy thought se cure from any naval attack. By the skilfulness of the arrangements, and the manner in which they were executed by Captain Osborne, in which he was ably seconded by Commander John J. Kennedy. the enterprise was effected in the most brilliant wanner by landing on three points, under cover of the gun-boats of the allies, in the face of not less than 4,000 cavalry and in fantry. Our loss amounted to only six wounded. Marshal Pelissier's telegraphic report, dated Nov. 16th, 6 p.m., of the explosion of the French maga zines appeared in the Moniteur of Monday : Our park of artillery (called Park of the Mill) near Inkermann was partly destroyed yesterday at four o'clock in the afternoon by the explosion of three magazines, con taining altogether 30,000 kilogrammes of powder, 600,000 cartridges, 300 charged shells, and other projectiles. The ignited materials, hurled to a distance, caused a violent conflagration in the English park next to ours, and there also partial explosions took place. At six o'clock the English and French workmen were masters of the fire. Our loss consists of thirty killed, including two officers, and some 100 wounded, among whom are ten officers. However sad such an event is, we must still congratu late ourselves that the consequences have not been more serious and disastrous. lam not able to state the losses of our allies. I believe they are about the same as our own. As nearly always happens in similar cases, it is difficult to ascertain the cause of the first explosion. This is certainly a very lamentable accident; but our stores are so considerable that the resources of the army are not in the slightest degree affected by it. A telegraphic despatch from Constantinople, via Trieste, Nov. 20th, states that General Vivian, at Kertch, was closely pressed by the Russians under General Wrangel, and had applied to bead-quarters for cavalry reinforcements. A despatch was received at the Admiralty on Tuesday from Sir E. Lyons, inclosing the reports of Captain Sherard Osborne, H.M.S. Vesuvius, dated 25th October, and Lieutenants Commerell and Day, commanding N.M. gun-boats Weser and Recruit, dated 12th and 15th October. These several reports contained an official account of the late active operations undertaken by the squadron in the Sea of Azoff, on the north coast of that sea from Arabat to THE PRESS. Taganrog, and of which we gave the details in the extracts from a private letter in TnE PRESS of the 17th instant. Captain Osborne reports that the enemy having established himself in force at a point called Bielo sarai, on the crooked spit, and collected a number of boats, he deemed it requisite to disturb tbem. Accordingly, on the 24th, having got the Vesuvius close in shore, he landed the small arm men and marines of the ship under cover of her guns, drove out the enemy, and burnt boats, stores, posts, and an extensive fishery in the neighbourhood. Lieutenant Day, in the Recruit, reports that on the 15th of the same month he arrived off Marioupol, and, hauling his ship within seven hundred yards of the town, in the presence of a considerable force of Russians, cavalry and riflemen, landed his boats' crews under cover of the ship's fire and destroyed seven fishing launches, five large fishing establish ments, and great quantities of gear and tackle, without the loss of a man. Lieutenant Commerell in his report gives a detailed account of a gallant operation which he conducted most successfully. Having received information that large quantities of forage and corn were stacked on the banks of the Salghir river, ready for trans mission by water to the interior, Lieut. Commerill with one boat's crew landed on the Spit of Arabat, and, launching a small prize•boat he had with him over the spit, embarked in her, and reached the Crimean side of the Sivash in safety. With two seamen Lieutenant Commerell then started in search of the forage, which they discovered two and a half miles inland : In a short time (continues the gallant officer) the forage and corn, amounting to about four hundred tons, was totally destroyed ; not, however without alarming the guard, and from twenty to thirty mounted Cossacks, who were encamped in a village close at hand. On our retreating, we were so bald pressed by them, that, but for the circumstance of the last two hundred yards being mud, and the cover of rifles from Mr. Lillingaton and a man who remained in the boat, we could hardly have escaped ranttire. Having recrossed the spit we returned to the Weser by eight a.m. CAMP MOVEMENTS. - - The anniversary of Inkermann was kept with great spirit in the allied camp. Dinners among the officers, and fireworks among the men, celebrated the sth of November, and the night was passed by all in a state of enthusiasm and excitement which as tonished the Cossack videttes, to whom bonfires and tar-barrels were a novelty. The rumour of an attack upon the allied lines was still rife in the camp. One deserter, a Hungarian officer, stated it was certainly in contemplation, and if unsuccessful woold lead to the retreat of the main disposable Russian force. The hutting, up tl the 6th, progressed rapidly, and the fine weather favoured all such operations : The large working parties have certainly tended to keep the army in health, and so far it has done good. Even the medicals say that the healthy state and appearance of the army is extraordinary. Fifteen thousand men they say are hutted, besides the huts for hospitals and those that the officers have built for themselves. This will make more than one-third of the army, which report asserts is 41,000 strong, all told, supplied with good houses. Some of the huts for officers are to contain sixteen persons.—D. News cor., Nov. (3. _ The English expeditionary force which arrived from Kinburn, it was anticipated, was about to be employed on an expedition against Katfa. Accord ing to the Times correspondent, the English ad mirals were most anxious for the enterprise, but were opposed by men of high authority in the camp. It was believed that reference has been made by telegraph to France and England to know what was to be done. A council of war, according to another account, had been held on the 3rd, and the question settled : A council of war was held at head-quarters on the 3rd instant, when, it is understood, after some discussion, all intention of further operations against the enemy was abandoned for the present winter. The contemplated ex pedition against Kaffa is postponed. The lateness of the season, and the uncertainty of weather favorable for naval operations and landing troops continuing, sufficiently ex plain these resolutions.—D. News cor., Oct. O. RUSSIAN MOVEMENTS. The week, up to the 10th, had passed without any attack, in spite of the assertions of the spies and deserters : If a decisive attack were intended, on the event of which the evacuation or continued occupation of the Crimea was to be dependent (as was asserted), to all appearance this intention has been abandoned. A great movement of troops was observed on the north heights towards the Belbeck on the 7th instant. Bodies of infantry and ar• tillery were seen to he going and coming in various direc• tions, but the general impression was that the movements were rather the evolutions of a review or inspection than the preparations for a march. It was suggested that the Emperor himself might have come over from Nicolaieff to see the real condition of his armies in the Crimea. The manoeuvres, whatever their nature, led to no change in the distribution or extent of the camps which can be observed from our position. The fire from the batteries _ - SATURDAY, and forth of the north side has continued as active as it was previously. A short time since, some parties of the enemy were observed to be working in two of the retired bays on the north side, at what seemed to be the construe. lion of rafts, but the last two or three days these groups have not been noticed.—Tines cur., Nov. 9. The idea of an impending Russian attack, although it has become fainter, is by no means given up, and every shot which one of the batteries on the Mackenzie ridge happens to fire brings it back again. In the meantime, we can see the Russians making themselves comfortable on the heights; rows of underground huts are dotted about on every accessible point, and a new whitish line, contrasting with the brushwood which covers the heights all around, proves that they have thought of their com munications on the inhospitable plateau as well as we dd. The weather is still quite mild, with scarcely any indi cation of the approaching winter season.—lb., Nov. 10. - - The fire from the northern batteries stir, contirued brisk, but without much casualty to our men in the town. A large fire observed in the last week of October within the Russian lines is believed to have destroyed an immense reserve of Russian stores. THE TRANSPORT SERVICE. Like the "Turkish Contingent," the "Transport Service" in the East is a source of enormous expen diture, and not only so, but is the cause of a vast deal of unnecessary expense in other branches of the service. A striking instance of mismanagement has lately occurred, in respect of the conveyance and landing of huts for the use of our army in the East. The correspondent of the Daily News, noticing the arrival of a late cargo of huts at Balaklava, writes . I am informed by a very sensible officer, who was one of those employed in the landing labour at BalaKlava, that, of the vessels freighted with the huts, two had been emptied at Constantinople and their cargoes transferred to two other ships, which brought them on hither. The operation of trans-shipping, however, had been so carelessly manage& that, besides countless breakages, the various pieces of the respective huts had been so jumbled together—part being stowed away in one vessel and part in another—that on the arrival of the whole in Balaklava it was found impossible to fit together more than two-thirds of them, the remainder being either smashed, or so hopelessly mixed up in marine storelike confusion as to defy any approach to a reduction to intregral order. The steam-transport Tunning, too, freighted in like manner with huts, was sent first up to Kinburn, and after being kept knocking about there for some days—l need not say with what useless expenditure of coal and time—returned to Balaklava with her plauken cargo. This, however, is only one of a hundred instances I could enumerate, in which the most absurd and culpable waste of ships' time and fuel is occasioned by the misman agement of the tr. naport agency at Constantinople, as I may some day take occasion to demonstrate for the edifica tion of those whose double income tax and other war taxes help to furnish the three millions a month at present swallowed up by the charterage of our transport fleet. Un less it be the Turkish Contingent, which has become a by-word for the wasteful outlay characterising its organi sation and management, I know of no other branch of the public service connected with the carrying on of the war in which the sea-transport department has in the remotest degree a rival in its wholesale repudiation of economy. — Nov. 6. THE WAR IN ASIA. - - No further intelligence has been received this week of the operations of the army under Omer Pacha since the forcing of the Ingour. The Cologne Gazette of this week contains the following estimate of Omer Pacha's army and of his probable move ments:— The army of Omer Pacha, with which he has now com menced his great operations against the Caucasian army of Russia, consists, according to reliable information, of not quite 36,000 men. About 15,000 of these are sta tioned in Batonm, Soukham-Kaleh, and Redout-Kaleh. It was with 20,000 of his best troops that the Sirdar forced the passage of the Ingour. With respect to the Sirdar's operations in the valley of the Ingour, all we know is from the short report of Ferhad Pacha, the chief of the Tnrkish staff, with the exception of the well known telegraphic despatch. This latter officer occupies, with twelve regiments of infantry and four regiments of cavalry, the main road from Redout-Kaleh to Kutais. Omer Pacha's attack was made from Soukharn-Kaleh against the Russian position on the Ingonr ; yet in re ality it is Ferhad Pacha's diversion from the road along the left bank of the Ingour that has compelled the Russians to retreat from there, and fall back on the heights of Kutais. By his advance along that road, Ferhad Pacha covers the further movements of Omer Pacha, who has two smaller rivers to cross yet before he can effect his junction with Ferhad Pacha. Accoun ts differ respecting the strength of the Russians near Ku tais ; but we learn that Prince Bebutoff is hastily col lecting there his reserves, that he may be able to make head once more against the enemy in the defiles o f Kutais. The latest accounts received from Constanti nople give out that Omer Pacha has also brought up his reserves ; and the opinion prevalent in Stamboul was, that a second engagement will take place near Santredi, where the roads meet that run from Kutais to Redout- Kaleh and Shefketil. THE AUSTRIAN GOVERNMENT, through Count Colloredo, has expressed to the English Government its acceptance of the nomination of Sir H. Seymour to the post of English representative at Vienna; and expresses its regret at the departure of Lord Westmorland.