The Press. — London, England, 1855-10-13 00:00:00

Heaven knows, they have since earned so well.—D. News Cor., Sept. 28th. THE POSITION OF THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH ARMIES. The position of the allied armies has in reality been very slightly altered since the fall of Sebas topol:— They form now on this side one long line, which runs nearly straight from west to east, beginning at the har bour of Sebastopol, and following the course of the Tschernaya to Alsu, then going over to the plateau to the south of Ozembash, and crowning the heights which inclose the valley of Baidar to the north, up to the point where the road leads from Bazu over the Siurinkaia Moun tain to the Upper Belbeck. The French, who occupy this position to our extreme right, are thus in possession of the heights which lead out of the valley of liaidar to the rear of the Russians. They hold the only two roads, one to the right, which goes to Markoul and Kolnluz, and the other to the left, which runs by Ozembash into the Tchouliou valley, and from there to the defiles of Aitodar and Mangup Kaleh. Our position at Baidar is therefore only a convenient point for approaching the Russian position. In that line of plateaux which extends from Baktchi-Serai down to the north plateau of Sebastopol, from north-east to south-west, there are five approaches. First, the double road leading up from Inkermann, the one straight, near the first Inker mann het, the other through the Trestrena valley, joining the Mackenzie road. The second is the Mackenzie road. The third is the pass of Aitodor and Mangup Kaleh. The fourth is the passage of the Belbeck, by Kutshuk•Sivren. The fifth the defile of the Katcha, by Katchil Kaleh and Pitshku. Then come the rocky heights of Tshifut Kaleh and the Upper Alma, over which there are no roads except mountain passes to the north. One or more of these posi tions have to be forced if we wish to turn the Russian position to the north of Sebastopol from our position, unless we begin from the north.—Times Cos., Sept. 29th. RUMOURS IN THE CAMP. Upon the whole, the rumours of the camp tend towards hutting rather than field fighting. The correspondents of every paper are all more or less dubious upon the point of field operations. One writes that the Russian position " is too strong to be forced" (D. News) ; another that the fine weather will soon be over, and if operations are undertaken they will cause great "dissatisfaction" and "dis comfort" (Times); while a third is "tired of specu lating" (M. Post). The secret of all this is, that the allied generals, whatever their plans are, have so admirably kept them close that nothing is allowed to transpire : A conference has been held this day at the French head quarters, at which General Simpson was present. The result of the meeting has not been divulged. The rumour in the camp is, that the French have made a reconnais sance, and reported that the Russian position between Sebastopol and Baktchi-Serai is so strongly defended, as well by its natural advantages as by its artificial works, and that the enemy is in such force, that it would amount to rash ness to attempt to dislodge them from it, and that on this account the projected expedition is for the present aban doned.—D. News Cor., Sept 24th. If there is any intention on the part of the commanders i n-chief to make any use of the short autumnal, or second summer, or whatever else the few weeks of fine weather which precede the Crimean winter may be called, it is so close a secret that its execution will cause lively dissatis• faction and great discomfort, especially among the "hutters" and " the great hutting interest." Men have made up their minds not only to rest but to peace, and a real bon mot of the Duke of Newcastle, to the effect that there will be peace before Christmas, is in every one's mouth.—Time, Cor., Sept. 24. The question of divided command appears to offer some little difficulties : As long as the question was only to decide upon secondary matters, when the object was clear and palpable, and the direction given, this divided generalship, however embarrassing, was a lesser evil than now, when a new direction has to be taken, and when such questions as " Shall there be an advance ?" or, " Is it too late for this year ; and, if so, where shall this advance take place ?" have to be considered—when there may be a difference of opinion as to the main point, namely, whether the Russians are inclined to yield to the slightest pressure and retire before a series of harmless demonstrations, or whether they think to be able, and hold it worth their while, to de fend the north plateau and the rest of the Crimea; and when there may be even two views as to whether it is worth our while to continue a series of hazardous opera tions after having effected the chief object of the Crimean expedition—the destruction of the Russian Black Sea fleet—and after having broken the power of Russia to harm Turkey by her superiority at sea ;—or whether it would not be preferable to seize this opportunity to withdraw from the Crimea, destroying what is destructible, and begin next year a campaign where there may be more chances of injuring the vital powers of Russia than by attacking and holding this far-removed point, which, if we should even cut it off for the moment, will be only as the loss of the tail to a lizard or that of the claws to a crab.—Timer Cur., Sept. 29. General de la Marmora bas issued a most severe order against correspondents to newspapers in the Sardinian army. From the tenor of his remarks we should imagine some serious indiscretions have been committed:— _______ Hadikoi, Sept. 16. The correspondence of the military and civilians who form peat of the eipedition with the jourusla is attended with THE PRESS. serious inconvenience ; these letters narrate the operations and describe the positions, forces, and preparations in every kind of way; they are prejudicial by their revealing to the enemy what it concerns us that be should not know; if they discuss what has happened or what has been done, they trench upon criticism, which is adverse to discipline, and such an abuse cannot be tolerated in a well•organised army ; if they speak of the armies of the powers with whom we are allied, they give rise to complaints, and they disturb that harmony without which it is impossible for the alliance to bear fruit. If, in order to remedy the inconvenience detailed above, they endeavour to write on matters altogether ambiguous, and do so through want of ideas and positive information, the letters for the most part are reduced to a state of in• completeness and inaccuracy that reflects but little credit on the military and civilians belonging to the army from whom such letters proceed. For these reasons I feel it my duty to warn all the mili tary and civilians attached to the expeditionary corps, and to the naval division, that I will severely punish k tuli as I shall know to be the authors of any letters that shall have occasioned the inconvenience above specified. The General•in-Chief, ALPHONSO LA MARMORA. There is a great deal of good sense in the general's remarks, but we question if anything of any impor tance is ever revealed to the enemy by correspon dents' letters. Marshal Pelissier, it is stated in letters from Paris, has also had a conference with General Simpson upon the subject of " Our Own Correspondents" being allowed in the camp. The result of the con ference has not transpired. MOVEMENTS OF THE FRENCH ARMY. A letter of the 27th from the camp, in the Presse d'Orient, speaks of the great activity and preparation of our allies; nevertheless we are inclined to be lieve that little will be done this year. The weather is breaking up fast, the roads will soon become im practicable for artillery, and a week or two will scarcely be found time enough to force the Russian position, or materially alter the face of affairs : In the camp the chief movements have been the - " • following:— The whole of the Ist corps, commanded by General de Salles, has marched into the plain ; it is stationed in front of Baidar. One division alone of this corps has remained behind; it is that which forms the garrison of Sebastopol. The head-quarters of the Ist corps are at Raider. General M`Mahon, who has just resumed his command, has descended with the 3rd corps into the Tschernaya valley, where he has set up his head-quarters. The division of the Guard has again entered its old encampment. All these movements were executed during a shocking state of the weather. We have had a great deal of rain. and this is not calculated to facilitate the conveyance of stores into these valleys. We are actively collecting the vehicles and carts required for the march of the army. Sinope and Samsoun have supplied two thousand of the latter. But the Times correspondent of the 29th does not anticipate any real advance from these recon naissances : The position of the armies, with the exception of the • movement of the troops towards Raider, of which you will hear accounts from another hand, remains unchanged in its larger features. Even Pelissier seems inclined to rest upon his baton for the time. His gaze is fixed, no doubt, upon the Mackenzie plateau, but his courage fails him ; nor does he care to repeat his little proverb, which was in his mouth when slaughter and bloodshed were spoken of in his presence in reference to our grand assaults—" On ne pent pas faire des omelettes sans casser des ceufs." The marshal appears to have given up the manufacture of ome lettes for the present; he has plenty of eggs if he likes to break them. The same correspondent asserts that General Rose's opinion was that the Russian position was too strong to be forced at present : General Rose, our excellent Commissioner to the French army, has been out at Baidar and towards Aitodor with the and the opinion formed after a careful examination of the passes is, that it would be im prudent to attempt to force them at present. Killiecrankie is a bowling-green compared to those high bluffs and tre mendous ravines. The Daily News correspondent neither anticipates any serious advance. Under date of the 29th he writes : Beyond a slight increase for the purpose of strengthening the position on the Tschernaya—now the main front of the army—scarcely any movement of troops has taken place. A military road is being advanced toward Aitodor, which appears as if something were intended in that direction. But the lateness of the season, and the cold and rainy weather having set in some weeks earlier than last year, make it very doubtful if any campaigning operations will now be undertaken. The outposts of the two armies were on fair terms:— The outposts are on tolerably good terms with each other, but now and then resume offensive operations and fire at each other with acrimony. The Russians still oc cupy Aitodor and forbid the right of fishing in the Soulion, which is a most tempting little trout stream. The Tartars now and then manage to bring in grapes and fine fruit from the interior. Perhaps these gentry serve as spies for both parties.—Times Cor., Sept. 29. _ . . It is certain, however, that in whatever movements do take place ; the French marshal would command SATURDAY, the active corps in the field, and that General Simp son would stop at home and look after the camp Marshal Pelimier is directing what may be termed the active corps of the allied armies, whilst Generals Simpson. and La Marmora are intrusted with the occupation of strategical points calculated to impede the retreat of the enemy, and guard our basis of operations. General Boa quet, who is now quite recovered, will, in all probability, take an active part in immediate operations.—M. Post Paris Cor., Oct. 6. The French embarkation of troops for Eupatoria is not mentioned by any of the English correspon dents. The Press. d'Orient of the 27th gives details of the actual strength of cavalry sent : Kamiesch, Sept. 22. The embarkations for Eupatoria have been rapidly effected. The cavalry division of the second corps, com manded by General d'Allonville, has been conveyed to this point—it consists of a hussar brigade, Ist and 4th regi ments, and of a dragoon brigade, 6th and 7th reg►ments, A division of the second corps will be added, I believe, to the Eupatoris corps, and this, with Ahmed Menekli Pacha's 25,000 men, will be able to attempt something serious. Our splendid cavalry is at last about to be placed on fitting ground—ground where it can display its strength and make up for what it considers lost time. The Egyptian troops, tried already in the Danubian campaign, are highly spoken of, and the generals feel sure that they will behave capitally by the side of ours. For the rest, Eupatoria serves as an excellent point d'appui, and under actual circumstances will be the nucleus of very serious operations. The brilliant cavalry action of the 29th September, which was reported last week, has the gloss rather taken off it by a rumour mentioned by the Times correspondent of the 29th. There is a vague story going about that the French cavalry at Eupatoria, being out on duty, lost their way in a fog, and wandered about till they came abruptly upon the Russian troops established in their neighbourhood as a corps of observation, and gave them such a fright that they bolted off at once, leaving their stores and quantities of provisions behind them, which were destroyed by the French, who thereupon returned on their way rejoicing. THE POSITION OF THE RUSSIANS. The Russians do not show any signs of that " speedy retreat" which was so generally anticipated last month. On the contrary, they obstinately per sist in remaining just where they were on the morn ing of the 9th of September, continue to throw up redoubts, and have opened fire upon the south side with no little effect. The Times correspondent of the 25th writes : There is no sign of any present intention on the part of the enemy to abandon their position on the north side. The celerity with which they throw up and finish the most formidable•looking redoubts on the land and sea sides is astonishing. They are admirable diggers, and Marshal Turenne, I believe, it was who was wont to say that as many battles were won by the spade as by the musket. The fire across the roads increases in frequency and severity every day. Upon the 29th ult. he remarks that the "contrast between the anticipations of the home public on the one hand, and the actual facts on the other, is as painful as striking," and continues The Russians, so far from flying in discomfort over boundless wastes, are calmly strengthening their position on the north side. The face of the country bristles with , their cannon and their batteries. As I write the roar of their guns is sounding through our camp, and occasionally equals the noise of the old cannonades, which we fondly hoped had died into silence for ever. There is no trace of any intention on their part to abandon a position on which they have lavished so much care and labour. They retired from the south side when it became untenable, shaken to pieces by a bombardment which it is impracticable for us to renew. They have now between themselves and us a deep arm of the sea, a river, and the sides of a plateau as steep as a wall; and they have erected such batteries as to shut up the harbour to our present navy, and to render any attempt to cross it as rash as it would be undesirable. Yesterday they finished a new line of batteries, to-day we begin to make some in reply. Under these circumstances it cannot be said that wa are in undisputed possession of Sebastopol. The correspondent of the Morning Herald, under date of the 29th, states that a strong corps of Russians have been sent off to the interior:— Thirty thousand Russians have just retreated from this neighbourhood, whither bound we know not ; and the troops about Fort Constantine can be plainly seen removing stores in great quantities from that place to the heights nearer the Belbeck. Are they about to run? We are told there is an insurrection in St. Petersburg. The truth of the latter you will learn sooner than we can; but it is be lieved here first. The report was current on Tharsda7. Some say the retreating Muscovites are bound to Georgia and Armenia. The northern batteries appear to be extreme/1 strong at present, without any of those further addi tions which the Russian troops are daily employed in throwing up. The Times correspondent of the 29th writes : On the north side there are few houses, but •here are very large magazines. First, on the western extseurity of the northern shore stands Fort Constantine. Tie roof is covered in to a great depth with sandbags, and there are large guns mounted on it en barbette, but many of the em brasures are empty, and do not show guns, A very heavy