The Press. — London, England, 1855-11-17 00:00:00

1090 easterly direction, and it has been surmised that there was to be another attack on Fort Arabat. With Arabat and Haifa in our possession the whole peninsula of Kertch would be secured ; the enemy would be excluded from a district from which he is still said to draw many supplies; and Kaffa would afford an important basis for future opera tions. The movement against Kaffa has been very gene rally talked of, and the fourth division has been named as the part of the British force likely to be sent. Brigadier Spencer's brigade has returned from Kinburn, but has not yet received orders for disembarkation ; it has been sup posed, therefore, that these regiments would go on without landing, and Lord Paulet's brigade, with General Wind ham in command, at once join the expedition as a rein forcement. What truth there is in the rumour of this un dertaking remains to be seen ; no orders on the subject have yet been issued.—D. News cos., Nov. 2. THE GENERAL ORDER. In consequence of the numerous requisitions for leave, the commander-in-chief had issued the fol lowing order : The Commander of the Forces has been much sur prised at the numerous applications fur leave of absence which have lately reached him from officers of all ranks in the army. He has to remind them that they are still in the pre sence of a powerful enemy ; moreover, that they have duties to perform in camp not less important than those in the field; and that the instruction, discipline, and well being of the troops are subjects which require the earnest attention of all good soldiers. EXPECTATIONS OF ATTACK. The belief that an attack was really imminent gained ground in the camp. A young cadet desert ing from the Russians has given certain information that a 6erious attack was contemplated : Yesterday afternoon a younker, or cadet, who, according to his own account, was for sonic slight offence aken from his regiment and attached as a punishment to the Cossacks, came over to us, and, among other valuable information, brought the news that the Russian army of the Crimea, about 70,000 men, had received orders and was preparing to attack our line, especially oar right, from Tchorgoun to the extreme right, on the 6th or 7th of this month, and if the attack should not succeed the army had orders to evacuate the Crimea, and to take up its posi tion at Kherson and Nicolaieff. According to the ac counts of the younker, who seems to be marvellously well informed of everything, the preparations for this retreat are already made. The heavy position-guns which were in the batteries on the Mackenzie heights have been removed, and replaced by others of lighter calibre. The heavy bag gage has likewise gone.—Timer cor., Nov. 3. The various movements of the Russians of late excited suspicion : For the last two days, but especially yesterday, the Rus. sians have been burning the furze on the Mackenzie ridge; it may have been an accident, but the line of fire seeme too regular not to suggest the idea that it was by design that it took place. The Tchouliou valley is swarming with Cossacks. They are likewise more numerous on all the hills about Apu and Ozembash.—lb. MOVEMENTS OF THE FRE NCH. The French divisions are gradually falling back from their advanced position among the main body of their forces:— For the last two days there has been a great deal of movement in the moveable—that is, the French—part of the allied armies. Several large bodies of infantry belong ing to the divisions composing the first corps, which is forming our right wing, have come back from the Baidar side to occupy their old position on the plateau of the Chersonese _ Now that offensive opera _ _ _ _ . Lions can no longer be thought of for this year, a defensive position which can be held as easily as possible becomes necessary, and this long line over which the French troops have been scattered begins to show its incon ven►ences.—Titnes cor., Nov. 3. RUSSIAN MOVEMENTS. The Russians show no v sign of retreat from the north forts. On the contrary, they continue their fire, and have even commenced erecting stone buildings for the troops : No change has been observed in the disposition of the Russian troops on the north heights. The fire of the forts and batteries against the south side has continued. It is chiefly directed against the parts of the town occupied by the French, but shells and rockets have also been dis- charged among the buildings surrounding the dockyard, with the intention apparently of setting them on fire. Very few casualties have occurred. The batteries near the Inkermann West Light, and the Gringolet Battery on the cliff above the Tschernaya valley, have been more active the last few days. Since the movement of some of the French regiments towards Inkermann these batteries have been trying to annoy our allies in that direction. The enemy have thrown up another battery on the Inkermann heights, and on the north side they have commenced to erect stone buildings, which does not look much like a The Russians appear carefully to avoid any show of force. Occupying the high tablelands of the mountains, they can watch every movement in the allied camp : The two belligerent parties scarcely see each other, separated as they are by a kind of neutral ground which intervenes between them. A few black spots about the batteries on the Mackenzie ridge, which may be made out with a good glass as long•coated Russians, a Cossack vi dette of a few men on a hillock above Ozembash, some columns of smoke in the Belbeck villages, and a few THE PRESS. squadrons of cavalry in a field behind Yuritala, are all that can be seen by day of the Russians, while a small number of camp fires and the unceasing activity of their numerous telegraphs are the only visible signs of their close neigh. hourhood at night. It seems to be the plan of the Rua. sians to show as little of their forces as they can possibly help, and even the advance of the French to the Belbeck could not draw them out to make any display of their strength. They are in this respect more fortunate than we are , for, all the range of heights which they occupy being considerably higher than that which the allied armies occupy, they have a panoramic view of our position, and may watch every movement, and estimate every body of men which they see moving about. It is probably for this reason, as much as in order to keep their troops in con tinual activity, that the French are making so many pro. menades oar., Oct. 24. THE KINBURN EXPEDITION. With the exception of a small force left for the honour of guarding the English flag at the fort, the whole of our force under General Spencer had left Kinburn for head. quarters. The fort was considered secure against any attack : Kinburn is quite secured against any forces the enemy can bring against it, covered completely as it is by the guns of the formidable flotilla we have left behind to pro tect it. The garrison is strong; it is well to keep the exact force secret, but the Russians must know as well as we can how many men the fort will contain with con venience. The French troops will occupy the fort, but a small body of English will be left to guard the flag which waves along with the tricolour from its ramparts, and the task of its defence will be shared by a powerful English squadron with our allies. They have worked with extra ordinary energy to repair the place. All the curtains are rebuilt, the ruins cleared away, the damaged guns removed, and fine ships' guns put in their place ; the fosse cleared out and deepened, the palisades repaired, the south eastern' gateway filled up, and its approaches covered by a strong ravelin ; the crest of the parapets repaired solidly and well with fascines and earthwork, the Russian guns rendered efficient, the casemates cleared out and filled with stores or adapted as barracks, and the interior build ings in course of reconstruction and renovation.—Times cor., Nov. 3. The batteries on the Spit were to be destroyed. The two expeditions which took place while the whole force was at Kinburn did not achieve much beyond burning villages and capturing poultry : The reconnaissance which started the week before last did very little, except burn all the stores and houses which could render service to the enemy for seven or eight miles towards Kherson, and therefore I the less regret being in the mouth of the Bug at the time it started, and being unable to accompany it. The total strength of the expedi- tion was 4,541 men and 979 horses. On the first day they only marched to a village two miles beyond the place of disembarkation on the Spit, the French being in another village a mile in advance. On the second day the men remained inactive. On the third day the force marched to another village three miles further down the Spit, which was completely deserted, except by an old man and his wife, and by a peasant, who was found up a chitnney. Two of the Cossack douaniera came in and surrendered them selves t, the troops. On the fourth day the force returned, having still another day's supplies, and having laid waste the country and captured and slain immense quantities of poultry, geese, pigs, &T. The French were about '2,200 strong. One drummer was shot in the leg by an unskilful pig -shooter, and bullets were flying in all directions in search of geese, pigs, or cocks and hens, whenever the force came to a halt. None of the enemy molested them, but a body of 200 horse watched them closely, retreating before them as they advanced, and following them up on their return, not without some shots from a French gun boat, which accompanied the expedition as closely as possible, but was still a long way from the shore.—lb. THE SEA OF AZOFF. The following extracts from a private letter pub lished in the Morning Herald of Tuesday, are not uninteresting. The letter is dated from H.M. gun boat Weser, Oct. 15th. It will be seen that the Russians are busy adding to the fortifications of Arabat, and that they even possess there a small force of gun-boats : Oct. 6.—We started at two o'clock in the middle watch, and went about thirty miles down the Tongue of Arabat, and at eight o'clock a.m. an expedition of boats went into the Putrid Sea, to destroy Rome property said to exist there, about ten miles up. Our commander accompanied it. The boats had to be hauled across the tongue. They have all taken, besides their regular arms, rockets and tubes for setting corn on fire. Weber returns this afternoon from Genitchi, to prevent working parties on shore from throw ing up earthworxs, and to cut off any troops trying to pass the spit. Recruit is at the other end of the spit, fifty miles from this, to prevent troops passing np from Arabat. If the boats get back at all, they ought to be here to morrow night; but of course there is immense risk attending these expeditions. Oct. 7.—We were last night all turned up and kept on the qui rive expecting an attack from our friends the Rus- sian gun boats ; they came out of the passage, and possibly may have hoped to surprise us, but fortunately we kept a good look-out and watched their movements. Our guns were loaded on the fighting bolts and run out, the men were all on deck with Millie rifles, swords, pistols, and bayonets—had Master Russ appeared he would have caught it, and no mistake. We waited a good halthour, but finding them hesitating and only pulling along the face of the town without nearing us, we opened fire with shell ; they very soon cleared out and got inside the land, and we were not disturbed by them again. To-morrow Vesuvius, Recruit, SATURDAY ) and Curkw go to Berdianeki just to take a look rotifid, and we are left on guard here. We are in hopes ; *hen we are once alone again, the gun-boats may screw tip their coura ge and come out to attack us. When the Ardent returns we, have permission, weather permitting, to undertake the , Putrid Sea affair ourselves. This has been a regale* Black Sea Sunday—more firing than any other day. W. began about six in the morning, but this time we could not help it, as large bodies of troops were down in the houses carrying off plank, evidently to build decent winter quarters for themselves. Of course we could not stand that. Oct. 10.—We got under weigh this afternoon and en . chored right abreast of Bemtch ; from the masthead we can see it. It is on the bank of a small river, about five miles from the Putrid Sea, and in the midst of it we can see a very large building, which we all firmly believe to be a Cossack station or barrack. Of course it would be use less to attempt force to effect our purpose ; so to-morrow, at two a.m., our commander starts, taking, of course, a, guard to protect the spit, while we haul a small boat across on an araba ; this ,will take an hour, making it these o'clock, and then with four men he will pull direct for the windward side of the stores, which he expects to retch, at half-past four. Most probably he will have to wade is the water to get on shore, but he will still be there haiere day light. All he has to trust to is the aleepyness of the peopl e , and their natural stupidity at been taken by sarprise ; but. if the Russians have a guard awake, ten to one before they can reach the boat again they will be either shot or made prisoners, for any cavalry could gallop in the water faster than men could run. Everything is prepared for this, et. pedition—revolvers loaded, swords fbesh ground, ammuni tion, portfires, torches, long-lights, and slow-match ready. At daylight we are to land in force, to be prepared to keep troops off. Oct. 11.—Our commander and party started and soon arrived on the bank of the river Karasu. Here they found difficulties not bargained for ; they had to wade this river and another smaller one up to their knees in soft black mud, and with water up to their waists ; they had a good three miles' trudge inland to the region of the hay. They were determined, however, to let nothing daunt them, and away they went at a fast trot. On reaching the desired spot they soon set fire to the stacks, and no sooner did the flames begin to ascend than an alarm was given, and, as expected, the building mentioned was nothing but a bat. rack, and out rushed the troops. The enemy were of course taken by surprise, and did not know which way to turn; however, at last they got into something like order, saddled their horses and mounted ; all this time our party were burning away without a thought of retreating until the work was done. Our commander, with two wen, set fire to every rick—ninety in all—and then commenced a rapid. retreat; fortunately they had a few minutes' start before they were discovered, and the Cossacks dashed after them. Our fellows at once ran into the mud and water, and this,. with loading and firing their rifles as fast as possible, alone saved them from being taken. They now had to haul the boat from fifty to sixty yards through this mud, and all the time under a heavy fire from the cavalry—about seventy in all ; how they did not get hit is a mystery to all. One of our men got paralysed in both legs from fatigue and sold, and had it not been for a man named Rickard, a boatsmain'a mate, he must have been taken; but poor Rickard, aiskough nearly done up himself, dragged him helpless into the boat.. When the man lost the use of his legs and fell, the soldiers. thought they had shot him, and gave a savage yell of en ultation. Our party destroyed every grain of nom and key within reach. THE WAR IN ASIA. DEFEAT OF THE RUSSIANS BY OILER PACHA. The last information we received of Omer Padua was that he had started with his advanced guard, from Soukham Kaleh at the latter end of October far Kutais. It was not expected that he would be able to penetrate far up the country so late in the year,. but the intelligence of the battle of Kars appeal. to , have incited the Padishah to great exertiions I4e• pushed on by rapid marches, overcame eveity obstacle,. and at length reached the river Ingour, in lfingrelia,. where the Russians, drawn up in force, were prepare& to dispute his passage. The brief telegraphic report, received states the result : On the sth of November Omer Nebo best the Russians. in a pitched battle on the river Ingour, in Mingrelia. The Russians numbered 20,000. The fight lasted five hours. _ The linssians suffered severely. A second despatch confirms this, and adds:— ' Omer Pacha forced the passage of the Ingour at. lOW points, against superior numbers. The Generalissimo has pushed on to lintels. From Trebizond, up to November 1, we learn also by telegraph The Russians have sent from Kars to Alexe.ndropol the greater part of their baggage. This seems to indicate that they are about to raise the blockade of Kars. The besieged are able to keep open their communi cations. Eight thousand Turks are marching on Kutais. It is rumoured that the Russians have evacuated Kutais, and have retired on Tiflis. SIGNOR MAROCHETTI is at present at work upon & design for a colossal military monument, which is to be set up on the point of Scutari, in the burial ground purchased there by the British Government- The situation is superb, and the design is described as simple, pathetic, and imposing. The group will be executed in West of England granite. Prince Albert visited the artist's studio on Tuesday iu order to inspect the design.