The Press. — London, England, 1855-09-29 00:00:00

SEPT. 29, 1855. GERMAN VIEWS OF THE FALL OF SEBASTOPOL. (From a Correspondent.) The fall of Sebastopol has been celebrated by public dinners of French and English in several places on the Continent. One of these convivial meetings in honour of the victory took place at Homoourg•es•Monts, in the course of the last week. The dinner passed off with much spirit. The Queen of England, the Emperor Napoleon, the Sultan, the King of Sardinia, and the allied forces, were drank with all the honours ; and the cheering, long and loud, stirred even the phlegm of the more apathetic of the Saxon races. Sir William Fraser, Mr. Hud dlestone, Q.C., Mr. Kerr, Mr. Edmonstone Lendrick, Mr. Mitchell, Mr. Howard, Captain Macdonald, R.N., Mr. Harris, Mr. Arundell Harris, Captain Dash wood, (tic., were present; and among the distin guished foreigners were Count Hippolite de Bothtnar, Count Scherrthoss, Marchese Tezorchi, Count Lesky, &c. In fact, each nation bad its representative. The health of " Prince Frederick William of Prussia, and a German Empire," elicited marked attention, and the two noblemen who responded to the toast spoke out boldly and freely. They had both served with distinction in 1848, and one especially was the person deputed to offer the Crown of Hungary to tle Duke of Leuchtenberg in 1849. Among the more prominent observations were the following : Germany desires to be united ; she demands the re establishment of her old empire, and offers to Europe, by a consolidation truly Germanic, to be that safeguard against Russian aggression the duties of which formerly devolved upon unhappy Poland. Do not believe, gentlemen of England, that in Prussia the " parti de la Croix " repro• sents Prussian feelings or Prussian interests. We, the fiends of the Prince of Prussia—the nobles, the army, and the people,—are not Russian in our sympathies, but loyally Prussian and truly German in our desires and determinations. We regard the English as our legitimate allies, and we trust that the young prince to whom we now do honour may, at a future time, be a bond of union and affection betwixt the two countries. It is in the early dawn of existence that the man is moulded, that the patriot is educated—it is at the apronatring of the mother that the heart receives its first and deepest impression, that the mind learns its earliest lesson—and it is from the know ledge that the Prince Frederick William has been brought xi? under the careful superintendence of oue of the most highly gifted, accomplished, and resolute princesses of Europe that we derive our hopes for the brilliancy and patriotism of his future career—a career that shall tend to regenerate Germany, unite her energies, consolidate the empire, and free her for ever from the dominion of the house of Lorraine. If the victory which we are now met to celebrate be followed by a hasty peace, the interests of Germany will demand a speedy renewal of the war Your Minister, Lord Palmerston, has already betrayed us in the Danish conflict of 1849, wherein he sided with Russia a :ainst Germany. But, without looking back upon past e •ror, let us hope for bettor things,—that your Minister may seize the opportunity now offered—and it is one well worthy the display of his great talents—and make those changes in the political map of Europe that national ne• cessities demand. Unless patriotic reforms be made, and should a peace be patched up, insincere and ill-digested, rely upon it, gentlemen of England, that another war will be shortly forthcoming, and be one of extermination, with place, power in the hands of the republicans, and utterly destroy that constitutional liberty for which we, Germans, Hungarians, Poles, and Italians, are prepared and ready to do battle unto the death. The speech was received throughout with loud cheering. Neither the English Ministry, the Em peror of Austria, nor the King of Prussia were mentioned ; and the silence of disregard, and some thing more, interpreted intelligibly the sentiments of the meeting. Another dinner, of at least fifty persons, took place at Hombourg, on Saturday, Sept. 22, presided over by Sir Alexander Malet, the English Minister at Frankfort, and which has been already reported in the Times. In proposing the allied forces, the Eng lish Minister spoke in severe terms of the King of Prussia, and dwelt sarcastically on the insignificance of the German princes and their hollow declarations of neutrality. An exception was taken by the chair man of the former meeting to such censure being extended to the Prince of Prussia, whose regard for England and the English is well known, and whose son, Prince Frederick William, is now on a visit to her Majesty at Balmoral. The room in which the dinner was given was tastefully decorated with flags and mottoes emblematic of the Crimean battles and THE POPULATION OF NEW YORE amounts, by the census of 1855, to 623,170 souls, being an increase of 107,634 in five years. This is equal to a growth of twenty-one per cent. in five years, or nearly four and a quarter per cent. per annum. The growth from 1845 to 1850 was from 371,000 to 515,000, or nearly forty per cent. IRE TICKET-OF-LEAVE SYSTEM has received a check, owing to the number of recommitments which have taken place. On the Ist of February last there were 5,686 convicts under sentence of transpor tation, and up to that date 2,360 had been released on tickets of leave. The number released in the year ended the 30th of June last was NO. THE PRESS. GENERAL SIMPSON'S DESPATCH. We reprint the following despatch from General Simpson, as it appeared in only a portion of our impression of Saturday last : Before Sebastopol, September 9. I had the honour to appriseyour lordship in my despatch of the 4th inst. that the engineer and artillery officers of the allied armies had laid before General Pelissier and myself a report recommending that the assault should be given on the Nth inst., after a heavy fire had been kept up for three days. _ _ _ 1 This arrangement I agreed to, and I have to congratu ate your lordship on the glorious results of the attack of yesterday, which has ended in the possession of the town, dockyards, and public buildings, and destruction of the last ships of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea. Three steamers alone remain, and the speedy capture or sinking of these must speedily follow. It was arranged that at twelve o'clock in the day the French columns of assault were to leave their trenches and take possession of the Malakoff and adjacent works. After their success had been assured, and they were fairly established, the Redan was to be assaulted by the English ; the Bastion, Central, and Quarantine Forts on the left were simultaneously to be attacked by the French. At the hour appointed our allies quitted their trenches, entered and carried the apparently impregnable defences of the Malakoff with that impetuous valour which charac terises the French attack ; and, having once obtained possession, they were never dislodged. The tricolour planted on the parapet was the signal for our troops to advance. The arrangements for the attack I intrusted to Lieutenant-General Sir William Codrington, who carried out the details in concert with Lieutenant• General Markham. I determined that the second and light divisions should have the honour of the assault, from the circumstance of their having defended the batteries and approaches against the Redan for so many months, and from the intimate knowledge they possessed of the ground. The fire of our artillery having made as much of a breach as possible in the salient of the Redan, I decided that the columns of assault should be directed against that part, as being less exposed to the heavy flanking fire by which this work is protected. It was arranged between Sir W. Codrington and Lieut. General Markham that the assauleng column of 1,000 men should be formed by equal numbers of these two divi alone, the column of the light division to lead, and that of the second to follow. They left the trenches at the pre concerted signal, and moved across the ground preceded by a covering party of two hundred men, and a ladder party of three hundred and twenty. On arriving at the crest of the ditch, and the ladders placed, the men immediately stormed the parapet of the Redan and penetrated into the salient angle. A most determined and bloody contest was here maintained for nearly an hour, and, although supported to the utmost, and the greatest bravery displayed, it was found impossible to maintain the position. Your lordship will perceive, by the long and sad list of casualties, with what gallantry and self-devotion the officers so nobly placed themselves at the head of their men during this sanguinary conflict. I feel myself unable to express in adequate terms the sense I entertain of the conduct and gallantry exhibited by the troops, though their devotion was not rewarded by the success which they so well merited, but to no one are my thanks more justly due than to Colonel Windham, who gallantly headed his column of attack, and was fortunate in entering, and remaining with the troops, during the contest. The trenches were, subsequently to this attack, so crowded with troops that I was unable to organise a second assault, which 1 intended to make with the Highlanders under Lieut.-General Sir Colin Campbell, who had hi therto formed the reserve, to be supported by the third division under Major-General Sir William Eyre. I, there. fore, sent for these officers, and arranged with them to renew the attack the following morning. The Highland Brigade occupied the advanced trenches during the night. About eleven o'clock the enemy com menced exploding their magazines, and Sir Cohn Camp bell having ordered a small party to advance cautiously to examine the Redan, found the work abandoned ; he did not, however, deem it necessary to occupy it until daylight. The evacuation of the town by the enemy was made manifest during the night. Great fires appeared in every part, accompanied by large explosions, under the cover of which the enemy succeeded in withdrawing their troops to the north side by means of the raft-bridge recently con structed, and which they afterwards disconnected and conveyed to the other side. Their men-of-war were all sunk during the night. The boisterous weather rendered it altogether impossi ble for the admirals to fulfil their intention of bringing the broadsides of the allied fleets to bear upon the Quarantine Batteries; but an excellent effect was produced by the animated and well-directed fire of their mortar-vessels, those of her Majesty being under the direction of Captain Wil cox, of the Odin, and Captain Digby, of the Royal Marine Artillery. It now becomes my pleasing duty, my lord, to place on record the high sense I entertain of the conduct of this army since I have had the honour to command it. The hardships and privations endured by many ofthe regiments during a ling winter campaign are too well known for me to comment upon. They were borne both by officers and men with a patience and unmurmuring endurance worthy of the highest praise, and which gain them the deserved applause and sympathy of their country. The Naval Brigade, under the command of Captain the Honourable Henry Keppel, aided by Captain Moorsom, and many gallant officers and seamen who have served the guns from the commencement of the siege, merit my warmest thanks. 931 The prompt, hearty, and efficacious co-operation of I er Majesty's navy, commanded by Rear-Admiral Sir Eduim d Lyons, and ably seconded by Sir Flousion Stewart, b. contributed most materially to the success of our undet taking ; and here, perhaps, I may be permitted to day that, if it had pleased Uod that the successful result of this memorable siege should have been reported by my ever to be lamented predecessor in this command, I am sure that it would have been one of his most pleasing duties to ex press the deep sense which I know he entertained of the invaluable assistance and counsel he received on all occa sions from Sir Edmund Lyons. When at times affairs looked gloomy and success doubtful, he was at hand to cheer and encourage ; and every assistance that could tend to advance the operations was given with the hearty good will which characterises the British sailor. Nothing has contributed more to the present undertaking than the cordial co-operation which has so happily existed from the first between the two services. I cannot sufficiently express my approbation of the con duct of the Royal Engineers under Lieutenant• General Sir Harry Jones, who has conducted the siege operations from the beginning of this year. For some time past he has been suffering on a bed of sickness, but the eventful hour of the assault would not permit him to remain absent ; he was conveyed on a litter into the trenches to witness the completion of his arduous undertakings. My warmest thanks are due to the officers and soldiers of the Royal Artillery under the command of M ajor-lieneral Sir R. Dacres, who, during the arduous operations of this protracted siege, have so mainly contributed to its ultimate success. I must beg further to record my thanks for the cordial co•operation and assistance I have received in carrying out the details of the service from the Chief of the Staff, the Adjutant and Quartermaster Generals, and general staff, as well as generals commanding divisions and bri gades of this army. I must reserve io myself, for the subject of a future despatch, bringing before your lordship the particular mention of officers of the various branches of this army, whom I shall beg to recommend to your favorable notice. 1 intrust this despatch to the care of Brevet-Alajor the Hon. Leiecster l'urzon, who has been Assistant Military Secretary to my noble predecessor and myself since the commencement of this war, and who will he able to give your lordship more minute details than the limits of a despatch will allow. JAMES SIMPSON, General Commanding. MARSHAL PELISSIER'S APPEARANCE 18 thus de scribed in a private letter from the French camp:— " From his character I expected to have seen a young active man, whereas General Pelissier is an enor mously fat man, with very white hair, which is cut very close; he is so fat that he is unable to ride any distance. He was in an open carriage drawn by four greys, and two soldiers as outriders, and an Arab with a white flowing robe followed it. The general was dressed in uniform, with a number of decorations on his breast, and over his shoulders he wore a white cloak somewhat similar to those worn by the Arab chiefs. He is not very tall, and his face has rather a good-humoured expression, and quite different from what your imagination would portray from his history either here or in Africa." WAR ANNIVERSARIEB.—September is distinguished for being associated with many a great battle and commander. On the Bth, we had the anniversary of Oliver Cromwell's death, recalling to our memories the civil warfare of the seventeenth century, and the deeds of blood under the Protectorate. On the 4th, the mobbing in London of General Haynau, for his woman.flogging during the Austrian troubles. On the sth, the capture of Malta (1800). The 7th, the bloody battle of Borodino, in 1812. On the 11th, the battle of Stirling (1297). On the 12th, the death of Prince Blucher, one of the 'Waterloo heroes (1819). On the 13th the killinf of General Wolfe (1759). On the 14th the burning of Moscow in 1812, the death of the Duke of Wellington ; 1852, and the landing in the Crimea of the allies engaged in the present warfare. On the 15th the taking of Cadiz (1596). On the 17th, the siege of Gibraltar (1782). On the 18th, the bombardment of Messina (1848). On the 19th, the battle of Poictiers (1356); and next day the battle of the Alma. THE El Heraldo of Mexico, received by the last mail, contains an article on the electric telegraphic communication in that republic. It appears that there are already two lines of telegraph in the re public, the advantages of which are known to all. The capital is already in contact with the first port of Mexico and various populous cities. "The commu nication with Vera Cruz is the more interesting," ob serves the Mexican journal, "inasmuch as the events of the war in Europe, which occupy the whole world, are fraught with as much importance to us as to any other country." The Herald() goes on to detail a plan conceived by Mr. William George Ste!fart, possessor of the Government "privilege," which is nothing less than the putting a telegraphic commu nication with each other of Tampico , San Luis Potosi, Zacatecas, Aguas Calientes , Guadalajara, Tepic, San Blas, Mazatlan, and other cities, so that between the Mexican ports of the Gulf and the Pacific advices may be despatched in the shortest possible time. It appears that Mr. Stewart's plan is supported by persons interest e d in . the progress of the country, all of whom admit its immense '<lvan vantages. Nor will the Money be !Natant