The Press. — London, England, 1855-01-06 00:00:00

6 from sword and lances, were unable to defend themselves, and several paid for their culpable negligence with their lives. A lieutenant is said to have been made prisoner, and it is added that the Russians carried him off enveloped in the cloak and blankets which served him as a bed. The battalion to which the detachment belonged has been de clared, in an order of the day, unworthy to remain in the trenches. As to the captain who commanded he has been placed under arrest, and is to be tried by court-martial. MILITARY FORCE OF THE GERMAN CONFEDERATION _ _ . The following account of the army b<ilonging to the several powers comprised in the German Confede ration is of much interest at the present moment. The total and actual strength, according to the re turns for 1853 laid before the military committee of the Diet, amounts to 525,037 men, and is divided as follows :—The Ist, 2nd, and 3rd army corps (Austria) make 153,295; the 4th, sth, and 6th army corps (Prussia), 170,509 ; the 7th army corps (Bavaria), 50,236: and Bth corps (Wurtemburg, Baden, and Hessen Darmsta,lt), 47,557 ; the 9th corps (Saxony, Electoral Hessia, Nassau, Luxemberg, Limberg), 35,330 ; the 10th corps (Hanover, Brunswick, Olden burg, the Hanse Towns, Mecklenburg), 49,918 ; the infantry division of reserve, 18,180. Among them 3,371 are on the staff; the infantry amount to 404,502 men, of whom 28,621 are chasseurs and riflemen; the cavalry are 71,140, with 42,032h0r5es doing work. The artillery consists of 40,270 men, with 7,424 horses ; the so-called technical troops amount to 5,745 men, to whom are to be added 1,470 army surgeons and 16,838 men attached to the transport service. The siege park contains 250 pieces of ord nance, 122 of which are cannon, 31 howitzers, and 97 mortars. According to its tactical distribu tion the federal army consists of 387 battalions, 409 squadrons, and 147 batteries, with 1,122 guns. THE BALAKLAVA RAILWAY CORPS. A second iei;lment of this corps left London on Tuesday for the Crimea. The men embarked at Blackwall in a fine new steamer, the Hesperus, of 800 tons, built in the Tyne, by Messrs. Marshall, and seemingly in every way admirably adapted for this particular purpose, combining compactness with great capacity. Her engines are 150-horse power, and she made the trip from the Tyne to the Thames in thirty hours, her average speed per hour being 104 knots. She carries her full burthen, 800 tons of rails, sleepers, and other materials, with fuel for twelve days, hut presents no appearance whatever of being unduly laden ; and, should the weather be but mo derately favourable, it is anticipated that she will reach Malta without stopping at Gibraltar to coal, and accomplish the voyage to Balaklava in three weeks. The number of navvies taken out by the Hesperus is eighty, nearly all young men in the prime of vigorous manhood, and presenting all those evi dences of stalwart strength and endurance for which their class is proverbial. They are amply provided with warm and durable clothing of the most suitable description, and when embarking appeared in the best possible spirits, and thoroughly satisfied with everything that had been done for them. A large crowd assembled on the Brunswick Pier to witness their departure. Another detachment, comprising 500 men, sailed on Thursday, in the Prince of Wales. Among these are included, besides common navvies, smiths, fitters, riveters, carpenters, plate-layers, and en gineers ; and as each of them is provided with every requisite of his calling necessary to the speedy fol lowing up of the work about to be commenced, there can be little or no delay when the men arrive at their destination. According to the arrangements ofi Messrs. Peto, Brassey, and Betts, every man was required to be in a sound and healthy condition, not only in appearance, but to be proved so by the thorough examination of a medical man, in addition to which the candidate was to be of good character and tried steadiness. THE ALLIED PACIFIC SQUADRON. The American journals contain news from San Francisco to the 24th of November communicating the intelligence that the ships composing the allied Pacific squadron had sailed thence 'for different des tinations during the last few days. The Eurydice, having on board the Russian pri soners, sailed for the Sandwich Islands. The Go vernment has ordered the prisoners to be kept there until further instructions regarding them shall be received. The Forte and President were to proceed to Mazatlan, from whence, after a stay of a few days, they would sail for Valparaiso, where they will await orders to return to Europe, or any other destination which may be assigned them. The Amphitrite had left for Honolulu, and from whence, after a short stay, she will sail for Tahiti. The Pique had just sailed on the day when the mail left, her destination being also believed to be Honolulu. It was considered probable that the squadron would again assemble in San Francisco harbour in a few months, and, in con • junction with the Alceste and Adventure, again go northward, although their movements would of course be controlled altogether by the current of affairs in Europe. THE PRESS. THE 'HIMALAYA." This steamer, under the command of Captain Russell, arrived at Spithead on Tuesday from the Black Sea. Sbe left Malta on the 20th of December, calling at Gibraltar, where she was detained three days coaling. She has brought home the follow ing :—One lady, 10 military officers, 3 naval officers, 48 wounded soldiers, 88 sick ditto, 225 women, and 300 children—making a total of 769. The naval officers are Captain Graham, C.B. (brother of Sir J. Graham), from the Vengeance, 84, invalided; Wil liam H. Bridge, first lieutenant of the name ship ; and Mr. Inglis, second master of the Sidon, steam frigate, on promotion. The military officers who come home in the Himalaya are, Colonel C. A. Fitz H. Berkeley, Scotch Fusilier Guards, wounded ; Colonel Hume, 95th Foot, wounded; Captain Knol lys, invalided; Captain Phillips (and wife), 47th Regiment, wounded; Captain White, 17th Lancers, wounded ; Captain Stoner, 68th Regiment, invalided ; Lieutenant Garrard, 95th Regiment, wounded ; Lieu tenant Sanderson, 62nd, invalided (and who has since broken his leg by an accident) ; and Staff Sur geons Manifold and Carr. The whole of the officers and men who are sick and wounded are doing very well, and generally speaking a very good state of health prevailed on board. One death occurred on the passage, that of a private in the royal artillery. Since leaving Malta there have also been six births on board. The women are chiefly wives of soldiers who belonged to regiments sent on from Malta, Gib raltar, Sze., to the seat of war, and who have either been killed in battle or died from disease. NEW BULLET EXTRACTOR. The necessities arising from the present war are suggesting various contrivances for their due supply, and new instruments of contention or of aid, appli cable to the services or useful in the disasters and sufferings inseparable from a state of hostilities are being devised in rapid succession by ingenious in ventors. Among others, Mr. E. Miles, of Stoke Hammond, has contrived an instrument for extract. ing bullets from wounds with comparative ease, ra pidity, and safety. The contrivance is very simple, consisting of a small air-pump and cylinder, to which a tap is affixed. To this tap is attached a suitable length of flexible tubing, about a quar►er of an inch in diameter, lined inside with silver wire to prevent its collapsing. At the other end of this tube there is a small globe, from which a tube sufficiently minute to pass into a bullet-wound is fixed, the end terminating with an indiarubber collar. On the top of the globe there is a small top in order to admit a probe to pass down the tube to sound when on the bullet. The mode of operation is this :—a vacuum is created in the cylinder, the tube before alluded to is passed into the wound, and when it is ascertained to be cn the ball the tap in the cylinder is opened, when the bullet becomes fixed to the tube by the vacuum thus created, and is thus withdrawn. The great merit of this invention consists in its obviating the necessity for the painful and dangerous operation of cutting out bullets, and by its means a medical man, with the aid of an assistant to work the air pump, would be able to accomplish the work which now occupies many surgeons. When the cy linder is once exhausted, it would extract several bullets without the necessity of again working the air•pump. The Medical Board has given directions to Mr. Coxeter, instrument maker to the University College, to fit up several sets of apparatus on this principle. THE NEW FRENCH LOAN. The new loan now raising in France comprehends a total of 500,000,000 f., or 20,000,000 sterling, which is to be subscribed for either in a Four-and-a Half or a Three per Cent. Stock, at the price of 92f. per 100 f. for the former, and 65}f. for the latter. Sub scriptions will be received of from 10f. and upwards. In the event of more than the sum required being applied for, a proportionate reduction will be made only on all subscriptions exceeding 500 f., in order to encourage the French nation generally, as on a former occasion, to render assistance to the Government, and thereby give it the character of a patriotic loan. Ten per cent. will be required to be paid into the Treasury on all subscriptions, and the remainder in eighteen equal monthly instalments, commencing the 7th of March,lBss, and ending the ith of August, 1850. Instalments paid up in advance will be received less four per cent. discount for all subscriptions not exceeding I,ooof. ; the rate of discount on all sums above that amount will be arranged at alater period. The dividends on the Four and-a-Half per Cents. will date from the 22nd of September, 1854; and on the Three per Cents. from the 22nd of December, 1854, and will be calculated on the entire capital of the loan instead of that portion only which will be paid up. The subscription lists were opened on Wed nesday last, the 3rd, and will close on the afternoon of the 14th inst. A provisional receipt for the money paid will in the first instance be issued, and after the loan is apportioned a loan certificate will then be granted to self or bearer. SATURDAY, THE WAR IN ASIA. Accounts from Trehisond, of the 19th ult., state that the Russians have rased the forts of Bayazid, and are closely watching the frontier of Persia. The heavy falls of snow which have taken place near Kars render it very improbable that hostilities cannot be re si* until the spring. The Russian garrisons of Shatnkoi and ♦sap will be, it is said, marched to the Crimea. RUSSIAN ARMY IN THE CRIMEA. The Cologne Gazette says : Hitherto Russia has brought on the theatre of war only the third of her army. In fact, Russia has placed in line the 3rd, 4th, 6th, and 6th infantry corps of the active army, with the corps of Dragoons of the reserve, and the corps of the Caucasus. The Ist and 2nd corps pf infantry, the two corps of cavalry of the reserve, the corps of the Guard and of the Grenadiers have not appeared hitherto on the theatre of war ; she keeps them to oppose Austria, and forms besides an army of reserve of 8t)(),000 men, eom• mended by General Tcheodayeff. In the spring there will appear on the line of operations an army subdivided into six principal parts :—the army of the North, in the Baltic provinces ; the army of the West, in l'oland ; the army of the Dneister and Danube—that is to say, the army of the South of Prince Gortschakoff; the army of the Crimea of Prince Menschikoff ; the army of reserve of Tchecdayeff; and the army of the Caucasus of General Momwvieff. SIR DE LACY EVANS. THE following correspondence between General Sir De Lacy Evans and Lord Raglan has obtained pub licity without, it is said, the authority of either writer in the first instance. We reprint it, as it. re lates to subjects of general interest at the moment, and under the circumstance of the gallant general's retirement from active service in the Crimea may be looked upon as official and documentary : H.M.S. Britannia, Nov. 11, 1854. My Lord,—On the 30th ult. an side-de•catnp of mine had the honour of informing your lordship that after being eon fined to bed in my tent for nearly two days I hada severe fall on my head, my horse partly rolling over me, which, added to previous suffering from illness or exhaustion, rendered me totally incapable of doing duty. Your lordship imme diately granted me such leave of absence as I might re quire, and had the goodness even to send your caniage to convey me to Balsklava. Bearing on the 4th, however, that some attack against the enemy was intended, I wrote to the military secretary to ask when it was to be, being desirous, if possible, though far from well, to be at least present at it. Colonel Steele was so obliging to reply,, " Lord Raglan begs me to say you must not think of moving until you are quite strong." On hearing heavy firing on the morning of Sunday, the bth, though the weather was bad and I had taken mercury, I proceeded as fast as I could to the point of attack, and remained there till the close of the battle, but felt neither justified nor fit to take the command of the division from General Penne father, which he had exercised with so much ability in the previous part of the day. Your lordship, on hearing that was on the field, sent for me, and with your usual kind considerateness desired me to go back to the ship I had been staying in —which, acknowledging my inability for any useful active service, I obeyed. But the fatigue and exposure to weather I had undergone did me injary, I have now for nearly a fortnight had the benefit of the greatest care and hospitality possible. and a warm cabin, from my generous naval friends, Captain Dacres in the first instance, and now no less so from the admiral-in chief in the Britannia. But five months without cessa tiOn under canvas, with some unavoidable privations and • alterations of temperature, latterly at night not unfre quently severe cold, with the shock occasioned by my fall, have had their effect on one in his sixty-eighth year. In deed, owing to the chances of the service, I believe no other officer of the same advanced age and rank has had the same continuous test to bear up against. And with all my present rest and advantages I am still left with but little feeling of strength or freedom from ailment. This has been greatly added to by the heavy and peculiar responsibility that lately fell to my lot for almost a month, namely, from about the 4th, I think, till the 30th of October. [" Here," writes Sir De Lacy Evans to the Timer subsequently, " a paragraph or sentence of my letter has been omitted, from what cause I know not." The omitted passage follows the words " 30th of October," and runs thus : • The post I was charged with dnring that long period was, I believe, deemed of the utmost importance to the safety of the French and English armies. Frequently but few troops remained to me for its defence, against some times tenfold our numbers of the enemy, within a short distance from our front. I had the honour of frequently submitting my opinion of the weakness and precariousness of the position of the second , division to your lordship, and, indeed, also to General Canrobert, and of the small means at my disposal to place it in more security. Its liability to be suddenly attacked at all times it was also my duty to represent. But the various exigencies to be provided for on other points at that time scarcely left it possible, believe, to afford us any material reinforcement, or means for the construction of defences. I have ventured into these details to account for the harassing nature of the duty alluded to, and of the anxious and almost sleepless nights and days it occasioned me.]