The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser. — Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-10-23 00:00:00

,z,t)SUPPLEMENT TO r;4 t) tr tl t AND GENERAL CPMMERCIAL' ADVERTISER. induces the Russian people to roll themselves for ward or backward as unreasoning waves—destroy ing or sparing their own property or that of others without the indication of a sentiment except that of blind submission to command. This is, in reality, the dangerous character of Russian aggression ; and it is peculiarly characteristic of Asiatic combination. It takes no modulation from the circumstances by which it is surrounded, but Ours itself out and rolls along a broad, slow, steady tide of all-engulphing destruction. Of this dangerous feature of the Russian idiosyncracy history affords many pregnant examples, and Dr. P. in his narrative parallels some of these with modern illustration. He gives many pictures of individuals whose connexion with recent events has made their names familiar in the ear of Europe. Concerning these, many of the sketches are graphic, and nearly all of them are interesting. Among various matters of less importance, the doctor gives vent to an expression of the opinion enter , tamed by the Russians of the English soldiers. This, he assures us, is by no means complimen tary to the latter. The English soldiers, he says, are regarded by the Russians as clumsy and neg ligent —as lazy and presumptuous ; the English officers as ignorant and indolent to a degree that surpasses blief. At first he says the English troops were regarded as the most formidable opponents ; but, ever since the first encounter, the Russian soldiers have ceased to reverence thein, and now even call their courage in ques tion—scarcely esteeming them so formidable as the Turks, and professing to regard them as infi nitely inferior to the French. This, it must be remembered, is an enemy's painting, and conse quently must be taken cum gran sales; still it is worth knowing. His pictures of life and man ners within the doomed city are less interesting than lively. They wear the impress of truthful sketches, but scarcely bear upon the subject which is most interesting to an English reader. One grand tableau we must extract as deeply sig nificant of the apathetic spirit in which the Muscovite enters upon the work of fate. It is a picture of Sebastopol about the time the Allies effected their landing in the Crimea. The scene is at night, and it is composed of the experiences and reflections of the author in reference to , r fl 9? O,A N .E MIND'S FREE. we ight v,'he 'hind's free from any [lo w e " Nin May press upon the frame, 1. 10. 13 . ° , ki r 1 Y can we scoff at fate — h at ca re grasp at topmast fame I,v7:,are we then for common cares? . we heed .s s we how such cares caul Wh e ,„ no warninn—mock despairs — Toe `" the nind'sfree r ose of life bath then no thorns ;;bat feel not soft as cygnet's breast a r t . d r l ud Ei ra t :al n neither tr,t bu,s otnot owreck sneers ;reck ourno. r scorns,rest I,o‘l,°,elDels us then bonded no knee °L ead. for `Vher t the peace MI is brief, niincP.s free War • free frorn all haunting ghosts, and free Litteress, but than tin less sore ! oil, truth, that %in ahould be A latent worm at life's.svreet ,core With preaent suffering, and o'er Th e 1 e future clouds that menace worse, The seke rnind on earth's wild shore Casts up a desolating curse. With youth, then, doth all freedom flee ? With age, then, doth rank slavery come? JXay ! Want, and pain, and grief may be, Yet leave the voice of murmur dumb Ate may be heer'd beneath its load, . BY Chriitian hopes, of heaven that tell; And aOrrow froin.its painful road kilY find pure faith all thorns expel ! bbl Cool I but sweet patience take oh I t () My breast, a balm to pour! aLeonid I buts übmission make th4Y 41,ek companion on life's shore— (w,r,laha I hope, 'midst all this pain, T o , _ ni , ell only God can heal, or see), , . With h innocence again, CALDER CAM PBELL. Lil mind as free! T hd 11 A' it x z rp- s. m e ,. d , "Le bottble .k."..---- London vinia able. By Dr. P. a work :II; ,aud Norgate. l' and de d some ' ar tier tha vellred had it appeared e 4 Would have been eagerly sere 11 i t h done. seein s tittl es of thee reason for and sketches profesk• 8 • It d p ou ro b f t e i s n s g es th to e 'oni th,, , -ton, scene who, in addi ' gl arY of Dr. P., initial Pisllint e" lie is de_._ of treq implied . in further interest fact tbz 61goa ed, claims. be ; -44 h e indweller in the . tAy ON , Was an the st %%icier "Le,oastopol, his journal extendTinhge the siege. Akche,auie portion of tvt I, et kt to his narrative, as alreauY, stated, satheadd ttl klil 4 illfiliitel greater than it , v e 'l t • .Y g world whi le the • Wag h e ye ato the its in ers . reoct tyandthat the Ballleil d l4 g, and the city w e- in mystery. Now s from r,4 hi h , e , , h„e separated the besieger when the :11 a r B bee demolished, and w and of LS beL. 48 secrets d, the value to v'l secured and expldre book 4 lste h . still the tri tieh . rY as been lost , 1 and no , 141, • t, that will repay, perusal Sioro.! ?natter wlatcli - -will. recompense Among 'I rich food for reflection. ,h,lableee..lesso.us tof from d t e h ri e ved from a . tliis tet :Ntitii,,,_ k . Win .be rora to th 4pig resignation —that dogged obe e behests of the Emperor's will picture of which 0 1/ tie/. t / bete tr tf 1,0 11 ' , t h a d Ux 'ki ea l . the , kit e / ° 0 fr c - Ni l , 4le I tl; e 4 p I 'Pei, erect o f ,t e a to ; 014 a .411 kt e f ee ei —4 e 4t ea We Y he °II 1 ea' .14 Ce !81 01P l owe ;v p.iti ki th , h a , ' ' l 4t ki e d t o 0 , Ail 4 4 , , 11 Y ~ an ds ' th .ko% t , 141 Of nal I Qqi THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE SIEGE• I am now once more at home, and by no means regret my evening's stroll, late as it was. I have already seen a great deal in the course of my life the struggles of battle, the wild exertions of the field, and the stormy sea; the silent misery of the hut and the glittering wretched ness of the palace. Sights like these are all familiar to me, and present to my mental vision. Nevertheless, such a many-formed, motley and moveable picture in so narrow a, frame as I have seen to-night was still something new' and its gigantic dimensions even now press with crushing weight on my mind. And yet, what was it that so laid hold of me, and how far did the scenes that I witnessed differ from those in any other town threatened with a heavy siege P I have been present at the priestly bene diction of the advanced guard and at Prince Menschikoff's address to these troops ; then, following the multitude, I have hastened down to the military harbour, where, by the light of lanterns, the large ships were unrigged, and cannon and ammunition were landed and carried to the works on the land side of Sebastopol. Here, too, I met the Admiral again ; and, once more in the interior of the town near the square of the theatre, where, surrounded by shrieking women and children, he endeavoured in his own calm earnest manner, to comfort and cheer them. Was it this one man whose cold haughty greatness made such an impression upon me ? Was it the courage of death that shone in the eyes of our soldiers at the words of their leader, or was it the zeal and the grave noiseless activity of our mariners, that made such an impression upon me ? No ; for the leader and his warriors are yet untried ; and this voluntary renunciation of the one place of contest—the sea—though it may have been dictated by prudence, is certainly not of a kind to inspire hearts with real confidence. Nevertheless, it cannot be denied that, in the whole scene, there was something that spoke of great and sublime resolves ; for, •at this moment, I am firmly impressed with the conviction that Menschikoff and his army, that the sailors and the cannoniers of the fleet, —nay, that even the inhabitants of Sebastopol,:-- have made up their minds for a struggle of life and death, and that they will adhere to this determination till the last bulwark and the last tower of those proud forts topples over their heads. Everything that I saw bore the appearance of action—terribly earnest action. They were not mere empty words that I heard; they came from the heart; they expressed. the most serious, the deepest, conviction. From the general to the drmmer, from the admiral to the cabin-boy, ,no one, I think, believes that Sebastopol can, in the long run, withstand an enemy who has such mighty resources at command ; nevertheless, all are resolved on resisting to the last. " War to the knife's hilt !" that was the oath that the departing troops swore on their colours,—that is the one thought that sparkles from every eye, that manifests itself in every action ; and this unanimity among so many thousands, this it is that has made upon me an impression that I vainly strive to resist, and that, against my will, excites my admiration, as well as my fears for the future prospects of Europe. Pshaw ! I think my fears are carry ing me too far ; after all, it was the same here as in any other town heavily menaced. Sounds of weeping and wail ing issued from every house; men, women and children, laden with bedding and all sorts of household utensil's, were hurrying breathless through the streets ; carts were packed in the court-yards _and before the house-doors; and from the cellars sparkled a light, as a sign that there the rich concealed their treasures. After all, this rough drunken rablile, with its reminiscences of Moscow and .its threats of fire and slaughter, is more ridiculous than ter rible, for in this country everything is done solely by command; and, as as a first requisite to the realization of these mad dreams, Menschikoff should be resolved to act like Rostopchin. Even if this were the case, would the Emperor sanction the destruction of one of the finest cities In his dominions P I think not: Nevertheless, he is a whole character—aogenuine Russian—and I am con vinced that, if he willed it, these opulent citizens, at his• bare word, would, without hesitation or complaint, march across the Isthmus of Perekop into the interior of the country, and that these rude hordes would be the first to hurl brands into their own cottages, with yells of delight. The question of meum and tuum, which is of such infinite importance in Europe, scarcely exists for Russia; all the relations of life here are so diametrically opposite to those of Europe, that a parallel between one and the other is utterly impossible ; and things that would appear perfectly monstrous and impracticable iu the civilised States of the West seem, in this country, so natural and such mere, mat ters of course, that a mere word from the Czar is all that is requisite to convert a territorial paradise into a desert waste—a flourishing city into a heap of mouldering ashes. This passive obedience in the Russian people, this spirit of resignation, which is contented with anything,' is, indeed, a far worse enemy to Europe than the Russian armies ; for the latter can be vanquished and destroyed, but these qualities are deeply rivetted in the national mind. No bullet can strike them down, no power in the world can reach them ; only the streams of time can undermine the foundation, and thus bring them to an end. Outside there is still the noise of the multitude. They are three parts drunk, their mouths are filled with reviling; but far from them is so much as a thought of accusing the Emperor Nicholas as the sole exorciser of the storm that now threatens Sebastopol,—•nay, Russia. They do not look within, they only look outwards ; the cause of war troubles them not. The fight has begun, so it must and shall be fought out,—such is the Emperor's will ; that is enough, and God protects Holy Russia. What is still , more remarkable, the war is popular. In his portraits of individuals, this learned Esculapian is forcible and graphic ; and although, peof f 4 011)