The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-02-12 00:00:00

THE WAR.

INTELLIGENCE from the Crimea-reaches to the 26th ult., in
correspondence with the London journals, and up to that
period the news communicated 'varies but little from the
information conveyed during the preceding two months.
Occasional alarms appear to keep alive the vigilance of the
Allies,'-without calling for exertion .sufficient to exhaust their
energies; and the details furnished of the duties performed
are still more those of an army keeping watch over the move-
ments of an enemy than of one engaged in actual war. Dis-
cussions on the subject, and the-terms, and the probabilities
of peace, occupy the thoughts of both officers and men.
The destruction of the Docks having now been completed
a fertile source of speculation and-curiosity has been removed-,
and amusements, gossip, and other means of beguiling time
are eagerly seized on by the soldiery, whose position and con.
dition, in all respects, continue to offer a marked and
favourable contrast to those of last winter.

The Times' correspondent, writing from the camp before
Sebastopol, on the 21st January, gives the following account
of a circumstance which gave rise to the rumour of
A VICTORY ON THE TCHERNAYA.

At about half-past nine last night, some heavy firing was
heard beyond the Tchernaya. In certain states of the atmo-
sphere, and at a distance, the sound of cannon seems deadened
and prolonged, and persons in the English camp thought they
distinguished volleys of musketry. The firing did not last
long. This morning it was confidently related that the Rus-
sians had made a sudden attack on the Sardinians, and had
been repulsed with the loss of 200 prisoners. The tale was
most circumstantially told, but, on inquiry, proved to be de-
void of truth. The fact was, that at the above-mentioned hour,
Gringalet and all that line of Russian batteries suddenly
opened fire upon Traktir Bridge and the adjacent plain. About
60 or 80 rounds were fired without doing any damage that I
have been able to learn, and the batteries relapsed into silence.
The motive of this sudden burst is to us a mystery.
At an early hour this morning there was an alarm of fire in
Kadikoi, and flames were seen issuing from one of the stores.
The Sardinian head-quarters are close at hand, and were
quickly roused. Sardinian troops and English artillerymen
were active in their endeavours to subdue the conflagration,
Two Sardinian engines were brought up, and by four o'clock
in the morning the fire was got under. Two stores were de-
stroyed by the flames, and. two others were pulled down, or
nearly so, to isolate the burning buildings.
The health of the army is still represented as good,
although, as must be expected, sickness prevails to a con-
siderable extent. On this subject, the same correspondent,
writing on the date above-mentioned, says :—The Great Tas-
mania left on Saturday, with between 400 and 500 sick. She
was in tow of the Andes, which, I hear, will take her as far as
Gibraltar. The Alps is the next ship for sick to the Bospho-
rus, and should leave in a day or two; bnt it seems doubtful
whether she will, for there will hardly be enough sick to make
it worth while sending her down. I understand that from
the general hospital there are only eight or nine to go by her.
In the Castle hospital there are 130 patients left : at least half
of these are convalescents, who will return to their duty this
week.

Under date of the 22d, the correspondent of the Daily Neica
gives the following account of the
DESTRUCTION OF THE DOCKS AT
. SEBASTOPOL.

On Friday afternoon, at about five o'clock, our engineers
blew up most successfully the bottom of the west dock, which
was one foot under water, by means of eight charges of 1611bs.
of powder each. Unfortunately they were not so successful the
following day, for out of the seven charges placed in the east
pier, between the entrances to the east and centre docks, only
four went off; Mr. Deane's electric wires having got disarranged
by the French explosion of half the entrance or lock just pre-
viously. The seven charges in the pier consisted of three on
each side of 4001bs. of powder each, and one at the knob of
8001bs. The three charges that missed were the last-men-
tioned, and two on the right side of the pier. The French
demolition of one half the entrance, both sides and bottom,
was most complete and perfect. In the sides were twelve
charges of 5001bs. of powder, and at bottom, under 18 feet of
water, one charge of 2,0001b5. When this last exploded, it
cast a volume of water 30 feet up into the air. To-morrow
our allies are to complete the demolition of their half portion
of the docks, by blowing up the front half of the entrance and
the right half side of the basin. The English are going to have
two more explosions, if everything is successful, to complete
their half portion. The first is to consist of the right side of
the east dock and basin as far as the sheers to meet the French,
and the second to be made up of the two sides of the west
dock, with entrance, pier, and the left side of centre dock.
The 8001bs. charge and two 4001bs. charges that missed fire
on Saturday may be fired at any moment ; I don't, therefore,
include them in the two great explosions to come. The Com-
mander-in-Chief was present on Saturday, but was too late on
Friday to witness the destruction. There can be no doubt
that we run the powder much more fine for masonry than the
French. Our head engineers consider no science is displayed
if a single stone is hurled to any slight distance. The French
engineers appear to be of opinion, that as the old Russian
powder is not of much value, it may just as well be used as
not. The consequence is, that their demolitions are much more
violent, and appear to the ignorant much more complete. It
may be a fault on their part, but it is a good fault. The
whole of our three docks are 40 feet wide at bottom and 29
feet deep. The west dock is the shortest of the three, being only
233 feet long at top, whilst the centre dock is 236 feet, and
the east dock 238 feet. The entrance gate to this last dock,
which with immense labour was taken to pieces, still lies in-
side the dockyard wall. If England is proud of this trophy,
which happens to have been the only gate of our three not
riddled by our round shot or shell, no time should be lost in
getting it conveyed to Balaklava and shipped home, for its
weight is about 60 tons. The French have at last
,succeeded
in getting up their dock gate, and they will, of course, convey
it, like their portion of the shot and guns, to within the
strong lines of Kamiesch.
The Daily News' correspondent gives the following, of the
same date, as to the
WITHDRAWAL OF OUR ARTILLERY :

Sir Richard Dacres, who commands the artillery, has re-
ceived positive orders to send home 17 of the 29 or 27 siege
train companies. Report says that his Excellency the
Commander-in-Chief is shortly going to review the whole
army, which certainly could not be in finer order than at
present, whether as regards discipline, nourishment, clothing,
health, or drill. Lectures in the different divisions are now
being given weekly ; and in the brigade chapels there is
always an afternoon Sunday voluntary service, besides an
evening service once a week, and in some brigades a daily
morning service. The 4th Division will have its new theatre
on Cathcart's Hill completed in five days. Yesterday after-
noon another paper hunt came off at head-quarters. A per-
manent guard is from day to day to be placed over the shores
at Kazatch. It has been determined to blow in the handsome
quays along the Dockyard Creek.

The 22nd was a day of almost unceasing rain, which was
succeeded by fine weather on the following day, to the great
relief of the camp grumblers, and the no small delectation
of the " correspondents" who, thus relieved from pluvial
durance, were privileged to go about in quest of "morsels of
intelligence," now difficult of acquisition. Great complaint
had prevailed in consequence of the non-arrival of the mails,
which cause of grief was fortunately removed on the 24th, as
we are informed by the Times' correspondent, who, on the
25th, gives the following intimation as to the
RECEPTION OF THE PEACE NEWS :

Yesterday afternoon brought us the two due mails, and the
confirmation of the report that Russia had accepted the ulti-
matum sent by Austria through Count Esterhazy. There is
a great deal of doubt and uncertainty and speculation in
camp, and conjectures as to how long we shall remain here if
peace be proclaimed, and what we shall do with our horses,
and what will become of our huts, and shall; we have
transports for our heavy baggage (this meaning, in some
cases, the entire household furniture, goods, chattels, and
Penates of a single gentleman), and in short people are
anxious and unsettled, and longing for the next news ; but
the day is fine, and there has been no rain for the last 24
hours ; the wind is from some point of north, and, although
the camp is still a morass, the mud has a little diminished,
admitting of a ride to Balaklava, to gather the last " shave,"
or of a ramble over to Kamiesch for a dinner at the restaurant,
and I am not sure whether the H. Q. P. hunt has not a meet
this afternoon, to chase the paper fox or some unhappy Tartar
dog. One of the most interesting features of the English
camp is its cemeteries, unhappily too populous. In the early
days of the siege, when the living were hardly sufficient to
bury their dead, the mode of interment was irregular, and
men and beasts were put under ground much at random.
Within twenty paces of the but in which I now write, lies
what little corruption may have left of two human bodies,
the spot unmarked save by the memory of a few survivors ; a
little way on the other side the huge carcase of a dromedary
was buried, and last summer we used to fancy that a stench
proceeded from the spot. The practice of burying in
the vicinity of tents and huts had to be checked by the
authorities ; and, as misery diminished, and fine
weather came, regularity was introduced, and divisions
and even regiments had burial-grounds of their own.
A flag of truce went across in a boat, a few days ago, to within
a short distance of Fort Constantine, to give up a Greek colo-
nel in the Russian service, named Mento, who commanded a
battalion at Balaklava when the allies arrived in the Crimea,
and has been a prisoner ever since. He is a man of advanced
age, and it was resolved to let him rejoin his family, which
was sent over to the Russian lines some time ago. On the
occasion of his liberation a touching incident occurred. Con-
versing with the English officers who accompanied him, the
old colonel expressed his hope that be should find the greater
part of his family alive and well, though he had heard from
them but once since their separation. His son, he said, he
had no expectation of seeing again. He was a naval officer
serving in Sebastopol during the siege, and he knew too well
how dreadfully the Russian navy had suffered to cherish a
hope that his child had been spared. The British flag of truce
approached the shore, and was met by a Russian boat, when
those with whom the colonel bad just been conversing were
surprised and affected to see him clasped in the arms of the
lieutenant commanding. The son, already mourned as dead,
had been sent, either accidentally, or, more probably, by deli-
cate kindness on the part of our brave antagonists, to receive
his father from captivity. The Russians were seen by the
persons who went with the flag riding and walking about the
north side of the harbour. As we do not take the trouble to
reply to their fire, they can do so with perfect impunity.
Jan. 26.—Heavy rain again last night. A bright morning
and a blue sky, with a high wind from the south.