The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-12-11 00:00:00

THE WAR.

Field and siege operations seem alike to have become lan-
guid in the Crimean armies, on both sides. Each of the con-
flicting hosts appears sensible that they are menaced by the
approach of an enemy more insidious and more fell than that
which is heralded by shot and rockets; and that more careful
preparations are necessary to guard against the advance of the
Crimean winter than are required to protect them from the
incursions of human foes. In accordance with this conviction,
we find both the Allies and Ihe Russians chiefly busied in pre-
Paring winter quarters for their troops.
PREPARATIONS FOR THE WINTER—ITS
APPROACH.

On this subject, a special correspondent of the Daily News,
writing from the camp before Sebastopol, on the 23rd of No-
vember, says :
By far the most important incident of local occurrence since
the last mail has been the issue, on Wednesday, of the new
winter clothing to the troops. Neither in the quality nor in
the quantity of these articles can the most fastidious grumbler
find excuse for complaint against the War-office this time : in
fact, the error, if any, has been on the safe side of an utter re-
gardlessness of expense. The winter kit served out to each
man, is such as would render him tolerably independent of the
severest season that can visit the earth anywhere between the
poles, and will certainly enable him to laugh at Boreas, be the
temper of the stormy god what it may, for the next four
months in the Crimea. The articles distributed on Wednesday
comprise a most excellent tweed coat, lined throughout with
rabbit or catskin—the same as was last year served out to
the officers ; a larger and still warmer sheepskin coat, two
pair of thick worsted drawers, two Jerseys, one pair of
worsted gloves, one worsted cholera belt, one pair of long
waterproof boots, one waterproof sheet, one pair of worsted
stockings, one pair of socks of the same quality, and one
sealskin cap to turn down and completely cover the ears and
neck. The men themselves are loud in the expression of their
satisfaction, and strut about in their new toggery much more
like officers than private soldiers. But while the soldiers
have been thus liberally provided for, the complaint which
I threw out some weeks ago, with reference to the course to
be pursued towards the officers, remains as forcible as ever.
Nothing whatever is to be given to them. A small supply of
warm great coats has indeed been sent, but for each the high
charge of 655. is to be made—a price which many a dozen of
poor subaltern officers can but very badly afford to pay.
Besides the comfort to be expected from these storm-defying
wearables, the troops have every prospect of being, for the
greater part, equally warmly lodged. All over the camp new
huts are in rapid course of erection, whilst the old ones are
rendered still more weatherproof, by being built up on the
outside with a thick veneering of rough masonry, in which
empty bottles, old preserved meat cases, Russian round shot,
and stones, are all worked in as materials. The effect is odd
and incongruous enough to the eye, but the result to the
inmates will be a great increase of warmth in every case in
which this original style of house-coating is being carried out.
Our first fall of snow occurred on Tuesday night, after a day
of intense bitterness ; and on Wednesday morning all the
hill tops within view were silvered over with the white flakes,
for several inches deep. Yesterday, and to-day again, however,
the cold has abated, and the temperature is not more than
healthily bracing. But come when the final change may, we
shall be prepared for it, and man and beast may look forward
to the double honours of frost and rain with little fear of
suffering greatly from their severities. Steamers have sailed
within the last day or two from Kazatch Bay for Eupatoria,
to transport the brigade of light cavalry to the Bosphorus,
whither the " heavies" have already proceeded for the
winter. A weekly mail is also to be made up for Eupatoria
and Kertch, the service to be taken alternately by ourselves
and the French. Hitherto the troops at both places have
been dependent on chance vessels for all communication,
postal or otherwise, either with head-quarters or Constan-
tinople, and the resultant inconveniences have been neither
few nor slight.
ARMY ON THE TCHERNAYA.—THE TROOPS
REVIEWED BY THE CZAR.
The correspondent of the Times, writing on the 24th of
November from the camp of the Allies on the Tchernaya, re-
ports as follows :
The accounts which arrive by deserters are of the same am-
biguous character. Lately great numbers of the latter have
come in, partly to the Piedmontese, and partly to the French,
and from every arm of the service. This frequent desertion
speaks either of a great carelessness in the Rassian outposts,
or else, what 1s more probable, of an indifferent state of dis-
cipline; for, as it must be assumed that, considering the die-
lance which separates us from the Russians, only a small part
of those who intend to desert actually are able to reach our
lines, the spirit of the Russian soldiery cannot be very good
when so many make their way to our out-posts. All those
who have lately come in are unanimous in their assertion that
the Emperor Alexander has been in the Crimea in the middle
of this month. They all agree in stating that he reviewed the
troops on the Mackenzie Ridge on the 12th, those in the
Sievernaia on the 13th, and those on the plateau of Korales,
towards the Upper Belbek, on the 14th. They say the Em-
peror expressed at the review his satisfaction at their defence
of Sebastopol, and thanked them for it. He said that they
were not driven from Sebastopol, but evacuated it according to
his orders, as he did not think that the holding the south side
was worth the lives of so many of his brave soldiers and dear
children. In conclusion, he said that he hoped that they
would prove worthy of their fame as the defenders of Sebasto-
pol, now they are going to march. None of the deserters
knew what this last expression meant, whether it applied to
a retreat or an attack. After the review, every man received
a gratification of three roubles, or very nearly nine mouths'
pay. About the movements of the Russian army the desert-
ers seem to know nothing. The expression which they say
the Emperor used in his speech,—namely, that they are going
to march,—puzzles them as much as it does us ; whether they
are marching forwards or backwards is to them as much a
mystery as to us. In the meantime they confirm that (witlf
n,i-tnez some time ago, nave gone northwardly) the
bulk of the army still remains in its old position.
THE RUSSIAN POSITION.—ITS DEFENCES.
On the Mackenzie Ridge there are still the twenty-one
pieces of heavy artillery, remaining. A Russian gunner, who
deserted, says that there would be no great difficulty in case
of an attack; but the good fellow seems to forget the run up
hill for more than a mile which an attacking party would have
to perform before it could close with the enemy on the ridge.
The roads leading to the heights are all cut or obstructed.
The Russian field artillery has received orders to draw back
from the front, and twenty men of each battery will be sent
into the interior to drill recruits during the winter. This
looks as if the Russians were preparing for a quiet winter.
That they are not afraid of our disturbing them is evident
from the weak outposts which they have down in the valley.
The service of the whole line from Inkerman to Tchouliou
and the Upper Belbek is done by three sotnias of Cossacks,
who are relieved every third week by others coming from the
Belbek during the day. They have only three posts down in
the valley, one under the Mackenzie Ridge, another in the
Tchouliou Valley and on the heights of Ozembach, and a third
in the villages of the Upper Belbek. The conformation of the
country greatly facilitates this arrangement, owing to the
gradual rise of the ground towards the plateau occupied by
the Russians. These three posts can overlook our whole po-
sition, which is considerably lower on most points than the
advanced hills which they occupy. During the night the
Russians form a chain of moving videttes all along their line,
at a short distance from each other, who have to be in con-
stant communication.
POSITION OF THE SARDINIAN TROOPS.
The Sardinians have now housed not only their troops at
Kamara, but even their most advanced outposts on the other
side of the Tchernaya. As they are nearest to the Russians
they are strictest in their military regulations; no one is al-
lowed to approach without being challenged and asked for the
parole. On all the other points, where a sort of neutral ground
intervenes between our and the Russian positions, you can go
about as if there were no Russians in front; and only when
you approach the Sardinians are you reminded that you are
before the enemy. The Sardinian railway p
slowly, as there are only five men laying down the rails.rogresses ver
They working is so arranged that locomotives will be able to go the
whole way to Kamara without interruption. Two of the en-
gines, the Alliance and the Victory, are already at work from
Balaklava to Kadekoi, and strange truly is the effect of the
familiar white puffs of smoke, and the well-known shrill
whistle, which is very much required, notwithstanding the
shortness of distance, as the road crosses the railway twice. It
is only now that we are conscious of having a railway ;
hitherto we only had a tramroad.
RUSSIAN MOVEMENTS ON THE NORTH OF
SEBASTOPOL.
Writing from the Camp before Sebastopol on the 21th of
November, the correspondent of the Times says :
There is a rumour which has led a vagabond and precarious
existence ever since the 9th of September, " that the army are
leaving the north side, " but no occular demonstration can be
afforded of the assertion, although there have been con-
siderable movements and changes of position among the
Russian troops at Mackenzie's Farm and the Belbeck for the
last few days. My but commands a view of a considerable
portion Of the plateau on the other side of the Tchernaya, and
overlooks the spurs at Mackenzie's Farm, and the Russian
encampment at Inkerman, and between it and the Lower
Belbeck, and from the windows the movements of the enemy
are plainly visible in moderately clear weather. Yesterday we
observed the whole of the enemy were in motion along the
plateau, and from an early hour in the morning till two
o'clock in the afternoon their battalions were marching to and
fro, but it was evident they were only changing their troops,
and that the regiments which left, Mackenzie were replaced
by regiments from the camp in the rear. The new
comers at the spur huts seem to be dressed better,
to be taller men, and to wear darker coats than those who
were relieved by them, and that appearance, which after
all may be ideal and deceptive, has given rise to the notion
that the troops so close to us belong to the Imperial Guard.
Their various camps are rapidly losing the look of snowy neat-
ness of canvas, and are being converted into dingy rows of
huts. We can see their telegraphs at work with the greatest
facility, and to-day I can make out the flags with my glass. It
is a pity one cannot get the imperial code book of signals and
a dictionary. They, have a considerable quantity of cattle
feeding among the brushwood at Inkerman, and their works
on the north side, rapidly attaining prodigious and gigantic
dimensions, indicate every intention of, holding their pc sition.
They fire seldom in comparison with their former abortive
cannonade upon the town ever since the French have ceased
to reply to them, but they do not hesitate to waste a shot or
shell on a horseman riding near Fort Nicholas by the water's
edge, or coming down the streets, enfiladed by their fire; and
at night they fire at any light in the ruins of the city.
THE PREPARATIONS FOR DESTROYING
THE DOCKS.
The French batteries have been shut up, by orders for the
last fortnight, or more. Our allies share with us the labours
the docks, which will be ready to go at any of destroying
mo-
ment we desire. The sappers experienced great difficulty in
forming the mines, in consequence of the water running in on
them from the clay, but with their usual energy they worked
away and formed the mines, which will contain eight small
and two large magazines. It is expected that the-explosion
will just disintegrate the masonry and tumble the stonework
into the basins. The English works are under the charge of
Captain Nicholson, RE., and Mr. Deane has lent the use of
his batteries for the purpose of firing the mines, and will
undertake that part of the operation.

INTENTIONS OF THE ALLIES.
"I have had," says the Paris correspondent of the Post,
"some conversation with a gentleman who has Past returned

from Sebastopol. It is not the intention, he believes, of the
allies to hold the south side. He describes the work of de-
struction as so enmnlatA that nnanv districts are nerfectiv
cleared. As I have already informed you, we shall soon hear
of the destruction of the docks, and all naval and military
constructions. He says, the commission appointed to take
stock, as they say in the commercial world, of the stores found
at Sebastopol, have completed their task with admirable
equity and success. I presume the results will shortly appear
in an official form, as he tells me they have been forwarded
home. Preparations were being made to convey portions to
England and France of such stores as were not considered
useful for the active army. This gentleman's impression is
that the allies will, ere long, be able to destroy the north forts
by the floating batteries, and then he speculates the Russians
will fall back on Mackenzie's Farm, where he says they are
strongly entrenched. `You may depend upon it,' added my
informant, ' that the enemy will not retire from the Crimea.
I carefully used my glass, and distinguished solid defensive
works at Mackenzie's Farm, winter huts, and newly-con-
structed roads. Simpheropol is equally well defended ; and,
as for Eupatoria, Gen. d'Allonville cannot do much at the pre-
sent season. He knows precisely how far he can advance
before meeting with difficulties of ground and defences which
the season renders doubly strong.' My authority argues that
the Russians must be confident of keeping up their supplies
from Perekop."