The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-10-30 00:00:00

THE WAR.

THE intelligence received from the numerous points at which
hostilities are now being carried on against Russia in the East
continues favourable to the Allied arms, and much more detri-
mental to Russian views, from thelfrequent defeats sustained
at different places and under varied circumstances, than from
the absolute magnitude and individual importance of any one
of them. Attacked in numerous and distant places, by
different bodies of the Allied troops, and under circumstances
differing widely from each other, the results of all display a
singular similarity, that similarity being invariably the
discomfiture of the Russian forces. On the European
coasts of the Black Sea, in the Crimea and in Asia
Minor, a succession of defeats have everywhere attended the
movements of the Russians, whether these have been defensive
or aggressive. Relieved from the arduous duties imperiously
demanded by the siege and bombardment of Sebastopol, ever
since the fall of that stronghold the Allies have been enabled
so to distribute their forces and divide their points of opera-
tion as to cause the most harassing anxiety to the enemy.
These diversified means of annoying the enemy and destroying
his power have begun to tell with manifest effect. Conflict-
ing movements and hesitating plans indicate with the greatest
plainness that the pinch and urgency of the present crisis tell
with fearful power upon the Russian resources, and, whatever
may have been the case previously, there is now obvious in-
decision in the counsels of the Ciar. In the meantime, the
network of victorious foes draws closer and closer upon his
vanquished legions. The most striking, and, as it is believed,
the most important military operations are still looked for in
the district which for the last thirteen months has been the
chief theatre of the war, and although public attention
has been of late directed to other localities, the chief interest
continues to be concentrated on
THE ALLIES IN THE CRIMEA.

Writing from the Camp of the Allied Armies, on the
Tchernaya, in reference to a rumour that the Russians are
preparing to evacuate the Crimea, the special correspondent
of the Times, on the 7th instant, says -
The rumours circulated by the German papers, which seem
to have originated in Europe the idea that the Russians were
preparing to leave the Crimea, seem rather suspicious, con-
sidering the sources whence they come, and principally as
they are not confirmed by the actual movements of the enemy.
Large camps are still seen on the plateaux opposite to us, and
the country up to the head of the Belbek is still occupied by
them. The only news which we hear tending to confirm this
rumour is, that the fifth and twelfth divisions have gone from
our immediate neighbourhood northward ; but it is more
likely that this change took place in consequence of the
sign of life which the garrison of Eupatoria showed lately,
than as a preliminary step for a final retreat. While the
Russians were convinced that they had nothing to fear from
the activity of the Turkish garrison of Eupatoria, and when
the energetic pursuit of the siege operations forced them to
bring down all their available force, a small body of cavalry
was the only corps d'observation which remained about
Eupatoria, and there was scarcely any infantry in the whole
country between Perekop and SimpheroPol. Now that they
might apprehend something from that side, it is natural that
they should make their preparations accordingly.
RUSSIAN DEFENCES ON THE NORTH SIDE.
Writing on the subject of the Russian works on the north
side of the harbour of Sebastopol, on the 9th, the same autho-
rity states, that—
On the Sebastopol side of our line (for now there
is no more front and rear, as when the siege was going
on), everything remains in statu quo. The Russians are still
busy throwing up intrenchments on every available spot of
the north side of the harbour. The ground is, as all over this
neighbourhood, particularly fit for a display of engineering.
From Fort Constantine there is a succession of promontories
extending towards the head of the harbour, which have been
all taken advantage of to construct works upon, notwithstand-
ing our.fire ; but this firing seems only intended to impede
the construction of those works, and not to prevent it alto-
gether, as the large batteries commenced some time ago have
again been counter-ordered, and you can see the Russians
working in spite of the occasional shot or shell pitching among
them and scattering them for a moment. They are likewise
modest enough in replying—an occasional shot from Fort
Constantine, from a little earthwork a fleur d'eau, with eight
embrasures, between' the second casemated fort and some
buildings, evidently stores, and some rather more frequent
ones from a little redan in front of the Telegraph Battery, and
an earthwork on the eastern promontory of the Soukhaya
creek, being all. Lately, however, they have begun to fire
more frequently from the Inkermann batteries towards the
French redoubts there. Most of their shots from the har-
bour are directed against the town, rather than against the
French mortars behind Fort Nicholas, and against the head
of the Dockyard Creek. The regularity of the town rather
invites this manoeuvre, the streets running parallel down
towards the harbour, and thus showing plainly all those who
pass through them.
Under the same date, the Times' correspondent says, in
relation to

THE OCCUPATION OF THE ALLIES :-

The siege guns have nearly all been removed from both our
and the Erench lines, as well as the platforms, gabions, and
fascines. The French have even begun to level their old
trenches, in order to facilitate the communications. What
with these works and road-making, the soldiers are kept busy
---A6 v evr -
fillfiFictipkeeotriiiimid and during 'a
limited space of time, or
going about in a circle lifting up stones and putting them
down again at a certain distance, as a punishment for drunken-
ness. But, in spite of this, the road-making is progressing
favourably. On the Tchernaya, line drilling is the order of the
day, and target shooting. Yesterday, two French divisions
were going through some manoeuvres on a larger scale in the
Balaklava Valley and in the Cavalry Valley, so named from the
light cavalry charge last year. In the presence of four differ-
ent armies it is rather interesting to observe the difference in
the style of movement between them. You have all the gra-
dations between the minutely regular movements of English
troops, the less stiff but still very regular manceuvres of the
Piedmontese, the loose order in which the French troops per-
form their evolutions, and the rather more loose movements of
the Turks. Not less striking is the difference between the
dead silence of an English line, where not a sound is heard ex-
cept the word of command and the regular step of the soldier,
the comparative silence in a Piedmontese body of men, the
amusing observations and commentaries in a French column,
and the noise in a Turkish battalion. The habit of practising
with the new Mini& ought to be rather more general than
it is. With the exception of the Highlanders, I saw no
English troops doing it, and yet there are many new
soldiers, and the use of the new rifle requires, from its pre-
cision, rather more practice in firing than old Brown Bess.
It is the precision, of which the new weapons admit, which
constitutes theit best quality, rather than their long range,
which is not so applicable on a battle field as it may be thought
at target shooting. It seems the Highlanders will winter on
the spot where they are. The materials for their huts have
arrived, and they have set to work. The Turkish artillery,
which has hitherto occupied the spot where these huts are to
be erected, have been removed a little further, and the digging
has now begun. The two battalions of the Ist Royals, who
are destined to form part of the second brigade of the high-
land division, have come up likewise, and are encamped a little
below Kamara. The Sardinians are likewise still busy hutting
themselves, and every day you see tents disappear and huts
arise:-they are all underground, with only the gable roof
showing. Similar ones are now in construction for the cavalry
and artillery horses. They will afford excellent shelter, only
the labour is rather great. Besides these underground huts,
the ruins of the houses of Kamara are being repaired, and
made again fit to receive stores. Another Turkish regiment
has left in the Great Britain for Asia. Part of the English
medical staff went likewise in her to Souchum Kaleh, whence
they must find their way to Sinope. I went the other day
over the French position beyond Baidar. The road leading up
from Ourkusta is nearly finished. You can overlook from the
heights the banks of the Upper Belbek. The Russians have
abandoned a kind of intrenched camp which they had con-
structed on this side of it, but they send occasionally cavalry
over, and while I was there I could see plainly about four
squadrons in a field near the river side, and some suspicious-
looking objects, which seemed very much like guns, although
it was impossible to make them out clearly with my glass.
The French nearly every day make reconnaissances in the
direction of Aitodor and towards the river, but without meet-
ing with any considerable force of the enemy. Yesterday three
regiments of light cavalry were sent down to Baidar, so that
the Russian cavalry will probably not long remain on this side
of the Belbek. The French keep excellent order in the vil-
lages they occupy—no soldier is allowed to go into a house, to
the great satisfaction of the people, who, like all Oriental
people, are very particular about their domestic privacy. The
Light Cavidry'Brigade, although under orders for embarkation,
have not yet done so, but a battery of Horse Artillery, Captain
Thomas's, went on board yesterday at Balaklava.
In reference to the same topics, and the rumoured retreat
of the Russians, the correspondent of the Daily News, writing
from the camp before Sebastopol, on the 12th instant, says :
There is very little progress to communicate from this part
of the seat of war. The cavalry for the brigade of Light
Cavalry, which was under orders to proceed to Eupatoria,
have been detained by adverse weather. During the night
between the 9th and 10th instant, a heavy gale sprung up
from the south-west, and continued all the following day.
The temperature was high, and the wind had all the character
of a sirocco. On the 11th the gale subsided and was succeeded
by rain. To-day the weather has been bright and fine. It
does not appear that the delay in the departure of the cavalry
was connected with the postponement of the movement against
the Mackenzie heights, for already there is a very considerable
force of this arm of the service under General d'Allonville at
Eupatoria, and it was even a matter of doubt whether that
general would require the aid of the British reinforcements.
In case of General d'Allonville deciding that the Light Cavalry
Brigade were not required at Eupatoria, it is said that the
regiments Composing it are not to return to the Crimea, but
to go at once toTheir winter quarters on the Bosphorus.
. ADVANCE OF THE FRENCH.
The French are still pushing on to the right, and have now
reached the upper valley of the Belbek river. The Russians
are retiring before them. From every side we hear that the
enemy is falling back by detachments upon Perekop, and the
gradually diminishing extent of the encampments, which can
be observed over the Inkerman heights, appears to give sup-
port to these assertions. There is no diminution of fire, how-
ever, froth the forts and batteries on the north side of the
roadstead; on the contrary, been kept up with much
more activity during the last two or three days. It has been
especially directed against the Malakhoff, and the part of
Sebastopol held by the French on the west side of the south
harbour. • The English have not constructed any works to
act
against the north side ; the battery commenced on the formert
site of Fort Paul, but afterwards abandoned, has not again
been proceeded with. The French have nearlycompleted
destined
another large work near Fort Alexander,
particularly to act against Fort Constantine. It is more
is to contain
an armament of ten mortars.