The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-10-16 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

TELEGEAPHIC REPORTS.

were as far as possible rendered useless, and the powder maga-
zines, as well as the city itself, set on fire. After all the troops
had crossed to the north side of the harbour the bridge was
removed. On the 9th of September, after the evacuation of
the city, the Batteries No. 7, No. 8, and No. 10 exploded ; tho
Paul Battery was blown up, as well as the small quantity of
powder in the Nicholas Battery.
Thus, after 349 days' obstinate defence of a city surrounded
hastily, and in sight of the enemy, with field works, and
presenting between its different parts natural obstacles like
the South Creek and the harbour, the garrison evacuated the
city without being molested. The enemy still under the im-
pression of the bloody opposition he had met during the
day, did not even think of pursuing us. Our passage to the
north side of the city cost us only a few men.
- - -

THE ALLIES BEFORE ODESSA.
BERLIN, Oct. 8

Prince Gortschakoff reports on the 7th :
The enemy's fleet, consisting of eight ships of the line and
27 steamers, with other vessels, weighed anchor this morning,
and proceeded to the north-west.

--
-
Prince Gortschakoff has telegraphed tol3StE.RPLeitse'rsObeutr.glthat
the enemy's fleet (the allies'), which left Kamiesch on the
7th, appeared off Odessa, early in the morning of the Bth
instant, and anchored there.

A note states that the number of magazines blown up

BERLIN. Thursday Evening.
Letters received from Odessa state that the population is in
the utmost terror. The fate of Sebastopol has deprived them
of confidence. All those who can are leaving the town.
A decree from the Czar is just made public, dated in August
last, ordering the construction of railroads from Charkov to
Kaffa, by Ghenitchi and Arabat ; and another from Ghenitchi
to Sebastopol, by Simpheropol and Baktchi-Serai.

The Journal des Debats of the 11th has an article on the
probable intentions of Marshal Pelissier. It says that the
corps d'armee of Eupatoria constitutes the extreme left of the
general system of operations of the allies. This corps menaces
the right of the Russians and the centre of their communica-
tions with Southern Russia. The Russian army maintains
for the present its right at the northern forts of Sebastopol ;
its centre in the fortifications of the Mackenzie heights, oppo-
site the lower course of the Tchernaya ; and its left on the
heights above Tchorgoum, which are occupied by the Piedmon-
tese. The Russian left appears at present greatly menaced by the
movements of the right wing of the allies in the mountains of
Baidar. Prince Gortschakoff's despatches allude to some combat
which had enabled the allies to come down from the moun-
tains and force themselves a passage. It appears distinctly,
from the Russian despatches, that the allies, after extending
their operations from the mountains of the Baidar to the val-
ley of the Upper Belbec, had left the Upper Belbec. This last
circumstance denotes a marked progress of the allies on the
left wing of the Russians to surround them. The Belbec, in
fact, flows at three or four leagues to the rear of the Mackenzie.
If the object of Marshal Pelissier is to prolong his right
wing to the Belbec, he will not attempt to establish himself on
the upper course of that river before having driven the enemy
from Aitodor. At present all the right wing of the army has
taken possession of the mountain on the extreme left of the
Russian wing, which is even fortifying itself in the most im-
portant passages, and arming redoubts on commanding posi-
tions, and is forming roads to facilitate the arrival of provi-
sions and ammunition. These measures seem to indicate that
the army thinks of establishing itself, during the bad season,
on the line from Sebastopol to the Upper Belbec.
PUBLIC FEELING IN ST. PETERSBURG.—Since the whole
of the court quitted our capital, and the principal ministers
accompanied the Emperor to Moscow, there has been re-
ceived here no news respecting events in the Crimea. Com-
plete uncertainty and melancholy sadness prevail ; and it is
at St. Petersburg especially that the boyards most manifest
their discontent. Reviews and parades cherished their war-
like ardour. These have ceased, and the absence of the high
functionaries, civil and military, who have followed the
Emperor, leaves the nobles at leisure to consider the difficulty
in which Russia has been placed by the war of the East.
Hence their discouragement, which manifests itself openly in
their words. Moreover, adding to their discontent, certain
pamphlets pass more easily from hand to hand, and cherish
these melancholy feelings. The discontent, it is impossible to
deny, has reached the lowest classes of the population, and
the peasants are now seeking to escape the conscription. This
is not all. A practice which has been rare in the Russian
army is extending itself on a large scale—l mean the deser-
tion of soldiers, which has become so marked that the
government has considered it necessary to adopt measures
and apply penalties which are quite unusual, against those
who desert their colours.—Letter from St. Petersburg
(Sept. 29).

VIENNA, Thursday Evening, Oct. U.
A band of Montenegrins has made an irruption into the
Herzegowina, and in doing so has violated the Austrian terri-
tory near Krivoscia.

PARIS, Friday.

A despatch from Prince Gortschakoff, dated the 9th inst.,
has been received at St. Petersburg. It is to the following
effect :

-----
The enemy has advanced from Eupatoria towards Perekop,
but retired on meeting the advanced posts of our left flank.

THE BALTIC.
A letter from Rear-Admiral Penaud, dated Nargen, Oct. 2,
renders an account of an expedition carried out in the Gulf of
Bothnia, by the corvette d'Assas and the English steamers
Tartar and Harrier.
These vessels captured 11 Russian vessels anchored at
Biornabord, one of which was a steamer, and eight other
vessels in the fiords.
These prizes are of the aggregate burden of 2,500 tons.
A letter from Stockholm, of the 30th ult., says :—Letters
from Helsingfors state that the Russians are preparing with the
greatest activity the fortifications of Sweaborg, which were so
dreadfully damaged by the bombardment of the 9th and 10th
August. They are establishing new powder-magazines in the
rock, in order to avoid the risk of new explosions • the
storehouses which were in wood are being built of stone ;
the arsenal, which was completely destroyed, is to be placed
in a more protected position ; the barracks, which before the
bombardment were capable of containing 10,000 men, are
being enlarged, and an attempt is to be made to fortify the Isle
of Drunsio. General de Berg, the military governor, has
visited the rock of Longom, in which the French established
a battery, to see if it will not be possible to construct during
the winter a sort of citadel there.

THE DEFENCE OF SEBASTOPOL.
THE following summary of Prince Gortschakoff's report of
the defence of Sebastopol, from the 17th of August to the 9th
of September, is taken from the Journal de Petersbourg :
On the 17th of August the enemy opened against the fau-
bourg of Karabelnaia a double fire of artillery, horizontal and
vertical, which was continued through twenty days. Our loss
during this period amounted on the first day to 1,500 men, on
those following to 1,000;. and from the 22nd of August to the
sth of September to 500 or 600 men every twenty-four hours.
This cannonade, kept up from the distant batteries, as well as
from those at a very short distance from the line of defence,
produced the most disastrous effect on our works; the ram-
parts and batteries, repaired every night under a heavy fire,
crumbled down at last after a few shots ; the parapets fell in
large masses into the ditches, and works which had cost in-
credible sacrifices and toil were again destroyed. To the left
of the Karabelnaia, which was more particularly injured by
the enemy, the Bastion No. 2 was reduced every evening to a
heap of ruins, and none of its guns could be fired freely; we
were compelled to transfer to the second line of defence, which
was still entire, the battery of twelve guns established on the
left slope of the Malakhoff Hill; and even this second line
suffered no less than the left face of the Kornileff Bastion,
against which the enemy directed the heaviest fire. CONSERVANCY OF THE RIVER.
The proximity of the approaches of the enemy, which al- The CHAIRMAN intimated that he had received a letter
most touched the outward ditches of our works ; the irrepa-
rable damage done to the line of defences, and, above all, the from Mr. Walker, of London, intimating that, in consequence
loss sustained by the garrison from the fire of the enemy, of a complaint of the owners of land on the other side of the
which was rendered still heavier by the necessity of employing river, of the tide washing away a considerable portion of their
a constantly increasing number of men as labourers ; all these land, he had been directed by the board of conservancy to
circumstances united convinced the Commander-in-Chief of
make some inquiry upon the subject. He stated he had
the indispensable necessity of putting an end to a now useless
effusion of blood, by abandoning to the enemy the city of Se- applied to Mr. Hartley and Lieut. Lord to answer some in-
bastopol, reduced to heaps of stones and ashes. But this quiries respecting some matters of fact connected with the
evacuation, in face of a hostile force of a hundred thousand
channels of the river, and that they declined answering them
men, whose approaches already touched our line of fortifica-
without his (the Chairman's) permission. He had written
tions, presented the greatest difficulties, and imposed the ne-
cessity of selecting for the operation a particularly favourable Mr. Walker word that there could be no objection to those
opportunity. gentlemen answering as to matters of fact. He was surprised
The report here repeats more in detail the effect of the feu to find afterwards that Mr. Walker had held a sort of inquiry
infernal of the allies on the Russian works ; the falling ram- in Lieut. Lord's office, of which he had no information, and
parts filled up the ditches; and it was impossible to do more that a number of gentlemen from Cheshire had been present
than secure the powder magazines by covering them with at the inquiry ; and Mr. Walker had only written to the
earthy Isom the sth to the Bth of September, the report states officers of the committee art hour before he commenced the
that the loss of the garrison was 4 superior officers, 47 subal-
inquire', and they, not being authorised, were not in attend-
ance. After reading the correspondence referred to, and a
terns, and 3,917 men. After describing the arrangements kind of protest made against the proceedings by Mr:North,
made on receiving notice that the troops of the allies were as- he continued to observe that he supposed, at first, the ques-
sembling in the trenches in front of the Malakhoff, Prince
tons would be put to their officers privately, and he had not
Gortschakoff adds . the slightest idea he intended to hold a public inquiry when
y‘oop of their offiqers were present, and when he (the Chair-
On the Bth of September, at 11 30 a.m., the enemy rushed man) had no intimation of it. home aesuitury way ei setae.
precipitately from their saps against the angles of the Kornileff ensued, after which the subject dropped.
Bastion and Bastion No. 2. NEW WORKS AT BIRKENHEAD.
The ditches, filled up with the earth of the crumbled The following report, which was furnished to the special
parapets, did not present any great obstacle to the assailants. committee of the council, as to the new works at Birkenhead,
They rushed into the Bastion No. 2, drove from it the and which was re-referred by the council, to the dock coin-
battalions of the Regiment Olonet, and, after having spiked mittee, was read :
some of the guns, had gained the Ouschakoff Ravine, and the
second line of defence ; but there Major Varoschevitch, with a a TO THE CHAIRMAN OF THE DOCK COMMITTEE.
battalion of the Regiment Belozersk, repulsed them with the " Sir,—ln accordance with the resolution of the Dock Com-
mittee, of the 16th of August last, `That the surveyor do
bayonet, and drove them beyond the parapet. prepare plans for such works upon the Birkenhead dock estate
The report states that the French were also repulsed from as may be necessary to make that estate most useful for the
the 12-gun battery, into which they penetrated by the accomodation of trade and shipping, in connection with the
chevaux de frise, and then proceeds to the French grand Liverpool docks ;' and the carrying out of this resolution
haying, by thy instructions of the works committee, devolved
attack of the Malakhoff Tower : upon me, I have now the honour of submitting two plans for
The angle of the Kornileff Bastion (the Malakhoff) was your consideration, marked No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.
attacked by an enormous mass of troops, by five French "In laying these plans before you, I would respectfully beg
divisions, amounting to about 30,000 men. The advanced to be permitted to make a few observations in elucidation
column entered the bastion by the left angle, and drove back thereof. In considering the question involved in your resolu-
from it the Regiment of Praga. The commander of this tion, I hare felt that the main end to be arrived at has been to
obtain the greatest amount of most efficient accommodation at
regiment, Colonel Freund, charged the French with several
companies with the bayonet, and checked them ; but he was the least cost ; and, inasmuch as the large area of Wallasey
wounded, and the assaulting columns which continued to Pool, with the great extent of land held in connection with
come up repulsed by a vigorous charge the regiments on the its south side, may be most readily made available, the side
hill at the time, and the enemy held possession of the whole walls having been constructed, and the principal part of the
of its summit. Most of the commanders of regiments and land abutting thereon having been formed and rendered useful
battalions, as well as the officers, had been killed or wounded; for commercial purposes, it has appeared to me that the works
ouia;lraitikept their ground obstinately by the powder- which ought to be first carried into execution should be the
m ' , earest the tower and the battery that commanded formation of a proper communication between this pool and
Bastion o. 3 ; but about 2 p.m. they were compelled to the river.
yield to the superiority in number of the masses of the enemy, " The description of communication to be thus formed is a
which continued to advance and occupy the bill ; our troops question of the greatest importance, as upon its efficiency must
retired behind the gorge of the Malakhoff. The conflict on in a great measure depend the extent of usefulness of the
this point, where the adversaries were separated by the deep large property to which it will form the key ; and to this point
ditch and the rampart of the gorge, was maintained for a I have consequently given the greatest consideration in my
long time with obstinacy and fury ; the numerous columns of endeavour to prepare such a design as should afford the most
the enemy made several attempts to throw our troops back, convenient and easy access that the situation is capable of
but were each time repulsed with the bayonet. allowing.
In the attack made at the same time on the Gervais Battery "Itis a matter of considerable consequence in very many
the French drove out of it the regiment of Chasseurs of his respects, that the level of the water in the pool should be sub-
ject to as little fluctuation as may be ; and it is, I believe,
Imperial Highness the Grand Duke Michael. The report required by the Acts of Parliament sanctioning these works,
then describes the English attack on the Redan : that the level of the pool should never under ordinary circum-
At noon the English, advancing in skirmishing order, sus- stances be reduced below that of a thirteen-feet tide, as given
tained by strong reserves, rushed on the angle of Bastion No. by the published tide tables. This being so, it follows neces-
3. The Vladimir Regiment, thrown back at the first moment sarily that during all tides not rising to thirteen feet
as otrilisthies
of the attack, but supported in time by companies of the tables, vessels must be locked up in the pool; a
Regiments Kamtschatka and Yakoutsk, charged the enemy
with the bayonet, and repulsed those of the English who had nary circumstances, numerous entrances and deep sills are
an operation requiring somewhat more time than under ordi-
already gained the parapet, and were setting fire to the c""
fascines of the sides of the embrasures. Lieutenant-General necessary,
time during which vessels may enter and depart. In Plan
y, more especially the latter, to afford greater length
No. 1, I have endeavoured to arrange the main entrance to the
Pesloff, who expected a second attack of the bastion by the
pool in such a manner as will meet these requirements, and
Pafford the greatest convenience to the general class of shipping
enemy, reinforced the troops of the defence by the Seleng-
hinsk Regiment, which formed the reserve. The enemy did
renew the attack at the angle of the bastion, but was re- frequenting the port.
pulsed by this regiment, under the command of Colonel
" It will be seen that I propose to construct, in the first in-
Mezentsoff, who fell during the assault. A third attack by stance, an open basin of about four and three-quarter acres
the enemy was repulsed with the same success as the two area ; and opening from this in the line of its direction, three
first. A portion of the assailants established themselves in locks, of the various widths of 50 feet, 28 feet, and 80 feet—
the fosse, and directed from thence a sharp fire of musketry
. the former being adapted for the reception of the general class
48 volunteers of the Vladimir Regiment, under the command
of sailing vessels, the middle one for the use of coasters and
of Ensign Doubrovine, descended into the ditch, and drove river craft, and the larger lock for the convenience of steamers
the English out of it. and the largest class of shipping. This latter I have provided
with a pair of intermediate gates, that the lock may be used
The report details the incidents of the conflict on the city for passing vessels of a medium size or for the general trade,
side of the Malakhoff. It appears only that the French did without the loss of water which would otherwise occur.
not advance beyond the works they had taken at noon, and " The depths of the sills of these various entrances I
bpse to make as llows :—The ill of the 50- lock to e
pro-
several attempts to do so are described as having been foiled. laiod 12 feet belowfo old dock sill ;s the sill of thefeet 28-feet lock to
At last, however,— be laid 5 feet below old dock sill ; that of the 80-feet lock to
The Commander-in-Chief proceeded himself to the second be laid 10 feet below old dock sill.
line of our intrenchments before the Malakoff-hill, and, finding " The level of the old dock sill being the datum from which
the height occupied by large masses of French troops, in the the heights of the tides in the published tables are calculated,
rear of which there were strong reserves, he was convinced the depth of water on these sills at the lowest neap tides—
that the re-occupation of the Kornileff Bastion (the Malakhoff) say on a tide rising but nine feet by the tables—would con-
would again necessitate immense sacrifices, As he had already sequently be 21 feet on the first, 14 feet on the second, and 19
decided on abandoning the city, he resolved to take advantage feet on the last ; and it must be borne in mind that this is
of the fact that the assault had been repulsed on every other taking an extreme view of the case, as there have only been
point to execute this most difficult operation while the enemy about six days in the whole of the present year during which
was still exhausted by fatigue. Accordingly, he ordered Lieut.- the tides did not rise to 10 feet above the datum.
General Schepeleff not to attack the Kornileff Bastion, but, at "The entrance locks thus described are intended to open
all hazards, to prevent the enemy from debouching from it in into an intermediate dock of about 8i acres area, which, it is
the direction of the city. These orders were punctually ex- proposed, shall be excavated to the depth of 18 feet below the
ecuted, notwithstanding all the efforts of the French to jvance old dock sill. Between this dock and the pool there will be a
in front of the gorge of the bastion. 50 feet and a 28 feet lock of similar size to those opening
Prince Gortschakoff then mentions the names of the officers from the river, and a passage 80 feet in width. By means of
these second locks we shall be enabled, during any great push
who had distinguished themselves during the latter operations, of business, such as frequently occurs after a prevalence of
and gives the number of killed and wounded during the day 3f earterly winds or bad weather, to work the intermediate dock
the Bth of Sept.: it was 4 superior officers, 55 subalterns, and as a half-tide basin, with but the minimum loss of water from
2,625 men killed; wounded, 26 superior officers, 206 subal- the pool. The inner sills of the large inner locks, and those
1 of the passage, I propose to lay at the depth of 8 feet below
terns, and 5,826 men ; contused, 9 superior officers, 38 subal- I the old dock sill; the inner sill of the small lock at the depth
terns, and 1,138 men ; 24 officers and 1,739 men were missing. l of 1 foot below that datum. i
He thinks the loss of the allies in killed and wounded must "The outer or open basin next to the river, I contemplate
having excavated and provided with a flooring of masonry at
have been enormous. The report then proceeds to the evacu-; will be stir-
ation : the depth of seventeen feet below the datum it •
rounded on its three walled sides with sewers and sluices,
At four p.m. the Commander-in-Chief gave the order to communicating with the pool so as to obtain both a direct and
commence the evacuation of the south side of Sebastopol at the cross scouring power, and by these means, and keeping this
fall of night, and for the transportation of the troops to the , basin of the smallest efficient dimensions, I am in hopes of
north side, partly by boats, partly by the bridges constructed being able to maintain the depth of water proposed to be
in the bay. The operation was conducted in the following man- made. The principal practical difficulty will, I expect, arise
ner :—The volunteers and part of the artillery were left on the in keeping the platforms of the gates clear of sand sufficiently
line of defence, and kept up a slack fire from the guns and small to prevent its circumference with their working. To obviate
arms. The lines of barricades previously constructed in the this difficulty as much as possible, I intend to lay those plat-
interior of the city were occupied on the right by the regi. forms at a much lower level relative to the sill than has been
ments Toboisk, Volhynia, and Minsk; on the left, by those of usually the practice, and by excavating the dock deeper, keep-
Azoff and Odessa. Covered by these troops in advance, the ing the working parts of the gates higher than the platforms,
different corps formed behind them were marched in succession and introducing a system of sluices in connection with the
to the Nicholas-place, and thence crossed the creek by the sills, in addition to those we have hitherto adopted. lam in-
bridge ; those from the Karabelnaia Faubourg were carried duced to believe that with care on the part of those having
over in boats and steamers prepared by Vice-Admiral Nova- the charge of them, these deep-water entrances may be worked
silsky. When the troops had all quitted the Nicholas- with safety, and the difficulty feared be overcome. It will,
place and the Paulovsky point, and the wounded in the however, be necessary to be prepared to lay all these locks and
batteries of Nicholas and Paul had been transported to the passages dry whenever such may be needed, in order to secure
north side, a signal was given, and the rest of the artil- the efficiency and safety of the gates ; and I therefore propose
levy, the volunteers, and the troops occupying the bar- to construct at both the inner and outward locks a capacious
ricades began to move towards the points of passage of well, furnished in each case with a powerful steam engine.
the bay. As the last troops retired from the different points These wells will have a separate connection with each lock and
of the line of defence the heavy pieces of artillery on the works possage, so that any one of them at any time may be pumped

LIVERPOOL DOCK COMMITTEE.

THE weekly meeting was held on Thursday, Mr. Charles
Turner in the chair.

A conversation took place respecting the lunch to the Duke
of Cambridge at the Albert Dock, several members complain-
ing that the committee, as a body, had not been invited. The
chairman justified the course adopted as being according to
precedent.