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

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

GREAT BATTLE EXPECTED.

The Daily News says that, according to Crimean advices
of the 11th, in Varna it was thought that a grand encounter
between the two armies would take place about the 20th inst.,
for it appeared quite impossible that the Russians were able
to prevent the French from advancing against Bachtchiserai.
Gortschakoff had, therefore, only the alternative of accepting
battle, or making a retrograde movement behind the Belbek,
or endeavour to reach Simpheropol. The booty taken at
Taman was very large.
By accounts of the 13th from the Crimea, the advanced posts
of the allies were, on the 12th, within five leagues of Bacht-
chiserai. The Russians were retiring slowly. Everything led
to the belief that General Liprandi intend to defend the line
of the Belbek, and to rest upon the corps commanded by
Prince Gortschakoff. We read in the Post Ampt Gazette:—
It is thought that the battle ;which must definitively decide
the possession of this ground will take place very shortly.
What is certain is, that the Russians can no longer cut off the
allies from the road of Bachtchiserai. It is singular enough
that the Russians should have surrounded the north side with
a chain of new fortifications, and placed it in a state to support
a siege. All the plateau on the north side is covered with
redoubts and earthworks, and on the line of the Belbek new
works constructed in the form of the Manielon, have been
raised.
While expectation is thus actively on the qui vive in regard
to the Crimean movements, important affairs have occurred
elsewhere to excite the spirits of the Allies, and to damp the
ardour of the enemy.
THE WAR IN ASIA.
DEFEAT OF THE RUSSIANS AT KARS. •

The special correspondent of the Daily News, writing from,
Erzeroum, on the sth of October, says:—

Yesterday evening there arrived here an express with letters
of the 30th of September, from Kars. The letters were written
in the evening, and contained the intelligence, that on the
morning of that day the Russians invested Kars on all sides
in full force. The batteries at Kars opened a murderous fire
on the besiegers. Three times did the Russians gain a footing
in the Turkish entrenchments—and three times were they
driven out by the Turks at the point of the bayonet, Colonel
Lake distinguished himself in the contest, not only by his
courage, but by his skill. It was he who drove the enemy
from the Inglis Tabia. Eight hundred Russians were slain
before a redoubt defended by four hundred Turks. The firing
lasted seven hours and a half, when the Russians fled. The
Turks performed prodigies of valour, and the European officers
—Colonel Lake and Captains Teesdale and Thompson—dis-
tinguished themselves. Mr. Churchill, formerly attache of
our embassy from Persia, and now secretary to General
Williams, commanded at one of the redoubts, and showed
himself a thorough Englishman. A postscript of a letter of
the Ist instant, adds that the loss of the Russians is estimated
at about eight or nine thousand killed or wounded. About
four thousand corpses lie under the walls of Kars. The Turks
are busied now in burying them. The enemy lost besides this
a great quantity of stores, and about three hundred prisoners
were taken, amongst whom were many officers. Four guns
are said to have been taken. The loss of the Turks is reck-
oned at about 760 killed and wounded. This great battle,
which had so fortunate a termination—thanks to the skill of
the commander, General Williams—shows clearly enough
that the Turkish soldier, when well led, is not only brave, but
able to distinguish himself like the soldier of any other
nation. At the same time, it must convince Europe in general,
and the Turkish government in particular, that the latter
has no good native officers, since, from the commencement of
hostilities in Asia until the present moment, this is the only
victory the Turks have gained, and this is owing to General
Williams. When the Turks were under native commanders,
they experienced nothing but defeats. I hope that by Tuesday
we shall have other despatches from Kars. I will forward
them without delay when they arrive. This evening I saw a
letter written by a bey of Livana (Turkish Georgia). He says
that Omar Pasha having concentrated his troops in Churuksu,
had marched on Urzu;het, and that he had made himself
master of the place without much difficulty. He received
there a deputation from the Georgian nobility, who made
their submission to the Porte in the name of the inhabitants
of the district. According to this letter Omar Pasha was
marching towards Akaltzick, for the purpose of making a
diversion in favour of Kars, and of ultimately coming to the
assistance of that city. This last news tallies with that con-
tained in letters received the day before yesterday, which say
that Omar Pasha has communicated with the Muchir in Kars,
telling him to maintain his position for twenty days, at the
expiration of which he would be at Kars with his army. He
must be near there by this time; and it would be most fortu-
nate if he should arrive in time to cut off the retreat of Gen.
Mouravieff, and be able to invest Alexandropol.—P.S. Not
one of the European officers at Kars was killed or wounded.

LETTER FROM AN ENGLISH OFFICER ENGAGED IN THE BATTLE.
Kens, Oct. I.—Here I am on the Karadagh again, none the
worse for my late illness. Last night the Russians attacked
us in force, and (between you and me and the post) very nearly
took Kars. The fight was a most bloody one, and lasted seven
hours and a half, without one second's intermission. The
Russians left upwards of 2,000 men dead on the field ; and
their loss in killed, wounded, and prisoners must have ex-
ceeded 6,000 men. What do you think of us Kars chaps after
that ? I was not actively engaged, as they knew better than
attack my almost impregnable battery a second time ; but
did great service with my heavy guns, and twice drove t
was
out of a battery they had taken, and turned upon us. It
awasour
c m
o mpe
ln didetely
not lose more than five or six hundred altogether. The
dthebodies, mostly
field—afterwards.Rus Russians,
I nts,
defence was commanded by dear old General Kmeti; and
coverednasty wsiigthht dead
for his gallant repulse of the enemy, I thought the brave old
when our general thanked him in the name of Queen Victoria,
boy would have burst his heart open—he was so proud. The
Turks fought—not like lions, but like fiends. I never saw
such recklessness of life. You can form some idea of what a
desperate business it was, when I tell you that the Russians
had their whole force concentrated upon General Kmeti's
division, which; with the reinforcements he afterwards
fl regiaglpa tf+§epts, sv;;;;—,T4h eirorllgalltevi
continued the blockade with 80 pieces of cannon. Omar Pasha
was expected."
In Europe also the defeats of the Russians have been nu-
merous and signal. The successful bombardment and capture
of Kinburn and the destruction of Oczakoff, have given to the
Allied fleet complete command of the estuary of the ,Dnieper.
The dread occasioned by the uninterrupted successes of the
Allies is spreading rapidly all over the southern frontier of
Russia, and may to some extent be understood by the
PANIC OCCASIONED AT ODESSA BY THE
ARRIVAL OF THE FLEET,
Concerning which the correspondent of the Daily News
writes as follows
ODESSA, Oct. B.—Four o'clock, p.m.—The first brigade of
the 15th Reserve Infantry Division has just entered the town
in long columns. They are the regiments Lublin and Zamosc.
The men are evidently quite exhausted from their long march,
and covered with dust from head to foot. In marching
through the streets some of the men fell down from over-
fatigue. They:are carried into the houses by the citizens, and
kindly treated. An endless train of artillery follows, magnifi-
cently horsed. It is a beautiful sight. These troops all come
from the camp of the army of reserve at Nicolaieff. The
•
intelligence of the approach of the enemy's armada was tele-
graphed to the Emperor at midnight. From the telegraph
station on the villa of General Luders more ships are seen
approaching. They appear to \be in the same place as they
were the last time.
Five o'clock.—A whole forest of masts is now visible in the
offing. They appear to be sailing in great order, and with
admirable regularity.
Six o'clock.—There is now 76 sail in sight, and every
moment others round the promontory. A panic has seized
the inhabitants. All the streets are regularly blocked up
with carriages, carts, and waggons of every description, into
which the more valuable furniture and goods and chattels of
the inhabitants are being packed up as quickly as •possible.
The general cry is Sauce qui peat, whilst at the corner of
streets people gather together in little knots to communicate
and learn in breathless anxiety and with hurried words what
each has to say. Some state that the expedition is destined
to operate against the neighbouring town of Ostehakoff, and
that the fleet is about to force the passage of the Dnieper,
and disembark an army there to march by land towards
Kherson and Perekop. Others pretend to know the exact
number of troops on board, which they state to consist of
20,000 Turks and 35,000 French. Again, others know for
positive certainty that the object of the expedition is ex-
clusively the bombardment of this city. In the meantime the
hostile fleet has gradually approached and anchored at a
distance of five wersts (three miles) from the shore.
Eight o'clock.—The sea is enveloped in perfect darkness.
The enemy's ships have hoisted lanterns, which at a distance
have the appearance of stars, and serve to show their position.
October 9.—The night passed off with tranquillity. Some
people assert they heard guns fired in the night, and counted
forty reports. It might be their imagination, or it is possi-
ble they were signal guns. This morning at sunrise three
guns were fired on board the fleet. No change is perceptible
in their position since last night. Four new 24-pounders
have been mounted this morning in the battery No. 5, the
embrasure widened, and the parapet heightened with fresh
earth to the extent of a couple of feet. All this work has
been executed by the soldiers. Behind the Boulevard are
several battalions destined to defend the battery. They are
seated on the ground so as not to be seen, nor exposed to
unnecessary danger. In the meantime the panic of the
inhabitants appears to have reached its climax. Everybody
is making hurried preparations to get away. Money is in
such demand that the counting-houses of the money-changers
are beleaguered, and the aglo of metallic currency, which was
yesterday at par, has suddenly risen to 20 per cent. The
bakers' shops are beset by the people, who vehemently call
for bread, the price of which has risen to three times its
usual value. The most fabulous sums are willingly paid for
the use of the most common waggon and horses to convey
the families to a place of safety. Whilst all sorts of vehicles
are quitting the town loaded with children, furniture, bed-
ding, and cooking utensils, long convoys of ammunition
waggons, heavy artillery, baggage, military stores, and troops.
—both cavalry and infantry—are pouring into the town every
moment, blocking up the streets, and preventing the escape
of the frightened inhabitants. Such jostling, confusion, and
noise on all sides ! Verily at this moment Odessa presents
such a scene of disorder and fear as must have been witnessed
at the Tower of Babel.
THE RUSSIANS IN THE CRIMEA.
VIENNA, Oct. 21.—Baktchi-Serai is a Tartar town, and in
a military point of view not a tenable position. This is, how-
ever, not the case with Simpheropol, which is quite Russian,
and well fortified. A gentleman who has just returned from
the Crimea states that even if the Allies were to take the
latter town the Russians would not necessarily be obliged to
evacuate the Crimea, but that they must first be beaten and
forced to retreat behind the line of the river Salghir. Perekop
has no running streams, and obtains its water from wells,
which he describes as very deep. All about the north of the
Crimea there is a great scarcity of good water. Perekop, if
attacked, must soon fall, as the garrison is far from numerous,
and they must not expect any relief, as the army coming to
their assistance could not supply itself with water. It is true
that the Allies would also find difficulty in obtaining this ne-
cessary beverage, but in the immediate neighbourhood of the
town there are wells. Should the seat of war be extended at
a later period to the interior of Russia, the operations from
the Crimea could not be made in the direction of Nicholaieff,
on account of the vast extent of the intervening steppes ; but
the base of the operations must be formed by the river
Dniester. On the other hand, the distance from the frontiers
of Moldavia to the fortress of Kaminitz is only two days'

march through the steppes. However, the olect of the allies
is confined at present to the conquest of the Crimea.
The Moniteur de la Flotte, speculating on the operations
which it is considered probable the Allied fleets will under-
take in the Black Sea, publishes the following :—The allied
fleets at present occupy the Liman of the Dnieper, after
having captured the three forts of Kinburn, together
with their garrison. This brilliant feat reflects the greatest
honour on Admirals Bruat and Lyons, on the allied fleets, and
the division of General Bazaine. The most remarkable
feature in the naval operations in the East is the rapidity
and daring pith which they have been accomplished. In this
manner the most signal success has always crowned them,
and we have now to insecribe the name of Kinburn by the
side of those of Kertch, Yenikale, Taganrog, Taman, and
Sweaborg. Our soldiers now occupy Kinburn, and a part of
our squadron, anchored in the Liman of the Dnieper, cuts off
all communication by sea between Odessa, Nicolaieff, and
Cherson. The Russians are thus reduced to a cruel extremity,
for the ships now lying in the docks of Nicolaieff, and in-
tended to replace the fleet of Nachimoff, ingloriously sunk in
the harbour of Sebastopol, can be of no possible advantage to
them. We are now in a position to menace Cherson and
Nicolaieff; the latter being the great naval and military
arsenal of Russia, from which might, at any moment, be
launched a new fleet, fully equipped for another Sinope ;
Chersou, since the beginning of the, war in the Crimea, is the
central depot of provisions for the Russian army. Although
it has lost much of its importance since the foundation of
Odessa, it has, nevertheless, from its strategic position, and
from its being the principal magazine of the army, been of
the greatest utility during the present war. Its docks are
sufficiently spacious to admit of seven ships of the line being
built at the same time. The town is of great extent, being
divided into four quarters—the fortress, the naval depart-
ment, the Greek suburb, and that of the sailors. At Cherson
the Dnieper is a league and a half in width, and 60 feet in
depth. According to a recent telegraphic despatch, the
allied fleets are lying at the extremity of the Liman, exactly
opposite the mouth of the Dnieper. Soundings, no doubt,
have been taken in the Bug and the Dnieper, and we shall
soon be in a position to form an opinion as to the alleged im-
possibility of navigating those rivers, which may have been
intentionally circulated by the Russians themselves for a
very obvious reason. We are already aware that, as far as
regards Nicolaieff, the river is navigable for men-of-war
everywhere except at the point about ten miles from the
mouth of the Bug. Once masters of the Ockzakoff, the allies
may proceed overland to Nicolaieff. The events now impend-
ing preclude all useless conjectures ; we, therefore, confine
ourselves to a simple statement of the numerous advantages
which accrue to us from the seizure of the forts of Kinburn
and of the Liman of the Dnieper. Let us hope that before
long the Russian army in the Crimea, completely isolated in
the peninsula, cut off from its supplies, disheartened by the
successive disasters that have defeated their plans and frus-
trated their exertions and their courage, shall be reduced to
make a last heroic and desperate effort, the consequences of
which are by no means doubtful to us, or lay down their arms
without trying the chances of a battle.
THIRTY THOUSAND OF THE ALLIES
LANDED AT TENDRA.

VIENNA, Sunday Evening.—The Oesterreichische Corres-
pendenz asserts, on the authority of a telegraphic communica-
tion from Odessa on the 17th, that at the same time the allied
fleets attacked Kinburn, 30,000 men were landed on the
Peninsula of Tendra. Nothing certain was known of the
destination of these troops. Tendra is a long spit of land a
little west of Perekop.
The announcement of the landing of 30,000 men on the
Peninsula of Tendra, which was communicated by telegraphic
despatch in a London paper, is disbelieved by the .Assensblee
Nationale.