The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-09-11 00:00:00

landed immediately, and went to the Government-
house, Mount Wise, where he was received by Port
Admiral Sir William Parker, Bart., G.C.B.
It is stated to be the intention of the Prince to visit
several English ports. The yacht, was to be ready for
departure yesterday.

LETTERS FROM THE CRIMEA.
(Fnom THE TIMES' CORRESPONDENT.)
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, Aug. 27.
The state -of tension in which we were kept during the
greater part of last week, in daily and almost hourly expecta-
tion of an attack, has somewhat relaxed during the last
twenty-four hours, although every precaution continues to be
taken. On the night from Friday to Saturday our com-
manders seem to have felt very confident that something
serious would occur; everybody was afoot, cr in readiness to
turn out at an instant's notice, and dusty and disgusted
enough looked some of the staff after knocking about all night
in anticipation of a fight that came not. It was doubtless in con-
sequence of the severe extra duty thus entailed on officers as
well as men, that the ceremony of the investiture of the Order of
the Bath was postponed until two o'clock to-day, when it is
to take place with due pomp at General Simpson's head-
quarters.
The Highlanders having been countermanded from trench
duty on Friday evening, and marched over to Kamara at
two o'clock in the morning to support the Sardinians, the
Guards alone went to the trenches, and consequently the
Light Division remained there thirty-six hours, instead of
twenty-four. The Guards had two casualties among the
officers—Colonel Francis Seymour, wounded, not seriously,
and Captain Drummond shot through the lungs. Hopes are
entertained of saving the latter officer's life. The Highland
Division came back to camp on Saturday, and returned to
Karnara at night, to remain there, as they expect, about a
week. The 56th Regiment, about 700 strong, having arrived
at Balaklava, were detained a day or two on board ship, until
their destination should be decided upon. It had been in-
, tended to send them to Kertch ; on Saturday it was said they
would go to Kamara, but they have finally been annexed to
the First Division. The army continues to get under arms
before daybreak, cavalry and all. Yesterday the latter arm
turned out 2,950 British sabres and lances, and, had needs
been, 500 or COO more could have been brought into the field.
Although many here have been dieposed to treat as idle
rumour and even to turn into ridicule the reports that the
Russians meditated an attack on Balaklava, it would appear
this danger has not been disregarded at head-quarters, where
information has doubtless been received on the subject. The
Leander and Diamond frigates have been lying moored by a
single cable, and Lieut. Fletcher, commanding the Triton
war-steamer,' has directions to be in readiness to get his steam
up at brief notice, and tow them out of Balaklava harbour to
a position whence their guns would bear on the Marine
Heights.
Notwithstanding all these preparations for action, I repeat
that people seem less confident, or, at any rate talk less of that
which two or three days ago every one declared to be immi-
nent: and last evening some sanguine spirits, who doubtless,
with good reason, would prefer a day on the moors to a night
in the trenches, were heard confidently to predict approaching
peace. The Russians, they declared, could sustain the con-
test no longer, owing to the want of water and the difficulty
of obtaining supplies ; their final attempt had been made at
the action of the 16th, and, finding themselves totally repulsed
with heavy loss at the point they had selected as offering
most chances of success, they would not risk another attack,
but would yield, treat for peace, make the necessary conces-
sions, and in a couple of months the British army would go
home again. The hopefulness of youth and a certain vivacity
of imagination may doubtless qualify a man to produce rose-
tinted sketches of this kind, and there certainly can be no
manner of question as to the immense superiority of a merry
Christmas in England to a muddy one on Balaklava's heights
any more than of that of the smoking sirloin and tenderly fed
turkey over Crimea's lean kine and fowls that refuse to
be fattened. But there is no magic in wishes any more than
in words, and it is to be feared that these prophets of peace
underrate the Russian's tenacity and endurance. It is
certain that his position is a difficult one, if, as is
now the growing belief, he runs short of water and cannot get
up supplies fast enough for the number of men necessary to
hold his position. That such is the case we have evidence
worthy of consideration, but which yet must not be unhesita-
tingly received, since it is chiefly that of deserters. Accepting
it, for argument's sake, as trustworthy and positive, the
enemy's only alternative is to attack or to give in. To get
them to attack is just what is most to be desired. Setting
aside the idea of a siege, we have two powerful armies, each
occupying a line of extremely strong positions, not to be taken
without severe loss and some risk of defeat. Evidently the
disadvantage is with the army which is first compelled to as-
sume the offensive. The result of the action on the Tchernaya
is sufficient proof of this. Since it occurred the defences of the
point then assailed have been greatly improved by the French,
who laugh at the idea of a similar attempt being made with
even a shadow of success. An attempt on Balaklava or a
general attack on our lines would be a strong indication that
the statements of the straitened condition of the Russians are
well founded, and that they are driven to a desperate effort.
Such an attack, if our generals prove as able as we know our
soldiers to be brave, ought to recoil with terrible force upon
the heads of the assailants, occasioning them heavy losses of
men, and giving us solid proofs of success in the shape of
newly-acquired positions.
Besides the reports current of approaching famine and actual
drought in the Russian camp, there are others of the plague
being in Sebastopol and of a mutiny having broken out, in I
t,ion consequencethese as omf
enrle hy an
flying
hundredrumours, m
hhi
cail;elbhe
ae
es ho t.
been
Iu
nma ebi
le
to trace to any trustworthy source.
W,-tr..y, the left ...thane to advance. Several new
batteries—one of 15 mortars —have been constructed in front
of what were recently our most advanced positions on that
part of the line. The Greenhill Battery, lately so prominent,
now appears retiring into the rear. There was a heavy fire
before daybreak this morning. The Russians showed them-
selves outside the Redan, but it was too hot to hold, and they
promptly retired. To-day the batteries have been very quiet.
MONDAY NIGHT.
The ceremony of the Investiture of the Order of the Bath
came off to-day between one and two o'clock. Sir Harry
Jones was ill and unable to attend, and Lord Stratford
de Redcliffe went to his quarters and invested him there.
Lord Stratford, I think I mentioned in my last, arrived
here two days ago, accompanied by Lord Napier, M. Pisani,
Mr. Moore, Mr. Brodie, Mr. Allison, and by Dr. Tice, staff-
surgeon, as medical attendant. The place where to-day's
ceremony came off was a square court in front of
General Simpson's quarters. One side of the court
is formed by the long, low building occupied by the
English commander-in-chief, two others by stables and out-
buildings,
while the fourth is open to the downs. This
square, over which, a year ago, Crimean pigs and poultry
grunted and crowed, glittered to-day with British and French
uniforms, gilding, and embroidery. At the entrance to the
house a sort of tent was formed of flags. Above waved the
standard of England, flanked by the British ensign and
French tricolour, and by the Sardinian and Turkish colours.
The square of buildings was lined by another of troops—de-
tachments of Guards, Rifles, Line, Artillery, Cavalry, and
Naval Brigade. From the side facing the house there ex-
tended a double line pf lancer sentries along a gentle slope, at
the extremity of which guns were in readiness to fire the sa-
lute. Inside the square assembled a number of officers in full
dress. Outside were other officers and a few civilians, among
whom some ladies' riding habits were to be observed. Gen.
Pelissier came in his carriage, with his staff, and other French
generals were there. The corpulent person and dark com-
plexion of the French commander contrasted strikingly with
General Simpson's tall, slender figure and white hair. When
all were assembled the ceremony was proceeded with. Lord
Stratford made a dignified speech, which acquired additional
interest from the circumstances. He remarked on the unpre-
cedented nature of the investiture, occurring, as it did, almost
on the ground where the services had been rendered and the
exploits achieved for which the honour was conferred, and al-
most under fire of the enemy's guns. As he spoke the words a
loud boom from the batteries gave peculiar appropriateness to
his expressions and a dramatic interest to the scene. Sir Colin
Campbell and Sir Edmund Lyons each spoke a few words in
reply. The troops presented arms, the band played " God
Save the Queen," the artillery fired a Royal salute, and then
the force assembled, which was about 1,000 men, filed off, and
the numerous groups of officers shortly left the ground. The
pageant was favoured by a brilliant sunshine, tempered by a
pleasant breeze, and could not have gone of better.
Later in the afternoon we had a spectacle of a different
kind, but, in its humble way, of a not less interesting nature.
Soyer, the Regenerator, now the camp cook par excellence,
opened his kitchens on the esplanade in front of the Guards'
camp. A row of huge iron boilers supplied each one its dif-
ferent soup or stew, concocted entirely from the rations daily
furnished to the troops. From the summit of a large marquee
fluttered the French and English colours ; smaller flags waved
gaily over the enclosure, which was formed by garlands of
foliage. The guests, who were very numerous, paid due homage
to the savoury cauldrons, the depth of which alone saved them
from speedy exhaustion. There was no denying the excellence
of the cookery. 5 o'clock is a hungry hour in the Crimea ;
and I can answer for it that few of the guests contented them-
selves with merely tasting. General Simpson smiled approba-
tion of the skill of the French artiste, and General Pelissier
seemed highly to enjoy his countryman's potage. A great
number of persons were present. There were rice pudding
and Cossack plumpudding (all rations), snug tents, with cham-
pagne, and the most crystalline of ice (not rations), and Soyer
was voted, nem. con., the worthy chef of the army in the
Crimea. To speak seriously, he will render real service if he
teaches the soldier, as I understand he proposes to do, to make
the most of the very excellent materials now supplied to him,
and which hitherto have unquestionably been more or less
wasted through ignorance of a few of the simplest laws of the
gastronomic science.

IBY ELECTRIC & INTERNATIONAL TELEGRAPHS.,)

LONDON, Monday Night.
DESPATCH FROM GENERAL SIMPSON.
The London Gazette contains a despatch from Genera
Simpson, dated August 28th. He writes,—No new attempt
had been made to force the Tchernaya. General Sir C.
Campbell, with the 42nd, 71st, 79th, and 93rd Regiments now
reinforce our extreme right. Fifty guns and the Cavalry are
also in service. The 56th Regt. has arrived. The siege opera-
tions progress favourably.
The enemy have completed the bridge from the north to
the south shore, and use it. A considerable increase of troops
is observed in the town.
The weekly medical report shows a decided improvement
in the health of the army.
The investure of the Bath took place yesterday.
Casualties from 24th to 26th August, inclusive :—Killed. 24
rank and file. Wounded : Brevet-Major R. Warden, slightly;
Lieut. T. Bigge, 23rd, slightly . Major C. Higginbotham, 63rd,
severely ; Capt. J. Brown, Royal Engineers, severely ; Capt.
Hon. R. Drummond, Coldstream Guards, dangerously; Lieut.-
Col. Seymour, Scots Fusilier Guards, severely ; Lieut. J.
Laurie, 34th, slightly . Lieut. W. %us, 90th, severely; Capt.
C. Arbuthnot, Royal Artillery, severely ; 6 sergeants and 137
rank and file. Missing, 2 rank and file.

THE BALTIC.
D, St.
On Sunday last, the Imperieuse and Colossus were h anchepored
some seven or eight miles off Tolboukin Lighthouse, and, on a
dense fog clearing off, they saw a Russian squadron, consisting
of a 90-gun steam line of battle-ship, a frigate, two steamers,
and some gun-boats almost close to them. They immediately
pushed in to meet the enemy, when the Russian squadron ran
into port. The two English vessels chased them right Snside
Tolbollkin as close as they could go to the batteries,