The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1855-06-19 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

with future operations of the army in the plain. Should this
force push forward in the direction of Khutor Mackenzie, with
a view to turning the position of that detatched portion of the
Russian army now occupying the Inkerman mountain, .and
the operation succeed, the trench might be extended completely
across the valley to be connected with works on the other side.
A tete du pont for infantry has already been made to cover
the large bridge across the Tchernaya near to Tehorgoun, and
other steps have been taken to secure the position in the plain,
in case of an attack in that direction, and to render it tenable
in case the army having advanced should find it necessary to
fall back upon it.
Our reserves have been increased to-night in the right
attack, and, it is stated, at the request of the French general,
so that some attack or sortie is again looked for.
The Times' correspondent, writing on the 29th, says :
There is very little indeed to write of since the last mail
left. The guns in front are very quiet on both sides; per-
haps, after the calm, a storm may come, but there are at pre-
sent no signs of it. Talking of storms, the 27th and yesterday
were days of extreme heat, and the lightning and thunder,
accompanied occasionally with heavy showers of rain, made
the camp unusually wretched. I rode along the French lines,
which are now advanced so close to the Tchernaya that our
soldiers water their horses there without any molestation.
The river abounds in tench and other fish, but our people
cannot muster a rod or a bit of tackle in the whole of the
camp, and the French are equally unsuccessful.
On the 30th be writes :
Miss Nightingale, being convalescent from her late severe
attack of fever, and being recommended change of air by her
medical attendant, Dr. Hadley, principal medical officer of the
Castle Hotel, Balaklava, under whose care she has been
throughout her illness, was carried down from the heights,
accompanied by that officer and the Rev. Mr. Parker, and put
on board the Jura for England, where it is hoped she will
speedily recover, and be able to resume her duties in the East.
Writing also under date of the 30th ult., the correspondent
of the Morning Post says :
Nothing of much note has occured to-day; the disembarka-
tion of troops seems to be the greatest work. The 72nd
Highlanders have arrived, and commenced to disembark to-
day ; they are 30 officers and 607 men, under Colonel Sharpe.
This regiment came out here in the the Alma steamer—her
total numbers amounts to 40 officers and 1,057 rank and file.
The troops which have to-day landed are-6 officers, 5 ser-
geants, and 194 men, from the Saldanha ; 6 officers, 6
sergeants. and 194 men, from the Cambria; 3 officers, 5
sergeants, and 115 men, of the Artillery, from the Candia.
He continues under date May 31 :—To-night, the 63rd, and a
few men from other regiments, are to embark for Kertch, to
strengthen the expedition. The French also embarked some
more during yesterday. The arrivals of troops still continue
as during the last fortnight. The Prince Alfred, with 4
officers, 30 men, and 61 horses of the Royal Artillery; and the
Indiana, with a field battery of 221 men, and 189 horses, with
General Bentinck, has arrived.
In reference to the Kertch and Azoff expedition, he says
under date of June 1:
The Alma steamer sailed last night with the 63rd, and
drafts of the different Highland corps for the expedition
numbering about 600 men. The French have also been
embarking a number of men for the same purpose this morn-
ing at Kamiesch.
The correspondent of the Daily News, writing from the
camp before Sebastopol, on June 2nd, says :
The belief that the chief places on the peninsula of Kertch
will be entrusted to the safe keeping of the fleet, and that the
greater part of the land force sent to Kertch and Arabat will
shortly return to co-operate in a movement towards Simphe-
ropol with Omar Pasha's force at Eupatoria, and General Can-
robert's army in the plain, is gaining ground. The delay in
the opening fire is attributed to the necessity of waiting until
these movements can be undertaken, so that all may be done
in concert, and a part of the Russian army on the north heights
diverted from operating at Sebastopol, When the fire opens,
the Kamschatka redoubt on the Mamelon-hill, and the quarry
work below the Redan, will be the two principal objects of at-
tack at first; and, after a few hours bombardment, it is under-
stood that these works will be assaulted, the former by the
French, the latter by the English. No one feels any doubt
about the assault being successful; the main difficulty will be
to retain possession until the daylight shall have re-appeared.
The fire has been slack along all the lines during the last few
days ; both the Russian batteries and those of the Allies have
appeared to be reserving their strength for a more important
struggle. As usual for some time past, what fire there has
been, has been most continuous on the extreme left, where the
works of the French almost touch the crenelled wall of the
town. A new device of the enemy has been loading some field
pieces, which are placed at the lower part of the Mamelon-
hill, and directed against our advanced works, not only with
the usual round shot, but also with a quantity of grape. This
was very deceptive at first, for the loud whiz of the round
shot prevented the small grape from being heard in their
flight, and moreover, as the chief impetus was given to the
shot, it flew past first, and afterwards, when all danger
had apparently gone by, came the pattering of the grape.
We have had very few casualties in the trenches, and such
as have occurred have happened principally from rifle balls.
The correspondent of the Times, writing on the 3rd of
June, says :

Hot again, but with a fresh breeze. Some 10-inch mortars
and a stout allowance of ammunition are ordered to go up to
the squadron. The Ordnance wharf at Balaklava is in a glo-
rious state of repletion, and enables us to afford the usual
divertissement in the evening, without scruples. As regards,
however, the means of heavy transport, there seems to have
been some kind of limit placed to the number of railway wag-
gons, which might with advantage be much more numerous
than they are, and the more so since the animal power for
Commissariat purposes is, in spite of Colonel M'Murdo and
levies on Europe and Asia far and wide, a long while in
making itself equal to the want. A man of the 97th went
over to the Russians to-day, and appears to have indicated
pretty accurately where they might with advantage direct
their fire upon his comrades; at least, a shower of shot and
shell came whizzing over the heads of the relief as it went-
down at night to the trenches; however, they were pitched a
few yards too far, and the enemy took nothing by the move.
He says, writing June 4th
We, on the other hand, did ourselves some mischief last
night. A lot of carcasses, destined for the Russian store
buildings, turned out too antiquated to be trusted, and per-
sisted in knocking our own men over in preference ; they fell
short, and exploded in our advanced trenches. Rumour as-
serts that they are of fabulous and incredible date, going back
to the beginning of the century ; and the cases being actually
rotten from age, it may be presumed that they had no busi-
ness to be here at all. Some men were killed and injured by
their default, and Colonel Mundy, of the 33rd, was one of the
sufferers, but his wounds are said not to be dangerous.
Another officer (Lieutenant Morgan, of the 28th) met with a
severer fate, as he was going out to post his sentries early in
the evening. The tale goes that he observed in the uncertain
gloaming a dark object, and taking up a stone, experimented
upon the nature of it. The dark object thus appealed to ac-
cepted the invitation, and, firing a volley, put two bullets
through the challenger's leg. Since nightfall there has been
some heavy firing, both on the right and left, and a great deal
of musketry on both sides.
On June sth, he writes :
There were some slight losses in the trenches, it seems,—
no great wonder, considering the proximity of the combatants.
Some of the Russian muskets were loaded with slugs. A
lieutenant of the 48th, Mr. Trent, was slightly wounded in
the arm. Last night, too, as if to crown the tragedy of
Captain Christie's sudden end, and close the lips of two hasty
censors, Admiral Boxer expired of cholera, in the harbour,
after a short illness. He had been very much depressed by
the death of a nephew bearing his name and attached to his
person, which took place from the same cause three days pre-
viously on board ship, and had given only too painful tokens
of those feelings which have been so often denied existence.
Harsh judgment and unkind reflections may well be disso-
ciated from the memory of a veteran who has perished
at his post, and whose activity at least has so often
been the theme of wonder upon the spot, as natural de-
ficiencies of age have been the subject of vituperation at
home. There is here but one common sentiment of regret,
not merely for an old man's unexpected decease, but springing
from sympathy with one who had human trials and imper-
fections, and whose hard effort amid hurrying circumstances
was swept out of sight in the undistinguishing flood of
national disappointment. The marines, who so long held the
post of honour on the mountain top above Balaklava, have
taken ground five miles in advance of their previous strong-
hold, where they still serve in the van. The Sardinians, who
deserve and find unsparing commendation for their soldier-
like appearance and apparatus of campaign, crown the summit
of Canrobert's hill, and spread over many an undulating rood
in advance of it. The French, with their favourite General,
Bosquet, at their head, have crossed the river, and now enclose
within their extended lines the bridge by which the armies
passed after descending from Mackenzie's Farm.