The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1856-01-15 00:00:00

THE WAR.

Tan news from the Crimea continues to be of only secondary
interest ; and, judging from the intelligence furnished, the
incidents of importance are becoming daily less frequent. In
the absence of these we are supplied with a plentiful crop of
speculations, to a considerable extent meagre in their degree
of excitement. The special correspondent of the Morning
Herald, writing on the 24th ult. from Balaklava, says :
Rumours are flying about that the Guards :and Rifles are
going home in January, but I cannot perceive any preparations
for a start. Here, in Balaklava, work of every description is
pushed on rapidly, especially in regard to our roads. While
blasting some rocks yesterday, close to the harbour, I regret to
say that a fragment of stone struck a poor Turk on the head
and killed him. I may here mention that our working force
has been much strengthened this week by the arrival of several
hundred of the Land Transport Corps, in the Orinoco steamer.
The Russians are at this instant increasing their fire. General
Codrington is unwell with, it is said, rheumatism, from the
late severe weather. One of
his legs is bandaged. There are
several severe cases of frost-bite in the 2nd and 3rd Divisions.
One man of the 28th Regiment will, it is expected, lose both
hands. He was struck while carrying up hut planking. These
huts ought to have been sent up and put up weeks ago.
The same correspondent waxes very eloquent on the severe
punishment inflicted for drunkenness on an artilleryman.
The poor fellow was sentenced to be flogged, and he died under
the infliction of the punishment.

Writing under the same date, from the camp before Sebas-
topol, the special correspondent of the Daily News gives the
following account of the
DESTRUCTION OF ONE OF THE DOCKS :
One of the five celebrated dry docks in the Karabelnain
suburb of Sebastopol was demolished by the French engineers
on Saturday last, the 22nd instant, at two p.m., by the explosion
of mines. The destruction of the dock was fully accomplished,
the blast having almost instantaneously reduced the massive
fabric into a ruined and confused heap of stones. The inten-
tion of destroying a portion of the docks was not known in
camp until an early hour of the morning of the some day.
The six companies of the 18th Royal Irish Regiment, which
for the last month or five weeks have been quartered in the
Karabelnaia, assistirbve in the necessary preparations for the
destruction of the three docks in rear, and the part of the
basin in charge of the English engineers, were moved up at
five a.m. before daylight. Their departure was thus un-
observed by the enemy on the north side of the roadstead.
It was considered prudent to march these men up to camp,
in case the Russians might think proper, after the explo-
sion, to direct a heavy fire on the suburb, and to avoid all
risk of casualties, should any of the buildings fall from
the concussion. The dock selected by the French en-
gineers for demolition on this occasion was the one
placed to the west of the lock through which vessels
formerly entered into the great basin. In addition to
this dock, the French have to destroy another dry dock on
the east side of the entrance lock, the lock itself, when with
its sides and foundation of cut masonry and magnificent
floodgates, has the appearance of another dock, and half the
basin. It is understood that the engineering operations are
completed for the demolition of the whole of these structures,
and that the object in demolishing one portion only was to
test the accuracy of certain, calculations with regard to the
quantity of gunpowder necessary for effecting the desired
result. The quantity actually employed is said to have been
a little over 2,060 pounds English, or 1,000 French kilogram-
mes. The French engineers have followed a somewhat
different plan from the English engineers for the destruction
of the docks. They have trusted principally to galleries car-
ried across and beneath the bottom of the dock. They have
also, however, parallel with each side, a horizontal gallery, to
blow out the foundation and lower part of each side wall. In
the docks to be destroyed by the English, perpendicular
shafts have been sunk at frequent intervals along the sides,
for the purpose of blowing the whole of the sides inwards.
Latterly also, galleries have been constructed beneath the
foundations of the bottom of each dock, so that their demoli-
tion must be very effectual. Arrangements have been made
for firing the English mines by a voltaic battery. The
French mines, on Saturday, were fired by means of trains of
laid gunpowder and fuses. The report of the explosion was
by no means loud. It was heard in camp, but was generally
supposed to be the bursting of some of the Russian projectiles
among the buildings of the town. Nearer to the scene of the
explosion a tremulous agitation of the ground was felt, and
this was followed by the peculiar compressed sound—more
like the rumbling of distant thunder than the usual report of
gunpowder fired from within metal—which always accom-
panies subterraneous discharges. Simultaneous with the
noise of the blasting, the air over the situation of the dock
became thickened with smoke, stones, and rubbish. A large
quantity, among which were masses of considerable size,
rose perpendicularly upwards, while at the same time a
shower of masonry was hurled from each side upwards
and curving towards the centre. The greater portion of
these blocks and fragments of stone appeared to fall
downwards into the vacant space of the dock; scarcely any
were observed to fly far beyond its limits. A dense cloud of
smoke filled and rested over the place of ruin, and this con-
tinued hanging over it for a considerable time, for there was
no breeze to waft it away. No sooner had the explosion oc-
curred, the crash of falling masonry had scarcely died away
from the ears, when the sharp reports of several shells about
the docks and neighbouring buildings told that the enemy
had been no unobservant spectators of the scene. They hoped
to hit some of the troops, whom they suspected to be in the
neighbourhood of the explosion, the nature of which they no
doubt understood, but, as usual, fired without effecting any
injury or causing any casualty. It is remarkable how very
few casualties have taken place among the sappers and artillery-
men, and in the six companies of the men of the 18th Regi-
ment who have been quartered in the Karabelnaia during the
operations connected with the mining of the docks, notwith-
standing the constant fire of the enemy. Until a short time
ago, when a shell entered a company's cooking house, whence
the men could not readily escape, and where, in consequence,
several were wounded, not a casualty had occurred among the
men of the 18th Regiment. The Russians appear to have
the range of all the principal points, and, moreover, seem
to have men always on the look out, who make signals to
the gunners in the batteries whenever a party of troops are
observed moving in the town, for no sooner is a group ex-
posed to view than it is fired at. One principal source of
security to our men is, of course, the number of stone
buildings of the town ; these not only intercept the mis-
siles of the enemy as they fall towards the ground, but
afford tolerably safe means of shelter when a well-directed
shell falls too dangerously close. Report says that all the prepa-
rations will be completed for the demolition of the three docks
to be destroyed by the English in the course of a week
from the present date. The arrangements would have
been finished already, had it not been for the large quantity of
water which has found its way into the shafts and galleries
excavated for the reception of the blasting powder. It appears
that the reason for the water having entered so copiously into
these excavations, while those connected with the French
mines have remained dry, is their relative position with regard
to the termination of the Karabelnaia ravine, between the
Malakoff and Redan hills, and at a short distance from the
dockyard wall. The three docks in charge of the English are
separated from the end of this ravine, where an enormous
amount of water had been collected, and formed an immense
pond or reservoir, only by an artificial causeway, constructed
at an enormous expense of labour, by the Russians, during the
formation of the docks, and through this earth the water gra-
dually percolated. Under ordinary circumstances, the water
of the middle or Karabelnaia ravine would drain through the
soil, and find its way to the Karabelnaia creek or harbour, and
in this direction the water collected in the shafts has now bad
to be conducted, after much labour, by pumping and other
means of drainage. When the time shall arrive for the de-
struction of the English portion of the docks, it is hoped that
their destruction will be as complete as that of the French
dock already demolished, and, if the three are demolished at
the same instant, the effect will be proportionably more
striking. I have heard it stated that the floor of the dock
just destroyed by the French engineers has not been so effect-
ually and completely broken up as it was anticipated it would
be, by the explosion, but I hardly believe that this can be as-
certained while it remains encumbered with the ruined ma-
sonry at present heaped over its surface.

The special correspondent of the Morning Post, writing on
the 22nd of December, gives an interesting account of some
camp theatrical performances. The scene and actors were
the officers of the camp of the Fourth Division, and, according
to the statement of our contemporary, the amusements
passed off with great eclat.

Under date of the 28th December, the special correspondent
of the Daily News gives the following particulars relative to
OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA :

There is very little of interest to communicate from this
part of the seat of war by the present mail. There was a
rumour yesterday in camp that a force was about to be
detached to Asia, for the purpose of relieving the Turkish
troops ; but to-day we hear that the only troops likely to be
sent with this object are a portion of the Turkish contingent,
previously destined to co-operate in that quarter. The
weather has continued very mild since the last mail left until
to-day, when the frost has again been severe. Christmas-day,
like that of last year, was bright, dry, and sunny, with an
atmosphere as resplendent as it was exhilarating. In all
parts of the camp, from the head-quarters of the commander-
in-chief to the huts of the private soldiers, Christmas parties
were assembled, and the usual fare of the season abounded.
It is satisfactory, too, to be able to say that, although there
was plenty of merriment, there appeared to be very little
excess ; for in the various camps there were less noise and
less evidence of intoxication than occurred on several occa-
sions a month or six weeks ago. The rations issued to
the men continue to be excellent in quality and sufficient in
quantity. The advantages that have accrued from the
attention paid to the subject, as well as to the clothing,
are nowhere more apparent than in the appearance pre-
sented by the greater number of the recruits and
young soldiers sent to reinforce the older regiments in the
course of the autumn. These young men are not only, as a
general rule, in robust health, but are rapidly gaining sturdy
frames and vigorous constitutions, which cause them, on the
return of spring, to be no trifling opponents in the face of the
enemy, They feel the benefit- of escaping from the crowded
towns to which many of them have been habituated in Eng.
land ; and now that the duties are light, diet and shelter
good, they have scarcely anything hostile to health to contend
against but the mischief arising from the temptations to intox-
icacation. It is to be deplored that so little recreation is to be
got by the men excepting what is found in the canteen. The
regimental hospitals are nowhere crowded, and what sick
there are are reported to be suffering only from such ailments
as are usually met with at this season in England,
It is stated in camp that some Russian and Sardinian
pickets came into collision on the evening of the 26th instant,
but the particulars are not known. The enemy is apparently
very busy in the Mackenzie heights, increasing the defences.
A large body of troops can be seen to be working at the sum-
mit of the ridge, near to which the main road leaves the
Tchernaya valley, and winds to ascend towards Mackenzie 's
farm. They seem to be throwing up a square redoubt in this
position. There has not been any slackening of the fire from
the north side. On Christmas-day and evening the discharge
of shot and shell was remarkably continuous. No gun opened
fire from the south side. The Russians are closely watched,
for in some of the bays across the roadstead a large number
of rafts and small boats can be seen lying alongside the shore.
They may be curious to find out why the French batteries
have ceased their fire. Should they come across for the pur-
pose of discovering, they will find a fitting reception.