The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-30 00:00:00

FORMATION OF PARISHES.

The second reading of his bill on this subject was
moved on Wednesday by the Marquis of BLANDFORD.
Ile object, he said, was threefold—to establish the
independence of existing ecclesiastical districts, to
facilitate the formation of new ones, and to provide
means for the endowment of poor cures. After
stating what had been done in the formation of new
parochial districts by the Church Building Commis-
sion, he proposed that all parishes created under
the Church Building Act should be henceforth
entirely independent; that the property sod power
of the Church Building Commission should be trans-
ferred to the ecclesiastical commissioners; that to
encourage endowments the right of patronage should
rest on those endowing new churches, with other
provisions of detail.
Sir G. GREY, admitting the importance of the
subject, and agreeing on many of the points of the
bill, thought the session too far advanced to deal
with it at present, and suggested its reference to a
select committee.
Lord EBRINOTON and Mr. PALK were in favour of
the second reading, while Mr. It. PHILLIMORK and
Mr. W. F. COWPER, though favorable to the principle
of the bill, and believing the discussion upon it to be
highly useful, advised its withdrawal for the present.
Sir W. Clay, Mr.•J. Butt, Mr. V. Scully, and Mr.
Hadfield objected to the principle of the bill, BS
enlarging the system of church rates, and permitting
Government property to be assigned to the Church,
and thought that the Government should next year,
when the Church Building Act would expire, take
the matter in hand.
The bill was then withdrawn.
PARLIAMENTARY CONTRACTORS.

On Tuesday Mr. T. DuscomßE moved for a stew
writ for the city of London on the ground that Baron
Rothschild having contracted with the Government
for the April loan had thereby disqualified himself
for sitting in the House of Commons. He entered
at some length into the history of the Contractors
Act, under the terms of which, fairly interpreted, he
contended that Baron Rothschild fell.
The ATTORNEY.GENERAL moved to refer the sub-
ject to a select committee on two grounds—one, that
since the passing of the act several members had
taken part in loans without vacating their seats ; the
other, that Baron Rothschild, being unable from
other reasons to take his seat, could not defend him-
self, which he could do before a committee.
In the discussion that followed the committee was
opposed by Sir F. THE:4IOER and Mr. FRENCH, who
thought that the meaning of the act was clear, the
circumstances all before them, and the committee
would therefore be quite useless.
On the other hand a large number of members—
Mr. Disraeli, Lord Palmerston, Lord J. Russell,
Mr. Walpole, and the Solicitor-General among them
—were of opinion that the unbroken series of
members who had contracted for loans without
losing their seats justiaed the discussion of the sub-
ject before a committee. Mr. M. GIBSON pointed out
that other members of the house who had taken shares
in the loan might equally be placed in jeopardy ; and
Mr. DISRAELI that there was an informality in the
case, inasmuch as the contract was in the name, not
of Baron L. Rothschild, but of N. M. Rothschild and
Sons.
Ultimately the committee was appointed without
a division.
SALE OF BEER.

Mr. H. I3Ea►cEt.Ev on Tuesday moved for a select
committee to inquire into the working of the act
passed on this subject last year. He referred to the
opportunities given by the railways to the humbler
classes for the enjoyment ui fresh a►r on the Sunday,
and which were used by many of them to attend
country churches, and demanded that enjoyments so
innocent and healthful should not be marred by le-
gislation. He unused the house with descriptions
of the difficulties and conflicting decisions of the
bench in interpreting the law, which he said had not
discouraged drunkenness, and had only encouraged
hypocrisy.

610

Mr. COBBETT having seconded the motion,
Sir G. GREY would not oppose the proposed in-
quiry, observing nevertheless that he believed the: the
act had worked well, and that in the opinion of many
persons the public-houses ought to be entirely closed
on the Sunday. The great majority of the public
were in favour of the bill.

Mr. W. PATTEN, the introducer of last yew's bill,
willingly consented to inquiry. That bill had been
passed at the desire of the lower classes, 80,000 of
whom had petitioned for it. It had, no doubt, caused
much inconvenience, but it had worked well, lie be-
lieved, on the whole. Its continuance would depend
on the report of the committee.
Sir J. Walsh and Mr. Wilkinson thought the sub-
ject not a flt one for legislation, and Mr. Brady said
that the bill led to scandalous evasions. On the op-
posite side Mr. Villiers, Mr. Henley, Sir J. Shelley,
and Mr. E. Ball declared that inquiry would only
confirm the usefulness of the restrictions imposed by
the present bill. Mr. T. Duncombe said that this
was not the time of year when a committee could be
appointed so as to be of any use, and denied that the
majority of the people were in favour of the existing
measure.

The motion was agreed to.
BUSINESS OF THE HOUSE.

Lord PALMERSTON on Tuesday announced the withdrawal
of the Government bill for Testamentary Jurisdiction, the
Court of Sessions Bill for Scotland, and the Jurors and
Juries Bill for Ireland. Those on limited liability of part-
nership, for the better government of the metropolis, and
for the new arrangements of the Ordnance Department
would be pressed. The three education bills would, he
hoped, be read a second time, and referred to a select com-
mittee—not with the view of passing them this session, but
to obtain the opinion of the committee in regard to their
general and aggregate object. There were seven bills
from the Lords, which he hoped that house would seriously
consider. There were 36 private bills, to one of which—
the Tenants' Compensation Bill for Ireland—the Govern.
ment would give its support.
Mr. DISRAELI said, when he made an inquiry the other
night of the noble lord, he said that the house was in-
debted to private members for the pressure of business.
But he could not Lind, on recurring to those authorities
which were on the table of the house, and which were open
to any one, that the noble lord was at all justified in the
tone that he assumed the other night, and which he had
assumed again tonight. These were the details. He did
not stop to inquire how many were continuance bills, and
the house would judge whether the pressure of business
was occasioned by private members. They had of bills not
yet read a second time, 28 Government bills and 17 brought
in by private members ; of bills in committee, 22 Govern.
ment bills and 12 brought in by private members ; of bills
as amended to be considered, there were 4 by private
members and by Government bills none ; of bills not yet
read there was an equal number by private members and
by Government—namely, 3. There were, therefore, 53
Government bills and only 36 of private members, making
in all 89 bills that the house had to consider. The number
of orders of the day had increased since he made those ob-
servations on Friday ; there were then 76 and now there
were 89, to which must be added two adjourned debates.
The noble lord had referred to the continuance bills, which
would not give by any means a majority to he attributed to
private members. He should like to know what the noble
lord intended to do with the Chapels Bill.
Sir G. GREY : It is a Lords' bill.

. _
Mr. DaiwaLi proceeded. The noble lord would of
course proceed with all the other Government bills, and
which were in number, he thought, 22. He understood
from the noble lord to-night that he had given up one of
the bills for which the third reading had been filed. As
time was so precious. it was very much to be regretted
that her Majesty's Ministers should have lost so much
time by going on with that bill, the Court of Session
(Scotland) Bill. However, he rose merely to ♦indicate
what he had before said—that of the 76 orders of the day
the great majority were Government bills.

THE foundation-stone of a new educational insti-
tution, to be called the Oldham Lyceum, was laid on
Monday, in Union-street, Oldham, in presence of a
large concourse of people. A procession was formed
at the Town-hall, comprising most of the leading in-
habitants; at the head of whom were John Platt,
Esq., (the Mayor), Lord Stanley, M.P., James Platt,
Esq. (president of the institution), William Fair-
bairn, C.E., the Rev. Dr. Vaughan, Henry Ashworth,
Esq., and other gentlemen taking an interest in the
education of the working classes. The building is
to be a handsome erection of stone, in the Italian
style, and is estimated to cost about 5,0001.; of which
upwards of 3,000/. is already in hand. Of this,
2,0001. is the proceeds of last year's Industrial Ex-
hibition at Oldham ; and 1,1001. has been collected
by Mr. James Platt, the president, during the last
eight or ten days.
THE MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL AGRICULTURAL
SOCIETY have just presented a fine Cheshire cheese,
901bs. weight, to the Emperor Napoleon. The
offering was made as a specimen of one of the agri
cultural products of this country. The cheese was
duly received at the Tuileries by General Rolin,
Adjutant-General du Palais, who thanked the com-
mittee in the name of the Emperor for their present.
His Majesty, he observed, was particularly interested
in English farming.

THE PRESS.

Original ttttrs front ftt drintta.

WE have been favored with the following letter,
written two days before the unsuccessful assault upon
the Redan on the morning of the 18th iustant.
The gallant writer, a very young officer in the fourth
division, fell severely wounded upon the crest of the
escarpment.

Camp before Sebastopol, June 1855.

My dearest G.—l am getting so excited with the
approaching crisis of this eventful siege that I can
hardly sit still long enough to write a few lines to
you. Before a week is over I think I may safely say
the general assault on the south side will have taken
place, to be crowned of course with complete success,
but, I am afraid, with immense loss, particularly among
the officers. I ought to have written you a long ac-
count of the storming of the Quarries and Mamelon,
particularly as I was engaged in it, but I expected
then that the grand assault would take place every
hour, and so I thought nothing of such minor affairs
as those.

Two days afterwards there was a flag of truce, and
the enemy and ourselves met halfway between our
trenches and their batteries (two hundred yards
apart). I was out talking with Russians for four or
five hours, and delighted I was that I could speak
French. The Russian officers seemed a very nice
set, and we smoked together and drank out of each
other's flasks, &c. &c. I enlightened them a good
deal about what had taken place at Kertch and the
Sea of Azoff. However, they received everything with
much incredulity, as all news of that sort had
evidently been kept very dark from them by Gorts-
chakoff and Co.

By •the-bye, I had a very narrow escape for my life
by ene of their infernal machines (" fougasses " they
are called) exploding under my feet and burning
my trousers and half my shell-jacket to rags. It
was during the truce that it happened, and I
think that the Russian officers were very sorry at its
happening—it certainly was no fault of theirs. It
has been the talk of the fourth division ever since.
Every body I knew came up and said, " Hulloa, I
thought you were blown up long ago !"
The expedition has returned from Kertch, and the
troops are being landed, as quick as possible, and
being sent up to tho front to assist in the last act of
the third siege. This is Thursday night, and I hope
before Saturday morning, when the mail goes, to be
able to say that we have opened fire for the last time
on Sebastopol.
FRIDAY.—The weather is awfully hot, but I
manage to keep pretty well all the same ; indeed,
matters are getting too exciting now to be able to
think about being seedy.
I expect the third and fourth divisions will have
the brunt of the storming business. Rumour says
that the Redan and the Malakoff are to be stormed on
the anniversary of Waterloo. I will write a good
long account of it if I get through it all right. They
say that the regiments are not to take their colours.
I grumble at this very much, as I should have to
carry the Queen's colours, and of course it would give
me a splendid opportunity of distinguishing myself.
Fancy planting the colours on the parapet of the
Redan (which, if I was not knocked over, I would do
five minutes after I left the English trenches). I think
the Redan would pretty soon be full of the if
they saw their colours there.
The Sardinians are dying like sheep ; eight
hundred gone already, and two thousand sick. Our
Guards are alto seedy. I don't wonder at it, consider-
ing the life of inactivity they lead at Balaklava : send
them up to the front and let them take their share
of trenches, sorties, storming, &c., and I'll bet the
sickness soon disappears.
FRIDAY NIGHT.—We have not opened fire yet,
so I will say good night, and my best love to all of
you. I hope my next may contain the welcome
tidings that the Redan and the Malakoff are ours.—
Yours, affectionately,

I hear that the behaviour of the Turks at Kertch
was atrocious, and that Sir G. Brown was obliged to
shoot several Turkish officers.

THE Journal de St. Petersbourg of the 15th prints
at full length Mr. Cobden's and Sir James Graham's
speeches in the sitting of the House of Commons on
the 6th. The speech of the hon. member for the
West Riding is plentifully garnished with " Bravos,"
" Long et Bruyant Bravos," &c., conveying the
notion that the sentiments were peculiarly palatable
to the assembly.

THE FRENCH COMMISSIONERS who are taking part
in the conferences relative to the continental tele-
graphs, urge a reduction of one-fifth in the tariff for
the despatches. The Belgians urge a reduction, but
to a less extent.

By the failure of Messrs. Strahan's bank the widow
of the. late Admiral Boxer has been deprived of an
amount of not leas than 30,0001.

SATURDAY,

THE WAR.

Lord Panmure yesterday issued a despatch which
had been received at the War-office from Lord
Raglan, but without any Crimean date. It was pro-
bably sent on the 20th, and is to the following
effect :

The French and English are proceeding with their ap•
proaches against the enemy's works, and are erecting new
batteries to be armed with heavy guns.
The enemy continues to repair the damage done during
the last attack.

Very little fire on their part.
We retain possession of the round Russian fort in the
Cemetery, from whence they were driven out on the 18th,
and the Mamelon, at the gorge of the valley which divides
the English left attack from the right of the south har-
bour.

In the Moniteur a series of telegraphic advices from
General Pelissier are published, communicating the
result of every day's operations to the morning of
the 20th. Successive announcements areas follows :

Before Sebastopol, June 19.

The besieged, notwithstanding our want of success yes.
terday, which doubtless he will not fail to exaggerate, has
taken fright to-night, and has been firing at random (duns
le ride) fir a considerable time with all his guns.
. _ _

At lour to-day there was an armistice to bury the dead.
Juror, 20.—The besieged, closely hemmed in near the
central ravine, has burnt the little faubourg which is at
the bottom of the southern harbour. We are constructing
batteries with very heavy guns on those of the works con-
quered on the 7th, which directly menace the great fort.
JUNE 2l.—We are actively making approaches towards
the Malakoff Tower. The enemy appears to be exclusively
occupied in repairing and strengthening his works.
A little cholera stall prevails, but it does not spread. The
general health is good.
JUNE 22.—1 have no new fact to mention. I send you
by the ordinary mail a detailed report of the combat of the
18th.

JUNE 24.—1 have nothing new to announce to you. We
are pushing our approaches against Malakoff and the con-
struction of the advanced battery, which will complete the
investment of the port. We are also drawing closer with
our left attack.
There are still some cases of cholera.

JUNE 25.-1 have not anything to announce to you to-
day of particular interest. The works indicated are pro-
gressing.
JUNE 28, Half-past Eleven, a.m.—l have not any news
to communicate.

By the last accounts from the Danube the electric
cable was still deranged; and all intelligence from
the Crimea had been forwarded, since the rupture,
by Giurgevo to Kronstadt and to litrmanstadt.
The French loss on the 18th is thus officially
stated :-37 officers killed, 17 prisoners, 06 gone to
the ambulances ; non-commissioned officers and men
killed and missing, 1,544 ; gone to the ambulances,
1,644. The expressions used in this return imply
that the large number of cases in which trifling
wounds and injuries were received have been omitted.
Even thus, however, the proportion of wounded to
the killed and missing seem extravagant, and the
comparison justifies belief in the assertion made by
Prince Gortschakoff, that several hundred French
soldiers were taken prisoners on that occasion.
The Russian despatch announcing the affair was
published in St. Petersburg on the 24th :
Prince Gortschakoff sends a despatch to announce that,
after twenty-four hours bombardment, on the morning of
the 18th the enemy attempted an assault on Bastions 1,2,
and 3, and on the Korniloff Bastion. They were repulsed
from all sides with enormous loss, the French leaving OW
prisoners in our hands. Up to the evening of the 19th
nothing fresh.

The cholera, according to the last letters from the
camp, was playing sad havoc amongst the Guards.
Already (June 15th) the deaths had amounted to
nearly 100. The Grenadiers had lost two sergeants
and thirty.five men, the Coldstream; one sergeant
and eighteen men, and the Scots Fusilier Guards
two sergeants and twenty five men.

The following was published in general orders to
the British troops on the 13th :

The Commander of the Forces has the gratification of
announcing to the army that he has received a telegraphic
despatch from the Minister for War, conveying her Ma-
jesty's most gracious approbation of the brilliant conduct
of the officers and soldiers who were engaged in the attack
on the 7th inst.

The troops of the Kertch expedition bad returned
on the 17th to Kamiescli, with the exception of 4,00 G
men who were left at Yenikale. The admirals bad
given orders to complete the destruction of the forti-
fications of Anapa. Four ships had been sent to
finish the burning of Arabat.
The allies were fortifying Yenikale, where they
purposed to leave a garrison. Kertch, on the con-
trary, was to be abandoned. The inhabitants have
been removed and the buildings razed to the ground.
In the expedition which the allies made to Taganrog
they destroyed 800,000 hectolitres of corn.

JUNE 30, 1855.

The following official despatches have been re-
ceived from the military and naval commanders in
the Crimea and Black Sea :
From Lord Raglan:

Before Sebastopol, June 12.

In my despatch of the sth instant I informed your lord-
ship that the Russians had evacuated Sonjak Kale on the
`2.Bth May.

I have now the satisfaction to acquaint you that they
withdrew from Anapa on the sth instant, and thus they
have abandoned their last stronghold on the coast of
Circassia.

Intelligence of this event was brought to Sir E. Lyons
by Captain Hughes, who, in his zealous endeavour to give
the admiral the earliest intimation of it, went from Soujak
to Kertch in an open boat, and on passing Anapa observed
it was burning, it having been set on fire by the Circaa-
sians. Captain Hughes, who arrived here yesterday, en-
tertains no doubt that the enemy have retired across the
Kouban. The abandonment of /mapa is one of the fruits
of the attack and capture of Kertch, and of the brilliant
operations of the allied naval forces in the Sea of Azoff,
where no flag now flies but that of England and France.
Nothing material has occurred here since I had the
honour of addressing your lordship on the 9th inst. Both
our allies and ourselves are taking advantage of our success
to push forward our advances, and erect new batteries on
the ground which was gained upon that glorious occasion,
and I hope I shall soon be able to report further progress.
June 14.

Your lordship will be concerned to learn that the army
still suffers from cholera, and that it has increased since
the last report.
The men in general, however, look healthy, and I hope
that the duration of this sad malady will not be long.
The reports of the state of the Sardinian army are to-day
a little more satisfactory.

June 16.

I have the honour to acquaint your lordship that Lieut.-
General Sir George Brown and Admiral Sir E. Lyons re-
turned/Min Kertch yesterday, having fully and successfully
accomplished the objects of the expedition to that part of
ale Crimea.
I. have the highest satisfaction in drawing your lordship's
attention to the manner in which the lieutenant-general
*lnducted the duties I intrusted to his charge, and I enter.
tain no doubt that if he had encountered the resistance
which I was led to expect he would have met with, the re-
sult would have been equally advantageous, and would have
reflected the same credit upon his arrangements, while the
efficiency and gallantry of the troops would have been
brought into stronger light. But it is a matter of great
joy that so much should have been done without the loss of
a life.
He feels greatly indebted to General D'Autemarre and
Redschid Puha, who commanded the French and
Turkish troops respectively, for their ready co-operation
and assistance.
It has afforded me the moat sincere pleasure to have the
opportunity of personally congratulating Sir E. Lyons on
the success of the expedition, for which he was from
the first so warm an advocate, and to which he always
attached the highest importance, and on the result of the
attacks upon the enemy's possessions in the Sea of Azoff.
The excellence of the arrangements for the bombardment
of Taganrog does infinite honour to Captain Lyons, of her
Majesty's ship Miranda, and at once testifies his ability,
determination, and gallantry.
The progress of the works against Sebastopol, since I
reported to your lordship on the I•2th, has been perfectly
satisfactory, and new batteries are completed, which will
enable both the English and the French armies to resume
the offensive with the utmost vigour. RAGLAN.

PS. I have just received a letter from Colonel Shirley,
in whi3h he expresses his regret at having omitted the
name of Captain Peel, 34th Regiment, who was severely
wounded in the successful attack of the Quarries on the
7th instant, where he highly distinguished himself.

From Sir E. Lyons :
Royal Albert, Straits of Kcrtch, June O.
Captain Lyons, of the Miranda, having informed me
that the squadrons under his orders would be ready about
the 2nd or 3rd instant to commence operations in the
shallow waters of the Gulf of Azoff, Vice-Admiral Bruat
and I considered that the moment bad arrived for rein-
forcing them with gun-boats, which would only have em-
barrassed them in their previous rapid movements in
deeper waters; we therefore despatched twenty launches
of the line-of-battle ships, armed with twenty-four ponnder
howitzers and rockets, and their lordships will perceive by
Captain Lyons's letter, of which I have the honour to in-
close a copy, that their arrival on the spot was most
opportune, and attended with the happiest result ; for,
tinder the able management of the officers who commanded
them, they mainly contributed towards the repulse of
8,500 of the enemy, and the destruction of the public
buildings and Government magazines of provisions at
Taganrog.
Captain Lyons's account of the operations is so clear,
and his appreciation of the merits of those acting under
his oers on this important service so just, that I feel that
it would only be weakened by any observations or recom-
mendations of mine. E. LYONS.

(Inclosure.)
REPORTS OF PROCEEDINGS AT TAGANROG.
Her Majesty's Ship Miranda,
Taganrog Roads, June 3.
1111 have the honour to inform you that I anchored in
eighteen feet water with the squadron under my orders in
Taganrog inner roads, at about eight and a half miles from
the town, on the evening of the Ist instant, without any
accident, although the enemy had removed the light-vessels
aad Unions, Daring this night in newly wind sprsng

THE PRESS.

up, and the water fell three feet, with every appearance of
still falling; we were therefore obliged to remove a mile

and a half further from the town.

The 2nd was employed in reconnoitring the town, which
I was enabled to do satisfactorily in the Recruit, Lieut.
Day, commanding that vessel, having found a passage

.. .
during the night.— _
I had arranged to proceed at three a.m. the following
morning to summon the town, and, in the event of a
refusal to surrender, to endeavour to destroy the immense
stores of grain and other Government property in that

place.
Matters were in this state when at sunset, to my
great satisfaction, the Salina, Danube, and Medina, with
the twelve armed launches of the line•of.battle ships, hove

in sight ; this most welcome and opportune reinforcement
of exactly the description of force required for the purpose
in view rendered success certain, and not long after the

French steamers, with launches in tow, arrived:
Having concerted measures with M. de Sedaiges, com-
manding the French steamers, I proceeded at three a.m.
in the Recruit with the vessels and boats, and accompanied
by the lightest French steamers (M. de Sedaiges being on
board one of them), towing their launches. Having an-
chored the Recruit at 1,400 yards from the Mole-head, and col-
lected all the boats astern, I sent Lieut. Commander Horton
with a flag of truce, accompanied by a French officer with
similar orders from M. de Sedaiges, to demand the surrender
of all Government property of every description whatsoever,
and of all grain, flour, and provisions (which I considered
as contraband of war, knowing that, even in the event of
its ,not being Government property, it could only be in-
tended for the supply of the Russian army in the Crimea),
the whole to be delivered over to us to destroy; the troops
to remove during this necessary destruction to a place five
miles from the town, and within sight of the ships; the
inhabiLants to withdraw, except those appointed by the
authorities to open the stores and assist us ; any approach
of troops, or any infraction of these terms, if accepted, to
be considered as cancelling them, and to be punished with
instant bombardment ; one hour to be allowed for a de-
cision, and no modification of the terms to be entertained.
At the expiration of the hour Lieutenant Horton and the
French officer were informed that the Governor refused the
terms, and that, having troops at his disposal, he intended
to defend the place. On this these officers came off, and
the flag of truce was hauled down from the Recruit.
Shortly afterwards the Recruit commenced firing, and
the boats proceeded under the command of Commander
Cowper P. Coles, of the Stromboli, in tow of one another,
and accompanied by the French boats, until, having arrived
in the required position, the tow was cast off, the boats'
heads pulled round to the beach, and so heavy a fire opened
that, although the enemy made repeated attempts to get
down to the houses lining the beach, so as to save the long
range of storehouses from destruction, they never succeeded
in doing so in sufficient numbers. Lieutenant Mackenzie
(the senior lieutenant of this ship)had charge of a separate
division of light boats, with rockets and one gun, to cover
the approach of Lieutenant Cecil Buckley, of the Miranda,
who, in a four•oared gig, accompanied by Mr. Henry
Cooper, boatswain 3rd class, and manned by volunteers,
repeatedly landed and fired the different stores and Govern-
ment buildings ; this dangerous, not to say desperate
service, when carried out in a town containing upwards of
3,000 troops constantly endeavouring to prevent it, and
only checked by the fire of the boats' guns, was most
effectually performed. The Recruit, from her light draught
of water, was enabled to take an effective position at 1,400
yards, and so was the Mouette, French steamer; and the
Danube, with 21-pounder howitzer and rockets, was very
useful.
By three p.m. all the long ranges of stores of grain,
plank, and tar, and the vessels on the stocks, were in a
blaze, as well as the Custom-house and other Government
buildings, and unfortunately, but unavoidably, the town in
many places ; and, our purpose being amply effected, the
boats returned to the Recruit. The loss of the enemy in
men must have been severe, as many were seen to fall.
They deserve credit for the obstinacy with which they en-
deavoured to gain positions to prevent our effecting the
object we had in view, but it was impossible to face the
continuous and well-directed fire kept up. Their loss in
grain of different descriptions I cannot estimate, but, as it
comprises all, or very nearly all, in store at Taganrog, it
must be enormous.
The only casualty in carrying out this service was one
private of the Royal Marine Artillery severely wounded in
the face by a musket ball.
A Russian sergeant, who deserted and gave himself up
to a French boat, states the number of troops in the town
to have been 3,200, of which 800 arrived last night.
A Russian war-schooner, which had been run on shore
near the town and abandoned, was set fire to and burnt,
and so was a large raft of timber. The wreck of a large
vessel (a sort of guardship) which we observed to be fired
by the enemy, and blown up on our first appearance in
Taganrog Roads, was visited, but was found to be already
effectually destroyed.
Many large buildings had the black flag hoisted, as a
sign, I presume, of their being hospitals ; these were most
carefully respected by us, as were the churches, and, as far
as possible, private houses.
E. M. Lvoss, Captain.
Hannibal, at Anapa, June 11.
In pursuance of your orders of yesterday's date I have
the honour to inform you that I arrived at this anchorage
at 10 a.m. to-day ; Rear-Admiral Charner did not arrive till
about 1 p.m., Admiral Bruat having last night informed
me that he would be detained, and requested me not to
wait for the Napoleon.
I inclose a return of the guns, by far the greater part
of which have been rendered quite useless by the Russians
themselves ; the remainder are being made unserviceable
or thrown over the cliffs, under the direction of Lieutenant
Arthur, the gunnery officer of this ship.
The Russians have exploded nearly all the powder maga•
nines in the place, and those which remain are empty,

611

The barracks were burnt by the Russians, as also a good
number of buildings, and all the coal and grain, which
apreu to have been in considerable quantities.
rhe garrison is estimated by the Circassians at between
7,000 and 8,000, and they are retired on the Kouban River,
which they crossed by a bridge, destroying the latter
behind them.

HOUSTON STEWART, Rear-Admiral.
SIEGE CHRONICLE.
Letters from the camp to the 16th instant have
arrived communicating the details of proceedings
during the interval of comparative calm between the
capture of the Mamelon and Quarries, up to the eve
of the assault on the 18th. The following extracts,
containing the particulars of chief interest, are from
the Times correspondence:—

JUNE 9.—My letter was scarcely despatched this morning
when a white flag on the Round Tower and another on the
left announced that the Russians had a petition to make.
It was a grave one to make in the middle of a fierce bom-
bardment, with events hanging in the balance, and success ,
perhaps, depeuding upon the passing moments ; but made
it was, and granted. From one o'clock until six in the
evening no shot was fired on either side, while the dead
bodies which strewed the hill between the Mamelon and
the Round Tower, or remained in front of the Quarries,
were removed from the field of slaughter. Both of the
French and of the Russians there were large numbers
scattered over the ground of the chief conflict; among the
former a large proportion were swarthy indigenes of Arab
blood, or as they are popularly termed by the French sol-
diers, Turcos ; and to their contingent of the killed some
were added from the very inside of the Malakoff, showing
how near the impromptu attack was delivering the place
into our hands. Of the Russians, there still lay upon the
spot some two hundred corpses—a sufficient testimony to
the severity of their losses in the struggle.
In the early part of the day there had been a popular
impulse to believe that an end of the affair would be made
to-night by a combined assault on the Malakoff and the
Redan. That both were within scope of capture was coma',
dered in camp as proved to demonstration. But the news
of the suspension of arms dissipated the hope, and when
the divisions got their orders for the night it was no longer
thought that aggression was likely, though defence might
be. The enemy, with their wonted perseverance, had been
making very comfortable use of their time, and when the
firing recommenced, which it did instantly on the flags
being lowered, a few minutes before six o'clock, it was
plain that the Malakoff and Redan had both received a re-
infozcement of guns. A trifling musketry diversion took
place about three in the morning, to relieve the monotony
of the great artillery, which kept up its savagery throughout
the night—ten guns for one of the enemy's—hut slackened
a little towards morning. We had a great number of casu-
alties during the night in our new position on the left, into
which the Russians kept firing grape and canister from the
batteries which protect the rear of the Redan. They also
occupied the dismantled houses above the ravine, and
leisurely took shots at our people from the windows. Nut
unnaturally, it is a subject of the bitterest anger and com -
plaint among the soldiers that they have to stand still and
be riddled, losing day by day a number which is swollen in
a week to the dimensions of a battle-roll of killed and
wounded. Their spirits have been lately at the highest
conceivable pitch ; they believe reasonably, after what they
have seen, that the whole place is at their mercy, and must
be forgiven if in the error of their eagerness the subtleties
of strategy, the etiquette of regular approaches, the ready
courtesy forthcoming on demand fail to compensate in their
minds for the now enormous labour of the trenches and the
harassing dangers of a petty peddling warfare.
JUNE 10.—A breezy day, but with signs of returning
heat, and an occasional drift of shower. The French, in
immense numbers, are at work on the approaches to the
Mamelon in the hope of speedily getting up some heavy
metal. The Round Tower and the Roden are just giving
now and then sullen assertion of unexhausted purpose, but
with so little vigour that the shells which drop and bluster
about their ears, throwing up the dry dust in columns,
look almost like a useless persecution. Five Russian
vessels-of-war are in full sight out in harbour, having
betaken themselves out of the way of inconvenient
missiles from the Mamelon. The Himalaya came in to-
day with a cargo of horses and 340 men for the Land
Transport Corps from England. The said corps has its
strength now increased to 0,000 beasts of draught.
Jura 11.—To-day things are very quiet before the
town, for the sufficient reason that our ammunition is
not up in sufficient quantity. Most of our artillery
transport is gone down to Kamiesch to fetch up shells
for our allies. The losses sustained in the Mamelon are
heavy, and yesterday reached 200. Our official returns will
also make the 10th of June look a black day when they are
published.
The cholera has been prevalent, especially in and near
Balaklava, and there is a good deal of the moderate form
of it in camp, though the last few days has seen some abate-
ment, both from the cool winds which have refreshed us,
and the excitement of late operations. Colonel de la Mar-
more, the brother of the Sardinian general, has Wien a
victim, and the Piedmontese army boa suffered very
generally.
Jura 12.—We have again for the moment relapsed
into a state of comparative silence and repose, but it is
not that kind of pause which proceeds from exhaustion,
and which leaves it uncertain when operations can be
again renewed ; it is only the time necessary to turn to
the best advantage the ground obtained by the successes of
last week.
The advantages which may be gained from the new
positions occupied by the besieging armies seemed to be
great enough to justify this short interval, in the opinion
of the commanders, and induced them rather to allow the
mew time to repair and Memos his works than not to