The Press.
London, England, 1855-07-21 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SATURDAY,

The inquiry into the conduct of the police during the riots in
Hyde•park upon the Ist of July has commenced this week, and,
although it would be premature to offer an opinion in this eaely stage
of the proceedings, the evidence yet obtained is so unanimous in proof
of the extremely rough and, in some instances, brutal treatment of indi
viduals by the police, that we are constrained to look for the origin of
their orders to a higher authority than the local Superintendents.
For the credit of the police force the question should be thoroughly
sifted, and the blame fall upon the right heads. Subordinates in a
disciplined force must obey orders, and we shall be glad to know from
whence and from whom these " orders " emanated.

The telegraph from the camp has brought us little news this week
beyond the repulse by the French on the 14th of a Russian sortie
against the advanced works of our allies upon the glacis of Malakoff,
and of a second sortie upon the 17th ou the Inkermann line of attack.
Our works are progressing favorably, but the difficulties which delay
the assault increase as we gradually close in upon the Russian works,
for, our trenches being then right under the fire of the enemy, they
cannot be opened except by night, and the nights at this time of year
offer but a short period for work. However, our advanced parallels
are now pushed within eighty yards of the Redau, an immense advan-
tage for the attacking columns, who will have but a short distance to
cross under fire. The Russians appear to keep up a most active re-
connaissance, and to labour incessantly at strengthening both Redan
and Malakoff The great northern road, it must be remembered, is
still open to the town ; and though there has been a cessation lately of
those vast convoys which used to be seen winding their way into the
Stone Fort, yet 1,000 waggons and about 3,000 men lately arrived, and
day after day barges filled with gabions are hourly towed across from
the Sivernaaya to the Admiralty harbour. For what purpose these
enormous quantities of gabions can be required, except for the con-
struction of vast lines of defence within the suburbs, which the outer
lines conceal from our observation, it is difficult to say. The
experience which we have had of the skill of General TODTLEBEN, the
first engineer in Europe, is not such as to lead us to hope that ho
would neglect to defend any one tenable point, and there must be
many within the town. Since the commencement of the siege he has
been raised from the rank of Captain of Engineers to that of General
of the Staff. Truly, as a French officer ebserves in his letters, "it will
" require steel teeth to crack those morsels." It appears probable
that the next assault will be a combined attack by sea and land, as the
whole squadron of gun and mortar boats is gradually assembling off
Kamiesch.

The Russian retreat from Anapa across the Kouban appears after
all to have been undertaken " pour reculer bient6t," as PELISSIER
said in reference to the repulse of the 18th, for the enemy, reinforced
to some extent and under the command of lone of their best generals—
MOURAVIEFF—has entered Asia Minor 36,000 sarong, and by the
latest advices was encamped within two leagues of Kars, waiting only
for the arrival of the siege train from Alexandropol to complete the
investment and besiege the town in due form. They have already
pushed their advanced posts upon the direct line of communication
with Erzeroum, and unless the Turks rival the heroes of Silistria
Kars will soon be in the hands of the Russians. The Dibats of the
19th has an extremely good article upon the aspect of the war, in which
the various routes to Constantinople open to Russia are discussed,
and a conclusion arrived at that the one through Asia Minor is un-
pleasantly easy to General MOURAVIEVF, and that unless we affor I the
Turks assistance in that quarter it is not improbable that while we are
besieging Sebastopol General MOURAVIEFF may make his appearance
at Scutari ! The tone of the article is in favour of an increased French
force at Gallipoli.

The full details which we have received during the week of Lord
RAGLAN'S funeral have been read with melancholy interest. The cere-
mony was magnificent ; but there is something supremely touching in
the simplicity of that plain pall, with its single crown of immortelles,
covering the rough gun-carriage which so worthily bore the remains of
one of England's best and bravest sons. The orders of the day from
the French and Sardinian Generals bear touching tribute to his virtues,
his bravery, and his noble life.

The despatches from the Baltic have this week contained a little
more lively record of operations than we have hitherto been accus-
tomed to hear. Captain YELvzaToN, in the Arrogant, accompanied by a
small squadron, destroyed bn the 4th inst. the fortifications outside
Lovisa ; and Captain STOREY, in the Harrier, burnt and destroyed, off
Nystadt, about 20,000 tons of Russian shipping. Furthermore, a
sharp boat affair, off Viborg, took place on the 14th, of which we have
not yet received further details than having suffered a loss of one
ffieer and man killed and eleven wounded. Admiral BAYNES, with his
flotilla of gun and mortar boats, was off Cronstadt "looking on" with
the rest of the fleet, while the other admirals were consulting at
Nargen. The letter of our correspondent speaks despondingly of any
chances of active service this campaign, and there is no doubt that
such is the universal feeling 'of the met) 'and officers of the fleet. Ai

JULY 21, 1855.