The Press.
London, England, 1855-04-07 00:00:00

322

we strong enough to extend our lines of investment thus
far, we could only hope to do so after murderous conflicts
with these batteries and defences, and we must always be
on the watch against the operations of the army in our rear
and of the large force which lies between Sebastopol and
Eupatoria, in case we ever should be enabled to make
lines of circumvallation round both aides of the place.
Times Correspondent.
The Herald publishes a letter of the same date, in
which the writer says :
We are still preparing to act, but act we do not. Night
after night in this, the darkest quarter of the moon, have
large fatigue parties of the troops in front been out, adding
to and strengthening the old batteries, and breaking ground
for new ones. Night after night have the Russians thrown
their fireballs and blue lights, hurled their shells, and
pitched in their shot, to prevent the progress of the siege•
works. Our men do not flinch, and the works proceed,
if slowly, yet surely, Guns are placed in position, masked,
to be unmasked in the fulness of time, and the siege-train
parks have the appearance of inexhaustible stores of shot
and shell of all sizes. Still, that our preparations are not
quite complete is shown by the number of heavy guns and
mortars that still remain in those stores, waiting their turn
to be taken to the foremost frout, and placed in the posi-
tions from which they are to act.
Yesterday evening a long train of waggons, about 450
in number, entered Sebastopol from the north side. These
are presumed to contain ammunition, of which, beyond all
doubt, the Russians must now be getting short. It would
seem quite incredible if I was to state the enormous amount
of powder, shot, and shell, which the Russians are com-
puted to have fired away since the commencement of the
siege. During the last few days that the enemy have been
firing, not more than one shell out of three has exploded.
Many of the others have been picked up, and, instead of
the usual metal fuse used all over Europe, they have fuses
made of pieces of alder-wood bored out and roughly fitted
into the shell. The shells, also, have been found to contain
very little more than one-half of their proper bursting
charge. With such examples as these, therefore, before
our eyes, it would not be thought credulous to believe that
at last the enemy are getting short of ammunition. At the
same time it must be remembered that, if the waggons
which entered yesterday were really laden with powder,
it would give the garrison an ample supply for the next
month to come.
MARCII 90.—A1l last night the French batteries fired
heavily upon the spot which the enemy have selected as
the site for a new earthwork. Last night two French sol-
diers deserted from Balaklava to the Cossack pickets.
They were seen passing the plain, and were fired upon,
but escaped without injury. An hour afterwards a Russian
deserter crossed to us, and was pursued to within six hun-
dred yards of our lines by the Cossacks, who escaped again
in the darkness. No movements of importance are stirring.
Balaklava itself is lately much improved. Nearly all the
houses in the village have been pulled down, and the rub-
bish and stones heaped over the filthier parts of the town.
In place of these houses neat huts have been erected on
the heights over the harbour.
The railway is progressing with truly railway speed. The
stationary engines are not yet at work, but, by means of
the trucks and horses, immense supplies of shot and shell,
with provisions of all kinds, have been collected at a depOt
half way between this and head-quarters. In the course of
another month the whole line will be completed.
The harbour of Balaklava is, if possible, in a state ten
times worse than ever. Each ship moors and remains
where she can or where she likes. Seven days ago there
were upwards of 190 sail of steamers and sailing vessels,
public and private, in this little harbour. At present there
are about 150. The precautions lately taken against the
outbreak of fire are now entirely relaxed, and the fate of
the whole expedition is, as it were, abandoned to mere
chance.

MARCH 21sT.—Sir John Burgoyne left the camp to-day,
and proceeded to Katnisch, where he took a passage by
the mail stkomer, on his way to England. All kinds of
opinions and acts have Leen attributed to Sir John while
he was here superintending the earlier operations of the
siege, but no one has ever denied the entire devotion and
zeal which the veteran general displayed in the prosecu-
tion of the works so far as he could control them.
Sir John has certainly failed to command success, how-
ever much he may have deserved it. We can only hope
that the efforts of his successors may be more fortunate.
The most serious accusation which has been made against
him is that he permitted the enemy to throw up the tre-
mendous works which have now so long defied our science
and our artiilery without an effort to prevent them, and
that he underrated their strength, and held out strong
hopes that, after a couple of days' cannonade and bombard-
ment, the place must fall. It was generally stated and
believed that Sir John said we would be in Sebastopol in
forty-eight hours after our batteries opened fire ; and never
shall I forget the disappointment, almost akin to astonish-
ment, of the groups of excited spectators as they returned
to their tents on the evening of the 17th of October from
the front, where the Russian batteries are still vomiting
forth fire and smoke ; or their deeper and more painful
sensations, expressed by many an emphatic phrase, when
next day and the day after the enemy opened with re-
doubled energy and power.
The orders are now signed by General Simpson, and
the name of the adjutant-general, Estcourt, is no longer
appended to them. It is the chief of the staff who waits
on Lord Raglan each day to ascertain his wishes, and to
receive orders, and he communicates those orders to the
quartermaster and adjutant-general, and sees that they are
duly executed. General Simpson is very active for his
years, and walks as well as most men. He has been on
foot in all directions about the camp. Major-General
Jones possesses activity and energy, and it is trusted that
these two appointments will contribute to the improve-
ment of the social and internal economy of the army, and
to the accomplishment of the objects of this expedition.