The Press.
London, England, 1855-07-14 00:00:00

660

SIEGE CHRONICLE.

Further correspondence from the camp has been
received and published by our daily contemporaries.
The latest dates are of the 30th ult.

The following are extracts from letters printed by
the Daily News:—
JUNE 24.—1 have already mentioned the fact of General
Eyre having penetrated into some houses in the suburbs,
in the neighbourhood of the cemeteries, ou the day of our
unsuccessful attempt at storming, and also that he suc-
ceeded in effecting his withdrawal during the fray of the
following night. As these cemeteries afforded advanta-
geous covering•ground for riflemen who could play with
effect upon the enemy's gunners in the Redan, a party was
lett to occupy them; but it was soon evident that our op-
ponents were not consenting parties to the arrangement,
for without delay they turned what pieces could be brought
to bear against the position, and peppered its occupants
with grape and canister in a way that left little option
about retiring. Findiug, therefore, that the place would
cost more lives than it was worth, we abandoned it yester-
day morning, and the enemy now appear to be preparing
it for effective occupation themselves. It cannot, how-
ever, be made seriously annoying to us, and no one, there-
fore, regrets its abandonment. On the other hand, our
own engineers are making a new battery. During our
late attack on the Redan we suffered sadly from a small
six-gun battery on the immediate right of that work, to-
wards the Malakoff, as it kept up an uninterrupted storm
of grape upon our men, without being at all effectively
commanded by any of our own guns. We have, therefore,
begun the erection of a six (or eight) gun battery slightly
ahead of our old advance opposite the Redan, which will
be able to give back a direct fire to this small work at an
effective range of seven hundred yards, and also to bear
upon the left flank of the Malakoff, at the distance of some
fifty yards more. As this new work is being vigorously
pushed on, its guns will probably be ready to open in
eight or ten days, when the sap which the French are
busily carrying towards the Malakoff will also be com-
pleted. Till these two works are finished, I am not likely
to have anything further of a decisive nature to communi-
eats. But there is reason to fear that whatever additions
we may in the meanwhile make to our points of assault,
the besieged are quite as vigorously strengthening their
lines of defence. The night before last, lam informed, •
party of our engineers succeeded in approaching the mouth
of the harbour sufficiently near, in the Banshee, to enable
them to discover a star battery in the course of erection,
in the immediate rear of the Malakoff—an addition to the
strength of that position which I need hardly say would
greatly enhance the difficulty of its capture. There is
reason to believe that similar strengthening additions are
also in progress behind the Redan ; but these are less im-
portant, as it is not likely that that work will again be
made a principal point of attack, its abandonment follow-
as a matter of course on the seizure of the Malakoff.
Against the latter the next combined efforts of the allies
will be directed ; and they will merit defeat if, after the
experience of the last attempt, less uncertain measures of
attack be not adopted.
General Pennefather left by the Colombo to-day for
England. His constitution is said to have suffered con-
siderably from the effects of the campaign. His loss will
be felt very much in the brigade. which he has commanded
with the utmost satisfaction on all sides since the first
landing of the army in the Crimea. General Esteourt
died early this morning, to the great regret of a numerous
circle of friends, of cholera. lie was attacked with the
disease on the tind instant, but had been ill for some
days previously. His successor has not been named.
Juiva 25.—About nine last night the camp was visited
by a tremendous storm of lightning. The flashes were
so vivid and continuous that for minutes together the
camp was exposed to view as clearly as in full moonlight.
Scarcely a drop of rain was perceived in front, but near
lialliklava it fell in torrents, and caused considerable
damage to the railway and several stores. The railway
chiefly marred near Kadikoi, and several days must elapse
before the injury can be repaired.
The bombardment, and what followed it, appear to have
given both besiegers and besieged their temporary
quietus; for since the outgoing of the last mail the guns of
both parties have beeu virtually silent, an odd shot or
shell thrown at wide intervals from the ilsmelon into its
vis-a-min the Malakoff, or from one of our own batteries
into the Realm, uud replied to quite as energetically by
the enemy, having, in fact, made up the sum of our fight.
ing operations since I last wrote. In such a state of in-
action there is little to communicate in the way of news,
since a slack fire from the batteries by day, and a dearth
of nightly episodes in the trenches, generally go together;
end, the bright moonlight being unfavorable to sorties, the
garrison seems to be content with laying on its arms, so
flir as fighting goes, as long as we do the same.

JUNIC 26.—A bright, warm morning. The wind subsided
towards evening, and the night was quiet. There was
scarcely any firing on either side, and the working parties
pursued their labour without interruption.

The correspondent of the Morning Post writes, on
the 20th :

A few fatal cases of cholera still happen among the
troops—twelve to fourteen daily. The heavy shower did
wonderful good in cooling the 4rround. The springs and
wells on the heights, near the divisions, are assuming an
alarming appearance, aild should the dry weather continue,
will in a few days be dry, or at least insufficient for the
conbumption. Lieut. Elphinstone, Royal Engineers, has
the superintendence ; he suggests to dig wells near each
regiment where water is likely to be procured, and also to
force water by pumps from the Tscherrtr. a through pipes,
and that the horses should all water at the Tschernaya.
Something must soon be done.
An establishment of guides has been raised at head-
quarters, under the direvtion of Df r, Calvert, the interFe;