The Press.
London, England, 1855-06-16 00:00:00

THE CAPTURED RUSSIAN WORKS.

The following descriptions will convey an idea of
the locality and importance of the Russian works so
successfully attacked and taken by the allies on the
oth and ith instant :

The works which the allies assailed on the fith are the
advanced lines around the Arsenal and Karabel.nia suburb,
commencing with the redoubts on the right of Careening
liay and following the line to the south, or Admiralty Har-
bour. This comprehends the Lunette Battery immediately
above Careening Bay on the left or west side, a new
redoubt thrown up lately on the cliff above the roadstead,
and still further to the left than the last named work, the
Mamelon redoubt, and the Malakoff, Redan, and Barrack
Batteries. The Malakoff batteries, built around the rains
of the original White Tower, however, constitute the real
object towards which the besiegers are working. Upon
these batteries the enemy has concentrated the vigour of
his defensive energies, and the besiegers have uniformly
regarded the same works as the key of the whole position.

The Mamelon, now in our possession, commands every
part of the Malakoff works. Our guns, when mounted in
this newly acquired position, will have a double advantage
over those of the enemy, arielOg at once from the elevation
*the Manselon, sad tke depressive of the Malakoff tratte.

THE PRESS.

ries, which lie below the general level, at the bottom of a
hollow.

The Mamelon itself is a steep rocky eminence, about a
mile in circumference at the base, and about a quarter of a
mile at the top. Its average height from what was lately
our advanced parallel is about 100 feet. The approach to
it was swept by about forty guns in the Malakoff works ; its
own guns made it truly formidable ; and when it is added
that its steep sides are covered with masses of root and
louse stones, the difficulty of the enterprise of June 7th be-
comes apparent, and its success more striking. Already
the besiegers must have gained considerably in the free-
dom of their movements, as the guns of the Mamelon
completely commanded the ravine of Otchakofl just before
it expands into the irregular-shaped valley lying at the foot
of Frenchman's-hill.

The defences called by Lord Raglan the " White Works,"
and by General Wheeler the " Careenege Redoubts," which
were attacked on the 7th, occupy the rising ground called
by the Russians Sapoun-gom, on the south bank of the
Great Harbour, and just to the right of Careening Bay.
The despatches now speak of the two redoubts as having
been taken ; despatches from the camp had previously
stated that early in May the enemy threw up a third re-
doubt nearer to the great harbour than the others, pierced
with five embrasures, and directing its fire upon the French
batteries on the same line of hill.

The success of the attack now reported was too signal
and complete to leave rooom fur the supposition that a
work in such a position still remains to impede the work
of the siege. The two first redoubts near Careening Bay
have hitherto been designated by the Russians the Seling-
hinsk and Volhynia redoubts. They were erected in
February last upon the crest of the high cliffs, and by the
enemy were intended to prevent the French, who at that
time had taken a section of the right attack upon them-
selves, advancing to act against the shipping in the Great
Harbour. The enemy thus early betrayed a further inten-
tion of extending his work across the brow of the hill by
sap, and connecting the whole by works across the right
ravine with the batteries around the Malakoff or Round
Tower. On the 24th of February General Mayran led a
French corps of 1,500 men against the Selinghinsk Ite-
doubt nearest to Careening Bay, and, as the enemy was in
three, encountered a desperate resistance. The redoubt
was, however, taken, and its demolition commenced; but
the terrific fire of the Russian batteries, joined to that of the
ships in the harbour, caused our allies great loss ; and upon
the return of the Russians, with immense reinforcements,
they were compelled to retire before their work was entirely
accomplished.
An attack was made by our allies on the Volhynia Re-
doubt on the sth of March, with less loss, but no greater
success than on the first, and since then both have hitherto
had to withstand only our artillery. On the opening of the
second bombardment, both were silenced and all but de-
molished; but such was the facility of reparation, that both
were in a day or two afterwards as efficient as ever. For
the last few weeks the French have been sapping up to
these works, which it was indispensable to take before ad-
vancing nearer to the Malakoff Tower.

the klamelon ,work, which the Russians call the Kama-
chatka Lunette, was commenced on the 11th of March, on
an eminence in front of the Malakoff or liorniloff Bastion.
The object of the Russian engineers was, on the one hand,
to prevent the allies gaining a footing by means of rapid
works with the flying sap ut)on the high ground opposite
the Malakoff works; and, on the other hand, to form,
together with the counter approaches, namely, the Sehng-
hinsk and Volhynia redoubts, an advanced line of defence.
From this work some of the most effective of tho Russian
sorties have been made. General Pelissier's words will be
fresh in memory—" The Mamelon must be taken ; if it
cost ten men, we must have it ; if it cost ten hundred, stil
we must have it."