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

THE PRESS.

tar of Russian, consisting of one head man at 2s. 6d. a day
and eight privates at Is. 6d. a day, all with free rations and
a horse for each man. The Commissary-General has been
relieved of another responsibility—that of taking charge
and issuing Quartermaster-General's stores. This has
been transferred to the Ordnance Department, but is at
present under Captain Gordon, superintendent for the col-
lection of warm clothing and stores.
JUNE 27.—The state of health of Field-Marshal Lord
Raglan is becoming the source of much anxiety. It has
been generally known in camp for some days past that
the commander-in-chief was incapacitated from performing
his arduous duties by an attack of illness, but it was re-
ported that none of the symptoms were of a serious cha-
racter. The death of Major-General Estconrt is said to
have affected him very deeply, and to have added to the
previously-existing physical depression. The chief of the
staff, Lieutenant-General Simpson, being next in seniority,
is performing the duties of the command•in-chief during
the illness of Lord Raglan.
Our allies have greatly added to the extent of the
trenches on the right of the Mamelon. There is now a
perfect labyrinth of covered ways and approaches on this
side. They have carried them forward considerably in
advance of the old Russian approach which was made to
connect the Kamptschatka Redoubt on the one side with
the Selinghinsk Redoubt on the other side of the Careen-
ing Bay ravine. This approach was carried nearly in a
straight line down the Mamelon-hill, across the compara-
tively flat ground between it and the Careening Bay ravine,
across the ravine itself, and up the steep ascent to the re-
doubt on Mount Sapone. The French have established
another parallel beyond this, so far as regards the ground
on the west side of the ravine, and have thus gained a
considerable advance on that side towards the Careening
port and the great roadstead. In the most forward part of
this advanced parallel, a powerful battery, spoken of as the
Marine Battery, has been constructed. The guns of this
work control, in a great degree, the position formerly occu-
pied by the vessels near Careening Ilay, and would, in all
probability, prevent a recurrence of the fire which the
ships were previously able to direct against onr allies in
their movements on the right flank of the Mamelon Vert,
and whieb told with fatal effect as their columns advanced
on that side in the attack against the Malakoff works.
Our allies are also very actively employed in the works
on the east side of the Careening ravine. Large working
parties are nightly engaged in changing the aspect of the
batteries, and adding to the armament of the redoubt near-
est to the ravine, which, when in the possession of the
enemp, was called the Selinghinsk Redoubt. In the day-
time the troops contrive to strengthen the parapets thrown
np at night. It is said that two monster twenty-one-inch
mortars have arrived for our allies, each requiring a
fabulous amount of powder to project a shell so enor-
mously heavy that it has to be lifted into the gun by a me-
chanical contrivance, and that these mortars are to be
brought up to Mount Sapone, to be used against the large
ships in the roadstead.
The Russian line-of-battle ships and other vessels are
still moored in that part of the roadstead which is inclosed
between a line drawn nearly northwards from the west
side of the south harbour, and another imaginary line
commencing half way between Fort Paul and Careening
Bay, and finishing on the opposite side, in Hollandia Bay.
The limit on the west side of the south harbour is not an
imaginary one, however; it is formed by the line of
sunken vessels, or whatever may be the nature of the ob-
struction, stretching from before Fort Nicholas towards
Sievernais. Any attacking ships would have to force
through this obstruction to get into Artillery Bay.
The fire in the batteries has been slack all day. The
popping of musketry, which ceased for a short time after
the Mamelon Redoubt was captured, is now again heard,
especially at night, in the advanced trenches.
JUNE 28.—Tbe reply made to inquiries is, that Lord
Raglan has passed a quiet night, and is better this morning.
He remains, however, in a very weak state.
There was very heavy rain during the night, and the
morning continues overcast and clouded. Showers fall
frequently.
No further attempt has been made at sapping up to
wards the Redan. The flanking fire of the enemy's works,
and the stony nature of the remaining part of the Redan-
hill, prevent such an operation, which must of necessity
be very slow and laborious, from being undertaken at
present.

News has been received in the camp that Omer Pacha
has returned with his troops from the reconnaissance to-
ward Mackenzie's Farm, as well as the Sardinians, and
that the enemy was found to be strongly intrenched; and
his position defended on all sides by powerful batteries.
The part of the 10th Hussars which accompanied the ez
peditiun has also rejoined their headquarters. Captain
Charles Bowles, who commanded a troop, fell a victim to
cholera during this brief absence of the regiment.
Notwithstanding the favorable replies respecting the
state of Lord Raglan's health this morning, in the course
of the afternoon it was whispered in camp that the Field-
Marshal was in a very precarious state. At a still later hour
of the evening it was said that all hope of recovery was aban-
doned, and between nine and ten o'clock at night the in•
telligence of his lamented decease was quickly dispersed
among the various camps. It appears that towards noon
a very unfavorable change took place, the debility increased
in a marked manner, and there was a fainting fit in the
afternoon, and from this time his lordship gradually sank
until he expired about nine o'clock. He retained his
faculties and self-possession nntil a short period prior to
his decease. As may be imagined, this important event
has absorbed all other thoughts ; it has act yet left room for
the discussion even of its probable influence on the great
enterprise in which the army is engaged, over which the
late commander of the trees presided.
The unsuccessful attack of the 18th of June, which there
is little donbt was one of the remote, if not one of the
plSieft causes, which lad to tl:e fatal illness of boll itag

SATURDAY,

lan, was referred to in the general orders of this day's date
in the following terms :

GENERAL ORDER.

Head-quarters before Sebastopol, June 2s.
The Field-Marshal has the satisfaction of publishing to the
army the following extract of a telegraphic despatch from. Lord
Panmure, dated the 2tnd of June:
" I have her Majesty's commands to express her grief that so
much bravery should not have been rewarded with merited suc-
cess; and to assure her brave troops that her Majesty's con-
fidence hi them is entire."

Rare 29.—The great event of last evening was announced
at an early hour this morning to the army generally, in the
following terms

MORNING GIONRUAL ORDIR.

Head-quarters before Sebastopol, 29th June.
It becomes my painful duty to announce to the army the
decease of its beloved commander, Field• Marshal Lord Raglan,
0.C.8., which melancholy event took plaee last night about nine
o'clock.

lu the absence of Lieut.• General Sir George Brown, the com-
mand of the forces devolves on me, being the next senior dikes
present, until further orders firm England.
Generals of division anti heads of departments will be pleased
to conduct the respective duties as heretofore.
(Signed) JAMEFI BtErsoN, Lieutenant• Genera/.
Sir George Brown leaves the Crimea for a time on ac-
count of ill•health ; but it is reported that he will not pro-
bably prolong his absence longer than is necessary for a
voyage to Malta. Although still weak, it is hoped that the
benefit of the sea•air will shortly recruit his strength, and
it is not probable that one so interested In the success of
the campaign as the lieutenant•general would omit to seize
the first oportunity of restored health to return to the seene
of operations. Major• General Codrington is also on
board ship, but is reported to have improved so much 111
health that he will not require to leave. The number of
general officers doing duty in the field at present is limited
indeed. The light division and second division are with-
out any general officer, and the first, third, and fourth
divisions can only muster five general officers of all ranks
among them.

The 13th, Prince Albert's Regiment of Light Infantry,
arrived to-day from Gibraltar.
JUNE 30.—The death of Lord Raglan has thrown other
occurrences in the shade. It made, perhaps, the deeper
impression from following so shortly after the death of the
Adjutant-General, Major-General Estcourt, and from being
associated with the fact of the illness of the second in
command, Sir George Brown, and the absence of so many
of the general officers from the same cause. It has often
been a matter of surprise that Lord Raglan preserved his
health so well as be did. For a long time he passed so
many hours of each day at the desk, scarcely ever taking
exercise in the open air, and denying himself the ordinary
proportionate amount of sleep, that it was feared his con-
stitution would break under the effcrt. Ile remained in
good health, however, while that of so many thus around
him failed. For several months past he has taken almost
daily exercise on horseback, and the opportunities have
been frequent of observing how favorable an aspect the
commander-in•chief still wore. The opinion holds ground
very generally that the ill-success of the combined attack
against the enemy's works on the 18th of June was one of
the causes which led to the illness under which be sank.
The character of Lord Raglan as a commander and
strategist cannot be duly estimated yet. Even his amount
of responsibility in the recent unfavorable assault is esti-
mated very differently in various quarters; and in this, as
in so many other occurrences in the coarse of the :am-
paign, how notch of the event has been owing to
divided authority " is now known little more than by
rumour and surmise. History alone can unravel the true
nature and relations of these matters. As to the qualities
of Lord Raglan in private and social life, one expression of
feeling alone exists : he was amiable and kindhearted
almost to a fault, and his bearing and manners afforded a
perfect specimen of the English gentleman.

The enemy kept up a very active fire in the supposed
direction of our working parties last night. A limited
number of shells were thrown from our batteries, chiefly
against the Malakoff and Redan. There had been rumours
of an attack on our lines being contemplated by the
enemy, but no demonstration nor advance took place. The
anticipation of nn attack was most probably due to a stls-
pieion that intelligence of the decease of Lord Raglan, and
the absence of many of our generals, would be carried to
the enemy's camp, and that he might hope to gain an ad-
vantage by a surprise under these circumstances.