The Press.
London, England, 1855-10-06 00:00:00

SIGNS OF BREAKING WEATHER.

The weather was evidently verging on changes.
The Times correspondent, writing on the 19th, re
marks :

It began to rain to-day soon after twelve o'clock, and
the camp speedily looked as gloomy, black, and wretched
as was its wont during the winter. The wind always ac-
companies these heavy falls of rain in the Crimea, with
rare exceptions, and so it blew to-day furiously. The
ground was rapidly turned into the well-known Sebastopol
paste, famous for its adhesive properties, never to be
shaken or rubbed off by any amount of scrubbing ; wash-
ing is the only operation to which it succumbs. Every
one who is obliged to walk forth is hobbling about on two
lumps of earth, with large lateral extensions, which form
under his feet, fasten to his shoes, and increase at every
step. Now, it is quite impossible for field-pieces to be
moved under these circumstances, nor, indeed, would it be
at all easy to handle cavalry, nor could infantry make any
great progress in marching.
Even after all their repair, the state of the roads
from the camp to Balaklava was far from sound:—
A light cart drawn by a stout horse, which had only to
carry two empty portmanteaus and a cask of bottled beer,
could not get up from Balaklava to-day. This fact shows
the necessity of making new roads and the imperfections
of those which already exist, or are believed to exist, till a
heavy shower destroys all traces of them, and metamor.
phoses them into a sort of sewer-course in the Thames at
low water. The French military road made for us by
Vinois' Brigade from Kadikni, past the cavalry camp up to
the Col, is in tolerably good order, and has been repaired
by the Croats, Eupatorians, dtc., bat it still requires to be
enlarged and much improved before it can meet the exigen•
cies of our winter traffic. A large number of soldiers, not
less, I should think, than 1,500 in all, have been detached
to make new roads and repair old ones in conjunctibti
with the Army Works Corps.—lb.

PREPARATIONS FOR THE EVACUATION OF
SEBASTOPOL BY THE ALLIES.

On the important question whether the allies con-
template holding Sebastopol or quitting it as soon as
their operations against the Russian army are
brought to a close we do not find any decisive intelli-
gence in the letters from the Crimea. The Times
correspondent, under date of leptember 18th, says
that preparations were made for destroying the
dockyards :

Our sappers and miners are at work sinking great mines
to blow in and destroy the unrivalled docks, which have
cost Russia so much anxiety, money, and bloodshed, and,
if it were not that they were intended to be, and have
been, accessory to violence and slaughter, one would regret
such splendid memorials of human skill should be shattered
to atoms; but the fleet of Sinope sailed thence, and were
repaired there on its return, and they were built, not to
foster peace and commerce, but to smite and destroy
them. These preparations are made under the e)es of
the enemy, who have made no attempt to disturb the
working parties by firing from the north side, although
their guns have the range of the place at tolerable eleva-
tions.

The Daily News correspondent, under same date,
speaks of such preparations as reported :
Report affirms that our engineers are alteady preparing
to blow up the whole of the beautiful dry docks and other
buildings belonging to the Arsenal, now in our occupation;
but beyond this rumour I know nothing of the intention
or the probability of ita execution.