The Press.
London, England, 1855-11-17 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

which stopped and soon drove back the enemy's reserves,
which were then vigorously charged with the bayonet, at
the same moment when tienend Kuiety and Major Tees-
dale issued from the redoubts at Tabmasb and charged the
assailants. The whole of that portion of the enemy's in-
fantry and artillery now broke and fled down the heights
under a murderous fire of musketry.
Immediately after a powerful attack was made
upon the eastern portion of the works :
About half-past five o'clock, a.m., a Russian column,
consisting of eight battalions of infantry, three regiments
of cavalry, and sixteen guns, advanced from the valley of
Tehakmak, and assaulted those small redoubts, which after
as stout a resistance as their unavoidably feeble garrisons
could oppose, fell into their hands, together with the con-
necting breastworks, defended by townsmen and moun-
taineers from Lazistan.
Reinforcements were rapidly pushed up and the
battery retaken, after a desperate struggle of some
time. After this final repulse a general retreat took
place among the Russians. In concluding his letter,
General Williams observes:—

During this combat, which lasted nearly seven hours,
the Turkish infantry, as well as artillery, fought with the
moat determined courage ; and when it is recollected that
they had worked on their intrenchments, and guarded
them by night, throughout a period extending to nearly
four months, I think your lordship will admit that they
have proved themselves worthy of the admiration of
Europe, and established an undoubted claim to be placed
amongst the most distinguished of its troops.
The capture of the two guns by the Russians General
Williams attributed to the. " mortality among his
horses," which prevented him withdrawing them
from their advanced positions. Every officer and
man appear to have emulated the example of their
heroic generals in the combat, and, considering the
circumstances, have won a niche for themselves
among the most distinguished records which this
war will leave to posterity.
The French Government have received an official
despatch from Marshal Pelissier, dated Nov. 2, de•
tailing the incidents of General d'Allonville's recon-
naissance on the 27th ult. The French marshal's
despatch presents no fact left unrecognised in the
report of Lord Paget, published in TRE PRESS of the
10th. The disinclination of the enemy to fight, and
tha want of water, compelled General d'Allonville to
return to Eupatoria. Prince Gortschakoffs report on
the first reconnaissance of the 24th has also appeared
this week. The Russian general states that, so
far from being disinclined to fight, the Russian
cavalry advanced at a trot from Ichebotar, the allies
fell back " in such haste" that the Russians could
not catch them. " Two Cossacks " are admitted to
have been wounded, and the rapid retreat of General
d'Allonville attributed to the advance of strong re-
serves from Simferopol.
General Mouravieff's report of the assault upon
Kars has appeared in the Invalide Busse. The
report is dated the 12th of Oct., and is pre-
faced by a brief description of the topography of
Kars, the positions of the various batteries and
redoubts, the disposal of the Turkish forces, and,
finally, the general arrangements made by the Rus-
sians for the attack on the 29th. General Moura-
vieff seems to have made his dispositions with great
forethought and care, and the arrival of the columns
of attack at their opposite positions in due time left
nothing undesired. At 4 a.m. he writes
The Ist and 2nd battalions boldly advanced to the
ramparts, and the 4th went along the road, to get round
them. At the same time the hill-pieces taken from the
Turks at Peniack, and which occupied spaces in the first
line, opened a fire of grape shot.
Battalions of the second line advanced at a running
step ; the troops of the first line rushed to the assault
with cries of "Hurrah," attacked with bayonet the Turks
who occupied the outer fosses, leaped upon the ramparts,
ran en muse against the Turkish infantry, who were there
put to the route, and took possession of part of the guns.
At the same time the Carabiniers of the Erivan regiment,
wider their chief, De Moller, sprang upon the battery, and
seized two pieces on its extreme outer angle. Two other
pieces were taken by Major Baum's hlingrelians upon the
side bordering upon the redoubt, but here the success of
these troops was checked by the batteries erected at the
right of these redoubts, and by the redoubts themselves,
the sides of which had been lately milled up from the
side of the gorge to the same height as those in the front.
At the same time he writes that other columns had
dashed upon a 4 gun battery of the centre redoubt
and carried it for the time, while the two central
redoubts were attacked with great force by
General Maidel with the regiments of the
guard, who (hove in the Turks The Turks, however,
rallied in a short time, and considerable reinforce-
ments being brought up, the Russians, General
Mouravieff admits, were forced to relinquish the
battery' and retreat. General Mouravieff con-
tinues
:
It was now eleven o'clock. The troops of the second
column had continued their obstinate attacks for more
than five hours the greater part of the superior chiefs and
officers were hors de combat, some of the pieces in position
had only a few attendants, and scarcely any horses ; the
losses of the troops increased every second, while the
enemy's means of resistance were proportionately strength-
ened, and the, armed inhabitants of Kars had joined the

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Turks. As the other assaulting columns abandoned the
geld of battle the Turks concentrated their troops and
artillery against our position.
In this situation of affairs, I sent Lieutenant-tleneral de
Brummer to the 160011 d column with the 3rd battalion of
the regiment of the Erivau Carabiniers, and the 'l,ml
battalion of the Riazin Regiment, ordering him to attempt
once more to take possession, if seeming possible, of the
redoubts, in order to occupy the heights of Sohorakh, or to
immediately commence the retreat iu the event of swimss
appearing impracticable.

--
Lieut.-General de Brnmmer halted his troops out
of range, surveyed the position of aftiirs, and imme-
diately ordered a general retreat. That movement
accomplished, General Mouravieif concludes with
a paragraph announcing that the troops reoccupied
their old positions, and the blockade of Kars, raised
for some hours, was resumed.

- -
The nominal list of killed and wounded officers is
returned as follows :-1 general (General Kova-
levski), 4 colonels, 2 lieutenant-colonels, 5 majors,
14 captains, 1R lieutenants, 15 subalterns, and 17
ensigns, making a total of 76 officers, killed. The
list of wounded comprises —3 generals, viz., Generals
Prince Gagarine, Alaidel, and Bronetfsky ; 5 colonels,
3 lieutenant-colonels, 14 majors, 30 captains, 35
lieutenants, 39 subalterns, and 47 ensigns—making
a total of 176. The killed and wounded number
together no less than 252 officers, while 8,527 are
admitted as the loss of men.

CAMP MOVEMENTS.
Few events worthy of record hare lately occurred
in the English camp. The usual routine of road-
making, draining, and hutting, still supply the main
employment of the army. The preparations for the
destruction of the docks are progress►ng rapidly, but
it is doubtful whether they will be carried into effect
while the allies retain their present position. The
docks are six in number, arranged in two rows of
three. They are built of white limestone, edged with
fine granite from Aberdeen. The whole of the
machinery and workmanship is so perfect, and the
scale of the buildings so magnificent, and their use
so obvious to the allies, that the destruction would

--
seem improbable .
The French and English engineers are preparing to
destroy the three docks. They have adopted different
methods for effecting this object. The English engineers
are sinking shafts at certain intervals outside the walls of
the several docks ; the French engineers are excavating
galleries beneath the foundations of those which are in
their hands. The French method will probably be the
most complete, but, as they have to work in the rock beneath
the paved atone of the dock, it is by far the more laborious.
By the English plan, the shaft is sunk through a gravelly
soil of recent formation, and has to be supported by
wooden linings. The force of the charge will be directed
against the side walls, and the masonry will be projected
into the bottom of the dock. By the French plan the
foundation, as well as the walls, will be raised and broken
up, and the whole will fall in a heap of ruin, such UM we
now behold the remains of Fort Paul, the most successful
effort of Russian mining.-1). News etre., Oct. '29.

Our soldiers at length are getting well supplied
with good bread, and the two baking vessels sent out
by Government appear to answer very satisfactorily :
The troops are now getting good bread four days in the
week, in fact as otten as the French. This is brought
about by means of two bakeries attached to divisions, a
third at Kadikoi, and the steamers Abundance and Brinier.
These two iron vessels are each of about 600 tons burden,
and HO-horst. power, their original names having been the
Alfred and Robert Stephenson. They were purchased by
Government, fitted up at Deptford, the Abundance as a
bakery, and the Bruiser as a mill ; and finally came out
here in May. The former vessel contains four beautifully.
made brick ovens, each of which holds thirteen to four.
teen bushels, and with the assistance of a small 10-horse
power engine twenty-four bakers, three superintendents,
and a few labourers, tarns out 18,000Ibs. of bread daily, or
6,0)0 31b. loaves, equal to 12,000 men's daily rations of
bread, at a pound and a half for each suldier.—D. News eor.,
Oct. 90.
Some combined attempt against the northern
batteries was in contemplation. A despatch in the
Gazette des Portes of the 11th contains the following
information from Varna, Nov. lth:—
The fire of the batteries on the south side of Sebastopol
against the northern forts redoubled on the closing days of
last month. Since the 30th, the floating batteries, armed
with cannons of the strongest calibre, have been ready at
Kamiesch, and are to take part in the fire against Fort
Constantine. The fleet at Kinburn has received orders to
send the mortars and large gun-boats at the mouth of the
Dnieper to Kainiesch. It is positively stated that after
the arrival of these boats • fire from land and sea will be
simultaneously opened against the forts on the north.
The destination of the cavalry for the winter ap-
pears to be decided. The heavy brigade are to
embark at once for Scutari, while the light cavalry go
to Ismis.
The monotony of the camp continued unbroken by
any but domestic occurrences. There was a rumour
of an expedition to Kaffa :
There has been a rumour the last day or two that an
expedition was to start for KOS, with the intention of
securing a position there during the ensuing winter. A
small body of Freachltroope has leftlaud proceeded Lin a

1090

easterly direction, and it has been surmised that there was
to be another attack on Fort Arabat. With Arabat and
Haifa in our possession the whole peninsula of Kertch
would be secured ; the enemy would be excluded from a
district from which he is still said to draw many supplies;
and Kaffa would afford an important basis for future opera-
tions. The movement against Kaffa has been very gene-
rally talked of, and the fourth division has been named as
the part of the British force likely to be sent. Brigadier
Spencer's brigade has returned from Kinburn, but has not
yet received orders for disembarkation ; it has been sup-
posed, therefore, that these regiments would go on without
landing, and Lord Paulet's brigade, with General Wind-
ham in command, at once join the expedition as a rein-
forcement. What truth there is in the rumour of this un-
dertaking remains to be seen ; no orders on the subject
have yet been issued.—D. News cos., Nov. 2.