The Express.
London, England, 1855-07-26 00:00:00

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bog received hie promotion. It may be remembered I
that Lieut.-Colonel Legondie, who wee attached u
prineipl French commissioner at the English
head-geartere, was taken prisoner the day before the
battle of Alma. Sloee that date Colonel Vioot, then
Major Vicot, and acting as second in the sense capa-
city, has .been fulfilling all the duties of this aloe.
He is said to have discharged them with equal satis-
faction to his own government u to the late oom-

July 10.—A powerful fire was opened against the
Roden at 3 a.m. this morning, from both the left and
right British attacks, and was continued about nine
hours. The sedan answered quickly and vigorously.
Our practice was most excellent. Three of the most
powerful mortars in the Greenhill attack were con-
stantly diseharged together, and the effect produced
by the shells falling within the Redan at short dis-
tanoes trots each other was strongly marked. They
reached the ground almost at the same instant, and
clouds of dust rose after their explosion. Frequently
the shot from the Frenchman's-hill batteries were
noticed to pare right through the embrasures of the
Rabin, ploughing up the cheeks of the openings as
they passed along. Yet it is doubtful whether much
damage was done to the enemy's guns. Often when
our artillerymen had supposed that certain guns, from
their continued silence, had been knocked over,
these gnus would suddenly appear in their
embrasures, and open fire. Run late in the
evening, after the fire had been renewed in tbe after-
noon against the Roden, the guns appeared able to
reply whenever it suited the purpose of the enemy
that they should do so. It is fully evident that the
enemy possesses some means of speedily drawing the
guns away from the embrasures and placing them
under safe cover, where they can be loaded and kept
ready for use, and afterwards of speedily replacing
them in the embrasures. What kind of " blindage”
is used cannot be distinguished. After a gun from
the Roden had been fired the space in the embrasure
was often observed to become vacant, and only re-
occupied jut before another discharge took place.
But though the guns' may have remained for the
most part uninjured, it was seen that the artillery-
men suffered severely. Behind the hollow between
the Redan and Malakhoff hills part of a broad road
is visible. This road emerges from behind the Redan
hill, passes in front of the barrack and part of the
I dockyard wall, and is lost to view behind the
Blhoff hill. Along this way men bearing
stretchers and ambulance waggons were observed to
pass and repass in unusual numbers. Nor could it be
understood how the requisite number of men for
working the guns could remain within the Redan
and great loss not occur among them from the dis-
charge of such an overpowering weight of metal.
The fire from our batteries against the Redan
ceased about noon. It was resumed between 3 and
4 o'clock p.m., and prolonged till sunset. The object
appeared to be to silence, if possible, the fire which
for some nights past the Redan had kept up against
our working parties. The gnus of the enemy failed
to do any execution against our batteries. In the
course of the morning a 10. inch gun in the right
attack burst, killing one sailor and wounding two
others. It is remarkable that the Malakhoff batteries
did not fire.

Three new embrasures were discovered this morn-
ing on the proper right of the Malakhoff works.
They must have been opened during the night. The
line of fire appears to be against our Quarrywork.
The quantity of gabions brought along the north
side is marvellous, and it is difficult to imagine for
what purposes so vast a quantity can be intended.
Several convoys of them arrive daily. The
crossing of boats between the two sides of
the roadstead has been constant all day.
The passenger steamer has had its steam up,
but has not quitted its usual position within the ad-
miralty harbour. The entrance to this harbour,
sometimes called the South Port, is now the most
busy part of the great inlet of the sea which forma
the roadstead and harbour of Sebastopol. This is the
place of rendezvous for the small steamers, for barges
and boats of all dimensions coining to the south side
of Sebastopol, as well as those leaving it for the north
side. There is always an active movement here.
Some time ago the Careening Port used to be thronged
with boats. The reliefs and working parties from the
other side which were destined for the works of the
Malakhoff, Mamelon Vert, Redan, and other batteries
covering the Harabelnaia, as well as for the redoubts
east of Careening Bay, used to land there, that
passage being much shorter, and the troops being
free from danger, though not from observation in the
day time. Only the men intended for the works sur-
rounding the citadel and town were then
landed at the Admiralty harbour. All heavy
materials were brought to this bay, either
to be landed at the Dockyard creek, or
at the mole near Fort Nicholas, for at Careening
Bay the cliffs rise very abruptly from the water, and
the ascent is steep and difficult. Before the obstruo.
tion was made across the roadstead from Cape
Nicholas, boats used frequently to pass toward
' Artillery Bay; but since that appeared very few
have been observed to go in that direction, although
a considerable space has been left open at the north
end, and apparently another opening, though com-
paratively small, at the south end also.

Moreover, between Careening Port and the oppo-
site shore, the water was usually occupied by vessels
of all sizes. The men-of war steamers used to lie
chiefly in this part of the roadstead. Since our
allies have gained possession of the east side of the
Careening Port and Ravine—thus concluding the
mastership of all the heights from thence to the
Inkermann valley, and controlling the bay of
Inkermann below—this has been changed, and
the ships, steamers, and smaller boats, have
been compelled to move further to the west-
ward, or remain in the bays on the north side,
where the greater width of the roadstead and pro-
jecting points of land ensure greater security. The
limit to the westward for the large ships is formed by
the obstruction from Cape Nicholas, for although it is
open for some distance on the north side, the
is said to be only available for boats of small traatrt
on account of the shallowness of the water. None of
the larger vessels as yet have passed round in this
direction; they are all lying off the Karabelnaia
suburb, or still further off in the bays on the opposite
side. At intervals along the barrier just mentioned
there are openings, or small o Whine channels, through
which light rowing boats can pass from either side.
The situation of the sunk boom stretching across from
the west side of Artillery Bay towards Fort Cathe-
rine is usually discernible without difficulty ; even
when the weather is perfectly calm a line of ripple
is seen over it. Now and then, more especially
lately, a barge has been noticed passing
across on the east aide of the boom, towed
by rowing boats and seemingly carrying furniture,
coming, no doubt, from Artillery Bay; but very few
have been noticed, and the long distance round the
Cape Nicholas obstruction has made the
evidently very tedious. Thus the broad part :aZ
roadstead included between this last-named barrier
and the line of sunken vessels at the entrance—the

positions of which are still indicated by portions of
the topmasts standing above the water—is generally
characterised by a still, lifeless appearance; and the
water beyond, as far as the two allied steamers
stationed on watch, is, of course, equally deserted,
being commanded by the guns of Forts Constantine
and Alexander on the one side, and those of the
blockading steamers on the other. When the white
flag has been hoisted by the nearer of those vessels,
and another white flag is waving on the roof, of
Fort Constantine, two little boats may be just dis-
cerned struggling with the waves and rising on their
crests; but at other times no trace of life is visible on
the surface of this water. It forms a striking contrast
with the busy crowded scene along the coast to
Hamlets*, and in the bays with which this shore is
indented.

There are two points of view from which the
Admiralty Harbour can be best observed. One is on
the left, near the French trenches, whence a good
view of the entrance and part of the Dockyard Creek
is observed ; the other is from the upper part of the
Victoria Redoubt hill, just above dm Middle, or
Karabelnaia, ravine. From this latter position a full
view of the entrance of the harbour is also obtained.,
and for a short distance the shore on the left, or wet,
side, bat very little can be seen of the Dockyard
Creek. This is the more interesting of the two, for
the prineipd landing-place is on the left side, and
the movements of men and boats peering to and fro
are readily observed. The line of vision extends
obliquely across the deep dip between the Malakhoff
and Man Mlle, over the greater part of the