The Press.
London, England, 1856-02-09 00:00:00

THE CRIMEAN ARMY.

Mr. LAVARD, on Thursday, gave notice that on this
day fortnight he should call the attention of the
house to the report of Sir J. 11I' Neil and Colonel
Tulloch upon the state of the army in the Crimea
during the last winter.
Mr. PEEL, in reply to Sir J. Fergusson, said that
the suggestions of the Crimean Commissioners
relative to the appointment of a staff-officer to deter-
mine how the army should be supplied, and the
nature of those supplies, appeared to be valuable,
but it had not yet been determined to act upon them.
THE ARMISTICE.
Lord PALMERSTON, on Tuesday, in reply to Colonel
Dunne, said that no armistice would be arranged
until the preliminaries of peace had been discussed
and signediby the plenipotentiaries at Paris.

THE WAR.

THE first effect of the peace intelligence upon the
camp has, of course, been one of disappointment and
chagrin. Owing to the breakage of the telegraphic
wires the information did not arrive very speedily.
On the 22nd ult. Marshal Pelissier first received the
news, and immediately communicated it to General
Codrington. The English mail, arriving on the
24th, brought confirmation of the fact :—" Much
malediction and strong language," writes the corre-
spondent of the Times on the 26th, "has been going
on in all ranks, from generals to juniors." Specula-
tion, doubt, and uncertainty, were of course rife, and
every one was longing for the next mail. Prize-
money and a good brevet were at least expected.

The weather continues fine. No movements of
any importance had occurred ; the Russian batteries
still fired heavily at times on the French advanced
works. Sir Richard llacres, in command of the
Artillery, is reported to have received orders to send
home seventeen of the twenty-nine seige-train com-
panies, and there were many indications in the camp
of the army quitting its present position.
At Kertch, by dates of the 18th, matters were quiet.

From Asia Minor there is little intelligence.
Omer Facha, by date of the Ist of January, re-
mained at Redout Kaleh, the army con•inuing in its
winter quarters at Chopi. The force at Erzeroum was
to be increased to 40,000 men, and large supplies were
being collected in Anatolia and the other provinces.
A telegraphic despatch from Trieste of Feb. oth
states :

According to accounts from Constantinople of the 28th
ult., the English are to send their German Legion, as well
as other troops, into Asia.
The Morning Post has had the following announce-
ment this week :

We believe that official intelligence has been received
of the complete destruction of the docks at Sebastopol,
which have now all been blown up.

A telegraphic despatch from Marseilles of Feb.
sth, states that intelligence up to the 2tith from Con-
stantinople announced :

Marshal Pelissier had been informed that the Enplane
proposed to attack the advanced division in the Valley of
Baidar, and hoped to surprise it. To oppose this move•
ment eight divisions were kept under arms during the
whole night.

127

DEMOLITION OF THE DOCKS.
The destruction of the docks, which has been per-
severed in for so many weeks, was still unfinished
up to the 22nd of January. The bottom and sides of
the west dock, and the entrances to the east and
centre docks had been blown up since the last intel-
ligence, and on our side two more explosions would
conclude our share of the work :

To-morrow our allies are to complete the demolition of
their half portion of the docks, by blowing up the front
half of the entrance and the right half side of the basin.
The English are going to have two more explosions, if
everything is ;successful, to complete their half portion.
The first is to consist of the right side of the east dock
and basin as far as the sheers to meet the French, and the
second to be made up of the two sides of the west dock,
with entrance, pier, and the left side of centre dock. The
800 lb. charge and two 400 lb. charges that missed fire on
Saturday may be fired at any moment ; I don't, therefore,
include them in the two great explosions to come. The

commander-m•chief was present on Saturday, but was too
late on Friday to witness the destructions. There can be
no doubt that we run the powder much more fine for
masonry than the French. Our head engineers consider
no science is displayed if a single stone is hurled to any
slight distance. The French engineers appear to be of
opinion that as the old Russian powder is not of much
value, it may just as well be used as not. The conse-
quence is that their demolitions are much more violent,
and appear to the ignorant much more complete. It
may be a fault on their part, but it is a good fault. The
whole of our three docks are forty feet wide at bottom and
twenty.nine feet deep. The west dock is the shortest of
the three, being only 236 feet long at top, whilst the centre
dock is 239, and the east dock 238 feet. The entrance-
gate to this last dock, which with immense labour was
taken to pieces, still lies inside the dockyard wall. if
England is proud of this trophy, which happens to have
been the only gate of our three not riddled by our wand-
shot or shell, no time should be lost in getting it conveyed
to Balaklava and shipped home, for its weight is about
sixty tons. The French have at last succeeded in getting
up their dock gate, and they will, of course, convey it, like
their portion of the shot anti guns, to within the strong
lines at Kamiesch.—D. News cur., Jan. 22.
CAMP MOVENTENTS AND ARMY SUPPLIES.
The army, although employed in constant drill
and musket exercise, finds time to construct wharfs
and other public works at Kazatch. The whole
force is healthy, well kept, and well clothed; but a
few trifling extravagancies, according to the Times
correspondent, are yet committed by the War-

office :

I have obtained answers to some of the questions I put
in my last letter, and a little additional intormatiun as to
the prodigality and want of judgment shown in the nature
and quantity of the stores sent out for the army. The
number of pairs of woollen stockings and socks in store is
over 200,000. Of course I have not had the opportunity
of counting them, but I give the above figures on excellent
authority. Those that are being reshipped are only lit for
children. They are German goods, and were purchased
in all haste last winter by consuls and agents. When they
came nobody could get them on, and, as they were ex•
tremely short socks, there was no leg into which the men
might have thrust their feet. The same deficiency in size
was found in many of the flannel or woven waistcoats
sent for the army last winter, and obtained in a smiler
manner. They were so narrow that the men had to
cut them open all down the breast, thus leaving ex-
posed the very part of the body they were chiefly meant
to protect. The children's socks are now being sent
back to Constantinople, and will, doubtless, have to
be sold for a song or given to the poor in England, which
latter would be the best way of applying this precious
Vienna-made hosiery. The 1,200 pairs of cherry-coloured
inexpressibles are in addition. I find, to the year's clothing
for the 11th Hussars; so it is presumable that they are
intended for other cavalry regiments. The fur boots would
be capital things in a Canadian traineau ora Russian sledge,
but their selection displays a most extraordinary ignorance
of the state of things out here. A walk to head-quarters
and a ride to Italaklava would be ample, I should think,
for their destruction. So that the 4,0001. may be set down
as uselessly expended. Pretty much the same may be said
of a large sum that has been laid out in marine soap, with
which one can wash in salt water, and which has arrived
in vast quantities of half-pound packets to be served out to
the men. Now, although water has certainly at times bef a
scarce here, we have never yet been reduced to send to the
sea for it ; and as any voyage the army is likely to make
when the campaign opens will hardly exceed two or three
days in length, the soap is not likely to be very useful, and
might as well be handed over to the fleet. Then they
keep sending out quantities of soluble cocoa, which the
men will not use. In fact, some of the things sent are so
ill-advised as to tempt one to suppose that they are bought,
not out of regard to the wants of the army, but to oblige
dealers in England who find themselves with a large stock
of unsaleable goods on hand.—Times cur., Jan.
RUSSIAN MOVEMENTS.
On the night of the 20th, the Russians opened a
tremendous tire from some new batteries to the
northward of the Tschernaya valley :
A large quantity of shell and solid shot were thrown in
a direction toward the Fediukine heights and the position
at Tractlr. Most of the shells burst in the air, and some
at a very great elevation. Although the sky was partially
clouded at the time, and a light mist lay on the surface of
the ground, the moon exerted considerable power, and
objects for some distance round were readily distinguished.
The firing attracted considerable attention, and it was at
first supposed to be connected with some attack on the
extreme right. The swampy state of the greater put at