The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-05 00:00:00

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

(FROM OUR

LATE ON THB

DANUBE.)

TURKISH CAMP, HEIGHTS ABOVE

HAMARA, Avows 24.

As long as the Turkish army is commanded here by
a man of Omer Pacha's rank, it will never be of much
see to the Allies. A " Berdarekrern" will never
work heartily under simple generals, like Generals
Peliasier and Simpson; and certainly no European
general or army would or could work
well under a Turk of high or low degree, and the
result is that they ue always at cross purposes. The
true believer Tools upon the Oiaoar as an unclean
beast of every low order in the animal creation, as
the Olson, looks upon the true believer as a rode bar-
barian, and a donkey to boot, and you may easily
imagine that whoa two gentlemen entertaia these
sentiments regarding oath other, their Intercourse is
sot marked by cordiality. If a very stupid
brigadier were pat in command of the Turks
here, I think =snag would go en soon pleasantly,
as he would do exactly what he was Uhl, and if be
deviated from the line marked out for him might
get a wigging" with impunity. As matters stand
the troops of the Sultan mein resolved to be es use-
less se they possibly can without absolutely laying
down their arms. I would fain hope that Osman
Pasha has not received secret instructions to be
" obstreperous ;" but his conduct Is sometimes very
mysterious. On the day of the battle on the
Tcheruaya the French sent to him repeat-
edly, urging him to sand up reinforcements to their
position, inasmuch as he was not himself attacked,
and was ekes to the scene of action. By making
one MUM or °thee, he managed to defer compliance
with their request until all was over, and then sent
down: six battalions, but when pressed to allow them
to remain, in expectation of a renewal of the assault,
he refused to do so, and they; were accordingly with-
drawn the same evening. I allude to this subject
with lees hesitation, because, ea I have so often said, I
believe the Turkish soldier is as good a man for any
duty going, and would do it as cheerfully as any
soldier in the Crimea, if his onion were not the
scum of the population.
For seem nights peat we have had nothing bat a
succeseka of alarms. In fact, the troops on the
Tchersaya have sow little sleep except in the day,
and in the Eaglish and French camps never more
than one-third of the officers is allowed to be absent.
On the night of the 21st the French, Piedmont/es,
and Turks were under arms; the same thing
occurred last night. Just before commencing
this letter, I learn that the ansaimoss
testimony of the spies and deserters goes
to say that we shall be attacked to-moerow gaming
before daybreak; that the Russians have concentrated
three large masses of troops—use destined to act
against the French on the old ground, near the
Traktir Bridge; another against the Piedmontese by
way of Taurus ; and the third to force the pou-
tioo of the Turks here at headquarters. The latter
have their advanced guard on the other side of the
hill in the Vermouths Valley, but the outposts are
not thrown forward sufficiently, and although the
only approach to this camp is by a narrow
road, winding up • precipitous declivity,
which might be easily defended by a handful
of men, I am not quite satisfied that a sudden attack
in great force might not have unpleasant results. It
is now eleven p.m • if anything occurs it will be at
daybreak, and although the mail does not leave the
English head-quarters until noon to-morrow, any
hurried details I could give you in the morning
would be anticipated by the telegraph ; so we must
only wait and see. It is most likely that, if the affair
comes off, the Turks will this time have to bear
the brunt of it. The famous grenadiers, with
whom we have been so long threatened, were two
days ago, it is said, at Baktehi Send ; per-
haps we shall see them in the next affair.
The men who fought at the battle of the
Tohernaya certainly seemed sufficiently large; I do
not see how an inch or two added to their height
would have mended the matter. The French crvatry
daring the last few days pushed on a considerable
distance on the right—very nearly to Belbec, but
were unable to remain there for want of water.
They returned to a position on the heights be-,
• Baidar ; but this evening a large body of the
"dragoons retired along the road towards Balaklava.
An anonymous letter, in Polish, was brought in
from the Russian lines by • Tartar a few days ago,'
in which the writer begged to be informed by bearer,
whether there was • Polish legion here or not. He
added, that it was of vital importance to himself and
, many of his friends to know the truth. He was an-
swered in the negative. In the Fifth Division,
which has recently arrived from the interior, two-
thirds of the officers and men are Poles. The great
mass of these would certainly come over, it there
were a Polish Legion fighting under the Polish flag.
An °mann gatkerem corps, composed of men of all
nations, does not hold out mneh temptation to them.
August 26.—The morning has passed over witnout
any alarm. If the attack is not made to-morrow, it
will not take plus until Tuesday, as Monday is an
unlucky day. Then is nothing of much importance
to be said of the siege, except that a fierce bombard-
mentgoss on every night, and waxes hotter towards
morning. Under cover of this, the French have
=sir sap to the vary edge of the ditch of the
_ _ _

The heat of the weather bas much diminished ; to
fact, there is no disguising the fact, the summer is
Pest
Lord Stratford de Radcliffe is expected to-day to
preside at the Investiture of the 0.C.8.s and H.C.B.a
at head-quarters. Sir Cohn Campbell moved
down last night with 2,200 of the Highlanders,
to reinforce the Piedmootese, and is now in their
camp. The French have retaken the ambuscade
captured a few nights ago by the Russians, but the
working parties lose a great many men every night
by the fire of the enemy, as they are now so close.
The night before last they bad 130 wounded. The
French divisions on the Tchernaya are constructing
three new batteries around the Traktir Bridge; one to
be called the Raglan Battery, and the second Bisset,
from a general of engineers killed in the trenches;
the name of the third has 'soaped my memory.

(PROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)
CAMP ABOVE SEBASTOPOL, Ago. 25.

The siege. operations appear to be fast hastening
toward a crisis. In spite of the greatest difficulties,
the approaches have been brought to close proximity
to the enemy's line of works, from the Careening Bay
to the Great Roden. The interval which remains,
short as it is, can only be successfully traversed by
slow and laborious means; but in all probability,
judging from present appearances, everything will
be ready for the grand assault within the period of a
fortnight. No precaution, it is asserted, will be
omitted to ensure success in the undertaking.
I enclose a diary of events which have occurred
sines last mail to the present date.
August 22.—Another bright day, tempered by a
cool breeze from the north.
The French have now extended the right boy au on
the Malakoff hill, and, having brought it rotted with
a carved sweep, have connected it with the most ad-
mitted point of their foremost approach. They have
thee formed mother parallel towards the Korsika
bastion. The trench appears say deep, sad the

parapet high and strong. There is a very capacious
plies disuses immediately in rear. The most ad-
visaed part of this parallel is only 70 French metres
from the salient angle of the bastion, and 30 metres
from the sheltie before the ditch. On the right, a
trench is being extended from this parallel, in front
oldie proper left flank and curtain of the Rern!loff
bastion, to connect it with the approach in front of
the work called the Little Roden. This approach is
still nearer to the enemy's line than the new parallel
in front of the Kornileff bastion. It is now only 60 me-
tres distant from the salient angle. The Russians an
making the most determined efforts, by keeping up a
constant discharge of grenades and buquets, to pre-
vent the advance of our allies in the direction. At
the same time, the French batteries occupying the
heights on each side of the Careening Bay ravine
keep op a destructive lire against the whole line of
the enemy's works, from the battery of the point
above the Careening Harbour to the Bialakhoff. The
abattis in front of the Korniioff ligation is greatly
destroyed. It is suspected that the Russian. have
ps4ly assisted in this dieplassueet. A few nights
since wort was heard to be going on near the ditch,
and in the morning the earth was observed to have
Men termed immediately behind the sheltie; pro-
bably fongessee had been laid; down is this sisosties.
The Italians are observed to be working hard at
the bridge ; it is fist approaching towards comple-
tion. The unfinished portion as an the mum
Fifty mortars are stated to have arrived from Eng-
land. Thirteen were brought up by the railroad
to-day.
The soldier of the 44th Regiment, reputed to be
a Pole, and who charged the keeper of a canteen in
the 62nd Regiment with being a spy, is himself
miming, and is suspected of having deserted to the
enemy. He was enlisted and drilled with the Depot
Battalion at Weimer, and appears to have given plau-
sible reasons for doing so. He stated that he had
made up his mind to serve with a foreiip legion, but
would prefer joining the ranks of as English regi-
ment. It was thought that his knowledge of Rues=
might be turned to useful account. His charge
against the canteen-man wan, no doubt, intended to
divert attention from his own proceedings. It
is not unlikely that he may have had some-
thing to do with the fire which has lately
been directed agent the position of the British
camps, As to the fine ite raised against the supposed
spy is the canteen, which has been already alluded
to above, the unjustifiable and disgraceful character
of the whole proceeding has been fully established
after due investigation, and General Simpson has
published the following order on the subjoin.

Head,quarters before Sebastopol, Amon 2t.
The Comnauder of the Ferns regrets that be bas to
notice, in tonna of marked diplomats, a. cuttrep that was
committed ea the 17tb Janus 1. the amp of the Fourth
Dining, the perpetrators of ohne, to the disendit of the
army, are still endiacovered.
A umber of soldiers, mesabled seder protases of par-
sung • sappomid spy, destroyed the tut of keeper,
pludered its sonnets, including • asasingable sun of
money, and 'leaped in the dark.....
By the ankles of war no paankneat of sub a nine is
• &insets' death.
The soldiers of this army hue met their earralee nobly
in this Illabitbey have *adored hardship sad daager witk
admirable denitaile—let nue set forfeit their bilis dune-
bt by
aissomikkas iiimgders is esmp, or by each discreditable
etaidilds• as that now published.

n. tteea of the Light Division met for a contra of
athletic games and exorcise' this afternoon.
Major-General Markham, C. 8., commanding the
2nd Division, had a narrow escape to-day. He had
gone into a stable to look at a newly-parchassd horse
belonging to Captain King, one of the aides-de-
camp, when one of the long range round shots from
the enemy penetrated the shed, and killed the horse.
Captain King and one or two other persons were pre-
sent in the stable at the time that this singular escape
occurred. It is remarkable that, notwithstanding the
number of shot and shell sent up towards the camp,
only one man, an artilleryman, has been wounded.
This single caenalty can hardly compensate
the Romans for their expenditure of labour and
materiel. Had General Markham been hit, they
might have thought their trouble sufficiently re-
warded. _ _ .

A funeral wu observed to-day at the upper grave-
yard on the north side of the roadstead, which wee
attended by an unusual number of soldiers and fol-
lowers. It was apparently that of some Russian
officer of distinction.
August 23.—A bright sunny, but cool morning.
Ground was broken last night for another advance of
our approaches in the right attack. The new trench
is seemingly destined to extend from the front of our
Quarry approaches towards the right, so as to include
the rifle pit in advance of our filth parall•L This
will bring us nearer to the left flank and curtain of
the Man.
Tne French have thrown up, and are occupying, an
ambuscade in advance, and to the left of their new
parallel. A trench to connect the rifle pit with the
parallel has also been commenced.
Enormous working parties of the enemy have been
observed to be busily employed upon the mole near
Fort Nicholas about the landing place all day.
The horses, baggage mules, and camp equipage left
by Lieut.-General Bu G. Brown were sold to-day at
the quarters which he occupied in front of the Light
Division. The following general order was directed
to be read to the regiments of the division in which
Sir George Brown commended during his service
with the army in the East, by Lieutenant-General
Codrington, his suooessoe

Head Guertin before Setsetopol, August 23, 1865.
In notifying that the Queen has been ;dossed to permit
Lieutenast-Genesal Sir George Brown, G.O 8., to Taiga
hie appointment upou the staff, the general ooesseanding I.
chief hes 'uprooted his regret, in which General Biome=
sad this army participate, that the army will lose to ear-
vices of that distiagusthed officer, whops name will ever be
associated with those brilliant achisvensats which have
marked the °piratic= of her Majesty's troops in the
Crisaes.—By lards;
(Signed) H. W. Heitman, Chief of the Staff.

- - -
August 24.—The allies succeeded last night, with-
out much difficulty, in taking and destroying two
ambuscades, which the Russians had thrown up in
advance of the right eurtain of the Borniloff
bastion. They subsequently deepened the communi-
cation between the foremost parallel and their ad-
vanced rifle pit, and also commenced an approach to-
ward the abattis by double sap.
Oar fire has been more active to-day. The guns
of the battery on the right flank of the Borniloff
bastion obstinately continued to discharge a severe
fire against the new French spproaches on the left.
They were in some degree silenced by the mortars of
our right attack, which kept up a heavy fir. against
this work, and also threw a large number of shells
within the Borniloff bastion itself. The gene of the
bastion have been almost wholly silent, but from time
to time shells have been discharged from it into the
French approaches in front.
A large body of troops, about 3,000 men, were ob-
served this morning to march from the distant
camps on the north side of Sebastopol to the neigh-
bourhood of the usual locality for embarking to the
south side.
_.

Two immense working parties have been busily em-
ployed the whole day on the slope of the hills on the
opposite side of the roadstead, between the Wasp
Fort and Fort Constantioe. When they mad work,
toward sunset, two very lag and high breastworks
had been thrown up ; probably the commencement
of two new batteries or forts. A peat number of
fatigue parties were observed to be employed at the
upper end of the large graveyard, se often alluded to,
behind the 12-gun battery as thematic side.
No rafts have been brought today, nor has any
advance been made toward filling up the interval re-
maining between the two ends of the opening in the
middleof the long bridge. If the rafts were reedy to
be floated into position, a very few hours only would
be required for the ampletiem of this eaterprielag
work. A high brood-work hoe boon throws op,