The Express.
London, England, 1855-02-17 00:00:00

the means of Her them. has, therefore, worn i
'them as longd asyin hg e could. Some more careful sol-
diers, by frequent rubbing and attention, have con-
trived to keep their woollen clothing tolerably free
from this pest ; but, judging from report, none
have bees enabled to keep themselves wholly
free front it. The French and Ottoman sol-
diers, both of whom are remarkably clean in their
personal attire, do not appear to wear woollen under-
clothing, but oaten. They may be seen along the
side of every stream, especially the Zouavee, at all
hours, scrubbing and rubbing away, with their arms
up to the elbows in soapsuds. They take down their
washing utensils, light a fire on the spot, boil water,
and set to work in an artistic manner, and really do
not only clean, but blanch, the articles on which they
devote their soap and exertions. It was at one time
proposed to set apart one or two houses in Balakiava
•for the purpose of washing and drying such things as
could not be properly done by the soldiers in camp,
and that the soldiers wives, many of whom have
been brought of late from Varna and elsewhere to
the Crimea, should be employed in this useful occu-
pation. But the suggestion has never been carried
into effect. The officers, since the arrival of their bag-
gage, and having had many other opportunities of
obtaining sufficient changes of clothing, have not
been subjected to the inconveniences the soldiers have
had to endure in respect to cleanliness.
The opening of the fire from the new batteries,
looked for from day to day, has not yet commenced,
nor is it probable that it will take place for another
week. Since the French troops, however, have taken
the position on the extreme right, many guns have
been already mounted. Our old 5-gun battery,
which was so effective against the Round Tower at
the commencement of the bombardment, but from
which the Lancaster and other gone have been long
since removed, is fast changing its aspect. It had
been ptrmitted to fall completely into decay, and
was merely used for the protection of a picket. It is
now being converted into a strong redoubt, and sue
allies have given it the name of "La Victede
Should the siege continue, their engineers intend it
commence from it a regular series of approaches
along the slope of the spur, in opposition to the Rus-
sian works to the west of Careening Bay.
The tiring from the Russian batteries, and also
from the French advanced works on the left, has been
very energetic. There have been several sorties,
which have of course been repulsed, and there is no
doubt with much severer lose to the enemy than to our
allies. On the night of the 31st of January, however,
in consequence of a company
.becoming surrounded,
the French suffered severely in the officers and men
of the party repelling the attack ; but they executed
severe vengeance on the assailing party subsequently,
driving them back to the very walls of the town.
There does not appear to be any want of shells or
ammunition on the side of the enemy, as was suspected
a short time since.
On the 28th inst. an immense waggon train was
observed approaching toward Sebastopol by the
northern coast road. Cart after cart came on, in
fegelar succession, plainly visible where the cad
winds round the top and aide of the mountain to
descend into the Belbec valley. So in succession they
disappeared front view. The same convoy appeared
after a time on the summit of the heights rising from
the north shore of thelgreaCharbour of Sebastopol,
near the entrenchments of the large Star Fort. The
waggons were then divided into two lines, one
descending toward the shore below the fort, and form-
ing up on a comparatively level space of ground into
regular rows; the other line proceeding in an easterly
direction by a road which winds along the slope of
the hill toward the ravine in which the navy
baking houses form prominent objects of view. The
waggons were a government train, not country'
arable, for they were uniform in shape and colour,
and evidently aubetantial springed vehicles, each co•
vered by a hood, and drawn by two horses, on one of
which the driver sat en postilion. Various computations
were made as to their number, the lowest being
800, the highest raising the figure to 2,000.
Whether troops or provisions were conveyed by
these carts could not be determined. A rumour is
prevailing in camp that the two sow of the Emperor
who were present at the battle of Inkermann have
returned, and that they had brought with them a
considerable increase to the force of the garrison. A
flag which has been flying the last day or two from
the summit of a fort on the north shore of the har-
bour, nearly opposite to Fort St. Nicholas, is said to
be the imperial standard of Russia. One manifest ad-
vantage to the Russian force from thearrivalof thecon-
voy above alluded to will be, the large number of horses
thus placed at the disposal of the commander-in-
chief for artillery or other purposes, should the reports
respecting the great mortality in the Russian bat-
tery and cavalry horses be true. It has been assorted
lately, on the faith of the statements of deserters,
that no serious attack could be possibly made against
our position, for the enemy bad no longer
enough to bring up his guns. It was said that his
artillery bermes have suffered more than ours from
the wet and exposure, and failure in the supply
of forage; and the mortality, especially in the
batteries which were on the opposite side of the
Tchernaya valley, has been excessive. A few nights
since, however, two horses which had escaped from
the Russian side, and were captured near the Oran-
kov ravine, were found to be stout and in excellent
condition—a fact which threw a doubt over the
statements alluded to above. Sending back weak
horses with the empty waggons, and selecting
the stronger horses from among the recent arrivals,
is a feasible plan enough ; but there is considerable
reason for doubting whether the Russian horses
have been so reduced in number or condition as has

been represented.
Yesterday morning, Feb. 1, about seven o'clock, a
general stir was excited in the right of the British
camp by the rapid advance of a French division from
the direction of the house known as the Telegraph
House, on the Woronzoff-road. They came along at
their usual rapid pace, marching in quarter distance
column, bayonets fixed, with no sound but that which
always accom pan its a rapidly moving mow of t coops an d
the suppressed buzz of many voices in short earnest
conversation—noencumbrances, nothing but their arms
and atuinunition,and all w ith countenances expressive
of determination and satisfaction at the prospect of
an active encounter with the enemy. Two batteries
of artillery accompanied the division, which consisted
of a force of about ten thougand men. All the horses,
both those drawing the guns and the chargers of the
mounted officers, were stout and in excellent condition.
General Bosquet, with a numerous staff and cortege
of Chasseurs d'Afrique, was in command. Part of the
force consisting of the 2nd Regiment of Zanaves and
the 7th Regiment of the Line passed along the broad
ravine which separates the first and second brigades
of the Light Division, and wheeling round formed up
in columns on the slope of the bill in front of the first
brigade. The artillery and other infantry troops
crossed the ravine high up, near the Ottoman encamp.
went, and passing through the camp of the first
brigade between the tents of, the 23rd Fusiliers and
33rd Regiment, arrived at the same position about
the same time as the troops which had marched by
way of the ravine. A halt then took place while the
general rode forward to an eminence on the ridge in
front. He remained there a short time engaged in
observation, and then rode down toward the work
which used to be known as the 5-gun battery, and
which is now being converted into a strong redoubt
by the French who now occupy this position.
General Bosquet was not long away, and on
his return announced that the services of the
troops were not then required, but that they
were to hold themselves in readiness to turn
out at a moment's notice, day or night,
as a general attack by the Russians was announced to