The Press.
London, England, 1856-05-17 00:00:00

MAY 17, 1856.

THE CAMP IN THE CRIMEA.

TEE latest letters from the camp, of the 3rd inst.,
mention that great dissatisfaction exists among the
men at Lord Panmure's hasty reductions, and
among the officers at his ignorant assertion that the
home transport cost of a horse is from 471. to 671.
each. The men are dissatisfied because their extra
sixpence a day was stopped at a moment's notice,
and because many of them, most deserving non-
commissioned ollieers, granted commissions as
cornets in the Land Transport Corps, are to be once
more reduced to their former position, while their
young and ambitious successors are to be pushed
back again to the ranks. The officers grumble be
cause the same reductions are exercised ruthlessly,
and without any expression of regret for the neces-
sity, or ettlogium for past services. While on "the
horse question " there is only one opinion, that if
Lord Panmure's rule is to be carried out, some
thousands of mules and horses will be left behind to
be carried off as trophies by the Russians. At least,
the horses should either be taken or compensation
given. The attempt to sell off the stock proved a
complete failure ; the Russians would not buy, pre-
ferring to wait tilt necessity should permit them to
get their choice for nothing.
The Tartar exodus has commenced. The entire
population of the valleys outside the Russian lines,
about 1,590, have wandered into Balaklava, and are
to be earned either to Rutschuck or Kustendjie.
The two first English regiments, the 9th and 39th,
with one company of the 17th, embarked on the
and sailed from Balaklava.

-The cavalry, also, has commenced breaking up
from Scutari. The 4th and 13th Light Dragoons
left on the 4th.

The Journal de St. Petersbourg of May 4 contains
a long despatch from General Luders, describing, at
coniiderable length, the events of the 15th ult.; the
vi.it to the camps of the allies ; the review of the
French and English troops by the Russian general,
and the games in which the Chasseurs d'Afrique took
part. General C Klrington's speech (delivered in
French), at the dinner given at. the English head-
quarters, is thus reported :

I very much regret t'iat I have to speak in a language in
which lam unable to express myself with facility. For a
long time we have had before us a formidable adversary,
the contest against whom has cost us great difficulties,
enormous effort, and immense sacrifices. This adversary
has proved tnat he was not so easy to cope with as was at
first supposed, and has given us numerous lessons in disci-
pline, bravery, firmness, and boundless devotion to duty.
He has been a terrible enemy to us! But to-day we all
wish to become his best friends. I propose to you, gentle-
men, a toast to the health of General Luders and the Rus-
sian army.

The ace 'tint of the review is strictly confined to
the details of the military evolutions—no expression
of opinion as to the appearance or quality of the
troops tieing offered.
THE RUSSIAN OPINION OF THE CONDUCT OF
THE WAR.

Every day something new is gleaned from the Rus-
sians upon our conduct of the war :
The Russians tell us that they had the most accurate infor-
mation of every single movement in our camp; that they
knew the condition of the English army during the winter
(better than it was known at home till some time after-
wuds ), but 'hat they could not attack owing to the state
of the ground ; ebd that they were accurately informed of
the armament of our trenches, but that we once opened
the bombardment ( April 9) without their being forewarned
of it. Just before the battle of the Tschernaya one of their
spies came in to say that we had received intelligence that
they were going to attack as, and the generals considered
whether it would not be right to defer the attempt, but the
orders from St. Peersburg were so explicit that no delay
was permitted.—Times cur., April 25.
Their losses in Sebastopol were enormous :

• They say that they bnried in and about Sebastopol
86.000 men, who were killed or died of wounds and sick-
ness, and that 100,01)0 more perished in the Crimea who
never smelt powder or saw a shot fired. The number in-
valided from wounds and disease is enormous, and in the
Crimea alone and in the provinces abutting upon it the
Russian army cannot have had less than a quarter of a
million of soldiers put hors de combat.
Todtleben's great mistake, the engineers say, was
making the Malakoff a closed work :
Originally it was open in the rear, and was, indeed, a
sort of lunette with strong flanking works, but as the siege
Progressed Todtleben grew nervous about the safety of the
Work which occupied such an important position in his
Ilstem of defence; he closed it in at the rear, and lsbonred
at the front and flanks to make it quite unassailable, or at
all events inexpugnable, and he overdid the interior with
enormous traverses which crowded the men, prevented
their working their guns or escaping from shells, so that
it soon became terribly bloody, exposed as it was to the
Are from the Quarries, from part of oar right attack, from