The Express.
London, England, 1855-06-06 00:00:00

THE TCHERNAYA.

maws.)
KADIKOI, MAY 23.
Another expedition of the Allied armies has sailed
from the harbours of Kaiaks& and Balaklava; and
it is devoutly hoped that this time the forces will mot
,return in the unsatisfactory and mysterious manner,
which turned out the issue of the last expedition. This
Ohm too, the operation of sending the troops down
to the harbour and getting them on board ship, was
performed with unusual celerity. On Monday even.
big the first regiment of Sardinians--scarcely
landed—marched down to Balaklava; and on Tut&
day morning the 42nd, 79th, and 93rd Highlanders
struck their tents in the Balaklava position, while
the 71st, almost within the same hour, came down
from the Sebastopol front, where, in the interval be-
tween the return of the first and the sailing of the
stcond expedition, they had taken a short spell in the
trenches. For an hour the usual morning noises, the
trumpet-calls from the cavalry camp, and the various
sounds of camp wakening, were drowned by the fall
sound of regimental music, and the shrill notes of
the bagpipe, shrieking amidst Crimean rocks as
fiercely and wildly as bagpipe ever shrieked in the
glens of Ben Nevis, or on the backs of Loch Lomond.
In the afternoon these four regiments, with the
necessary complement of artillery, were shipped,
and our part of the expedition moved out of the har-
bour, and rendezvoused outside with the French part
of the adventure, which came from Kamiesch. This
time the French sent a larger force, and I understand
Ithat of French,English, and Sardinians, there were, all
I in all, 20,000 troops that went out to sea. Where they
went is now known to be Kertch. On the evening of the
OM
day the French on Sebastopol heights proceeded
tithe attack of some of the Russian outworks, which,
after a terrible cannonade, and with great loss on
either side, they occupied, capturing, as some of those
that were engaged say, 10 guns, and, according to the
statement of others, 30 guns. Almost at the same
time the besieged made a diversion which for its
'boldness deserves honourable mention in the history of
this extraordinary siege. Taking advantage of the
absence of great part of the Allied fleets who had
steamed with the expedition which sailed in the
afternoon, a number of large boats stole out of the
harbour, eluded tee vigilance of the ships that are
stationed to prevent such like enterprises, and
proceeded to a small bay to the left of Ka-
miesch, where, landing, our enemies advanced,
and with great boldness attacked the rear of the
Fourth French Division. It is supposed that about
2,000 men must have in this manner made a lodge-
, meet on our ground. Their plan, as far as we can
naderstand it, must have been to take our Allies by
surprise, attack their batteries in the rear, and in
this manner fight their way back into the fortress.
If unable to accomplish this object, they must hare
matertained some desperate hope of fighting their
way back to their boats, though it is difficult to under-
stand how they could hope for a second time to pass
ear ships without exciting observation and attracting
broadsides. As usual, this forlorn hope, landing and
attacking in a quarter where an attack could not
possibly be expected, made considerable progress, but
its first success proved its final ruin, for our Allies
fought so gallantly and mans:louvred so well, that not
only did they stopthe advance of the Russian force, but
they also most effectually cut off their retreat to their
boats. After a most obstinate resistance, those among
the Russians that were not k tiled or seversly wounded
were compelled to surrender. It is ,difficult to dis-
tinguish between the " butchers' bills " of the two
engagements that took place almost at the
same time, and within so small a space. But the
result of the two, as far as I am able to
ascertain it, is that on that evening the Russians lost
2,000 men in killed and wounded, and that 600 men,
sound or but slightly wounded, were captured by our
Allies, who in their turn are said to have suffered a
minor but still a severe loss among their Imperial
Guard, for this flee corps more particularly was en-
gaged. This evening there is again a heavy cannon-
ade from the same direction, and those that at a late
hour have ridden in from the front report that the
Russians have come out with two divisions, intent
upon retaking the position they lost last night.
This afternoon some more of our artillery was em-
barted—it is said for the purpose of joining the
Kertch expedition, and strong rumours are afloat of
a proposed foray of the Allied forces against the
Russian lines:of the Tchernaya. The French, whoknow
how to keep a secret, but who also know how to speak
when concealment is of no earthly use, hare had re■
pelted warnings from their head-quarters to hold
themselves in perfect readiness for an advance into
the interior of the country, and to-day a grand review
of the troops selected for immediate operations was
held near their head-quarters. These troops, two di-
visions of infantry, sixteen batteries, and the whole
of the French light and heavy cavalry, the Chasseurs
d'Afrique, and Cuirassiers, were addressed by General'
Canrobert who, to the great joy of the army, remains
in the Crimea, and who, with a patriotism and devc-
tion which do honour to him as a man and a soldier,
has consented to accept a subordinate command in an
army of which for seven months—and those most
trying months—he was the Commander-in-Chief. I
need hardly say that the greatest excitement prevails
among the French troops, who look forward to this
expedition as a relief from the tedious and intoler-
able burdens of the siege. As to our own troops,
they are in the greatest uncertainty, but it is said
that the 10th Hussars have had notice that their
services will be required. The Sardinian", of course,
will advance with the rest, and, as Omer Pasha is
about, to fix his head-quarters at Kadikoi, it is
expected that a considerable number of Turks will
share in the glory of driving the Russians back upon
the lines of Baktshi Sere, and perhaps further.
Altogether, it is expected that 40,000 of the Allied
troops will cross Balaklava plain and storm the
position of the Tchernaya before the month is over.
Mee 24.
This was a day of great rejoicing among the
Allied armies on Sebastopol heights. It was her
Majesty's birthday, and it became positively known
that the attack upon the lines of the Tehernaya is to
take place early to-morrow morning. I can hardly
say that her. Majesty's birthday was favoured by the
weather, for we had the same sun and the same
boat which has been oppressing us for some time
past, and to which we shall have to reconcile our-
selves, for, with slight interruptions, it is likely to
eeedene to the end of September. According to
favourable, for it did not

home ideas the day was
rain. Throughout the British encampments the day
was kept as much as a Sunday as the hard times we
live in allow. The business of the siege and of the
army was carried on es usual, but a grand review of
the whole of our cavalry was held on the heights
between Karani and Bt. George's Monastery. Two
troops of horse artillery and two foot batteries para-
ded with the cavalry. Men and horses, even of the
regiments that wintered here, looked in splendid
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