The Express.
London, England, 1855-08-06 00:00:00

LITBRATURE.

--•--
Five Moretho is Ms Coma Before Saws*ea By the Bases
Di BAZOACOOST.
The Baron de Bas mitten, who has lately returned
from the Crimes, to which place he bad been des-
patched on a miseion by the French government,
Lis jest published arms very interesting details of the
siege in a work which he entitles, " Five Months at
the Camp before Sebastopol." It presents en ani-
mated picture of the conduct of the siege during the
time that the Baron was present, and throws great
light on many obscure passages of the war. Our
first selections shall be confined to those portions of
the work which relate to the conduct of the British
government. The Baron is enthusiastic in his admi-
ration of the bravery and discipline of the troops, but
he very rightly condemns our antiquated official
rules and want of due organisation. In a conversa-
tion which took place between himself and General
Niel, who is now presiding over the siege operations
of the French, the General laid :
You know that during the siege of &lista*, Omer Pasha,
who feared day slier day that the pl ire would be obliged to
surrender f went of resources and means of defence,
despatched courier after csurier to entre.t Marshal St. Ar•
need to send reinforcements The marshal upon this made •
request to Admiral Rendes for vessels to carry,with all speed,
troops from 0.1.1ip.1i to Vacua. The admiral, in his reply,
said that vessels of war, by the English regulations. wen ,
sot be employed for the transport of troops, end that thi
rule was at pre« nt without exception.
" At Bornarsand," continued (liners' Niel, "when the
citadel was destroyed, the order was given for reessbarldag.
The means of ircn.pott were insulfic.ent, and • body of
Boa 3.000 to 4,000 mea could find no racia. Twenty-lee
thousand Russian. had possession of the country at that
time, and thus the needs troops would have been expand
toss attack irti;ch they would have been unable to resat,
en account of the smell, cis of testi esiabers."
General lisragusy d' adhere appealed to Admiral Napier
to obtain means of transport, and experienced a like refusal
is lilts terms. The situation w.s grave, and the general
demanded an interview with the admiral, who mime oa
shore. An English viceosdatirel end General Niel were
present at the interview.
General Barsgaey represented with great
energy the position of the troops end the urgent neoemity
for transports.
Admiral Napier, epperdioa to the established rules, es-
fused with regret; when toll V.cs'Admiral sheers name I
do sot recollect, rose, and in • most respectful yet dignified
amorist said—
" Admiral, the French General is in the right, and the
honour of England will surer it you refuse his request."
After some converutioa, the Admiral desired that the
demand should be put in writing, and that be would then
reply. The next merhilar the transports were at the dialer
sition of the general.
So much for official stiffness! Let us now torn to
the miseries created by official incapacity.
The English ere constructing some batteries, but, alas!
very slowly. They have not euilicient men, sad are at
work oa the other side with ell their might at their rail-
way, which, like most railways, adveaces slowly until the
time when it will get on faster.
Looking at them sow, it would be difficult to tellthat
they have suffered so muchosnd that malady and death have
decimated their ranks. They were so assanifisemt, Se
splendid, so brilliant at Yarns, when a beautiful amuse*
sea shone on then, Scarlet uniforms and sparkling heleasts.
Every one admired them, sod they admired themselves.
They went through their evolutions with the same me-
thodisal p.ecisica which they displayed on the bid of
battle. But, alas! the Israel winter lame, winter • budged
times more severe to these than Inkermann and Balsklava,kir
they fell one by one, neyotenty, ten, without glory, without
battle. Their blood did sot well forth from those breasts
isdlstnrbed before the enemy, but Iron in their veins and
red their countenances. Then it was that they saw
disfigured their
value of • good internal organisation, whisk
watches over the materiel wants of life, omitting so dean
sad Wile( precautions even %pipet the impossible.
This organisation saved our army from simile:ragmen%
sad tarried it through the cruel trials oesasiosed by snow,
wiled, sad ice.
The subject of a divided command has already
attracted the attention of men of the highest author.
rity in both etientriee. The following anecdote beats
upon this question, u well u on that of our defective
Organisation
Hew many times bee General Canrobert repeated, with
blisinarb the words, " Two thoughts, two wills "
I fienrageber what General Battiest ones said to me on
thlessWeet. We were speaking of 'alinements for yes
may be sure that I was anxious to obtain information ea
this hauls from the mouth of the chief who took so glorious
a pert la it.
Aber the termisation of that bloody contest Lord aislss
went to visit General Bisque'.
Geseral," be said to him, " you do not appear satis-
fied; sad yet so one has more saw for lawns' gratifica-
tion em the nada of to day than yourself."
" My lord," replied the general, " I do not feel that la-
teens entail:sties, for the simple raw., that this is • fee-
teams battle rather then • victory. Three hours were lent
is orders sad remoter orders and different in/few:time; sad
this must always be the um while the commandership-In-
chief is in hands, and that one decision alone has se
weight in the balsam"
The attack age* st the place has, as you know, bees a
=IT reusasil by the English, whose wares were not
sad edesased slowly. It was this cause which led
to the mastrastisa el the sew inmates by the tad corps (the
right attack).
The English, thine soldiers whom it is impassible to dis-
turb is the midst of the battle, those buena walls which
may be pierced by the heavy fir., of the enemy, but sever
beaten down, experienced • great misfortune et the 11101111-
zieseestent of the expedition. A defective late/nal 'dial-
sistration decimated their forces more effectually than war.
Then was amongst them an amount of ileessealisallsa of
which I cannot give the terrible asseasit. Tb. Wass ls,
dews before their tents looking end, sulks, mad
The home died by hundreds. Lateran had dempitatal
the heed of the army. The vice of ea improvident sepal-
Mimi devoured the rest.
It is the war ia Africa which has preserved um. We owe!
our safety to oar habits of encamping and to oar le:petitions
late the interior of eountrieL The secemity thus inserted
of staking provision for the smallest details, has bees of the
greatest utility to us in the Crimea.

DRAMA.

BT. J.UtliB'B.

Mademoiselle Rachel appeared on Friday night at
this theatre in Scribe and Logoun's drama of Aborting Le-
eargnorr. It is scarcely possible to give this rwastounate
MUM greater praise than to say that she elevates the play
as Inch as Scribe and Co. debase the sad, bet Mae history
apes which the play is founded.
Oa Saturday night, Mlle. Rachel appeared I. the
naractor of Rennin', in Racine's tragedy of A
Herndon, is, of ell R&Cilkell heroines, the one wtro":Stts
the least sympathy. Bhe loos without delicacy, and hates
without sublimity. Whet Pyrrhus, driven to frenzy by the
refusal of Andresen, to accept him in marriage, %breams.
to take recesses, as bee infest son, and resolves to fulfil his
entreat with Horoino, the latter bas the monsem, is the
saint of her joy, tench her miserable rival. When Orestes,
her lover, repossess her, she puts him elf with
esatemptible equivocation. When Pyrrhus dorsires her
she does not hesitate to incite Orestes to the mime of ner-
dsr by the promise of her head. Whet he hes stunted
her mission, she turns him adrift without coremony. She
is utterly denuded of all moral sense. With the single en-
ooption of her love for Pyrrhus. whisk has astelag ashis,
mollies eleven, is it, she is as bloodless as a Ink. New
is spite of the sagratefel material ea whisk Made.
anima lead had to week she succeeded in making ea
leageseisa ea the audios*. seareely, if et all, inferior to that
'rammed by Yee geeehme reprematatiese. Ip all that de.
posh solely ea the estrus, she was as priest as ever. There
wee the same rigid awns air, of whisk we have spoken,
and fee whisk ewe of her severest critics eassot kelp giving
bee ',edit. " basket i Greek." he says, " tram bead to
feet." The mess is the fourth set with Obese sad
Orestes, which take place after she diseovers that Pmts.
has abandoned her, were admirably rendered. Bee senate.
Ranee remains during the whole time of Cleone's espeetals.
tioas rigidly axed, and yet telling a story of unutterable
woe sad hatred. The way in which she puts an
sad to the confident's babblinge by the abrupt
easedea " Fads N reale Orate ?" uttered is a deep under-
tone, showed that the VINO of her compaaion found no
mms' to her soul. When Orestes appears site is still as
pre-ocespied. Ostward Wags Meek her apt. Dark dreams
of murder are Beatles Wen has salatre eye, se her levee is
speaking, end she edy easegaims kis preemies, became he
may be an Witnessed of weepaans. The hope of this
eseiseese at lest Wieniumes Ince rigidity. She lissome'
Masted, bet it Is do mem *. of a fury. Omen pleads
SO be emesesd from peelbeesing the work of sis assents. Ea
might es wall whips te a ads to be calm. She has pre.
milli to be his if he proles do task allotted he kin, bat
if he ems meat, hes teepees may eimege.