The Express.
London, England, 1855-08-02 00:00:00

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

(FROM A SPECIAL C0Ran0....._
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, JULY 21.
Barring a few most trifling incidents, there still
continues to be nothing new whatever to report
as before each of the four bombardments which-have
already raised' and disappointed so many expecta-
tions, activity I. confined to preparation, and to that
all our waking energies continue to be given. This
time, however, there are indications that assume,
shall indeed be made sum and that open from what
point the enemy may in the next general cannouirk
we shall be prepared to give them " beano forme:
One advanced works on the right attack continue Is
be prosecuted with vigour; and before another fort.,
night has gone by, nearly every spot along our lime
whence an effective shot can be had at either the
enemy's shipping or batteries, will be in a candid=
to send forth showers of heavy shot or shell. Yee•
terday, forty-seven new mortars were brought lig
from Balaklava to the front, and will be got into po-
sition, considerably in advance of the old batteries, es
soon as the works are ready to receive them. This
is at last a step in the right ditection • and I under-
stand that General Jones (commanding the En-
gineers) is bent on completing it by mount-
ing es many mortars as he can lay hands on.
Months of result's's cannonading have shown the
uselessness of wasting metal on earthworks, which
only receive additional strength the more we batter
them; and recourse, therefore, is now wisely to be
had to a vertical fire of shells, which may effect be-
hind the parapets what round shot cannot do through
them. Besides the small 68-pounder battery which
I have already mentioned u having been converted
into a mortar battery to play upon the fleet, three
additional sea-service mortars are being mounted still
further in advance, for a similar purpose. As a pro-
tection against this extended mortar agency, the
enemy are reported to have erected ,animated eoier-
tugs over many of their Roden guns ; but a few well-
directed 68-pound shot will speedily sweep away
these, and give a fair field for 10 and 13-inch
metal. Talking of the Roden reminds me of a rather
laughable instant's of nautical patriotism which
occurred to amuse our trench guards before it on
Thursday afternoon. A tar, who had evidently shipped
more than his own allowance of rum, reeled down
in a state of glorious exhilaration from the 21-gun
battery to our advanced saps on the left, and with
irresistible emprsemesent besought one of the men on
duty to lend him his firelook. " Lind ye my firelock r
answered the red coat appealed to, "an what for r
" What for P— to take the Roden, or die for my coun-
try in the attempt." " Oh, if that's it, wid all my
heart; but don't be contint wid lees than one for
soh eye—here's a couple." A brace of rifles Jack
seemtingly shealdered, and tacked down the trench
towards its advanced extremity, loudly informing
all he passed that be was going to die for his coun-
try, and inquiring what they imagined his country
mould think of him for such an act of generous self-
owedoe. Throwing aside one of the Malts, he
amoeba the parapet, and fired the other at the
lelmemleos battery, and then jumped out into
the opee. between it and oar own trench.
Pia., ping," whizzed a dozen of rifle bullets
past his head in almost as many seconds; but, no-
thing daunted, he marched backwards and forwards
for some three minutes, stopping now and then to
hurrah, and, with hand on heart, request the enemy
to oblige him by firing there. Fortunately they
proved themselves unable to comply, and the would-
be martyr was at length induced to withdraw into
shelter, where he renewed his inquiries as to what
"the newspapers and his country would think of
tiat !"
I regret having occasion to mention the holding
of courts-martial during the put week on three offi-
cers for drunkenness, and the very painful fact of
their having been cashiered in consequence. Soon
after General Simpson's accession to the temporary
command-in-chief three cases occurred in which the
delinquents were ordered under arrest ; but, after
administering a severe reprimand to each, the
general permitted them to return to their duty.
A week later three others were again re-
wted, and, one of them being one of the
former trio, General Simpson resolved not again to
extend a leniency which had failed to have a good
effect before. The three offenders have accordingly
been tried by court-warded lied expelled the service
—the sentence of the court, however, being accom-
panied by a recommendation to mercy, which Ge-
neral Simpson declared himself unable to entertain.
The sentence and recommendation have gone home to
Lord Hardinge, and only await his confirmation to
be carried into effect. The case of the double of-
fender is one of peculiar painfulness, as the officer in
question is a captain of long standing, who served
throughout the whole of the Indian war, for which
be has three medals, as well as the greater part of
the present Crimean campaign. Though equal-
handed justice should be dealt out to both officers and
men in the punishment of an offence of such magni-
tude in the eye of military law, it seems hard that
after long and meritorious services, a man's career
should be irretrievably blasted by en occasional
yielding to a weakness which social cus-
tom and common law visit with so trifling
a penalty. It may be right and neces-
sary to make examples; but a case like this
strthes one as sad and severe beyond common ones.
I understand that the officer to whom I am now
referring waited on General Simpson and besought
him to save him from the peculiar misery and dis-
grace which must fall on him if subjected to a court-
martial, expressing his willingness to withdraw from
the service, or submit to any punishment short of the
ruinous one of being cashiered; but in vain. For
the sake of a brave and experienced officer—sad as is
this drawback in his character—one would hope that
the Commander-in-Chief may feel at liberty to inflict
a penalty less than the blasting one assigned by the
articles of war. In any case, the affair has told in a
manner which is likely to serve as a very effectual
check on those who are addicted to similar habits.
Sorties against our works have become such rari-
ties latterly, that it is worth while to mention a small
affair of this sort which occurred on Wednesday
night, in our advanced trenches on the left attack.
A strong column of Russians crept out under cover
of the darkness to the close neighbourhood of one of
our working parties engaged there, and before the
latter were aware of their contiguity, succeeded in
gaining the parapet. The working party, of course,
speedily fell back on the supports, on seeing whom
advance the enemy. turned and fled back into the
open ; their officers in vain tried to rally them under
a scattered but galling fire of musketry from our
men, and at daybreak four of the former were found
lying dead close under our work, several yards ahead
of the most advanced of the men's bodies. Our lore
on the occasion, I believe, was only one man killed
and some four or five wounded. Whilst we, howv:ver,
escape thus easily, the French have almost n'.ghtly
visits. On Thursday night, about midnight,
the booming of as heavy a cannonaem as one
often hears came rolling over from the Mamelon,
the sappers before which had been • ttacked and
temporarily driven back by a swarm of the enemy,
whom the pitchy darkness again enabled to bear
down without being seen. The French supports,
however, speedily . met them with the bayonet, and
after some ten minutes ugly fighting in the dark
they were cleared out of the trench, and peppered
admirably with grape and canister from the four
field pieces as they went. Up till last night they
had not repeated the attempt; and: as the firing was
nearly suspended throughout the night, I may pre-
sume that it passed without a visit too. I am for-
getting, however, to mention an occurrence which
took place likewise on Diureday evening imme-
diately after dusk. Abmit that hour a party
of some sixty Russians was seen to creep roma
the Careening-bay side of the Malakhoff, and
rived in the direction of the Mamelon.
wen clearly men by both our own
men and the French, but by both were at first
thought to be itaperters, till seen to throw themselves
flat on the ground behind some stones near the
French advanced sap. Fire was at once opened upon
them from the Mamelon, and, most strange to say, at
the same, moment from the Malakhoff, our twenty-one
gun tindery throwing in some well-directed shells to
keep company. When daylight dawned some thirty.
ilvri bodies were seen scattered over the ground, and
ta deserter who came in to the French at the same
time explained that they had been Russian artillery.
men, new coma% Who, not knotting the place, h

mistaken the way into the Malakhoff, and on being
seen by their own men to proceed over the open, as I
have mentioned, were by them too taken for deserters,
and fired into accordingly. Thus, at all event', the
service-men of three guns were knocked over, without
taking reckoning of the wounded. In carrying on
their zig-udvanoss towards the Little Redan, at
the top of Craning Bsy, the French are said to
have gained a view of the entrance into the Malsk-
hofi; through which reliefs and ammunition are
brought in; by which it appears to be nothing more
than a narrow passage between the strengthening
defences in the rear, and those which are connected,
curtain-wise, with the Little Roden. From the most
advanced point of the French maps in that direction it
will be practicable to make a dash for this entrance
way, which, if once mastered, would prevent the
approach of supports during a front assault of the
work, and expose those in the interior of it to
additional disadvantage of a rear fire at the woe
time. The sap, therefore is being vigorously relied
on in that direction, as well as in the immediats front
of the Malakhoff, though into both the 9,1 r moon
is beginning to throw a most unwelcome Ivo trouble-
some light, confining progress to the daetnees which
precedes her rising and follows her eettuff-
There is no news whatever from are Tchernaya;
the Sardinian and Turkish pionaing continues,
without any present signs of beigg abandoned for
more serious and active proceedings. Nor are these
last likely to be undertaken. except in execution of
some such plan of action es I have remarked on
above.

(FROM OUR CORENSPONDENT LATE ON THE
pANUBB.)

TURKISH CAMP, JOLT 21.
Omer Pacha has not returned, and is not expected
for some days to come. The only thing we have heard
lof his doings since his departure is that a grand
council has been held at which both he and the Sultan

were present ; but what was resolved upon, or was
sot resolved upon, has not transpired. As to the
future. I oan only, in default of anything bet-
ter, give you camp gossip. While nearly all
the us.-- -..ers agree as to the probability

of the generilissimo going to Asia, they are
divided as to the real cause of his anxiety on thussub.
ject. Some believe it to be nothing more than the
desire to escape from the tedium of au inactivity
which is fast dimming the lustre of his reputation,
and blasting his laurels in the very height of their
bloom; a year and a half ago he was the "centre of
a world's desire," hie name on every one's lips, and
people made pilgrimages to Shumla to see him; be-
side the other great chiefs of the war he has now be.
oome a very small personage. Others, on the
contrary,. ascribe the movement to Asia solel
to a desire to crush his ancient enemy, Ismail
Pacha, whose assumption of the chief command
on the Danube has chagrined him deeply.
He will, it is said, make a large draught from the
Danubian army a condition of his going to Kan;
supported as he is by Lord Stratford, the Serukier
will not dare to refuse his request, and Ismail Pacha
will thus find his already small force reduced to no•
thing, and himself a marshal without soldiers. Which
of these versions is the true one, I do not take upon
myself to say. In fact, I know no more unprofitable
occupation than seeking to unravel Turksh intrigues
and melee,. After puzzling his brains for weeks in
trying to find the reason of this, that, or the other
change, of this man's being promoted, his cowardice
and stupidity being well known, and the other's being
left to pine in obscurity, his courage and ability being
equally apparent, a European generally in the long
run finds himself at fault, because he has in general
far too high an idea of the tone of thought of the
people with whose acts he is dealing. The mystery
which surrounds the motives of their conduct is
simply in many cases their absurdity. You lose
yourself in the search for profound speculations, ex-
tended views, farsighted precautions, secret informa-
tion, and heaven knows what besides, and never cast
an eye on the real key to the problem which lies
under your nose, in the shape of a child's whim, a
woman's caprice, or, worse still, womanish jealousy—
an overdose of brandy or a fit of constipation. A
man who makes researches in Turkish politico is very
much like a Thames mudlark ; he may now and then
light upon a valuable fact—a curious illustration—or
an original trait, but he must wade through slime and
offal and inhale foul odours.

Everything here is in the meantime at a dead
stzridatsll. The French are sapping tip steadily
against the Malakhoff, the English guarding their
share of the trenches, but the Piedmontese
are doing nothing, and the Turks are help-
ing them. More than half the campaigning
season is already passed, and Sebastopol is not nearly
taken. Bimpheropol and Baktchi-Serai are not even
threatened, Perekop is as far off as ever, and the
"bloodless victories and Vandal-like pillage in the
Sea of Azoff have net apparently produced the
slightest effect in creating scarcity, as was expected,
amongst the Russians.

INDIA AND CHINA.

THE OVERLAND MAIL.

We have received our despatches from India and
China by the Overland Mail. The dates are--Cal-
cutta, June 18 ; Bombay, June 27.

INDIA.
The following is from the summary of the Bombay
Times :
"We are now in the thick of our rains : after
some light showers on the 11th, they commenced in
earnest on the 18th June, the day predicted for them,
when 3.5 inches fell. On the 20th 5.5 inches were mea-
sured within four hours. Up to the present date we
haws had about 18 inches—a very auspicious opening
for our south-west monsoon. As yet we have had
neither squall nor thunderstorm. The oatherana
and robbers on our Peshawur frontier have been
giving us some annoyance, sacking the villages
within our frontier, burning the grain stored away
far the season, and carrying the inhabitants away
with them. Major Edwardeh, the Commissioner,
with a Brigade of the Puojaub Irregular Horse under
the command of Major Neville Chamberlain, had
been out endeavouring to bring to order a series of
villages which for three years had not only refused us
tribute, and spurned allwrianoe to us, but joined in
the raids of those who annoyed us. On the
approach of our troops the rebels sued for
peace, offered to pay up their arrears, and pro-
, mised to be on their good conduct henceforth ;
and as this was all that was desired, they were
'rft unmolested. Village burning is only resorted
to with those who, having invaded our territories, and
done all the mischief in their power, retire before
and defy us. This is the only military movement
we have since lest mail to chronicle. The govern-
ment of the Punjaub is so short of money, that half
a million, the amount subscribed to the five per cent.
loan, mostly by natives, has been ordered by tele-
graph to be forwrrded express from Bombay, and
was sent off on Monday—a singular want of foresight,
surely, to defer the despatch of specie, to be trap-
ported 1,500 miles by water, to a period of the year
when a voyage to Kurrachee is never unaccompanied
by danger, the experiment having been first made in
June, 1853. The census of the Punjaub took place
on the 31st December, 1854, and its results have just
been published: the population amounts to thirteen
millions, the males being to the females as 55 to 45.
" The Madras Railway is expected to be opened
a few months hence. The locomotives have
been landed in safety. By this day's steamer three
young Parsee gentlemen proceed to England—two
of them, Messrs. Dadabhoy Nowrojee, professor of
mathematics in the Elphinstone Institution, and
Muncherjee Hormusjee Came, for the purpose of
establishing a mercantile agency in London; and
the third, Mr. Rustomjee Byramjee, a graduate of the
Grant Medical College, whose object it is to present
himself at the public examination for admission into
the Medical Service of the East India Company as an ,
assistant-surgeon. The Governor-General is still on
the Neilgherries, which he is not likely to leave till
October next, and Lord Elphivatone is at Poona.
Trade, as usual at this season of the year, is dull ; the
money market is easy, and freights are low."