The Press.
London, England, 1854-11-25 00:00:00

THE WEEK.

WE are at last in possession of full details of the battle of Inkermann.
It wanted only a result to be one of the most glorious achievements
in our military annals. But, failing this, it has proved, like Alma, a
barren victory. The enemy were repulsed, and that was all. We
took few prisoners, and no guns. Neither ground nor weather per-
mitted of manoeuvring. From first to last the battle consisted of a
series of desperate assaults on the British position by dense columns
of Russians, which were received with immovable steadiness, and
repulsed with invincible valour. The noble CATHCART, in his zeal to
strike an effective blow at the enemy, seems to have made an incau-
tious movement, which lost the army its most distinguished general
and entailed severe loss on the troops he led. With this exception,
and the pursuit of an advantage pushed by the French too far on the
side of the town, the allies acted on the defensive. They repulsed
the attack with heavy loss, and that was all. The enemy's casual-
ties were to ours as two or three to one—a result mainly due
to the dense masses in which they came on, and the terrible destruction
poured into them from the steady fire of our troops, and the discharges
of our guns, when they got fairly into play. The enemy retreated as
they came, in good order, and without interruption. Their loss is
officially stated at 42 officers and 2,989 men killed, and 206 officers
and 5,791 men wounded; together, 9,008. Our loss 43 officers
and 416 men killed, and 102 officers and 2,029 men in wounded and
missing. The Frenchloss is stated to be 1,726. These figures are re-
markable, as showing that, while the Russian dead were to the British as
no less than seven to one, their wounded were to ours as less than
three to one. Yet it is said that the Rusians gave no quarter. The truth
is difficult to be arrived at ; but perhaps, if all were known, there was
on either side little mercy shown in this desperate strife. Some facts
have come to our knowledge, showing the ferocity of the Russians,
which may be fully relied on. Neither NEVILLE, PAKENHAM, NEWMAN,
GREVIILE, nor many others, were badly wounded when they fell ; they
were massacred as they lay defenceless on the ground, some of them
retaining breath long enough to say so. Colonel SEYMOUR was dis-
mounted, attending to CATHCART, when he was bayonetted, and his
brains beaten out; NEWMAN was being carried to the rear by a sergeant,
when some Russians shot the sergeant and murdered NEWMAN. These
acts must tend greatly to embitter the contest. A few months ago the
march of progress and enlightenment papers, told us that the war would
be carried on in a more humane and chivalrous spirit than any former
one. The direct contrary is the case. Of all wars this promises to
be the most relentless. We are assured that a Russian major, taken
prisoner by our grenadiers, was observed to leave the ranks and run
one of our wounded men through the body with his sword. We give
currency to these statements with regret; but they reach us on excel-
lent authority, and have produced a feeling of the greatest exaspe-
ration throughout the allied ranks.
From the great reduction in our strength previous to the battle,
our ranks were severely tasked to repel the assaults of the enemy.
The brigade of Guards went into action only 1,000 strong, and their
loss in non-commissioned officers and privates alone was 551. An
instance is given in a published letter of the ridiculous manner in
which the War Department supplies reinforcements. The 95th Regi-
ment was once 1,000 strong, To supply the gaps in it, one subaltern
and eighty men were sent out. But when this powerful reinforcement
arrived, the regiment was reduced, to six officers and 200 men. Our
troops are reduced by tens and reinforced by units.
The Russian despatches seem now written with great exactitude.
No attempt is made to misrepresent events or disguise losses. There
is a discrepancy, however, in one respect between their accounts of
the battle and our own. Prince MENBCHIKOFF mentions distinctly
that several guns in both the French and English works were spiked,
but our accounts are all silent on that head. Lord RAGLAN'S despatch
is in parts vaguely written, First, he says that the Russians " aban-
doned on the field of battle 5,000 or 6,000 dead and wounded," and,
subsequently, that they left on the field " near five thousand dead,"
and that their total casualties " amount in the whole to not less than
15,000." If in the Russian account the missing and prisoners are not
included, their loss would probably exceed 10,000 men—a terrible
loss considering the number engaged on our side. From the
impossibility of affording the wounded Russians medical aid, vast
numbers of them were left to perish on the field. The enemy sent in
no flag of truce to bury the dead and tend the wounded. Hence, per-
haps, in great measure, the unusual proportion of dead to the
wounded in the return. This is to carry on war in the savage spirit of
utter barbarism. A telegraphic message from Paris yesterday says
that the allied generals have demanded an explanation from Prince
MENSCHIKOFF as to the orders issued to his forces before the battle,
that no quarter should be given. It is scarcely credible that such
order could have been issued.
The advantages of the day, notwithstanding the horrible carnage
in the enemy's ranks, seem to have been with them. We have
accounts from the Crimea to the 15th, and up to that date the siege
made no progress. The battle indefinitely postponed the contem-
plated assault, and the allied commanders, more than ever convinced
_ ?rise before them, had resolved to
and wait for large reinforcements.
we been joined by three distinct
)n-Saken, and of Dannenberg ; the
ins, in light marching order. The
therefore, in the Crimea, inclusive
_ not fall short of 100,000 men.
Balaklava will be a perilous experi-
At present it would seem that
(eir ground. They are themselves

SATURDAY,

besieged, by the relieving army on one side, and the garrison on the
other. All the disastrous consequences of this "leap in the dark" are
not yet developed. As the allied commanders are reinforced, will
they attempt to vigorously prosecute the siege through the winter,
or will they shelter their men as they best can, and wait for the
arrival of spring, and an immense increase to their force, to take the
field with one army and act against Sebastopol with another? If the
latter decision be taken, it would seem most advisable to reinforce the
camp at Balaklava only to the extent required for perfect security,
and to collect another considerable army at Constantinople ready to
take the field as soon as the season will permit.

The severe and disastrous action in the Pacific, which at another
time would have excited great attention, is almost lost sight of through
public anxiety being so exclusively fixed on the operations in the
East. The great strength of this remote station, however, shows what
care has been taken to fortify the most distant extremities of the Rus-
sian empire. Our loss was considerable, the force of the allied squad-
ron being much too weak for the service it attempted to perform.

Several vacancies in the representation have occurred this week.
By the death of Lord DUDLEY Courra STUART a seat is vacated for
Marylebone. Some cliques in the borough have already begun to stir
themselves, and the stale shibboleth of party is again heard—Reform
of Parliament, Vote by Ballot, &c. Will the electors of this wealthy
and populous borough again be imposed on by this worn-out clap-
trap ? Do they want a second placeman ? We trust some candidate.
independent alike of pothouse dictation and Ministerial jobbing, will
be put forward, if only to test the opinion of the metropolis at this
juncture. The Irish Conservative party has lost two members.
Colonel PAKENHAM, who sat for the county of Antrim, fell at Inker-
mann. In Scotland, Ayrshire is vacated by the lamented death of
Colonel BLAIR, who was first returned for the county in 1852. His
loss, as a consistent and most promising politician, will be severely felt
and deeply lamented by the Conservative party.

Mr. LUCAS is again before the world. It appears that a certain
Rev. Mr. KEEFE, P.P., has provoked the wrath of his bishop; has been
spouting, pot-valiant " pat"-riotism after dinner, or something of the
sort, and the bishop has suspended him till he has learnt the useful
art and mystery of holding his tongue. Mr. LUCAS is up in arms, of
course ; "inflames the crowd to that pitch (says a Romanist paper)
that they commit the double scandal of "—in short, hooting the bishop,
and cheering the curate ; finally, Mr. LUCAS announces that he means
to appeal to the Pope. Innocent Mr. LUCAS ! The good man really
believes "the Pope" is like "the press," or the House of Commons, or
Westminster-hall—will hear what he has to say, and give him a civil
answer. He never was more mistaken in his life. We invite the
attention of Mr. LUCAS, and of the Roman Catholic laity generally, to
the following exposition of the canon law, as practically laid down in
another of their organs :
A priest's complaint against a bishop is not entertained vicarionsly through a layman.
It the priest do not apply he is not supposed to be aggrieved at all, any complaint by a
layman notwithstanding.
This is pleasant news for the priests; and from it the laity get a
tolerably accurate notion of their importance "at Rome." We
congratulate Mr. LUCAS on having at last got a grievance—a real
good-sized, palpable calms belli. Unluckily it is against the wrong
person—the Pope, and not the Queen ; but this is what traditionally
happens in Ireland.

THE REPORT OF THE AMERICAN
AMBASSADORS
" ASSEMBLED AT OSTEND TO CONSIDER WHAT POSITION THE
UNITED STATES OUGHT TO TAKE," drc.
We wish we may be biled
But we feel a kinder riled
That the stars and stripes are spiled
Of a finger in the row,
Its " fire and tow !" Tarnation!
That the most enlightened nation
Can't have a "jawtication "
At a fixin' time like now.
It was most Almighty green
That Buchanan had not seen
That the " hunker " Aberdeen
Was a hawkin' to be sold.
For we might as well have had a
Sorter haul at ould Can-a-da
When we lighted on so bad a
Watchman as this Premier old.
S'help us 'taters, but it's vexin
To see Cuba want annexin'
While the old coon saw the wrecks in
Simipe shattered slick.
Might we not have aided Lopez
With at least as good a hope as
This here Nicholas did ope his
Jaw about the man wot's sick?
Then, all friends, its our opinion
That this 'varsal great dominion
Must shut up its eagle pinion,
Or get into this here swim.
We opine we'd better go for
Jest to skeer the old Scotch loafer
Who rules England's councils over,
And to chips we'll whittle him

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