The Express.
London, England, 1855-03-26 00:00:00

.ems,;

whki **Ewer* th4t Ade andebell aunt be quarried
cilit elk* mountain el*, and that their powder casks
`am ,like the mak of *meatus, the more he
task from which dm vitae it Aided. It is clear our
=alittie anti understand the folly of their former
though •WitiLdisee as with us repentance
cows e, and almest-too late. Neither we nor
they pan retrieve the past. It was evidently their
mteittlon to frightan_oar young soldiers-with the rear
of their artillery, with the bursting of their shells,
and the bouncing of their shot. Instead of - • '
I!!

tau not, ties' e small drawbacks tti the delights
The t " shave "of the canal; l diet Prince Ment-'
eldkoff has been wounded. How rind in what manner,
and whether slightly or severely, is a mystery even
among the best informed. But that the prince has
" got bitten" is au indisputable fact; it is asserted at
all the breakfast tables in camp.
Of foreign "shaves" which have been discussed with
more or less eagerness, we have had the adhesion of
Prossialto the alliance of the Western Powers, and
the death of the Czar, or rather of Nicolans, as the
army, with an undue familiarity, persists in calling
that mighty prince. The death of "Nicolaus" is gene-
rally thought likely to lead to an immediate cessation of
hostilities. Now that the winter is over, and active
operations may be looked for, our soldiers and officers
have not yet made up their minds whether to rejoice
or' grumble at what appear to be prospects of peace.
But you may be sure, if that monstrous event were to
take place, it would be heartily grumbled at, for
three-fourths of the army have made up their minds
that they must know what the inside of Sebastopol
is like. As for the adhesion of Prussia, allow me for
one to express my own opinion on a matter
not immediately coonigred with the campaign
is the Crimea. My opinion is that such an event
would be one to be deplored, and one which might
lead to great disasters. if Prussia joins us, it is but
to clog our action and to betray us. Prussia—that
is to say, the King of Prussia and his cabinet of
the most immoral ministers that ever disgraced a
country—Prussia is a cures to the party to which
the allies herself, and for that very reason I desire to
see her openly allied to Russia. The treaty of alliance
with Russia once signed, we may rely upon Prussia's
neutrality. There are characters so radically vitiated
that they cheat, not for gain, but for the pleasure of
cheating, and to whom dishonesty, as virtue to others,
is its own reward.

I cannot depart from the domain of
facts (what a splendid diplomatic word for the fami-
liar term "shave") without mentioning the current
rumour of the immediate arrival in camp of the
Emperor of France. This piece of good news is
asserted with great earnestness; it is generally
believed, and it creates an impression that upon the
Emperor's arrival the two armies will at once pro-
and to decisive measures against Sebastopol. This
is as it should be. At least one of the allied move-
signs should be present at the fall of the doomed
sty.
The resuscitation of Balaklava is proceeding Bads
factorily. But it is with deep concern I have to
mention that Colonel Harding is likely soon to be
relieved from his command of the town. I still hope
that the news is merely a false alarm, and that in my
next letter I shall be able to contradict it: Mr.
Oppenheim's store in the sutlers' camp at Kadikoi is
now opened, and supplied with all campaigning
necessaries and luxuries, and next to it, though sepa-
rate from the establishment, is a restaurant, where a
" moderate dinner may be had at a moderate price"—
of course in the Crimean sense of those terms. But
certainly it is a great step in advance that a dinner
or brea.ktast may be had for money, and better
and for less mosey than was formerly charged
by the transport captains in the harbour of Balaklava,
many of whom converted their ships into hotels
and gave breakfasts, consisting of tea, with biscuit
and salt pork, and dinners of bad soup, pork, pre-
served potatoes, and jam pie, for the very moderate
sum of 10s. per diem. It is impossible to use the
fitting terms in describing the greed of the majority
of our transport captains, and the unfair advantages
they have at all times taken of the necessities of the
army, to such an extent that the advent of two
Maltese and lonian traders was hailed as a piece of
good fortune. That the transports, the whole of
whose space and carrying power has been hired by
government, take op passengers and goods indiscri-
minately, I have already mentioned in a former
letter. But I forgot to mention that they frequently
refuse to convey, or find very bad accommodation for
passengers or private goods sent on board by order of
the authorities of Constantinople,and that they charge
outrageously for freights, thereby doing their best to
raise the price of goods at Balak lava. Thus,for instance,
I know that the purser of the Sydney steamer charged
a merchant five pounds per ton for the conveyance of
his goods from Stamboul to Balaklava.

(raom ♦ SPECIAL

OP THI DAILY

maws.)
CAMP ABOVE SEBASTOPOL, MAR= 9.

On the morning of Tuesday the 6th instant, one of
our new batteries on the right opened fire against two
Russian vessels lying at the upper part of the har-
' boor. This battery, so close to the edge of the cliff,
that a stone could be cast from it into the water be-
low without much difficulty, was traced out some
time ago by Major Gordon, RE., but had remained
masked until the date mentioned. The chief objects
against which its fire was to be directed were, a pad-
dle-wheel steamer constantly employed in transport-
ing troops and stores across the harbour, and another
steamer, armed with a heavy mortar, which has been
the source of annoyance by its facility of changing
position and obtaining shelter under the points of
laud which project from the southern shore. On
Monday evening these two vessels were seen to be
lying out from the land, east of the entrance to Ca-
reening Bay, about one third of the distance across
the harbour to the north side. They were calculated
to be about 1,600 or 1,700 yards from the battery in
question, and within range of Fevers,' of the guns
with which the work was armed, as well as the shells
of a mortar battery connected with it. The form of
the battery would only admit of a limited number of
its guns being brought to bear upon the steamers.
Shortly before day broke, before the hulls of the
vessels themselves were visible, a slight curl of
smoke from one of them showed that they had not
quitted their position. The fire at once commenced.
It was not possible for some time to perceive with
any accuracy where the shot fell ; but, when the
mist had cleared away, and the nearer of the two
vessels became visible, it was evident that she had
been struck. There seemed to be no doubt, judging
from the abortive efforts which were observed to set
it in motion, that the paddle-wheel looking towards
the battery rad been injured. In spite of all eedea-
yours to get steam up, half-an-hour and five minutes
elapsed. before the vessels bad quitted their berth,
and during this time above sixty rounds of shot and
shell were fired against them. It was calculated that
eight or ten of dissect least had been effective. The
nearer steamer was seemingly warped off, and, as she
disappeared round a projecting point to the west-
' ward of her former anchorage, it was for some time
supposed that she had sunk. This supposition was
chiefly caused by the sudden appearance in the course
' of her track of two boats crowded with sailors; but
subsequent) y she was seen passing the entrance to
Careening Bay, with masts and mid, considerably
damaged by the fire to which she had been exposed,
but still floating on toward the Dockyard.
A very short time was permitted, after the battery
had been unmasked, sod the fire opened against the
ships, before the Russian gene in turn opened their
fire against the new work. A constant discharge
was kept itp from the twos batteries near the west
Inkermann lighthouse, from the battery on the edge
of White Cliff, and from the work westward of the
entrance to Careening Bay ; but, whether the guns
were badly served, or whatever might be the cause,
they failed altogether either in damaging oar work
or injuring any one within it. Captain Lushingtoo.
commanding the naval brigade, Captain Moor-
Dom, RN., and other officers were present, in addi-
tion to those iu immediate charge of the battery.
The same evening a considerable portion of the.
British force before Sebastopol received orders to be
under arms, and ready for active work at a moment's
notice. It became whispered about that the Com-
mander-in-Chief had received a telegraphic message
of the most important character—no less than news
of the assassinstien of the Emperor Nicholas—
and that it was thought not unlikely the Russian
, garrison and army, under the influence of irrita-
tion and fanatic seat, might Mena out and
make a desperate samult epos our hew. The