The Press.
London, England, 1854-11-18 00:00:00

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LONDON, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 1854.

POSTSCRIPT.

THE WAR.
A gracious message from her Majesty, expressing
her approbation of the gallant conduct of the army
at the battle of the Alma, was transmitted to Lord
Raglan on the 10th of October, and communicated
to the troops in general orders upon its receipt in
the Crimea. In this despatch the War Minister
states :
The Queen commands me to convey through your lord-
ship her Majesty's commendation and thauks to Lieut.-
General Sir George Brown, the other generals of divisions,
and to all the officers, non-commissioned officers, and
privates of the army, who have on this occasion revived
the recollection of the ancient glories of British arms, and
added fresh lustre to the military fame of England.
Her Majesty feels additional pleasure in thus recog-
nising the noble daring of her soldiers, and sympathising
in their victory, when she reflects that that courage has
been evinced, and those triumps won, side by side with the
troops of a nation whose valour the British army has in
former times admired and respected in hostile combat,
but which it has now for the first time tested in the gene-
rous rivalry of an intimate brotherhood in arms. Her
Majesty trusts that the blood of the two nations so pro-
fusely shed on the banks of the Alma—a subject of deep
regret to herself and her people—may consecrate an al-
liance which shall endure for the benefit of future gene-
rations when the remembrance of this battle-field is hal-
lowed by gratitude for the consequences, as well as the
glories, of victory.
Correspondence from the Crimea to the 3rd inst.
was received in London last evening. The following
despatch from Lord Raglan to the War Minister con-
veys an official record of the siege operations to that
day :
Before Sebastopol, November 3, MC
Since I wrote on the 2'lth ultimo the enemy have consi-
derably increased their force in the Valley of the Tschernaya,
both in artillery, cavalry, and infantry, and have extended
to their left, not only occupying the village of Camara, but
the heights beyond it, and pushing forward pickets and
even guns towards our extreme right ; sad these yesterday
fired a few shots, apparently to try the range, which fell
somewhat short.
These movements have induced me to place as strong a
force as I can dispose of on the precipitous ridge in that
direction, in order to prevent any attempt to get round to
Balaklava by the sea : and the whole line is strengthened
by a breastwork, which has been thrown up by the highland
brigade, the royal marines, and the Turkish troops, thus
circumscribing that part of the position ; whilst imme-.1
diately in front of the gorge leading into the town a strong
redoubt is in course of being completed, which is to be
garrisoned by the 93rd Regiment, and armed by several
guns ; and on high ground behind, and to the left, is a bat-
tery manned by seamen, which terminates the position to
be defended by the troops under the command of Major-
General Sir Colin Campbell.
Further to the left, and in a more elevated position, is
the brigade of the Ist French division, commanded by
General Vinois, ready to move to the assistance of any of
the British force that may be assailed, and maintaining
the connection between the troops in the valley and those
on the ridge on which the main armies are posted.
The harbour of lialaklava is under the charge of Cap-
tain Decree of the Sampareil, and Rear-Admiral Sir Ed-
mund Lyons is in the roadstead outside, and is daily in
communication with me.
Thus every possible step has been taken to secure this
important point, but I will not conceal from your Grace,
that I should be more satisfied if I could have occupied the
p etition in considerably greater strength.
With reference to the operations of the combined
armies engaged in the attack on Sebastopol, 1 have the
honour to state that there is no material diminution in the
enemy's fire, and yesterday morning, two hours before
daylight, the cannonade from all parts of the south front
was heavy in the extreme, both on the French and British
lines, and it occasioned, I deeply regret to say, some loss,
but less than might have been expected under the circum-
stances.
In the meanwhile the French, who have before them
the town and real body of the place, have taken advantage
of the more favourable ground, and are can-ring on ap-
proaches systematically on the most salient and com-
manding part of the enemy's lines ; and they have eon-
structed and opened batteries, the precision of the fire
horn which has most materially damaged the Russian
*Ate, although as yet they have not succeeded in silencing
Ma* flits.