The Press.
London, England, 1854-09-23 00:00:00

ODESSA AND SEBASTOPOL.

RumouisTespecting the bombardment of Odessa
have been very rife during the week. The town itself
has been subject to `increased consternation, as may
be seen limn the folloWing 'letter, published in a
Vienna newspaper, and dated from Odesia, Septem-
ber

" Many inhahitapts of the town have sought refuge at
Tiraspol, the position of the hostile fleet being a threaten-
ing one. Half the population of this city has already has-
tened into the interior of Russia, in order to escape the
terrible cannonade which has more than once wounded
our ears. Since yesterday several ships have been collect-
ing in front of our city. To-day some of them got into
order of battle, and began to fire for praFtice. At first the
commander, Count Annenkpff, tbought the enepy was
about to attack us, and the garrison was kept ready for ac-
tion, but the real state of things soon became evi4ent. The
enemy bas not yet attacked us, but we are in hourly expec-
tatiOn he will do so. A great niany ships are Sailing in a
westerly direction. The enemy will certainly menace all
the places on the coast of the Black Sea ;It one and the
same time, in order to keep our army fully occupied.
Akermann, Odessa, Ociakoff, Kinburn, Perekop, E upatoria,
Sebastopol, and, indeed, all the places FP 1-0 AnsPL 101
become targets for the enemy's artillery.'

The same letter contains the following respecting
Sebastapol :
" Prince Menschikoff has exhausted all means of defence
in order to render Sebastopol impregnable, as well from the
land as from the sea side. Between Sebastopol and gook.
lava there are live strong detached forts, Which are Pal-
Honed by a sufficient number of troops. The road from
Balaltlava to Yalta if rendered impassable andway
The coast between Sebastopol and Eupatoria is defended
at unequal distances by batteries consisting of sit howit-
zers. There are three forts at Eupatoria, one on the north,
a second on the east, and a third on the west side. That
place is garrisoned by 15,000 men. The heights in front
of Sebastopol, which are encircled by redoubts and trenches,
are armed with eighteen batteries and defended by 20,000
men. The garrison of Sebastopol is only 10,000 strong,
but, if we add to this number the crew of the fleet, the for-
tress is defended by 26.000 men. Prince Menschikoff is-
sued p proclamation on the 3rd, in which he prepared the
people for a resistance to the very last. J alp unable tp
givi you the proclamation literally, but I cap give you the
sense of it as it was communicated to me by a friend. The
prince first enumerates all the victories gained by the Pop
shins in the course of this century, aid then calls op Ills
soldiers to show themselves equal to their prplicessors in
bravery and power of eucli.rtuice. IS the enemy, pf a con-
sequence of the inscrutable will of 'leaven, should obtain
victory, then let the wbnle eta* t 4 powder gq with him
into the air. The conclusion of the proclamation la t Rather
let us 41e than surrender to the enemy.' Our army is very
much oast dawn. The news of the fall of Bomarsund has
much depressed military men, ss vigil high wi low. From
the interior of Russia, especially front the neighboothood
of Novogorod, reinforcements have arrived wtthin the last
few days, but they do not remain here, as their destination
is Cczakoff and Kherson. Troops have also arrived front
the Danubian am."

On the Ist of Feptember there was a sad catas-
trophe. A Turkish steamer, used to tow off the
troop-boats from the pier to the transports, ran doe
a lighter with forty Zouaves on board. As the men
were fully equipped and laden with their knapsacks,
&c., they sank like stones to the bottom. Ten were

SATURDAY

saved by clinging to the sides of the lighter. The
captain of the boat bas been arrested and placed in
prison. This event has much disbeattened the
Zouaves, just as they were beginning to recover
from the depression crested. by their losses in the
Dobrudaphil.

PIE WAR IN ASIA.
The following sketch of the state of the Turkish

army in Asia will be read with interest. After stating
that the Turkish officers had endeavoured to throw
the whole blame of their ill-success on General Guyon ,
and remarking that the general is, in point of authority;
a mere cypher, with the privilege of giving advice and
the annoyance of never seeing it followed, the
writer continues :

" To be candid, I fear that Napoleon himself would have
proved incapable of coping with the indiscipline and watt
of soldierly virtues displayed by the Turkish army. The
highest officers set the example of indiscipline, and when-
ever a battalion advanced to the fire, or stood with intrepidity
the awful shock of the Russian dragoons, it was some poor
lieutenant or captain who cheered on hia men, or exhorted
them to be steady, whilst majors and colonels were invisible.
As a general rule, the subalterns behaired extremely well,
whilst all grades, beginning with the colossi or captain-
adjutant, covered themselves with shame. There we a few
noble exceptions, where colonels displayed the most an•
doubted courage. I myself saw several weeping like
children wben their battalions opened and disbanded; but
the above rule will bold good, and is undeniable. The
cavalry behaved disgracefully ; not only did they not once
charge, but at the first good roam] discharge they turned
and lied. General Guyon, wishing to cheek the destruc-
tive activity of a Russian battery playing upon the left
wing, drew• up two regiments of cavalry, and, putting him-
self at their head, led them against it: The men followed
him with shouts ; but on riding over a slight acclivity a
Russian infantry regiment opened its small fire upon them
and the cavalry, to a man, wheeled about and fled, leaving
Guyon alone. The artillery behaved excellently, and main-
tinned its former reputation for gallantry and
To its werldirected discharges of grape may be attributed
the serious less sustained by the Iltutabeas, particularly •in
cavalry. The foreign officers behaved well to a man, and,
by the gallantry they displayed in the presence of the Turks,
nobly avenged themselves for the slights heaped upon theta
by the latter. With respect to the ambulance arrangements,
they were miserable. Every wounded man was carried eg
the field by one or two comrades; consequently the
battalion, melted away sensibly. The medical staff we;
at a considerable distance from the field of action, and coal
render no great relief. I believe that but ripe stir eon
dressed the wounded ander fire, and be was an English-
man, Dr. Fraser. The Itusesiens did not behave
brilliantly. It was only by exposing their lives to an
unusual degree that the officers could draw on the
infantiy. • The artillery wee badly directed, the range
being generally too low. But the cavalry, that is to say,
the Russian dragoons, shone admirably, and by their
irresistible pluck decided the action. Altongh whole ranks
were inolgif4 (lowa by the Turkish artillery, the remainder
closed agaip witholit hesitating, and pursued their deadly
charge. The Cossacks, like the turkish bashiliarculut•
proved themselves perfectly harmless. Ip Concluding nil
remarks, I will add that, in their present condition, both
as regards officers and discipline, the Turkish troops are
incapable of fighting in the open field. With the cavalry
in its present state it would be folly to risk anotberaction.
Behind walls I have no doubt the infantry will fight well ;
but to draw it from beyond those defences would be a cruel
sacrifice. It will excite surprise in Europe that this rainy
should have behaved so badly, whilst on the Danube the some
race of men have displayed unusual bravery. This mystery
is solvable. On the Danube there are many
_wq.p.
itiort
trot pa, who are better disciplined than the TWILta
soldiers ; and then Omer Pecha has accustomed his men
to !tend fire bybringing tliem menu,
and smeller engageme,
and thus preparing them for ateadines in a general pelifili•
lift the great reason is tins—nn the Danube there cow
mends a soldier; in Anatolia, a civilian. With the beSi
will in the world, Zarif Pasha could not have expected td
conduct a campaign with success, wanting as he is in every
military knowledge. His only hope lay in in the Europefure
about him, who, although no Napoleons in point of genius,
still possessed experience in war: These he openly slighted,
and towards General Guyon in particular be openly 66'
played his animosity."
The precipitate and unexpected retreat of the
Russiani4 took every one by stirprise, and has called
forth a variety of tiarmises to account for it. Tha
motives, probably, are complex. In that country of
irregular hordes; where no 'rule is established beynnd
that of the cl ief of she tribe, a victory does little
buy
disperse bands wlio aysesible again to morrow, in 1
melinwbile the country becomes exhausted of it 4
means of supply, apd nty irregular bands are pous-
ing forth L 311144 au enemy weak en ed by hie' w(
iteri
stitgesses: `There pay be, besides, more defin
reasons in the present instance. illchamyl's dreoulti
presence in the near neighbourhood of Tiflis by
hurriedly called the Russian general away to defend
the Georgian capital against this much more terribla
enemy tban Zarif Pacha. He has probably
strengthened the garrison of Gumri, and marched
the remainder of his force to check the invading
hordes of the Daghistanee chief. To so check
Schamyl, however, Bebutoff's 25,000 men are not
likely to be of much avail, if what is authoritatively
stated is correct, that, before six weeks from the
present time, the neighbouring coast of Circassia
be the scene of some important operations on the