The Express.
London, England, 1855-10-16 00:00:00

THE CRIMEA.

A despatch trots Prises Gortehakog dated the
13th, says,', This 'morning the enemy abandoned the
Upper Vary of the Belbeek, and returned to the hills
between it and the Valley of Balder. EL retreat
wu probably tamed by our movement upon ilavri
and Abate

According to a despatch received at Vienne. Mar-
shii Potholer had already maga the rear guard of
the Itemise army:

azgairr marr

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.
(nom OUR SPECIAL CORIMPONDINT.)

CAMP, SEBASTOPOL, Oot. 1.
No move has taken place among the British divi•
dose sines the mail left on September the 29th.
There is a rumour that a oombined French and
English forge, of 30,000 men, is to embark in a fowl
days, but the destination is kept entirely secret. It
would be idle to mention the various places named,
where all is so completely matter of surmise. The
necessuy arrangements have been made for four of
the English divisions to take the field, should they
be required to do so. It is generally understood,
however, that the execution of such a movement a■ is
anticipated by many, will depend more upon in-
structions from the respective governments, than
upon the will of the generals in the Aeld. In the
meantime we are being most favourable weather
to campaigning operations. Darius the last
few days we have been enjoying a kind
of mond summer—the atmosphere has been

bright and clear, and th; sun's power
very considerable by day, while the nights have been
less chilly than they were a short period ago, sad at
the suss the still and luminous with a brilliant
moonlight. Altogether, the weather is now very
similar to what the allied army was providentially
favoured with during the march last year from the
Alma to its present position.
News has been received today of successes at
Eupatoria. It is said that neon guns have been
taken, as well as a considerable number of horses and
a large amount of stores, and without any merlons loss
on our side. The of appears to have been brought
about by seeidente.at least the version brought here
gives 'that colouring to it. A large body of
Irene and Ottoman cavalry started to make
a ressmainianse, bat, a fog coming on, lost their way,
and luddsnly found themselvei upon the amp of
the Bud= army observing Enpatoria. The enemy
was surprised, and concluding that a large body of
infantry and artillery was at hand to rapport the
cavalry, quickly retreated, leaving a number of pri-
soners and a large quantity of amp slatfriel in the
bands of oar allies. If this ocourenes be u
described, it will be, at the present moment, another
reveres severely felt by the Remises.
Part of the army encamped on the north heights'
beyond Inkermann is apparently leaving, for the
nuiber of tenth has greedy diminished of late.
The scouts say that the troops are only taking up a
more sheltered position in the neighbouring valleys.
The fire, however, from the forts and batteries on
the earth side has increased, both against the
town axerpied by the Wrench and the Harahelnaia
suburb in our posseedon. There have been remark.

ably few casualties on our side, notwithstanding that
&tips parties for fetching wood and other purposes
have beset very frequent. An active lire has been
kept up from one of the French mortar-batteries
spinet the Star Fort ; suds as the shells have fallen
with great presides into the enceinte of the work,
and the enclosed buildings are very numerous. then;
is no doubt that they have mused very considerable
damage. We deo am constructing a battery to act
against the worth side. It is in • very advanced po-
sition in the larabeleala suburb ; and, se the work-
ing perdu are strong in number, it will no doubt be
shortly Sabha.
A very Ehatigietive are occurred yesterday (Sep-
tember Pith) fa the long white building known u
the Barrack building, in the Barabelnais. This pile
had escaped the general conflagration at the time of
the Remises deserting Sebastopol Although
greatly injured by abet, them was an immense
amount of timber contained in the building, which
wee of the meet solid easetreetion. Batiks the port-
able bedsteads now need in our barracks, the bed-
steads in then were fixtures, and so arranged that
the part aa which the bedding was pissed served also
as a lid to a capacious wooden enciesarm in which
everything belonging to the soldier could be depo-
sited. These peculiar combinations of a chest and
bedstead were in double lines down each apartment,
and were made of the most substantial timber. Beneath
the whole building were vaults of solid masonry, with
embed roofs, which were used ea stores. Some
of them were found to be filled with accoutrements,

and various appointments connected with the uni-
form and dress of the soldiers. Large quantities of
furniture bad been deposited in these bomb-proof
vaults. The building itself had been loopholed and
prepared for defence: in some parts it bad been
armed with senronades. Immediately in front, and
conneetc.d with it, a strong 6-gun battery bad been
raised. About 3 p.m., when at least forty or fifty
persons were engaged about the building in removing
wood, two or three being on the roof for the purpose of
getting some of the skeet-iron plates with which it is
covered, some drunken sailors who were rambling
shout were observed to enter, and one of then, it is
asserted, set fire to some loose powder by the lighted
ashes of his pipe. No farther mischief seemingly
occurred at the time beyond the explosion of the
loose powder alluded to; but a short time afterwards
a tremendous explosion mooned, driving in a large
part of the wall in the front of the building, not far
from one sad of the 6-gun battery. It appears that
previous to the explosion the woodwork of a stair-
ease and adjoining apartments had caught fire,
so that the persons near that part of the
building received warning enough to enable
them to make their escape. A sentry of
the 41st Regiment of Fusiliers was killed
at the time of the principal explosion, whieh is np-
posed to have been at a magazine Monist to the
6-gun battery already mentioned. Immediately
after this took place, the fin spread with wonderful
rapidity, and at four o'clock the whole of the im-
mense pile of building, from one end to the other,
was enveloped in names; The ensues of windows
and the free sensate ef air in consequence in all
direction, and the eirountstaace of part of the roof
having been removed, favoured the progress of the
combustion. The timber was old sad dry. It was
only two days before, that permiesioa had been
panted for the final destruction of the building, with
• view to procuring planks, flossing, and roofing
from it, for constructing huts and cooking-places in
the amp ; and orders were then given that the upper
part only of the building in the first instance should
be pulled to pines, so that the demolition might be
gradual and soodueted with sahty. While the fire
was fiercest, the flames rose high above the building
and showed through every open space in the walls,
bat much of its grandeur as a spectacle was lost by
its occurring in the day-time. At night, when the
fire had in some degree subsided, it had the appear-
ance from a distance of one of the huge factories
ass after dark in some of the manufacturing
districts d &gland when lighted withis by
gas. The enemy kept up a very active
ore, both of shot and shell, in the direction of the
burning structure, to impede any attempts that might
be made to extinguish the fiancee and prevent their
extension to other buildings in the neighbourhood.
The Are is not yet extinct. The following general
order has ben issued this swain :
Naval sad military sins and soldiers may are to be
permitted to men my pert of the British parties of the
Larabolsoil robes% or tho Dookyard buildlaµ Ns Wien
or *dikes oro to be admitted without a pees has the
Adjohuti Gomarirelloo, houlloortora liskaNer Omuta

Windham, tbl., mad the same le esseasead of the guard
et the Hodes, .at eve orders easordiser.
In addition to danger front the quantities of loose
powder sad ammunition scattered about the towel
the fire from the north side is sufficiently hazardous,
and the sight of a group of persons about the Dock-
yard is always a signal for the Russians to send •
shell or shot in that direction.

Captain W. F. Hooke, 47th Regiment, died this
morning from the effects of a wound received at the
attack upon the Redsn on the 6th of September. He
was Brigade Major of the 2nd Brigade, 2nd Division,
and was with Colonel Windham, C. 8., who then
commanded that Brigade, at the time he received the
injury. He was struck on the head, early in the day,
by a piece of shell, and as there was no fracture of
bone, the wound was not considered to be of s very
serious character. The misobief subsequently proved to
be deeper than was anticipated, and though for
some time under orders to leave for England at the
recommendation of a medical board, he was not in a
fit state to bear the removal. He was an active, in-
telligent °Meer, and, from his industry and expe-
rience, the loss of his services as Brigade Major will
be much felt. He is deeply regretted, not only in his
own, but in all the regiments of the brigade.
A few days since there was a grand distribution
by General Pelissier of awns and medals to the lit

—formerly General Oanrobert's—Division, which
distinguished itself at the taking of the Melskhoff
on the Bth of September. About 100 of these ho-
nourable marks of distinction were given. The dis-
tribution was accompanied with the usual military
Mat and enthusiasm. The division wee commanded
by one of the brigadiers; General Whlabou, who
commanded on the day of the attack. having no-
carded to the command of the 2nd corps d'orrnee, in
the abloom of General Boaquet, who was wounded.
The General-in-Chief told the division that arrange-
ments were being made for their early return to
Frans.
It cannot be said the announcement that the fall of
Sebastopol is to be marked by an additional clasp to
the Crimean medal has produced satidaction among
those most interested in the subject. The men and
officers of those divisions which have been con-
tinuously engaged in the arduous duties of the
trenches throughout the long siege—who have felt
each time that they went in for their turn of duty that
they were encountering all the risk, without the
excitement, of a general action—consider that some

more distinctive deeoratioa was their doe. According
to the terms of Lord Panssareie despatch, every officer
of the army who has served in the Crimea during the
siege, though he might never have seen the trenches
of Sebutopol—ofilan who have joined their regi-

meats in front and quitted them almost as soon as
they arrived—will be entitled to claim the decoration
as much as those who have honestly performed their
duties from the opening of the siege last October to
the day of its final cooolusion nearly a twelvemonth
afterwards. The following is the announcement as
issued in Oemeral Orders :
Head quarts, Sehoetopol, Sept. 30, 1855.
The Commander of the PeUes has the highest satisfaction
in publishing to the army a despatch which be has received
from the Minister at War, *messing the Queen's suet
'mins approbation of the troops *upped in socomplishiag
the reduction of Sebastopol, on the Bth September.
War Department, Sept. 16, 1855.
Sir,—l have the honour to acquaint you that her Majesty,
in order to mark her high sense of the services of her army
is aceomplishing the roduedon of Sebastopol, boa been
pleased to command that a ship should b• added to the
Crimean medal, bearing upon it the lameiption, " Sebes-
toy! ;" and further, her Majesty has boon pleased to com-
mand that all thou of her regiments of cavalry and infantry
which have been engaged In the war, should bier es their
standards and (solutes the name of " flabastopel."-1 have
the hawse to be. Sir, your obedient humble mutant.
General &mum. Runeuaa.

As a matter of policy, as well as of jostioe, some
mark, in addition to what is indicated above, should
be conferred on those who have distinguished them-
selves in this protracted siege, not only by individual
sets of heroism, but also by steady adherence to their
digits during a time when so many others left their
places vacant. A siege medal, to lee given only to
those actively engaged in the operations of the siege,
and bearing some characteristic device OT mark of
distinction according to the length of time employed
—the whole siege being divided into three or more
Periods—world have been a valued gift, because it
could have been obtained by now but a legitimate
and deserving claimant, and its possessiers would
have been a comparatively limited number.