The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-05 00:00:00

(Stamped id. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

sear the end of Fort Nicholas, but large working
parties are still employed about the mole. A glut
number of boats, of all sizes, have been in active
movement upon the water of the harbour to-day.
Boats, containing only one or two passengers, and
manned by eight or ten active rowers, have been con-
stantly passing between the two shores.
Half-past 9.—A flne clear moonlight night. A
very active fire is going on in the batteries. A con-
slant boiled(' is also beard, probably from the rifle-
men in the advanced trenches against the embrasures
of the enemy'.. work'.
12 a.m.—The cannonading has gradually increased,
and at present the thunder of a mast intense and
concentrated discharge from guns and mortars is'
widely audible. The rapid fire of musketry also
mixes its sharp rattle among the deeper sounds of
the guns. The flashes appear most vivid and con-
tinuous in the direction of the Malakhoff, and the
whole appearance would indicate a vigorous and de-
termined attack. The usual Russian shout is not,
however, heard among the various sounds which
reach the ear from the foremost trenches.

August 26.—As the moon set, shortly after mid-
night, the rapid cannonade and fire of musketry
giadually subsided into the ordinary discharge from
the batteries. The cause of the unusually heavy fire
last night is not yet known in easy: it is said to
have been an attack made by the French against
some Russian ambuscades in front of the left curtain
of the Rorsiteff bastion. It occurred further to the
eastward than the Malakhoff hill. As it ceased when
the night grew dark, there was no probability of its
being an onset by the enemy against oar working
parties.
Lieutenant and Captain the Honourable Robert
Drummond, of the Coldstream Guards, was mortally
wounded by a rifle ball in the chest last night. He
met his fate with remarkable resignation, and though
suffering from excessive faintness from loss of blood,
quietly made arrangements that he should be buried
near the graves of his brother offiosrs at Inkermann.
He was an active and zealous officer, religious, and
gifted with many mental endowments, and his loss
will be severely telt in hie regiment. Captain James
Frankfort Browne, of the Royal Engineers, and
Brevet-Major Warden, 19th Regiment, were also re-
ported wounded, but not dangerously, by fragments
of shells.

This day has opened sunny and hot, the heat not
being moderated by the usual breeze.
The sudden alarm and turn-out of the several
divisions in front on the night of the 17th arose from
an order given by Lieut.-General Sir William Cod-
rington, commanding the Light Division, to sound
the "assembly." The following is given u the ex-
planation. Suspicion was excited that a certain per-
son at one of the canteens of the 62nd Regiment, in
the Fourth Division, was a spy. He was a Mend
of the proprietor of the canteen. Some soldiers de-
termined to arrest this stranger, for the purpose of
bringing him before the proper authorities, and sub-
mitting him to examination ; but, having discovered
the intention, the man soddenly decamped. A obese
ensued. A few soldiers only followed at first,
but others, hearing the cry of "a spy escap-
ing," quickly joined, and in a short time
a considerable number were in pursuit. The
fugitive bent his course towards the left ravine,
along which the Woronsoff road leads directly into
Sebastopol, by way of the South Harbour. General
Codrington was near the upper part of the ravine
when the crowd passed by, and finding a body of
men were thus running towards the enemy's position,
and fearing some mischief might ensue, adopted the
only available expedient for at once bringing them
back to camp. A bugler—one being in attendance
on the General, ready for any emergency—was or-
dered to soond the assembly, which was at onoe re-
peated by the regiments of the Light Division, and
soon taken up by the regiments of the 2nd and 4th
Divisions, encamped next to it. The alarm at once
brought the soldiers back to their respective regi-
ments; but before the bugle sounds had been heard
they had already secured the object of their chase,
and were leading him back to camp.
Some time ago a soldier of the 44th Regiment, a
Pole by birth, informed against the keeper of the
canteen alluded to above, that he had formerly known
him to be employed in the Russian secret service at
Warsaw, and that he suspected him to be engaged at
present as a spy. The charge was investigated by
a board of officers, but no conclusive evidence to sup-
port it could be adduced ; and as the canteen-man
had written testimonials in his favour, and proofs of
long residence at Pere, there was not supposed to be
sufficient ground for his dismissal from camp. He
has, therefore, remained pursuing his usual avoca-
tion, though not without a certain amount of suspi-
cion that he was carrying os a communication with
the enemy. The soldier himself did not escape with-
out exciting in the minds of some persons doubts
respecting the honesty of his intentions. Cer-
tain parts of his evidence against the canteen-man
appeared very contradictory. He was known to speak
the Russian and German languages, and it did not
appear satisfactory that with such attainments he
should choose to enlist ass private soldier, when en
many other opportunities of employing his talents
and information with more advantage were open to
him. He alleged that he had entered the army as a
means of employment, and from liking the service.
It appeared that be had done his duty well since he
had been with the regiment ; no one bad previously
mistrusted him; and he therefore left the investigs-
tidn without any accusation appearing against him,
that he bad been influenced by other than honest
motives in bringing forward the charge which had led
to the inquiry. He still persisted in asserting, after
the charge was dismissed, that the canteen-keeper

was a spy in disguise.
We cannot look for a police system so complete as
that which has gradually been cultivated and per-
fected in France, and applied to the camps in the
Crimea t but ne one can deny that we are tar behind
what is absolutely nea sorry for due precaution and
the general safety. A systematic inspection of the
numberless sutlers' establishments in the English
camps, and a proper registration of the camp fol-
lowers of every denomination, are matters of urgent
requirement.

(FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.)
BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, Ave. 26.
Since my last nothing of greet impartanoe has
taken place, but the allied armies have been
constantly on the alert, expecting an attack
in front and in the. Tcheroaya valley, or about Raider.
Only last night the Highlanders were kept from
going down to the " right attack" trenches with their
companions, the Guards, so as to be prepared this
morning at 3 for an attack from the enemy near
Beide:. All the field batteries and cavalry received
orders to be reedy to turn out at 3 also, and
the guards of the trenches were increased by
sending down and keeping down besides the Brigade
of Chards, about 1,100 strong, the whole of the Light
Division The order for men to be confined to camp
has yet been rescinded, and owing to the orders
to different divisions to hold themselves in readiness
to be employed at a moment's notice being so fre-
quent, engineer officers have been told off to all the
divisions, except the Highland one :—First Division,
Captain Cooke, R.E. ; Second Division, Lieutenant
Brine, R.E.; Third Division, Captain Montagu, R.E. ;
Fourth Division, Lieutenant Neville, R.B. ; Light
Division, Major Huston, R.E. Since the 21st the
following officers have been wounded in the right at-
tack. On the 23rd, Lieutenant Wield, 95th Regiment,
severely in left breast by a grape shot.
This officer rose from the ranks. On the
morning of the 24th Lieutenant Evered,
of the Queen, wounded severely on the side
by a piece of shell. This officer is brother of Lieut.
Bested of the 54tb Regiment, formerly of the 7th
Dragoon Guards. Yesterday evening, while creeping
aims the *di parallel, where his body was not ea&

ciently covered, through the rock in the trench not
having been sufficiently blasted away, C.ptain
James Browne, Royal Engineers, was wounded io the
left shoulder severely, but not dangerously, by Minis
rifle ball. This officer is the only son of the Dean of
Kilkenny, and grandson of Lord Kilmaine. He has
a sister, the Hon. Mrs. Lindsay, wife of Colonel Lind-
say, of the Grenadier Guards, now living at The-
rapia. lam told that this is the fourth Browne of
the same family killed or wounded in the present
war. I suppose if there is one officer more than
another that has been grossly passed over, and who
ought t have been made a brevet major for the
Quarries, that officer is this Captain Browne. He
not only on the 7th Jane commanded the Engineers
and the whole of the workieg parties, but be himself
actually caused to be made, atter the first assault,
both the lodgment sad communication, and thereby
was chiefly the means of enabling us to hold the
Quarries tram the repeated attacks of the enemy. In
addition to all this, his cervices were "eulogised" in
Loa Raglan's despatches. I am informed that es
hie return from Therspis, on the 14th of August,
where he had been for the electively of
his health, for about fourteen days, finding
that he had not been promoted evea amongst the
large number of captains that were, both for the 7th
and 18th of Jane, he spoke to Sir Harry Jones
on the subject, who then said to hiss—" Yes,
you decidedly ought to have been promoted.
It is not my fault. I will speak or write to the
Commander-in-Chief about it." I regret to say that
Captain Browne's case happens to be only one of
many in which the corps of engineers is sadly
neglected by its own authorities at home, who natu-
rally enough are not anxious to see young men, com-
paratively speaking, promoted. During Captain
Browne's absence from duty, Capt. Cooke, R.E., as
before, will become director of the right attack.
Sir Harry Jove', I understand, is again very ill. this
time from fever; and I am sorry to have to acquaint
yon that while on his passage to Scutari, on the
14th instant, Captain Nelson, 8.C., died from
weakness caused originally by Crimean fever. He
was a most promising officer, and his loss is deeply
felt by his brother officers. He bad been nine years
in the service, three of them in the West Indies ; and
he leaves a young widow and child to mourn hie
death. There can be little doubt that it this officer
had been placed sooner on board ship hislifemighthave
been saved. This was also the rime with CoL Tylden.
The French have not been advancing much lately,
and the firing on all sides has for the last three or
four days been nothing more than usual. But the
enemy have taken to trying to throw shell and shot
into our different camps. Yesterday they succeeded
in tilling a horse, the property of Capt. King, Royal
Horse Artillery, Aide-de•Camp to Lieut.-General
Markham. This officer was brother to the late Capt.
King, 32nd Regt., orderly officer to Lord Raglan,
who died of cholera, and who originally came out here
to meet his groat friend General Markham, to whom
he was to have been aide-de-camp.
You will be glad to hear that both Lieut. Dennis,
3rd Buffs, and Major Henry, Royal Artillery, are
this morning much better.