The Express.
London, England, 1855-09-29 00:00:00

THE INDIAN MAIL.

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(111! ILICIWIC TN
(PION 01111, OWN COI]

MARSEILLES, 82pr. 29.
The Alhambra arrived at 7 o'clock this morning
with the Indian Mail.

THE CRIMEA.

Colonel St. Ange, in the Mats, reviews the several
accounts of the attack on Sebastopol. " The first
sentiment," he remarks, "which seizes the European
public in reading the details of the assault on Sebas-
topol is that of admiration at the boldness and bravery
of the English and French soldiers, who, with various
alternations, incurred the same risks with equal in-
trepidity. Bat it is just also to pay a tribute of well-
merited praise to the two generals-in-chief, who were]
the soul of this great warlike exploit, and whose ad,
mirable arrangements satisfied all the conditions of
the art of war both in the aggregate and the details—
a fact which clearly appears from all private letters
as well as from the reports of Marshal Pannier. We
cannot but admire with what precision everything
was calculated and foreseen, in order to assure success
or to be prepared for a check. The columns of attack
were formed in the places (formes of the trenches
nearest to the town, and the reserves in the places
dames of the second line, and in the hollow ground
near it; the sappers were provided with their
various tools, and bad been instructed in the use of
movable bridges, to cross the fosses—they also were
ready to fill up the fosses to enable the reserves and
the field-artillery to pass; infantry auxiliaries were'
lidded to them, carrying tools and gabions ; the men
forming the scaling party had their muskets slung
over their shoulders, and carried ladders—though,
for the most put, in the impetuosity of their attack,
they neglected to make use of the latter; the siege
batteries were to sweep the ramparts with redoubled
intensity up to the very moment when the signal far
the assault was given, and were afterwards to emend
our brave men by firing at the enemy over their beads,
or in case of their being unsuccessful, to protect the
retreat and check the pursuit of the enemy; gunners
were attached to the (alumna, and were provided
with their special implements and with those
neoneary for turning and employing the con-
quered guns against the enemy ; and lastly, the pieces
of field artillery distributed on the fronts of the
attack were to give their co-operation to the in-
fantry—laboaters were to prepare the way—and the
artillerymen were, if necessary, to drag their goes
with straps to get them over obstacles. All the
generals had received their instructions from the
general-in-chief ; the itinerary and the object dame
column was determined; and let us even add, as the
report shows, that the watches of the generals were
regulated, in order that everything might be done at
the hour and minute indicated in the general orders."
The writer then enters into an examination of the
manner in which the various attacks were conducted,
and at the part which speaks of the assault on the
Curtain, says:
"In the midst of this sanguinary struggle, a very
remarkable fact, and one which is quite new in the
annals of war, occurred: by order of the Marshal,
twelve guns drawn by borne were plead in bat.
terytt half range from the town to support the
assailants—thus offering for, perhaps, the first time,
the spectacle of field artillery attacking ramparts
armed with guns of the largest size. A number of
men and hones were killed there—guns and gun
carriages were smashed—but we must admire the
service rendered to the assailants by these heroic
artillerymen in this unequal conflict."
The following tribute to the English troops will
close our extracts from the Mats:
"At the Great Redan, the English, after having
bravely scaled the ramparts with great loss, because
they had a wide space to cross under a fire of grape,
found themselves in an open 'pace exposed to the
murderous fire of a Travers erected much further off,
They, however, held the position for nearly a whole
hour; but driven back by the Russian reserves, and not
receiving reinforcements, they yere obliged at int to
give way. Notwithstanding this want of seems,
their glory is intact, for there are no troops in the
world who could have done more under such circum-
stances."

RUSSIA.

A letter from NM, of the 24th ult., in the Post
dilutes of Frankfort, says that the Grand Council of
War at Odessa or Perekop, which the Emperor of
Russia intends to hold, is for the purpose of deli-
berating on the question u to whether the state of
the army and the resources of the country are such as
to enable the war to be continued with the chance
of a favourable result. The moat intelligent and
experienced Russian officers bad been summoned to
attend the Council, and a certain number had left
Warsaw for the purpose; hut Prices Paskiewitsch,
on &coma of the state of his health, bad been unable
to leave.
A letter from Munich, of the 19th, states that out
of 60 young German medical students who some
months back entered the service of Russia, and the
misjority of whom went to the Crimea, 10 have died
from different maladies, and 30 have been seriously
injured in their health by the fatigue and sufferings
which they have undergoes.
Letters in the German journals state that a grand
ceremony will take place at Nicolaieff, in presence
of the Emperor Alexander ; and, with the greatest
pomp. the keel of a screw line-of-battle ship of 130
guns is to be laid down. This is intended as an
indirect mode of protesting against the idea that
Russia will ever renounce the supremacy which she
has exercised in the Black See.

AUSTRIA.

A letter from roans, in the dagobary Gamete,
say :—" It is at passe certain that Austria will mot
attempt to isterrept the march of military mote by
s sew proposition of ssediatloo, whatever may bo ter
Midge to see pow nistsblished."