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

THE PRESS.

of its principles and policy as shall drive from
office an Administration which has so
grievously abused its opportunities, and place
there the great English party which alone
reflects the heroic determination of the coun-
try, and is alone equal to the carrying out of
bold, able, and successful measures.

SEBASTOPOL AND ITS DEFENCES.
WHENEVER the history of the Crimean expedition is
written, the remarkable delusion under which the
press and the people of this country laboured with
regard to the strength of the land defences of Sebas-
topol and the character of the defenders will not
escape the eye of the historian. An arsenal and a
fortress, the destruction of which was known to be
the ulterior object of the expedition, and the plan of
attack upon which was explained to the world by the
leading journal of the day five weeks before the ex-
pedition set sail, was presumed to be comparatively
defenceless upon the land side ; and, although a
period of upwards of three months had been given to
the enemy to prepare for the attack, it was confidently
asserted and believed that there had not been suffi-
cient time to erect solid earth or stone works, or
scientific fortifications of any sort upon the one weak
point of the object of attack. In one journal the
capture of the town by a coup-de-main was asserted
as not only possible, but " easy of execution ; " in
another, though if. was admitted as probable that
some fortifications might have been thrown up for
the defence of the only assailable point, still they
were described as " a few hastily-constructed redoubts,
" mounted by guns of small calibre, which would he
" swept away by the first fire of our heavy artillery ;"
in another the real difficulties were described as being
not so much the capture of Sebastopol, which was
"certain and inevitable," but the placing the army in
the Crimea. Once there, " everything was certain ;"
and, as soon as the proper position was gained on
the heights commanding the town, a speedy
breach, a rapid assault, and an easy conquest might
be anticipated without any presumption. Even the
seafront forts themselves, with their walls of eighteen
feet thick, were described as " not having that strength
"or solidity which they were supposed to possess ;"
and the far-famed granite forts of Sebastopol would,
it was said, literally " prove food for the powder of
our fleets," and crumble into dust beneath their con-
centrated broadsides.
As to the troops entrusted with the defence, they
were described as inferior in quality and spirit. They
were not the Russians of Preuss Eylau, Pultusk, or
Borodino ; and, although something was allowed for
their natural stubbornness of character, which does
not know when it is beaten, yet they were described
more as canaille than soldiers, poor wretched re-
cruits, raw and undisciplined, who would never stand
fire or a charge for a moment. The generals fared
but little better; they were ignorant and unskilful,
and represented as unequal to the handling of such
troops as they had.
Such were the reasonings daily placed before
the public, who were odly too eager to seize
upon the lightest rumour which, in under-
valuing the resources of a powerful enemy, helped to
strengthen hopes of an easy and rapid success. To
the calm observer of events this overweening confi-
dence was felt to be delusive. It was not possible
that an army, counting some able men among the
generals, entrusted with the defence of the great
stronghold of the country, the head-quarters of the
army and fleet of southern Russia, and an arsenal
containing such vast resources of defence as Sebas-
topol, should commit the incomprehensible error of
neglecting to strengthen the only weak point of de
fence. in the face of the fact that an expedition of
60,000 men had been for three months preparing for
the attack and capture of that very town ! Such
neglect was preposterous ; and, whatever might have
been the previous failings of the Russian generals in
points of strategy, yet we had no right hence to infer
such utter absence of foresight or precaution
as would have been a disgrace to the merest
drummer-boy of any army.
It is time to inquire how far these sanguine expec-
tations have been fulfilled or disappointed. We
arrived in position on the heights of Balaklava on
the 26th of September, and up to the oth of Novem-
ber we know very well that Sebastopol had not
been captured. Instead of the few hastily-con-
structed redoubts which were to be swept away by
the first fires of our artillery, we find an irregular
but strongly-fortified wall, mounting in all some 130
guns of as heavy, and, in some instances, heavier,
calibre than the opposing guns of the allies. Mud-
forts and redoubts, both inside and out-side the town,
common,' every prominent point ; and an arsenal,
containing immense resources, together with a
powerful defensive army, which, by unremitting

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exertions, constantly repair "the effects of
our tire," replace guns which have been dismounted,
and resume tiring from works which were con-
sidered to have been effectually silenced,—constitute
the main defences of a town which was to be carried
by a coup-de.usain in a few hours. Outside the walls
we find concentrated upon our right flank a powerful
army, which, though unable to raise the siege, has
yet the power and the determination to seriously
harrass our operations.
The details which we have received of the latest
operations, though exhibiting the allies as still pro-
secuting the siege with vigour and energy, yet de-
clare to us that the work is exhausting the strength
of our army, that the speedy capture and destruction
of the town is rendered improbable by the obstinate
and determined defence, and the immense resources
of the enemy, and that it yet remains an open ques-
tion whether the siege can be continued with safety
while a powerful army is hovering on our rear and
flank; or whether a pitched battle is to decide the
fate of this attacking army, and ensure either the cap-
ture or relief of Sebastopol.

THE NEWSPAPER STAMP.

UNDISMAYED by the war, by the certainty of largely-
increased expenditure, and rumours of increased
taxation, the " Association for the Repeal of all
Taxes on Knowledge " have opened their campaign
for 1854-5 with spirit. They hint that they may
want 1,0001. for their expenses next year, and, if
they should, hava no doubt that the public will
cheerfully grant the required supplies. The
interest excited by the war has led, it appears, to the
establishment of unstamped papers which confine
their intelligence to matters relating to the war. By
a process cf reasoning we do not understand, it is
held that these journals are to be considered as
class-papers, not newspapers, and may be legally
issued without a stamp ; and as the Government has
commenced prosecutions against some of them to
try the question, the Association guarantees the
expenses of the defence. It is found by experience
difficult to define a newspaper with legal precision,
and the Association hopes to get rid of the stamp by
the old plan of driving a coach-and-six through
the act imposing it.
On another point their labours are more reason-
able. Printed papers are allowed to pass through
the post as newspapers, on being entered as news-
papers and impressed with the newspaper stamp.
The number of publications not strictly newspapers
enjoying this privilege now amounts to 260, lists of
the Additional Curates Society, and catalogues of
bedsteads being among them. One scrupulous
trader who desires that his publication may pass
through the Post-office in like manner, but who
objects to making a declaration that it is a news-
p iper when it, is no such thing (for which, he says,
ne might be indicted for perjury), memorialises the
Treasury that his paper may be transmitted through
the post with a penny stamp affixed to it, without
his being compelled to make a false declaration.
This raises a question why all printed papers below
the weight assigned should not be franked through
' the post by a penny stamp, as well as those which
are falsely declared to be newspapers.
The Association looks further. When the news-
paper stamp is repealed, it says, " the paper duty will
"be felt as an intolerable grievance." 'l•he question,
even in a fiscal point of view, thus assumes some
magnitude, and the Association may defeat its object
by demanding too much. However desirable it may
be, both on grounds of abstract principle and prac-
tical utility, that these duties should cease, there is
little probability that any proposal for their repeal
will be listened to, while the ingenuity of financiers
is racked to devise means for raising the enormously-
increased supplies which will be required. The ut-
most to be hoped for is, that means will be devised
to get rid of the anomalies in connection with the
newspaper stamp, which at present sorely puzzle
Mr. Ttr,t,ee of the Post-office, Mr. Timm of the
Inland Revenue, and numberless other Government
officials. News, when it happens to be printed, is a
curious commodity to specially select for taxation ;
and perhaps a measure repealing this last fetter,—
though lightly enough worn—on the liberty of the
press, and placing all printed papers on the same
footing, as regards transmission through the post,
would best satisfy the public, and least interfere with
the fevenue. The difficulty would be to reconcile
the new regulation with " existing interests," unless
the weight of pint to be covered by a peony stamp
were fixed as high as the existing limit, which we
imagine might be done without inconvenience to the
Post-office, if it were provided that the stamp should
cover only one single publication.