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

THE PRESS.

of twenty feet between the oars of each boat. Upon
the signal being given from the Agarteintton, the
whole lino will row stoutly and steadily towards the
shore, the men in perfect stillp,pss and silence, no
boat being allowed to advance before or to fall behind
the others. Such a line, from the enormous multi-
tude of boats engaged, must extend to between two
and three miles in length, irrespective of the French
forces, which are not referred to in these instructions;
the landing must therefore be intended to take place
on a lengthened expanse of the coast. The light
division of the British army and the 'artillery, con-
veyed in six of the British transports, will be the first
to land, and four companies of the second battalion
of the Rifle Brigade will be attached to each brigade
of General Brown's division, and will form the ad-
vance. Upon these gallant fellows, therefore, will
devolve the glory of first setting foot on the Crimea,
and of opening their fire upon the enemy. The
larger boats will all be provided with grapnels and small
anchors, and the oar 3 will be slung so as to be
dropped over the side on reaching land. Upon land
ing, each regiment will form in continuous columns
at quarter distance, and the batteries will in every
case land with the divisions to which they are at•
tached, as well as the proper detachment of 'Sappers.
with their tools to throw 'tip field intrenchments, if
required, with the utmost rapidity. The other divi-
sions of the army will follow in their order, the boats
returning to the ships to take them, but the cavalry will
not land until specially ordered to do so. The artil-
lery will be landed on "flats," as they are termed,
consisting of pairs of boats with portable decks fitted
to convey guns and horses, which only require to be
put together by a party of shipwrights when the time
comes for using them ; these flats will then be towed
in by steamers, and each of them will be attended by
Itwo pinnaces from the fleet, and, if possible, a cutter,
for the purpose of assisting them, if requisite.

ODESSA AND SEBASTOPOL.
Rumours respecting the bombardment of Odessa
haie been very rife during the week. The town itself
his been subject to increased consternation, as may
be seen froth the following 'letter, pnblished in a
Vienna newiPapei, and dated from Odesia, Septem-
ber I:
" Many inhabitants 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 practice. At first the
commander, Count Annenkoff, thought the enemy was
about to attack us, and the garrison was kept ready for ac-
tion, but the real state of things soon became evident. The
enemy has not 'yet attacked us, but We are in hourly expec-
tatiOn he will do so. •A
great many ships are Sailing in a
westerly direction. The enemy will certainly menace 'all
the places on the coast of the Black Sea at one and the
same time, in order to keep our army fully occupied.
Akermann, Odessa, Oczakoff, Kinburu, Perekop, Eupatoria,
Sebastopol, and, indeed, all the places up to Anal*, will
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 fro pa the
land as from the pea aide. Between Sebastopol and 111140-
lava there are live strong detached forts, which are garri-
soned by a sufficient numker of troops. The road front
Balaklava to Yalta is rendered impassable alid partly minefl.
The coast between Sebastopol and Eupatorie is defended
at unequal distances by batteries consisting fax howit-
zers. There are three forts at Eupatoria, one on the north,
a second on the east, and a third on the nit aide. 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 iv 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 25,000 men. Prince Menschikoff is-
sued a proclamation on the 3rd, in which he prepared the
people for a resistance to the very last. I asp unable to
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 victeries gained by the Rus-
sians in the course of this century, end then calls op his
soldiers to show themselves equal to their preileegesors in
bravery and power of endtrauce. If the enemy, 1413 a con-
sequence of the inscrutable will of Owen, should obtain
a victory, then let the whole store et powder gq with him
into the air. The conclusion of the proclamation'', Rather
let us 4ie than puerender to the enemy.' Our army is very
much cast dinen; The news of the fall of Bomarsund bas
much depressed military men, as affill high as low. prom
the interior of Russia, especially from the ppighbonritood
of Novogorod, reinforcements Kaye arrived within the last
few days, but they du not remain here, as their destination
is I.sczakoff and Kherson. Troops have also artiset! front
the Dpinubian srn,y."

On the Ist of September there was a sad catas-
trophe. A Turkish steamer, used to tow off the
troop-boats fTom the pier to the transports, ran don
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. Tbq
captain of the boat has been arrested and placed id
prison. This event has much disheititened the
Zouaves, just as they were beginning to recover
from the depression created' by their losses in Om
Dobrudspbs.

THE WAR IN ASIA.
The following sketch of the state of the Turkish
army in Asia will be rend with interest. After stating
that the Turkish officers had enclesiyouTed to throw
the whole blame of their ill-success on General Guyon I
and retnarking that the general is, in point of authority;
a mere cypher, with the privilebe 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 wit .t
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 hie men, or exhorted
them to be steady, whilst majors and colonels Were invisible.
As a general rule, the subalterns behaved extremely well,
whilst all grades, beginning pith the coldssi or captain-
adjutant, covered themselves with shame. There we a few
noble exceptions, where colonels displayed the most un-
doubted courage. I myself saw several weeping like
children when their battalions opened and disbanded; but
the above rule will hold good, and is undeniable. The
cavalry behaVed disgracefully ; not only did they not once
charge, but it the first good ronnd discbargp they turned
and fled. General 'Guyon, wishing to check the destruc-
tive activity of a Russian battery playing upon the left
wing, drew• up two regitrents 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, leaying
Guyon alone. The artillery behaved excellently, and main-
tained its former reputation for gallantry and disci line.
To its well-directed discharges of grape may be attributed
the 'serious loss sustained by the Itusstana, particularly 'in
cavalry. The foreign office's 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 theni
by the latter. With respect to the ambulance arrangements,
they were miserable. Every wounded man was carried off
the field by one or two comrades; consequently • the
battalions melted away sensibly. The medical stall you
at a considerable distance from the field of action, and could
render no great relief. I believe that but npp spreon
dressed the wounded tinder Ore, and lie was an English-
man, Di.. f'raspy. The litisusians did not behave
brilliantly. It w,- only by exposing their lives to an
A.l

, ly • . -
unusual degree that the officers could draw on the
infantiy. The artillery was *badly directed, the range
being generally too low. But the cavalry, that is to say,
the Russian dragoons, shone admirably, and by their
grtaistible pluck decided the action. Altonshwhole ranks
were momed down by the Turkish artillery, the remainder
closed *gain witlyint hesitating, and pursued their deadly
charge. The Commits, like the Turkish bashi-haFoults.
proved themselyea perfectly harmless. In eopFluding my
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 allay
should have behaved so badly, whilst on the Danube the same
rye of men have disp,layed umisnal bravery. Tbis in)stery
is solvable. On the Danube there are wally filftl3l
tna p,p who are better disciplined than the TOMEI
soldiers ; and then Omer Pscha has 'accustomed his men
to stand fire by bringing them into timelier engagements,
and thus preparing them tor 002014 m a general ectig•
slit the great reason is tins---on the Danube there com-
mands a soldier; in Anatolia, a civilian. With did bees
will in the world, Zarif Pacha could not have expected to
conduct a campaign with success, wanting as he Is in every
military knowledge. His only hope lay in in the Europeans
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 dig-
played rib animosity."
The precipitate and unexpected retreat of the
Russianh took every one by surprise, and has called
forth a variety of ettrmiseS to account for it. The
motives, probebly, ar,e complex. In that country of
irregular hordes; where no 'rule is established beyond
that of the cl ief of the tribe, a victory does little htii
disperse bands wh-o assemble again to morrow, A
ar
meanwhile the country beComes exhausted of lig
means of eupply? ap4 nty irregular bands are Pew'
ing forth WAttlft.ek. au enemy weakened by hip' sE4
successes. There pay be; hpsides, more definite
reasons in thp present instance. i3charnylls dreaddi
presence in tile near neighbourhood of Tiflis 4ap
hurriedly called the Russian general away to defer.]
the Georgian capital against this much more terrible
enemy than 4ftrif Pacha. He has probably
strengthened the Farrison of Guwri, and marched
the remainder of his force to check the invading
hordes of the Daghistanee chief. To so check
Schamyl, however, Bebutoffs 25,000 men are not
likely to be of much avail, if what is authoritatively
stated is correct, that, before six. weeks from lijs
present time, the neighbouring coast of Circassis
will
be the scene of some important operations on the