The Press.
London, England, 1854-11-25 00:00:00

THE PRESS.

SIEGE JOURNAL OF GENERAL CA.NROBERT.
A continuation of the official journal of siege opera-
tions drawn up by General Canrobert has been pub-
lished in the Noniteur. The period comprised in
this new series of notes extends from the 22nd to the
26th ult., both days inclusive :
Oct. 22, 13th day.—During the day we continue enlarg-
ing the first parallel and the branch trenches both behind
and in front, and also the communications with our parks of
artillery. On the left of our line of attack we have been
several times obliged to set up again the gabionade which
has been levelled by the balls of the enemy, and to recon-
struct the top with fascines.
During the night we enlarge and deepen parts of the
trenches. Notwithstanding these labours, the right part of
the communications between the first and second parallels
is not yet covered, the work being impeded by the nature
of the soil.
At the right extremity of the first penile}, the artillery-
men have traced a battery of eight guns for playing on the
Fagstafi Bastion. Two loops keep up the communication
between this battery and the first parallel.
The enemy's fire, very warm during the day, has been
Mildly, if at all, kept up during the night.
The enemy, abandoning the batteries played upon by our
guns, is hastily opening others in their rear. He places
cannon wherever he can be sheltered from rifles, and fires
from the most distant points of his defences.
The fire on the part of the attack is well directed. The
bombs of the battery No. 9 ( Turkish guns), having four
mortars oftwenty-seven centimetres, and three of twenty-
two centimetres, do not always explode, or do so too soon.
The Turkish projectiles are defective.
The fire of the riflemen who go out and fire from behind
sacks of earth (the franc-tireurs) is beginning to produce
good results, and often causes the fire of the place to
slacken.
The bombs of the battery No. 3 have kindled several fires
in the city but they do not spread.
Oct. 23, 14th day.—ln the night between the 22nd and
23rd ( 14th night) a conflagration broke out about three in
the morning, between the tower ruined by our attack and
the central part of the city : it lasted till daybreak, but
made little shoW.-
A Russian twodecker, that had filed off to the south-
' western part of the southern harbour, and which had been
firing on the English left, has disappeared.
During the day we enlarge and dig the parts of the second
parallel, and of the communications cpened in the previous
night; we repair the others, and continue enlarging and
deepening the communications in the rear.
During the night we execute the part traced out of the
second parallel, from the ravine to the communication on
the right, and commence the ipaulement. The other works
are continued.
From eight o'clock to half-past eleven in the forenoon,
and from half-past one to half-past four in the afternoon, the
fire of the besieged has been very hot ; it has not been very
destructive to lite, but all the embrasures of the battery No.
2 have been demolished.
At one in the afternoon General George Brown sends to
the corps of observation requesting its support, as the
enemy had been signalled on the side of Inkermann.
It is ascertained that what had been perceived is a convoy
of the enemy on the Simferopol road, guarded by some
Russian troops. This incident has no sequel.
The Russian cavalry that was blockading Eupatoria at a
distance gets bolder, and on the morning of the 23rd from
5,000 to 6,000 horsemen made their appearance on the
heights that hound the horizon of the town. A few rockets
discharged at them compelled them to retire.
Oct. 24, 15th day.—By day we remove a large number of
blocks of stone that impeded the way ; we make steps for
crossing in front of the ravine, and we dig deeper holes for
the greater protection of the fatigue parties.
Dy night we push on the works of the second parallel,
wißch is completed by day. We work on the communica-
tions : the general of the engineers has just traced, at six
in the evening, a rectification of the seventh and eighth ap-
proaches found to have been defective. The English have
constructed, to the left of the ravine of the southern port,
to the right of our works of attack, a battery of four guns,
which they armed this morning, and from which they are
now firing.
The fire of the Russians began in a very active and hur-
ried manner about seven in the morning. It annoyed our
workmen at first ; then it slackened a little, and continued
in a uniform manner till nightfall, when it almost entirely
ceased.
Every evening the guns, carriages, merlons, and openings
of the embrasures of the numerous works in Sebastopol
are found to be more or less damaged ; but during the night
the injury done to the covering masses is repaired by means
of sacks of earth, and the armament is restored by the help
of guns and new carriages. It is nevertheless remarked that
the besieged no longer fire bombs and shells so often, and
the shots from the Quarantine Battery are aimed less
accurately.
During the night the battery No. 2 (of the marines) has
been thoroughly restored, which increases the number of
guns in battery by six.
In the evening, between nine and ten o'clock, a brisk
cannonade, but of short duration, was opened on the
right of our works. It did very little harm, although
the Russians fired grape. The enemy, it would seeni, was
fearful of an offensive movement on our part, and was very
restless all night. The advance of our works to four
hundred metres from the place appears to disturb him.
During the day a body of Russian troops was seen in the
upper part of the Tschernaya valley, near the village of
Tschernaya ; the part in sight of these forces was about
fifteen battalions, with from three to four hundred cavalry
and artillery.
To-day the general-in-chief is having a redoubt con-
structed on the right of the English lines, on a spur of land

SATURDAY,

which, sloping down, runs into the valleyof the Tschernsya.
But for this precaution the enemy could easily climb up to
the tableland and take the English and French positions,
covering the siege in reverse, by forcing them at their point
of j unction.
Oct 25, 18th day.—During the day we enlarge and deepen
the first and second parallels and approaches where they
are imperfect.

By night we continue the same works, and prepare the
construction of fresh batteries. These works are difficult ;
we have continually to excavate rock, and are obliged, in
order to effect this, to resort to blasting and mining.
During the day of the With the firing from the place has
been constantly brisk; the fire was mainly directed against
the parallels, and especially the spots where the filmes-
tireurs are ; these soldiers distresa the enemy a great deal.
In the early part of the night the enemy's tire ceased, but
at halfpaat eight and at two in the morning it covered the
points of attack with grape for a quarter of an hour each
time. This firing produced no result, and wounded only
one man.

. The enemy has commenced throwing up a fresh battery
in front of the right face of the Flagstaff Bastion.
Our bombs fall true on the defences and into the place ;
the fire of the incendiary fusees does not appear to produce
as yet any great effects.
During the afternoon an enemy's bomb fell into one of the
powder magazines of the (marine) battery No. 2, and ex-
ploded it. The powder chests were only half full. In con-
sequence of the precautions that had been taken, this event
had no disastrous consequences. The battery continues its
fire regularly.
At half-past seven in the morning the general-in-chief
was informed that the Russians were marching on Bala-
klava against the English. He galloped up to the tableland
which we occupy, and from there took the 2nd brigade
(Vinoy) of the Ist division along the tops of the hills that
slope down on our right to Balaklava, and went to support
the English, and made a good junction with them. The
Ist brigade ( Espinasse ) of this division guarded the pas-
sage of the ravine with the battery of the division and the
brigade of African Chasseurs ; the Turks occupied the re-
doubts and the works armed with cannon.

A body of infantry, Chasseurs, and Zouaves, armed with
rifles and muskets of long range, lined the intrenchmenta
prepared for them.
The troops of the third division were in position behind
the crests of the hills ; the horse artillery of the reserve, on
the right of this division, was in harness and ready to
march.

These arrangements taken, the general•in-chief pro-
ceeded to a central point of the crest, between the neck and
the telegraph, not far from Lord Raglan, in order to take a
survey.
Having failed in an offensive movement on their left
against the guarded heights of Balaklava, the Russians
advanced with their centre and their right against the ad-
vanced redoubts constructed by the English, and which
they had caused to be occupied by the Turks. The enemy's
cavalry, pouring in between the redoubts, where the Rus-
sian infantry came to its support, advanced in one strong
body against the English brigade of heavy cavalry that was
ranged along the gardens of Balaklava on the outside. The
English cavalry bravely awaited this charge at one hundred
metres. Then, getting into motion, it dashed against the
heads of the Russian columns, and, after a fight from the
very first iu its favour, compelled them to wheel about, and
overthrew all the Russian cavalry, which flew in disorder
very far beyond the redoubts, and thus flying drew away
with it the enemy's infantry, which had been stationed iu
the two redoubts nearest to us. _ _ .

The English brigade of light cavalry, drawn up like three
sides of a square, not far from the scene of this brilliant
action, was unfortunately not able to take part in it and
complete it. The light and heavy brigades uniting, the
whole division of Earl Lucan rode towards the line of the
redoubts perpendicularly to this line, having its right to•
wards Balaklava. - -

The English division thus confronted the Russians, who
endeavoured to recover from the cheek they had sustained,
and reinforced with infantry the redoubt furthest from
Balaklava, and which remained in their possession ; this
redoubt forming the centre around which they had just
manceuvred.
In the meantime two divisions of English infantry, with
their artillery, descended into the plain of Balaklava,
guarded the approaches to this spot, and drew up in two
lines between the cavalry and I3alaklava.
Finding the left of the cavalry to be lather exposed,
G eneral Canrobert had it supported by our brigade of African
Chasseurs, the regiments of which, under the orders of
General Monis, formed in echelons behind the left wing,
composed of the English light brigade. Moreover, the
first brigade of the first division crowned the redoubt next
to our positions, forming in this manner a strong line of
support behind the Earl of Lucan's cavalry.
At this moment the English cavalry advanced. This
movement exposed it not merely to the fire in front from
the enemy's artillery, but also to that of a Russian battery
placed under the protection of five battalions, on the high
ground of the Tschernaya, and which played on their left
wing, both flankwise and obliquely
In order to disengage the English from this fire, which
besides causing them losses, hampered their movement,'
General Morris ordered up General d'Allonville with the
African Chasseurs, three squadrons of which charged this
battery in succession, and cut down the enemy's foot sol-
diers where they stood ; the latter received them with a
well-sustained lire from two ranks, which, fortunately, was
not very destructive.
The Russian artillery tolled off, and appeared no more
for the day ; the five battalions fell back behind the posi-
tion, remaining on the other side of it.
This movement, executed with as ninch intelligence as
brilliant boldness, completely disengaged the English left,
costing us only ten men killed, two of them officers, and
twenty-eight wounded.

NOVEMBER 25, 1854.

During this time the English cavalry had been perform-
ing prodigies of valour, but not without heavy loss. It had
dashed into thii valley of the Tschernaya against the lines of
the Russian cavalry, which it dashed through twice; it
brought disorder into the very rear of the enemy ; but
taken, both when going and returning, in flank and ob-
liquely, by a fire of grape from sixteen field-pieces, and by
the musketry of a large force of infantry, it suffered heavy
loss in this audacious charge which so confounded the
enemy.
Noon having arrived, General Canrobert and Lord Rag-
lan caused the troops present to take up a less extended
position nearer Balaklava, and contiguous to the corps of
observation. _ _

Our losses, from the commencement of the siege, amount
to seventy-five killed, four of whom were officers, and 618
wounded, seventeen of whom are officers.

RUSSIAN SUPPLIES.

The Fremden-Blatt has received " authentic " information
from Odessa relative to the reinforcements sent to the
Crimea. The effective force of Prince Mensehikoff is
115,000 men, of whom 75,000 have joined him within the
last month. The reinforcements marched from Perekop
in three columns, and met with no molestation on their
way. The first, which was 30,000 strong, with 100 guns,
under Liprandi, reached Sebsatopol about the middle of
October and got into position on the 18th, the day after
the first bombardment. The 30,000 men belong to Oaten-
Sacken's corps. The two other columns belong to Dan-
nenberg's corps The first of them, consisting of 25,000
men, reached Sebastopol at the end of last month ; the
other, 20,000 strong, was in communication with the main
army at the beginning of this month. The Soldalen Freund
states, that although the Russian army is stronger than that
of the allies it is not likely to act altogether on the offen-
sive, as Prince Menschikoff has great difficulties in getting
the necessary supplies for his army, and must be sparing
of his ammunition. The 17th Russian infantry division
has reinforced the garrison of Sebastopol. Fifteen thou-
sand men have been sent from Kicheneff to Odessa. It is
confirmed that General Liprandi was wounded in the battle
of the sth. The. Russians confess that if Sebastopol is
taken their power in the Black Sea is at an end, and there-
fore people at home must expect that it will be defended to
the very last. The struggle is a murderous one, but the
enormous value of the stake must not be lost sight of.
A despatch from St Petersburg states that, to replace the
artillerymen picked off at Sebastopol by the franes-tireurs
and riflemen of the allies, the Russian Minister of Marine
has taken artillery soldiers from the Baltic fleet and sent
them to the south. A special and rapid service of waggons
has been provided for their conveyance

A RUSSIAN SPY.

The Times correspondent says :

A strange incident is said to have taken place on the
4th in our lines, which, if true, shows the astuteness of the
enemy, and the want of presence of mind on the part of
some of our officers. A man in the uniform of a French
officer sauntered coolly through our lines to-day, was
civil and polite to all he met, entered into conversation
with those who were walking about, smoked, and chatted,
and laughed, and at last got into a sort of discussion re-
specting the strength and weakness of our position in the
rear towards Balaklava. Nothing doubting, our officers
expressed their opinions freely, pointed out our weak
points, and spoke plainly of the difficulties of our position.
At length an officer of the 79th, who had a more practised
ear than his comrades, was struck by the strange accent
and curious idiom of the soi-disant Frenchman, but still
was afraid of making a mistake, and had no device ready
at hand to test. the truth. However, he sent off to Sir
Cohn Campbell to say he suspected there was a Russian
spy among them. The supposed Frenchman was not to
be caught so easily. His quick eye detected the despatch
of the messenger, and so he gradually drew off from our
lines towards the valley, but in a manner so natural as to
perplex those to whom the officer had communicated his
misgivings, and when he had gained a good offing he
quickened his pace into a run, and got right away into the
Russian lines, leaving his late comrades gazing open-
mouthed after him ! It argued no common coolness and
audacity to undertake such a mission, for had the gentle-
man in question been captured, he would assuredly have
been hanged as a spy. These Ihissians are very nub. The
sentinel before the house of the Provost-Marshal in Bala-
klava was astonished to see a horse, with a sack of corn on
its back, deliberately walking past him in the moonlight
the other night. He went over to seize the animal, when
the sack of corn suddenly became changed into a full-
grown Cossack, who drove the spurs into his stead, and had
vanished ere the sentry had recovered h:s speech.

THE BALTIC FLEET.
The Indipendance Beige publishes the following
letter from Hamburg, of the 17th inst.:—
Despatches from England for Admiral Napier reached
Kiel on Wednesday evening. From what has transpired
among the officers relative to their contents, it appears
that the English Ministry, considering the presence of a
great portion of the fleet still necessary in the Baltic, has
resolved not to recal it immediately, but to maintain it at
Kiel until the 4th of December, when Admiral Napier is to
receive fresh orders, acquainting him with the number of
ships which are to return to England, and those which are
to winter at Kiel.
The workmen at the Clyde forge are at present,
and will probably be for several months to come,
emplo)ed in making iron plates for the floating
batteries destined for next year's campaign in the
Baltic.
ATTACK OF PETROPOLOPSKI BY THE ALLIED
SQUADRON IN THE PACIFIC.
The American journals received by the last mail
convey the important intelligence that the allied