The Express.
London, England, 1856-02-25 00:00:00

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

OF FORT ALEXANDER.

(riot ova ows

CAKP, SEBASTOPOL, Pas. 12.
• Yesterday, precisely at 1 o'clock p.m., Fort Alex-
ander was exploded into ruin by the French engineers.
I This work, which was immediately opposite to Fort
I Constantine, and commanded the approach and
entrance to the roadstead, was second only in extent
and importance to Fort Nicholas, on the south side.
It was constructed of stone, and calculated to mount
ninety guns. The day was by no means so favoura-
ble for witnessing its destruction as it was on the
°Evasion of the blowing up of Fort Nicholas. A
tolerably stiff breeze was blowing from the
westward, and heavy masses of grey and inky
clouds were rising from the horizon, and sweeping
rapidly over the plateau. The sun was quite lost to
view. The water of the roadstead, and the sea as far
as the eye could reach, were enveloped by a thin mist.
The north shore and heights, as well as the batteries
and forts, were much obscured from the same cause,
and appeared more distant than usual. The day
before j they had seemed remarkably near,
owing to the transparent clearness of the
atmosphere. It was evident, from the limited
number of spectators who assembled on the hills
above the town. either that the intention of destroy-
ing the fort was not generally known, or that the
raw chilly weather had counterbalanced the curiosity
of officers and men off duty. The groups collected
on Frenchman's-hill and Cathcart's-hill were very
soialloompared with their number when Fort Nicholas
was blown up. From neither of these points of view,
nor, indeed, from any part of the English position,
could a general observation of Fort Alexander be
obtained. From certain spots, in clear weather, a
spectator, familiar with all the objects about Sebas-
topol, could just distinguish part of its outline, but
that was all. The difficulty of discerning this fort
arose not only from its low position on the sea-shore,
being close to the water's edge, but also from the
number of buildings which were interposed in the
higher to of the town. Without, therefore, being
able to fix the sight on the work itself, the attention
of each spectator looking towards the direction io
which it was situated, and anxiously expecting the
explosion, was excited, just at the time
fixed, by a sudden outburst of grey-white
smoke, which rapidly broke into two columns.
One rose almost perpendicularly upwards; the other
bent towards the eastward. While watching these
volumes of smoke, unfolding and expanding, there
cams the report of the exp. Unlike the dull,
distant sound which accompanied the springing of
the mines by which Fort Nicholas was destroyed,
the report of this explosion was intensely loud and
sonorous, was accompanied by a violent agitation
of the air, so that a strong concussion was produced
against the huts and buildings in the camps,
and was followed by a grand roll of echoes
like a peal of thunder. This had scarcely died away,
when a second mass of dense, almost black, smoke,
roes a little to the westward apparently of the first
explosion. The dark colour of this cloud formed a
striking contrast with the light grey hue of the former
columns of smoke. It maintained this deep tint even
after it had risen and expanded to a very consider-
able extent, and when the first cloud of smoke had
become almost dissolved into thin vapour.
The report which followed the explosion was not
quite so loud nor the shock so violent as that of the
ose preceding. Then a third broad curling cloud
was men proceeding from the same neighbourhood—
not so dark in colour as the snood, but darker than
the first—ead alter this had rime to a certain height
in the air, it wee caught by the west wind, and
driven, in company with its fellows, to join the low
vaposry clouds which everywhere covered the.sky,
and were hastening by to the eastward. The violence
of the concussions caused by these three ex.
plosions, and the loud reports, roused all
the pram in the camps, and both officers
and men came running in crowds to the crests
of the hills to gain a view of what had happened.
The effect of the explosion was not visible at such a
distance. The appearance of Sebastopol has been
very mach changed Loco the disappearance of Fort
Nicholas. The dome of the cathedral, and the roofs
of use or two of the larger buildings, are now the
most conspicuous objects.
It is said that all the mines necessary for destroy.
leg the Quarantine Battery, and various public
works and buildings still remaining is the par of
the town and fortifications entrusted to the keeping
of oar allies, are needy finished. Between three
and four o'clock p.m. of the same day, the English
engineers destroyed, by a succession of explosions,
all the groups of buildings, some of them rather
massive in character, which occupied the area
comprehended within the enclosure formed by
the Barrack, or Whits Buildings. It is ex-
pected that the whole of these buildings,
together with the terrace in frost, will be blown up
in the course of the week. The terrace, which is
faced by a very highly finished wall of compact ma-
sonry, has been a week of great labour. On the low
ground in trout are the fonndations of the new Admi-
ralty buildings, which were in progress prier to the
brealdog out of the war. They are also oa a mini-
fiord scale. The whole of these works are to be
broken up and destroyed.

TSB "INDEPBNDANCE BBLOR."
We And the following announcement oecupying
a prenieett place in yesterdsy's laipelsclatice Bap:
" We te-lay Mill a maim which we wads to oar read-
ers. We eeid,—lt any sheep takes place is the propel,-
tenhip or (a the direaties of the buirpainuesco Bel" we
obeli be the Ant to slake It known when It ie effected. A
cheese has taken place, aad we bastes to woman It.

Hat—we might at ewe to add—this modilleation le of
seek a mature that if we did set ourselves sake it known
not ems of oar readers wain suspect it, so far ia it from
oar lateadoa to introduce my neap ia the aerostat of
the *nal. Twelve years ego when K. Fenn,
who fended the imhpersdasto Beim mid brought
0 it so mush devotion and talent, quitted the
dinctiom, he kit it in the hands of the one of hi. eel.
laboratinn who hal takes the most wave part la
rho mumageeneat. Sines that peeled K. Perot has not
ceased to direst the hadepormlows Be*, and it is he who
hie enured for ft the plies which is mew oceopies is the
Bareposa pow That which passed la 1544 moan to-day.
Pus nattine of COSVOSIONNO mainly personal, K. Perrot,
dairies le ins op the laboring famitioas of direetoe and
chief nits r of the indemedenes Jkige, traasmita them to
K. Berardi, his chief minuet for tea pare past. But in
giving up his faaetiess, K. Perrot will sot be estranged
hem Si. Josnal, either lineally or 'materially. He n-
uns lamportaat intereste, and hie enennenee, impe-
riling, and sympathies will
alone will gunman, if geareates is neoeseruty, that so
einagr. no moddintism, however slight, will be made la the
mans tie j Awed hat followed slam ite foundation,
0 all that fames to estenal an internal politico. Medi-
denims more impletaat hams tans plaits is the material
pee' ristornip of the journal, bat we r peat those an mol-
ten of enveniene eltagether private sin poomet. need
will set eastelse any species if imam's wpm the Mew
dos en radial sommentheimkpentease Bap:.

The- Caste's de Mottle and the Deedless of
At.. en about to vide Put, is order to be sear the Za-
ma at to. tine or her dotes chewiest

_
The Archsalogioal Aaftwistion of Antwerp have
sleeted Coast da Chteptovitals, MlAlster el Rasaia at
Britmata. as Lowman ambit.

The Coptithagen correspondent of Lo Nord writes :
" Is 'pits of the suoahroes aireasstasess which sOOO to

threaten the tetrad of M. Belted front the Yinie•ry of
Foreign Aids', It le believed bets that he le to) well
sheltered under the eyee of the Countess Denser, the
eserganatie spout of the lamp, not to come off is t►e ad
delirious. It is known, is feet, Viet the itlaUllOCO of his
protectress is all powerful la the media of the a tversign.
A telegraphic, despatch from Copenhagen, dated
yesterday, states that the Greet Belt im fn freu ice.

Breter.—The Madrid Gazette of the 18th gives •
•ow steam% tithe sales of tee uocloo.tl pr. p r 7 up to the
17111; Um mount obtained ors* 180.811,219 res:o
17,902 salts, sad that eau was 86,734,992 real mon thee
the spat plea.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.
THIS DAY.

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.
OTTISGSAT MN run •T GVILDIULL.- MORI LOLD C•IIIPSILL ••• •

STIWAZT AND WIFE V. /At/L.-OMNIBUS ACCIDENT.
This was an action to recover compensation in damages
foe boilly injuries received tbrmgh the alleged neglect ot
the defendant.

Mr. Lash appeared for the plaintiff.; Mr. Hawkins for
the defendant.

The plaintiffs, wbo were husband sod wife, and potions
in humble ciicamatancee, sought by this action to obtain
damages for injuries of a very serious nature which had been
sustained by the wife in consequence of being knocked
down and run over in the neighbourhood of Ifillwa4
by an omnibus belonging to the defendant. The hus-
band was a labouroog man, and his better half, who
was somewhat advanced in life, in addition to
attending to her household duties, was in the
' habit of goirg out to wash, and in c ,nsequence of the acci-
dent she via totally incapacitated 'roar, t. llowbog her ordi-
nary cocapations. Neglect on the pat of the defendant wen
clearly proved, and the evidence also went to show that the
irjary done to the poor women's spine had entirely die•
shied her frcm walking, and she wu obliged to be brought
into the court in a chair.

For the defence it wu attempted to show th-t the occur-
rence was pumly accidental, and hsd arisen from the reina
getting under the feet of the tones.

Lord Cempbtll, in summing up, said ttc only question
wee the amount of damages to which the plaintiffs were
r.asozably entitled, adding that he thought a very pen OW
of iseglest had been made out.

The jury found a verdict for the pleintiffe—dernagos, 704

THE POLICE COURTS.

THIS DAY.