The Express.
London, England, 1856-02-19 00:00:00

(Stamped ld. Additional.) [TWOPENCE.

'rival of the mail which brought us the London
papers of the 19th of January. The mall due yes-
terday had not arrived at a late hoar last night.
There is a report that Colonel Wilbraham, C. 8.,
Assistant Adjutant-General of General Bernard's Di-
vision, the 2nd, is about to leave on specdataervioe for
Brzeronm.

We have had very variable and severe weather
sines the lest mail left. On the 2nd and 3rd instants
there were heavy showers of sleet, hail, and snow,
with strong gales of wind from the west and north-
west. Yesterday, u already mentioned, the weather
was mottled and frosty, with a breeze from the north.
This still oontinnes.

(PROM AN OCCIJIIONAL 0071171/111,01D1131T4
CAMP BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, FRB. 6.
Yesterdayafternoon,at half-past one, Fort Nicholas,
which is supposed to have been originally armed with
192 gum in three tiers, was totally and most gnomes-
filly destroyed by the French engineers by means
of weal aura, amounting in all to 64,000 kilo-
gramme' of powder, or, in English ululation, nearly
119,0002 m The mines made ass of on the occasion
were meetly those that had been previously sunk by
the Remises before the 9th of September, for the
purpose of blowing up this honey in as complete a
meow as they did Fort Paul, mounting 80 guns in
three tiers oa the afternoon of the 9th, at about four
o'clock. Although the destruction of Fort Nicholas
was kept by the French authorities as dark as pos-
sible, still It used out that their engineers had had a
week's nodes to prepare, and by eleven yesterday
morning a large portion of the allied army to the
front off duty, in addition to the staff at
the two general headquarters, knew that
the explosion was intended to come off at
one. Marshal Polisher in his open carriage and four,
attended by a large staff and strong escort of the
Cheesiers d'Afrlque, took op his position near the
old siege depot, mit of the Light Division. The
Sardinian headquarter staff was slightly in advance
down the hill. Sir William Codrington wu an ob-
server from the right of the Itedan. Generals Bar-
nard and Craufotd were near Peliasier with a large
number of English officers and soldiers belonging to
the Light Division. The parapets of the trenches
(Right Attack), 21-gun Battery, 6 and 8-gun Batteries
and Roden were covered with officers and men
anxious to witness the last of this noble masonry
easeunated fort. The façade of the White Buildings,
or terrace facing the sea in front of the barracks, mid
likewise the Mamelon, and parapets around but not
inside the Malakhoff, appeared to have been selected
by different groups for viewing this grand sight. At
about one o'clock the enemy fired from their bat-
terieson the north side, particularly Fort
Michael, several shot and shell, their attention
having been drawn, it is naturally supposed, to
the crowds both on horseback and on foot
covering the high spots of ground looking down into
Sebastopol and coasequently on Fort Nicholas, but I
don't uppcse that for a moment they dreamt that the
point which need to be their principal landing place,
and from which the famous floating bridge joined the
north and south sides, was to be the scene of destruo-
hen. The charges that first went off were those on
the left, looking out to sea, of the fort ; then the
right, or orillon, followed ; and lastly, after a
lapse of a few minutes, the whole of the
centre appeared to crumble in. The oriUm,
or knob of the battery nearest the sea on the
right, was completely hurled into the harbour. The
whole demolition, scarcely second to that of Fort
Peal in point of engineering success, took at least six
minutes; this delay was caused by the flue de Bickford,
or Bickford's fuse, not burning regularly, which is
often the cue in tamping. After the great volumes
of smoke had cleared off the town—for the wind blew
from the north—the Russians lin edtkeir parapets to
have a look at the damage, bat they fired no shot
or shell for at least five minutes, when they com-
menced to burst a few shells over the town and over the
Redau and Malakhoff, The explosion was audible in
the various camps, but not at Balakleva ; clearly
showing that the quantity of powder exploded by
accident on the 16th of November was far greater
than yesterday. I should calculate about double the
quantity. On the 16th of November several win-
dows at headquarters and Beakless were broken,
and the ()occlusion was Mt at the Sanatorium or
Castle Hospital (or at least two minutes. This dif-
ference in effect cannot be entirely accounted for by
the distance between Fort Nicholas and the Powder
Mill, or any other calculation except a larger amount
of combustible matter; but the French try to make
out that the quantity of powder exploded yesterday
was nearly double that on the 16th.
Oar engineers, now that the ducks are entirely de-
stroyed, are ordered to blow in the quays along the
Dockyard Creek, and hastily demolish the barrack
and hospital buildings, terrace wall, and dockyard
stores and workshops. The French are to blow up
Quarantine Battery, and all the principal buildings
in Sebastopol Proper, such as the Lecture •roorn—or,
as it is called by many, the Theatre—Sailors' Homo,
he. In the barrack buildings our engineers have
found, by slight experiments, that every foot of
foundation in length will require 1 lb. of powder, or
100 lbs. to 100 feet. Immediately after the destruc-
tion of Fort Nicholas—in which during the siege,
after the fire became too hot, Generals Osten-Seeken
and Totleben used to live, with most of the engineer
and staff officers—a shave got about that intelligence
had hese received at headquarters that the Queen
had declared peace in the House of Lords; but I
do not think that these continual explosions, although
very necessary and advisable, will tend to increase
the Russian friendship. At this moment Point Ni-
cholas looks from a slight distance like a nice beach
sloping towards the sea. During the summer months
the cassinates and arcades of Fort Nicholas were made
use of as a barrack by the Russians, and up till lately
the French did the same. Oa the 9.h the enemy
tried to fire it, but failed. _ _

Theatres see quite the rage in the Crimu. Oa
Saturday, the 72nd Highlanders, at Kamera, per-
formed. To-morrow, the Rifle. have a second per-
romance. The following is the programme of their
first performance:

TNIATIII ROYAL,
SECOND BATTALION, NUMB ITUOADIL
On Tuuday, January 29, 1956, will be performed,

of the 7th and 23rd. The Rifle" have a drop curtain,
in which England, represented by a Rifleman, and
France, are tagging at Turkey against Russia,
slightly assisted by Austria, while Prussia is looking
on in the corner, in a stupefied state. The 19th
t turns out a tandem, at least I w Lieut.
Regiment
Rooks and another disa
officer of the 19th in the
dog-art; but unfortunately the horses, or ponies, are
nothing to bout of Them'', posts are being marked
along the main road, and by theca it is shown that
the distance from the Blink's's Post-office to tie
Woronzoff road, or commencement of Light Division,
round by this new main road, is eight miles.
The following vessels have arrived at Rankle's
and departed sums the lit inelneivs. Arrivals: lit,
Harbinger, at., with para.!' for the army; Governor,.
brig; 2nd, Albatross, it.; Elizabeth, st. Departure':
let, Chester, at.; Sir Robert Peel, at.; Saxon, st.;
2nd, Paotolus : 3rd, Chanticleer, at.; Dodo, at.; In-
dians, at.,with invalids for Scutari; Armenian, st. s
Helton, at.; Sultana, st.
Second Class Staff Surgeon Rossano was buried st
the Sanatorium burial.ground by the Rev. Mr. Par..
her, on the afters:4m of Saturday, in the grave of the
late Lieutenant Dawson, R.A. • the funeral being-
attended by several officers of his own service, 100
artillerymen, and some of the new Medical Staff
S; mail due yesterday has kist (10 a.m.) arrived
at Kazatcb, and the weather mum last Saturday has
been tolerably fine, but cold, with a little snow.
Great promotion is now taking place in the Land.
Transport, and a great number of appointments are
being made; but, depend upon it, an infantry ser-
geant-major or quartermaster-sergeant will not make
a good cornet, nor is it likely that an ensign or lien-
tenant of a marching regiment knows much about
carts, harness, horses, mules, sore becks and relay
heels. The two latter appear to be the chief
complaints amongst the Land Transport ani-
mals, clearly .bowleg that all that is required
to keep the greater part of :he sickness away is care.
Glanders is prevalent, but not to the extent it was.
Sergeants of cavalry. regiments or the artillery would,
in all probability, if promoted to cornets, make most
valuable officers, for experience in animals is abso-
lutely necessary. At present, all that the men who
are promoted to the Land Transport appear to cars
about is their pay and promotion ; the good of the
service never enters their heads, simply because they
take no interest in the duties. The general after
order of the 31st furnishes the plan of the new sys-
tem of regiments for this corps. Major Steevens,
88th Regt., has been appointed a Town Major in
Sebastopol, vice Captain Buchanan, 47th, appointed
to the Land Transport Corps.
Good preserved and fat English beef, without bone,
is to be issued to the troops of divisions once a week,
cooked ready for eating : throe-quarters of a pound is
the ration.

Captain Barlow,l4th Regt., A.D.C. to Brigadier
General Barlow, tad Division, has gone to England
on medical certificate ; Major Hawley, 89th ltegt., is
tenoned Captain B. Blane, Scots Fusilier Guards, in
charge of the detachment of miners, with the pay and
allowances of D.A.Q.M.O.

Yesterday the Helton, et., and her Majesty's gun-
boat Arrow, arrived at Selektive; and the Gibraltar,
with invalids, and Sardinian, departed.