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

LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 19, 1856.

OUR ARMY IN THE CRIMEA.

DEMOLITION OF FORT NICHOLAS.

(PROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.)
CAMP, SEBASTOPOL, Fes. 6.
Yesterday, about half-peat one o'clock in the after-
nooo, the Russian Fort Nicholas was utterly de-
stroyed by the French engineers. This immense
work, calculated to receive an armament of 199 gnu,
was one of the moat conspicuous objects in approach-
ing Sebastopol, as well from its peculiar form as the
long extent of ground which it oersted, and woo,
perhaps, the most celebrated of the fortifications in
the Bunion territory on the Black Sea, minting
Fort Constantine. This latter fort, though by no
means of the same magnitude, has become lessons on
account of the misbrand bombardment to whin it
was nlinsted in 1864 by the allied fdlitg`opd
has the reputation of having ben rams solidly
oonstrnated. Fort Nicholas, which occupied nearly
the whole of the promontory of land dividing
the south harbour from Artillery-bay, commanded
the entrance to the roadstead, and swept with
its guns the whole surface of the water, from thence
to the South harbour itself. Looking toward the sea,
it exhibited a plain stow frost, with two lines of
embrocates at regular intervals, one above the other;
the monotonous opponents of the long lion being
broken only by a central projection and observatory
above. To the east of the central projection the gone
wen in three tiers, the uppermost tier being on the
roof ; but in the western half, that nearest to Artil-
lery Bay, there were only two tiers, and none on the
roof. aeon in reverse, the appearance was that of
two loos galleries, one above the other, the side
towards the spectator being built so as to stow a sec-
cession of arched openings, with balustrades.
These arches corresponded with the bomb-
proof essemates, seek of which was prepared
to receive one gun. Its general form was that of a
horseshoe, the east sad being the most carved, and
the part of the plain solid masonry of the front which
was thus brought into view near the opening of the
south harbour, formed a striking contrast, to the view
of a person looking from the heights above the town,
with the light and elegant series of arcades which
characterised the remainder of the structure. It was
always one of the first buildings which was noticed
by a stranger going towards Sebastopol by the
Woronoff-road, and one reason of this was, besides
thine already named, that it bounded the view
of the town, for a considerable epees, towards
the sea. Its outline was thus strongly marked
by the surface of water bored. On account
of its strength and distance from the approaches,
the women and children who remained in Sebastopol
at the commencement of the siege were removed to

this fort for protection. Subsetinently it was for
some months the roddestes of General Oaten-Sacken,
General Todtleben, and other dicers of distinction.
There were always many troops here, it being one of
the plasm when rearm were kept, In ease of
emergency. There were also her. a temporary
church, hospitals, apartments for the Sisters of
Mercy, and numerous offices. For some time a
market was held on the narrow stripof shore between
Fort Nicholas and the bay, the sellers coming over
by boats from the north side. The stalls and booths
could be seen plainly from oar ships stationed to
watch tho harbour.

Yesterday, it was known to a limited number of
English officers and others that the last day of
Fort Nicholas had come. The French had
fined on an early hour in the afternoon for its
entire demolition. It was no secret in eamp
that they had been mining with the intention of
blowing it sp at an early date. The precise time
fixed for the event appeared to have been command.
elated very freely, both to Sardinian and French
officers, judging from the number who were seen ar-
riving towards one o'clock along the Woroneoff road.
This concourse, together with Ossetia Codriogton
passing by with his stag attracted attention among
the camps in front; and it became quite evident to
all that something unusual was about to take places,
when, shortly afterwards, the French marshal passed
also. He drove by in the usual low phaeton drawn
by four greys, with soldiers in uniform, en postilion,
and accompanied by an escort of cavalry.
Two French officers, and Colonel the Hon. G. Foley,
attached to Marshal Peliseier's stag were with him.
In a short time the top of Frenchman's Hill, and the
high ground at Cathcart'' Hill and near the Victoria
Redoubt, were occupied by large groups of British
officers and soldiers. Lioei of men were also seen
making their way by the old site of the Kamchatka
Redoes', and towards the earthworks on the Male-
khoff Hill. General Codrington passed on to the
town; Marshal Pillager took up his station at the
well-known spot on Frenchman's Hill which was
used daring the progress of the siege as an observa-
tory, and which was generally spoken of as the
" look-out near the Picket-house.' This point had
the advantage not only of a good view of the town
and Fort Nicholas. but also embraced a comprehen-
sive panoramic view of the fortifications along the
north side of the roadstead. A vast number of
French and English officers assembled at this spot.
The weather was as floe as during the two or
three preceding days it had been stormy and die-
agreeeb:e. It was scarcely possible that a more
favourable day could occur for such a spectacle. The
air was so brilliantly clear that every outline was
sharply defined of the buildings in the town, and
every fort and earthwork on the north side was
plainly visible. The water of the roadstead was as
smooth and calm as • lake. The topmasts of the
woken ships, and in some instances the yards and
cordage,stood out from the water without the slightest
evidence of movement, or causing the least ripple of
the surface. The sea outside seemed equally smooth ;
its uniform dark blue colour being broken only by a
white line where the waves were breaking on the
shoals beyond Fort Constantine. There was namely
any breeze, but what little there was mune from the
north. The ground was covered by a thin layer of
snow, and in the shade it was still freezing, so that
the crisp surface crackled under the premiere of the
foot; elsewhere the sun, which was 'hieing brightly,
calmed • slight thaw. Altogether it was an of the
most exhilaratieg days and best fitted for exercise
that we have had for a long time past; and this, no
doubt, was one of the reasons which aided in deter-
Weis( se may Sardinian Akers and others to some
all the distance from Tahorgoun and KIUSaf& to ass
the explosion._

At Brat, while the eciecoarie of spectators were
assembling oa the heights. sot a gen was fired from
the aoet► side. The slimes costumed esioterrepted
fee twenty Wastes as upwards, excepting by the

• sound of one discharge towards Inksrmann.
By means of a telescope the Russians could be
observed gathering about the batteries, standing in
the embrasures by their gam, and collected in small
groups on the heights. They appeared to be eyeing
us, and wondering for what object so many horsemen
and pedestrians were assembled. They must have
seen distinctly the soldiers running, and riders gal-
loping, over the crests of the hills and along the
eloper. Presently a white spot appeared at ens of
the lower batteries. This expanded, and slowly
curled away, and then came the report of the gun.
The same thing was immediately repeated at another
battery a short distant, off, and then came a kegs
pad smoke, which roes in brilliant whiteness, and
another loud report from Port Michael. This last
was probably tams larger:tartar. The anemias of the
shot, and the bursting of the obeli, were heard among
the baiblinp below,on the Barabelnals side. From this
the. for noose ten minutes or so a moderate fire was
kept up from the north side. The Basins were evi-
dently in complete uncertainty respecting what was
about to happen on the south side. They directed
all their fire toward the Dockyard, not knowing
perhaps, that the destruction of the docks had been
completed, and thinking that soaps operations were
in progress in their neighbourhood. This fire was
going on, and serving to distract &little the attention
of the spectators, who were now assembled in great
numbers, when a sudden exclamation among the
crowd' drew all eyes toward Fort Nicholas. The gaze
of the enemy was equally fascinated towards the same
direction, and all firing from their batteries awed.
From the west extremity of the long fort, partly con-
cealed from our view by other buildings, was slowly
rising and swelling a huge dense cloud of smoke,
which as it rose and spread enveloped all
the neighbourhood in a thick fog. At the same time
came a slight sensation of trembling of the ground,
and a dull rumbling sound like a distant clap of
thunder. It was not loud, and there was no echo.
While watching this scene the massive-looking east
end, where it turned round toward the south har-
bour, and the arched galleries for some distance
toward the oentrc—all very conspicuous as the sun
was lighting up the white stone of which they were
built, and without anything to intercept a full view
of their structure—appeared suddenly to be split
and rent asunder, and as the walls fell and dissolved
away great blasts of smoke and dust rose out of the
ground and stood in their stead. It was a most ex-
citing sight to witness such destruction accomplished,
noiselessly, as it seemed at a distant,, and as if by
magic, for there was no visible human agency, in
the midst of a bright still atmosphere, and therefore
without any of the usual concomitant circumstances
of a natural convulsion.

The cloud which rose from this end of the building
was very dark—almost black in the centre. It rolled
aid dilated over the ground from whence it bad
issued, but ascended very gradually. A thiok eprink-
Hog of white spots in the water of the roadstead
showed that fragments of stone were falling t►eret
sad as they continued for many seconds afthr the
explosion, some of them had evidently been projected
to a great height. Nearly five minutes must have
elapsed after this second discharge, the great canopies
of smoke were bending over towards the town, the
spectators were remarking that only the two ends of
the fort had been blown up, when another explosion
took place on the west side, and was succeeded,
almost immediately afterwards, by a fourth, at what
remained of the east end. The two reports from these
explosions seemed louder than the reports which had
followed the two former blasts. Still a part of
the fort remained upright, and between the dark
folds of drapery which shrouded the wide spaoes left
vacant by the fall of the two wings might still be
seen, though mistily, the high central tower and ob-
servatory. These did not exist long. A fifth and then
a sixth mine was sprung, and the whole of the gi-
gantic work which, not long ago, stood offering
defiance to the navies of the whole world,was levelled
to the ground. The clouds of smoke cleared away
slowly, and, driven gently by the breeze from the
north, passed over the ruins of the tows, for a time
enveloping it in fog and throwing it into dark
shadow. The removal of the accustomed outline, and
the long gap which was left by the destruction of the
fort, was then seen to have changed in its most strik-
ing feature the aspect of the whole town of Behar
topol, and to have left it more wrecked in appearanos
than ever.

As an engineering operation the success was com-
plete. Not one stone is left above another to define
the nature or form of the building which so lately
existed oa the site of the long line of ruined heaps
left by the explosion. The destruction of Feet Paul,
at the opposite point of entrance to the south harbour,
wee a comparatively easy task ; for it was a lofty
building, and its base was very limited in area. The
French engineers say that Fort Nicholas was by no
means so solid and firm a structure as it appeared to
be, for the cut stone was confined in a great degree
to the outer walls, and to other parts where deception
could not be easily practised. The interstices, and
comatosely Large spews in the masonry of the walls,
were filled up with rabble and small loose fragments
of stone. It has also been stated by Polish officers
who have fallen into the hands of the Allies,
and who bad been quartered in this fort, that
experiments were made, when the invasion of
the Crimea was first talked of, to ascertain what
amount of concussion the building could stand, and it
was then found, with one gun only in every third or
fourth casemate, that the walls suffered very con- '
eidseably.
The Russians did not resume firing from the north
side for some considerable time—nearly half-an.hosr
—after the blowing up of Fat Nicholas. They sub-
sequently kept up a dropping fire for the remainder
of the day, seemingly directing their shots at random
through the town and suburb. It wss generally ex-
pected theta very heavy bombardment would have been
opened, similar to that which occurred on the evening
of the 29th ultimo, and which was described in my last
letter. Although the immediate intention and object
of the very heavy fire which was poured into the
town on that date is not yet knows, it is now very
generally believed that Russian boats were crossing
at the time it first occurred. Several officers, ea well
as the men at the Fort Paul Guard, assert that they
distinctly counted six boats on the water. Whether
a daring attempt was about to be made to cut off this
guard, and that it was interrupted by the vigilance of
the sentry sad the musketry fire which followed, will
probably remain a mere matter of surmise. Some
additional precautions have been taken is eonstquenoe
of the occurrence alluded to.

No farther news respecting the progress of the
peace negodatioas has yet reached as, sines the e►