The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-29 00:00:00

THE SIEGE OF SEBASTOPOL.

(Front a Correspondent of the limes.)
FOURTH DIVISION CAMP, Aug. 17.--At 4 this
morning the English batteries opened a heavy fire
along the whole of their line. The Russians kept
silence for fully 20 minutes, when they replied in
good style. The French were slow in co-operating
with us. It was fully half-past 5 before they opened
on the left, and when they did it was a sort of in-
termittent fire, their right pausing when their left
was active, and vice versa. A report had been cur-
rent that but for the action on the Tchernaya the
long-talked-of bombardment was to have com-
menced yesterday at noon, and when at daybreak
to-day the roar of artillery was heard, it was sup-
posed the cannonade had commenced in earnest
and would be vigorously sustained. After a short
time, however, it slackened considerably, and it
became evident that no serious bombardment was
intended. During the whole day the cannonade has
varied in violence, and has often been scarcely more
severe than we are accustomed to witness nearly
every evening. At other times, however, the fire
has been very heavy. Its real object is, I be-
lieve, to enable the French to continue their ap-
proaches to the Malakhoff. Many conjectures
and reports are afloat on the subject. It
has been said that the fire is to be succeeded by a
feint attack. Then, when it is supposed that the
enemy has brought large bodies of troops to the
front of his defences, a more effective bombardment
is to take place, to be followed by a real attack on
a different point. More authoritative information
has reached me, which, without entering into de-
tails, gives me grounds to believe that something
serious will shortly occur, to which to-day's fire has
been merely a prelude. Meanwhile, we have
casualties to lament, and have suffered some da-
mage to our batteries. Four guns of No. 7 battery,
left attack, were silenced, the other two thereupon
suspending their fire. Two guns of the Naval Bri-
gade were disabled. Captain Oldfield, Royal Ar-
tillery, was killed. 3kor Henry, of tbhetsawmaes
corps, lost his arm at the shoulder joint
doing well this evening. He had jus,twbeueenn
trhes-
hayed, and was about to quit the battery h
3d Buffs,
ball struck him. Lieutenant Dennis,..
has been very badly wounded, and there is scarcely
a chance of his recovery. Captain Hammet,
in the trenches.
com-
mander of the Albion,
was killed to his men to stand
He saw the ball coming,
called'self remained, and
out of the way,
was instantly andkilled, either by by the ball or by
it smashed. I have
a spoke of the wheel,
.
7instances. There is
heard of other similar
some-
times a sort of fascination, it would appear, in a
cannon shot when it
at you. The Naval
Brigade suffered
vereclyom. comes at
200 were in th©
had 23 casualties, including six
gallant
kbnuotckilsl:
trenches, and they
men and an officer killed. Tlhlisth
treated brigade usually gets a
but none of the rewards of good service. It surely
is not too much to expect that vacancies made in
their ranks by the shot and shell they so bravely
and frequently face Should be filled up from
among themselves ; yet for many months there has
not been a promotion among them, but very nu-
merous deaths. Three lieutenants' belonging to
one ship have been killed. On the 18th of Juno a
lieutenant fell when ll tl ga an y attempting to rescue
a wounded sailor. The mate promoted had seen
no service before, and has seen none since, for her
went to England shortly afterwards, but he is a
very near relative of Sir James Graham's. h
Captain Rammet's vacancy to be similarly filled
up ? The .N aval Brigade has certainly strong
grounds for complaint.
This afternoon, about 6 o'clock, one of our mortar
batteries on the right discharged six mortars simul-
taneously at one spot in the Malakhoff, and blew
up a magazine shells, which popped off in succes-
sion in beautiful style, while the Russians jumped
over the parapets in mortal terror, and our fellows
in Gordon's Battery jumped on theirs and cheered
with delight.
This evening, about 9 o'clock, we were disturbed
from our post-prandial pipe by a sudden alarm in
the camp of the Fourth Division—by shouts of " A
Russian spy !" " Seize him !" " There he goes 1"
and similar exclamations. Of course we bowled
out of our hut in double quick time. There W.Dae
considerable excitement in the vicinity of the
cattle-pound, formed of empty beef casks
after containing the dead provisions of.tedysd
seemed
serve to enclose the live stock. -.l%Duitussian spy
division,
to have a distin.et idea of what la
was like, but b.e was said to betniounted, and