The Sun.
London, England, 1855-11-29 00:00:00

LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, NoVEIVIBEft. 29, 1856.

PUBLICATIONS.

pEPYS' DIARY.-NEW CHEAP
STAND aRD EDITIONS of this-Popular Work, with all the
recent Notes and Emendations, are now ready at all the Booksellers.
The small octavo, in 4 vols., uniform with Evelyn's Diary, price 6s.
each, bound, and the, LinsAnt EDITION, in 4 vols, decoy octavo,
uniform with Murray's Classics, price 7e: 6d. each, bound.
Hurst and Blackett, Publishers, succ _ssors to Henry Colburn.

Just published, in Bvo., price 75.6 d., cloth. ,
CURRENCY SELF - REGULATING and
EL kSTIC, explained in a Le'ter to his Gra-ce the Duke of
Argyll; with introductory chapters on the Nature of Caßital and
Money, and an Historical Sketch of British Currency Systedis.

London : Longman, Brown, Green, and longmans.

Now ready,

THE CAMPAIGN in the CRIMEA. An
Historical Sketch.

By GEORUE BRACKENBURY,
Ltte Secretary at Kadikol to the Honorary Agents of the Crimean

Army Fund.
Accompanied by 40 Plates from Drawings taken on the spot, by
William Simpson. Size, Royal Bvo. Price, elegantly booed, 21s.
Paul and Dominic Colnaghl and Co., 13 and 14, Pall-mall East,
Publishers to her Majesty.

FRASER'S' MAGAZINE for DECEMBER,
Price 2s Gd.. or by post 35., contains—
Friends in Council Abr.ad. Part I.
Last August in the Baltic. • Part I.
The Life and Works et Goethe.
New Metals. •
Sketches and Studicsfrom Belgium.—ll. Louvain.
The Monktons of Wineot Abbey. Edited by Wilkie Collins. Part 11.
The Political Press of America.
Su,lers in the Camp.
Recent Study of the New Testament.
The Verney Papers.
Czar Alexander and Cz it Mob.
Mr. Simon's Appointment to the Board of Health. -
Political Gossip.
--- -
London : John W. Parker ancl. eon, West Strand.

j lii postßvo., se'rebd;prl a one Spflllrig, r
THE CURABILITY of CONSUMPTION ;
being a Series of Papers, pigmenting the most prominent and
important rractieal Points in the Treatment of the Disease.
By FRANCIS 11. RADIADGE, M.D.,
Fellow of the College of Physicians, late Senior Physician to the
Royal Infirmary for Diseases of the Chest, &C.
Also, by the same Author, Price 10s. 6d.,
A TREATISE on ASTHMA and on DISEASES of the HEART.
London : Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans.

WANTED, A MESSMAN, for the Depot of
the 11th Regiment. None need apply who cannot pro-
duce good testimonials. Address, the President of the Mess Com-
mittee, Brecon, South Wales.

A RGYLL ROOMS.-LAURENT'S CASINO
IL NOW OPEN for the winter season. Principal Cornet
A Piston. M Bouleourt.—Doors open at 8. Admission One Shilling.
Laurent's new Varsoviana every night.'

ROYAL EXCHANGE ASSURANCE
OFFICE,
ROYAL EXCHANGE, 21ST NOVEMBER, 1855.
The COURT OF DIRECTORS of the ROYAL-EXCHANGE
ASSURANCE do hereby give Notice, that their Transfer Books
will be SHUT from TUESDAY, the 4th of December next, to Tnues-
DAY, the 3d of January following ; that the ANNUAL GENERAL
COURT appointed by their Charter will be holden, at their Office,
on the Royal Exchange, on WEDNESDAY, the 19th of December, at
Twelve o'clock at Noon, and that a Dividend will be considered of at
the said Court.

JOHN A. HIGEIAM, Secretary.

WINE and SPIRIT TRADE.--WANTED,
as COUNTRY RE PRESEN CATIVE for an cid-established
_ _

House of the highest respectability, a Gentleman thoroughly conver-
sant with th r trade, not exceeding fb ty years of age. having good
address, first-class references, and security. A liberal salary will be
given to a suitable person, especially with a connection in the North,
Midland, or Eastern Counties ; but, to save trouble, no notice will be
taken of applications not explicit as to the recommendations of the
applicant.—Address B. and Co., care of Messrs. Haurie and
Nephew, 8, Great Tower street, London.

MR. ALBERT SMITH has the honour to an-
nounce that MONT BLANC will open for the Season on
MONDAY EVENING, 'December 3d. During the recess several alter-
ations and improvements have been made in t e Egyptian Hall,
which it Is hoped will contribute still further to the comfort and pro-
per accommodation of the audience. The entertainment will be
divided into three parts. The first part will comprise the last year's
route through Holland and up the Rhine, with the exception that it
will commence at Boulogne and terminate at Heidelberg. The
second part will contain the accent of Mont Blanc, entering the val-
y of Chamouni by the Col de Balms, and quitting it by the Tete
Noire. The third part will bring the traveller back by Paris, allow-
ing time to visit the Exhibition, and it will be illustrated by the fol-
lowing views, painted by Mr. William Beverley :—The Palais de
l'lndustrie, with the Panorama Building, the Annexe, and the
Frigate, from the Place de la Concorde —A general view of
Paris—The Palais Royal The Machinery Gallery of the
Annexe—The Interior of the Exhibition, from the great St.
Gobain glass. The Ascent has been entirely repainted, and
a view of the large crevices on the Glacier de Bossons in
1853 introduced. The views of Heidelberg, and of the village of
Chamouni after the fire, arc by Mr. P. Phillips. Several old travel-
,

ling acquaintances, and a number of new ones, encountered abroad
during the autumn, will be presented to the audience. All the re-
gulations with respect to the room, the places, and the box-office,
with which the audiences have been pleased to express themselves
satisfied during past seasons, will be observed as before.

Prices of AdiWission ;—Stlls (numbered and reserved, which can
be taken in advance from the plan at the hall every diy, from eleven
to four, without any extra charge), as. It is respectfully Intimated
that no bonnets tan be allowed to the stalls at.inAllarlialconmatffiG
evening represen.ations. Gallery Stalls (which can also be taken
from a plan, and in which bonnets may be worn), 2s. 61. Area of
the Hall, 2s. Gallery, Is. Children—Stalls, 25.; Area, Is. A
Private Box, to hold three persons, may be had on application, Half-
a-G aiiica ; with an extra chair, 14s. A Private Balcony, for nine
persons, It. 2s. 6d (separate seats in the Balcony, 28. 6d. each).
The doors will be opened at half-past Seven, and the Lecture com-
mence very punctually at Eight o'clock. The box-office Is now
open.—Egyptlan Hall, Piccadilly, November 26th, 1855.

TO LOVERS OF FISH.-100 GENUINE
YARMOUTH BLOATERS for 65., package Included.
THESE HIGHLY ESTEEMED DELICACIES AND CHEAP

On View, capital modern Furniture, of English,French, and German
manufacture. Mantel Clocks and Ornaments, an India proof of the
Council of the Anti-Corn-Law League, 20 dozen of Wine sad
Brandy, 251 b. of Cigars and Cheroots, (1d China, Indian Weapons,
and Curiosities.

ESSRS. BULLOCK will SELL, at their
great Room, 211, High Holborn, on Saturday next, a large
assemblage of handsome FUR vITURE for drawing-rooms and bou-
doirs, in walnut, rosewood, and mahogany, several brilliant plate
glasses of large size, velvet-pile and other carpets, library bookcases,
dining-room chairs, sofa, sideboard, and dinner waggons, china,
plated tab's service, and an abundant supply of capital bedding,
bedsteads, wardrobes, and chamber farniture.
Note.--These auctions, established in 1805, are held on every
Saturday throughout the year, and comprise effects removed from
gentlemen's houses, where there is not sufficient to make a special
sale on'the premises.

TEE SECRET INFIRMITIES OF YOUTH AND MATURITY.
Just. published, price 25., illustrated 'with cases;
stamps, free by post for .26
VERVOUS DEBILITY;
LI Its Caves, Symptoms, and Care.—An Essay on Sper-
ma,Trrhcea, with Practical Observations on a safer and more
successful mode of treatment of the diseases of the Generative
System, obtained by the use' of tho Microscope in detecting and
listinguishing, by urinary examination, the real cause and effect of
wory variety of complaint, whether arising from solitary habits,
3xcesses, accident, or climate, followed by practical remarks, founded
on twenty years' experience in the treatment of Impuissance,
Nervous Debility, Lccal Weakness, Spermatorrhoca, &c. To which
are added, Commentaries on the Physiology of Marriage, with pre-
cautionary hints on the evils emanating from empirical practice,
and on the dangerous remedies advocated by various writers on
these important disorders.

By SAMUEL LA'MPRT M.D.
$7, BEDFORD-8(117A BE, LONDON,

Dieter of Medicine, Matriculated Member of the University of Edin
burgh, Honorary Member of the London Hospital Medical Society,
Licentiate of Apothecaries' Hall, London, sec., &c.
The essential object of this treatise is to point out the fearful con-
sequences resulting from certain habits, irregularities, and excesses,
which have produced more misery in Youth, degradation in Man-
hood, and premature decay at all stages of Life, than, perhaps, any
Atter class of disease known to modern pathologists. Its perusal is
particularly recommended to persons entertaining secret doubts of
their physical condition, and who are conscious of having hazarde4
the health, happiness, and privileges to which every human being is
entitled.

it is absolutely necessary that all men should know, that there arc
principles of personal management which cannot be violated without
incurring grievous penalties, and when wisdom and regret succeed
the heyday of inconsiderate self-indulgence, how these penalties
nay be mitigated, how tho sting of their bitterness may be removed,
And how the evil and its consequences may be avoided, and above all,
that there is scarcely any degree of physical infirmity or functional
lerangement to which the timely aid of rtionce cannot apply a cure
►'he Author hai for a series of years been engaged in an extensive
mete() in the treatment 01 these delicate complaints, which have
intortunately been too generally confided k the care of ignorer t
empirics, who inflict great iujuzy on those wLo are induced to place
faith in their pretensions.

NERVOUS DEBILITY may be hal price 2e. of Messrs. Sher-
wood acid Co., 23, Paternoster-row; 'llanney, 63, Oxford-street;
Horna,l9, Leicester-square; Mann, 39, Cornhill; or free by post for
s ',Axes to any address from the Author's residence, 87, Bed-
ford -vinare. _ _

.At home for consultation daily from elevep till two, arid from.six
t4l eight.

THE WAR IN THE EAST.

(Front a Correspondett f Ake Merting Post.)
CAMP, HEIGH PS ABOVE SEBASTOPOL,
NOVErankn 13. :-
The English mail due yesterday is again long be-
hind Its time, nothing having been heard of it up
to this evening ; however, as people are mostly
tired of looking for the expected brevet, its non,
ippearance does not cause more than the usual
amount of anxiety: Now that the evenings. are.
getting wearily long, a mail with its letters and
newspapers is not to be lightly Considered, :a:nd
the hours and minutes, when the proper time ar-
rives for its approach, are cotinted: by many. Toy
day has somewhat more of the dreary character of
the month, but the weather is mild and dry, and
from its being so at the new.moon it is hoped= will
continue so for some time. longer. None of., the
expected appointments, beyond that of Lord Wil-
liam Paulet to the command of the Light Division,
appear in this day's orders. lt is said that the
subdivision of the army meets with no approval
from the senior officers, .and that the telegraphic
wires are at present engaged with messages con-
cerning it. The advantage of it in so small an
army as ours no person can appreciate, as our
whole strength when combined does not amount to
what is one of the corps d'armes of our allies the
French. The divisions form suitable commands
for general officers, under the Commander'Of the
Forces, and any other arrangement seems likely—
for a time, at all events—to upset our system, with
which no great fault Can be found at present, the
evils being apparently in mere minor details, some
of which I endeavoured, but perhaps very imper-
fectly, to describe yesterday. Whereas, last win-
ter, we suffered front
,wandFof preeaution,, and
being mostly_new to the work, care mtist'norr be
taken that we run not into.the opposite extreme,
and, having got over the, hard work,' dangers, and
pr
ivationse
nw
ae
nwuerrsee
rtyh
ofe n e sane
eb jand
t e de
int of,o
rstuebus teiht u
at es
to unfit them for a spring campaign ; as any one
who has experienced real campaigning will at once
know that, were the Land Transport Corps in-
creased to one hundred times its present strength
—supposing it now capable of undertaking the le-
gitimate calls of a field movement—it could not
carry coffee mills and pudding cloths for England's
dear babies. We must learn smaller lessons of our
allies than forming corps d'armees—teach Young
Bull to be all in all a soldier for himself, to cook
his rations without Soyer, and to entrench his
camp without an Army Works Corps. Among the
articles that, in this enlightened age, have been
found indispensably necessary to the soldier's com-
fort one thing has been omitted—no supply of
warming-pans has been received, and the lately ar-
rived heroes who sleep in sheets may possibly very
often find them damp when the wet weather sets in.
NOVEMBER 14.

It was impossible, on awaking this mornitig,, not
to remember the feelings with which we were
aroused from our slumbers on this day last year,
and not to be animated with a feeling of gratitude
that, doubtful and dreary as may be our present
prospect, it is incalculably superior to what we then
experienced. In my-own case, which was more or
less (and I doubt not that the former prevailed) the
case with every man in the army, I awoke in a
more helpless condition than on any other day that
I can remember in my whole life. For the first
time since landing in the Crimea, on the 14th of
September, I ventured, in consequence of having
received what was then called heavy baggage—but
light enough, in• all conscience, to gratify the
strictest campaigner—to go to bed with my clothes
off, and found myself, at an early hour, with
my canvas covering torn from over me, and
exposed to the winds of heaven in my shirt
alone, for everything else I possessed was fast dis-
appearing. I will not enter into particulars of
the partial recovery of raiment, but that such a day
as I never again wish to pass followed the opening
scene few will doubt, and will the more easily appre-
ciate the feelings with which this, the first anniver-
sary of it, is felt on the same spot, or within a few
hundred yards of it, in the same climate, but with
every luxury, if not of the season, that good sense
gained from experience has taught. The face of the
ground changed from the wild appearance of unin-
habited heights to a busy world—the young oak
brushwood, amongst which we .rst pitched our
tents, not only swept from the face of the earth,
but from under th© earth ; as I believe it was left

to but few roots to try and shoot upwards again in
the spring of this year, and such as did found it
was taut a sorry place to thrive, as their kind and
lgiudiec“iterc ivere.onifi6seclA) carryon. the deadly-
world in 'hand, and the young-buds, instead of
opening into leaf, were doomed to wither as gabions
in those hateful trenches. But the place is changed.
Huts have, in a great measure, superseded even
tents, and the latter become not a mere locum

tenens, but a permanent dwelling, at least for some
months in anticipation. Next as to climate ; who
could believe two self-same days in successive years
could, exhibit such a difference Then all storm,
dire, overpowering storm ; to-day all June, the sun
so warm that any extra clothing that a ew cold
days have from time to time dictated was found
superfluous. Yet we must keep in mind the stern
fact that our work is not yet over, and that Sebas-
topol itself, that place which can only. be handed
down to future generations as a place of blood, is not
yet quite done with. An unfortunate accident hap-
pened this afternoon to some men of the Coldstream
Guards, on duty in the Redan, by which one was
killed on the spot, and two others severely, and one I
fear mortally, wounded. It appears, as I heard it,
that two men were endeavouring to obtain from one
of the excavated cabins in the old stronghold some
coffee canisters, called by the men " infernal ma-
chines," which they wanted for holding water, or
some other purpose. Two had been obtained ; and
a third—which was not precisely the same, after-
wards discovered—whilst the men were about
emptying the powder it contained, exploded, and
caused the accident.

TERRIFIC EXPLOSION IN THE CAMP.
Nov. 15, 5 P.M.—This afternoon one of the most
extensive and appalling explosions of gunpowder,
bombs, and artillery materials that has ever oc
curred since the commencement of the war, whe-
ther on-the side of the allies or within the fines of
Sebastopol, took place on the right of our camp.
A greater quantity of gunpowder itself may have
been exploded in some of the magazines discharged
for the destruction of the buildings and works after
the abandonment of the ruined city and fortress ;
but this is doubtful, and certainly there were never
fired at the same time so great a number and
variety of deadly and explosive projectiles. The
frightful character of the occurrence was greatly
enhanced, too, by its isolated and unexpected na-
ture, suddenly bursting out in the very midst of
the camps at a time when all 'was supposed to be
ttgtilealenr
tents
on
fd , t
he withoutn e
neighbouring
b lookingour n g
secure, and when the sounds of the bombardment,
once loud and familiar enough, had dwindled down
into the occasional dropping shots interchanged
between the north and south sides. Another ele-
ment of alarm was the spreading and fury of the
fire after the first great explosion, and the constant
fresh communication with other stores of explosive
combustibles, the amount and nature of which
were involved in uncertainty from the difficulty of
learning what had already been destroyed. The
close neighbourhood of the great English magazine
of gunpowder, where in a closely-packed mass be-
tween eighty and ninety tons are said to be stored,
from the English
agree g
itpshyai
siege
g eti 1
awnt
pathway
first
distinct explosion
de s
e r ip t
ioocn-
All accounts
formed noan
ds small
panic. ingredient
trainn
depot,
hensionwhich i s
ocunrlyredseipnartatheedFbryencah
right train siege depot in rear of the Light Divi-
sion.
position and distance. Those
It is impossible to
p o tesrflyashi appearedng of t
h e utterly
fi re,
thebe .
everyblow from
reasoning the
of the effect of the firsate
to circumstances of
save the instinctive vwsauiihrcioi,nateeihtasyectiasnoptfiguedsntmhnferionokgmsei,eitlagfoharetireloh:l:ise,
imfapenelllteyd,
heedless of the shells and
wildered. The force ofprttehde
and took away all sense,
im-
pulse to fly from the source of evil. These men
never stopped till they had
ran on in all directions,
grape which were
back at the scene of destruction they were leaving
behind them, and
reached or passed
regiments. Among tho regiments themselves of
the Light Division, whether in tents or huts, a
sudden sensation was felt as if of an upheaving of
the ground, at the same time that a violent shook
was experienced from the concussion of the air.
Almost instantly followed the loud report of the
explosion : not sounding as if a single charge or
magazine had been fired, and without the ringing
tone or decided character of a salvo of artillery,
but seeming rather as if a number of magazines had
been discharged, one after the other, so rapidly
that all the reports were blended into one. As the
thunder of the first report subsided, its place was
occupied by the sharp cracking sounds of shells
bursting high in the air, the rush of fragm.enta fall-

ing to the ground, and the loud bangs of shells
which had been scattered and were explodina on
all sides. Simultaneous with these, almost from
the very commencement,, was the crashing 'of
Wooden 'huts, splitting of timbers, and noise of
falling glass from the broken windows. The tents
were violently agitated, and sometimes the cords
or poles were snapped asunder. 'Then followed,
a continued succession of minor reports, and the
roar of flames, and crackling of burning wood, as
the fire,advanced and increased among the. huts
and artillery stores of the siege train depots. Those
who rushed out of their tents-immediately after the
first shock, or who happened to be 'standing 'ont-
side at :the time, saw the air filled with shells,
some bursting at an elevation such as they used to,
be seen in the siege operations when propelled from,
mortars by the heaviest oharges, some exploding on
the ground. Grape and the small iron shot, about
the size of bullets, of which such great quantities
were found in iron cases in some of the Russian
magazines, were falling thickly on all sides. Every
one sought the nearest shelter, crouching beneath
the stone walls of ',the* buts and buildings lately
erected, or wherever any protection from the iron
shower could be most readily discovered. The air
became speedily darkened, as if by a mist, from
the smoke which spread around, but.this was soon
dispersed.
.•. .
Those who Trete at a-still-further distance, ap-
proaching towards the frOnt from the plain, sap
that they first saw a swelling-column of smoke, out
of which shot rays of light, ascending to a great
elevation, and that these, curving and bursting
with brilliant star-like centres of. light, had pre-
cisely the appearance of a magnificent display of
fireworks. The agitation of the ground, and the
report of the• explosion- which followed; togetlier
with the/ disieetioti; ilalheidecrtheM;of-theaseffliame
nature?of the occurrence. Their impression .was at
first, as indeed it was among the greater number of
Persons in the camps near the catastrophe, that the
great English powder magazine had exploded.
It may well be excused if the majority of men
and officers—subjected as they were to the double
horrors of an earthquake and sudden bombard-
ment—in the camps around the parks of the siege
train were for the moment panic-stricken. But
to the credit of all be it spoken that the con-
fusion of the first event had no sooner passed ,
than one laudable desire seemed to seize all ranks to
be instrumental in saving the maimed and wounded,
who were unable to escape from the neighbourhood
of the fire, or who were lying around, struck by
the fragments of shells or
.by other projectiles.
Stretchers were got from the surrounding regi-
mental hospitals, and the wounded, French and
English, rapidly carried to them. Medical officers
from other divisions, and from the General Hos-
pital, galloped over to render assistance. The staff
of the Light and Second Divisions were quickly at
'the scene of action, and not long afterwards
General Codrington arrived with the head-quarter
stalf,,,many of whom were returning on their way.
from the Artillery review in the plain near Bala-
klava. A train of ambulance waggons arrived
quickly, and were of essential service. Many of the
regimental hospitals, being in rear of their regi-
ments, and therefore nearest to the place of the ex-
plosion, had been very much shaken or injured by
shot and shells ; and as the daaiger_of fire and fur-
ther explosions had'not ceased, the opportunity of
removing the wounded rapidly to. a greater dis-
tance was urgently required. Fortunately the
General Hospital, in the rear of the Third Divi-
sion, which, previous to the 'expectation of .an at-
tack on the part of the enemy, it had been intended
to break up and convert into winter huts for the
troops, was still vacant, and to this hospital many
of the wounded were at once removed. There was
great danger in approaching the fire from the con-
stant explosions, and both men and officers had
frequently to be recalled while searching for those
who had been injured, or while attempting, by
tearing down canvas or cutting down timber, to
stop the communications of the fire. One young
officer of artillery, of the name of Dawson, had his
leg carried away by a shell bursting, and was con-
veyed to the General Hospital. Brevet-Major the
Hon. H. Clifford, Rifle Brigade, who is acting as
assistant quartermaster-general;Light Division, in
the absence of Colonel Airey, was particularly con-
spicuous in giving directions. It was known that
in one part of the English siege train depot, towards
which the fire was tending, there was a large collec-
tion of rockets and some shells, and it was found
impossible to save these from combustion. Am it
was uncertain what havoc -might be committed
through their agency, whether in setting huts or
tents on fire, or from the missiles with which they
Were )thided, sailfferfgh t i3rhdint- to remove the
greater part of the troops to a distance. The regi-
ments of the Light Division were therefore marched
some way to the front of their camps ; ono brigade
towards the Victoria Redoubt, the other towards
the picket-house on Frenchman's-hill. A guard
from the Second Division had been brought down
very soon after the first explosion, and a line of
sentries was stretched across to prevent a nearer
approach to the scene of danger than the lines of
the 88th Regiment. Fortunately the rockets were
packed in close bundles, and were without sticks,
so that, when they exploded shortly before five
o'clock, they burned almost as if they had been
some combustible compound fixed in a single case.
A powerful white light, rushing upwards with great
force, and accompanied by showers of sparks and a
loud. whizzing noise, followed by numberless explo-
sions of comparatively unimportant character—and
this source of danger was at an end.
One source of apprehension, it has been already
mentioned, was the great English magazine of gun-
powder. Most pro7identially, at the time of the
oe was of
aware smoke
wdhtaitving in that
direction. t
lust explosion there was scare sly any breeze, but
what wind there was came from the north-west.
This bent the flames towards the magazine, chiefly
evident from
Everythe volumesn
conse-
quences must have resulted if the magazine were
once reached ; and for some time the anxiety on this
dire
account was very intense. But the fire had hardly
raged 20 minutes, when the smoke was observed to
move in another direction. The current of air had
changed, and was blowing from nearly due north.
The force of the flame was therefore directed to-
wards the ground in rear, left vacant by the French
regiments, which had not long since quitted it. This
direction has been maintained since. Had the wind
come from an opposite point, that is from the south,
a wind which a short time ago was prevailing, the
huts and tents of the first brigade of the Light
Division, being
scarcely have escaped. As it was, the large cora-
so close to the siege trains, could
missariat stores of forage and provisions which
have been accumulated for the winter consumption
of the regiments of this brigade, and which were
in great danger of being set fire to, wholly escaped.
They were piled in rear of the regimental encamp-
ments, between them and the artillery camps.
Great praise is due to the troops, who, while the
fire was burning, covered the sides and roof of the
magazine, where the English gunpowder was stored,
with wet blankets and sheepskins.
The source of the explosion is, and in all proba-
bility will ever be, involved in obscurity. The in-
dividual who, by his wicked negligence and want
of caution, caused the irreparable mischief, as well
as the witnesses of the act, must have met with
instantaneous death. At first the most absurd
statements were made as to its origin. The first
impression—and a very general one—seemed to be,
that a train had been laid and the depot blown up
by a Russian emissary. When it was discovered
that the English magazine was safe—long a conspi-
cuous object—and the difficulties of such an under-
taking were considered, this idea was dispelled.
Then it was said that a Zouave, excited at having
received punishment, had set fire to the siege am-
munition. But even if the supposition of such a
mad and fiendish act could be admitted, the well-
known caution and strict rules of the French ad-
ministration prevented it from being entertained.
No one at any time was admitted into the French
depot without he was engaged there on duty, or
was accompanied by a French officer. The more
probable story is one that was told by a French
artilleryman, that some live Russian shells were
being emptied at the depot, and the gunpowder
contained in them collected for storage, and that
the ignition of one of these must have led to
the firing of the principal magazine. Smok-
ing was forbidden within the precincts of the
depot, but some soldier may have been guilty
of the act unobserved and a spark fallen in the
gunpowder. A commission of inquiry will no doubt
be appointed to investigate the subject.
No idea can be formed at present of the number
of men destroyed or injured. Some of the men who
have been carried by, or picked up
va-
rious camps, are greatly mutilated. The.wotua
re
are chiefly shell wounds. Some of the patenfallin
badly scorched—some severely bruised`
objects
timbers. But among all the distressing
o more
around, none perhaps was more melon:h 1,
artil-
calculated to excite feelings of pity, t an
by
by sudden alarm, rendered idiotic. among
concussion or
leryman who had been, eithertic. among the
wounds
attracted
general attention as he was led by, bareheaded, be-
tween two of his comrades, uttering silly
exclama-
tions, and quite lost to consoioutmeas of all that