The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-19 00:00:00

FURTHER NEWS OF THE NAVVIES.

Though the correspondence of the papers of Saturday
acquainted the public that a commencement had already
been made of the railway works on the intended line
from Balaklava to the heights around Sebastopol, yet,
as letters have been received from the navvies them-
selves, and from some others connected with the en-
gineering expedition, the details so furnished will be read
with interest, especially when it is added that the testi-
mony of several of the writers confirms all that kale
been said of the chaotic state of things that prevailed
on shore at the time of their arrival, though matters have
since seemingly undergone a little improvement. It
should be first mentioned, however, that at the date of
those advices there had reached Balaklava the under.
mentioned vessels, with men and materials, viz.:—Lady
Alice Lambton, Jan. 28 - Hesperus, Jan. 30 ; and
Prince of Wales and the Great Northern, Feb. 2. The
Earl of Durham and the Samuel Laing arrived at Con-
stantinople on the last-mentioned date. The Mohawk,
sailing vessel, was passed off Cape Matapan on Jan. 25,
beating up under double-reefed topsails.
The vessels which had reached Balalilava accomplished
the voyage without any casualties, and the whole of the
men were lauded in good health and spirits. Arrange-
ments having been effected for the immediate discharge of
the vessels' cargoes,the railway works were commenced at
once, and considerable progress had already been made. No
difficulties are presented by the nature of the ground,
but, owing to the want of horses, the undertaking is ex-
pected to Occupy a longer time than was at first antici-
pated. The first mile and a hal ffrom Balaklava is nearly
level, the incline being only 1 foot in 60 ; there are then
2 miles of steep incline, rising 1 foot in 15 for the first
half mile, and then 1 foot iu 25 ; but from about the
end of this distance to Lord Raglan's quarters the
ground is nearly level. The field - marshal and Sir
John Burgoyne are said to think favourably of the
enterprise, but the greater part of the engineering
officers entertain doubts of its utility, or at least
evince no very lively faith in its feasibility within
a period sufficiently brief to admit of its proving
that essential auxiliary to the operations of the
siege which its projectors, the Duke of Newcastle and
Sir Samuel Morton Pete,
.Bart., originally anticipated.
Quite different, however, is the opinion of those charged
with the realisation of such expectancy. The pnnellasi
engineer is full of confidence that if Sebastopol is tO be
captured at all, its downfall will be essentially acoele'
rated by the railway. In that faith the navvies ply
their picks and shovels ; and it is fortunate indeed they
took out a good supply of these implements with them,
for those on the spot, in use by the ordnance, are
miserably scanty and of still more miserable quality,
possessing every quality they ought not. The weather
had improved, the thermometer standing M 50 ; and if
it continues favourable, the progress of the works will
no doubt be rapid, as the men had arrived in the
highest state of efficiency, and set to at once in
high spirits aid with the greatest good will. They seem
to have been literally appalled at the unimaginable state
of filth, confusion, and universal piggishness that per-
vaded Balaklava, whether afloat or ashore, and for which
they declare not all the descriptions of the press had pre-
pared them. The first thing they did to prevent their
own affairs being engulphed in the general medley was
to secure a wharf for the special use of the navvy fleet
—an invaluable precaution, and one which permitted
something like a system of order and method being
created out of the chaos. A fatigue party of soldiers was
also obtained to pull down some old buildings to admit of
a distinct locale being made for the navvies, respecting
whom instructions had been given for the whole of them
to be berthed and victualled aboard the vessels they
arrived in until huts could be erected for their accommo-
dation on shore. This arrangement, with the excellent
food and warm clothing provided for them, will, it is
presumed, keep them in their present healthy and
vigorous condition. Not a single case of sickness oc-
curred among them during the voyage out, nor had any
complaint been made of the quality or quantity of the
provision,.
Mindful, however, of the compliment paid them by
Capt. Andrews, on their embarkation at Blackwall, as
to the " eyes of Europe being upon them," they have
been at 96100 pains to keep themselves conspicuous be.
fore the several " nationalities" daring their progress to
the East. Thus, at Gibraltar, a party of them achieved
the hitherto intpossible exploit of storming the Rock,
to the amazement alike of commanders and sentinels,
and roamed all over the place, despite of every remon-
strance, the authorities good-humouredly tolerating
eccentricities which a little more license and a little
more delay might have converted into serious excise.
This ebullition was reproved on board, and it was inti-
mated that they must not go on shore at Malta, or, if
they did, they might do so penniless, for they would be
allowed to take no money with there. Nothing dis-
heartened by this admonition, and the pecuniary deprive-
tion attending it, they landed, and hit upon a most
characteristic expedient for raising the wind. Some
dozen of them went about Valetta as perambulating
advertisers, proclaiming that at a certain hour a grand
display of the noble art of self-defence by real Bri-
tish pugilists, and for the special benefit of two pro-
fessors of the same would come off. And come off it
accordingly did, amidst a large concourse of spectators,
and with sterling results, through the importunities of
the navvies, who, hat in hand, solicited not only their
own countrymen of the place, but the natives—descends
ants mayhap, many of them, of Foulques de Valloret
and other knights and grand masters—to contribute to
this illustration of the chivalry of Pierce Egan and Tom
Cribb. Again, at Constant,nople, they insisted on
going ashei e, and when told that they could not go, as
the place did not belong to the Queen, they exclaimed
that it ought to belong to her, and that it soon should,
if they had their way. However, they had not their
way there at all events ; and E 0 reached their ultimate
destination in quietness.
Some grumblings and growlings, more or less up-
roarious, which they have had amongst each other since
their arrival seem to have begot fears among the military
authorities that there may be serious disturbances. But
those who bnow the idiosyncracy of the navvy think
nothing of these little manifestations, and regard occa-
sional, phlebotomy in the manner prescribed in " Boxi-
ana as one of the luxurie.s essential to the equanimity
of the roughs, which they will indulge in, no matter at
what alarm to the nerves of disciplinarians, whether rs.
black coats or red. There is no doubt they will be a
trifle unruly at the outset, but as little that they will
go on steadily, however doggedly and unsentimentally,
afterwards. Their enterprise has certainly been
commenced, all circumstances taken into considera-
tion, under the most favourable auspices. The great
drawbacks at present are the want of horses, and
the difficulty of procuring auxiliary labour. The sol-
diers are described as overworked to a degree altoge•
ther incredible to the navvies, looking in their eyes art
the very spectres of poor-house paupers at home, the
worst feature in the whole case being, according to the
letters we are quoting from, the utter apathy and list-
lessness, the callousness and indifference to their owns
life and that of everybody else, which seem to suffuse
all classes, owing to the protracted scenes of suffer-
ing of which Balaklava bas been the theatre. Still,
the soldierly esprit de corps and sense of self-respect
tower above all mere corporeal miseries. No complaints,
no murmurings, amongst the men; but buoyancy and alac-
rity, as far as nature will probably permit, at the whisper
of duty, and readiness and eagerness to grapple with the
enemy, ns though all had hitherto been sunshine and
hilarity. Terrible, however, as was the condition of
their own countrymen in the view of the stalwart
navvies, it seems to have been that of sybarites com-
pared with the sad plight of the Turks, who are rapidly
dwindling away under the combined influences of incle-
ment weather and scarcity of provisions, so that out of
.„„ .

the 6,000 originally sent out scarcely a tenth part now
survive. More navvies will probably be required, and a
supply of good horses is also very desirable, and would
greatly accelerate the operations. Neither horses nor
forage to feed them are to be got in Balaklava, and a
supply of hay and corn would have to be sent out for
their subsistence. 'When the incline is reached, the
want of horses may be remedied, to some extent, by a
double tramway, by which a train of empty earth tracks
could be pulled by the loaded ones ; but at present, for
the purposes of the railway, the great desiderata, as
already stated, are horses, and plenty of forage to sus-
tain them in working condition, and prevent their pe-
rishing as so many squadrons have already done.--
Morning Chronicle.

The Panama Star states it as tolerably positive that
the railroad would be opened through to Panama by the
end of January.

REPRESENTATION Or STIIILINGSEIRE.--Tiarough the
death of Mr. Forbes, of Callendar, a gentleman of very
high Conservative politics, but of great personal amia-
bility, the representation in Parliament of this important
county has become vacant; and it is said Mr. Blackburn,
of Kil learn, best known in connection with the Edinburgh
and Glasgow Railway, aspires to the sent.--Scottish
Press.

We understand that two of the medical officers ap•
pointed to form part of the Sanitary Commission about
to be sent out by Government to inquire into the condi.
tion of the Hospital at Scutari, are Dr. Gavin and Dr.
Southwood Smith. One of the members of the late
board will, it is expected, also serve on the Commission.
Mr. Hadfield, late secretary to the South-American
Liverpool Company, will proceed to-morrow, via Mar.
seines, to Constantinople, to take charge there of the
fleet of steamers of his company chartered by the Go.
verniasent.

ESCAPE OF CONVICT 3 FROM NEWG.LTIL—On Saturday
morning the officials of the gaol of t Newgate were
thrown into a state of great perplexity on discovering
the escape of three criminals, who, having been cone
victed and sentenced, were up to that time serving their
probationary term prior to being drafted to their several
destinations of transportation or penal servitude. It ap-
peared that all the prisoners were called over at eight
o'clock, and at nine o'clock three men were found to be
missing, viz., John Berry, who was sentenced to be
transported for fifteen years for passing forged Si. notes ;
a man named Brown, convicted and sentenced to four-
teen years' transportation for a burglary committed in
the neighbourhood of and during the late great fire at
Shoreditch ; and Spiers, the Bank clerk, who was sen-
tenced to 15 years' transportation for committing a for-
gery on Spooner and Attwoods bank. At the east end
of the prison is an open space of ground, abutting upon
the yard of an empty house in Warwick-square, and it
is supposed that by means of a rope supplied to them
from the outside the prisoners were ebled to scale the
wall ; and once in the yard they fotend no difficulty in
getting in at the window of the first floor of the house
in Warwick-square, and thus making their way into the
street, their escape being materially assisted by the cir-
cumstance of their not having on the prison dress. The
-usual steps were taken for the detection and apprehen-
sion of the offenders, but with what success remains bzil
be evens