The Sun.
London, England, 1855-08-13 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, AUGusr 13 1855.

LETTERS PROM THE CRIMEA.

( FcroAm, thpe
AD
BaN.NEewss
ECiarsesproonpdeontrjofjtui,
Liard3aly.
Very little change has occurred in the relative
positions of the besieged and besiegers during the
st three days. The French have not advanced
yfu ier towards the enceinte or the Malakhoff,
. ut the thy() been busily occupied both in extend-
ing and a t pening the approaches already made.
The trenches are sufficiently wide now for the troops
to stand four deep under cover from direct fire. The
moon was full on the 29th instant, and the nights
hive been sufficiently clear for working parties in
front to Le- immediately perceived by the enemy.
A newlypiac,ld gabion becomes at once the signal
for a terrific discharge of grape and small shells.
The same causes have acted in preventing the sap
from being extended towards the Redan.
The enemy has executed a counter-approach, the
object of which has been puzzling many of our
engineers. On the night of the 28th instant the
Russians were distinctly beard working, about the
Korniloff bastion, as it was supposed, by the French
in the advanced approaches on the Malakhofe-hill.
When daylight appeared, however, it was Observed
that a deep trench had been cut in the glacis, at
right angles to the great ditch around the Malak-
hoff works. It was almost directly opposite to the
salient angle of the Korniloff bastion, commud.-
cated with the ditch by an opening in the counter-
scarp, passed through the abbatis, and was ex-
tended in a direction towards the nearest point of.
the French approach. This passage, which seems
to be very deep, decreases in breadth as it recedes
from the ditch. • The earth has been thrown up on
either side, so as to form two parapets, and the
whole has the appearance of one of those covered
passages known, in the language of fortification,
as a double caponniere. But what the object of
it is in the present instance is not very appa.
rent. Whether intended to counteract any supposed
mining in that direction, or to be used as a passage
for sallying out against the besiegers, is a matter of
surmise. Since the night of its first construction it
has been deepened, but in other respects it remains,
as far as can be seen, in the same state in which it
was when first observed. The colour of the fresh
,arth thrown up and the opening made in the dark
3battis by its passage render this trench very con-
spicuous.

The Russians have brought a heavy fire to bear
upon the new battery erected on. the ea•t side of
Careening Bay near the water of the great road,
stead, and have succeeded in some degree in delaying
its completion. There are no less than six batteries
•n the north side, the guns of which can be turned
against the spur and ridge to the right of the
Careening Harbour. The largest battery is the
12-gun battery nearly directly opposite. Our allies
call this work, from its being close to the large
burying-place frequently referred to from its con-
spicuous position, La Batterie de la Cimetiere.
Large Ru-siatt working parties have been very
husy about it of late : they appear to be extending
it, and also to be excavating deep trenches along
the heights, both to the east and west of the work

alluded to. The small 5-gunbaitCiywhiC.lhtite
Russians deserted the day after the capture of the
Seleughinsk and Voihynia redoubts, has been con-
verted into a strong work by our allies. It is now
,eady for its armament, which will consist of three
13-inch mortars and a Lancaster gun. From its
commanding position over the roadstead, being at
the extreme end of the spur of the mountain, it is
anticipated that this work also will be -very effective
against the Russian shipping. The Selenghinsk
redoubt, which is still familiarly called the White
Battery, has an immensely powerful armament. It
is said that we are expecting the arrival of a further
supply of large mortars.
It has been noticed that, in the large Russian
cemetery to the west of the Star Fort, a large obe-
lisk has lately been erected. This appears to mark
the grave of some distinguished personage, for.
4roups of soldiers have been frequently seen gathered
around it, and yesterday a large party of ladias,
with children, left some carriages and walked to
that part of the cemetery where it is placed. They
remained a long time there. This burying place
seems devoted to persons of higher class than the
larger one near the 12-gun battery. The crosses
are larger, and particularly obvious among the col-
lection of graves are four large monuments, or raised
tombs, of white stone.
Trains of carts, conveying gabions, or forage, or
sometimes sacks, continue to arrive daily along the
north side.

There has been very little firing in the French
works on the left for some time past until yesterday
(30th.) The approaches appear to be everywhere so
:tear to the Russian lines, that they wait only for
the signal to assault. Yesterday morning, however,it
was observed from the right that some Russian
working parties in large bodies were moving toward
the Bastion du Mat, and notice was sent of the olg-
'ier vation to the French authorities on the left. A
tremendous fire was at once opened by our allies,
I,:td the bombardment was kept up for two hours.
the Russians at first replied with very great vigour,
hut the superiority of the French fire was subse=
ouently strongly marked, and toward the conclu-
sion the enemy's guns were nearly silent. In the
,fternoon, at half-past 3 o'clock, the French sprung
powerful mine, apparently near the salient angle
if the Flagstaff Battery : lines of earth were pro-
jected into the air to a grk at height, and a dense
column of black smoke, immediately following fol-
lowed the explosion. A flag of truce was hoisted
it Fort Constantine just at the conclusion of the
short bombardment mentioned above; it was said
to have reference to an interchange of prisoners.
Our casualties, though rather numerous durieg
the last three days, have not been generally very
serious in character. The only officer struck was
'Aslant-Surgeon Louis Lundy, of the 79th High-
:antlers, who received a contusion of the thigh from
a large fragment of shell.
On the 29th the French made some experiments
with a field rocket battery at a part of the right
dank overlooking the Tchernaya Valley. Some
shots were directed against the small Russian bat-
tery on the verge of the cliff forming part of the
Itikerman mountain. One or two shots fell with

.xcellent precision, but the flight of the rockets
seerned.generally too uncertain for a mark compa-
ratively so small, and in so difficult a position.
their range, when directed against the valley,
was very great, and as projectiles for the purpose
of andoying an advancing force, they must doubt-
less be very effective.
The French speak very confidently of the assault
being made before the 15th of August, the fete-day
of the first Emperor Napoleon. No date is named
in the English camp, but circumstances lead to the
supposition that it will take place immediately that
the necessary preparations can be completed. Major-
General Sir Richard Dacres, K. U. 8., commanding
the Royal Artillery, has left for Tberapia. His
leave of absence extends to the 15th of next month.
His Grace the Duke of Newcastle is visiting the
camp at present. He arrived by the steamer Ottawa,
and it is understood, will remain in camp for a week
or ten days. The troops are now in good health and
cheerful, and well provided for in all respects, and
a visitor may well find it difficult to understand
how, only 7 months back, a state of things could
have existed so diametrically the reverse.
There has been a remarkable change in the state
of the weather during the three days just passed.
The morning of the 28th instant was ushered in by
violent showers of rain, which soon converted the
ravines into so many channels for scarcely passable
torrents. Heavy showers have continued to fall at
intervals since, and the water reservoirs are again
filled. The springs afford an abundant supply,and
the restrictions, which a few days since were obliged
to be adopted on account of the prevailing drought,
have consequently been removed. The rain ceased
yesterday, and towards night the atmosphere exhi-
bited a considerable amount of electric disturbance.
The lightning was incessant, but consisted chiefly of
"sheet lightning," and was not attended with thun-
iinstances
ces
thun-
der. The rain has been followed by the appearance
of a few cases of cholera among the regiments in
front.
however, enjoying
good
health,T h
are,of fever and dysen-
teric disease are continuing to occur.
e troops
a tho n generallygl

aim? BEFORE SEBASTOPOL, July 30.
For the last few days we have experienced an
agreeable interruption to the oppressively warm
weather, which we have so long endured. All the
country around seems as if visited by a second spring.
It is to be hoped it will also do something towards
replenisbing the springs of water which have been
nearly dried up by the continued heat. Much might
have been done long before now towards alleviating
this want, which there was a probability would be
severely felt before the autumn. The French from
the commencement instituted a corps of well sinkers,
paying a premium on the springs discovered, and it
to our allies that the whole of the right attack is
at present indebted for the supply of water to the
pre,ent time. We have begun now to turn our at-
tention towards alleviating the hardships of the
winter in prospect, and the quartermasters have
been called on to furnish a list of the warm cloth-
ing necessary to complete the soldiers of their re-
spotty( rezmeate, and under the prow system

there is little fear of the inconveniences and

surmountable hardships recarring. As we will
most probably be in possession .of the south
side of Sebastopol before the snow falls we will
he able there to find sufficient shelter for
the whole army, even should the Russians
in their desperate flight destrepas much of the
town as has escaped the destrnotive effects of our
shot. Our army is sanguine of succes4, although
we have remained outside so loug
that the streets
of Sebastopol seem as far from us as the stars of
heaven. By the formation of a land transport corps
our soldiers will be spared from acting as commis-
sariat mules," and the wooden houses give them a
good. shelter, which an English campaigning tent
never does. In these days of army reform attention
might ho called to the state of British camp equip-
age-tents; camp-kettles, picks, shovels, and hatchets,
remain the same as those issued to the army, under
Abercombie, in Egypt. Latterly the last named
article has been improved on by the introduction
of a new patterned American hatchet, very portable
and serviceable, but we requira billhooks, more
adapted for cutting bush-woodfor firing than for
chopping logs. We have tried some improvements
in the old wooden water-barrels with copp?r hoops.
Bottles made of India rubber and gutta percha
wore issued for trial, the former, wen emptied
and dried, allowed the sides tc collapse and stick
together so fast that it was impossible to make use
of them again ; and the gotta percha bottles, when
exposed to a hot sun, became so soft that anything
made a hole in them ; teaideekhis,..they gave a dis-
agreeable taste to the water contained in them.
Before the heavy rains of winter come down the
soldiers should be supplied with nipple covers for
their rifles, and an improved style of copper. For
the former, something made of India-rubber, like
the cover of an ink bottle, might no doubt an-
swer, and this might be adapted for the muzzle also.
As it is our military principle never to-allow the
soldiers to think and act for themselves, but that
their officers should think and act for them, it is ne-
cessary that those in authority should be reminded
of the most trivial want, to the end that it may be
speedily supplied. All our old and tried soldiers
know that their rifles, after any length of firing,
become choked up in the nipple, and on that ac•
count they invariably carry a picker, in order to
probe the touch-hole when necessary ; but many of
our recruits, who arrive daily, require to find out
this by experience, and not until they find their
efforts to " draw a head" on the approaching Mus-
covite are unsuccessful from the above-mentioned
cause. So they remember to provide themselves
with this article. They ofttimes give their lives as
the price of their experience. The old picker and
brush issued with the flint musket is just as neces-
sary with the Minie rifle.
The continued dry weather has allowed us to neg-
lect th e d rainage, d our trenches, and the consequence
is that th( y have become wet ditches. In the lower
ones the water is nearly flush with the surface, as
the zig-zags carry down to them the accumulated
water from Gordon's battery. The middle ravine
(marked in the map as the continuation of the
nelnaia,) is generally transformed into the bed of a
rdging torrent by the heavy rains which have set
in.

The deserter who came over to us the other even-
ing mentioned that 14 men and one officer wished
to accompany. him, but were deterred by our men
firing on them. This story has been repeated by
every deserter who has joined us as yet. It may
be doubted if their death by British bullets is so
certain as death from the knout in the case of their
returning to the army they have left after their
unsuccessful attempt at desertion.
A reconnaissance was made by the cavalry yes-
terday (-29th) beyond Baidar, to investigate the
probable force of the Russians in that quarter. By
all accounts the allies deceive themselves • with re-
spect to the'Russian fordes in the peninsula, they
being neither so numerous in men or artillery as our
late commanders wished to suppose. The formation
of the southern portion of the Crimea affords in
many places great advantages to those who remain
merely on the defensive, as our position on the
heights of Sebastopol and the present position of
the Russians in the pass of Mackenzie's Farm.
There are two passes leading from the plains of the
Tchernaya to the steppes of the Northern Crimea.
Both of these can be held by a small force against
one greatly its superior, and unfortunately the
Russians have been beforehand with us in holding
th'em both. Another pass is spoken of by tho Tar-
tars, but it does not present sufficient facilities for
the transport of artillery, and yet Hannibal brought
elephants over the Alps.
Towards the side of the town resting on the
Karabelnaia ravine, the Russians ate endeavouring
to strengthen it sufficiently with batteries in order to
prevent a recurrence of the coup de main in that
quarter. There is now little doubt that if Cm
attack by General Airey had been seconded by
reinforcements and simultaneously with the attack
on the Redan the result would have been success.
ful ; and as for the oft-repeated excuse that the
Redau is untenable unless the Malakhoff is first
taken, our engineers seem to be undecided on this
point, as there is no point from which they can have
a good view of the relative positions of one towards
the other, unless it be from the north side, and this
land is at present in the power of the enemy.
Since the taking of the Sapoune redoubts, all the
houses of the government artisans at the head of the
harbour have been abandoned; also the place marked
in the plan as the biscuit manufactory. There is
even a prize captured by the land forces abandoned
at the head of the harbour consisting of a small
coasting schooner which ran aground, and was de-
serted by her crew in the early part of the siege.
In my next commun iottion I may 'have proieahly
subjects of greater interest, as the speedy pro4ress
of the works on the French right warrant the sup-
position that a collision between the two conflict-
ing parties is not far distant.

ENGLISH CAMP, JULY 31.

The siege continues to drag
its slow length along
without much variety of any kind whatever. The
sapping against the Malakhoif and Redan continues
to pro4ress, notwithstanding a tolerably heavy fir*
kept up nearly every night against the working
parties. The bright moonlight during the past
week has been very unfavourable to the operations ;
for, although it prevents sorties, it aids the enemy's
artillery. nu reste, sorties have now ceased to
excite any attention from anybody not engaged in
repulsing them. They all present exactly the same
features, are repulsed in exactly the same manner,
and vary only in the number of casualties resulting
from them.

The manner in which the C.B.'s have been dis-
tributed has excited general dissatisfaction. In
many instances, as usual on these occasions, it has
been awarded to men who; if asked why they got
it, would themselves be puzzled to tell ; but as the
" adored deceit" has been scattered about with
no niggard hand, I am persuaded few would feel
annoyed by any piece of good luck that might fall
to the lot of the undeserving. In England, as so-
ciety is constituted at present, on occasions of this
kind merit alone cannot always be the only guide,
because we are still far from acknowledging in our
heart of hearts, whateyer people may say "in
talking the matter over," that it is a man's only
claim to distinction. There is by far too great a
mass of "feelings" which must not be hurt, of in-
terest which must be consulted, and conveniences
which must not be violated. And very few military
men take exception to this. They do not feel so
much dissatisfied that the undeserving should
have been rewarded as that the deserving should
have been passed over unnoticed. If you read
over the C.B. list to any officer tolerably familiar
with the career of those mentioned in it, you will
find that he will place his finger upon some dozens
who have, in his opinion, no right to be there,
but whose distinction in this way he is not only
ready to excuse, but even to approve, because
they are good fellows, or somebody's brother, or
anxious to do something, 47C. The sins which
meet with no pardon or indulgence are not those
of commission but of omission ; and there can be
no doubt that a very great number of men fully en-
titled to the most tempting bauble the authorities
have at their disposal have been passed over un-
noticed. I have heard of one case in which an officer
commanding a regiment, who has never been absent
from it a single day since the war began, took part
in Alma and Inkerman, never absent even once
from duty in the trenches during all the horrors
of last winter, and on a recent occasion was ho-
nourably mentioned by the Commander-in-Chief
iu his despatches. has been passed over, while
many have been decorated who were in one only
of the two great battles of the war, and have seen
little trench duty, or none whatever. I must add,
at the same time, that a man's presence at Alma
or Inkerman ought not to be
tallowed
retmhest. t
o weigh
is
eThere
so
much in his favour as a steady and continued per-
feoortmoanneceinof
thehiswlodiultey in the
army who would not prefer
going into a pitched battle, with its change, its
tumult, and its maddening excitement, and hav-
ing • the work over in three or four hours, to his
twenty-four hours in the trendies, eaten by tile
titified by the iteigh &II UlairebiStaK 444

but helpless mark for the enemy's artillery, and
with mind and body on the rack, in all sorts of
weather. I chink those who have gone through
this regularly since the beginning of the siege had
claim to an unmistakeable distinction ; those who
had been present in the two battles next, and
those who had gone through both, greater than
any. This rule, however, has not been followed
by any m,:ans,-aud the complaints in consequence
are numerous.

One of the Piedmouteso generals, whose name
has escaped me, paid a visit, accompanied by some
of General de Marmora's staff, to 'Eupatoria last
week ; with wila,t object I have not been able to
ascertain, but I am disposed to connect it with
the rumours which have been afloat for some
days past of the probable embarkation of the
Sardinian army, in company with Omer Pacha's
corps, for the purpose of carrying on- operations
to the north. But this, after all, may be one
of the many schemes projected day after day,
and which die ere they have been many hours in
existence. The Sardinians still entertain some ap-
prehensions of an attack on their position, but
badly founded I should think. They have still a
great number of cases of diarrhoea, but the deaths are
comparatively few. Their contribution to the ge-
neral stock of amusement is very good music, as
horse races is that of the English, and theatricals
of the French. They have mass after the Austrian
fashion every Sunday morning, at which the gene-
ral, his staff, and all the troops are present, as well
as a goodly number of French and English, at-
tracted by the band. After the ceremonial the
whole army "marches past," and the entertain-
ment was lengthened out last Sunday by some
cavalry manoeuvres, which were performed admi-
rably ; the horses are small, but seem hardy and
active, and the men ride wed. I should say, if the
four squadrons which are here are ood specimens
of the whole, in this arm of the service they are
vastly superior to the French. The Chasseurs
d'Afrique aro certainly better mounted, but then
the men are too big and heavy for light cavalry ;
and as regards the rest of the regiments out here,
I hardly know what to call them, for anything so
cumbrous, lumbering, clumsy, and good for no-
thing in the shape of horse-flesh I never saw men
mounted on. The Sardinians have but one point
in the formation of their light cavalry which we as
well as the French have missed, that is, some sort
of proportion between the men and the horses.
They have not put giants on ponies, or a fifteen-
stone trooper on a horse sixteen hands high, and
called a hussar. Their horses are as they should
he—small, fleet, and manageable, and the rders are
tight wiry fellows, handsomely and serviceably
dress, d. I noticed that a good deal of skill has
been displayed in contrasting the colours—such as
the blue pennons and the white facings of the lan-
cers. The mass and review takes place on a piece
of undulating ground close to C unara, overlooking
the valley of the Teliernaya, and overl,,oked by the
le•iglits of Mackenzie's Farm, so that from the trore-
ties on the plateau the Russians can enjoy a full
view of the spectacle. In addition to tins, the
hand plays on the same ground every evening from
six till eight, and finds a large audience amongst
the mass of weary mortals now in the Crimea, on
whose hands time hangs like lead, and to whom
good inu,ic is a rare treat.

The Zouaves resumed last night their theatrical
pet formances in their camp near Inkerman. The
theatre is somewhat classical, in being in the open
air, surrounded by a small dry stone wall ; the
seats are simply banks of earth running crosswise,
and the stage is one end of a small hut, somewhat
elevated above the pit, adorned by rudely painted
scenery, representing young females amusing them-
selves with flowers, and a distant view of two trees
and a pond. The band of one of the regiments
was in attendance, and formed the orchestra.
None but officers were admitted into " the body of
the house,". or at least none else went iu, as those
who did so were expected to pay something into
the box at the entrance for the benefit of the
wounded ; but a vast number of agile individuals
from the ranks were crowded along the top of the
wall, and intensely enjoyed the whole performance
gratis. The "Salle" was lighted up by two big
paper lanterns, stuck on the end of poles. Be-
tween those who were seated, and those who were
standing, there were certainly not less than one
thousand persons present. The, pieces played
were the Permission de Dix iitures and La
QuoQi;,. d'Orient. and +ho was certai.i.7
excellent, vastly better than the average of that
in the London theatres, where the efforts of one
or two good performers are marred by the stu-
pidity of half-a-dozen absurd ones. All the parts
were well played, the actors being private soldiers,
who personated the women also, and did it to
the life, from the wearing of the jape bouffante to
the play of the hands and the tone of voice. La
Permission, de Six Heures mainly displays the vari-
ous dodges by which a private soldier manages
to outdo his Alsatian sergeant in winning the af-
fections of a pretty girl and throwing him into the
a. ins of her ugly old aunt, who was madly in love
with him, but whom he detested. Both private
and sergeant were attired in .baud uniforms bor-
rowed gom the Connaught Rangers, but so braided
and folded as to turn out, with the aid of a three-
cornered hat, something very like the uniform of
an exempt of Louis XlV.'s time. There was a
great deal of very broad joking, hut in a camp, and
before such an audience, this went for nothing ;
they were during the whole time in tears or laugh-
ter, though the voices of the performers were every
minute almost drowned in the roar of the cannon,
which were dealing death on the other k;ide of the
hill. The night was calm and balmy ; a glorious
Crimean moon silvered the light clouds as I never
saw thew silvered before, except on papier macho
articles ; and, after two very pleasant hours spent
under her mellow light, in one of the most
extraordinary scenes I ever witnessed, we walked
back to the camp amidst crowds of soldiers, so silent
and ord2rly that one might have taken them with
short eyes for ohl ladies coining out of Exeter-hall,
the performance having been concluded by a comic
song in Norman patois, the refrain of which con-
sisted of t o groans and the exclamation Sapristi.
Omer Paella was expected last night. The Duke
of Newcastle is still here.

The following latter was received in Wareham on
Tuesday last
" Camp before Sebastopol, July 23.

" Dear Uncle and Aunt—/ embrace this opportunity
of writing these few lines, hoping they will find you in
good health, as it leaves nay brother and me—thanks be
to God for his kindness towards ttq. I received your
kind and welcome letter, and was very happy to hear
that you are better. I never received the newspapers
that you said you sent me. I suppose you heard about
the failure on our part of the 18th. I gave all the
particulars in my grandfather's letter. We have
gained since then. We did not lose one inch of ground
on the 18th. We took the graveyard, and we still hold
it, and do not mean to lose it very easy. We are
making another trench in front of our 4th, and now
right under the enemy's guns, so we are gaining instead
of losing ground. The Russians came out in great force
last night on our right, but were received moat gallantly,
and after half-an-hour's good fighting were driven back
by the point of the bayonet with great loss. All was
quiet then for about two hours, after which they made
another attack on the graveyard, but our men were
waiting for them and gave them a volley and then com-
, menced file firing, and when they came pretty close they
'jumped ever the trench and gave them the bayonet ; and
they had to retreat the second time, and that is the time
they lose their men. There are about 300 cannon firing at
them, with shell and shot, as soon as they retreat, which is
as our men get under cover. But. the Russians are not so
particular, they fire right through the columns of their
own men to get at ours, so when they retreat they are
generally between two fires—that is, the fire of their
guns as well as ours. We always like them to make the
' attack. We are under cover the first volley, and then
we do eot wait lengl(only for the reserve) ; they are al-
ways in the next trench to us and they are not long in
coming down. We are waiting very impat,ently to make
another attack, and I think we will make up for the
18th. I have not heard the exact number of our loss.
I
conclude, with my love to all.
" JOHN BARNES, 39th Regiment."