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

LONDON, MONDAY EVENING; AUGUST' 13 1855.

LETTERS FROM THE CRIMEA.

( Front the Daily News Correspondent of this day.
CAMP ABOVE SEBASTOPOL, JULY 31.
Very little change has occurred in the relative
positions of the besieged and besiegers during the
last three days. The French have not advanced
any further towards the enceinte of the Malakhoff,
but they have teen busily occupied both in extend-
ing and deepening the approaches a!ready 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
have been sufficiently clear for working parties in
front to be immediately perceived by the enemy.
A newly-placed 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 Radan.
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 heard working, about the
Korniloff bastion, as it was supposed, by the French
in the advanced approaches on the Malakhoff-hill.
Wi)en 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, communi-
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
vas when first observed. The colour of the fresh
earth thrown up and the opening made in the dark
sbattis 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 eat 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
on the north side, the guns of which can be turned
L,gainst 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 Cimeliere.
Large Russian working parties have been very
busy about it of late : they appear to be extending
it, and also to be excavating deep trenches along
heights, both to the east and west of the work
tattled to. The small 5-gun battery which the
Russians deserted the day after the capture of the
ieleughinsk and Voilhynia redoubts has been con-
verted into a strong work by our allies. It is now
-early for its armament, which will consist of three
L3-inch mortars and a Lancaster gun. From its
aosamanding position over the roadstead, being at
he extreme end of the spur of the mountain, it is
Lnticipated that this work also will be very effective
Lgainst the Russian shipping. The Selenrhinsk
redoubt, which is still familiarly called the White
Battery, has an immensely powerful armament. It
s said that we are expecting the arrival of a further
supply of large mortars.
It has been noticed that, in the large Russian
~emetety to the west of the Star Fort, aalare obe-
lisk has lately been erected. This appears tob mark
the grave of some distinguished personage, for
4roups of soldiers have been frequently seen gathered
around it, and yesterday a large party of ladies,
with children, left some carriages and walked to
that part of the cemetery where it is placed. They
ramained 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
Lre 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
near 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 ob.
Aervation to the French authorities on the left. A

tremendous fire was at once opened by our allies,
and the bombardment was kept up for two hours.
the Russians at first replied with very great vigour,
out the superiority of the French fire was subse-
quently strongly marked, and toward the conclu-
sion the enemy's guns were nearly silent. In the
afternoon, at half-past 3 o'clock, the French sprung
a powerful mine, apparently near the salient angle
of the Flagstaff Sattery : lines of earth were pro-
jected into the air to a great height, and a dense,
column of black smoke, immediately following fol-
lowed the explosion. A flag of truce was hoisted
tt 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 during
she last three days, have not been generally very
:erions in character. The only officer struck was
s:istant-Surgeon Louis Lundy, of the 79th High-
sanders' who received a contusion of the thigh from
large fragment of shell.
On the 29th the French made some experiments

yith a field rocket battery at a part of the right
lank overlooking the Tchernaya Valley. Some
-illots were directed against the small Russian bat-
-.ery- on the verge of the cliff forming part of the
lnkermam mountain. One or two shots fell with
excellent precision, but the flight of the rockets
-eemed generally too uncertain for a mark compa-
catiyely so small, and in so difficult a position.
['heir range, when directed against the valley,
vas very great, and as projectiles for the purpose
annoying an advancing force, they must doubt-
:ess be very effective.
Tne French speak very confidently of the assault
being made before the 15th of August, the fete-day
of the first Emperor Napoleon. \To date is named
in the English camp, but circumstances lead to the
supposition that it will take place immediately that
thenecessary preparations can he completed. Major-
General Sir Richard Dacres, K.U.8., commanding
the Royal Artillery, has left for Therapia. 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-
der. The rain has been followed by the appearance
of a few cases of cholera among the regiments in
front. The troops generally are, how ever, enjoying,
good health, although instances of fever and dysen-
eric disease are continuing to occur.

CAMP 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
replenishing 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,
p.tying a premium on the springs discovered, and it
ii to our allies that the whole of the right attack is
•6t present indebted for the supply of water to the.'
present 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-
speetive regiments, and under the present system

there is little fear of the inconveniences and
surmountable hardships recurring. As we will
most probably be in possession of, the south
side of Sebastopol before the snow falls we will
be able there to find sufficient shelter for
the whole army, even should the Russians
in their desperate flight destroy as-much of the
town as has escaped the destructive effects of our
shot. Our army is sanguine of succes-, although
we have remained outside so long, that the streets
of Sebastopol seem as far from us as the stars of
heaven. By the formation of a land traiLtpdrt corps
our soldiers will he spared from acting as "commis-
sariat mules," and the woolen houses give them a
good shelter. which an English campaigning tent
never does. In these days of army reform attention
might be 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 bythe introduction
of a new patterned American hatchet, very portable
and serviceable, but we require billhooks, more
adapted for cutting bush-wood for firing than for
chopping lop. We have tried some improvements
in the old wooden water-barrels with copp!r hoops.
Bottles made of India rubber ana gutta percha
were issued for trial, the former, when emptied
and dried, allowed the sides to collapse and stick
together so fast that it was impossible to make use
of them again ; and the gutta percha bottles, when.
exposed to a hot sun, became so soft that anything
made a hole in them ; besides this; they gave a dis-
agreeable taste to the water contained in them,
Before the heavy rains of winteLconie down the
soldiers should be SUpptled-*itir niriPle 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 the drainageof 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 Gorlon's battery. The middle ravine
(marked in the map as the 'continuation of the Kara-
belnaia) is generally transformed into the bed of a
raging 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 09th)_ beyond Baidar, to investigate the
probable force of the Russians inthat quarter. By.
all accounts the allies deceive themselves with re-
spect to the Russian forces in the peninsula, they
being neither sonumerous 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 ,
them both. Another pass is spoken of by the 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 are endeavouring
to strengthen it sufficiently with batteriesin order to
prevent a recurrence of the coup de main. in that
quarter. There is now little doubt that if the
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
Redan 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
I 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 crow in the early part of the siege.
, In my next communication I may have probably
subjects of greater interest, as the speedy progress
•
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 Malakhofl and Redan continues
to pro:;ress, notwithstar,ding a tolerably heavy fire
Dept up nearly every night against the working
parties. The bright moonlight during the past
week hasbeen 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.'g 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, whatever people may say cg 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 iu 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, &c. 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 frilly 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
passed over, while
who were in one only
in his
haveisdespbatecelnies,
decoratedhas b een
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 he allowed to weigh so
much in his favour as asteady and continued per
i
formance of his duty n the trenches. There is
not one in the whole army who would not prefer
t_toing 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 th©. trenches, eaten by the
stifled by the stench; an unresisting and -all

but helpless mark for the et-loth:7's artillery, and
with mind and body on the rack, in all sorts of
weather. I think 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 net, and
those who had gone through both, greater than
any. Tl ii rule, howeyer, has not -been followed
by any mc,aus, and the complaints in consequence •
are numerous.

One of the Piedmontese generals, whose name
has escaped me, paid a visit, accompanied by some
of General de Marmora's staff, to Eupatoria last
week ; with what 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 Paella'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 numberof 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 well. I should say, if the
four squadrons which are here are good specimens
of the whole, in this arm of the service they are
vastly superior to the French. The Chasseurs
d'Afriquo are 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 bands high, and
called a hussar. Their horses are as they should
be—small, fleet, and manageable, and the riders are
tight wiry fellows, handsomely and serviceably
dressed. 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 ou a piece
of undulating greund close to Camara, overlooking
the valley of the Teherna.ya, and overleoked by the
heights of Mackeezie's Farm, so that from the batte-
ries on the plateau the Russians can enjoy a full
view of the spectacle. In addition to this, the
baud plays on the same ground every evening from
six till eight, and finds a large audience amongst
the miss of weary mortals now iu the Crimea, on
whose hands time hangs like lead, and to whom
good music is a rare treat.

The Zouaves resumed last night their theatrical
performances 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 flower,, 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 in, 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 lieures and La

Question d'Orient, and the acting was certainly
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 Helves 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
arms of her ugly old aunt, who was madly in love
with him, but whom he detested. Both private
and sergeant were attired in band uniforms bor-
rowed from 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, but in a camp, and
before such an audience, this went for nothing ;
they were during the whole time in tears or laugh-
ter 2 though the -voices of the performers were every
minute almost drowned in the roar of the cannon,
which were dealing death on the other side 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 orderly that one might have taken them with
short eyes for old ladies coming 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 letter was received in Wareham on
Tue,day last :-- _ _

" Camp before Sebastopol, July 23.

" Dear Uncle and Aunt—l embrace this opportunity
of writing these few lines, hoping they will find you in
good health, as it leaves my brother and me—thanks be
to God for his kindne,,s towards us. I received your
kind and welcome fetter, and was very happy to hear
that you are better. I never received the newspapers
that you said you sent use. I suppose you heard about
the tiilure on our part of the 18th. I gave all the
particulars in my grandfather's letter. We have
gained since then. We did nut lose one inch of ground
on the 18th. We took the graveyard, and we still hold
it, and do not mean to lose it vary 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 most 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 over 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 shut, as soon as they retreat, which is
as our men get under cover. But the Russians are not so
particular, they tire 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 not wait lung (only foe the reserve) ; they are al-
ways in the next trench to us and they are not long in
coming down. We are waiting very impatiently 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."